Give the women's basketball team at Olivet Nazarene credit: the players know what works and stick with it. They fell behind Judson University by 15 points early Tuesday night, got back in the game with an impressive run, then dominated the final 30 minutes or so before winning 105-90 on the road.
Simone Coburn scored 16 points, Lisa Beyer added 11 and Miranda Geever had 10 for the Tigers (2-1), who continue to put up System-worthy numbers. Such as getting off 105 shots (and making 39). Such as hoisting 55 3-pointers (and making 10). Such as snagging 30 of their 61 rebounds off their own misses. Such as forcing 35 turnovers (and getting 25 steals). Such as, finally, putting up 30 more shots than the opponent.
It all leads to another impressive victory for coach Doug Porter and his team. Certainly, the shooting percentages are not where any coach would want (more on this later from the man himself, Coach Porter), but as you know, The System goals never mention "making" shots. It's all about the sheer number, and for now, ONU certainly is accomplishing that. Nice this can happen along with victories, as well.
The Eagles jumped out to a 21-6 lead about 6 minutes into the game before the Tigers stormed back. Danielle Tolbert got inside for a layup and Mallory Adam made a 3, the beginning of what would be 25-9 run that gave ONU the lead, and the margin was eight (52-44) at the break.
Another huge spurt to open the second half -- this one 16-2 in exactly 4 minutes -- essentially put the game away for Coach Porter's bunch. During this span, Judson had seven turnovers and got off only three shots. The score eventually swelled to 95-66, the largest lead for the Tigers.
Beyer added six steals and four assists and point guard Danielle Pipal did her normal routine, filling up the stat sheet with eight points, five steals, four assists and six rebounds. Kim Peek scored 17 points for the Eagles (0-1).
I mentioned we would have some comments from Coach Porter, and here they are. He was nice enough to e-mail me his thoughts on this game and the season so far:
Coach Porter: "As is typical for us early in the season, we shot very poorly, going only 11-50 from the arc! This seems to happen every year. It takes time for players to get comfortable shooting the 3 while playing at the extreme tempo we do. Sometime soon we will get into the rhythm and our 3FG% should jump dramatically. In practices we shoot very well as a team in both shooting and 5 on 0 drills, so I know it’s not just a matter of being bad shooters. Another factor is that early in the season we usually take a lot more bad shots: rushed, off-balance, or with a tight defender. As the season unfolds, we’ll improve in our shot selection.
"Ironically, the system is about creating more shots than the opponent, not necessarily better shots. When you shoot as quickly as we do, there’s a learning curve involved with creating a shot you have a chance to make. So, we tolerate more bad shots than our more 'disciplined' opponent might, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to be on balance, in range and in rhythm!
"Regardless, we have always been a much better team in Jan-Feb than we are in Nov-Dec, and I expect this season to be no different, once we get comfortable with the tempo. We refer to this phenomenon as 'the light bulb going on.' We aren’t there yet, but when it happens, we’ll know it."
A huge thanks for him for his response, and good luck to him and the team Thursday night on their trip to Clarke (Iowa) College. Game time is 8 p.m. EST, and I hope to have an update soon.
Also in System action this week, the Jackson (Mich.) Community College Jets coached by Andy Hoaglin went on the road to face the Indiana Tech JV team and lost 96-86. Erika Bullock had 19 points for Jackson CC (1-2), with Alyssa Havens and Caitlyn Owens added 11 apiece.
"We were lethargic off the bus," Hoaglin told the Jackson Citizen-Patriot. "In the second half, our energy level was much better. We got within two, but then we missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and turned the ball over on our next possession. We never got any closer."
Coach Hoaglin and the Jets are at it again Thursday, on the road, against the Davenport University JV team. Good luck and check for how they did.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Second games don't go quite as well as the first
Welcome to life with The System. Some days, your team does everything well and no matter what the opponent does, the result is a positive one. Then sometimes, you have games like the one coach Doug Porter and his Olivet Nazarene women's team faced Saturday.
Kallie Benike had 12 of her 25 points during a demoralizing 38-7 run in the second half, helping Davenport pull away to a 97-69 victory over ONU. The Panthers (3-0) were ranked No. 2 in the preseason NAIA Division II coaches poll (Olivet Nazarene plays in Division I, but there isn't much difference in the two).
After Davenport led 42-41 at the break, a 3-pointer by Danielle Tolbert brought the Tigers to a tie at 50 about 4 minutes into the second half. That's when the proverbial bottom fell out. Karlee Despres gave the Panthers the lead for good with a layup, and over the next 12 minutes, ONU could only manage those seven points. Meanwhile, Benike was getting going, as was Despres and Julie Janish (eight points apiece) and Davenport put up 38 points to turn a close game in to a rout.
Leah Sevcik added 14 points for the Panthers, while Despres and Janish each finished with 12.
For the Tigers, Holly Schacht led the way with 13 points, followed by Taylor Haymes (12) and Danielle Tolbert (11). The shots just didn't as consistently for them and their teammates: they finished 22-for-93 in the game (24 percent), including 12-for-58 on 3-pointers (21 percent). ONU only took one more shot than Davenport despite forcing 33 turnovers. Tolbert had six of her team's 22 steals.
The Tigers get back at it Tuesday with a game at Judson University, part of that opening seven-game road trip we've already discussed. Good luck to Coach Porter and the rest of the team, and we'll update you on their progress.
In other System action Saturday, it was a record-setting day at Jackson (Mich.) Community College as Schoolcraft beat the home team 147-78 to set a new National Junior College Athletic Association scoring record. The 225 combined points was another mark.
Diamond Tolliver had 25 points for Schoolcraft, ranked second in the nation in NJCAA Division II. Caitlyn Owens had scored 15 for the Jets (1-1), a first-year System team. Coach Andy Hoaglin appeared philosophical about the loss.
“It’s proven that anybody putting this system in will have days like this,” he told the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot. “We’re going to get results. Right now, we’re focusing more on the process than on the wins and losses.”
Jackson CC hosts Indiana Tech on Wednesday night, and check back here for updates.
Kallie Benike had 12 of her 25 points during a demoralizing 38-7 run in the second half, helping Davenport pull away to a 97-69 victory over ONU. The Panthers (3-0) were ranked No. 2 in the preseason NAIA Division II coaches poll (Olivet Nazarene plays in Division I, but there isn't much difference in the two).
After Davenport led 42-41 at the break, a 3-pointer by Danielle Tolbert brought the Tigers to a tie at 50 about 4 minutes into the second half. That's when the proverbial bottom fell out. Karlee Despres gave the Panthers the lead for good with a layup, and over the next 12 minutes, ONU could only manage those seven points. Meanwhile, Benike was getting going, as was Despres and Julie Janish (eight points apiece) and Davenport put up 38 points to turn a close game in to a rout.
Leah Sevcik added 14 points for the Panthers, while Despres and Janish each finished with 12.
For the Tigers, Holly Schacht led the way with 13 points, followed by Taylor Haymes (12) and Danielle Tolbert (11). The shots just didn't as consistently for them and their teammates: they finished 22-for-93 in the game (24 percent), including 12-for-58 on 3-pointers (21 percent). ONU only took one more shot than Davenport despite forcing 33 turnovers. Tolbert had six of her team's 22 steals.
The Tigers get back at it Tuesday with a game at Judson University, part of that opening seven-game road trip we've already discussed. Good luck to Coach Porter and the rest of the team, and we'll update you on their progress.
In other System action Saturday, it was a record-setting day at Jackson (Mich.) Community College as Schoolcraft beat the home team 147-78 to set a new National Junior College Athletic Association scoring record. The 225 combined points was another mark.
Diamond Tolliver had 25 points for Schoolcraft, ranked second in the nation in NJCAA Division II. Caitlyn Owens had scored 15 for the Jets (1-1), a first-year System team. Coach Andy Hoaglin appeared philosophical about the loss.
“It’s proven that anybody putting this system in will have days like this,” he told the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot. “We’re going to get results. Right now, we’re focusing more on the process than on the wins and losses.”
Jackson CC hosts Indiana Tech on Wednesday night, and check back here for updates.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Season opens for System teams!
What a wonderful day it is! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, cats and dogs are living together (sorry, I got a little greedy) and basketball season officially began for teams running The System! As Alvin would say, it is on like Donkey Kong.
Coach Doug Porter and the Olivet Nazarene Tigers opened up with a commanding 106-77 victory on the road over Aquinas College on Friday night, using a 41-9 run in the second half to pull away. You know the best part about the run, at least to my inexperienced eye? No single player took control for the Tigers, or even no two players. No three players, either, or not even one shift of five players. In that blistering run, accomplished over about 12 minutes, 12 different players scored, with Simone Coburn and Danielle Tolbert leading the way with six points apiece.
ONU made six 3s during this span and forced eight turnovers, all while moving through 12 shift changes. Yep, that's right, on 12 separate occasions, Coach Porter substituted all five players at once, keeping fresh legs on the floor while the Saints were falling behind. It is that kind of balance that could mean great things for the Tigers this season as they battle in the NAIA's Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
OK, here are the rest of the numbers: ONU finished 37-for-92 from the field, including 17-for-59 from beyond the arc, while forcing 32 turnovers. As usual, the reserves chipped in nicely, coming through with 70 of the points. Holly Schacht led the team with 16 points, followed by Coburn (14), Tolbert (12), Lexie Heinold and Malory Adam (11 each) to give the Tigers five players in double figures. Danielle Pipal have five of the team's 17 steals.
All in all, a good opener for Coach Porter and his team. Aquinas has won at least 20 games for the past four seasons - five out of the past six overall - and has qualified for the NAIA tournament four of the past five.
ONU doesn't get a chance to celebrate too much, traveling to Davenport University on Saturday for another game. I'll keep you updated.
Meanwhile, a team we haven't checked in on yet also opened up with an impressive victory Friday night. The women's team at Jackson (Mich.) Community College beat St. Clair Community College 101-89 in coach Andy Hoaglin's debut with The System. Not sure of any complete stats yet, but the Jets did force 53 turnovers!
Erika Bullock nearly had a quadruple-double, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 11 steals and eight assists, while DaJana'e Wilson added 14 points, Davi'elle Thomas had 12 and Victoria Logan scored 11. In all, 14 of the Jackson CC players scored. The Jets also returned to action Saturday, facing Schoolcraft Community College, and I hope to give you the results.
Coach Doug Porter and the Olivet Nazarene Tigers opened up with a commanding 106-77 victory on the road over Aquinas College on Friday night, using a 41-9 run in the second half to pull away. You know the best part about the run, at least to my inexperienced eye? No single player took control for the Tigers, or even no two players. No three players, either, or not even one shift of five players. In that blistering run, accomplished over about 12 minutes, 12 different players scored, with Simone Coburn and Danielle Tolbert leading the way with six points apiece.
ONU made six 3s during this span and forced eight turnovers, all while moving through 12 shift changes. Yep, that's right, on 12 separate occasions, Coach Porter substituted all five players at once, keeping fresh legs on the floor while the Saints were falling behind. It is that kind of balance that could mean great things for the Tigers this season as they battle in the NAIA's Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
OK, here are the rest of the numbers: ONU finished 37-for-92 from the field, including 17-for-59 from beyond the arc, while forcing 32 turnovers. As usual, the reserves chipped in nicely, coming through with 70 of the points. Holly Schacht led the team with 16 points, followed by Coburn (14), Tolbert (12), Lexie Heinold and Malory Adam (11 each) to give the Tigers five players in double figures. Danielle Pipal have five of the team's 17 steals.
All in all, a good opener for Coach Porter and his team. Aquinas has won at least 20 games for the past four seasons - five out of the past six overall - and has qualified for the NAIA tournament four of the past five.
ONU doesn't get a chance to celebrate too much, traveling to Davenport University on Saturday for another game. I'll keep you updated.
Meanwhile, a team we haven't checked in on yet also opened up with an impressive victory Friday night. The women's team at Jackson (Mich.) Community College beat St. Clair Community College 101-89 in coach Andy Hoaglin's debut with The System. Not sure of any complete stats yet, but the Jets did force 53 turnovers!
Erika Bullock nearly had a quadruple-double, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 11 steals and eight assists, while DaJana'e Wilson added 14 points, Davi'elle Thomas had 12 and Victoria Logan scored 11. In all, 14 of the Jackson CC players scored. The Jets also returned to action Saturday, facing Schoolcraft Community College, and I hope to give you the results.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
New gig for System coach in Michigan
You should remember Dave Arnold, who led the boys' basketball team at Whitmore Lake to a 14-7 record last season while putting up some huge numbers. The Trojans had one 10-game winning streak during which they averaged 94.8 points and shot 188 of 590 on 3-pointers. Now, my simple math (the best kind) tells me that is an average of 18-for-59 in each of the 10 games. Remember, this is a 32-minute high school game.
Losses in the final two games of the season - both to Tri-County Conference rival Clinton, including one tournament game - still couldn't dampen the remarkable efforts of Coach Arnold's team. For the year, Whitmore Lake averaged 90 points and finished with a school-record 356 3s. Along the way, it set a Michigan high school record with 29 treys in a 117-80 victory Jan. 21, 2010, over conference foe Morenci.
I told you, amazing stuff.
Well, during the summer, Coach Arnold took his knowledge and passion for The System to another school, Monroe High School. Oddly, the mascot is the same: the Trojans. He doesn't plan to alter his version of the goals, either, sticking with what worked so well at Whitmore Lake. They are:
- Attempt 80 shots
- Attemped 40 3-pointers
- Attempt 25 more shots than the opponent
- Force 28 turnovers
- Rebound 35 percent the offensive misses
"I suspect early on we'll actually struggle to meet these numbers, where by last year we were routinely around 90-100 shots and 50-60 3's," Coach Arnold wrote in an e-mail to me. "The defensive and rebounding goals are always harder to meet, and we usually struggle to make those, which I expect will be the case at Monroe as well."
Here are some other questions (and answers) from our chat. He's a great guy and a great coach, and hopefully he'll have a successful season.
(Tell me about the gig. How did it come about?)
Coach Arnold: "Growing up in Trenton, (Mich.), Monroe was always a huge rivalry for us. The last year I coached at Whitmore Lake, I was living in Monroe, so I kept up with what was going on there through the local paper. I'm well aware of the great athletic tradition the school has, so when the job was posted in early May I got involved with the process right away. At the catholic high school across town, their girls' coach had a great run with the system for seven or eight years in the recent past, so there was some familiarity with what I was talking about. That said, it's still a stretch for most people when you start talking about the numbers and methodology."
(What are the challenges in instituting The System with a new group of players?)
Coach Arnold: "We had a chance to introduce the players to what we're doing for a brief time this summer. I think they're intrigued, but I didn't have enough time to thoroughly teach and explain and they only had a very limited experience playing with the concepts. They played a very patient style in the past, so it was harder than I expected to get them to relax and take the open three. They also struggled with the short shifts, but as we start to understand our definition of playing hard, I think that will change. Frankly, there's been a culture of losing, with all of the negatives that come along with that. I think some of what we do system-wise will help, but we will also need to fix some of those intangibles for the system to work."
(Why have you stuck with The System?)
Coach Arnold: "The biggest reason I've stuck with the system is the fact that I can play everyone, every night. Our last kid still gets 7-8 minutes/game, and that just doesn't happen in too many places. I was just replying to a post on our coaches' board this morning that one of my greatest joys in coaching the system was the fact that in our biggest wins at Whitmore Lake, it was someone who would have been 8-15 in a "normal" rotation that hit the go-ahead or "dagger" shot. Those opportunities just aren't there in traditional systems, and really support our ideals in terms of teamwork and everyone contributing to the final outcome. The fact that we play an exciting style that draws fan and media attention is a nice perk as well, but nowhere near as important as what happens in the locker room and on the floor. I saw a few e-mails questioning my abilities or credentials, but that largely died away as we continued to win games while setting records. I fully expect that early on there will be some serious questioning, especially depending on whether or not we get some wins. Ironically, among knowledgeable coaches, even if they don't completely understand what we're doing, they seem to get it."
(Do you think The System will ever become prevalent or more widespread?)
Coach Arnold: "It won't be prevalent for a couple reasons: 1) You really need to think outside the box, and along with that approach comes the need for administrative support. How many administrators do you know that think outside the box? 2) Coaches have a hard time letting go of control. The dominant perception is control = good coaching, which may or may not be the case. 3) I had a conversation a couple summers ago with John Beilein at Michigan. He was very intrigued, as he's definitely an "outside the box" kinda guy, but as he said, 'I still owe way too much on my buyout!' No one wants to risk a cushy six-figure paycheck on something this radical. Frankly, this is fine with me. I've often questioned what would happen if two system teams played - one would need to revert to playing more traditionally, or things would be too chaotic. It's the uniqueness of the approach that's half the fun!"
Great stuff. A huge thanks, as always, to Coach Arnold for his team. Remember, System play gets underway for real Friday night, when the Olivet Nazarene women's team opens on the road against Aquinas College. The start is 7 p.m. EDT, and I hope to have an update soon after.
Losses in the final two games of the season - both to Tri-County Conference rival Clinton, including one tournament game - still couldn't dampen the remarkable efforts of Coach Arnold's team. For the year, Whitmore Lake averaged 90 points and finished with a school-record 356 3s. Along the way, it set a Michigan high school record with 29 treys in a 117-80 victory Jan. 21, 2010, over conference foe Morenci.
I told you, amazing stuff.
Well, during the summer, Coach Arnold took his knowledge and passion for The System to another school, Monroe High School. Oddly, the mascot is the same: the Trojans. He doesn't plan to alter his version of the goals, either, sticking with what worked so well at Whitmore Lake. They are:
- Attempt 80 shots
- Attemped 40 3-pointers
- Attempt 25 more shots than the opponent
- Force 28 turnovers
- Rebound 35 percent the offensive misses
"I suspect early on we'll actually struggle to meet these numbers, where by last year we were routinely around 90-100 shots and 50-60 3's," Coach Arnold wrote in an e-mail to me. "The defensive and rebounding goals are always harder to meet, and we usually struggle to make those, which I expect will be the case at Monroe as well."
Here are some other questions (and answers) from our chat. He's a great guy and a great coach, and hopefully he'll have a successful season.
(Tell me about the gig. How did it come about?)
Coach Arnold: "Growing up in Trenton, (Mich.), Monroe was always a huge rivalry for us. The last year I coached at Whitmore Lake, I was living in Monroe, so I kept up with what was going on there through the local paper. I'm well aware of the great athletic tradition the school has, so when the job was posted in early May I got involved with the process right away. At the catholic high school across town, their girls' coach had a great run with the system for seven or eight years in the recent past, so there was some familiarity with what I was talking about. That said, it's still a stretch for most people when you start talking about the numbers and methodology."
(What are the challenges in instituting The System with a new group of players?)
Coach Arnold: "We had a chance to introduce the players to what we're doing for a brief time this summer. I think they're intrigued, but I didn't have enough time to thoroughly teach and explain and they only had a very limited experience playing with the concepts. They played a very patient style in the past, so it was harder than I expected to get them to relax and take the open three. They also struggled with the short shifts, but as we start to understand our definition of playing hard, I think that will change. Frankly, there's been a culture of losing, with all of the negatives that come along with that. I think some of what we do system-wise will help, but we will also need to fix some of those intangibles for the system to work."
(Why have you stuck with The System?)
Coach Arnold: "The biggest reason I've stuck with the system is the fact that I can play everyone, every night. Our last kid still gets 7-8 minutes/game, and that just doesn't happen in too many places. I was just replying to a post on our coaches' board this morning that one of my greatest joys in coaching the system was the fact that in our biggest wins at Whitmore Lake, it was someone who would have been 8-15 in a "normal" rotation that hit the go-ahead or "dagger" shot. Those opportunities just aren't there in traditional systems, and really support our ideals in terms of teamwork and everyone contributing to the final outcome. The fact that we play an exciting style that draws fan and media attention is a nice perk as well, but nowhere near as important as what happens in the locker room and on the floor. I saw a few e-mails questioning my abilities or credentials, but that largely died away as we continued to win games while setting records. I fully expect that early on there will be some serious questioning, especially depending on whether or not we get some wins. Ironically, among knowledgeable coaches, even if they don't completely understand what we're doing, they seem to get it."
(Do you think The System will ever become prevalent or more widespread?)
Coach Arnold: "It won't be prevalent for a couple reasons: 1) You really need to think outside the box, and along with that approach comes the need for administrative support. How many administrators do you know that think outside the box? 2) Coaches have a hard time letting go of control. The dominant perception is control = good coaching, which may or may not be the case. 3) I had a conversation a couple summers ago with John Beilein at Michigan. He was very intrigued, as he's definitely an "outside the box" kinda guy, but as he said, 'I still owe way too much on my buyout!' No one wants to risk a cushy six-figure paycheck on something this radical. Frankly, this is fine with me. I've often questioned what would happen if two system teams played - one would need to revert to playing more traditionally, or things would be too chaotic. It's the uniqueness of the approach that's half the fun!"
Great stuff. A huge thanks, as always, to Coach Arnold for his team. Remember, System play gets underway for real Friday night, when the Olivet Nazarene women's team opens on the road against Aquinas College. The start is 7 p.m. EDT, and I hope to have an update soon after.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The day we've all been waiting for!
And, no, I'm not ending my blog. Nice try.
It's time to preview the 2010-11 Grinnell Pioneers, coached by System creator David Arseneault; we exchanged e-mails today and he gave me the 4-1-1 on the upcoming season. Any avid reader would know Coach A (as he is affectionately know around the System world) and his team struggled a bit last year, finishing 8-15 overall and 6-10 in the NCAA Division III Midwest Conference.
The good news is all but three of those who played in more than a single game a season ago are back, which to most programs, might be seven or eight players. Nope, at Grinnell, that means 16 players return! Gone are Dylan Seelman, who did lead lead all of D-III with 4.7 3-pointers a game, along with John Bruns and Ross Preston. But leading scorer Griffin Lentsch, who was limited to 11 games because of injury but still managed to average 18.1 points as a freshman, is back, along with a host of others.
And that doesn't include a recruiting class that Coach A has raved about since last spring. One of these players is 6-foot-6 Aaron Levin from River Forest, Ill.
"I am very happy with the first-years- both athletically and personality-wise," Coach A wrote in his e-mail. "Aaron Levin ... is not only the best of the bunch but our best overall player right now!"
Pretty high praise from the guru. Unfortunately, one area that plagued the Pioneers in 2009-10 was point guard play, and Coach A still has some worries there. Scott Kaitz played there some last year, as did Dominique Bellamy, Marques Valdez, Matt Chalupa and Matt Skelly. All had their moments, yet couldn't consistently demand the double teams that is so needed in the Grinnell offense.
It's doubly difficult for Coach A, since his son, Dave, held that position for four spectacular years.
"Point guard play will again be a concern this year," Coach A wrote. "We have a first-year who is our best point guard - but he is a first year. Hard to imagine scoring big numbers minus a point guard or two who will create that extra pace by just dribbling down and shooting the ball 10-15 times a game. The points in our system are still basically pass-first players, so I think we will top out at about 110 ppg."
Of course, that would seem like a lot of points to most programs. Last year, Grinnell averaged "only" 95.9 points, still tops in Division III but not exactly where it normally is. I, for one, hope Coach A is pleasantly surprised with the point guard play and the Pioneers get off to a fast start.
The early schedule doesn't do them any favors - they open MWC play on the first weekend of December (the one year anniversary of my trip to the cornfields of Iowa!) on the road against what likely will be the top two teams in the conference. St. Norbert is ranked in many preseason D-III polls and Ripon features perhaps the best 1-2 punch in the nation: point guard Scott Gillespie and forward Aris Wurtz.
"Hard to imagine St. Norbert being displaced, given that they were 24-5 a year ago and return five starters," Coach A wrote, while breaking down the conference. "And Scott Gillespie is either the best player in the league or a close second to his teammate Aris Wurtz. So we will have our work cut out for us. But we will be better and if we can mentally survive the pre-Christmas conference schedule ... we will make a second semester run."
Before the Pioneers get into conference play, however, there's a special treat for the basketball fans of central Iowa. Just recently, one the scheduled home games against Buena Vista was moved to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, about a hour west of Grinnell. It will be a prelude to the Iowa Energy, an NBA D-League team and should be exciting.
"I was called by Chris Makris of the Iowa Energy just last week to see if we had interest in playing a pre-lim game for them," Coach A wrote. "It all came about rather quickly but coach Brian Van Haften of BV agreed to the concept so we are on."
That game is Nov. 22 after Grinnell opens the schedule with a visit by Lindenwood University-Belleville on Nov. 16. That is less than two weeks away, albeit barely, so that means we're that much closer to the return of The System. Pretty good stuff.
A huge thanks, as always, to Coach A for indulging me. I wish him and his team the best of luck, and I hope to check back in with him later in the season.
Meanwhile, we all know the Glenville State women's team coached by Bunky Harkleroad had an important scrimmage on Tuesday night, and he was kind of enough to send me a brief update on how it went. The NCAA Division II Pioneers (yep, same mascot as Grinnell) traveled to Cal University of Pennsylvania to meet the Vulcans, who are one of the top teams in the country.
Here's what Coach Harkleroad wrote:
"Got beat by 10, played OK. I think we’re on that level, none of our kids played over their heads and we had a lot of unforced turnovers. Cal PA does a great job defensively and are just what system teams hate to see. Very tough matchup zone looks thrown at us all night long. I think we’ll see a lot of that this season. We hadn’t worked much on that yet so last night was a great experience for us."
There were no statistics available, but Coach Harkleroad was pretty sure Glenville State didn't meet its System goals. The scoreboard was reset at halftime, too, and the overall score was 84-74 in favor of the Vulcans.
The Pioneers have one more scrimmage coming up Sunday against Clarion, and then travel to the great state of North Carolina for their first two games. WHAT?! You know I'm looking forward to that. It's a CIAA/WVIAC challenge at Elizabeth City State, and the action begins Friday, Nov. 12. I hope the season gets off to a great start for Glenville State.
It's time to preview the 2010-11 Grinnell Pioneers, coached by System creator David Arseneault; we exchanged e-mails today and he gave me the 4-1-1 on the upcoming season. Any avid reader would know Coach A (as he is affectionately know around the System world) and his team struggled a bit last year, finishing 8-15 overall and 6-10 in the NCAA Division III Midwest Conference.
The good news is all but three of those who played in more than a single game a season ago are back, which to most programs, might be seven or eight players. Nope, at Grinnell, that means 16 players return! Gone are Dylan Seelman, who did lead lead all of D-III with 4.7 3-pointers a game, along with John Bruns and Ross Preston. But leading scorer Griffin Lentsch, who was limited to 11 games because of injury but still managed to average 18.1 points as a freshman, is back, along with a host of others.
And that doesn't include a recruiting class that Coach A has raved about since last spring. One of these players is 6-foot-6 Aaron Levin from River Forest, Ill.
"I am very happy with the first-years- both athletically and personality-wise," Coach A wrote in his e-mail. "Aaron Levin ... is not only the best of the bunch but our best overall player right now!"
Pretty high praise from the guru. Unfortunately, one area that plagued the Pioneers in 2009-10 was point guard play, and Coach A still has some worries there. Scott Kaitz played there some last year, as did Dominique Bellamy, Marques Valdez, Matt Chalupa and Matt Skelly. All had their moments, yet couldn't consistently demand the double teams that is so needed in the Grinnell offense.
It's doubly difficult for Coach A, since his son, Dave, held that position for four spectacular years.
"Point guard play will again be a concern this year," Coach A wrote. "We have a first-year who is our best point guard - but he is a first year. Hard to imagine scoring big numbers minus a point guard or two who will create that extra pace by just dribbling down and shooting the ball 10-15 times a game. The points in our system are still basically pass-first players, so I think we will top out at about 110 ppg."
Of course, that would seem like a lot of points to most programs. Last year, Grinnell averaged "only" 95.9 points, still tops in Division III but not exactly where it normally is. I, for one, hope Coach A is pleasantly surprised with the point guard play and the Pioneers get off to a fast start.
The early schedule doesn't do them any favors - they open MWC play on the first weekend of December (the one year anniversary of my trip to the cornfields of Iowa!) on the road against what likely will be the top two teams in the conference. St. Norbert is ranked in many preseason D-III polls and Ripon features perhaps the best 1-2 punch in the nation: point guard Scott Gillespie and forward Aris Wurtz.
"Hard to imagine St. Norbert being displaced, given that they were 24-5 a year ago and return five starters," Coach A wrote, while breaking down the conference. "And Scott Gillespie is either the best player in the league or a close second to his teammate Aris Wurtz. So we will have our work cut out for us. But we will be better and if we can mentally survive the pre-Christmas conference schedule ... we will make a second semester run."
Before the Pioneers get into conference play, however, there's a special treat for the basketball fans of central Iowa. Just recently, one the scheduled home games against Buena Vista was moved to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, about a hour west of Grinnell. It will be a prelude to the Iowa Energy, an NBA D-League team and should be exciting.
"I was called by Chris Makris of the Iowa Energy just last week to see if we had interest in playing a pre-lim game for them," Coach A wrote. "It all came about rather quickly but coach Brian Van Haften of BV agreed to the concept so we are on."
That game is Nov. 22 after Grinnell opens the schedule with a visit by Lindenwood University-Belleville on Nov. 16. That is less than two weeks away, albeit barely, so that means we're that much closer to the return of The System. Pretty good stuff.
A huge thanks, as always, to Coach A for indulging me. I wish him and his team the best of luck, and I hope to check back in with him later in the season.
Meanwhile, we all know the Glenville State women's team coached by Bunky Harkleroad had an important scrimmage on Tuesday night, and he was kind of enough to send me a brief update on how it went. The NCAA Division II Pioneers (yep, same mascot as Grinnell) traveled to Cal University of Pennsylvania to meet the Vulcans, who are one of the top teams in the country.
Here's what Coach Harkleroad wrote:
"Got beat by 10, played OK. I think we’re on that level, none of our kids played over their heads and we had a lot of unforced turnovers. Cal PA does a great job defensively and are just what system teams hate to see. Very tough matchup zone looks thrown at us all night long. I think we’ll see a lot of that this season. We hadn’t worked much on that yet so last night was a great experience for us."
There were no statistics available, but Coach Harkleroad was pretty sure Glenville State didn't meet its System goals. The scoreboard was reset at halftime, too, and the overall score was 84-74 in favor of the Vulcans.
The Pioneers have one more scrimmage coming up Sunday against Clarion, and then travel to the great state of North Carolina for their first two games. WHAT?! You know I'm looking forward to that. It's a CIAA/WVIAC challenge at Elizabeth City State, and the action begins Friday, Nov. 12. I hope the season gets off to a great start for Glenville State.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
What's up with the Galesburg Streaks?
Great mascot, by the way, and a perfect one for a team running The System. This is a high school girls' team from Galesburg, Ill., a city I happened to drive through on the way to the promised land for followers of this style of play: Grinnell, Iowa. The Streaks (man, I love that name!) are coached by Evan Massey, one of the most successful coaches in Illinois state history.
How successful? His 709 victories leave him third all-time amongst girls' coaches, behind only Dorothy Gaters of Chicago Marshall and Dave Powers of Oak Park Fenwick. This past season was his first with The System, and his team put up some impressive numbers. I'm sure he would be quick to point out the improvement in the ol' W-L column: a year after finishing 14-18, Galesburg finished 17-14 in 2009-10, a nice improvement but still not quite where Coach Massey is accustomed to finishing. The past two seasons are the first with less than 20 victories for him and the Streaks in 21 years.
The other increases came in the stat book, thanks to the great effort of Coach Massey and his players in switching from "traditional" basketball to The System. Here are just a few of the numbers put up by Galesburg:
- Galesburg set Illinois records for 3-pointers attempted in a game (71) and a season (1,382), along with the marks for made 3s in a game (20) and a season (365). According to Coach Massey, and I'm not going to doubt him, the attempts were a national record, for boys or girls.
- All Western Big 6 performer Jessica Howard made 118 of 364 from beyond the arc, and her attempts were another state record. She led the team with 14 points per game and her shot attempts improved by more than five per game. All this while her playing time actually decreased, down to an average of 20 minutes from more than 28 the season before.
- Speaking of playing time (and y'all know I love to call it "run"), last season Galesburg had 11 players get more than 10 minutes a game. Pretty neat.
- Four different players scored at least 20 points in one game, and 10 of them reached double figures at least once.
- Finally, and very importantly, if not most importantly, the Streaks increased their scoring average from 48 points to 72.4. In the upcoming season, Coach Massey hopes to reach 80 points per contest (more on this later).
So there's no doubting he and Galesburg were going to stick with The System, right? Thank goodness for me and you, that is correct. As he did last year, Coach Massey was kind enough to provide me a guide for the upcoming season, along with a brief Q-and-A session. Nice.
Here we go:
(Will you be continuing to run the Grinnell System?)
Coach Massey: "Yes, definitely. We hope we can run it more effectively than last year. We felt it was positive that we were able to get more girls involved in games last year, and the girls played with much greater enthusiasm and energy."
(Where do you look for improvement?)
Coach Massey: We really hope we can go from 72 ppg to 80 ppg. In order to accomplish this, we will have to be able to increase our tempo offensively and defensively. We think this subtle change in speed will have a huge difference on our opponents. We need to play the game faster than we did a year ago."
(How do you go from 72 to 80 ppg?)
Coach Massey: "I hope we can become a better pressing team. That will mean we develop the ability to change up our pressure better and that we are able to become more aggressive and get more steals. We gave up a lot of layups last year in our press as opponents broke our pressure and got 2 on 1 fastbreaks. The reaction is to think we need to become more passive defensively, the reality is that we must get up and become more aggressive to prevent the layups. If we press better, we hope to get more steals which will mean more quick shots."
(What improvements do you hope for on offense?)
Coach Massey: "We need to improve recognition of our situations. Often whether we are getting the ball after a made basket, a rebound, a steal, or a deadball will determine what the defense is like and thus what we need to do offensively. Last year we were indecisive too often. We would set up when we needed to just run, and we would try to just run when we needed to set up."
(How do you compare your depth this year to last year?)
Coach Massey: "We return 9 players who played 10 or more minutes. We think they will understand the System better and they will be able to be more comfortable as shooters playing the game at a high speed. In November one question for us will be the health of Baylie Boyer and Sadee Hamilton. Sadee was injured playing powder puff football and has struggled trying to get back. And Baylie is rehabbing an injury trying to get into playing condition. We will have to see how limited their roles will be because of their injuries."
For 2010-11, Coach Massey is sticking with the same goals he had in the first go-around with The System. Any avid follower of this blog (I know you're out there) knows these total five in number and while the actual figures in the goals can vary, the key statistics do not.
Here is what Galesburg hopes to accomplish in each game:
- Attempt 72 shots
- Attempt 36 3-pointers
- Rebound 40 percent of the misses on offense
- Force 26 turnovers
- Attempt at least 20 more shots than the opponent
Pretty eimple. And here's a look at how the Streaks fared last year in relation to the goals:
- Reached all five: 6-1
- Reached four: 3-1
- Reached three: 4-4
- Reached two: 2-3
- Reached one: 2-5
So good luck to the young ladies of the Galesburg Streaks, particularly captains Jessica Howard, Megan Young and Tai Peachey. They started practice Monday with a 6:30 walk-through of the offense, followed by another workout later in the day. According to the schedule Coach Massey included, Galesburg opens up Tuesday, Nov. 16, at home against Illini West. Go get 'em!
How successful? His 709 victories leave him third all-time amongst girls' coaches, behind only Dorothy Gaters of Chicago Marshall and Dave Powers of Oak Park Fenwick. This past season was his first with The System, and his team put up some impressive numbers. I'm sure he would be quick to point out the improvement in the ol' W-L column: a year after finishing 14-18, Galesburg finished 17-14 in 2009-10, a nice improvement but still not quite where Coach Massey is accustomed to finishing. The past two seasons are the first with less than 20 victories for him and the Streaks in 21 years.
The other increases came in the stat book, thanks to the great effort of Coach Massey and his players in switching from "traditional" basketball to The System. Here are just a few of the numbers put up by Galesburg:
- Galesburg set Illinois records for 3-pointers attempted in a game (71) and a season (1,382), along with the marks for made 3s in a game (20) and a season (365). According to Coach Massey, and I'm not going to doubt him, the attempts were a national record, for boys or girls.
- All Western Big 6 performer Jessica Howard made 118 of 364 from beyond the arc, and her attempts were another state record. She led the team with 14 points per game and her shot attempts improved by more than five per game. All this while her playing time actually decreased, down to an average of 20 minutes from more than 28 the season before.
- Speaking of playing time (and y'all know I love to call it "run"), last season Galesburg had 11 players get more than 10 minutes a game. Pretty neat.
- Four different players scored at least 20 points in one game, and 10 of them reached double figures at least once.
- Finally, and very importantly, if not most importantly, the Streaks increased their scoring average from 48 points to 72.4. In the upcoming season, Coach Massey hopes to reach 80 points per contest (more on this later).
So there's no doubting he and Galesburg were going to stick with The System, right? Thank goodness for me and you, that is correct. As he did last year, Coach Massey was kind enough to provide me a guide for the upcoming season, along with a brief Q-and-A session. Nice.
Here we go:
(Will you be continuing to run the Grinnell System?)
Coach Massey: "Yes, definitely. We hope we can run it more effectively than last year. We felt it was positive that we were able to get more girls involved in games last year, and the girls played with much greater enthusiasm and energy."
(Where do you look for improvement?)
Coach Massey: We really hope we can go from 72 ppg to 80 ppg. In order to accomplish this, we will have to be able to increase our tempo offensively and defensively. We think this subtle change in speed will have a huge difference on our opponents. We need to play the game faster than we did a year ago."
(How do you go from 72 to 80 ppg?)
Coach Massey: "I hope we can become a better pressing team. That will mean we develop the ability to change up our pressure better and that we are able to become more aggressive and get more steals. We gave up a lot of layups last year in our press as opponents broke our pressure and got 2 on 1 fastbreaks. The reaction is to think we need to become more passive defensively, the reality is that we must get up and become more aggressive to prevent the layups. If we press better, we hope to get more steals which will mean more quick shots."
(What improvements do you hope for on offense?)
Coach Massey: "We need to improve recognition of our situations. Often whether we are getting the ball after a made basket, a rebound, a steal, or a deadball will determine what the defense is like and thus what we need to do offensively. Last year we were indecisive too often. We would set up when we needed to just run, and we would try to just run when we needed to set up."
(How do you compare your depth this year to last year?)
Coach Massey: "We return 9 players who played 10 or more minutes. We think they will understand the System better and they will be able to be more comfortable as shooters playing the game at a high speed. In November one question for us will be the health of Baylie Boyer and Sadee Hamilton. Sadee was injured playing powder puff football and has struggled trying to get back. And Baylie is rehabbing an injury trying to get into playing condition. We will have to see how limited their roles will be because of their injuries."
For 2010-11, Coach Massey is sticking with the same goals he had in the first go-around with The System. Any avid follower of this blog (I know you're out there) knows these total five in number and while the actual figures in the goals can vary, the key statistics do not.
Here is what Galesburg hopes to accomplish in each game:
- Attempt 72 shots
- Attempt 36 3-pointers
- Rebound 40 percent of the misses on offense
- Force 26 turnovers
- Attempt at least 20 more shots than the opponent
Pretty eimple. And here's a look at how the Streaks fared last year in relation to the goals:
- Reached all five: 6-1
- Reached four: 3-1
- Reached three: 4-4
- Reached two: 2-3
- Reached one: 2-5
So good luck to the young ladies of the Galesburg Streaks, particularly captains Jessica Howard, Megan Young and Tai Peachey. They started practice Monday with a 6:30 walk-through of the offense, followed by another workout later in the day. According to the schedule Coach Massey included, Galesburg opens up Tuesday, Nov. 16, at home against Illini West. Go get 'em!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Scrimmages go well for Olivet Nazarene, Glenville State
The start of hoops season for The System (and therefore, me) came last Friday, when the Olivet Nazarene Tigers opened their exhibition schedule against the Ohio Christian University Trailblazers. It wasn't much of a contest, but then again, these early-season games aren't always about competitiveness.
Coach Doug Porter and the Tigers won 111-60, putting up some amazing numbers while feeling out the addition to some new players to the rotation. Ordinarily, when a result is this lopsided, it is difficult to discern any noteworthy facts. Not so with The System, and not so with this game.
First, the obvious. ONU forced 63 turnovers in the game (not a misprint, that's 63 FREAKIN' TURNOVERS!) and finished with 36 steals. I couldn't find a listing for these in the NAIA women's basketball record book - not that they would count, I was looking for a comparison - but those two figures must be near the most ever. Danielle Pipal came through with eight steals to go with her 10 points and six assists, and Danielle Tolbert led the team with 15 points.
None of the 15 players who got some run was out there for more than 14 minutes, and none got less than 12. Pretty special, right? You can see what some coaches refer to The System as the "No Child Left Behind" style of play; everyone gets an opportunity.
Have you noticed that I've given you some stats that, while very interesting, aren't the kind you normally would see highlighted? Nice catch if you saw that, and if you didn't, well, it might not have been as obvious as I thought. On to the traditional numbers, which were anything but in this game:
The Tigers finished 34-for-116 from the field (and still managed 49 free throw attempts!) while making 14 of 79 from beyond the 3-point line. Not impressive numbers, to say the least, but remember, this was the first live contest of the season. Lexie Heinold led the way with 13 attempts from behind the line, and Nikki Dier, Liz Bart and Malory Adam hoisted up 11 3s apiece.
Anyone who has followed this blog and this style of play realizes games often are won and lost on shot differential, and there are two ways to accomplish this: 1) force a lot of turnovers and 2) rebound your own misses. Well, in addition to the 63 turnovers forced by ONU, Coach Porter's bunch grabbed 41 offensive rebounds. This led to a 49-shot difference in the two teams, and when the Trailblazers shot only 34 percent from the field themselves, it pretty much sealed up the deal.
Congrats to Coach Porter and the Tigers, who start the season for real, real, at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Friday. Good luck to them, as always.
Meanwhile, at NCAA Division II Glenville State, coach Bunky Harkleroad and the Pioneers women's team took on Alice Lloyd College and came out on top 118-88 Saturday. A full box wasn't available, but Coach Harkleroad was kind enough to send me some specifics. Namely:
- The Pioneers finished 40-for-92 from the field, including 15-for-44 on 3s
- They forced 37 turnovers
- They rebounded 45 percent of their misses
All in all, pretty nice for the first outing. As Coach Harkleroad explained in his e-mail, the competition level gets a lot tougher on Tuesday when Glenville State travels to California University of Pennsylvania for another scrimmage. The Vulcans are one of the top D-II programs in the country and are the preseason pick to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship in 2010-11.
We'll check back in on the Pioneers later this week. Hope everything goes well on the Tuesday trip!
Coach Doug Porter and the Tigers won 111-60, putting up some amazing numbers while feeling out the addition to some new players to the rotation. Ordinarily, when a result is this lopsided, it is difficult to discern any noteworthy facts. Not so with The System, and not so with this game.
First, the obvious. ONU forced 63 turnovers in the game (not a misprint, that's 63 FREAKIN' TURNOVERS!) and finished with 36 steals. I couldn't find a listing for these in the NAIA women's basketball record book - not that they would count, I was looking for a comparison - but those two figures must be near the most ever. Danielle Pipal came through with eight steals to go with her 10 points and six assists, and Danielle Tolbert led the team with 15 points.
None of the 15 players who got some run was out there for more than 14 minutes, and none got less than 12. Pretty special, right? You can see what some coaches refer to The System as the "No Child Left Behind" style of play; everyone gets an opportunity.
Have you noticed that I've given you some stats that, while very interesting, aren't the kind you normally would see highlighted? Nice catch if you saw that, and if you didn't, well, it might not have been as obvious as I thought. On to the traditional numbers, which were anything but in this game:
The Tigers finished 34-for-116 from the field (and still managed 49 free throw attempts!) while making 14 of 79 from beyond the 3-point line. Not impressive numbers, to say the least, but remember, this was the first live contest of the season. Lexie Heinold led the way with 13 attempts from behind the line, and Nikki Dier, Liz Bart and Malory Adam hoisted up 11 3s apiece.
Anyone who has followed this blog and this style of play realizes games often are won and lost on shot differential, and there are two ways to accomplish this: 1) force a lot of turnovers and 2) rebound your own misses. Well, in addition to the 63 turnovers forced by ONU, Coach Porter's bunch grabbed 41 offensive rebounds. This led to a 49-shot difference in the two teams, and when the Trailblazers shot only 34 percent from the field themselves, it pretty much sealed up the deal.
Congrats to Coach Porter and the Tigers, who start the season for real, real, at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Friday. Good luck to them, as always.
Meanwhile, at NCAA Division II Glenville State, coach Bunky Harkleroad and the Pioneers women's team took on Alice Lloyd College and came out on top 118-88 Saturday. A full box wasn't available, but Coach Harkleroad was kind enough to send me some specifics. Namely:
- The Pioneers finished 40-for-92 from the field, including 15-for-44 on 3s
- They forced 37 turnovers
- They rebounded 45 percent of their misses
All in all, pretty nice for the first outing. As Coach Harkleroad explained in his e-mail, the competition level gets a lot tougher on Tuesday when Glenville State travels to California University of Pennsylvania for another scrimmage. The Vulcans are one of the top D-II programs in the country and are the preseason pick to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship in 2010-11.
We'll check back in on the Pioneers later this week. Hope everything goes well on the Tuesday trip!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)