Response to Danley's blog

I thought this was one of Stephen Danley's more interesting blogs, really dipping into the way both Fran Dunphy and Glen Miller manage.

For those of you too lazy to read it, Danley's main point is that Dunphy was a coach that relied more on the intelligence and skills of individuals, rather than Miller, a man who trusts the system.

It's impossible to tell which one is right, but sometimes each style can be beneficial.

For a team like Penn, though (and really maybe any team), I'd slightly prefer Miller's style of offense, and Dunphy's defense.

In one of my last few games of competitive basketball, due to some injuries, my squad had a rotation of six players. The opposition knew this.

I remember when I went to Penn basketball camp as a kid, Dunphy always preached "take what the defense gives you" among other things. This works often, but in some cases is fatal. (Still, Miller's squad has been often baited into taking open threes early, which is certainly not part of the offense.)

In this game, our opponents gave us open threes if we wanted them and lanes to drive, all early in the shot clock. We took every good chance we could, and as a result play at a very high pace. We were within a few points at halftime, but were also exhausted, and lost by 40.

A more disciplined offense would have made us give up some attractive options in order to play our game.

Miller's "system" defense sounds like it is simpler, but harder to remember. What I mean by this, is the sets may be easy enough for a freshman to be plugged in (unlike in Dunphy's), but always having to remember things like which players to switch on when screened, and which ones to go over screens and which under on them is too much of a burden. Defense is about effort and intensity, and those are hard to achieve when there is too much on your mind.

While I was the only Ivy-Leaguer on my high school team, I was probably the least basketball-savvy, which is why rebounding was the strongest area of my game. When my coaches had us running matchup zones, we were playing cautiously. I once even kicked out of practice fro screwing up a play one too many times.

But when I can play a defense where we as players can talk and sort out moves on our own, I, and the rest of my team, would play the best.

Especially for a team struggling with communication and getting out on shooters, it doesn't matter who you're switching off of, sometimes you just have to simplify.