Episode 206: Tobin Anderson, Teaching a Pressing Defensive System

Guest: Tobin Anderson, St. Thomas Aquinas Head Coach

St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Tobin Anderson joins the Basketball Podcast to share insights on teaching a pressing defensive system.

Tobin Anderson is the head coach of the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans. During his tenure, he has averaged over 23 wins a season, has a .752 winning percentage and has led his team to six consecutive NCAA DII Tournament appearances. He has also been voted ECC Coach of the Year twice. Coach Anderson has over 16 years of coaching at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels.

Anderson joined the Spartan staff in 2013, as the 7th head coach in the program's history, bringing over 16 years of coaching experience at Division I, II, and III levels. Anderson comes to STAC after a two-year stint as an assistant coach for Division I Siena College. He had an immediate impact on the Saints as he led them to one of the most remarkable seasons in school history. With only a 6-man player rotation, Siena greatly overachieved with an 11-4 home record and a run to the MAAC Tournament semifinals.

Before his time at Siena, Tobin Anderson was an established head coach at the Division III level at Hamilton College and Clarkson University. While at Hamilton, he posted a 118-63 record over a seven-year span, with a .652 winning percentage. The Continentals reached the league tournament five out of his seven years, including a tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA DIII tournament. Anderson guided his team to the second round of the NCAA's in 2006 as well as three regular-season titles.

Prior to arriving at Hamilton, Tobin Anderson earned his first head coaching position at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. Anderson's first team finished the 1999-2000 season with a 14-12 record, its first .500 season in 25 years, earning the program's first-ever postseason bid. In his five years with the Golden Knights, he broke the school record for wins, with a 19-10 season in 2001-02. The team advanced to the ECAC regional championship game and was the third-most improved Division III men's basketball team from the previous season. Anderson spent three years as an assistant coach; two years at Le Moyne College, from 1997-1999. He also started his college coaching career as an assistant at Clarkson in 1996, where he would later return.

Breakdown

1:00 - Power of Question

4:00 - Importance of Turnover Margin

8:00 - Philosophy of Winning Runs

10:00 - Rick Pitino System

15:00 - Defensive Decision Making

19:00 - Force Turnover Fatigue

21:00 - Tweak According to Scout

25:00 - Ball Defense

28:00 - Off The Ball Defenders

31:00 - Game-Based Play

33:00 - Creating Situation