http://www.newsobserver.com/122/story/373430.html

Quote :

"Putting the 'Oh' in offense Ned Barnett, Staff Writer On Wednesday night, when N.C. State and Iowa were locked in a nationally televised struggle to get past 40 points in a college basketball game, another North Carolina school found itself in a contest so fueled with raw offense that the box score looked like it was typed by a kid playing on a keyboard. Greensboro's Guilford College took one 3-point attempt. Emory & Henry took 97. Yes, 97. Emory & Henry racked up 136 points. And lost. Guilford had 147, a school record.That happened because every time Guilford broke E&H's constant full-court press, it got a layup. The Wasps usually answered with a quick 3-pointer, making 30 in the game. "In essence, we're trading three [points] for two," said Bob Johnson, the longtime coach at Emory & Henry, a small, private liberal arts college located in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. "We kind of tiptoed into it last season. ... We're pretty much up to our neck now." Guilford coach Tom Palombo saw nothing wrong with the 3-point barrage. "There are a lot of different ways to play the game," he said. "We play fast, but we don't take it to that extent. It was a fun game to watch, and I think the kids enjoyed playing in it." Palombo said Guilford's trip to Emory, Va., was nothing like NCSU's trip to Iowa City, Iowa. State had 42 points to Iowa's 45. "We had that eight minutes into the game," he said. "We had 73 at the half." Johnson's approach leads to some rare scores, but isn't as novel as it might seem. At Division III Grinnell College, coach David Arsenault has been doing it for years. His team, appropriately named the Pioneers, beat Mount Mercy 140-120 on Tuesday by shooting 28-of-58 from 3-point territory. Even if it's not new, the style still feels unfamiliar and contrary to the "tough defense, smart shot" mantra of today's top coaches. Johnson, 59, who began his career coaching a freshman team in basketball's birthplace, Springfield (Mass.) College, knows he's breaking unwritten rules. "It's pretty crazy. It's hard to get used to, truthfully," he said. Johnson, whose Wasps have reached the Division III tournament five times, used to coach the traditional way. Games were close and often decided by the last possession. He would watch film and be exasperated that but for one missed box-out or botched pass, his team could have won. Last year, Johnson looked up from the grind and wondered why he was doing it that way. "I'm thinking I got into [coaching] because I don't like to work. I want to have some fun, one way or another," he said. The way he chose was the Grinnell way, and it has his players grinning. Everybody on the 15-member team plays. Players show up early for practices that include hundreds of 3-point shots. They're thrilled by crossing barriers such as 150 points. Afterward, Johnson said, "my guys are icing their elbows." "I told them it was going to be a roller-coaster ride, but it was not going to be dull," he said. This isn't a season. It's an adventure. "It's not entirely uncharted territory, but largely it is," Johnson said. "It's a different way of doing things. I'm not sure it's how Naismith intended it." But Johnson sees no harm in trying to fill up the peach basket. "Can you win consistently like this? Most people would say no, or more people would be doing it," he said. "At this stage of my career, I'm willing to look at it. The guys at Grinnell have won. Our program has been very good, but it has been down. "I've been here 26 years playing a traditional style. I just think it's interesting to try this. I tell you, not everyone agrees with me. The critics say you can't let [an opponent] score like that. My job is to prove them wrong. In essence, it's a race to 140." The coach says there's a lesson beyond basketball. He wants his kids to win and have fun even if it's scary to be different. "I don't think that's a bad thing to experience," he said. "We're not talking life or death. Learn to let it out a little bit." "

Granted, the schools are what, like D-14? But damn that'd be fun to watch.

[Edited on December 2, 2005 at 4:27 PM. Reason : asdf]

12/2/2005 4:26:03 PM

They had one of these D-III games where the teams shoot threes after ten seconds and sub five men at a time on ESPN once. Maybe both teams were nervous, but it wasn't nearly as fun to watch as I'd hoped.

12/2/2005 4:30:24 PM

^i remember watchin that...it was ridiculous. the coach would sub in lines like hockey.

12/2/2005 4:33:16 PM

^^ i remember watching the 1st 1/2 of that

got old real quick b/c you are right, they weren't putting up good numbers that game

[Edited on December 2, 2005 at 4:34 PM. Reason : a]

12/2/2005 4:33:45 PM

WOW, just WOW

12/2/2005 5:43:25 PM

I'd love to see a small D-I school do that. They'd get killed, but it'd still be fun to watch, as it removes most of their deficiencies.

12/2/2005 5:45:34 PM

damn, I'd love to play for E & H

that's my kinda offense, and I loved playing full court D... but it sounds like their full court press needs some work

12/2/2005 5:47:00 PM

well really the idea is to force them to score quick or turn it over. you dont really want to actually "trap" them because that wastes time and energy.

12/2/2005 7:18:05 PM

thats what happens when u get 10 white guys on the court

12/2/2005 8:10:13 PM