Ice the Ball Screen

Skill drill

Defend a side ball screen by 'icing' it — forcing the ball-handler away from the screen toward the baseline.

10 min groups of 4 Half court · dual
DefenseTeamworkU14U16
Press play
OffenseDefenseBall / cone Move Pass
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Setup

A ball screen on the wing: ball-handler, screener, and two defenders.

Steps

  1. 1On-ball defender jumps to the baseline side to deny the screen.
  2. 2The big drops to contain the ball-handler forced down the sideline.
  3. 3Keep the ball out of the middle.
  4. 4Recover to your players once the ball is picked up.

Coaching points

  • On-ball: get your body to the level of the screen and force baseline.
  • Big: drop and build a wall, don't get beaten middle.
  • Talk early — call 'Ice!' before the screen arrives.

Why kids love it

Icing side ball screens is a core high-school coverage — a big step up in defensive IQ.

Variations

Easier

Walk the coverage with no live scoring.