Tom Izzo Defense Drill – 4 on 5
Great scramble defense drill from Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. The drill forces players to communicate, read the offense and above all hustle like crazy.
Drill Objective
To build an aggressive, high-IQ defense by forcing defenders to play down a man. This drill forces players to constantly scramble, sprint through recovery rotations, and communicate at an elite level.
How It Works
- The Setup: Place 5 offensive players spaced around the perimeter and only 4 defenders in the half-court [01:28]. (Alternatively, it can be run as 3 defenders against 4 offensive players [03:30]).
- The Rules: The offense moves the ball strictly via passing—no dribbling allowed initially [01:30]. This keeps the focus entirely on defensive positioning and ball flight recovery.
- The “I Got Two” Concept: Because the defense is outnumbered, the weak-side defenders cannot just guard one person. The furthest defender from the ball must zone up, read the floor, and loudly communicate, “I got two!”—meaning they are responsible for anchoring and closing out on whichever of the two weak-side offensive players receives the next pass [00:55, 01:09].
- Anticipation & Rotation: Defenders cannot wait for the ball to land before they move. The moment the ball is in the air, the entire unit must shift instantly based on who is closest to the catch [02:47].
Coach Izzo’s Key Coaching Points
“This is a hard drill in communication, especially when we start moving it.” [01:17]
- Volume and Talk: Silence kills a defense. Players must constantly shout their assignments (“Ball!”, “Help!”, or “I got two!”) so their teammates know exactly who is covering what area [01:51, 02:11].
- Jump to the Ball / Paint: When the ball is passed away from a defender’s zone, they must instantly snap back toward the paint to help, staying inside the passing lanes to deter quick cross-court feeds [01:00].
- The Progression: Coach Izzo recommends starting at 4-on-5 to learn the core rotations, and then progressing to 3-on-4 to make it significantly harder by forcing fewer guys to cover even more physical space [04:39].
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tia1Fke7CY
