Ryan McCarthy (2)

The “Mayhem” 2-2-1 Press University of Alaska-Anchorage head coach Ryan McCarthy created the Mayhem style of defense for one purpose – to force turnovers. Those turnovers translate into points and as a result of McCarthy’s defense, the SeaWolves have emerged as an NCAA Division II power. From 2015 to 2017, Alaska-Anchorage won 97 games and earned a trip to the national championship game. McCarthy’s teams have led Division II in steals per game and have finished in the Top 5 in scoring defense, turnovers forced, and turnover margin in multiple seasons. In this video, Coach McCarthy uses white board, on-court demonstration, and game film to teach you the 2-2-1 Mayhem Press. He will get into roles and responsibilities, how to defeat the different press breaks you will see, and the practice drills that support the system. Progressive Drills to Build the 2-2-1 Press Coach McCarthy uses five drills that build on each other to teach the Mayhem defense. These drills teach the roles and responsibilities for each player on the floor. The drills include: The Points Game (1-on-1): This is the classic Zig-Zag drill with a twist. By adding some competition, players learn to stay in front of the ball, apply pressure, and not foul. 2-on-2 Drill: This teaches players up front the concept of the run-and-jump approach to trapping in this press. Players learn to trap and how to rotate out of the trap. 3-on-3 Drill: Players in the second row learn how to pick up an offensive player who has cut down the floor and has not received the ball. 4-on-4 Drill: Second row players work on denying opponents properly. They also work on picking up a guard who cuts up the floor after an inbound pass. 5-on-5 Drill: A full live drill where variations of press breaks are used so players become familiar with defending them. Handling Common Press Breaks In addition to roles and responsibilities for each player, McCarthy discusses the terminology they use for the geography of the court. This helps players understand the basic principles of the press. Players can then learn the different ways that offenses will attack their press. The common press breakers are: Two-Guard Front: The defense learns to switch screens and pressure the inbound to the corners with the two front line defenders. Players are taught to find their matchups before and after the ball is inbounded. You will see when the defense will trap, where an ideal trap is located, and who is supposed to trap. One-Guard Front: This approach is easily handled by pinching the point guard with two defenders. Coach McCarthy’s system has transformed the Alaska-Anchorage program. Learn the system and the drills that help build it in this video.

Mayhem Press Basketball - Amoeba-Style Defense Create absolute mayhem on defense with a zone defense that morphs into one that uses pressure man-to-man and zone principles. Ryan McCarthy, the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, has created a full-court pressure defense that helped his team earn a trip to the 2016 NCAA Division II championship game. In three seasons (2015-17), McCarthy’s teams have gone 97-7 and led the NCAA in steals. In this video, McCarthy shows you how he has taken the Amoeba defense from the legendary Jerry Tarkanian and adapted it into a full-court, full-game type of defense. Using game footage, on-court demonstration, and the whiteboard; Coach McCarthy breaks down his defense and shares drills he uses to teach it. Mayhem Press Basketball Build-Up Team Drills Coach McCarthy shows you five drills to use to teach your players how to play the Mayhem Amoeba defense. Forcing to the Baseline drill teaches players to closeout and apply intense ball pressure. They also learn to control the direction of a dribbler and force them to the baseline. The Ball Pressure Jump drill teaches guards how to help after a player gets beat. Other drills teach how to switch on ball screens, take away your opponent’s low-block presence by fronting the post, and how to rotate to protect the basket when the ball gets to the corner. Countering Offensive Strategies To learn the effectiveness of this match-up zone, Coach McCarthy shows you the responsibilities of each player and their rotations against the most common offensive strategies. Odd front alignments: McCarthy shows you how to match up immediately, disrupt ball reversals, take away cutters, and more. Even front alignments: Learn how to shift defenders along with perimeter with the reverse bump and how to neutralize pick-and-pops by aggressively switching defenders. 1-4 High Sets: Play strong denial defense with weak side help. Learn to anticipate dives from the posts and take away weak side flashes by bumping defenders. Additionally, Coach McCarthy shows you how to smother the paint when teams try the double low post alignment. On top of that, McCarthy gets into the different trapping options available that can really drive opponents crazy. This defense is one that will create mayhem on the floor if run correctly. McCarthy shows you how in this extremely well done video. Add it to your defensive collection today! Rent this Mayhem Press Basketball DVD today.