Iowa Prep Teams Mimic Grinnell Style Of Basketball

Des Moines Register, John Naughton & Chris Cuellar

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120202/SPORTS08/120202033/0/BUSINESS01/?odyssey=nav|head

REINBECK, Iowa–A group of five players lines up at the girls’ basketball scorekeepers’ bench, then runs onto the court in a swarm.

For 30 or 45 seconds, the Gladbrook-Reinbeck girls give it their all in a burst of energy. Then, they return to the bench as a new wave of substitutes arrive with a fury.

Welcome to a fast-paced brand of basketball known as The Grinnell System.

The Grinnell College men drew national attention — and numerous scoring records — by installing a 3-point shooting scheme that is now being embraced by Iowa high school teams.

–Gladbrook-Reinbeck and West Marshall of State Center scored a combined 240 points in a double-overtime game. That set a national high school girls’ record for the most points in a game.

–Boys’ programs Lisbon and South Hamilton of Jewell rank first and second in 3-point shooting tries.

–Two girls’ teams running the system, Gladbrook-Reinbeck and Edgewood-Colesburg, are among the top eight schools in scoring average. They rank 1-2 in 3-point attempts.

–High school coaches from Michigan, New Jersey and Illinois came to a Reinbeck clinic in November to learn the system.

–Other programs — including the Indianola boys and the Mason City Newman girls — have used systems that deploy multiple substitutes.

High school teams using the formula typically aim for big numbers: 80 shots per game, 30 3-point attempts, 25 forced turnovers, capturing 40 percent of possible offensive rebounds and shooting 20 more times than opponents.

Fans are showing up at gyms to witness the fast-breaking frenzy. Players such as Gladbrook-Reinbeck guard Addi Kickbush think this is trend in the making.

“I know it’ll grow bigger, Kickbush said.

Founding The System

Grinnell College men’s basketball coach David Arseneault started a scoring revolution.

Arsenault envisioned a system of rapid movement, 3-pointer free-for-alls and substitutes swiftly moving into the game like hockey line shifts.

Affectionately known as CoachA, Arseneault began coaching at the small liberal arts school in 1989. The Pioneers have led all levels of NCAA basketball in scoring in 16 of the last 18 years.

At first the scheme was a novelty, but coaches became intrigued when Grinnell started winning (the team is 16-1 this season). In recent years, Arseneault has been contacted by coaches from across the country.

If an opposing conference coach asked me how to beat them, I would tell them. I would. I just don’t mind giving out information, Arseneault said.

Why would high school coaches adopt Grinnell’s style? One of the biggest advantages is that every player sees the floor.

Probably what would drive me the most nuts about going back and coaching high school are the parents, Arseneault said. Everybody wants their kid to be something special and participation is key.

“I think this kind of allows us to maximize participation and probably that has been a selling point for high school coaches.”

Lisbon’s defensive move

Lisbon boys’ basketball coach Matt Haddy found his team struggling on the offensive end when he switched to the Grinnell system. At winter break of the 2010-11 season, his team was 3-4 and averaging 44 points per game.

“We were playing well defensively, and not scoring, Haddy said. I just told my assistant, ‘I can’t watch this anymore.’ I told him what we were going to do and how I thought it was going to end up really, really good or really, really bad.”

This season, Lisbon has an 11-5 record and is averaging 66.8 points per game.

One advantage his team had during the transition was its depth, though the defensive-minded coach had to learn to relinquish concerns about the game’s minutiae.

“We’re not big, but we’re deep, and have good guards that can shoot the basketball, Haddy said.

It’s hard to convince a coach, or even myself, that we’re going to be willing to give up layups, but that’s just the nature of the beast.”

Lisbon, which had a 9-12 enrollment of 173 in 2010-11, has 31 boys out for the team.

Teams Trying To Mimic Grinnell Style Of Basketball

Des Moines Register, John Naughton & Chris Cuellar

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120202/SPORTS08/120202033/0/BUSINESS01/?odyssey=nav|head

REINBECK, Iowa–A group of five players lines up at the girls’ basketball scorekeepers’ bench, then runs onto the court in a swarm. For 30 or 45 seconds, the Gladbrook-Reinbeck girls give it their all in a burst of energy. Then, they return to the bench as a new wave of substitutes arrive with a fury. Welcome to a fast-paced brand of basketball known as The Grinnell System. The Grinnell College men drew national attention — and numerous scoring records — by installing a 3-point shooting scheme that is now being embraced by Iowa high school teams. –Gladbrook-Reinbeck and West Marshall of State Center scored a combined 240 points in a double-overtime game. That set a national high school girls’ record for the most points in a game. –Boys’ programs Lisbon and South Hamilton of Jewell rank first and second in 3-point shooting tries. –Two girls’ teams running the system, Gladbrook-Reinbeck and Edgewood-Colesburg, are among the top eight schools in scoring average. They rank 1-2 in 3-point attempts. –High school coaches from Michigan, New Jersey and Illinois came to a Reinbeck clinic in November to learn the system. –Other programs — including the Indianola boys and the Mason City Newman girls — have used systems that deploy multiple substitutes. High school teams using the formula typically aim for big numbers: 80 shots per game, 30 3-point attempts, 25 forced turnovers, capturing 40 percent of possible offensive rebounds and shooting 20 more times than opponents. Fans are showing up at gyms to witness the fast-breaking frenzy. Players such as Gladbrook-Reinbeck guard Addi Kickbush think this is trend in the making. “I know it’ll grow bigger, Kickbush said. Founding The System Grinnell College men’s basketball coach David Arseneault started a scoring revolution. Arsenault envisioned a system of rapid movement, 3-pointer free-for-alls and substitutes swiftly moving into the game like hockey line shifts. Affectionately known as CoachA, Arseneault began coaching at the small liberal arts school in 1989. The Pioneers have led all levels of NCAA basketball in scoring in 16 of the last 18 years. At first the scheme was a novelty, but coaches became intrigued when Grinnell started winning (the team is 16-1 this season). In recent years, Arseneault has been contacted by coaches from across the country. If an opposing conference coach asked me how to beat them, I would tell them. I would. I just don’t mind giving out information, Arseneault said. Why would high school coaches adopt Grinnell’s style? One of the biggest advantages is that every player sees the floor. Probably what would drive me the most nuts about going back and coaching high school are the parents, Arseneault said. Everybody wants their kid to be something special and participation is key. “I think this kind of allows us to maximize participation and probably that has been a selling point for high school coaches.” Lisbon’s defensive move Lisbon boys’ basketball coach Matt Haddy found his team struggling on the offensive end when he switched to the Grinnell system. At winter break of the 2010-11 season, his team was 3-4 and averaging 44 points per game. “We were playing well defensively, and not scoring, Haddy said. I just told my assistant, ‘I can’t watch this anymore.’ I told him what we were going to do and how I thought it was going to end up really, really good or really, really bad.” This season, Lisbon has an 11-5 record and is averaging 66.8 points per game. One advantage his team had during the transition was its depth, though the defensive-minded coach had to learn to relinquish concerns about the game’s minutiae. “We’re not big, but we’re deep, and have good guards that can shoot the basketball, Haddy said. It’s hard to convince a coach, or even myself, that we’re going to be willing to give up layups, but that’s just the nature of the beast.” Lisbon, which had a 9-12 enrollment of 173 in 2010-11, has 31 boys out for the team.