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Coaching the System: A complete guide to basketball's most explosive style of play Paperback – May 11, 2011

by Gary Smith (Author), Doug Porter (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 75 ratings
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"If you are interested in Coaching the System, you must be either desperate or crazy!" At least that's what people told authors Gary Smith and Doug Porter when they began investigating this revolutionary style of play almost a decade ago. Ignoring the critics, they went on to coach the two highest scoring teams in men's and women's college basketball history: the University of Redlands, California (132.4 ppg), and Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois (104.1 ppg). From its origins as the Sonny Allen Numbered Fast Break, to Paul Westhead’s Loyola Marymount up-tempo game, the System has been around for decades. But when Grinnell College’s David Arseneault added platoon substitution patterns and hockey-style short shifts, placing a priority on creating three-point looks for his “preferred shooters,” the System truly came into its own. Smith and Porter learned the Grinnell version of the System from Arseneault himself, adapting it to fit their situations coaching men’s and women’s programs. In the past decade their teams set 32 NCAA and NAIA records between them, including most 100-point games in a season (Redlands-23; Olivet-24). Olivet also holds national records for defensive turnovers (36.3 per game) assists (23.8 per game), and three pointers made in a season (509, 15.6 per game). Redlands owns college basketball records (all levels) for field goal attempts (110.3 per game), and three-pointers made (23.8 per game). Now you can learn every detail of this devastating full court run-and-press attack that allows you to dictate tempo and force your opponents out of their normal game plan, capturing the imagination of your players and community, and making coaching fun again! You’ll learn exactly how and why the System works, how to adapt it to fit your personnel, suggestions for conditioning players, organizing System practices, and even ways to respond to the inevitable criticisms that come with playing the game this far “outside the box.” Other chapters offer complete descriptions of the Redlands Attack (Coach Smith’s variation of the Grinnell offense), the LMU Attack (which Westhead popularized and used to advance to the NCAA regional finals in 1990), and the Olivet Attack (Coach Porter’s hybrid version of the LMU and Dribble-Drive offenses). Finally, you'll learn System defensive principles, terminology, and how to cover every conceivable press attack and press-breaker alignment. Also included are 57 drills and over 300 diagrams to illustrate System offense and defense, providing you with a complete blueprint for “Coaching the System!”
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  1. Print length
    410 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 11, 2011
  4. Dimensions
    7.99 x 0.84 x 10 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    146113157X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1461131571
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gary Smith has coached men's basketball since 1965, including three years at the high school level and four as a college assistant. During thirty-six seasons at the University of Redlands (1971-2007) he was recognized as NAIA District III and Area 1 Coach of the Year (1976), NCAA Division III District 8 Coach of the Year (1985), California Basketball Magazine Division III Coach of the Year (1990) and D3 Hoops NCAA West Region Coach of the Year (2007). In 2007 he received the NABC Division III Outstanding Service Award in Leadership, the SCIAC Distinguished Service Award, and the NABC Guardians of the Game Pillar Award in Education. Coach Smith's teams hold sixteen NCAA records, with his 2004-05 squad becoming the highest scoring team in basketball history, the first at any level of basketball to average over 130 points per game. Since leaving Redlands he served one year as an assistant at Grinnell College and has consulted for several teams in the United States and in Germany. He is a 1964 graduate of the University of Redlands with a master's degree in education. Gary lives in Davis, California where his wife Carol, daughter Karen, husband Jay and grandson Max also reside, with frequent trips to Iowa to visit his older daughter Christy, her husband Mike and grandson Ian. Doug Porter has coached women's basketball since 1977, including nine years as a junior high and high school varsity coach. He began his college career with assistant coaching stints at Wheaton College from 1986-89, and at West Texas A&M University from 1991-94. In 1994 he became head coach at Aurora University where his first team advanced to the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen. Since 1998 he has been head women's basketball coach at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. In fourteen years at Aurora and Olivet, Porter has been NIIC or CCAC Conference Coach of the Year six times, and was named an IBCA Coach of the Year in 1995, 2000, 2001, 2008, and 2011. His teams at Olivet hold sixteen NAIA records and in 2007-08 tied the women's college basketball all-time single season scoring record by averaging 104.1 points, while forcing 35 turnovers per game. He is a 1977 graduate of Wheaton College, and holds a master's degree in Physical Education with a Sport Psychology emphasis from the University of North Texas. Doug lives in Bourbonnais with his wife Pam, an elementary school teacher, and their cats Jabez and Jimmy, who are currently unemployed.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 11, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 410 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 146113157X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1461131571
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.79 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.99 x 0.84 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 75 ratings

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
75 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Cecilio Gomez
5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait to implement.
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2023
Verified Purchase
I believe this book really gives a great overview of the Grinnell System from the view of the authors. Gave me great ideas that I can't wait to start implementing this season.
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Kevin Sivils - KCS Basketballl Enterprises
5.0 out of 5 stars An encyclopedia of fast break basketball!
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2011
Verified Purchase
I have coached varsity basketball for 26 seasons and since 1990 have been an advocate of fast break basketball. Coach The System is the most complete source of fast break information I have ever seen. It covers the famed Loyola Marymound fast break made famous by Coach Paul Westhead, winner of NBA and WNBA championships as well as the famous LMU teams of the late 1980s, the Grinnell College system, the Redlands College system and the Olivet Nazarene system.

Not only does it cover the actual offensive organization for these fast break systems, it covers the drills needed to fully develop the systems of play, the trapping defense needed to generate the tempo and turnovers required to force the opponent to play up tempo.

This book is like one of the old AT&T phone books it is so large. It will take me several weeks to finish reading it in detail. I am super excited about this find and at this stage of my career it takes a lot to do that.

The writing is easy to understand, the diagrams are clear and easy to understand and the material is organized in a logical, systematic manner allowing the coach to find what is needed easily and quickly.

This book is like Coach Wooden's Practical Modern Basketball - every serious basketball coach needs to have a copy on his or her bookshelf!
4 people found this helpful
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DJA
5.0 out of 5 stars Good teachers of a unique style of play
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
Let me start by saying that I'm not a "system" coach and I have no intention of implementing the system. Sometimes its fun to learn from those who are thinking outside the box and who are trying to swim upstream. The authors do a great job of sharing not only this style of play, but also their journey that brought them to use the System. They are fantastic teachers and do a great job of explaining both the big picture as well as the details. They don't hide from the controversial nature of this style or sugar coat the difficulties that come with implementing it. If you're thinking of doing something radical with your team, then you'll love it. Personally, I was just looking for a fun read and maybe some fast break ideas. Most of what they do is so unique that I can't say I really got a lot of ideas for my team, but I did enjoy learning about the System.
One person found this helpful
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Mr. Douglas G. Bonnar
4.0 out of 5 stars This book is well written and has a lot of detail
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
The bad bits first:

My guess is that if you're considering this you're already excited by the philosophy so it does labour the point a bit too much for me, also I know you guys aren't Phil Jackson so spare a little detail on your various accomplishments- maybe this an American thing (I'm British).

Maybe too many alternatives.

The good bits
It's very well written and goes into a lot of detail with loads of good diagrams and explanations and general coaching tips and ideas.
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Tyler Sisco
5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible of The System Basketball
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
If you coach, are considering, or are a fan of The System style of run and gun basketball this is the absolute BIBLE of knowledge gaining. Highly recommend it!
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Thomas Cloud Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Written and Great System
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2013
Verified Purchase
5.17.2013 - We are experimenting using this system with a 7th grade boys AAU basketball team. We are doing quite well. Our defense is amazing. The boys are having alot of fun. It allows you to play more of your roster and still have the team play well. It gets other teams talking and it is fun to coach and watch. Our players are having a blast. Our first tournament is June 15th. We have more talent than most 7th AAU teams, so we will see how it goes.
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Oldbbcoach
5.0 out of 5 stars The discussions by two successful coaches that have used "The System" at small college level are very good. They discuss all the
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
Very well done explanation and discussion of a basketball "System" that is so different than traditional approach to basketball. It has been very successful in certain situations. The discussions by two successful coaches that have used "The System" at small college level are very good. They discuss all the advantages and pitfalls of using "The System". If you consider using "The System", this is an essential read.
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LoneStarCoach
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Guide to Implementing "The System"
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is a very comprehensive guide to everything a coach needs to know to install this unconventional style of play. It also offers plenty of ideas so you can adapt the system to fit your personality and personnel. I especially appreciated the advice on how to handle critics and doubters. If you are thinking of running "The System", this is a must have!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Just a voice
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Explanation
Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
A very good explanation of the system. I am not saying I am going to run the system but I am saying I get a thorough understanding with this book. It reads like a sit down conversation with the coaches where they talk about the system and answer your questions as they seem to come up in your head.
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Juan José Alaiz Pérez
5.0 out of 5 stars Libro muy ilustrativo y conveniente para el desarrollo de la enseñanza del baloncesto
Reviewed in Spain on January 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
Libro muy ilustrativo y conveniente para el desarrollo de la enseñanza del baloncesto. En lengua castellana no existe un libro que enseñe bien la filosofia del shooting game.
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robert aurich
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on November 7, 2014
Verified Purchase
If you have a team of Wings and Guards, there is lots to use in this book.
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