... and, no, I don't mean Liberty, N.C., or a prep school near Liberty University.
This is Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Ore., where Tom Marshall is in his first season running "The System." And he's not exactly what you would call an impulsive neophyte, either -- the way he figures, he's closing in on 35 years in coaching, even though "it scares me to do the math," he said with a laugh during a phone interview Friday.
Surprisingly, this is his first job at the high school level. He spent 15 years as a head coach in college, with 11 of them coming at the University of California at San Diego and four at Grand Canyon University. Marshall was a combined 248-151 at those stops and won at least 20 games during four of his final five seasons at UC San Diego.
He retired to Oregon in 1999 before he was coaxed back into the business at Liberty, which was a startup school. A longtime friend and rival of Gary Smith, the "System" guru and longtime coach at the University of the Redlands in California, Marshall decided he had the proper personnel to make the switch away from conventional basketball this season. The results have been spectacular at times, including the Oregon state record for most points in a single quarter (43), which came Dec. 21 against Springfield. The Falcons put up that total in the third quarter of a 98-66 victory, and they nearly matched it with 41 in the second quarter Jan. 29 when they beat St. Helens 83-77.
Currently, Liberty sits fifth in the eight-team Northwest Oregon Conference, with a huge game later Friday against second-place Glencoe. Coach Marshall took some time to speak to me about his conversion to the best style of basketball the world has ever seen, and some things he's learned along the way. Enjoy.
(What's it like coaching high school for the first time?)
Coach Marshall: "It's been interesting. In a lot of ways, it's back to real coaching, since you're hands-on with the guys. A lot of times at the college level, your assistant coaches are doing quite a bit of floor stuff, because you delegate some of that, but not all of it. You've got boosters to deal with, and recruiting, and there's a lot of other things that take your time away from the basketball court. At the high school level, your time is pretty much spent with the kids."
(Can you measure your success in this style, versus conventional?)
Coach Marshall: "I'm sure we've won some games that we might not have won if we played more conventionally, but there's been games we've won where we would have won with any style. We had enough athletic ability on the floor to get it done. It's a hard thing to measure. I think what you can measure is, 'Are your kids having fun? Are we a joy to our fans when they come and watch us play?' And I would give a big thumbs-up to both of those categories. We've noticed an increase in our student population coming to the games. Almost all the parents have been excited about it, telling me even when we lost how exciting we were to watch. Those are measurable things."
(What do your fellow coaches out there think?)
Coach Marshall: "I don't know if I could have a good temperature on whether they are pro or con. I know they consider us dangerous, and we are. I wouldn't want to prepare for me, I wouldn't want to prepare for this kind of team. I was talking with my coaching staff, and I honestly, I mean honestly, don't believe that an opposing team has run a set against us all year. If they did, I would be shocked, other than an out of bounds situation. Anything they've been practicing all year, I don't think they've been able to accomplish running that in a game."
(Do you believe "The System" become more widespread?)
Coach Marshall: "It's hard to say. I can certainly see why a Division I coach would never, ever go to it. It's just too big of a risk. Their whole livelihood and their assistants' livelihoods are all based on them being successful. I just can't see a D-I coach taking a chance, unless he hasn't got anything to lose and he wants to give it a shot. Maybe I'm wrong, but it would surprise me to see that."
(Do you plan to stick with it?)
Coach Marshall: "It's hard to say what the future holds for 'The System.' Gary probably even tweaked it from what Grinnell ran, and we've done the same thing. I don't run the same things that Grinnell did or what Redlands did. I'll probably stick with it next year and I'll tweak it some more. I'm losing some kids and gaining some others, so I've got make it work for them. I've got to make some changes."
I appreciate Coach Marshall taking the time to share his thoughts with me, and us. I hope he and Liberty have the best of luck the rest of the season, and I'll do my best to keep everyone updated.
Now, on to the results ...
Grinnell went on the road to Ripon College for a Midwest Conference game Friday night, and the Pioneers fell behind early on their way to a 127-107 loss. Scott Gillespie, the point guard for the Red Hawks (13-5, 7-3 MWC), finished with 37 points and 10 assists, and teammate Aris Wurtz matched the 37 points while adding 11 rebounds. Huge numbers, to be sure, but nothing close to what Ripon accomplished as a team.
In 40 minutes of college basketball, the Red Hawks shot 80.7 percent from the field, missing only 11 of 57 shots. That helped them overcome 23 turnovers and the 71 3-pointers shot by Grinnell (5-13, 3-8). Dylan Seelman led the way for coach David Arsenault's team with 24 points, all on 3s, and Matt Chalupa made four shots from beyond the arc on his way to 15 points.
The Pioneers get back at it Saturday night, again on the road, when they travel to Beloit. Go get 'em!
Coach Bunky Harkleroad and the Glenville State College women's team rolled to another easy victory, beating Ohio Valley University 126-92 on the road Thursday night. Donita Adams (who else?) led the way with 28 points, Ginnie Petties had 27 and Autumn Davis chipped in with 24 for this set of Pioneers (12-6, 10-4 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). All had big days while setting up downtown, with Petties connecting on seven treys and Adams and Davis each adding six. Glenville State was 26-for-63 as a team on 3s and 38-for-94 overall.
The first half was a great example of what "The System" can do to a team. Ohio Valley (4-14, 2-12) shot 59.4 percent from the field, yet trailed by 24. The Pioneers forced 24 turnovers in the opening half (18 of them on steals) and made 14 3-pointers on its way to a 68-44 lead. Again, that's all in 20 minutes.
Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until Monday for another update on Coach Harkleroad's team. The winter storm that pounded the Mid-Atlantic on Friday forced this weekend's home game against Salem International to be postponed. According to the schedule, Glenville State now plays at Washington Adventist University on Monday. Stay tuned.
Finally, a quick update on a couple of high schools I regularly follow:
The Whitmore Lake (Mich.) Trojans continued to roll, winning their fifth consecutive game with a 98-56 rout of Sand Creek on Thursday night behind Colton Judge's 30 points. The Trojans, coached by Dave Arnold, are averaging 93.8 points during the winning streak heading into Monday's game at Whiteford.
Coach Evan Massey and the Galesburg (Ill.) Silver Streaks lost a heart-breaker Thursday night, falling 64-62 to Western Big 6 foe Alleman when Paige Klinck missed a 3 just before the buzzer. Galesburg (17-11, 3-6 WB6), which was led by Jamie Johnson's 15 points and five rebounds, finishes up its schedule with two games on the road, beginning Saturday at New Trier. I hope the Streaks get going again.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
What a comeback by Olivet Nazarene!
The Olivet Nazarene Tigers, coached by "System" guru Doug Porter, lost a tough one Tuesday night at Indiana-South Bend, a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival, by the score of 84-76. Those who think the final score is all that matters misses the point of athletics, of passion, of character and certainly of "The System."
The Titans (16-6, 4-2 CCAC), one of the top teams in the conference, were playing at home, where they've lost only two games this season. And for the first 25-plus minutes, they dominated play, running out to a 68-39 lead by efficiently beating the Tigers' press and denying easy baskets. Then ONU (9-15, 1-3) changed up its defense and began playing with the reckless abandon for which that this style of play is known. Somehow, some way, the margin began shrinking.
Beginning at that 29-point bulge with 14:25 remaining in the game, the Tigers took over. They were within 19 when Simone Coburn scored from in close to cap a 16-6 spurt over a span of about less than 6 minutes. Then Lexie Heinold made two 3-pointers and Laura Johnson added another to increase that run to 33-8, bringing ONU within 76-72 with just more than 4 minutes left on the clock. Later, with a chance to bring her team within two points, Rachel Kearney made one of two at the line, and that was as close as the Tigers would get.
Still, it capped an amazing stretch of basketball, something that happens very frequently in "System" basketball. In a span of slightly more than 12 minutes, ONU scored 37 points while holding Indiana-South Bend to 12, all the while pushing the pace of play and subbing in five new players every 60 seconds or so of game clock. I only wish I would have been there.
Coburn led the Tigers with 19 points while Holly Wiersma added 17 points and five of her team's 18 steals; the Titans turned it over 35 times. All in all, a pretty effort of Coach Porter and his team, which hosts Holy Cross College on Saturday. Tip is 2 p.m. EST. Good luck, ONU!
Elsewhere this week, the Pioneers at Glenville State College in West Virginia, coached by Bunky Harkleroad, easily dispatched of Davis & Elkins 102-81 Monday night in West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Donita Adams had 25 points and Kristen Golden 22 for Glenville State (10-6, 8-4 WVIAC), which traveled to Ohio Valley on Thursday night.
Against the Senators (great mascot!), the Pioneers put up some spectacular numbers: 100 shot attempts, with 40 from beyond the arc, and 37 offensive rebounds. Yep, that's correct, 37!
Davis & Elkins finished with 28 turnovers, as well. Congrats to Coach Harkleroad and his team.
And finally, the Whitmore Lake (Michigan) HS Trojans stayed on a roll, beating Greenhills 80-39 on Tuesday night. Coach Dave Arnold's squad put up only seven of those points in the fourth quarter as Greenhills decided to hold the ball while down 40. So, yes, again, to do the simple math for you, that means the Trojans scored 73 points in three quarters. Wow. Remember, this is high school basketball, so that's only 24 minutes.
Whitemore Lake also played Thursday night, hosting Sand Creek. Hopefully, I'll update you with a fifth consecutive victory.
The Titans (16-6, 4-2 CCAC), one of the top teams in the conference, were playing at home, where they've lost only two games this season. And for the first 25-plus minutes, they dominated play, running out to a 68-39 lead by efficiently beating the Tigers' press and denying easy baskets. Then ONU (9-15, 1-3) changed up its defense and began playing with the reckless abandon for which that this style of play is known. Somehow, some way, the margin began shrinking.
Beginning at that 29-point bulge with 14:25 remaining in the game, the Tigers took over. They were within 19 when Simone Coburn scored from in close to cap a 16-6 spurt over a span of about less than 6 minutes. Then Lexie Heinold made two 3-pointers and Laura Johnson added another to increase that run to 33-8, bringing ONU within 76-72 with just more than 4 minutes left on the clock. Later, with a chance to bring her team within two points, Rachel Kearney made one of two at the line, and that was as close as the Tigers would get.
Still, it capped an amazing stretch of basketball, something that happens very frequently in "System" basketball. In a span of slightly more than 12 minutes, ONU scored 37 points while holding Indiana-South Bend to 12, all the while pushing the pace of play and subbing in five new players every 60 seconds or so of game clock. I only wish I would have been there.
Coburn led the Tigers with 19 points while Holly Wiersma added 17 points and five of her team's 18 steals; the Titans turned it over 35 times. All in all, a pretty effort of Coach Porter and his team, which hosts Holy Cross College on Saturday. Tip is 2 p.m. EST. Good luck, ONU!
Elsewhere this week, the Pioneers at Glenville State College in West Virginia, coached by Bunky Harkleroad, easily dispatched of Davis & Elkins 102-81 Monday night in West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Donita Adams had 25 points and Kristen Golden 22 for Glenville State (10-6, 8-4 WVIAC), which traveled to Ohio Valley on Thursday night.
Against the Senators (great mascot!), the Pioneers put up some spectacular numbers: 100 shot attempts, with 40 from beyond the arc, and 37 offensive rebounds. Yep, that's correct, 37!
Davis & Elkins finished with 28 turnovers, as well. Congrats to Coach Harkleroad and his team.
And finally, the Whitmore Lake (Michigan) HS Trojans stayed on a roll, beating Greenhills 80-39 on Tuesday night. Coach Dave Arnold's squad put up only seven of those points in the fourth quarter as Greenhills decided to hold the ball while down 40. So, yes, again, to do the simple math for you, that means the Trojans scored 73 points in three quarters. Wow. Remember, this is high school basketball, so that's only 24 minutes.
Whitemore Lake also played Thursday night, hosting Sand Creek. Hopefully, I'll update you with a fifth consecutive victory.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Grinnell bounces back in a big way
Sure, it was out of the Midwest Conference, but my Grinnell Pioneers put up some numbers to which they are accustomed in a 121-98 victory over Fontbonne University on Sunday. Dylan Seelman (29 points) and Matt Skelly (28) led the way and made 12 of Grinnell's 18 3-pointers, while Matt Chalupa added 12 points and freshman Dominique Bellamy had 11.
The Pioneers (5-12) finished 33-of-93 from the field, including 18-of-62 on 3s, and forced 32 turnovers. Alex McDonald had four of Grinnell's 17 steals.
And as "The System" often does, the final 4 minutes or so of the first half saw a flurry of points to allow the Pioneers to pull away. Chris Forrest made a layup to bring Fontbonne (6-13) within 38-31 with 4:12 remaining in the opening 20 minutes before it fell apart for the school from St. Louis. First, Garrett Nitz was fouled on a 3-pointer and converted all three free throws before John Bruns added 3s on consecutive possessions to start the game-changing spurt. When it was over, topped off nicely by a trey shortly before the buzzer by Skelly, Grinnell had scored 26 points in that span to lead 64-48. Simply amazing.
The margin reached 25 on another 3-pointer by Skelly late in the second half. Glad to see coach David Arsenault and his squad rewarded for their effort this season.
They are off until a MWC weekend trip to Wisconsin, where they play Ripon on Friday night and follow up with a visit to Beloit on Saturday. As always, good luck to them.
The Pioneers (5-12) finished 33-of-93 from the field, including 18-of-62 on 3s, and forced 32 turnovers. Alex McDonald had four of Grinnell's 17 steals.
And as "The System" often does, the final 4 minutes or so of the first half saw a flurry of points to allow the Pioneers to pull away. Chris Forrest made a layup to bring Fontbonne (6-13) within 38-31 with 4:12 remaining in the opening 20 minutes before it fell apart for the school from St. Louis. First, Garrett Nitz was fouled on a 3-pointer and converted all three free throws before John Bruns added 3s on consecutive possessions to start the game-changing spurt. When it was over, topped off nicely by a trey shortly before the buzzer by Skelly, Grinnell had scored 26 points in that span to lead 64-48. Simply amazing.
The margin reached 25 on another 3-pointer by Skelly late in the second half. Glad to see coach David Arsenault and his squad rewarded for their effort this season.
They are off until a MWC weekend trip to Wisconsin, where they play Ripon on Friday night and follow up with a visit to Beloit on Saturday. As always, good luck to them.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Another (tied) record for Galesburg!
In a season full of state records, the Galesburg (Ill.) High School Silver Streaks had one of their most impressive outings Saturday by simply tying another one. The Streaks, coached by "System" neophyte Evan Massey, made 20 3-pointers in a 90-70 blowout over Bloomington, joining two other schools in the Illinois prep record book. Mason City was the first to do it, back during the 2001-02 season, and Herscher made 20 as well Dec. 5, 2007. Jessica Howard's 3 in the final minute proved to be the final one of the game for Galesburg, which finished 20-for-51 from beyond the arc.
In case you're not familiar with the job Coach Massey is doing this season at Galesburg, his team now has state records for 3-pointers attempted in a game (71) and a season (1,169), along with made treys in a season (324). And adding this other mark, albeit one that will be shared for now, might not have been the most impressive aspect of this game.
The Streaks played Bloomington twice last year and lost both by a combined 40 points on their way to a 14-18 record, one of the reasons Coach Massey went to "The System" for his 32nd season at the school. In one of those games, Galesburg trailed at the half 43-18; on Saturday, the score was nearly reversed, with the Streaks on top 48-32. Just an amazing turnaround.
They won for the 11th time in their past 15 games to improve to 17-10.
"I have coached 30+ years and have had teams come into a locker room after qualifying for state many times, but what I am seeing this year when they come into a locker room after games is unbelievable," Coach Massey posted on the "Run and Gun" Yahoo! message board I follow. "Today after our win everyone was congratulating everyone. Sense of team is unbelievable. Wow!"
Galesburg has three more games in the regular season before the postseason, beginning at home Thursday against Alleman. Go, Streaks!
Elsewhere in "System"land Saturday, the Grinnell Pioneers had a tough day on the road at Lake Forest, losing 89-56. Matt Skelly made four 3s to finish with 12 points to lead Grinnell, which dropped to 4-12, 3-7 in the Midwest Conference. The Pioneers fell behind by 20 points midway through the first half and never really recovered, eventually trailing by as much as 39 points. They get a quick chance at redemption when they host Fontbonne on Sunday at beautiful Darby Gym. Here's hoping Grinnell turns things around.
At Glenville State College, this squad of Pioneers scored the final 10 points to hold off the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown 110-96 in West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Donita Adams again was the star for Glenville State, finishing with 29 points in 23 minutes, with teammate Autumn Davis adding 24 points. Davis also connected on six of her team's 13 3-pointers.
Coach Bunky Harkleroad's team dominated in many of "The System" categories, finishing with 92 shots (19 more than Pitt-Johnstown), 28 offensive rebounds and 30 forced turnovers. The Mountain Cats made half of their shots in the second half (17-of-34) but still were outscored 62-51.
The Pioneers now are 10-6 overall, including 8-4 in the WVIAC, while Pitt-Johnstown fell to 9-8, 6-6. Andrea Dalton paced the Mountain Cats with 34 points.
Glenville State hosts Davis & Elkins on Monday, with the tip scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Hopefully, I'll be able to report on another victory for Coach Harkleroad.
Speaking of victories, the Whitmore Lake (Mich.) Trojans coached by blog interviewee Dave Arnold continue to roll, rallying to beat Clinton High School 85-76 on the road Friday for their third consecutive victory. Whitmore Lake made 20 3-pointers, well short of the state-record 29 it connected on earlier in the season, but still put up 51 points in the second half after trailing 41-34 at the break.
Colton Judge made five of the 3s to lead the Trojans with 20 points, with Alex Cattley (13 points), Jake Kerrigan and Jacob Clinansmith (12 points each) also in double figures.
"We really came out with a refocused effort in the second half," Arnold told AnnArbor.com. "Both on the defensive end and with our shots. That push really got us out front."
Whitmore Lake (7-5, 5-2 Tri-County Conference) pulled within a game of Clinton (8-4, 6-1) in the conference standings. Coach Arnold and his team host Greenhills on Tuesday, and I wish them the best.
In case you're not familiar with the job Coach Massey is doing this season at Galesburg, his team now has state records for 3-pointers attempted in a game (71) and a season (1,169), along with made treys in a season (324). And adding this other mark, albeit one that will be shared for now, might not have been the most impressive aspect of this game.
The Streaks played Bloomington twice last year and lost both by a combined 40 points on their way to a 14-18 record, one of the reasons Coach Massey went to "The System" for his 32nd season at the school. In one of those games, Galesburg trailed at the half 43-18; on Saturday, the score was nearly reversed, with the Streaks on top 48-32. Just an amazing turnaround.
They won for the 11th time in their past 15 games to improve to 17-10.
"I have coached 30+ years and have had teams come into a locker room after qualifying for state many times, but what I am seeing this year when they come into a locker room after games is unbelievable," Coach Massey posted on the "Run and Gun" Yahoo! message board I follow. "Today after our win everyone was congratulating everyone. Sense of team is unbelievable. Wow!"
Galesburg has three more games in the regular season before the postseason, beginning at home Thursday against Alleman. Go, Streaks!
Elsewhere in "System"land Saturday, the Grinnell Pioneers had a tough day on the road at Lake Forest, losing 89-56. Matt Skelly made four 3s to finish with 12 points to lead Grinnell, which dropped to 4-12, 3-7 in the Midwest Conference. The Pioneers fell behind by 20 points midway through the first half and never really recovered, eventually trailing by as much as 39 points. They get a quick chance at redemption when they host Fontbonne on Sunday at beautiful Darby Gym. Here's hoping Grinnell turns things around.
At Glenville State College, this squad of Pioneers scored the final 10 points to hold off the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown 110-96 in West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Donita Adams again was the star for Glenville State, finishing with 29 points in 23 minutes, with teammate Autumn Davis adding 24 points. Davis also connected on six of her team's 13 3-pointers.
Coach Bunky Harkleroad's team dominated in many of "The System" categories, finishing with 92 shots (19 more than Pitt-Johnstown), 28 offensive rebounds and 30 forced turnovers. The Mountain Cats made half of their shots in the second half (17-of-34) but still were outscored 62-51.
The Pioneers now are 10-6 overall, including 8-4 in the WVIAC, while Pitt-Johnstown fell to 9-8, 6-6. Andrea Dalton paced the Mountain Cats with 34 points.
Glenville State hosts Davis & Elkins on Monday, with the tip scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Hopefully, I'll be able to report on another victory for Coach Harkleroad.
Speaking of victories, the Whitmore Lake (Mich.) Trojans coached by blog interviewee Dave Arnold continue to roll, rallying to beat Clinton High School 85-76 on the road Friday for their third consecutive victory. Whitmore Lake made 20 3-pointers, well short of the state-record 29 it connected on earlier in the season, but still put up 51 points in the second half after trailing 41-34 at the break.
Colton Judge made five of the 3s to lead the Trojans with 20 points, with Alex Cattley (13 points), Jake Kerrigan and Jacob Clinansmith (12 points each) also in double figures.
"We really came out with a refocused effort in the second half," Arnold told AnnArbor.com. "Both on the defensive end and with our shots. That push really got us out front."
Whitmore Lake (7-5, 5-2 Tri-County Conference) pulled within a game of Clinton (8-4, 6-1) in the conference standings. Coach Arnold and his team host Greenhills on Tuesday, and I wish them the best.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Dave Arnold makes another case for "The System"
This is the coach of the Whitmore Lake Trojans, a high school varsity boys' team not too far from the metropolis of Detroit. Coach Arnold's squad set the Michigan high school record with 29 3-pointers last week during a 117-80 victory over Morenci, an effort you read about here in this very space. The Trojans were 29-for-78 from behind the arc -- simply amazing totals -- despite missing 13 of their 15 attempts on 3s in the first quarter. At that point, it was on like Donkey Kong as Whitmore Lake put 37 points on the board in the next quarter on its way to the blowout.
According to Coach Arnold, he pulled most of his first line players during a timeout with about 4 minutes to go with the score 96-68, and the unit he sent on the floor immediately hit a trifecta, the 22nd of the game. The pressing defense that is such an integral part of "The System" was squelched in favor of a 2-3 zone, which actually made things a little tougher for Morenci. "When we go with what you would consider our second unit, we're huge," Coach Arnold said. "They couldn't get a shot off. You want to tell the other team, 'Our press is like your best friend, because you're going to get shots.'"
Earlier in his career, Coach Arnold was anything but "run-and-gun," preferring a more traditional style while instructing his players to patiently look for the perfect shot. He talked of winning games 25-23 and 23-21 before finally deciding he had taken most of the fun out of the game for his team, and for himself. "One of the things I realized while doing that is you might win the game, but you're really losing the war in a lot of ways," Coach Arnold said. "It was tough to watch. We never subbed in the second half, and only subbed sparingly in the first, so we literally were playing five players. And say what you will, but even your best kids on the bench, the consummate team players, they're still pissed off the next day at practice."
So he made the decision to play faster, much, much faster. He had a relationship with Bob Belf, who any reader of this blog should know is the women's coach at Henry Ford Community College near Detroit, and went to Coach Belf for help to convert his team to "The System." The first game they ran it, the Trojans won 72-70, and as Coach Arnold said, there were times when his team didn't score 72 points combined in back-to-back games. The real test came in Game 2, when Whitmore Lake fell behind by 35 in the first half, rallied to tie it, then lost it 90-89 after a questionable call led to a free throw at the buzzer.
The rest, as they say, is history. Here's some other highlights of my conversation with Coach Arnold, a passionate man who appears to have Whitmore Lake on the right track:
(Tell me about your decision to go to "The System")
Coach Arnold: "I tell you what was the key to all this. I sat down with our principal, and he and I are great friends. He asked, 'Can we fix this?' I told him I saw two options: we could really go slow and hold the ball, or we could try this. I explained it to him, and he had a look like this was going to be crazy. But he trusted me enough to know that either it was going to work, or I would find something else."
(What are some the benefits of "The System" that you've seen?)
Coach Arnold: "I can't describe how much better the atmosphere is. The players want to come to play every day, nobody's missing practice, it's really been a blessing to do it. It's been a little difficult, too, I'll admit, being that old-school, disciplined defensive guy as we are just giving up layup after layup. I think sometimes, my head is going to explode. But I don't know if I could go back to coaching the other way."
(How is your routine different?)
Coach Arnold: "It's really opened my eyes to a lot of things, and I'm sure I'm not the first to figure this out, about the relative value of coaching. Not to say it's overrated, but I've never practiced less. I've never run less, or schematically simpler, stuff. Basically, it's like that episode of 'Seinfeld,' where George Costanza has been beaten down and he decides he's going to do the opposite in everything he does. That's what we try to do."
(What was it like to score 37 points in one 8-minute quarter?)
Coach Arnold: "That is the one thing about this, a lot of it plays into your energy and emotion, and when you score, you're going to score in bunches. You can go a couple of minutes without getting a bucket, but when you hit one, then one becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight, and the next thing you know, you're really on a roll. It's taken some time, you'd be surprised, to coach them that I would rather take a long shot, or a questionable shot, then have them throw another pass."
(What's been the reaction from fans and others?)
Coach Arnold: "I had a few of my friends that are coaches come and watch a game, which we lost, and we met up for dinner afterwards. They had been hanging around the lobby after the game and told me some of the stuff they heard. They told me, 'I don't think anybody knows you actually lost the game.' Everybody was so upbeat and positive. Now, certainly, you don't want the wins and the competitiveness to take a back seat, but we're giving a lot of kids the opportunity and letting everybody play."
Congratulations again to Coach Arnold and Whitmore Lake, and I certainly wish them luck the rest of the season. Maybe the Trojans can break that new state record!
Elsewhere, Grinnell suffered a tough loss Wednesday night at Midwest Conference rival Monmouth College, with the Fighting Scots holding on to win 82-80. The Pioneers (4-11, 3-6 MWC) had a chance to win in the final seconds, but Matt Skelly's 3-pointer came up short, and Monmouth (4-12, 3-6) ran out the clock.
It was a tough night for Skelly, who was named player of the week in the conference after averaging 25 points in Grinnell's two victories over the weekend. He finished 4-for-22 in this one, including 3-for-18 on 3s, and scored 12 points. Freshman Dylan Seelman had a good night, connecting on six treys for a total 18 points, with Xander Strek (14 points) and Matt Chalupa (10) also reaching double figures. The Pioneers sprinted to an eight-point lead in the second half but couldn't hold on down the stretch. A 3 from Seelman tied it at 80 with 2:14 left before Zach Ott put Monmouth ahead with two free throws a few seconds later. Skelly missed three shots from behind the line following that lead change, including that one with 6 seconds left, and Seelman missed one, as well, so the Pioneers definitely had their chances.
Grinnell stays on the road Saturday, traveling to Lake Forest for another MWC contest, before traveling back home to take on Fontbonne University at Darby Gym on Sunday. Keep rooting for coach David Arsenault and the Pioneers.
The women's team at Olivet Nazarene with coach Doug Porter had some troubles to deal with this week, as well, giving up an 11-point halftime lead and eventually losing 94-88 to Cardinal Stritch University on Tuesday. Coach Porter and the Tigers fell to 9-14, while the Wolves won their ninth straight to improve to 20-2.
ONU still led by 10 midway through the second half before Cardinal Stritch rallied behind Liz Neitzel. The sophomore from Lomira, Wisc., scored 11 of her 26 points in the final 6 minutes, including a go-ahead three-point play with 3:27 left to make it 86-84. The Tigers quickly tied in on two free throws from McCall Kitchel but never led again, with Neitzel giving the Wolves the lead for good with a layup.
As high-scoring as this game was, imagine what would have happened if either team had held on to the ball a little better. Cardinal Stritch turned it over 32 times, with ONU giving it up 30. Coach Porter and his team are off until a road game at Indiana University-South Bend next Tuesday. I'll keep you posted.
According to Coach Arnold, he pulled most of his first line players during a timeout with about 4 minutes to go with the score 96-68, and the unit he sent on the floor immediately hit a trifecta, the 22nd of the game. The pressing defense that is such an integral part of "The System" was squelched in favor of a 2-3 zone, which actually made things a little tougher for Morenci. "When we go with what you would consider our second unit, we're huge," Coach Arnold said. "They couldn't get a shot off. You want to tell the other team, 'Our press is like your best friend, because you're going to get shots.'"
Earlier in his career, Coach Arnold was anything but "run-and-gun," preferring a more traditional style while instructing his players to patiently look for the perfect shot. He talked of winning games 25-23 and 23-21 before finally deciding he had taken most of the fun out of the game for his team, and for himself. "One of the things I realized while doing that is you might win the game, but you're really losing the war in a lot of ways," Coach Arnold said. "It was tough to watch. We never subbed in the second half, and only subbed sparingly in the first, so we literally were playing five players. And say what you will, but even your best kids on the bench, the consummate team players, they're still pissed off the next day at practice."
So he made the decision to play faster, much, much faster. He had a relationship with Bob Belf, who any reader of this blog should know is the women's coach at Henry Ford Community College near Detroit, and went to Coach Belf for help to convert his team to "The System." The first game they ran it, the Trojans won 72-70, and as Coach Arnold said, there were times when his team didn't score 72 points combined in back-to-back games. The real test came in Game 2, when Whitmore Lake fell behind by 35 in the first half, rallied to tie it, then lost it 90-89 after a questionable call led to a free throw at the buzzer.
The rest, as they say, is history. Here's some other highlights of my conversation with Coach Arnold, a passionate man who appears to have Whitmore Lake on the right track:
(Tell me about your decision to go to "The System")
Coach Arnold: "I tell you what was the key to all this. I sat down with our principal, and he and I are great friends. He asked, 'Can we fix this?' I told him I saw two options: we could really go slow and hold the ball, or we could try this. I explained it to him, and he had a look like this was going to be crazy. But he trusted me enough to know that either it was going to work, or I would find something else."
(What are some the benefits of "The System" that you've seen?)
Coach Arnold: "I can't describe how much better the atmosphere is. The players want to come to play every day, nobody's missing practice, it's really been a blessing to do it. It's been a little difficult, too, I'll admit, being that old-school, disciplined defensive guy as we are just giving up layup after layup. I think sometimes, my head is going to explode. But I don't know if I could go back to coaching the other way."
(How is your routine different?)
Coach Arnold: "It's really opened my eyes to a lot of things, and I'm sure I'm not the first to figure this out, about the relative value of coaching. Not to say it's overrated, but I've never practiced less. I've never run less, or schematically simpler, stuff. Basically, it's like that episode of 'Seinfeld,' where George Costanza has been beaten down and he decides he's going to do the opposite in everything he does. That's what we try to do."
(What was it like to score 37 points in one 8-minute quarter?)
Coach Arnold: "That is the one thing about this, a lot of it plays into your energy and emotion, and when you score, you're going to score in bunches. You can go a couple of minutes without getting a bucket, but when you hit one, then one becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight, and the next thing you know, you're really on a roll. It's taken some time, you'd be surprised, to coach them that I would rather take a long shot, or a questionable shot, then have them throw another pass."
(What's been the reaction from fans and others?)
Coach Arnold: "I had a few of my friends that are coaches come and watch a game, which we lost, and we met up for dinner afterwards. They had been hanging around the lobby after the game and told me some of the stuff they heard. They told me, 'I don't think anybody knows you actually lost the game.' Everybody was so upbeat and positive. Now, certainly, you don't want the wins and the competitiveness to take a back seat, but we're giving a lot of kids the opportunity and letting everybody play."
Congratulations again to Coach Arnold and Whitmore Lake, and I certainly wish them luck the rest of the season. Maybe the Trojans can break that new state record!
Elsewhere, Grinnell suffered a tough loss Wednesday night at Midwest Conference rival Monmouth College, with the Fighting Scots holding on to win 82-80. The Pioneers (4-11, 3-6 MWC) had a chance to win in the final seconds, but Matt Skelly's 3-pointer came up short, and Monmouth (4-12, 3-6) ran out the clock.
It was a tough night for Skelly, who was named player of the week in the conference after averaging 25 points in Grinnell's two victories over the weekend. He finished 4-for-22 in this one, including 3-for-18 on 3s, and scored 12 points. Freshman Dylan Seelman had a good night, connecting on six treys for a total 18 points, with Xander Strek (14 points) and Matt Chalupa (10) also reaching double figures. The Pioneers sprinted to an eight-point lead in the second half but couldn't hold on down the stretch. A 3 from Seelman tied it at 80 with 2:14 left before Zach Ott put Monmouth ahead with two free throws a few seconds later. Skelly missed three shots from behind the line following that lead change, including that one with 6 seconds left, and Seelman missed one, as well, so the Pioneers definitely had their chances.
Grinnell stays on the road Saturday, traveling to Lake Forest for another MWC contest, before traveling back home to take on Fontbonne University at Darby Gym on Sunday. Keep rooting for coach David Arsenault and the Pioneers.
The women's team at Olivet Nazarene with coach Doug Porter had some troubles to deal with this week, as well, giving up an 11-point halftime lead and eventually losing 94-88 to Cardinal Stritch University on Tuesday. Coach Porter and the Tigers fell to 9-14, while the Wolves won their ninth straight to improve to 20-2.
ONU still led by 10 midway through the second half before Cardinal Stritch rallied behind Liz Neitzel. The sophomore from Lomira, Wisc., scored 11 of her 26 points in the final 6 minutes, including a go-ahead three-point play with 3:27 left to make it 86-84. The Tigers quickly tied in on two free throws from McCall Kitchel but never led again, with Neitzel giving the Wolves the lead for good with a layup.
As high-scoring as this game was, imagine what would have happened if either team had held on to the ball a little better. Cardinal Stritch turned it over 32 times, with ONU giving it up 30. Coach Porter and his team are off until a road game at Indiana University-South Bend next Tuesday. I'll keep you posted.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Ever seen "The Twilight Zone?"
Well, if you have, you might know how I feel, because it's almost as if I starred in an episode Monday night. I had arranged a phone interview with Mario Malaby, the junior varsity boys' coach at Alhambra High School in Phoenix. And, yes, he runs "The System." Through the Yahoo! message board, I'd heard Coach Malaby's squad hoisted 51 shots in a half last week, an amazing total for any high school team, much less one filled with 10th-graders. I just had to talk to him and ask him about his squad.
I'll get to the heart of the conversation later. When I asked him how he heard about this style of play and why he got involved, it was as if I was interviewing myself. He said he was watching Loyola Marymount make its run in the 1990 NCAA tournament, and in his words, he became "infatuated" with run-and-gun hoops. His wife purchased the video "Running to Win," produced by Grinnell coach David Arsenault in back in the late '90s to help other coaches convert to "The System," and as Coach Malaby said, "It's funny, one video changed my life and the lives of some of my best friends."
Even though he coaches the JV team, he has complete autonomy and has played this way for about four years. This year's team is 4-7 despite putting up some outrageous statistics. "Our record for shots in a game is 101. Don't worry, we still lost by 20!" Coach Malaby said. "We've had games where we've shot 20 more free throws and taken 30 more shots and lost by 10. We just struggle to make shots."
He and his team have a difficult week ahead, with games at Perry High School on Tuesday and at home against North High School on Friday, two of the top teams in the state. Coach Malaby, who works at Metro Tech High School in the reading and special education department while also serving as the co-director of the Athlete Performance Department, proudly predicts an unpredictable week for his charges. "We're going to go at them like little bandits and get real nasty. We might win by 30 or lose by 90!"
Here's some other highlights from our conversation:
(What's been the most difficult part about this season?)
Coach Malaby: "It's hard to run 'The System' without a point guard. You want that point guard to pass the ball in 3-to-4 seconds, so he doesn't have to make decisions. This year, I don't have the shooters, I can't seem to put the ball in the basket. I have to improvise."
(How do teams slow you down?)
Coach Malaby: "Actually, the best way to slow us down is a three-quarters court zone press. Teams that play us full-court, man-to-man, we love that, and if you play zone, well, OK. That's kind of wussing out in my opinion. But the three-quarters court press just slows us down. To me, it's like a speed bump."
(Does the varsity team at your school with coach Mike Slifer run "The System?")
Coach Malaby: "I think next year, they might go to it. Right now, they're 0-18 playing conventionally. He's starting to buy into it. Right now, he thinks it's kind of crazy. He runs more matchup zone and a Princeton-style offense, 17 passes before shooting. That's a hard way to play. Paul Westhead once said that playing basketball 5-on-5 is hard. Playing 5-on-2 or 5-on-3 is much, much better."
(What is the feeling when your team goes on a spurt to take over a game?)
Coach Malaby: "It's euphoric. One time last season, we were playing a much more superior team and we were down 72-48 with 6:15 left in the game. We ended up winning 80-75, everybody got caught up in the trapping and subbing. When we finally pulled ahead, the 12th man on my roster hit the go-ahead 3 with 40 seconds left, and he hadn't scored all year on the freshmen team the year before. I was overwhelmed with goosebumps and told myself I'd better not cry. When we're going on those runs, it feels like we're a train that can't be stopped."
A big thanks to Coach Malaby for spending some time with me. I've asked him to update me on his progress this season, so hopefully, we haven't heard the last of the JV team from Alhambra High School. Good luck this week.
I'll get to the heart of the conversation later. When I asked him how he heard about this style of play and why he got involved, it was as if I was interviewing myself. He said he was watching Loyola Marymount make its run in the 1990 NCAA tournament, and in his words, he became "infatuated" with run-and-gun hoops. His wife purchased the video "Running to Win," produced by Grinnell coach David Arsenault in back in the late '90s to help other coaches convert to "The System," and as Coach Malaby said, "It's funny, one video changed my life and the lives of some of my best friends."
Even though he coaches the JV team, he has complete autonomy and has played this way for about four years. This year's team is 4-7 despite putting up some outrageous statistics. "Our record for shots in a game is 101. Don't worry, we still lost by 20!" Coach Malaby said. "We've had games where we've shot 20 more free throws and taken 30 more shots and lost by 10. We just struggle to make shots."
He and his team have a difficult week ahead, with games at Perry High School on Tuesday and at home against North High School on Friday, two of the top teams in the state. Coach Malaby, who works at Metro Tech High School in the reading and special education department while also serving as the co-director of the Athlete Performance Department, proudly predicts an unpredictable week for his charges. "We're going to go at them like little bandits and get real nasty. We might win by 30 or lose by 90!"
Here's some other highlights from our conversation:
(What's been the most difficult part about this season?)
Coach Malaby: "It's hard to run 'The System' without a point guard. You want that point guard to pass the ball in 3-to-4 seconds, so he doesn't have to make decisions. This year, I don't have the shooters, I can't seem to put the ball in the basket. I have to improvise."
(How do teams slow you down?)
Coach Malaby: "Actually, the best way to slow us down is a three-quarters court zone press. Teams that play us full-court, man-to-man, we love that, and if you play zone, well, OK. That's kind of wussing out in my opinion. But the three-quarters court press just slows us down. To me, it's like a speed bump."
(Does the varsity team at your school with coach Mike Slifer run "The System?")
Coach Malaby: "I think next year, they might go to it. Right now, they're 0-18 playing conventionally. He's starting to buy into it. Right now, he thinks it's kind of crazy. He runs more matchup zone and a Princeton-style offense, 17 passes before shooting. That's a hard way to play. Paul Westhead once said that playing basketball 5-on-5 is hard. Playing 5-on-2 or 5-on-3 is much, much better."
(What is the feeling when your team goes on a spurt to take over a game?)
Coach Malaby: "It's euphoric. One time last season, we were playing a much more superior team and we were down 72-48 with 6:15 left in the game. We ended up winning 80-75, everybody got caught up in the trapping and subbing. When we finally pulled ahead, the 12th man on my roster hit the go-ahead 3 with 40 seconds left, and he hadn't scored all year on the freshmen team the year before. I was overwhelmed with goosebumps and told myself I'd better not cry. When we're going on those runs, it feels like we're a train that can't be stopped."
A big thanks to Coach Malaby for spending some time with me. I've asked him to update me on his progress this season, so hopefully, we haven't heard the last of the JV team from Alhambra High School. Good luck this week.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
It's a great weekend for "The System"
As unhappy as I was with the results of last weekend -- when many of the teams I regularly follow struggled -- Saturday was nearly a reverse of that. The lone exception was the squad coached by my newest blog interview, Bunky Harkleroad, whose Glenville State College Pioneers lost a tough one on the road.
But first, the good news:
But first, the good news:
- Matt Chalupa calmly sank a 16-foot jumper just before the buzzer to send Grinnell to a 101-99 victory over Carroll, the first time since Dec. 1, 2007 that coach David Arsenault and his bunch have beaten this Midwest Conference foe. A layup by Paul Grosshuesch with 4 seconds left tied it for Carroll, and Coach Arsenault called a couple of timeouts to set the final play. Scott Kaitz inbounded it to Chalupa, who dribbled toward the lane and pulled up from just beyond the free-throw to lauch his game-winner. Matt Skelly led Grinnell with 30 points, including nine 3-pointers, and Dylan Seelman added six 3s and 21 points. Overall, Grinnell finished 19-of -56 from beyond the arc and took 81 shots overall; Carroll shot 67 percent but only took 58 shots. Grinnell improves to 4-10 overall, 3-5 in the MWC with its first two-game winning streak of the season; Carroll falls to 11-5, 6-3. Next up for Coach A and the boys is a trip to Monmouth College on Wednesday, with a 8 p.m. EST tip. Good luck.
- Coach Doug Porter and the Olivet Nazarene Tigers bounced back from two tough losses last week to beat Robert Morris 114-86 in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play Saturday. Danielle Tolbert and Jaimie Buckman led a balanced attack with 14 points apiece for the Tigers (9-13, 1-2 CCAC), with Courtney Neil (13 points), Simone Coburn (12) and Danielle Pipal (10) also in double figures. Jessica Harris filled up the stat sheet for the Eagles with 32 points, 12 rebounds and 11 of her team's 40 turnovers. Yep, you read that correctly, 40 turnovers, "The System" pressure must have gotten to Robert Morris. ONU led by 14 at the break before quickly expanding that margin early in the second half, with a 3 from Buckman capping a 11-2 spurt to make it 65-42. The Tigers cruised from there as Robert Morris fell to 14-8, 1-2. ONU hosts Cardinal Stritch University from out of Wisconsin on Tuesday in non-conference action, then returns to the CCAC at Indiana University-South Bend on Feb. 2. I'm rooting for them.
- The Galesburg Silver Streaks girls' team, coached by Evan Massey, split a pair of games, the third time this season they've followed the ol' Ernie Banks motto of "Let's Play Two!" In the nightcap, Galesburg lost a tough one 72-68 to Peoria Notre Dame in the Mid-Winter Classic at the home of the Streaks, John Thiel Gymnasium. They had beaten Macomb earlier 65-35 in a game that likely wasn't that close. The second game got to a rough start for Galesburg when it was called for a technical foul for running around the entire court in the pre-game warmup, something nearly every team does. According to The (Galesburg) Register-Mail, referee Jason Riesebieter felt it was "intimidation" toward the opponent, so he whistled the infraction. The bizarre decision didn't hurt the Streaks, as Elle Bielfeldt missed both free throws and PND turned it over on the ensuing possession. With the split, the Streaks now are 15-10, a year after falling to 14-18, and they travel to United Township High School in Moline on Thursday. Here's hoping Coach Massey and his team continues it's solid season.
- As I said, Coach Harkleroad and his team of Pioneers fell out of their first-place tie in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 116-94 loss at Shepherd University. Still, Donita Adams had an amazing game for Glenville State, pouring in 39 points in only 19 minutes of run. She was 14-of-23 from the field, 7-of-12 on longballs, and had two of her team's 17 steals. Overall, the Pioneers were 32-of-84 from the field (38 percent) and 14-of-47 on 3s, yet they couldn't recover from a 60-34 deficit at the half. Shepherd (9-5, 8-2) now is tied atop the WVIAC standings with Fairmont State, while Glenville State (9-5, 7-3) is a game back. Next up for Coach Harkleroad's squad is a Thursday trip to Alderson-Broaddus (4-10, 2-7), which has lost five in a row. Good luck to this set of Pioneers, as well.
- Finally, coach Ron Rohn and the Muhleberg Mules continue to roll in the women's NCAA Division III Centennial Conference, riding a five-game winning streak to the top of the standings. The 12th-ranked Mules (12-2, 9-1 CC) haven't played since throttling Ursinus 71-47 last Wednesday, but they travel to Swarthmore on Monday. As you surely remember, Mulenberg no longer runs "The System," but Coach Rohn is a frequent contributor to the Yahoo! message board dedicated to it and fully believes in its powers. He also is a great interview, as hopefully you found out last month. I'll continue to watch their progress and hope for the best.
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