... and I don't mean the car builder.
This is Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Mich., just outside Detroit. Bob Belf, a longtime proponent of "The System" and the administrator of the Yahoo! message board devoted to it, coaches the women's team there and he was kind enough to e-mail some details on the season. Here it is:
Coach Belf: "We have played four times since our last update. Due to snow we had a game postponed from Wednesday the 10th to the 11th. A weekday game on the road costs us two players (note from Keith: I'm guessing this is due to class schedule) and we faced the complacency of beating a team by 40 the first time. We took a 10-point halftime lead only to go stone cold in the second half. Panic set in and we lost a winnable game 94-80.
"We then headed north for our next contest that comes with a three and a half hour ride, but this time we took the full squad of nine. Once again, we shot the ball poorly but 'The System' took total effect in this contest. We got down 20-6 only to come back for a three-point halftime lead. We stretched it out in the second half, getting it to 90-60 and winning the game 91-67. We fired up 122 shots and went 14-for-70 from the arc. We simply overwhelmed them with shots and pressure as we caused 42 miscues. Nice win due to effort on the road.
"(Last) week we had the mid-week road contest minus two players at the No. 5 team in the country. This was a 'pink zone' game for breast cancer awareness and we had a great time being involved but the result was expected as they ran us all over the floor, winning 109-58. We made 14 triples in the game but due to their size, we were 2-for-34 inside the arc.
"(Saturday), we faced the third-place team in the league and our final home game of the year. We had energy to spare and came out firing. In the middle of the first quarter of the game we got great pace of game and they fell into the pace and we lead at the half 41-30. The second hlaf was a little odd as they worked very hard to slow us down with a three-quarter, 2-2-1 press, but the loss of pace made it harder for them to get back in the game. We attacked the pressure a little more deliberately and willingly took shots around the basket. We kept the lead around 10 the entire game and scored 44 in the second half. We win 87-76 with a big win, which is our first against a team with a better record than us in our league.
"Many positive things happened for us this year. We are now in the top 10 in the nation in scoring at 78.7 points a game. My best shooter finished first in the nation in 3s made with 90. My point guard is ranked No. 5 in the country in assists and we had fired in 305 triples while shooting over 1,200 attempts.
"Amazing to me what nine kids were able to do."
Absolutely, Coach Belf. Thanks for the keeping us informed, and good luck down the road.
Now, to other teams running the most perfect style of play known to the universe: Glenville State College returned home for a fairly easy victory, outrunning Alderson-Broaddus 86-68 Monday night in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The Pioneers (16-8, 14-6 WVIAC) won their fourth consective game despite shooting only 27 percent from the field. How, you might ask? Well, it helped that they took 104 shots (unreal!), grabbed 41 offensive rebounds (you can't be serious!) and forced 38 turnovers (no way!). Yep, that's "The System" for you.
Donita Adams led the way 16 points and Tiffany Huffman added 12 for Glenville State, which finished 9-for-54 on 3-pointers. Still, the effort was good enough to help the Pioneers stay tied for fourth in the conference with Fairmont State, one game behind Charleston University and West Virginia Wesleyan and a game and a half behind Seton Hill. How good has Seton Hill been lately? The Griffins have won 11 consecutive games to move to the top of the WVIAC with less than a week remaining.
Glenville State hosts winless Salem International on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Good luck to coach Bunky Harkleroad and his team.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Grinnell ends season with a W
Matt Chalupa had 22 points, Matt Skelly added 17 and Grinnell scored the first nine points on its way to a 119-95 victory over Monmouth on Saturday in the Midwest Conference. It was the season finale for both teams, since neither was one of the four schools to qualify for the conference tournament.
The Pioneers (8-15, 6-10) had 3-pointers for their first five baskets and ran out to a commanding lead almost from the start on Senior Day at Darby Gym. John Bruns and Ross Preston each got starting nods in their final home games for Grinnell, and Bruns wasted no time to shoot. He missed a 3 only 5 seconds into the game and Kale Knisley got the offensive rebound. The ball went back to Bruns, and this time he didn't miss, giving the Pioneers a 3-0 lead.
The margin was 66-41 at the break and got below 20 only once in the second half. Grinnell finished 36-for-87 from the field, including 20-for-55 from beyond the arc, and forced 24 turnovers.
Freshman guard Marques Valdez had a great effort, filling up his stat sheet with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal, all in 10 minutes of playing time. Knisley was equally impressive, going for six points, 10 boards, two blocks and two steals in 11 minutes. Bruns scored 12 points on four 3s.
With only two seniors saying farewell to "The System," coach David Arseneault should have an experienced squad back next season. I have no doubt he'll lead his team back to the top of the Midwest Conference.
Elsewhere, the Olivet Nazarene women's team used a big second half to blow away Robert Morris College 122-88 Saturday in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Holly Wiersema led the way with 25 points -- eight 3-pointers sure helped -- and Simone Coburn added 19 points and seven rebounds. Danielle Pipal came up huge, as well, going for eight points, 11 assists and six steals; the Tigers (12-16, 4-4 CCAC) had 17 steals and forced 35 turnovers.
Early in the second half, a jumper by Chanel Jones-Delas brought Robert Morris (15-12, 2-6) within 10 before a layup by Rachel Kearney started a 15-2 spurt over a bit more than 4 miutes that allowed ONU to take complete control. It was 83-60 at that point, and the margin never again was under 20 points. The Tigers put up 65 points after halftime to post their second-highest total of the season.
With two games remaining in the regular season, ONU sits fourth in the conference, one game behind Indiana-South Bend. Coach Doug Porter and his team travel to Holy Cross College on Tuesday before finishing at home against Indiana-South Bend next Saturday. Good luck to the Tigers.
Finally, coach Bunky Harkleroad and Glenville State College held off Davis & Elkins 91-82 Saturday, the final road game of the season for the Pioneers (15-8, 13-6 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). Autumn Davis made six 3s and scored 22 points, and Donita Adams added 21 points. Glenville State was a bit off in the second half, converting only 5 of 20 shots from downtown, but still had enough for its third consecutive victory.
The score was tied at 78 with 3:08 remaining in the second half when Ginnie Petties made a layup to give the Pioneers the lead for good. That opened a 13-2 run to break open the game and leave them one game in the loss column behind the leaders in the WVIAC. Seton Hill has won 10 straight to move to 15-5 in the conference, with West Virginia Wesleyan and Charleston University sitting at 14-5. Fairmont State and Shepherd are tied with the Pioneers at 13-6.
Coach Harkleroad's bunch hosts Alderson Broaddus on Monday at 5:30, then entertains Salem International on Thursday before completing the schedule against West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday. I hope this final week goes well for Glenville State.
The Pioneers (8-15, 6-10) had 3-pointers for their first five baskets and ran out to a commanding lead almost from the start on Senior Day at Darby Gym. John Bruns and Ross Preston each got starting nods in their final home games for Grinnell, and Bruns wasted no time to shoot. He missed a 3 only 5 seconds into the game and Kale Knisley got the offensive rebound. The ball went back to Bruns, and this time he didn't miss, giving the Pioneers a 3-0 lead.
The margin was 66-41 at the break and got below 20 only once in the second half. Grinnell finished 36-for-87 from the field, including 20-for-55 from beyond the arc, and forced 24 turnovers.
Freshman guard Marques Valdez had a great effort, filling up his stat sheet with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal, all in 10 minutes of playing time. Knisley was equally impressive, going for six points, 10 boards, two blocks and two steals in 11 minutes. Bruns scored 12 points on four 3s.
With only two seniors saying farewell to "The System," coach David Arseneault should have an experienced squad back next season. I have no doubt he'll lead his team back to the top of the Midwest Conference.
Elsewhere, the Olivet Nazarene women's team used a big second half to blow away Robert Morris College 122-88 Saturday in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Holly Wiersema led the way with 25 points -- eight 3-pointers sure helped -- and Simone Coburn added 19 points and seven rebounds. Danielle Pipal came up huge, as well, going for eight points, 11 assists and six steals; the Tigers (12-16, 4-4 CCAC) had 17 steals and forced 35 turnovers.
Early in the second half, a jumper by Chanel Jones-Delas brought Robert Morris (15-12, 2-6) within 10 before a layup by Rachel Kearney started a 15-2 spurt over a bit more than 4 miutes that allowed ONU to take complete control. It was 83-60 at that point, and the margin never again was under 20 points. The Tigers put up 65 points after halftime to post their second-highest total of the season.
With two games remaining in the regular season, ONU sits fourth in the conference, one game behind Indiana-South Bend. Coach Doug Porter and his team travel to Holy Cross College on Tuesday before finishing at home against Indiana-South Bend next Saturday. Good luck to the Tigers.
Finally, coach Bunky Harkleroad and Glenville State College held off Davis & Elkins 91-82 Saturday, the final road game of the season for the Pioneers (15-8, 13-6 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). Autumn Davis made six 3s and scored 22 points, and Donita Adams added 21 points. Glenville State was a bit off in the second half, converting only 5 of 20 shots from downtown, but still had enough for its third consecutive victory.
The score was tied at 78 with 3:08 remaining in the second half when Ginnie Petties made a layup to give the Pioneers the lead for good. That opened a 13-2 run to break open the game and leave them one game in the loss column behind the leaders in the WVIAC. Seton Hill has won 10 straight to move to 15-5 in the conference, with West Virginia Wesleyan and Charleston University sitting at 14-5. Fairmont State and Shepherd are tied with the Pioneers at 13-6.
Coach Harkleroad's bunch hosts Alderson Broaddus on Monday at 5:30, then entertains Salem International on Thursday before completing the schedule against West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday. I hope this final week goes well for Glenville State.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Whitmore Lake keeps rolling
The Whitmore Lake (Mich.) Trojans won their eighth consecutive game Thursday night, outrunning Petersburg Summerfield 110-86 in the Tri-County Conference. And, yes, this was a high school boys game, so those totals came in only 32 minutes. Wow.
Colton Judge (sounds like the name of a star, doesn't it?) led the way with 31 points, including eight 3-pointers. As a team, the Trojans (12-5, 9-2 TCC) finished 25-for-67 from downtown and 38-for-98 overall to reach at least 100 points for the third time this season. They also stayed one game behind Clinton in the conference, and those teams meet in the season finale March 2.
Whitmore Lake scored at least 30 points in three quarters in this one to avenge an earlier loss to Summerfield, which won 109-103 in overtime about a month ago. Congratulations to coach Dave Arnold and his crew. They go at it again Monday at Morenci; back on Jan. 21, the Trojans won 117-80 and set the Michigan State record by making 29 3s. Dare we hope for a similar output?
Speaking of records, I have a brief update on the Silver Streaks from Galesburg (Ill.) High School. I mentioned they ended their season at 17-14 with a regional loss this week and added a few thoughts on the success coach Evan Massey had in his first year running "The System." Well, here's an idea of how good it really was, not including the improvement from last year's 14-18 record:
- According to Coach Massey, via the National Federal and Illinois record books, Galesburg now holds the national mark for 3-pointers attempted in a season with 1,382. The 365 made is the second-best total in the country and tops in the state.
Nice job, Streaks. Good luck next season, when they are expected to return 10 of their top 13 players.
A high school I hadn't checked on yet this year also had a record-breaking game earlier this week, as the Brookland (Ark.) Bearcats beat Tuckerman 117-104 Tuesday night in the 3A district tournament.
The 221 combined points set one Arkansas record, as did the 20 3-pointers made by the Bearcats (8-17), coached by "System" neophyte Derek Jacobs. Graham Agee led Brookland with 25 points and Jared Smith added 22, including seven treys.
My goal for next season is to coerce a team in North Carolina to use this style of play and see some of these totals in person!
Colton Judge (sounds like the name of a star, doesn't it?) led the way with 31 points, including eight 3-pointers. As a team, the Trojans (12-5, 9-2 TCC) finished 25-for-67 from downtown and 38-for-98 overall to reach at least 100 points for the third time this season. They also stayed one game behind Clinton in the conference, and those teams meet in the season finale March 2.
Whitmore Lake scored at least 30 points in three quarters in this one to avenge an earlier loss to Summerfield, which won 109-103 in overtime about a month ago. Congratulations to coach Dave Arnold and his crew. They go at it again Monday at Morenci; back on Jan. 21, the Trojans won 117-80 and set the Michigan State record by making 29 3s. Dare we hope for a similar output?
Speaking of records, I have a brief update on the Silver Streaks from Galesburg (Ill.) High School. I mentioned they ended their season at 17-14 with a regional loss this week and added a few thoughts on the success coach Evan Massey had in his first year running "The System." Well, here's an idea of how good it really was, not including the improvement from last year's 14-18 record:
- According to Coach Massey, via the National Federal and Illinois record books, Galesburg now holds the national mark for 3-pointers attempted in a season with 1,382. The 365 made is the second-best total in the country and tops in the state.
Nice job, Streaks. Good luck next season, when they are expected to return 10 of their top 13 players.
A high school I hadn't checked on yet this year also had a record-breaking game earlier this week, as the Brookland (Ark.) Bearcats beat Tuckerman 117-104 Tuesday night in the 3A district tournament.
The 221 combined points set one Arkansas record, as did the 20 3-pointers made by the Bearcats (8-17), coached by "System" neophyte Derek Jacobs. Graham Agee led Brookland with 25 points and Jared Smith added 22, including seven treys.
My goal for next season is to coerce a team in North Carolina to use this style of play and see some of these totals in person!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Big night for "The System"
Thursday proved to be quite entertaining for us fans of "The System," and, really, who isn't one? Two of the college teams I follow regularly cruised to victories, including the Grinnell Pioneers coached by innovator David Arseneault.
Matt Skelly had 22 points to lead four players in double figures as Grinnell easily beat Knox College 111-87 on the road in the Midwest Conference. Matt Chalupa added 16 points and freshmen Jesse Ney and Dylan Seelman each finished with 14 for the Pioneers (7-15, 5-10 MWC), who trailed only at 2-0 in sweeping the season series from the Prairie Fire.
Knox (2-21, 2-14) closed within eight midway through the second half after two free throws from Peter Cain, capping a 12-0 run to make it 78-70. Ney made a 3-pointer to right the ship and Grinnell steadily pulled away from there. The margin grew to 25 after Skelly converted two free throws with about 3 minutes remaining in the game.
Chalupa and Seelman made four 3s apiece, part of a 19-for-53 effort for the Pioneers from beyond the arc. Post player Alex McDonald did his part, as well, despite scoring only two points. The 6-foot-4 junior from Alton, Ill., had six rebounds and five of his team's 26 steals; the Prairie Fire turned it over 37 times.
Since Grinnell won't qualify for the MWC Tournament this year, it completes its schedule Saturday at home against Monmouth College, with the tip coming around 5 p.m. I hope Coach A and his team can get one last victory this season.
Meanwhile, in West Virginia, the women's team at Glenville State College had an even easier time Thursday, blowing out Bluefield State 95-41 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Coach Bunky Harkleroad's squad set two all-division NCAA records during a 133-72 victory over Bluefield State on Dec. 16: 3-pointers made (29) and attempted (62).
The Pioneers (14-8, 12-6 WVIAC) fell a bit short of those marks in this one, finishing 23-of-57 on 3s. Autumn Davis had five of them and scored 21 points, with Donita Adams adding 19 in only 13 minutes of run. Glenville State led 55-18 at the break and cruised from there against the Lady Blues (1-23, 1-18).
The Pioneers, who won 111-106 earlier this week at Concord University, travel to Davis & Elkins on Saturday to look for their third consecutive victory. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., and I wish them the best of luck.
Finally, one of the girls' high school teams we've regularly checked in on this season bowed out of its regional tournament Tuesday. The Galesburg (Ill.) Silver Streaks lost to 62-56 to Geneseo in the opening round to finish 17-14. I wish it could have lasted longer for coach Evan Massey and Galesburg, which set numerous state records during its first season running "The System."
The Streaks attempted and made more 3-pointers than any girls' team in state history, and attempted 71 in a single game to add another mark. They also tied another high by making 20 3s in one game. Just an incredible season for Galesburg, and I hope Coach Massey takes some comfort in how much fun his team made this season for me and so many others.
Saturday is shaping up to be a big day for the one and only style of basketball endorsed by this blog, with Grinnell, Glenville State and Olivet Nazarene all in action. I'll keep you posted.
Matt Skelly had 22 points to lead four players in double figures as Grinnell easily beat Knox College 111-87 on the road in the Midwest Conference. Matt Chalupa added 16 points and freshmen Jesse Ney and Dylan Seelman each finished with 14 for the Pioneers (7-15, 5-10 MWC), who trailed only at 2-0 in sweeping the season series from the Prairie Fire.
Knox (2-21, 2-14) closed within eight midway through the second half after two free throws from Peter Cain, capping a 12-0 run to make it 78-70. Ney made a 3-pointer to right the ship and Grinnell steadily pulled away from there. The margin grew to 25 after Skelly converted two free throws with about 3 minutes remaining in the game.
Chalupa and Seelman made four 3s apiece, part of a 19-for-53 effort for the Pioneers from beyond the arc. Post player Alex McDonald did his part, as well, despite scoring only two points. The 6-foot-4 junior from Alton, Ill., had six rebounds and five of his team's 26 steals; the Prairie Fire turned it over 37 times.
Since Grinnell won't qualify for the MWC Tournament this year, it completes its schedule Saturday at home against Monmouth College, with the tip coming around 5 p.m. I hope Coach A and his team can get one last victory this season.
Meanwhile, in West Virginia, the women's team at Glenville State College had an even easier time Thursday, blowing out Bluefield State 95-41 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Coach Bunky Harkleroad's squad set two all-division NCAA records during a 133-72 victory over Bluefield State on Dec. 16: 3-pointers made (29) and attempted (62).
The Pioneers (14-8, 12-6 WVIAC) fell a bit short of those marks in this one, finishing 23-of-57 on 3s. Autumn Davis had five of them and scored 21 points, with Donita Adams adding 19 in only 13 minutes of run. Glenville State led 55-18 at the break and cruised from there against the Lady Blues (1-23, 1-18).
The Pioneers, who won 111-106 earlier this week at Concord University, travel to Davis & Elkins on Saturday to look for their third consecutive victory. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., and I wish them the best of luck.
Finally, one of the girls' high school teams we've regularly checked in on this season bowed out of its regional tournament Tuesday. The Galesburg (Ill.) Silver Streaks lost to 62-56 to Geneseo in the opening round to finish 17-14. I wish it could have lasted longer for coach Evan Massey and Galesburg, which set numerous state records during its first season running "The System."
The Streaks attempted and made more 3-pointers than any girls' team in state history, and attempted 71 in a single game to add another mark. They also tied another high by making 20 3s in one game. Just an incredible season for Galesburg, and I hope Coach Massey takes some comfort in how much fun his team made this season for me and so many others.
Saturday is shaping up to be a big day for the one and only style of basketball endorsed by this blog, with Grinnell, Glenville State and Olivet Nazarene all in action. I'll keep you posted.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Magnificent comeback for ONU
The Tigers of Olivet Nazarene, an NAIA women's team coached by Doug Porter, had a huge win Saturday on the road against the University of St. Francis. Down 95-93 with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation, ONU worked the ball to leading scorer Simone Coburn, who then fed Danielle Tolbert for the tying basket.
In overtime, the Tigers (11-16, 3-4 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) fell behind again before taking over. A 3-pointer from Lexie Heinold gave them the lead for good at 105-104 with about two and a half minutes left in the extra period -- one of four 3s made by ONU in those five minutes -- and they converted 6 of 8 at the line down the stretch to win 119-111. And, yes, nice job on the math, that's 24 points in 5 minutes of OT. Wow.
Coburn led five players in double figures with 20 points, joined by Jaimie Buckman (19 points), Heinold (18), Tolbert (16) and Holly Wiersema (10). Jacqie Storm led St. Francis (15-12, 6-2) with 27 points. The victory leaves ONU a game and a half behind third-place Indiana-South Bend in the CCAC standings with three games left, including the finale Feb. 27 at home against IU-South Bend. The Tigers have a week off before traveling next Saturday to Robert Morris, which they beat 114-86 on Jan. 23. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.
Grinnell didn't have quite the same effort Saturday in the Midwest Conference, losing 95-77 at Illinois College, dropping the Pioneers to 6-15 overall and 4-10 in the MWC. Dylan Seelman led the way (again) with 22 points and made six 3-pointers, giving him 41 in the past five games. He was one of the few who got off to normal output as the G-Men shot only 22-of-89 for the game, 24.7 percent. That includes 14-of-66 from beyond the arc.
Coach David Arseneault, the father of "The System," takes his team on the road to Knox College on Thursday night, with the tip scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST. Not sure if I've shared this yet, but you can watch the game live for free on the Internet. Just click here and follow the instructions. Hope it goes well for the Pioneers.
Meanwhile, the Glenville State College women's team put up some unbelievable numbers in a 99-92 loss Saturday to the University of Charleston (W.Va.). This set of Pioneers also had trouble putting the ball in the basket and shot only 24 percent for the game. Did you catch that? They scored 92 points and made less than one-fourth of their shots. How, you might ask, did they do that? BY PUTTING UP 125 SHOTS, THAT'S HOW!
This is one of those times where most of the goals of "The System" were obliterated, but the result wasn't a victory. To remind those out there not familiar with the five tenants of the greatest style of basketball known in the universe, here they are as produced by Coach A and a set of Grinnell students from back in the day:
1. Take at least 94 shots
2. Half of those shots (47) should be 3s
3. Get at least 33 percent of the misses back off the offensive glass
4. Take 25 more shots than the opponent
5. Force at least 32 turnovers
Now, some teams modify these goals, and I'm not sure what coach Bunky Harkleroad does at Glenville State, but the final stats from this game scream "System:"
1. 125 shots
2. 63 attempted 3-pointers
3. 49 offensive rebounds (52 percent)
4. 56 more shots than the University of Charleston
5. 28 turnovers forced
Only the turnover number wasn't reached, but if Coach Harkleroad's team has a normal shooting day, it wins going away. Kristen Golden led the way with 18 points for the Pioneers, with Autumn Davis adding 17 and Donita Adams and Tiffany Huffman each finishing with 16. Tough loss, which dropped Glenville State to 12-8 overall and 10-6 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The University of Charleston improved to 15-6, 12-4.
The Pioneers travel to Concord University on Monday, with the game scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Good luck to them.
In overtime, the Tigers (11-16, 3-4 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) fell behind again before taking over. A 3-pointer from Lexie Heinold gave them the lead for good at 105-104 with about two and a half minutes left in the extra period -- one of four 3s made by ONU in those five minutes -- and they converted 6 of 8 at the line down the stretch to win 119-111. And, yes, nice job on the math, that's 24 points in 5 minutes of OT. Wow.
Coburn led five players in double figures with 20 points, joined by Jaimie Buckman (19 points), Heinold (18), Tolbert (16) and Holly Wiersema (10). Jacqie Storm led St. Francis (15-12, 6-2) with 27 points. The victory leaves ONU a game and a half behind third-place Indiana-South Bend in the CCAC standings with three games left, including the finale Feb. 27 at home against IU-South Bend. The Tigers have a week off before traveling next Saturday to Robert Morris, which they beat 114-86 on Jan. 23. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.
Grinnell didn't have quite the same effort Saturday in the Midwest Conference, losing 95-77 at Illinois College, dropping the Pioneers to 6-15 overall and 4-10 in the MWC. Dylan Seelman led the way (again) with 22 points and made six 3-pointers, giving him 41 in the past five games. He was one of the few who got off to normal output as the G-Men shot only 22-of-89 for the game, 24.7 percent. That includes 14-of-66 from beyond the arc.
Coach David Arseneault, the father of "The System," takes his team on the road to Knox College on Thursday night, with the tip scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST. Not sure if I've shared this yet, but you can watch the game live for free on the Internet. Just click here and follow the instructions. Hope it goes well for the Pioneers.
Meanwhile, the Glenville State College women's team put up some unbelievable numbers in a 99-92 loss Saturday to the University of Charleston (W.Va.). This set of Pioneers also had trouble putting the ball in the basket and shot only 24 percent for the game. Did you catch that? They scored 92 points and made less than one-fourth of their shots. How, you might ask, did they do that? BY PUTTING UP 125 SHOTS, THAT'S HOW!
This is one of those times where most of the goals of "The System" were obliterated, but the result wasn't a victory. To remind those out there not familiar with the five tenants of the greatest style of basketball known in the universe, here they are as produced by Coach A and a set of Grinnell students from back in the day:
1. Take at least 94 shots
2. Half of those shots (47) should be 3s
3. Get at least 33 percent of the misses back off the offensive glass
4. Take 25 more shots than the opponent
5. Force at least 32 turnovers
Now, some teams modify these goals, and I'm not sure what coach Bunky Harkleroad does at Glenville State, but the final stats from this game scream "System:"
1. 125 shots
2. 63 attempted 3-pointers
3. 49 offensive rebounds (52 percent)
4. 56 more shots than the University of Charleston
5. 28 turnovers forced
Only the turnover number wasn't reached, but if Coach Harkleroad's team has a normal shooting day, it wins going away. Kristen Golden led the way with 18 points for the Pioneers, with Autumn Davis adding 17 and Donita Adams and Tiffany Huffman each finishing with 16. Tough loss, which dropped Glenville State to 12-8 overall and 10-6 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The University of Charleston improved to 15-6, 12-4.
The Pioneers travel to Concord University on Monday, with the game scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Good luck to them.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Where have you gone, Keith Parsons ...
... a System-nation turns its lonely eyes to you? OK, maybe not a WHOLE nation, but we're seven strong in actual followers, plus a handful of others who actually look at this blog.
Long time since my last update, and we have lots to get to. We'll start with an update on the women's team at Henry Ford Community College in Deaborn, Mich., enjoying its best season in a while under the direction of coach Bob Belf. He e-mailed me, and I've reproduced it here virtually verbatim:
Coach Belf: "I wanted to give you an update of our past week. Last Wednesday (Feb. 3), we played Delta College, which was holding the fourth and final playoff spot a game ahead of us. Earlier in the year, we dropped a 20-point loss to Delta, but we had them at home and right now we are averaging 88 points at home while struggling at 68 on the road.
"From the tip, this game was played at incredible intensity and our pressure was outstanding. Neither team shot it as well as they hoped as we went 11-for-42 from the arc and they went 12-for-28 at the free throw line, but it was a GREAT game. We were unable to take care of a two-point lead at the end of regulation and Delta won this contest 82-81 in 2 OTs.
"Saturday (Feb. 6), I was very concerned that the effort we spent Wednesday would detract from the effort we needed as we faced Macomb, which was the team just below us in the standings. Our emotional effort was very good and we were hungry, as Macomb also had dropped us by 11 in our first contest. After a slow start, we ended up getting our feet under us; we ended up dominating this contest with an 88-74 win. Our pressure had them exhausted and our performance coming off the Wednesday game was very good.
"We stand now 5-7 in the league and 9-14 overall. This is the best record we have had at Henry Ford since scholarships were eliminated eight years ago. We have four to play and two are against teams we have already beaten. We may miss our state playoffs but we are head to the Regionals in the first week of March."
A huge thanks to Coach Belf for the information, and hopefully, we can pull his team through to a successful conclusion to his season.
Another coach I heard from this week was Dave Arnold, the boys' basketball coach at Whitmore Lake (Mich.) High School. The Trojans have won seven consecutive games to remain one game behind Clinton in the Tri-County Conference, including an 86-58 rout of Britton-Deerfield on Friday night. Whitmore Lake now is 11-5 and 8-2 in the conference.
Earlier this week, the Trojans avenged one of their losses from earlier in the season with a 99-88 victory over Whiteford. They took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter before leading scorer Colton Judge took over, scoring 16 of his 33 points to help Whitmore Lake pull away. He made a school-record nine 3s in the game. Coach Arnold sent me a breakdown of the performance via e-mail:
Coach Arnold: "Colton just took over the game in the fourth quarter. He had done that on a couple of occasions earlier in the year, but it couldn't have come at a better time. After the win over Clinton two weeks (which everyone should have read about on this blog), we're one game behind in the standings. We don't play Clinton until the last game of the regular season on March 2, so we're in a perpetual back-to-the-wall situation where we probably need to win out to have any chance. Whiteford was a huge hurdle for us, as we had lost six straight to them, including a 96-95 OT game last January and a 109-94 game this year before Christmas. They have three solid players and have really given us trouble in the past, in terms of being able to effectively press them. Our defense was as good as it has been all year in the first half. We had a 10-point lead and an opportunity to create a gap in the first half, but they made a run right before halftime. They were much more aggressive in the third quarter and we got back on our heels a bit. We were up one to start the fourth, and that's when Colton just took over. He has that rare ability to put a team on his back, and he's been as focused and driven the last month as I've ever seen him. Good thing, too -- we play three of our next four on the road, including the team that beat us 109-103 and the team we're currently for second with. One game at a time ..."
It was great of Coach Arnold to keep me, and us, abreast of what's going on with his squad. I wish them the best of luck down the stretch.
Meanwhile, at Grinnell, the Pioneers had their best performance of the season, at least on paper, in a 131-84 victory over Midwest Conference rival Knox on Wednesday. Dylan Seelman continued to be the man, making 11 3-pointers and finishing with 33 points. That effort gave him 35 3s in the past four games and at least eight in all of them, helpig him average 28.5 points.
Everybody got into the act against the Prairie Fire (awesome mascot!), who turned it over 38 times and allowed the Pioneers to take 98 shots. That included a 29 of 70 performance beyond the arc, one of the few times this year Grinnell has gotten off from long range.
Oh, and did I mention Seelman got his in only 16 minutes of run? Are you kidding me? No, I'm not, 16 minutes of playing time led to those 33 points, all on 11 of 18 shooting on 3-pointers. Hopefully, he can keep it going Saturay when Grinnell (6-14, 4-9 MWC) travels to Illinois College. Game time is 4 p.m. EST.
Elsewhere in System hoops this week, a couple of other college women's teams I regularly follow had tough losses. The Olivet Nazarene Univeristy Tigers coached by Doug Porter kept it close before eventually losing to Saint Xavier University 113-97 on Tuesday. Saint Xavier is ranked No. 2 in the most recent NAIA poll. Lexie Heinold led the way for ONU with 18 points and guard Jaimie Buckman added 15 points and 15 rebounds, all on the defensive end. The Tigers (11-15, 2-4 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) travel to the University of St. Francis on Saturday, with the game scheduled to begin at 6:15 EST.
And the Pioneers of Glenville State College, coached by Bunky Harkleroad, lost 105-86 to West Virginia State on Thursday. The Yellow Jackets broke away from a 49-49 tie at the break to win going away. Donita Adams did her thing again, leading Glenville State with 19 points. The Pioneers (12-7, 10-5 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) host the University of Charleston on Saturday beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Finally, in high school action, the Galesburg (Ill.) Silver Streaks ended their regular season with a 97-53 loss to Western Big 6 Conference champ Moline on Thursday night. It was the most points Galesburg has given up in school history but still doesn't tarnish what coach Evan Massey has done in his first year running "The System." Last year, the Streaks finished 14-18; they take a 17-13 mark into the regionals, beginning at home Geneseo on Tuesday in the Galesburg Class 3-A Regional. Moline is ranked second in the state's Class 4-A division.
Long time since my last update, and we have lots to get to. We'll start with an update on the women's team at Henry Ford Community College in Deaborn, Mich., enjoying its best season in a while under the direction of coach Bob Belf. He e-mailed me, and I've reproduced it here virtually verbatim:
Coach Belf: "I wanted to give you an update of our past week. Last Wednesday (Feb. 3), we played Delta College, which was holding the fourth and final playoff spot a game ahead of us. Earlier in the year, we dropped a 20-point loss to Delta, but we had them at home and right now we are averaging 88 points at home while struggling at 68 on the road.
"From the tip, this game was played at incredible intensity and our pressure was outstanding. Neither team shot it as well as they hoped as we went 11-for-42 from the arc and they went 12-for-28 at the free throw line, but it was a GREAT game. We were unable to take care of a two-point lead at the end of regulation and Delta won this contest 82-81 in 2 OTs.
"Saturday (Feb. 6), I was very concerned that the effort we spent Wednesday would detract from the effort we needed as we faced Macomb, which was the team just below us in the standings. Our emotional effort was very good and we were hungry, as Macomb also had dropped us by 11 in our first contest. After a slow start, we ended up getting our feet under us; we ended up dominating this contest with an 88-74 win. Our pressure had them exhausted and our performance coming off the Wednesday game was very good.
"We stand now 5-7 in the league and 9-14 overall. This is the best record we have had at Henry Ford since scholarships were eliminated eight years ago. We have four to play and two are against teams we have already beaten. We may miss our state playoffs but we are head to the Regionals in the first week of March."
A huge thanks to Coach Belf for the information, and hopefully, we can pull his team through to a successful conclusion to his season.
Another coach I heard from this week was Dave Arnold, the boys' basketball coach at Whitmore Lake (Mich.) High School. The Trojans have won seven consecutive games to remain one game behind Clinton in the Tri-County Conference, including an 86-58 rout of Britton-Deerfield on Friday night. Whitmore Lake now is 11-5 and 8-2 in the conference.
Earlier this week, the Trojans avenged one of their losses from earlier in the season with a 99-88 victory over Whiteford. They took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter before leading scorer Colton Judge took over, scoring 16 of his 33 points to help Whitmore Lake pull away. He made a school-record nine 3s in the game. Coach Arnold sent me a breakdown of the performance via e-mail:
Coach Arnold: "Colton just took over the game in the fourth quarter. He had done that on a couple of occasions earlier in the year, but it couldn't have come at a better time. After the win over Clinton two weeks (which everyone should have read about on this blog), we're one game behind in the standings. We don't play Clinton until the last game of the regular season on March 2, so we're in a perpetual back-to-the-wall situation where we probably need to win out to have any chance. Whiteford was a huge hurdle for us, as we had lost six straight to them, including a 96-95 OT game last January and a 109-94 game this year before Christmas. They have three solid players and have really given us trouble in the past, in terms of being able to effectively press them. Our defense was as good as it has been all year in the first half. We had a 10-point lead and an opportunity to create a gap in the first half, but they made a run right before halftime. They were much more aggressive in the third quarter and we got back on our heels a bit. We were up one to start the fourth, and that's when Colton just took over. He has that rare ability to put a team on his back, and he's been as focused and driven the last month as I've ever seen him. Good thing, too -- we play three of our next four on the road, including the team that beat us 109-103 and the team we're currently for second with. One game at a time ..."
It was great of Coach Arnold to keep me, and us, abreast of what's going on with his squad. I wish them the best of luck down the stretch.
Meanwhile, at Grinnell, the Pioneers had their best performance of the season, at least on paper, in a 131-84 victory over Midwest Conference rival Knox on Wednesday. Dylan Seelman continued to be the man, making 11 3-pointers and finishing with 33 points. That effort gave him 35 3s in the past four games and at least eight in all of them, helpig him average 28.5 points.
Everybody got into the act against the Prairie Fire (awesome mascot!), who turned it over 38 times and allowed the Pioneers to take 98 shots. That included a 29 of 70 performance beyond the arc, one of the few times this year Grinnell has gotten off from long range.
Oh, and did I mention Seelman got his in only 16 minutes of run? Are you kidding me? No, I'm not, 16 minutes of playing time led to those 33 points, all on 11 of 18 shooting on 3-pointers. Hopefully, he can keep it going Saturay when Grinnell (6-14, 4-9 MWC) travels to Illinois College. Game time is 4 p.m. EST.
Elsewhere in System hoops this week, a couple of other college women's teams I regularly follow had tough losses. The Olivet Nazarene Univeristy Tigers coached by Doug Porter kept it close before eventually losing to Saint Xavier University 113-97 on Tuesday. Saint Xavier is ranked No. 2 in the most recent NAIA poll. Lexie Heinold led the way for ONU with 18 points and guard Jaimie Buckman added 15 points and 15 rebounds, all on the defensive end. The Tigers (11-15, 2-4 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) travel to the University of St. Francis on Saturday, with the game scheduled to begin at 6:15 EST.
And the Pioneers of Glenville State College, coached by Bunky Harkleroad, lost 105-86 to West Virginia State on Thursday. The Yellow Jackets broke away from a 49-49 tie at the break to win going away. Donita Adams did her thing again, leading Glenville State with 19 points. The Pioneers (12-7, 10-5 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) host the University of Charleston on Saturday beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Finally, in high school action, the Galesburg (Ill.) Silver Streaks ended their regular season with a 97-53 loss to Western Big 6 Conference champ Moline on Thursday night. It was the most points Galesburg has given up in school history but still doesn't tarnish what coach Evan Massey has done in his first year running "The System." Last year, the Streaks finished 14-18; they take a 17-13 mark into the regionals, beginning at home Geneseo on Tuesday in the Galesburg Class 3-A Regional. Moline is ranked second in the state's Class 4-A division.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Huge win for Olivet Nazarene
The Olivet Nazarene Tigers coached by Doug Porter scored the first 13 points and never looked back, blowing out Holy Cross College 119-70 Saturday in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play. And, yes, I believe Holy Cross is the school where this guy went before transferring to Notre Dame.
Simone Coburn had 19 points to lead six players in double figures for ONU (10-15, 2-3 CCAC), joined by Danielle Tolbert (15 points), Holly Wiersema (14), Lexie Heinold (12), Danielle Pipal (11) and Rachel Kearney (10). The Saints (5-21, 0-8) turned it over 38 times -- 28 in the first half alone -- and spent the final 31-plus minutes down by at least 10 points. Baysia Cox scored 26 points for Holy Cross and joined teammate Tanesha Vanardo with 10 turnovers.
Not much else to say about this one. It was a rout from the get-go, something much needed for Coach Porter and his squad. The Tigers finished 46-109 from the field, including 18-of-66 on 3-pointers, and collected 31 offensive rebounds. On Tuesday, they face a much tougher opponent when they travel to league-leader St. Xavier University (23-1, 6-1), ranked No. 3 in the most recent NAIA coaches' poll. Game time is 6 p.m. EST, and I'll be rooting for ONU.
Unfortunately, Grinnell didn't have quite the same good fortune Saturday, losing 99-96 at Beloit in the Midwest Conference. Freshman Dylan Seelman continued his impressive play for the Pioneers (5-14, 3-9 MWC), making eight 3-pointers for the second consecutive game and finishing with 28 points. Matt Chalupa added 16.
The Buccaneers (7-13, 5-8) shot 74 percent for the game -- 76 percent in the second half -- and scored the final five points to win what was a close game throughout. It featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes , with David Bremmer converting one of two at the line with 35 seconds left to give Beloit the lead for good. On the other end, Matt Skelly missed a 3 with 7 seconds remaining that would have put Grinnell back in front, and Patrick Kenny added two more free throws for the final margin. Skelly was only 3-for-20 from the field and 2-for-11 from behind the line.
For those of you keeping stats, that makes opponents 83-for-107 in the past two games against the G-men, or 77.6 percent. It's a tribute to "The System" that this one was as close as it was.
The Pioneers return home to face Knox College on Wednesday, beginning at 8:30 p.m. EST. I plan to watch it all live on the Internet, assuming the connection is a bit better than Saturday's game (in a word, it sucked!). Go, Grinnell!
In high school "System" action Saturday, the Galesburg (Ill.) Silver Streaks traveled out of conference to play Winnetka New Trier, ranked eighth in the state in Class 4A, and the Streaks lost 80-66. Jessica Howard had 17 points and Sara Baker added 11 for Galesburg (17-12), which made only 4 of 23 3-pointers in the first half according The (Galesburg) Register-Mail. Coach Evan Massey's team finishes the regular season at Western Big 6 leader Moline on Thursday.
And remember that big game Liberty High School from Hillsboro, Ore., faced Friday? Well, the Falcons rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Glencoe 91-88 in the Northwest Oregon Conference. Glencoe was first among "other teams receiving votes" in the Class 5A boys coaches' poll, but Liberty scored 33 points in the final period to win at home; Joel Tokple led the way with 23 points. Nice going!
Finally, I have to give a shoutout to the Oregon State Beavers, even though their style of play is about as anti-"System" as you can get. On Saturday, they completed their first season sweep of Oregon in 17 years with a 62-42 victory at historic Gill Coliseum. Very little about the boxscore impresses me: Oregon State took 42 shots and Oregon 47 FOR THE GAME, yet somehow they combined for 35 turnovers. Still, the Beavers had 20 assists on their 21 baskets, really an amazing total. The ol' Princeton offense must have been working perfectly for coach Craig Robinson's crew. So congrats to Oregon State -- and start shooting the ball more often!
Simone Coburn had 19 points to lead six players in double figures for ONU (10-15, 2-3 CCAC), joined by Danielle Tolbert (15 points), Holly Wiersema (14), Lexie Heinold (12), Danielle Pipal (11) and Rachel Kearney (10). The Saints (5-21, 0-8) turned it over 38 times -- 28 in the first half alone -- and spent the final 31-plus minutes down by at least 10 points. Baysia Cox scored 26 points for Holy Cross and joined teammate Tanesha Vanardo with 10 turnovers.
Not much else to say about this one. It was a rout from the get-go, something much needed for Coach Porter and his squad. The Tigers finished 46-109 from the field, including 18-of-66 on 3-pointers, and collected 31 offensive rebounds. On Tuesday, they face a much tougher opponent when they travel to league-leader St. Xavier University (23-1, 6-1), ranked No. 3 in the most recent NAIA coaches' poll. Game time is 6 p.m. EST, and I'll be rooting for ONU.
Unfortunately, Grinnell didn't have quite the same good fortune Saturday, losing 99-96 at Beloit in the Midwest Conference. Freshman Dylan Seelman continued his impressive play for the Pioneers (5-14, 3-9 MWC), making eight 3-pointers for the second consecutive game and finishing with 28 points. Matt Chalupa added 16.
The Buccaneers (7-13, 5-8) shot 74 percent for the game -- 76 percent in the second half -- and scored the final five points to win what was a close game throughout. It featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes , with David Bremmer converting one of two at the line with 35 seconds left to give Beloit the lead for good. On the other end, Matt Skelly missed a 3 with 7 seconds remaining that would have put Grinnell back in front, and Patrick Kenny added two more free throws for the final margin. Skelly was only 3-for-20 from the field and 2-for-11 from behind the line.
For those of you keeping stats, that makes opponents 83-for-107 in the past two games against the G-men, or 77.6 percent. It's a tribute to "The System" that this one was as close as it was.
The Pioneers return home to face Knox College on Wednesday, beginning at 8:30 p.m. EST. I plan to watch it all live on the Internet, assuming the connection is a bit better than Saturday's game (in a word, it sucked!). Go, Grinnell!
In high school "System" action Saturday, the Galesburg (Ill.) Silver Streaks traveled out of conference to play Winnetka New Trier, ranked eighth in the state in Class 4A, and the Streaks lost 80-66. Jessica Howard had 17 points and Sara Baker added 11 for Galesburg (17-12), which made only 4 of 23 3-pointers in the first half according The (Galesburg) Register-Mail. Coach Evan Massey's team finishes the regular season at Western Big 6 leader Moline on Thursday.
And remember that big game Liberty High School from Hillsboro, Ore., faced Friday? Well, the Falcons rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Glencoe 91-88 in the Northwest Oregon Conference. Glencoe was first among "other teams receiving votes" in the Class 5A boys coaches' poll, but Liberty scored 33 points in the final period to win at home; Joel Tokple led the way with 23 points. Nice going!
Finally, I have to give a shoutout to the Oregon State Beavers, even though their style of play is about as anti-"System" as you can get. On Saturday, they completed their first season sweep of Oregon in 17 years with a 62-42 victory at historic Gill Coliseum. Very little about the boxscore impresses me: Oregon State took 42 shots and Oregon 47 FOR THE GAME, yet somehow they combined for 35 turnovers. Still, the Beavers had 20 assists on their 21 baskets, really an amazing total. The ol' Princeton offense must have been working perfectly for coach Craig Robinson's crew. So congrats to Oregon State -- and start shooting the ball more often!
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