Coach Mike Curta of Eisenhower High School sent out a letter talking about his point guards record setting 34 assist night. He was kind enough to let me publish it here on my blog. By the way, his point guard is his son.
"Hi Coaches,
They wanted to get my son the state record for assists in a game (old record 33) and our other top player the school scoring record of 53. Turns out our scorer was out sick yesterday so we modified the plan to strictly go for the assists based on the kids and what they were looking to do. I actually gave Vinny the option of what he would like to try for, and he went with assists. Looking back this really kept all of our kids involved and a big part of the accomplishment. What unfolded was a very interesting and strange game.
Our rule was that the first shot taken in any possession was to be taken only on a pass from Vinny unless we got a steal in the backcourt or on an uncontested offensive rebound. We are not the most basketball savvy group, so the kids took it to the extreme and no one would shoot at any time unless Vinny passed the ball. He had 11 assists in the first quarter and 22 by halftime. It actually helped keep the game somewhat workable because the score could have been really lopsided at the half. Starting the second half our opponent decided that they would not defend against Vinny. They had been playing zone in the first half and in the second they sort of matched-up with our four other guys in the game and left Vinny open. I must add that Vinny took a total of two shots in the game. A floater in the lane instead of taking a 3 second call and a three when he was left completely open and the opposing team was yelling "shoot it". It was a bit weird to watch Vinny to continue to try and find spot up shooters and cutters while basically being unguarded.....I am sure any purists either at the game or watching the stream had to have been horrified. We continued to do our thing through the third and into the fourth. With about five minutes to go in the game and the assist count at 30, our opponent pulled out the ball and decided to not attempt a shot. We chased and trapped, and then instructed our kids to allow them to score so we could keep the pace going. They wouldn't shoot the ball. Twice we stood and watched their player get to the rim uncontested and with no one near him and he stopped, looked at the rim and then tossed it back out. We were able to turn them over and keep going to a degree...there was roughly a 35-40 point differential at this point. There next strategy was to foul Vinny when he crossed half court to not allow him to make the assist pass. He finally tied then broke the record and after their second foul I felt it wise to remove him so as not to sustain an injury. There was nothing malicious about the fouls, however there was no need to take a chance, or so we thought.
This is what we learned:
1. The opportunity to do something like this with a good group of kids is priceless. Everyone was a part of it and they all kept track of when they made a shot off his pass. Kids knew the number in their head throughout the game. We had several kids come out of the game visibly upset after taking what for them was a questionable shot. They were apologizing for hurting Vinny's chances at the record. Of course they did not do this on purpose, but it was great to see kids pulling for each other like that.
2. A practice at how to play in this situation would have been helpful. We went into the game cold because of the changes and with the score getting out of control and everyone focused on his assists, the game was a bit strange.
3. Social media is a powerful tool. Within an hour after the game, through Twitter, USA Today picked up the story as well as local newspaper and television outlets. Not sure if more will come of it, but the fact that our program was out there in the spotlight for a brief moment was great for the kids. It really energized our team in a tough part of the season.
4. This particular record was really beneficial for a number of kids. We had two boys who had not shot the ball well find their groove at different points during the game and you could see their confidence swell. I think that this could be extremely valuable to us for our next conference game on Fridayas well as the home stretch of the season.
5. Finally, to be able to do something like this and having the support of all of the kids was really special for my son. To share his night with him and see the respect that he got from his teammates was something that I will never forget. And then to get home and talk with him, the family, and my son Nick calling from Grinnell was once in a lifetime. I wish all of you could have seen his face when he heard from Coach Dave in Reno and then spoke with Coach A about the game....what more could a dad ask!
Thats' it for now. Good luck to everyone playing this week.
Curta
Eisenhower"
