Basketball: Box-and-One on the Top Scorer

A 5v5 basketball game where one defender guards the other team's top scorer man-to-man while the other four play a box zone. Students work on combination defense, denying the ball, and how to attack it.

How to play

1. Before starting, each team secretly picks a "star," who wears a different-colored pinnie; teams of 5 plus a spare team (2 min).
2. Set-up (3 min): four defenders form a square in front of the basket (two at the free-throw elbows and two on the blocks) while the fifth chases the star off the ball across the half court.
3. Offense vs. box-and-one (2 x 6 min, half court): a basket by the star is worth 3 points and anyone else's 2; the offense has a 24-second shot clock counted aloud by the spare team.
4. After each basket or steal, switch direction: the defenders attack the other basket, and the spare team rotates in every 6 minutes.
5. Debrief (3 min): how did the star get open, and what gap did the box leave?

Rules

• The man-to-man defender may not hold or push; if he or she does, the star gets a free throw.
• Box defenders may not stay in the lane longer than 3 seconds without an attacker nearby.
• Play stops immediately after any head clash or fall.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: plays one of the low spots in the box, near the basket.
• Autism: gets one fixed role for the whole half (for example, right elbow of the box), practiced first with cones.
• Lower fitness: does not play the chaser, who runs the most.

Learning goals

• Combine man-to-man and zone defense in one system.
• Use screens and cuts to free a closely guarded player.
• Find and attack the gaps the box leaves.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Basketballs: 3
• Basketball hoops: 2
• Pinnies: 13
• Cones: 8
• Whistle: 1

Teacher tip

The chaser tires quickly, so sub him or her every 2 minutes. If the offense is stuck, suggest an off-ball screen for the star.

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