... the secret to getting pfloyd's attention is when "I" can get out to do the "eye test" on a team, THAT tells the committee of one - me - sooooooo much about a team ... looking at how a team runs their offense = spacing , passing,dribbling, rebounding position, how a team uses their personnel, can they feed the post/how they feed the post/IF they feed the post , defense! is a key - I told Coach Speed of Fairland when he came up to the cheap seats that I have been very impressed with what his teams do on the defensive end of the floor, THAT tells me "tons" about a coaches philosophy of the game/how he teaches the game and ultimately how successful his team is or will be ... bottom-line pfloyd is impressed by teams that do it on the court with fundamentals, records don't tell me much (all are dictated by the toughness of the competition) what a team does on the court vs ANY competition is the key - I look for fundamentals/fundamentals/fundamentals when I look at a team, I can "see" the fundamentals or lack there of in a trip or two up and down the court by a team ... I remember going to Columbus to watch a "day of hs basketball" back when Wellston's Coach Derrow had their hoops invitation over the winter in C'bus - Lebron was a freshman at Akron SVSM taking on Oak Hill Academy in the marque matchup ... I was watching a TEAM from Chesapeake take on a big time school from NC I believe ... I remember within the first 2 minutes of the game CHS took a defensive rebound, made an outlet pass to the sideline, a pass to the middle, an entry pass to the wing - 2 points in transition, 4 crisp passes , the ball NEVER touched the floor - I said to myself "now THAT'S basketball!" I have been a Norm Persin fan ever since - fundamentals ... so many teams have quality athletes that can coverup the lack of fundamentals with their physical abilities - size, quickness etc.,a team can get away with the lack of fundamentals vs lesser competition BUT as this "athletic" team plays better competition the lack of fundamentals "shows", TEAMS of lesser physical ability beat the athletic teams because of better fundamentals ... WE have in Southern/Southeastern Ohio some of the best coaches in the state of Ohio for teaching the game/teaching the fundamentals of the game - Coaches Maddox, Davis, Collins, LaFon, Speed, Kight, Skinner, Persin, Slaughter, Fitch, Beucler, Lisath, Alley, Barrick, Booth, Combs, Kline, Howie Caldwell, Doug Stiverson, Matt Hoops, Bartruff, Arey, Stauffer, Lucas etc.to name but a few ... the more I travel Southern Ohio, the more I see TEAMS/coaches that do it right - TEACHING fundamentals in their programs means that BEHIND these fine head coaches are very good JV,Middle school coaches who ARE NOT making winning THE ultimate objective but are making sure that ALL of their athletes ESPECIALLY "the elite athletes" have solid fundamentals at both ends of the floor ... IF the kids have solid fundamentals by the time they get to the varsity level ALL of the fine coaches I have named can take their "coaching/teaching" to the next level - varsity coaches can "teach" the nuances of THE POSITIONS to their players ... it's a long process BUT the best of the best programs/systems reap the benefits when players reach the varsity level with the fundamental tools of the game ... year after year teams have a different make up of players - coaches have to deal with the graduation of key players, sometimes entire starting fives leave ... but year in year out when I go to "rank" teams it really doesn't matter the personnel makeup of a team - when I KNOW the coach,I KNOW their program/system, I KNOW that "whoever" the NEW players are on varsity the PROGRAM dictates that those kids have the tools to make it work at the next level - the head coaches have made sure that their "assistants/jv/ms coaches" have ensured that the cupboard is not bare, the varsity has a starting point for success - the fundamentals of the game ...
... with 93dog's newly found "pull" with OHSAA I was hoping he could get the Thursday night games moved to Wednesday night - but I just got a PM stating that OHSAA still doesn't recognize "life" Below the Lancaster-Dixon Line - the change "ain't" going to fly ...
