Coach may be onto something here.
Magnolia Hotshots assistant coach Juno Sauler is advocating for Philippine basketball to ban the use of zone defense from the grassroots level. According to Sauler, doing the same as the Europeans did with their hoops programs will help the development of the country’s youth long term. On his Instagram, one of his stories show how Under-13 players in Spain see the game.
It was especially impressive how the young Spanish point guard’s movement resembled that of a seasoned veteran’s.
Sauler’s #StopPlayingZone mantra has been picking up. On his social media, there’s a post announcing that Cebu Youth Basketball League organizer Popoy Navarro has agreed to implement the “no zone rule” in the CYBL.
At first glance it might be surprising to see someone discouraging the use of zone defense. But if you think about it, teaching proper on-ball defense from the very beginning could be of great help if we’re talking about change and progress. The ability to read the defense, individual skills and reflexes would likely improve, veering away from tradition.
It's hard to disagree with Sauler. He’s won a UAAP championship as the head coach of the DLSU Green Archers back in 2013 and he’s been learning from some of the best tacticians of the game over the years. In various coaching seminars and observerships, he’s been able to pick up lessons from basketball’s most renowned coaches including Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University and Team USA.
This guy must know what he’s talking about.