VCU: Why Is Havoc So Effective?
Dec 5, 2013; Richmond, VA, USA; Virginia Commonwealth Rams head coach Shaka Smart gestures from the bench in the first half against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Stuart C. Siegel Center. The Rams won 71-68 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The name Shaka Smart and his “Havoc” brand of defense became college basketball buzzwords when Virginia Commonwealth pressed and ran their way to the Final Four in 2011. Smart has since become the hottest commodity in college basketball, but he and his Havoc brand have remained at VCU despite overtures from some of the game’s most storied programs.
Since 2011 Smart’s teams have led the nation in steals three times and turnover margin twice. Havoc works and it has resulted in over 27 wins per season for VCU during Smart’s tenure.
Despite the chaotic moniker, Havoc is not a free-for-all style of play. It is a system with rules and it provides Smart with the guiding philosophy of his program.
On the court, Havoc is a combination of two full court pressure defenses that Smart calls Double Fist and Diamond which are designed to disrupt opponents, cause turnovers that lead to easy baskets and force a frenetic tempo. Let’s look at each of the pressing systems and examine how Smart designs his program to insure Havoc’s effectiveness.
Double Fist
When you see Smart jumping up and down on the sidelines with both fists raised overhead after a made basket it is not a form of celebration. The raised fists are his signal for VCU’s Double Fist press. It is the Rams’ favorite press and they employ it on about three-fourths of their defensive possessions.
To the offense it looks like extended man-to-man pressure, but traps are coming. It is not simply setting traps that makes this press effective. The timing of the traps is paramount and if the opponent sees them coming they are wasted effort. Timing matters most and teaching this is where Smart is an evil genius.
The press starts with the “madman,” as Smart calls him, pressuring the inbounder on the baseline. Smart wants the madman to be on the spot soon, preferably before the inbounder has the ball.
The madman in Smart’s system is a long, versatile athlete and must play with high energy. His goal is to position himself at an angle forcing the ball to be inbounded with a short pass into the near corner, or the “coffin corner” as Smart calls it.
The other VCU defenders try to force the offensive targets to come lower in the court to receive the entry. Defenders cannot allow the ball to be thrown over their head so they attempt to force the entry pass to be made into the coffin corner.
Once the ball is inbounded the defender has two goals: force the dribble up the sideline then force a pivot back toward the center of the court. The off-the-ball defenders go one-third of the way toward the ball and bluff, or “stunt” at the ball-handler. The objective here is to get him to pick up his dribble or pivot away from the perceived pressure.
Off-the-ball defenders cannot allow the ball to be passed over their head so there is a delicate balance between stunting and defending your man. Go too soon and you make the trap obvious. Go too late and the and the ball handler escapes.
The Rams thrive on “trapping the turn.” During the turn, or the pivot, the ball-handler briefly has his back to the defense and that is when the trailing defender springs a trap. When facing forward the ball handler is a threat to pass ahead to his teammates. The pivot makes the next pass obvious to the off-the-ball defenders as the trailing teammate becomes the sole target.
That’s when Havoc is at its’ best. When the offense is left with only obvious passes out of a well-executed trap, turnovers ensue and the Rams score in bunches off turnovers.
Often teams use a big man to inbound the ball after a made basket and Smart’s presses sometimes force opponents to throw the ball back to the big man in the backcourt. Smart does not mind this backward pass as the big man is no real threat to break the press with the dribble and the Rams will not rush to trap him.
So the objectives of “double-fist” are clear: force the ball up the sideline, force a pivot, trap the pivot, then intercept the obvious pass out of the trap and convert the turnover to points. That is Havoc and that is why teams hate facing VCU.
Diamond
When opposing coaches adjust to Double Fist, Smart will change pace with his “Diamond” press. Diamond, a zone press, is a bit more structured as players have defined spots to play rather than matching up with a man.
With Diamond, Smart is able to disrupt offensive rhythm. When players figure out when and where traps are coming from, Smart can switch to this look and keep them guessing.
The goals are the same and once the ball is in play the presses are very similar. It starts from a 1-2-1-1 alignment with the madman defending the inbound, two guards ready to trap the entry if it comes to their side, an interceptor at the half court line and a big man deep to serve as the last line of defense.
Just like in Double Fist, the madman sets the tone by arriving early and forcing the entry into the near corner by alignment. If the entry pass is made in the coffin corner it is an automatic trap with the on-the-ball defender and the madman.
Smart positions his point guard around the half court line to serve as an interceptor of a potential pass up the sideline. The offside guard is reading and reacting to the trapped player. Again, VCU wants to force the trapped player to pivot. This makes the next pass obvious and easy to intercept.
Smart wants his trapping players to have their hands high and visible to officials. They may be fouling with the lower body but not with their hands. If the ball handler creates space, the trappers must take away that space. Like in Double Fist, Smart can live with a backward pass to the big man and they will not rush to trap when the ball is returned. This buys time for the defense to rotate and get better positioned for the next trap.
While Diamond is more of a change of pace press for the Rams it still has the same objectives: set good traps, anticipate and intercept, convert turnovers to points, force tempo and create Havoc.
Adjustments
Smart modifies the press in-game to combat common adjustments made by opposing coaches. These are three of the most-used adjustments:
- Using a guard to inbound the ball.
- Getting the ball to the middle of the floor.
- Clearing out so point guards can advance the ball one-on-one.
If the opponent uses a guard to inbound the ball, VCU would deny the return pass to him. The ball handler would still be forced up the sideline, but the trap would then come quickly from in front of him instead of from behind forcing the ball handler to pick up his dribble or make what Smart hopes is an errant pass.
If opponents position a capable ball handler in the center of the court, the Rams will match up and keep the ball out of the middle. Double Fist can easily morph into simple full court man-to-man. The Rams would use this tactic until their opponents change their alignment.
The most common adjustment is for teams to simply clear out and leave their point guard to bring the ball up the court alone. When this happens the VCU defender responsible for the last man to cross the half court line leaves his man to trap and force the action.
Many Division I guards can split the initial trap and be off to the races. It happens often in every game. When it does, Smart calls it an emergency situation and it is remedied by back-tapping the ball.
To get a “back-tap” the trapping defenders begin an all-out pursuit of the escapee and attempt to tap the ball away from behind. These back-taps are vital to Havoc. They represent the type of effort Smart expects from his players and they create live-ball turnovers when successful.
Further, Smart believes opposing guards do not have the steam to continue this tactic for 40 minutes against VCU’s depth and tempo.
Havoc: A Guiding Philosophy
For Smart, Havoc is not simply X’s and O’s on a whiteboard. It is a philosophy that has become his program’s brand. It is an identity that influences his roster construction and strength and conditioning program. Further, the nature of Havoc may be why Smart is still at VCU despite several chances to leave for more money and prestige elsewhere.
When you glance at VCU’s roster you notice some unique things. Smart’s key returning players all fall between 6-2 and 6-9. There is a noticeable lack of tiny guards and lumbering big men. Smart recruits wingspan and athleticism. He does not want guys that are easy to throw over and there is no room for immobile giants in the Havoc culture.
VCU utilizes a interchangeable army of players that can trap and run from anywhere on the court. VCU typically plays between nine and 11 players and he involves his bench in the first ten minutes of the game. It is depth that makes Havoc work perhaps more than anything.
If you come to VCU, you are playing. It may be only in three or four minute bursts, but you are playing. Smart sends in waves of fresh players ready to run, press, dive and deflect for however long they are in the game. Senior guard Briante Weber leads returnees in minutes per game with 28.9. Six returnees played over 14 minutes per game last season.
The Rams score so many points from turnovers that who scores is almost random and can change from game to game. VCU does not care who scores as long as VCU scores. Returning senior swingman Treveon Graham (15.8 ppg) is the Rams’ leading scorer, but there will be several nights when the points find someone else.
Havoc has its fingerprints on incoming freshmen in 2014-15 as well. Lanky forwards Terry Larrier and Justin Tillman will fit perfectly in Smart’s system.
To prepare for the rigors of Havoc, the Rams use a unique strength and conditioning system that combines powerful repetitions of major lifts with sprints. This is all done back-to-back with no rest. It is grueling but it shapes the kind of players needed to execute Smart’s philosophy. Smart wants fatigue to be a factor, but not with his team.
Havoc works for Smart and VCU on and off the court. Smart would surely be successful at a more high-profile program. But would the players he needs buy in to Havoc? If Smart were at Kansas, UCLA or North Carolina he would have to recruit a different type of player. At these programs sharing minutes and shots for the sake of the system would be a tougher sell. Recruits are more interested in showcasing their game for NBA scouts than diving for tips and deflections.
Perhaps Smart understands “fit” and has remained at VCU for this reason. Players arrive with a chip on their shoulder and Smart can channel that anger into a system perfectly designed for playing angry. And angry players wreak Havoc.