Brooklyn College's Amoeba Defense.

LOOKING FOR A ZONE defense that is easy to teach and incorporates some of the better principles of man-to-man defense and match-up zones? That can defend the 3-point shot and take away the post-up game? And that can wear out even the most patient of offenses?

Then take a serious look at the Brooklyn College Amoeba defense.

The original alignment is shown in Diag. 1.

The top two defenders, D and I, line up in tandem position at the top D being the point defender who takes on the advancing dribbler and I sitting behind D who picks up the player who receives the entry pass. The W's are the wingmen just outside the mid-post on either side of the lane, and P the Post defender who sits in the middle of the lane, just above the low block.

The three basic rules that facilitate the teaching of the defense include:

1. The top two defenders (D and I) are always interchangeable.

2. The Wings (1 and 2) may be interchangeable with D and I in emergency situations, such as defending a screen or a skip pass.

3. The post defender (P) stays in the lane and never guards air.

Diag. 2: If the offensive entry to the wing is by pass, I matches up on 2 and D drops to the ball-side elbow to play the next pass or front any cutters from the weak side.

If the ball is dribbled to the wing from the point (Diag. 3), D will defend the ball and I will drop to the ball-side elbow.

Diag. 4: On a wing to corner pass, W-2 will match up on 4 and I will deny the pass back, thus forcing the ball to stay in the corner.

Diag. 5: If the passer (2) cuts through to the basket, I will go with him and stop upon reaching the ball-side of the lane.

Diag. 6: If the ball is passed to the low post (4 to 5), P will get between the ball and the basket and receive double-team help from top defender I (who is already in the lane).

Diag. 7: As I and P double the low post, forcing the back pass (to 3), a basic rule goes into effect: Any pass made out of the low trap that goes above the foul line must be played by D and any second pass from there above the foul line (3 to 1 in the diagram) must be played by I.

All other passing options from the low-post double team will simply be defended by the wings, as shown in Diag. 8.

Diag. 9: On a wing-to-wing skip pass, which may require an emergency switch, W-1 jumps out and contests 3, while D drops down to W-1's former position to play the next pass (to 3).

Diag. 10: If 3 passes to 4 in the corner, D will match 4 and W-1 will deny any pass back to the Wing (3).

Diag. 11: If the ball is passed out of the corner to the top, each player will switch back to his position.

Diag. 12: When the zone is screened for a shooter, the same help and switching action will occur.

Since incorporating the amoeba into our defensive scheme, our team has become more difficult to shoot against. Our opponents have to struggle to score 60 points and shoot above 50 percent vs. the amoeba.