1-3-1 Amoeba for JH

I have enjoyed reading around on your website, especially the article, "What's Wrong With Youth Basketball?" I am an assistant and developmental coach for players on 3 teams: JH, JV, and Varsity. We play age eligible: 14U, 16U, 18U as of September. We actually have a few age eligible 14U players who are in the 9th grade, which creates a strange looking roster given the huge difference in physical maturity. anyway, our emphasis is on the same bread and butter defense for all 3 teams - the 1-3-1 Amoeba defense. Isn't that a more advanced defense built on solid individual defensive skills? I guess I sound like the dissatisfied assistant here (lol). I actually love this defense for the right age and team, but often think that we have to be flexible to the age and talent level for selection of defense.
Thanks! I appreciate your time!
Mike

I was a Varsity high school coach and I loved the kids that came in with a sound understanding of how to play m2m defense....I told my freshman and sophmores coaches to teach m2m
( I did say to them that IF they had to play a zone late in the game that I would allow that, but you have to teach m2m fundamentals every day. )

The Amoeba is a gimmick zone and I don't think that the lower level kids should be taught that.... JMO