GCU (Part 1)
What intrigued Scott about having me on board was the system of team defense that we taught. I didn’t know Scott that well, but I knew that he had been an assistant for Paul Westphal when GCU was an NAIA school. He had been part of a national championship with Paul and was a disciple of his way of doing things, as you would expect. What that meant, though, that Scott’s view of defense was all about effort, and not necessarily technique. Our system was not only about effort, but also very much about technical expertise- footwork, arm work, body positions relative to the ball, and floor position.
When I worked with Bill Farrell, he also was intrigued with the defensive system. He let me go to teach it as thoroughly as I could, because he really wanted to learn it for his own coaching future. I understood that and obliged by not holding anything back. Other coaches that I worked with, including Scott, were taken aback by how much time it took to learn the system and usually tried to get me to do a quicker version before eventually giving up altogether. It wasn’t too long at GCU that I was cut to one drill per practice and soon after that to none.
I still had to try and figure out a way to contribute, because standing around during practice was beyond boring. We had some good big men, so I migrated to them after asking Scott if I could be utilized there. I had noticed that the bigs really had no system of individual work- they just went to a basket and shot free throws and anything else they could think of. We had developed through the years something we referred to as the “post sequence” and I thought it would be a good way to get the big guys organized and learning some new skills. It starts with the jump hook around the basket with both hands. We have taught the jump hook through the years to all of our players, regardless of size. That shot allows a player to score over bigger opponents when they are near the basket. It is frustrating to watch a guard get a great offensive rebound, but then have no way to get their shot off over a bigger player who is next to them. For big guys, the best way to score right at the basket is to go up and dunk the ball on their opponent, but most guys can’t do that. So, the jump hook keeps them moving towards the basket instead of fading away.
From learning the jump hook, the post sequence moves to how to get position relative to how the defense is playing you. There are four ways you can be guarded in the post area- behind, side top, side bottom, and in front. There are techniques for gaining good offensive position for each type of defense. Big guys must learn how to show a target hand that tells their teammate where they want the ball to be thrown. It is amazing to watch on TV or at live practices and games how post players will show a target hand, and their teammate will just throw the ball to the center of their body, making it more likely to get knocked away. They show a target for a reason. We would teach every player on our team these techniques of passing and catching in the post, as I found through the years that guards are often not good post defenders. At GCU, I was only given permission to work with the bigs, however, which was only half the picture. But, it was better than just standing around.
As with the defense, it takes time to work on post skills and time to learn them. I started sitting with the bigs during games down towards the end of the bench, so that I could talk to them about how they were being played and what they might consider doing. That also got me away from where Scott and the other coaches sat, which was more pleasant and free. Scott was of the opinion that his main function was to work the referees continually and the other coaches picked up on that which made it fairly noisy at that end of the bench. Eventually, he felt a little insecure about where I was sitting and asked me to stop working with the big guys. He made them commit to one move only- an over the right shoulder turn and jump shot. If they couldn’t get that shot, they were instructed to kick the ball out to the perimeter. Of course, if you only have one move, the defense will fairly quickly take that away, thus our bigs became much less effective offensively. So from about half the season on, I really had no function on the court, except adding encouragement during drills. I still sat with the big guys on the bench the rest of the way, offering encouragement as best I could. This season would have been a one and done at GCU for me regardless of what awaited in the future. Mesa Community College would soon be a viable option.
A side note here to all head coaches- always include assistants in team meetings. Scott came in one day and instead of having practice, he decided to have a team meeting in the locker room. We all started going in, and he stopped the assistant coaches. He said he was like a father to them, which meant that we must be the uncles that show up for Thanksgiving. He told us to just wait out in the gym. The meeting lasted for a good two hours and we sat out there the whole time- not knowing what the meeting was about, or what was being said. The assistants who had been there longer than me started into a session of picking Scott apart, and it went on pretty much the whole length of the meeting. It was pretty shocking to hear, and although I had never had a meeting that excluded any assistant coaches and never would, it brought into focus exactly why. Teams are families, and coaches are a huge part of the family. And like any family, it hurts to be left on the outside, and these coaches manifested that hurt.
Next up: GCU (part 2)
What intrigued Scott about having me on board was the system of team defense that we taught. I didn’t know Scott that well, but I knew that he had been an assistant for Paul Westphal when GCU was an NAIA school. He had been part of a national championship with Paul and was a disciple of his way of doing things, as you would expect. What that meant, though, that Scott’s view of defense was all about effort, and not necessarily technique. Our system was not only about effort, but also very much about technical expertise- footwork, arm work, body positions relative to the ball, and floor position.
When I worked with Bill Farrell, he also was intrigued with the defensive system. He let me go to teach it as thoroughly as I could, because he really wanted to learn it for his own coaching future. I understood that and obliged by not holding anything back. Other coaches that I worked with, including Scott, were taken aback by how much time it took to learn the system and usually tried to get me to do a quicker version before eventually giving up altogether. It wasn’t too long at GCU that I was cut to one drill per practice and soon after that to none.
I still had to try and figure out a way to contribute, because standing around during practice was beyond boring. We had some good big men, so I migrated to them after asking Scott if I could be utilized there. I had noticed that the bigs really had no system of individual work- they just went to a basket and shot free throws and anything else they could think of. We had developed through the years something we referred to as the “post sequence” and I thought it would be a good way to get the big guys organized and learning some new skills. It starts with the jump hook around the basket with both hands. We have taught the jump hook through the years to all of our players, regardless of size. That shot allows a player to score over bigger opponents when they are near the basket. It is frustrating to watch a guard get a great offensive rebound, but then have no way to get their shot off over a bigger player who is next to them. For big guys, the best way to score right at the basket is to go up and dunk the ball on their opponent, but most guys can’t do that. So, the jump hook keeps them moving towards the basket instead of fading away.
From learning the jump hook, the post sequence moves to how to get position relative to how the defense is playing you. There are four ways you can be guarded in the post area- behind, side top, side bottom, and in front. There are techniques for gaining good offensive position for each type of defense. Big guys must learn how to show a target hand that tells their teammate where they want the ball to be thrown. It is amazing to watch on TV or at live practices and games how post players will show a target hand, and their teammate will just throw the ball to the center of their body, making it more likely to get knocked away. They show a target for a reason. We would teach every player on our team these techniques of passing and catching in the post, as I found through the years that guards are often not good post defenders. At GCU, I was only given permission to work with the bigs, however, which was only half the picture. But, it was better than just standing around.
As with the defense, it takes time to work on post skills and time to learn them. I started sitting with the bigs during games down towards the end of the bench, so that I could talk to them about how they were being played and what they might consider doing. That also got me away from where Scott and the other coaches sat, which was more pleasant and free. Scott was of the opinion that his main function was to work the referees continually and the other coaches picked up on that which made it fairly noisy at that end of the bench. Eventually, he felt a little insecure about where I was sitting and asked me to stop working with the big guys. He made them commit to one move only- an over the right shoulder turn and jump shot. If they couldn’t get that shot, they were instructed to kick the ball out to the perimeter. Of course, if you only have one move, the defense will fairly quickly take that away, thus our bigs became much less effective offensively. So from about half the season on, I really had no function on the court, except adding encouragement during drills. I still sat with the big guys on the bench the rest of the way, offering encouragement as best I could. This season would have been a one and done at GCU for me regardless of what awaited in the future. Mesa Community College would soon be a viable option.
A side note here to all head coaches- always include assistants in team meetings. Scott came in one day and instead of having practice, he decided to have a team meeting in the locker room. We all started going in, and he stopped the assistant coaches. He said he was like a father to them, which meant that we must be the uncles that show up for Thanksgiving. He told us to just wait out in the gym. The meeting lasted for a good two hours and we sat out there the whole time- not knowing what the meeting was about, or what was being said. The assistants who had been there longer than me started into a session of picking Scott apart, and it went on pretty much the whole length of the meeting. It was pretty shocking to hear, and although I had never had a meeting that excluded any assistant coaches and never would, it brought into focus exactly why. Teams are families, and coaches are a huge part of the family. And like any family, it hurts to be left on the outside, and these coaches manifested that hurt.
Next up: GCU (part 2)
