ICE (In-and-out Contain Eliminate) Coverage

What it is

• Ball-screen defender (POA) forces handler away from screen (ices the screen by overplaying one side)

Why it matters

• Intent is to eliminate the screen's effectiveness Visual: Handler dribbles one direction, POA overplays to force them that way, handler doesn't get screen benefit because they're already going in that direction.

How it works

• Mechanics: Ball-screen defender (POA) forces handler away from screen (ices the screen by overplaying one side)
• Mechanics: Handler is NOT allowed to use screen benefit (forced to go around, not through)
• Mechanics: Big drops or shows, depending on coverage call
• Mechanics: Intent is to eliminate the screen's effectiveness
• Roles Executing: Guard (POA): Overplays one side to ice screen

Reads and counters

• On-ball defender reads the screen angle: jump to the inside shoulder and turn the handler baseline, never letting him reject middle.
• Big reads the call: if drop, sit at the level and wall off baseline; if soft show, jab up to stall then recover to the roller.
• Read the screener's response: if he slips or short-rolls into the vacated middle, the weak-side low man tags him while the nail walls the catch.
• If the handler picks up his dribble trapped in the baseline corner, both defenders swarm and force a skip pass off the back foot.
• Defender reads handler speed: against a burst slasher, stay attached on the high side so he cannot snake back across the screen.

Teaching cues

• Ice it, push baseline
• Sit in the gap, no middle
• Tag the slip
• Force the back foot
• Beat him over the top

Bilingual terms

Related concepts