Steals and defense

[caramel]

My thoughts only,and am open to all opinions on the subject.

I wonder if the one weakness that Connecticut has,is trying to get a steal,more than just trying to stay in your face defense,especially against outside good shooting teams.It seems to me,that our guards take a few too many chances,and when they lose a step or position on defense,it opens up the opponent's ability to adjust and score,when better position and defense may lead to less opportunities for the opponent.

In a 40 minute span,if you are successful stealing the ball from an opponent,lets say 10 times out of 40 plays of the opponent,that leaves 75% of the opponents possessions in play,with a chance to execute and score.Don't get me wrong,steals are good and can turn into your own score,whether fast break or chaos.However,face up defense,with hands raised,not down and reaching,usually leads to a more superior defense,from what I have seen,all these years.

Going off balance when going for a steal,can lead to easy opportunities,in many cases,for the opponent.Stealing,to me,is something you have to be smart about,and pick and choose the correct time to try and do it.This means,that every time the ball is bought up the floor and the opponent goes into their offensive set,you have to be patient and smart,and not give the opponent the edge.

Just my thoughts,and again,welcome any thoughts.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Sure, good points, but steals come in many ways, and labeling them as something that opens up the defense to open shots may not be accurate for more than a couple instances in a game. Couple of steal scenarios:

1. Pressure defense up court that flusters the opponents and that may lead to a steal if they can't handle the pressure. Obviously the opponent is not going to get a shot from way out, so if the defense effectively gets back when the ball crosses mid court, no problem, and now the opponents have less time to run a play.

2. Tough face guarding defense can lead to steals even when a player like MoJeff is not really extending herself to get the ball. How many times have we seen the ball handler get the ball stripped away as she looks to make a pass and her attention wanders a moment from MoJeff's D?

3. Ball gets poked away from behind. These sometimes occur when a ball handler is bringing the ball up court, but they also occur a lot closer to the basket when the dribbler gets confronted by defenders in front and another defender wraps around from behind. Sure occasionally an offensive player is left open for an assist, but far more often they get tied up against UConn.

4. The classic interception attempt especially out on the perimeter when a defender does leave standard frontal defense to go for a steal. Sure, you win some, you lose some, and maybe the pass is completed and the shooter wheels around for an open look. But shooting from the outside is always a lower percentage shot for anyone not named KML, and the pressure that the steal attempts put on ball handlers to make good passes can disrupt an offense in many ways that wear a team down. Plus you know that a high percentage of the riskier steals are going to be turned into quick baskets. You just have to be smart enough to see when a team has good ball handlers that can take advantage of any attempts to overplay on defense.

And finally, mixing things up at least a little and never letting the opponent be sure what type of defense they may be seeing from play to play is a key aspect to successful defenses.