Science



The gravity is heavy today.

"I wish it would Rain"
The Temptations

Staff Meeting

I sent this email out to System coaches around the country.
“I am looking for the help of all of you folks on the run and gun sight. I
would like all of you to post one word that describes the System. For example I would put the word "Passion”, because it requires the System team to play with an intensity rarely seen in the traditional game.

Unless you want to there is no need to explain your word.
Thank you for your help.”


Here were their responses.

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“A lot of words could be used to describe the system... many of the ones used by coaches and sent in are terrific. I thought of a couple more that really explain why I love the system:

"full-speed" "inclusive" "team"

And there's probably a lot more, but the whole idea of being on a "team" and contributing, being involved in at least some way.... that's what run-and-gun is all about!”



Dr. William M. Simmons
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"Attack"

“This is the word that I say the most during the game and I feel best exemplifies what we are trying to do on offense and defense.”



Keith Freund


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“MAJESTICAL”

Jon Labeau

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“Shotdifferential”


Doug Porter

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“Envied”

Chris Schultz

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“Fun! We have already started open gyms for next year. I have kids coming that have never thought about open gyms at this time of year. I also have seniors coming who will be graduating because they have enjoy it so much more than playing conventional basketball.”


Steve Scholfield

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“Avant-garde (that maybe 2)”

“To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives. Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other.” -Castaneda

“You can also use the word INTERVAL”

Mr. J. Mario Malaby

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“"Relentless" describes the system for me because it is so much about playing the percentages over 40 (or 32) minutes. The concept of continuing to come at people over the full duration of the game is what enables those lightning fast runs to occur -- when the opponent either fatigues or the match ups are just right for our team. It is the substitution concept, of course, that enables this to happen. Along with this players need to understand the BIG PICTURE (playing percentages and not getting conservative) and that it is the RELENTLESS "attacking" on offense, on the O boards and defensively in the full and half court that creates our opportunities for success.”

Gary Smith

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“When recruits used to ask about our style of play, my one word response was always -

INSANE !

(meant it as a compliment to our team's effort - but it covered a lot of other things too).”
Ron Rohn

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“Have not done it yet but one word I would use is-

Relentless!”

Greg Turcott

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“2 words-Fast and Furious!”

Nathan McSchooler

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The Evan Massey Interview

Evan Massey coaches System basketball for the Galesburg High School girl’s basketball team in Galesburg, Illinois. In this interview he talks about the System.



How did you get started coaching the system? What did you think of the System the first time you heard about it?



We had a year where we were below .500, we lacked enthusiasm, and our numbers were not what I thought they should be. I was looking for something to boost our numbers. In our conference the two best teams were successful by slowing things down and making it a half court slug fest. We tried to press and run but they still controlled the tempo. I felt we needed to go to something more extreme to get the game going. And finally based on our strengths- depth, lack of size, and shooting- I thought "The System" gave us the best chance to win.



Would you ever go back to traditional basketball? Why or why not?

Yes, I would go back if the following happened-


A- I felt our players 8-13 were just going through the motion feeling playing time was guaranteed.


B- If I felt our talent dictated a different style to better our chances to win.


I would prefer to remain "The System" but I prefer winning more.



What is the number one thing you enjoy about the system?

I really like the feeling that I am less concerned with evaluating players and more concerned with coaching them. I never realized how much energy I spent deciding which player the best was -ranking my players.


I like the feeling that when things are going well that we are completely dictating how the game will be played.



Do you or have you ever regretted changing to the system?

I think regret is the wrong word. The first year after about every game until Christmas I would wonder how we would have done with traditional style. This year we started out 1-2 and had critics but the players and the coaches all felt good about what we were doing.



You talk about your wife’s influence on you as a coach, how has she affected you the most?

My wife does not really enjoy basketball. She really likes my players and gets involved following them and rooting for them, but she is not into the sport itself. She is a social worker which I think allows her to see the big picture better than I do. Critics and the negative people don't seem to faze her; as a result she has always been positive about me going to "The System." She has helped reinforce that "The System" makes educational sense- more participation, more emphasis on playing hard.



What do you have to do next year to go faster and score more points as a team?

Good question. We got a little slower this year. We went from 70 ppg to 67ppg. We went from 17 wins to 28 wins. Our group next year has potential to be very good three point shooters that will be a start. I think the biggest thing is if we can become better defensively, get more steals and more easy- quick baskets.



What was your most satisfying game this year as a coach?

To be honest, we had several pretty satisfying games. Probably our most satisfying was in our Sectional championship (in Illinois we go Regional, Sectional, Supersectional, State), we defeated the #1 team in our area and we scored 52 points in the first half. It was an awesome display by our girls.



Where did you get the passion you have for basketball?

My father was a retired hs basketball coach when I was young. He put hoops at each end of our basement. So I grew up around bball and went to all the hs games from about 3 years old. I got into girls bball because I wanted something without as much pressure, then we won, and now it has the pressure.



What are your thoughts about the years you invested coaching basketball at the high school level?

I would not change things. Each team has its own identity and is fun. And I really like the chance that hs offers to work with kids in the summer.



What s your passion outside of basketball?

Sadly I don't have much life outside of bball. My family and my son are my interests. When we get a chance to travel I really enjoy that. We have gone to San Fransisco, Washington DC, Gettysburg, the Disney thing, Savannah. We try to go on trip each year. And my son and I are huge Wisconsin Badger fans so we invest a lot of time watching them in person or on TV.



Do you have any regrets about basketball?

Just every stupid choice I made at the end of game that resulted in a loss. You always want those back. Right now there are a couple teams that I look back and wish I had used System then to see how it would have worked.




If you could change one thing about your time in high school basketball what would it be?

What I would like to change is the direction hs sports has taken in our state with two things- 1) the number of transfers. It would be nice if you didn't have to play all-star teams. 2) the AAU movement. Sometimes it seems like it makes hs sports an after- thought with some players and parents.

Who are three people you would like to have dinner with?

I just like to eat so I would eat with any three people. But I think if I could choose-


For an entertaining evening- Charles Barkley, Bill Walton, and Jon Stewart


For an enlightening evening- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Clinton, and Pat Summitt

Leave

Often here in my blog I make fun of my goat roping ways. I was raised in a house that listened to country artist like Hank Williams, Dolly Pardon, Porter Wagner, Charlie Pride, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Johnny Cash. Heck, I was in the hospital for a while in 1981 with June Carter Cash in the same wing. If you would have asked the neighbors and my mom, you would have thought she was family the way they talked about it.

Yet, still the kids in my neighborhood sold me on the rock and roll of the time period. Grand Funk Railroad, Hall and Oats, CCR, Chicago, and as I got older Bob Segar and Leo Sayer were some of my favorites.

Although, my mother was an incredible dancer, I have been barred from any place with music because of my lack of dancing skills. Yet in my high school days, before the ban, I would go to dances at places such as Matters in Decorah. That place burned down, probably because people heard I danced there. I also danced in little towns like Lourdes, Protivin, and Spilleville. I know some of you are formulating some humorous pictures in your mind, so I will stop there.

Here is a song that was a big hit back in those days, Bob Segar’s “Old Time Rock and Roll”.

Interview With Bruce Bailey

This interview is the first in a series with coaches that run the System. The first coach I questioned was Bruce Bailey the G-R Rebels Girl’s basketball coach. This was their first year running the system.

How did you get started coaching the system? What did you think of the System the first time you heard about it?

I wanted to up-tempo this season and I wanted to do more pressing and push the ball more. I had talked Coach Gillespie about the system and decided to jump into it with both feet.

I first heard about and witnessed the system about 5-6 years ago when we scrimmaged Dunkerton. I was not sold on the mass substitutions. I didn’t think I would have enough quality players to make it work.



Would you ever go back to traditional basketball? Why or why not?



I won’t say ever, but there is a 99.9% chance that I never will. I love everything about it! First of all it involves all players and gives them a chance to participate, contribute, and be part of the team. It makes poor players average, average player good, and good player’s great. The pace of the game is terrific. With the up-tempo offense and defense it is an exciting style of play that creates a passion for the game that is lacking in many other styles It is very goal oriented which allows players and coaches to focus on what is important to success.. It is fun to coach, play, and watch!!!!!!!!



What is the number one thing you enjoy about the system?



Watching the kids get into it and having fun playing basketball. It promotes a family atmosphere amongst all involved!



Do you or have you ever regretted changing to the system?


ABSOLUTALLY NOT



What do you have to do next year to go faster and score more points as a team?



I think we need to up-tempo our defense more by taking more chances and giving people different looks from line to line. We also need to become better at attacking the basket on the break and in quick hitters if we are initially stopped.



What was your most satisfying game this year as a coach?



There were a lot of satisfying games this season just because of where we were last year and how far we came this year. I will say our first game of the season because we won it and it showed me what the system could do and gave all of us confidence in what we were doing.




Where did you get the passion you have for basketball?



I really don’t know, I have loved basketball since I was a little kid. I think my passion for coaching began when my daughters first became involved in playing. It has grown ever since as I became involved with working with kids and seeing their desire to improve as individual players and as a team. They keep your passion young!



What are your thoughts about the years you invested coaching basketball at the high school level?



I can’t imagine doing anything more worthwhile or rewarding.



What is the biggest fish you have ever caught?



Usually it is at least one inch bigger than the other liar I am talking with.




Do you have any regrets about basketball?



I wish I had started coaching earlier in my life.



If you could change one thing about your time in high school basketball what would it be?



I wish I had cued into the system years ago.



Who are three people you would like to have dinner with?

John F. Kennedy, Bill Russell, George Halas

Help



Have you ever had a day where the gravity feels heavy? I am a man of anxiety and phobia. Days when I am down, the gravity actually feels heavy, this is called barophobia, the fear of gravity. I am also claustrophobic, afraid of tight or small places, and lately, I am becoming afraid of heights.


About once a month I will wake up in the middle of the night, and the darkness closes in on me. I pop out of bed and I turn on as many lights as I possibly can. Sometimes it is so bad that I have to run outside of the house. If people were to go by my house, they would think I was trying to light all of the Chatham area.

I can trace this back to my years at Camp Courageous, my roommate and I were responsible for leading staff and clients through Picture Rock Cave, we were the lead spelunkers. When we would train the other counselors we would lead them through it, and when groups were taken we were usually asked to lead them.

A little bit about Picture Rock Cave; it is a half-a-mile into the bluffs overlooking the Maquoketa River outside of Monticello, Iowa. The first 100 yards are like crawling through a 100 yard barrel. The next 250 yards are about five feet tall and two feet wide, the final fifty yards are a series of small rooms. Enough, it is starting to freak me out just writing about it.

Any how one night, the second fall I worked there, at three in the morning, my roommate awoke screaming. He was under his blankets and he was dreaming he was trapped in the cave. That was both of our beginning of the end of going spelunking.

The last long trip I took was to Africa. It was about 15 hours of sitting on a plane. I almost ran down the isle of the plane screaming “momma” I felt so confined. Then to make matters worse we sat on the tarmac in Paris for three hours. As I sat in the middle seat, there were two gentlemen, one on each side of me, about my size. I do not know if I will ever fly again.

As the old song says “can I get a witness?”

"Some Kind of Wonderful"

Grand Funk Railroad

President Truman

"When Kansas and Colorado have a quarrel over the water in the Arkansas River they don't call out the National Guard in each state to go to war over it. They bring a suit in the Supreme Court of the United States and abide by the decision. There isn't a reason in the world why we cannot do that internationally." Harry S. Truman.