What is a 2-2-1 Press?
A 2-2-1 Press, sometimes referred to as a Box Press, is a press using a box formation with 2 players extended up to the elbow, 2 players at half court and 1 player back around the 3-point line. It is normally ran at a ¾ court press although some teams will bring the press back closer to the half-court line or even use it in a half-court setting.
In a traditional setting the front two players start at the foul line to 3-point line. The middle two start just in front of the half-court line. The back player is a step or two above the defending 3-point line.
The top two players are letting the opponent throw the ball and then coming up and trying to get the ball handler to dribble up the sideline. The ball side front defender is guarding the ball while the backside guard is dropping into the middle of the press.
The ball side middle defender is going to be jumping the ball to get a trap. Depending on how aggressive and where on the floor the defense wants the trap, the ball side middle defender will come up to trap. This could occur immediately as the ball handler dribbles the ball towards the sideline. Or it could occur slowly only trapping when the ball crosses half-court.
If the defense wants to use the half-court line as a 3rd defender, then the defense will slowly drop letting the ball be dribbled up the sideline. As soon as the ball crosses half-court, the ball side middle defender will run up to trap along with the ball side front defender. This can make the press really aggressive or passive by determining where to trap the ball.
The backside middle and back defender are both rotating around when the ball side middle moves up to trap. The backside middle rotates back to rim protection while the back defender rotates to the ball side sideline to prevent any pass from coming up the sideline.
Advantages of a 2-2-1 Press
1) Ability to trap in different locations on the floor
The traditional 2-2-1 press will have the ball travel up the sideline to be trapped. The front and middle defenders on the same side work together in trapping the ball. Depending on where and how a team wants to trap, the trap can take place in multiple spots in the press.
The first spot for a trap is immediately on the catch. As soon as the ball is passed in, the middle defender runs up the floor to trap the ball. The trap is going to take place near the free throw line.
The second place is as soon as the dribble starts up the sideline. The middle defender waits until the ball starts to be dribbled up the sideline to come up for the trap. This is going to put the trap somewhere between the 3-point line and half-court.
The third place to trap is right after the ball crosses half-court. The defense is going to let the dribble come up the floor. The defense slowly drops with the ball being dribbled up the floor. Then as soon as the ball crosses half-court, the defense sprints up to trap. This kind of trap tries to use the half-court line as a 3rd defender by not letting the dribbler go backwards.
2) Ability to confuse the offense with who is trapping
The fourth kind of trap is using the front two players in the trap and not a middle defender. This changes the angle and formation of the trap. The ball is still pushed to the sideline. The front defender on the backside comes from behind the dribble. As soon as this defender gets to the ball, the defender guarding the ball jumps in front with the back defender coming in from the middle for a trap.
This last kind of trap can be done to keep the offense unsure of how the defense is trying to trap the ball. This is a good change to keep the offense off-balance. This trap will take place anywhere along the sideline. It just depends on how long it takes the backside defender to get to the trap. If the offense is going fast up the floor, then it is going to be closer to half-court. If the dribble is slow, then it will be closer to the free throw line extended.
3) Rotations are easy and small
The rotations are not very long. This means a slower team can press without worrying about their lack of speed. More players are getting involved in the press so the amount of space each player is required to cover gets smaller. This can help a team without a lot of team speed.
The hardest rotation and the one needed the most is the back player rotating to the sideline when the middle defender leaves to trap. The pass coming over the middle defender is one most players use when they first go against this press. The back defender needs to be fast enough to either deflect the pass out of bounds or the best case is to get a steal on that pass.
An active back player has the most ground to cover. But if a player can cover it, then the press is very hard to break. The front four players longest runs are about half the width of the court. Most players in my experience can cover this without any trouble. And with smart players who can anticipate what the offense is doing, the players are going to be in the right spots for deflections and steal a lot.
Disadvantages of a 2-2-1 Press
1) The ball must be on the sideline for the press to work.
The front two players are to make sure the ball is on the sideline. The 2-2-1 press is not designed to rotate. It is designed to get the ball to one side and trap the ball on that same side. The two middle defenders rotate depending on which side the ball is on. If the ball is on neither side, then the two middle defenders are stuck waiting.
With the ball in the middle, the two middle defenders have to decide which one of them is going to take the middle if an offensive player is there. This helps to open their sideline up making it easier for the offense to attack up the sideline.
The ball being in the middle does not give the press a chance to work. It slows rotations. It puts players out of correct rotations. The two front defenders must do anything in their power to get the ball to a sideline. It is only after the ball gets to one side does the 2-2-1 press start working.
2) Front 2 players must maintain middle coverage
Once the ball is on a sideline, the next possible press breaker is the ball getting back into the middle. The ball side front defender is responsible for getting the ball to the sideline. The backside front defender has to drop into the middle to take away that middle through pass.
On an early reversal the two front defenders will be switching roles. When this happens the new ball defender must wait and pause until the other front defender can drop into a middle coverage position. A defender leaving the middle too soon and letting a middle pass occur leads to the offense breaking the press with a possible scoring opportunity.
These two front defenders have to work together to make sure the middle is covered at all times to keep the ball from being passed through the press. The back 3 defenders do not have middle coverage. The front two defenders have the ball and middle coverage. This is another example of the ball must stay out of the middle of the court.
3) Ball reversal is hard to defend and stay in the press
Once the ball gets to one side, it needs to stay on that side. A ball reversal early in the press can be adjusted to if it is before the first couple of dribbles. The defense can all rotate around with the pass early in the possession.
However, if the ball starts to come up one sideline and gets reversed from this position, it is hard for a defense to rotate to the other side. The back player is usually a forward or center. A reversal will cause them to have to run sideline to sideline and they are not always able to make that kind of a run.
I teach that once a ball gets dribbled on one sideline, then we are trapping on that sideline or retreating. If the offense is able to reverse the ball off the sideline, then the defense simply runs back and plays a half-court defense.
A 2-2-1 press is not designed to chase the ball. A ball reversal will cause the press to start chasing and that is when breakdowns and through passes occur. Other presses can rotate sideline to sideline but that is a major weakness in a 2-2-1 press.
Positions of a 2-2-1 Press
The positions of a 2-2-1 are in 3 spots. They are the two front positions, the two middle spots and the back player. Each spot has certain responsibilities that have to be fulfilled by the players in those spots. They are…
1) Front spots-The two front players have 1 job depending on if they are ball side or back side. On ball side they are to force the ball to be dribbled up the sideline. They can not let the ball be reversed. They can not let the dribble go towards the middle. The sideline is being used as an additional defender. The middle player is coming down for a trap. The closer the ball is forced to the sideline, the tighter the trap can be.
On the back side, the front player is responsible for not allowing any pass into the middle of the floor. The ball can not be in the middle or reversed. The back side front defender drops into the middle of the zone where a good team will have a player either waiting there or flashing there. The back side covers this offensive player and does not allow the offense to use the middle of the floor.
2) Middle Spots- The two middle players are reading the play in front of them and reacting to what is happening. Due to this, I like to have my two most intelligent basketball players in these spots if possible. Again, the responsibility of these two players depend on whether they are front side or back side.
On the front side of the defense, the middle defender is reading the ball and coming up to trap where and when the team is planning on trapping. This could be early and up the court. This could be late and right after the ball crosses half-court. If the trap is late, then these middle defenders have to bait the dribbler to cross half-court before rushing to trap. The middle defender must be able to see and process what is happening and react at just the right moment.
On the back side, the middle defender drops back into a rim protection position. This puts this defender as the last player in the press. This gives the middle defender the ability to see the entire floor and communicate what they are seeing in this spot. A high basketball IQ player can help their teammates move into the right spots. This defender can communicate flashers coming up towards the ball. They can also talk to the players to get them to shift side to side if necessary or even drop when the offense releases players down the court.
3) Back Spot- In most presses the back spot is reserved for the biggest and slowest player on the team. In a 2-2-1 press the back player needs to be able to move well. They are staying in a line with the ball as it moves side to side. As the middle defender leaves to trap the ball, the back defender needs to sprint up to take away the sideline pass. The back player needs to be able to react to the two middle defenders to prevent this one pass.
The sideline pass can break the 2-2-1 press. If a back defender is able to get steals on those sideline passes, then the 2-2-1 press is a great press. Steals only happen with a back defender able to react and sprint in front of the offensive player up the sideline on the press break. A slow player in this spot will not get to the steal making the 2-2-1 press ineffective.
Trapping out of a 2-2-1 Press
The 2-2-1 press is not looking at trapping all over the court. It is wanting to force the offense to put the ball in certain spots on the floor and then trap in those spots. It is not a defense where the players should be running all over the floor exhausting themselves. The players should be moving smartly with intent and focus. This is what separates the 2-2-1 press from the other types of zone presses.
The initial setup of the 2-2-1 press is as shown in the picture above. The front two defenders will start around the free throw line. The middle two defenders are just in front of the half-court line. And the back defender is normally somewhere between mid-court and the 3-point line.
This makes the 2-2-1 press more of a ¾ court press rather than a full court press. The other change that can be made is moving the front defenders back closer to half-court, moving the middle defenders to the other side of half-court, and the back defender back around the 3-point line or free throw line. By moving the press back towards the defending basket, it makes it easier for the defense to trap right after the ball crosses half-court. If the trap is coming early and before half-court, then the players can be higher up the floor. If the trap is coming after half-court, then the players can shift back making it easier to trap at the half-court line.
The two pictures above show a defensive rotation when the trap is coming early in the possession. The ball side front defender comes up to force the ball to the sideline. As the offensive player dribbles, the middle defender comes up to trap. The back player rotates to ball side sideline. The backside middle defender drops to the back spot of the press becoming the rim protection. And the ball side forward defender rotates to the middle.
The movements are the same no matter which side of the floor the ball is on. The press is not denying an entry pass, so the offense should have no issue in passing the ball into the court. As the offense gets possession of the ball, the defense should come up to pressure the ball to the sideline. The 2-2-1 press can be executed on both sides of the floor so it doesn’t matter which side the ball is on as long as it is not in the middle of the floor.
If the defense drops back to try and trap when the ball crosses the half-court line, then the rotations are the same as before. The ball side middle defender starts to drop with the ball coming up the floor. As soon as the ball crosses half-court, the middle defender rushes the ball to get the trap. The other 4 defenders are rotating just like before.
The ability to trap early, middle and late can give the defense enough variation to confuse an offense. Even though the defense is moving in the same way no matter where the trap is occurring, it keeps the offense from getting into a routine on their press break. This might be enough to have the offense turn the ball over.
The last type of variation is trapping with the top two defenders and leaving the middle defenders and back defender from coming up to trap or rotate. This gives the defense another way to trap the ball using the same setup and look as the normal 2-2-1 press. This is making the defense look the same as before but act differently. The change in defensive movement might cause the offense to struggle because their visual keys are changing because the trap is forming differently than before.
In this case, the ball side front defender is still forcing the ball to the sideline. The ball side middle defender is still dropping acting like they are waiting to come up to trap. The backside front defender tries to come up the court to come from behind the ball to get the trap. The two front defenders are working together to get the trap set.
In the picture above, the 1-defender forces the ball to the sideline. The 2-defender moves up the court trying to get out of the ball handler’s vision. As the 2-defender comes up from behind, the 1-defender sees the 2-defender in good position and jumps in front of the ball. This should force the ball handler to either stop or change their direction.
If the ball handler stops, then the trap is set. The 4-defender stays on the sideline not allowing any pass to come up the sideline. The 3-defender comes from the backside middle spot across to the middle to take away any pass to the middle. The back defender stays back.
If the dribbler tries to change directions, then the guard coming from behind should have either a steal or at least a back tap. The ball handler could do a change of direction dribble which should put the ball straight into the hands of the oncoming trapping guard. Or the dribbler puts the ball into their inside hand which gives the oncoming trapping guard the ability to tap the ball from behind. The back tap in this spot will normally put the ball right into the hands of the middle defender which can make for a quick and easy layup for the defense. Either way, the defense is baiting the dribbler to change directions because this should lead to steals or at least a bunch of deflections.
This type of trap works really well if the front two players are really fast and quick. Or if the back defender is too slow to rotate to the sideline on the normal types of traps. This kind of trapping in the 2-2-1 can keep an excellent rim protector in the back of the defense staying in position to defend the basket.
This kind of trap can work on either side of the court. The key is getting the two front players to learn how to move in a way to get out of the field of vision of the offense to sneak up on the ball without the offense knowing. With this type of variation, it will at minimum make the offense change their press offense because the middle and sideline should be filled with the middle defenders. This could also mean the offense will have to start doing something offensively it has not practiced. All of these things are a positive for the press defense.
Personnel Needed for a 2-2-1 Press
The best personnel for a 2-2-1 press are broken up into 3 different parts. Each section of the press has certain things the players need to be able to perform at the highest level in that position. However, the 2-2-1 press can be modified to fit with any team. The 2-2-1 press is a good option for any team. Every team can run an effective 2-2-1 press. But certain players can fit into a 2-2-1 press that make it even better.
The front two players should be really good on the ball defenders. The better they are able to get an opponent worrying about them as the defender, the less likely they are to see a trap coming at them. These players should be quick. They should be really good at putting pressure on ball handlers. The initial pressure of the two front defenders leads into better chances of getting a good trap in the press.
The two middle players should be able to read and react. They should have a high basketball IQ. These two players are reading the ball handler to try and time their rush up to trap when the ball handler is not paying attention. They need to be able to wait until the ball handler is not looking up the floor before rushing to the trap. This is not a learned skill but something that is just a natural ability for players.
The middle defenders also must be able to bait dribblers into dribbling the ball across half-court if the trap is coming late in the press. They have to see the players and move correctly to let the ball cross. As soon as it crosses, they must react. The ability to move to stay in passing lanes while waiting and watching the ball is not easy. It takes a player with a high basketball IQ to be able to do this effectively.
The back defender has to be mobile. They have to be able to react with the middle defenders to sprint up to the sideline when that middle defender leaves to go trap. A slow back defender can not prevent the sideline pass. This one pass up the sideline must be deflected or stolen for the 2-2-1 press to work. This puts a lot of pressure on the back defender to sprint to the sideline to intercept this one pass.
The exception to this back defender is if the 2-2-1 press is trapping using the two front defenders only. Then the back 3 defenders do not matter. The two front defenders must be quick because they are going to be chasing the ball from behind. And these two players must work together. The connection between the teammates to move in unison is what makes the trap work.
Keys to a 2-2-1 Press
1) Keeping the Ball Out of the Middle
The 2-2-1 press only works with the ball on the sideline. The front two defenders must get the ball to the sideline. They can not let the ball stay in the middle of the court. The press does not start to rotate or trap until the ball gets to one side or the other.
Once the ball gets to one side then it needs to stay on that side. Reversal passes will cause the 2-2-1 press to rotate. A single rotation is hard for the 2-2-1 press to remain effective. This will normally cause a breakdown in the press letting the offense either break the press easily or get an easy basket.
2) Stop the Sideline Pass
Once the ball gets to the sideline, then it can not be passed and advanced up that sideline. The middle defender has to be close to the next offensive player up the sideline to prevent an early pass. Once the middle defender rushes to trap, then the back defender must be there to steal any pass coming up the sideline. Somebody is always responsible for denying this sideline pass.
If the sideline pass is made, then it should be a full retreat by the defense. At that point it is about getting back on defense and preventing any easy basket. A reversal pass is bad in that the press is unlikely to get a trap but at least every defender is still behind the ball. On a sideline pass, there is a good chance the defense only has 1 or 2 players still behind the ball. If the offense turns and pushes the ball towards their basket, they will have an advantage like a 3 on 1 type situation.
3) Backside Middle Must Rotate Back
The last key is the backside middle defender has to drop back as the rim protection. Without this drop, the offense can throw a long diagonal pass that will lead to an easy wide-open layup. Presses are meant to be aggressive but the middle defenders must understand they are either moving forward to trap or backwards to defend. A good pass beats the press if the defense loses rim protection. Those long diagonal passes or over the top passes can not occur. The player guarding against those passes is the backside middle defender. They have to be smart and do their job. This means going backwards in a press when the ball is on the other side of the floor.
Youth Basketball and the 2-2-1 Press
I like the 2-2-1 press for youth teams if the youth leagues allow pressing. The 2-2-1 press makes every player move on every possession. The press only works when every player is executing their role. This means a team is not able to just hide players.
At the youth level, I want every player participating and providing a function to the team. Any offense or defense that is able to stick a youth player in a corner and leave them is not good. Young players need to be involved. The 2-2-1 press creates a press defense where every player no matter what position they are in has to contribute.
The press is able to reduce the amount of work needed from each player while having each player contribute. For instance, a player that struggles with rotating in a defense can be put as the back defender and told to stay in line with the ball. This simplifies the amount of thinking the player has to do. Likewise, a smart and talented youth player can be put in the middle where they are more essential to the effectiveness of the press. It still creates a situation where every player is involved.
Some of the presses can stick a player in the back and told to go stand on the block and do not move. These are not good for player development. They are not good in getting kids to continue enjoying and playing the game of basketball. These types of presses do not need to be used at the youth level.
The 2-2-1 has every player being a productive member of the team. This makes every player feel wanted and good about playing the game. This is helping to create a fun experience for every player on the team. That can keep players engaged and continuing to play year after year.
Conclusion
The 2-2-1 press or box press is a great press. It is a streamlined press that reduces rotation for each player. This creates a press that makes it available to use by any team. For any team wanting to create an up-tempo pressing team, the 2-2-1 should be in the rotation of presses used. For any team that does not want to press unless absolutely necessary, the 2-2-1 press is simple yet effective. The 2-2-1 press can be used in just about any situation.
The 2-2-1 press can be used for creating turnovers. It can be used as a fake press to slow down an opponent making them bring the ball up the floor slowly. It can be used as a ¾ press or a press that extends just past half-court. The 2-2-1 press is very versatile that can be adjusted to every team to create advantages against any opponent.