Just an update on Marina's progress for Spring/Summer.
Venturing into our second year with the "system" we are very pleased with the progress that our guys have made so far. We do have 8 returners and that has certainly helped. There are several players switching positions, so we have had an adjustment period.
This past weekend, we played some good, well coached clubs that gave us concern going in. Our kids played better each game and grew quite a bit.
Our "new' kids have had to learn how to play at the pace needed to be successful in the system. They thought they knew what playing hard was, but really had no idea. Over the course of this tournament, I am hoping they got it. Guys were flying all over the court and we were creating havoc from tip to final buzzer. We finished the tourney 4-1 and are 11-2 for the summer season.
In coaching the system, for the first time especially, I truly believe things must be kept simple and you must, as a staff, quit trying to "coach" your team to victory. You must hammer home the numbers and get your players to buy into that. You must create turnovers and your kids must flood the offensive boards. This tournament, we hammered the offensive boards at an incredible 52.5% clip. Size? We have two inexperienced players that are 6'5 and that is it. We are almost all under 5'10 with a couple of 6'1, 6'2 guys.
Your players must go for it and drop just about all of the "traditional" ways of thinking and playing. If you, as coaches, don't change your approach...your players have no chance to do the "system" in a way for it to be successful. In fact, you can't do the "system" unless you let your kids play with the abandon that they need to for it to work. There are various approaches to fast break basketball and they are all interesting and have their merits. The "system", for me, is a dedication to the Grinnell style and approach. That dedication must include players and coaches that are going to do every thing that they can to do it the way Grinnell does it. If you say you are doing Grinnell on offense with the LMU press, you ARE NOT doing the "system" in my opinion. Certainly, you must do what fits your team best to get your numbers. Redlands did some things slightly different from Grinnell, but the over-all attitude and style of play was very similar. They were a system team through and through. We copied Grinnell in every way that we could. To me, it was the only way for us to go. If we were going to do it, we were going to do it!
If you truly go for it "system" style, your players will have so much fun and create some incredible moments. If you do a little here and a little there, your players will get stuck in the middle and be frustrated and confused. Like Mr. Miyagi says: "Walk down road...Walk left side, safe...walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later...squish like grape." Here, system, same thing. Either you system do "yes" or system do "no." You system do "guess so," squish like grape.
Roger Holmes
Marina Basketball
www.marinabasketball.com
vikingbasketball@msn.com
Sunday, July 1, 2007
System Beauty
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6 comments:
Good post, Roger Miyagi...we went 3-2 this weekend hitting a lot of threes (6-6 on the season). Games were played with 8 minute running quarters. We averaged nearly 40 pts per game. We almost upset Foothill from your area who gave Brea a good run for their money. We were up at half but couldn't make FTs (again). We changed our approach on defense, and I coached "less" on defense as well. I don't wanna end up squished into wine. We lost our point guard the first game--Deanna #11 to a turned ankle, BIG LOSS. We inherited an incoming frosh this weekend who is 5'9" and VERY athletic. She played the whole tournament and fit right in. The frenetic full court defense gave teams fits at our altitude. We played Big Bear in the 2nd game of the tournament and the gym was packed. Fun. We lost to Burbank--were in it the last four minutes--but couldn't pull it off. Good times. We received many compliments regarding the hard play of the girls from opposing coaches. I was proud. One coach even referred to our defense as annoying but fun to watch. Gotta love that. See you this weekend. Congrats on your success.
Zack,
Even though this is your first real crack at running the system, we are in some ways starting over as well. As Coach Holmes mentioned in his post, we have some new kids that are still learning how to play the right way in the system and we also have returners playing more minutes and assuming new roles.
Certainly, the year of experience for us as coaches and our returning players is invaluable, but there is still a learning curve for those new guys.
The main thing for us is to reiterate to ALL of our guys that we are always in full attack mode every second they are on the floor. And really, that is the same way we started with our guys last year. Attack, attack, attack. We never worried about our opponent...we just focused on doing what we needed to do to get the pace to a chaotic pitch.
It's not always gonna be pretty...but the end results are usually the same. Many of our games are becoming carbon copies of of each other...the games stay close for 3/4's of the game...and then invariably, our opponents energy begins to fade and we continue to put on the pressure and we pull away. Even in summer, with the shorter game times...teams are fatigued by our style of play.
And that is really the point...you have to get your kids to apply pressure that is so "annoying", to use your words, that eventually your opponent begins to break down from mental and physical conditioning perspectives.
Once it starts clicking, your coaching staff will feel it, your players will feel it, your opponents will feel it and quite frankly, everyone in the gym will feel it. And let me tell you, it is pretty amazing to see it all come together.
Roger and other coaches,
What are you doing with your 2 6'5" kids? Are they playing the 4 or 5? Are they shooters, screeners, etc? How do you use your posts?
Our two bigs are playing the 5 as the safety and come down and screen for either the ball or pick away for the shooter. Not really shooter types, but will sell out in the press, love setting vicious picks, and rebound hard. There's always a place for those players in any system of basketball.
I'm just wondering how folks are using their posts in The System. Keep up the good discussions and updates.
Kurt
Kurt,
Our posts are not shooters...although one of them can hit the occasional 3. Offensively, they spend most of their time screening for our preferred shooters. We do allow them to screen and slip to the block for the most part...but we limit their stay on the block for a 1 count, then ask them to space out on the perimeter and re-screen or crash the O-glass.
One of the most effective aspects of the system for us last year was the trailer 3 point shot...unfortunately, with our bigs, we lose some of that. So, we have been doing some tinkering with our line-up and put our preferred shooter as a trailer/deep guy. So far, it has been pretty effective.
As far as the press goes, the bigs have been terrific both as playmakers and rebounders. They are still a little suspect with the ball in terms of their passing skills when the secure a rebound or get a steal...but they are making great strides.
In terms of our future plans...if the bigs continue to develop a legit low post game...we will use them in a similar way that Grinnell uses their 6'8 post...give them some free reign to post up and make an effort to get them the ball.
I don't really see them developing to that level...if they do, it will be a nice problem to have. Either way, they fit in quite well with our scheme and have really made some great strides so far this summer.
Need clarify...when I made the comment that we moved our primary shooter to the trailer spot...that is something we do a few times per game. 90% of the time, our primary shooters are running the right lane and coming off the double/triple screen.
A shout out to Coach Holmes and Coach Meyer for pointing that out...don't want to confuse anyone.
Sorry about that!
Wow all I can say is that you are a great writer! Where can I contact you if I want to hire you?
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