The Future of the Pacers and IBCA Coaches Clinic

I particularly don't watch much pro basketball, but I do catch a Pacers game every now and then. I can't really decide what I want to happen to the Pacers. So, what I am going to talk about is the fact that no matter what everyone else is saying and complaining about, they are still playing and trying to win games. To me that shows that they want to continue the winning ways of the organization and that they don't want to "tank" the rest of the season. In April, they have gone 4-3, which doesn't sound like much but they have doubled the win total from March when they went 2-14. I think that is definitely a bright thing. Also, they might get in the playoffs with an 8th seed. I think every program goes through its tough times, but there is always light at the end the tunnel and the Pacers are making the right moves. I don't think a franchise has been through more in a three year span than the Pacers have.

I am getting fired up to go the IBCA Coach Clinic. Rick Majerus will be speaking about his 4 out 1 in motion offense. Don Meyer, the 5th all-time winningest coach in college history, Northern State University, will speak about "The best things he has seen in basketball." Steve Ridder of Embry Riddle University will speak about "building a special program." Sharon Versyp, Purdue University womens' coach, will also speak. And many, many high school coaches will also speak, demonstrate, and share their knowledge on the wonderful game of basketball.

Every year this clinic has some of the best coaches and continues to be the world's largest basketball coaches association.

Drop a note.

Triangle Offense

I have really taken an interest into the famed Triangle Offense (aka Triple-Post offense or Sideline Triangle offense). The coach who is most widely associated with it is the nine-time NBA champ Phil Jackson of the Lakers, and formerly with the Chicago Bulls. The coach who is labeled to be the most instrumental on getting it into the NBA is Tex Winter. Tex used it in the college ranks when he was the head coach at Kansas State. Jackson picked it up when they were both assisants on the Bulls and fell in love with the unselfishness of the offense. Phil also liked the offense because it lets the defense dictate what the offense will do. Due to the fact that Jackson is usually entitled the Zen Master, it fits perfectly into his coaching philosophy of oneness. I think that the triangle offense is perfectly suited for the NBA and college teams, but I wonder about using it in the high school level. I do like the fact that it really leaves the playmaking up to the players to decide, but at the high school level, can players remember what to do. I do think that the best part of the offense is the fact that it lets kids "play basketball" not "run to a spot, screen for this guy, go here, screen again, move here, watch the best player shoot, go attack to get the rebound, play defense, come back down on offense, and do the same thing again." I think it lets the players actually learn about and how to read the defense to get scoring opportunities. You can also use it versus a zone. It also is very unpredictable which makes it very difficult to scout.

Key Points of the Triangle.

Spacing - All players are be 15-18 feet from each other. This keeps the floor spread to allow for penetration, and makes it hard to double the post.

Formation of the triangle - Typically the triangle is formed by the point guard in the corner, the post man on the block, and a forward on the wing. The point of the triangle is to get it into the post and make the defense adjust and make them decide what they are going to do to combat the post man. Once the ball goes into the post, the options are open as to how the defense is going to play.

Line of Deployment - This is the term that Winter uses for the position of the center and the ballside forward. They should both be on an imaginary line at a 45 degree angle coming from the basket.

Formation of the two-man game - The two man game is formed on the weak side with a guard at the top of the key and the power forward somewhere along the lane lines opposite the ball, typically called the high post. Winter will call it the pinch post. There are a ton of options out of the two-man game.

We could go on and on put here are some links that are extremely good for understanding the triangle. I suggest looking at the diagrams first before looking at the YouTube videos. I think that will help in learning and you will pick up on what Jackson and Winter are talking about.

Fran Fraschilla -
Hoop Tactics
Jes-Soft.com

Youtube videos - these videos are amazing and very, very insightful.

Phil Jackson/Tex Winter explain Triangle Part 1
Phil Jackson/Tex Winter explain Triangle Part 2
Phil Jackson/Tex Winter explain Triangle Part 3
Phil Jackson/Tex Winter explain Triangle Part 4
Phil Jackson/Tex Winter explain Triangle Part 5

Henry Abbott's True Hoop Blog that talks about it.

Tex Winter wrote a book in the 1960 that has been reprinted and is great. I have it and have learned a ton. It's call The Triple-Post Offense (Sideline Triangle).

I would also really really like to have this set of DVDs on the triangle offense. Maybe I should ask for it from my wife for my birthday. The Encyclopedia of the Triangle Offense

That's all for now... Leave a comment for discussion. Later.

Stevens In at Butler

Brad Stevens will be the new coach at Butler. They kept it in the family and hopefully he will continue the "Butler Way." He is young but definitely a good pick. Plus if there are any problems a former Butler coach is there to ask for advice (Barry Collier). Good Luck to Stevens and Butler.

College Coaching Carousel

At this time of the year, there is always a buzz about the coaching changes and who is leaving and who is going to replace the leaver. Here locally, Butler coach, Todd Lickliter, resigned and took the vacant job the former Hoosier, Steve Alford, left for New Mexico. I find both of these moves very intriguing. Alford has been under a lot of scrutiny in Iowa and to me it seemed that he just wanted to get away and start over. I don't blame him. He didn't get the Indiana recruits that most figured he would get. But honestly, why would anyone want to go to Iowa to play basketball anyway? The Alford move gave way for Lickliter who has had two Sweet Sixteen appearances at a mid-major university in the past 4 years. I think that says a lot but I don't understand the move. Why go to a school who has been in the bottom of the Big Ten for a while and Steve Alford couldn't even get good players to go there. I would think that a job in the Horizon League would be a whole lot better. I was also shocked about the Lickliter hire because Lickliter's son is still in high school here in Indy and I am pretty sure he has at least one more year left. I would have thought that he would stay until he graduated.

These are just my thoughts and wonder if anyone has some comments on them.

Champs, Again

Florida repeats as I didn't see happening. 85-74. Oden has a great game, 25 and 12. Conley carries them throughout, but gets no help whatsoever from any other Buckeye not named Greg. The Buckeyes couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. They were 4-23 from behind the arc. Corey Brewer was good but the MOP should have been Oden. I think that it should have went to Oden even though he was on the losing team. There is no way that Brewer was more outstanding than Oden was. He held Noah, Horford, Richard, and Speights to 35 points. He also played 38 minutes. Besides Horford was better than Brewer even was scoring more points, grabbing more rebounds, dishing more assists, and had 1 more block. The only stat that Brewer had that was higher than Horford's were steals.

The Buckeyes just couldn't contain the outside shooting of Humphey, Green, and Brewer. They got uncontested looks and you just can't do that. Humphrey, the all-time 3-point leader in the NCAA tournament, was left wide open on many occasions.

Good game, but Florida was definitely the better team tonight. OSU couldn't get within 6 points and when they got that close, the Gators would just put on a run to get it back to 11 or 12.

Champion Game Set

Well, the Final Four Championship game is set with defending champs Florida, taking on Ohio State. I had one game right, OSU, and one wrong, UCLA.

In game one. It came down to executing and Mike Conley gets the ball to the correct people at the correct time. Oden and Hibbert were in foul trouble most of the game. I would lean toward Hibbert playing the overall better game. I would also give him the edge because he can step out and shoot. Oden has never played anyone bigger than him before and I think that Hibbert really got the best of Oden. When it was just one-on-one in the post Oden looked like he struggled to get off shots, and Hibbert looked as if he could make a move and shoot a nice shot. Hibbert did miss a lot, but it seemed to come easier to him. Green for Georgetown was a non-factor throughout the whole game. For being the Big East player of the year, he didn't take any initiative and try to score.

In game two. UCLA's defense in the first 5 minutes or so was outstanding. The only problem was that they couldn't score offensively and the score was 6-5 after 7 minutes or so. UCLA got into foul trouble and some reserves got a lot of minutes and Florida was ahead by 6 at the half. At the start of the second half, Florida came out firing from three land and Humphrey was lights out. His first two shots were pretty much uncontested. I have no idea how you let him have open looks but UCLA did and he hit them. I think I would have not doubled and made Horford and Noah beat them instead of letting Brewer and Humphrey nail threes. Afflalo and Collison did their best impression of Green from Georgetown and didn't score until at least 10 minutes to go in the second half. Another interesting thing I noticed was that Noah is a horrible Free Throw shooter and whenever UCLA wound foul him, it would be more of a love tap and Noah would make the layup. To me it seems like they should have just not let him get the shot off and made him earn it from the line.

Prediction for Monday Night - The key for both teams will be the perimeter guys. I give the edge to Florida, simply because they have been in the championship before. But I also give a nod to Ohio State because of their bench play and the high school experience of Oden and Conley (3 state championships). I think that Oden can play Noah and Horford one-on-one and that will allow OSU's backcourt to not double and stay locked on to their men. Taurean Green, of Florida, is coming off a lot of turnovers against UCLA. OSU will not pressure as much as UCLA will but the matchup of Conley and Green should be an interesting one. I am picking the Buckeyes to upset the repeat of the Gators. OSU by 4. MOP = Conley/Oden.

Plus I am tired of the chest pumping Noah.