The Basketball Series Part 2: I'm in Europe, let's talk about style.

This is the second installment of The Basketball Series. Here we are talking about style.




How many of you love style? Or at least know what it is?  Or have your own style?  How many of you love fashion?  How many of you have a passion for fashion (wow that sounds even worse if you read it out loud) well if you are in any of those categories especially if you love European styles...

note the heelless design. i gotta get me a pair of bball shoes like this

This blog will greatly disappoint you...










I'm here to talk about basketball remember?

note the uhh...open mouth...not a good look

Moving on..



The style I wanna talk about is the style of play that our Coach and Rilski Sportist has and will employ in the coming season.  During the meeting coach and I go over some of the things we will be running.  Now I dont know who is looking at this blog (kind of a creepy thought if you think about it, i was gonna make a joke about it could be someone halfway across the world...but..thats true...which doesnt make that joke funny...WANTED: new material)  so i am not gonna put specifics in but we look at some of the initial play sets we are going to learn.  There are quite a few but we will go into that tomorrow (gotta love cliffhangers).

Coach also warns me, "You have to be patient" he says, "the game is very different from college and it will take some getting used to."  He talks about a previous player who struggled at first and after the first few games was considered somewhat of a bust (gotta love the patience some people have) and coach was taking alot of heat...then he got used to the game and really blossomed...and now is making duckets (for those with lighter skin color duckets means money) for another team.  Coach is proud of that because he helped him get to be the great player he is today.  He wants to do the same with me.  Basically what I heard was..."Adam, we are going to work hard...then you will make more money"...hmmm lemme think about that one awhile and get back to you.

After looking at some of the other sets and different things in our playbook he gives me some game film to go home and note the differences between college and pro (didnt I leave the last of the hw in Janna's class??)  When I watch it is clear that there are very key differences that must be taken into account.


1.) The game overall is MUCH MUCH faster.  We played fast in college...but also had a 35 second clock..now the shot clock is 24 seconds...trust me 11 seconds is ALOT of time (i will pass on making any joke about 11 seconds being alot of time...although i feel like by saying that I have? sorry cant please everyone...)

2.) the lane is wider...now for guards that may not be a big deal...but for a man who has made his money (well scholarship) off jump hooks on the block...well this will take some getting used to.

3.) Defensive spacing is much more spread.  Since the lane is wider people are further out...this gives more open space to drive and makes helping that much more important.  Whoo hoo for defnsive shell drill this season


All in all watching the game tape has made me thankful for being able to play under Coach Matheny (or Coach Mahony as it is pronounced over here for some reason...gotta love accents) for a year.  The fast break and motion offense we ran has definitely prepared me for what I am about to embark on this year.  This should be exciting the more and more we learn.