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Date Posted: 11:01:38 05/19/01 Sat
Author: Edgecliff Hall
Author Host/IP: spider-wd044.proxy.aol.com / 205.188.193.169
Subject: Two Kinds of Coach (Also Posted On Men's Board

I have been involved with a writing project recently which caused me to do research into the early days of basketball. I've been led to conclude that (Maybe) there are basically two kinds of coaches.
Coach P. for Precision. And Coach C, for Chaos.

Some background. After Jim Naismith (at age 31) invented the game of basketball in 1891, he had more urgent matters in his life. There was his teaching at the Springfield YMCA school, getting married to Maud Sherman, going Medical School in Denver, having children, and then finding a job to support his growing family. Eventually he became the coach of basketball (briefly) and Athletic Director at the University of Kansas.
But Jim Naismith, the genius who invented them game, was not much of a basketball coach, in the modern sense of the word. He did not seem to take the game seriously. In the psycho jargon of today we might say Jim Naismith was deeply conflicted about the game of basketball. He would have warm debates with his student, Pfog Allen, and from them came his famous quote:
You can’t coach basketball,you just play it.
For Naismith basketball was only what he intended it to be, a game of fun and exercise. Throw up the ball and let em play. And who cares who wins?
Phog Allen had other ideas. He knew basketball could be coached, seriously and in detail. He made a science of the game, and cared a lot about winning.
Allen and Naismith remained friends as Mentor and Student throughout their lives. They finally resolved their debate by concluding that Naismith was the Father of Basketball, and Allen was the Father of Basketball Coaching.
Which leads me to the speculation that coaches are decedents of either Jim Naismith or Phog Allen. I call these two types Chaos and Precision.

The Naismith Coach: (Chaos) Gives players lots of freedom to improvise. Loves to press because it makes things happen. Run, run, run. Few set plays. Frustrating to interview since he cant explain a win or a loss. Speaks in generalities, tells players to play hard, play to win etc. but few details as to exactly how. Players subject to emotional ups and downs. Once down, hard for them to break out of a bad streak. Vulnerable in last seconds of tight games where planning and execution are needed.
Pattern: Hot and Cold. Wild, exciting play. Skip Prosser.

The Phog Allen Coach (Precision) Gene Hackman in Hoosiers. My word is law. Drills players on basketball fundamentals. Likes set plays in half court. Will press and run only in certain situations. Can always break a press. Stresses accurate shooting. Uses bench for role players, deploys them like chess prices. Causes players to have confidant attitude. Expecting to win, they play with cool consistency, not subject to emotional ups and downs.
Pattern: Precision, Execution, Control. Melanie Balcomb

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