A Clockwork Orange
2022 Cali Winner (Overall Record)
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- Aug 14, 2011
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I'm always interested in the history of college basketball (not to the extent of SWC, of course) and I'm interested in coaching trees. I find it fascinating that you can connect the dots of certain coaching trees right back to the inception of the sport.
For instance, UNC's coach Roy Williams.
Williams was taught in the vagaries of the game by Dean Smith. Smith played under Phog Allen. Allen learned the game from Naismith. So Williams coaching tree links directly back to the man who invented the game.
Coach Boeheim's lineage is nearly as interesting. He was coached by Fred Lewis, an amazing coach in his own right who believed in fast break basketball. Lewis also played a lot of zone defense, but also was a proponent of full court pressure.
Lewis went to Long Island University, where he was coached by Clair Bee. Bee has the highest winning percentage in Division I hoops history (.824). Bee created the 1-3-1 zone, and also was instrumental in the 24 second shot clock in the NBA. Bee was also familiar with the 2-3 zone defense (and probably taught it as a result of it being used against him).
In 1914, Cam Henderson essentially created the 3-2 zone defense while at Bristol High School to stymie Bee's Grafton YMCA team. Later, when Bee was coaching LIU, Henderson again got the best of him. Now coaching at Marshall University, Henderson subtly adjusted his 3-2 into a 2-3 zone defense to snap Bee's 40 game winning streak in 1938.
So in a way, Boeheim's use of the zone can be traced back to the 1930s, and Clair Bee. So while Roy boy can claim Naismith, Boeheim can claim he is a part of the Clair Bee coaching tree.
Just a nugget I thought was interesting.
For instance, UNC's coach Roy Williams.
Williams was taught in the vagaries of the game by Dean Smith. Smith played under Phog Allen. Allen learned the game from Naismith. So Williams coaching tree links directly back to the man who invented the game.
Coach Boeheim's lineage is nearly as interesting. He was coached by Fred Lewis, an amazing coach in his own right who believed in fast break basketball. Lewis also played a lot of zone defense, but also was a proponent of full court pressure.
Lewis went to Long Island University, where he was coached by Clair Bee. Bee has the highest winning percentage in Division I hoops history (.824). Bee created the 1-3-1 zone, and also was instrumental in the 24 second shot clock in the NBA. Bee was also familiar with the 2-3 zone defense (and probably taught it as a result of it being used against him).
In 1914, Cam Henderson essentially created the 3-2 zone defense while at Bristol High School to stymie Bee's Grafton YMCA team. Later, when Bee was coaching LIU, Henderson again got the best of him. Now coaching at Marshall University, Henderson subtly adjusted his 3-2 into a 2-3 zone defense to snap Bee's 40 game winning streak in 1938.
So in a way, Boeheim's use of the zone can be traced back to the 1930s, and Clair Bee. So while Roy boy can claim Naismith, Boeheim can claim he is a part of the Clair Bee coaching tree.
Just a nugget I thought was interesting.
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