April 19, 2010 - I made few but important changes to this article published on February 13, 2010. At first, I wanted to leave the original sentences crossed, but in the end I decided to take them out completely because crossed lines destroy the flow. In addition to revising some sentences, I removed all the comments. The debate made sense while it was happening but I don’t think it is interesting as a permanent addition to the article.

Author

“Winning is like deodorant – it comes up and a lot of things don’t stink.” – Doc Rivers, The Celtics Coach

Not long ago, the Belmont Marauders basketball team was undefeated, 15 and 0. But, they lost two of their last three games, first to Reading, then last night to Watertown. Both these teams are considered serious rivals and getting the wins was extremely important to the team. The game against the Watertown Raiders was particularly important because the team wanted to go into the post season on the wings of a decisive win against a great rival. It all looked possible as Belmont thoroughly outplayed Watertown in their first game of the season. This time, the final score was Watertown 57 – Belmont 53.

In my article from January 13th, 2010, titled Big win for Belmont against undefeated Reading, I highlighted what Belmont needed to do differently to get more decisive wins and to prevail in tough situations. When the article came out some people expressed their consternation that I was too pessimistic while the team was winning. I wanted the team not to be oblivious to the “deodorant effect,” to look at their performances objectively, and start fixing problems while there was still time.

Let’s revisit briefly what I said in January (more details here). The Belmont Marauders needed to:

• Find their defense
• Have four players score in double digits
• Promote good passing and have everybody touch the ball on offense
• Move the ball inside out
• Play pick-and-roll basketball
• Take only smart (good) shots
• Dispel the idea of a big three
• Fast break a lot more
• Keep working on team spirit

I can tell with full confidence that in Belmont’s first game against Watertown (watch full game here ) the team followed these guidelines to the letter. They didn’t do it because they read my article, of course, they did it because they know instinctively how to play basketball, and the coach didn’t interfere. In their second game, last night, they failed on 8 out of the 9 points. The coach tried to force them do things his way and he imposed the most confused substitution pattern that I’ve seen this season. Of course, the experiment was bound to fail. (By this I don’t mean playing mostly seniors in the first half on the Senior Night, because I think that was a noble idea and I fully supported it.)

So, what happened last night? Belmont got outplayed and thoroughly outcoached second time in a week. The team played man defense in the first half, then switched to some sort of zone diamond with one player shadowing Marco Coppola, Watertown’s best player. It worked poorly in the first half, and it didn’t work at all in the second. When Belmont had the players in the game who could play zone, the team played man defense. When they had players who could match up, they played this weird combo-zone. The players looked like they played the diamond scheme for the first time in their lives, and it was easily broken down by the Watertown offense. When shots didn’t go in, the Watertown offense penetrated and scored inside.

What was most revealing about the team dynamics was the way the Belmont team did, or to be more accurate didn’t, respond to their coach. Their body language revealed deficiency of trust. They showed resistance to the his substitutions and speeches in the huddle. Can this trust  be established before the post-season? Respect is not something you can shove down your players’ throats in 3+ hr practices after a loss for which you have nobody else to blame but yourself. Opportunities to gain the players’ respect were missed long ago.

Great coach John Wooden believed in practices in which every minute was used for a purpose. He had minute-by-minute schedules and he never let anything distract him from following through with his practice plan. He never extended his practice beyond the attention-holding boundary. If you can’t get your message heard in 1.5 hrs you are unlikely to get it heard in 3 hrs. And don’t blame the recipient, blame the messenger.

Watertown, on the other hand, played a great game. When played the right way, basketball is like music performed by a good symphony orchestra. When you have players in full harmony with their coach they are his extended hand  on the court, materialization of his coaching philosophy. The coach needs to have a good feel for his players; he needs to understand when it is better to let their talent take off and when there is a need to provide guidance, but a good coach never interferes with his players’ talent. He never puts himself in front of or above his players. I enjoyed watching Watertown last night. I enjoyed watching a great coach and enthusiastic players who responded to him throughout the game. At times, although still rooting for Belmont, I caught myself admiring Watertown’s execution of their coach’s game plan, the patience with which they passed the ball until they got the shot they wanted.

In the game of basketball, there are good scorers, good defenders, good rebounders, good shot blockers… There are  few born winners, and even fewer true leaders. Marco Coppola played like a true leader last night. He scored when the team needed it, he ran without the ball tirelessly, he passed when his teammates needed to be engaged. He showed a great feel for the rhythm of the game. He did not take a single bad shot. The last fast-break attack was supreme evidence of his leadership. In a two-on-one play, most MVP-caliber players would take it upon themselves to score and win the game, but he chose to pass instead. Why? Because it was the right thing to do, the right way to play the game. It increased the odds.  That’s why Marco Coppola should be considered a serious candidate in the race for the Middlesex League MVP. He lead a team without much depth to a winning record by making everybody around him better.

Where does this leave us? The Belmont players will continue winning in the post season. They will do it because they have too much talent and pride to stop now. Will they go all the way? That, I don’t know. I do know one thing, though, if they win the state championship it will happen because of the camaraderie on the court, not because of the long speeches in the locker room. They will win by following the guidelines from the beginning of this article because it is a common-sense approach to basketball. They will win because they will find a way to put their egos aside and forge the kind of unity needed whenever a group of people wants to achieve something great.

Among good things, the inside defense was solid. Reading centers and forwards couldn’t easily score. Belmont hit more than their typical 20% of threes attempted, which helped quite a bit.

Among not so good things, the defense on penetrations was shaky. It looked like Reading guards could get into the paint any time they wanted.

When you win an important game, the media covers it. Jon Hines wrote “Belmont tops Reading in unbeaten boys hoop battle ” and published it in Daily Times Chronicle. Amara Grautski wrote “Musler carries Belmont to win ” for the Boston Globe. Michael Pina wrote “Belmont High boys hoop wins battle of unbeatens ” for the Belmont Citizen-Herald.

What should Belmont team do better if they want to be a really terrific team? Here are some thoughts:

• Find their defense. In the first 4-5 games, they were constantly switching between press, zone, man. They need to find what suits the players they have the best, execute that well, and use press more judiciously. Opposing teams scored too many easy baskets on broken Belmont presses in the past.
• Make sure that four players score in double digits every game. Why? Because they can, they have enough talent to do it. You can stop one player, you can stop two, it is very hard to stop three, and it is impossible to stop four. I am not talking about the league games any more, although there will be a lot of battles in January and February. I am talking about the tournament and winning against really good teams. Well, that preparation should start now.
• The team needs to understand that good passing is the most effective offensive weapon in basketball. That’s the only play which works against any defense. Good passing makes basketball mesmerizing to watch. Seven games into the season, I am still waiting for a good passing game by Belmont. The game against Reading wasn’t one of them. If you don’t believe my theory about passing just look at the best players in the history of basketball, they were all unselfish players and great passers. Larry Bird thinks that good passing is more difficult than good shooting, because you have to hit a moving target through the forest of hands. But good passing needs to be actively promoted by the coaching staff, not only as the player’s last resort. The best leaders are the best facilitators, they make every other player perform at or even above their current level of capability. I have to say that I am not optimistic in this regard because Belmont basketball programs seem to like players who can “take it to the hoop”, which is often done recklessly, against double or triple teams, without ever looking for an open player.
  Note: On Saturday, I watched Harvard beat Dartmouth. What a beautiful passing game. Every player touches the ball on every offense, often more than once. High school teams should collectively go to one of Harvard games to witness quiet leadership (Jeremy Lin) and  excellence without self-promotion at work. No wonder Harvard beat BC and almost beat uConn. As a side note, I saw the whole Winchester High basketball team at the game.
• Move the ball inside out and not only in circles outside the three point line. Inside out movement is more likely to open three point shots, and a variety of cuts. If executed well, it is much harder to defend. Unlike last year, Belmont has good passers in the low-post positions. They need to understand that passing is a strength not a weakness, especially if they are double-teamed and their teammate is open somewhere.
• Re-introduce the mid-range shot. Despite what I have heard may times in the circles around Belmont basketball, the mid-range shot is not dead! This shot should not be discouraged when missed because it is as good as any other shot, no better no worse. It is certainly better than a forced lay-up or a hasty three. This is true, of course, if you have players who can make it, and Belmont has at least three of them.
• Play some pick-and-roll, but for real, as part of the game plan. Again, the reason Belmont should do it is that they have players who can execute it. Over 60% of all offense in the NBA is pick-and-roll. The reason is simple: it is next to impossible to defend it, if done well. I am aware that there is a lot of zone defense in high school basketball which makes pick-and-roll way less effective. Belmont couldn’t do it 60% of time (and they shouldn’t), but it could be an additional, potentially deadly, offensive weapon.
• Take only smart shots. The line between good shooters and gunners is very thin. I don’t care if you score 25 points on 20% shooting. That’s a bad game by all standards. Imagine if you were sick and your doctor diagnosed your disease right only once in every five attempts – you’d be dead by now. Making good decisions when time is limited is not easy. Here’s my quick definition of a good shot: it is a shot you can make with confidence higher than 50% (try to get this closer to 90%), but ONLY if your teammate is not in a position to make a shot with confidence higher than yours! Otherwise, it becomes a bad shot. As I said earlier, the line is very thin. Not easy to make that decision in 1/2 of a second? Well, that’s what makes a difference between solid basketball players and really good ones. I will not mention great because there are no great players in the Middlesex League, and there are very few in high school basketball in any given year.
• Dispel the idea of “big three”. Last year, I read in the local newspapers and online publications that Belmont had “big three”. Early on this season, one article mentioned Belmont’s new “big three”. It was repulsive last year and it is equally repulsive now. I don’t even know where these ideas come from. Some players will score more than others and maybe they’ll do it consistently, but who is there to decide that scoring is more important than defensive stops. So, you may have a player who works his butt off every night, maybe shadows the other team’s point guard the whole season, and he is not part of the “big three” society only because he doesn’t score 15 points every night. The sole emphasis on points bothers me. I believe this mistaken idea comes from the NBA, and it bothers me there too. Garnett, Pierce and Allen are the “big three” because they suck in two third of the team’s money. I know Perkins is not a superstar and he may never be, nor will he ever get the status that Dwight Howard has in the league. But, he hauls double-digit rebounds and adds double-digit points many nights, and he’s… what… “crappy two”. Belmont has big five, and big seven, and big nine if the need be, and that’s the only right approach. Sometimes, a player changes the rhythm of the game when playing only two-three minutes. In some ways, that’s harder than scoring 15 points in 38 minutes.
• Fast break a bit more. Belmont doesn’t have a typical slow center. They basically play with three guards and two forwards (who could also play guard if the need be). They can throw some long passes from out-of-bounds. They can throw the outlet pass quickly then run the court. They should get more easy points this way. I am not advocating for them to start gambling with risky passes and try fast breaking every time they get a defensive rebound. Like any other offense, if used too often it becomes predictable and easier to defend. But, I’ve seen missed opportunities in the past and, I am sure, more opportunities will arise in the future. They should not be missed. Here’s what great Red Auerbach said about coaches who don’t run fast break: “Coaches today figure you can’t control a fast break the way you can control a half-court offense. These guys don’t want a running game because they lose control if they have one. They want to walk the ball up the court so they can stand up and control every possession, every pass. They feel more secure that way. [...] A lot of coaches get up and scream or call time-outs so they look like they know what they’re doing. It’s all about image…”
• Improve free-throw shooting. It was surprising to see Belmont team struggle in the first couple of games. Free throws often win games. When Larry Bird broke his foot in high school, he kept working on his free throws (and passing) even while on crutches. Most Belmont players can make 80% of their free-throws and I am convinced they will start doing it soon.
• Keep working on the team spirit. Do not worry about who scored most points or got most rebounds. I’ve already seen a player with limited minutes WIN a game with one critical play which didn’t show on the score board. The boom box at the end of the games may help more in this regard than anything coaches may do or say.

Belmont has potential to win the state championship this year, but many teams with potential lost it before they even got to the championship game. It is time to celebrate seven wins, time to enjoy being unbeaten in a solid league. It is not time to become over-confident and stop improving. If things are done right, that time will never come until the season is over.

Why did I chose exactly these teams. Either because they are geographically close to where I live, so I am more likely to watch live games, or because of the memories from years ago (I used to watch Partizan in the late-eighties and Cibona in the mid-nineties).

This season should be exciting. Cibona has steadied itself under seasoned coaching by Velimir Perasovic. Partizan is hoping to repeat last year successes (coming off their first NBA pre-season tour ever). Their continuity is in their coaching staff led by Dusko Vujosevic, and I am sure they will launch some new young players this year – again. The Celtics have improved their roster by adding Sheed and Daniels, two types of players they desperately needed. Belmont Marauders are loosing three starters and captains from last year: their designated three-point shooter, and both paint players. Between them, they are loosing 60% of all points and 80% of all rebounds. This being said, they have a very solid senior class. Their back-court should be strong especially defensively, their leading scorer is a senior (and hungry for more visibility), and it is yet to be seen if any junior or sophomore will play a significant role this year. Overall, it should be an enjoyable season to watch as I expect the team to play faster and more exciting basketball (last year was a bit on the boring side).

I am running a bit late, as Adriatic League already started and Euroleague has started too. Cibona already played Partizan in Belgrade and came back home with a win. A big win to start the season. Analysis of the game is to come soon. Stay tuned…

Goodwin's dunk at the end

The Belmont Marauders defeated the Woburn Tanners in a balanced game in which they controlled the Tanners defensively throughout the game. The game was low-scoring and close until the half. In the third quarter, the Marauders played tenacious defense and fed the front court in a timely fashion. Goodwin and Paolillo finished most of the feeds to lead the Marauders in scoring.

Belmont has all the reasons to believe that this will be a winning season, especially if they continue displaying consistent defensive effort. The team seems to be well synced on that end of the court. The guards play on a defensive string, expanding and collapsing as needed, and the center line is solid with a good amount of bulk added to length. These centers can push anybody out of the paint; if they maintain their focus and keep boxing out, there will be no easy points for the opposing offense from down low.

On the offensive side of the court, Belmont again relies on the strong game of the front court (Paolillo and Goodwin) with occasional penetration by Andrew Musler. Musler is hard to categorize as a player, he may be one of the few point forwards in the league, but his contribution is bigger than the stat sheet may tell. He can break the other team through the middle and either score or open the game up for others… and he gets on the line which is valuable since he is a dependable free throw shooter. He extends his game to either guard or power forward with solid ball handling and rebounding. Even when percentage of his conversion is not high, as will occasionally happen, it is not a concern because there is always a positive side effect of throwing the opposing defense out of their formation.

Not everything is cozy on offense, though. The lack of outside shooting is a concern. The guards are reluctant to take shots when open 10-15 feet away from the hoop. So far, they haven’t been successful in a penetrate-and-dish-out or find-the-big-guy kind of game either. This leads to my other concern, which is play-making. In the game against the Tanners, Belmont relied on Musler far too often to handle the ball and make plays. Luckily, in this game, it didn’t turn out to be a critical weakness.

So far, the strengths outweighed the weakness. That’s why Belmont has a 1-1 record against two tough opponents from two away games.

From Around the Web

• It’s early, but so far so good, Mark Goodman and Michael Liuzza, Belmont Citizen-Herald

On Tuesday night, the Belmont High boys basketball team defeated Woburn, a team that has been picked by many to do great things this season. But the Marauders went into Woburn High School with confidence and came away with a huge victory.

• Belmont gets the better of boys hoop, Mark Goodman, Woburn Advocate

The Woburn High boys basketball team never really got on track Tuesday night in a 48-36 defeat at the hands of Belmont. The visiting Marauders were down at the half, 20-18, but put on a remarkable defensive display after that. Woburn scored just two points in the third quarter, by the end of which Belmont led, 33-22.

Here’s the slideshow of pictures taken during the game:

Lexington - Belmont, before the game

The first game of the season! After months of training, anticipation building, summer leagues, fall leagues, exhaustive workouts, week-long tryouts… the first game is here. Belmont knows that historically their chances to win are slim. But history doesn’t matter now, it’s ten guys on the court which will decide the outcome.

Belmont starts strong and has a lead after the first quarter. The front court is doing their job boxing out and rebounding. The guards are holding their positions defensively, Belmont’s patient with the ball and runs the court well. They continue playing strong in the second quarter and have the lead at the half. Third quarter is no different. The offense from both teams is slow, half-court offense which is looking for the big guys as close to the paint as possible. If the big guys are cut off, the ball circles around while guards are looking for the opening. Slow, but tension builds up. The quarter ends in a tie.

Belmont is starting to believe that the win is within reach.

Lexington celebrates in the end

Fourth quarter is the whole different story. Lexington presses in their half court and Belmont seems to respond well… but then Belmont game falls apart. They start to panic unlike first three quarters. Bad shots are taken, the big guys are almost completely pushed out where they become ineffective. Substitutions don’t bring much of the change. To make things worse, Belmont starts gambling on defense – the whole team presses on Lexington’s side of the court making it easy for their opponent to get loose and run. The score is close enough that there is no apparent need for it. In any case the gamble doesn’t pay off. Lexington gets a bunch of easy points off fast break, they build a 17 point lead and the game is over.

First loss for the Marauders, but a promising game. They sent a clear message that they could play competitively against on of the top teams in the league, if not the very best. Hopefully, this confidence will carry them throughout the season and all the way to the tournament.

News Clippings

On December 17, Belmont Citizen Herald published a detailed account of the game with both coaches interviewed. The article, First round goes to Minutemen, was written by Doug Hastings. Excerpts from the article:

“It’s a tough score to see at the end, but I know it wasn’t like that,” Belmont coach Adam Pritchard said. “You get behind at the end and you have to take some chances. They’re a tough team to get behind on. More often than not, they make you pay for it.”

With Wynott diving to the floor for loose balls on two separate occasions, the Marauders followed his lead. Musler hit two foul shots, Paolillo converted an offensive rebound and Musler added another free throw to tie the game heading into the fourth quarter, 32-32.

“We’re going to try and get better every game,” said Pritchard. “If we can be competitive against this team, we can be competitive against any team.”