Key Terms

On-ball

Primary defender guarding the player with the ball.

Help-side

Defenders on the side of the floor away from the ball, in help position closer to the paint.

Strong side / Weak side

Strong side has the ball; weak side is opposite and usually more in help.

Gap

Space between two offensive players. "In the gap" means positioned between your man and the ball to deter drives.

Nail

Help spot at the middle of the free-throw line where a defender stunts or helps on drives.

Closeout

Sprinting from help back to your man on the catch, breaking down under control to contest without fouling.

Box out

Make contact and seal your player away from the rim before going for the rebound.

Crash

Go aggressively to the offensive glass after a shot.

Release

Guard or wing who leaks out when the shot goes up to ignite the break before the defense can recover.

Hit-and-go-get

Make contact first (hit), then pursue the ball. Emphasis phrase for contested rebounding situations.

Ice / Down

On side ball screens, force the ball handler toward the baseline — away from the screen — with help set to contain. Ice and Down are used interchangeably by most programs.

Drop

Big stays back near the paint, keeping the ball in front and watching the roller while the guard fights over the screen. The default coverage for most HS programs.

Switch

Guard and big exchange assignments on the screen. Clean to execute but creates mismatch exposure.

Blitz / Trap

Two defenders double the ball off the screen to force a quick pass or turnover. High risk, high reward.

Tag the roller

Help defender bodies the roller to slow their cut to the rim, then recovers back to their assignment.

Stunt

Quick fake help step at the ball — often with a swipe — to slow a drive or pass, then immediate recovery back to your player.

Dig

Short, hard reach-in from a perimeter defender to disrupt a dribble (usually on post entries), then recover out before the kick-out comes.

Low man

Lowest weak-side defender responsible for protecting the rim and tagging rollers when help is pulled.

X-out

Two defenders rotate and switch on the weak side, crossing paths to cover multiple shooters after a kick-out pass.

Load to the ball

Whole defense shifts toward the ball side, packing the paint and reducing weak-side threats.

Down screen / Pin down

Screen set for a teammate moving from low to high — e.g., from the block to the wing.

Back screen

Screen on a defender's back to free a cutter going toward the rim.

Flare screen

Screen that sends the cutter away from the ball to the perimeter for a catch-and-shoot.

Cross screen

Screen across the lane — often big-to-big — to free a post player on the opposite block.

Slip

Screener fakes contact and cuts to the rim early when defenders top-lock, switch, or over-help on the screen.

5-out / 4-out 1-in

All five players on the perimeter (5-out) vs. four around one post inside (4-out 1-in). The alignment determines spacing and drive lanes.

Drive-and-kick

Attack off the dribble to draw help, then kick out to an open teammate on the perimeter.

Kick-ahead

Pass the ball up the floor in transition instead of dribbling — gets the ball ahead faster than any ball handler can run.

Paint touch

Getting the ball into the lane via drive or pass to collapse the defense and create open kick-outs.

Corner spacing / 45° cut

Corner players hold spacing or cut into the lane at the "45" angle when their defender helps on a drive.

Transition

Phase from defense to offense (or offense to defense) before both teams are fully set.

Primary break

First push up the floor for layups or early threes before the defense can organize and outnumber.

Secondary break

Organized actions — drag screen, trailer, wide pins — that follow the initial break if the primary doesn't produce a shot.

Advantage / Disadvantage

Numbers or closeout situations to recognize and attack: 2-on-1, 3-on-2, or a defender caught on a long closeout.

Man-to-man

Each defender is responsible for guarding a specific offensive player.

Zone

Defenders guard areas of the floor (e.g., 2–3, 1–3–1) rather than individual players.

Turnover

Loss of possession before a shot — via steal, bad pass, violation, or out of bounds.

And-one

Player scores while being fouled and earns one additional free throw attempt.

Field goal % / Free throw %

Share of shots made from the field (FG%) or from the free-throw line (FT%).