In 1914, Eli Camden "Cam" Henderson's Bristol High School first used a 3–2 zone defense against Clair Bee's team, Grafton YMCA, in West Virginia.

The zone defense was used because the gym floor was made of green pine and it was very slippery when wet, when the roof leaked.

[1] The 3-2 zone defense did not provide the rebounding support for the fast break that Cam Henderson was using.

Henderson developed this style of basketball successfully at Davis & Elkins College, before moving on to coach at Marshall University.

[2] In 1947, Henderson led Marshall to a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship title with his 2–3 zone defense and fast break offense.