David Arsenault, Ranadive and D'Alessandro

[funkykingston]

For those that don't know, Arsenault is the coach of DIII Grinell basketball and his son David Arsenault Jr. is the head coach of the Reno Bighorns.

Arsenault's system is based on a few things but mostly ridiculous pace. The goal is to get a shot within 10 seconds and to force a turnover or an opponent shot within 10 seconds. Full court 1-2-2 press, tons of threes and players subbing in and 0ut as 5 man platoons every 90 seconds or so.

I found an article from 1999 where he was explaining his system which is an interesting read but the thing that really caught my eye was this quote from the very bottom.

Arseneault started using the same system with his son’s fifth- and sixth-grade AAU team last year and lead the team to a 42-3 record.

“Any idea I have about the offense, I experiment with the kid’s team first,” says Arseneault. “They average 12 made three-pointers a game and are having a blast.

I can't help but think that Vivek drew some parallels to his limited experience coaching his daughter's team and how those principles might translate on the NBA level.

I wonder whose idea it was to make him coach of the Bighorns? Viveks? PDA's? I think the answer to that question would go a long way towards explaining what is really going on with the front office and ownership. D'Alessandro says he doesn't want the Kings to run like Paul Westhead's teams but with Arsenault coaching the Bighorns I find that really contradictory. If D'Alessandro hired Arsenault then I don't know how I can trust him when he says he doesn't want to be the run-and-gun Nuggets. If it was Vivek then I think he's doing his GM a disservice.

http://www.winninghoops.com/pages/Running-To-Extremes.php

 

[HndsmCelt]

Interesting find. Again I have no trouble treating Reno as a lab for testing new theories, just as long as the only ideas leaving for the Kings are tested and proven innovations. I would HIGHLY recommend a skeptical gatekeeper be on the Kings coaching staff.

 

[funkykingston]

Interesting find. Again I have no trouble treating Reno as a lab for testing new theories, just as long as the only ideas leaving for the Kings are tested and proven innovations. I would HIGHLY recommend a skeptical gatekeeper be on the Kings coaching staff.

I would tend to agree. Though the issue for me is that rightly or wrongly I always saw Malone as that gatekeeper.

 

[HndsmCelt]

I would tend to agree. Though the issue for me is that rightly or wrongly I always saw Malone as that gatekeeper.

Amen... his jab at advanced stats vs. old school D was throwing down a gauntlet!

 

[Spike]

I would HIGHLY recommend a skeptical gatekeeper be on the Kings coaching staff.

Doesn't the skeptic usually get the axe?

 

[Spike]

If there is a hill to die on, this is my hill. You should not make 5th/6th graders play in a system like this. Kids at that age can't physically break a press, so you're just taking advantage of the fact that you're playing against kids. There are words for people like that, and they're not good words.

Last 5 games:
142 - 113 (W)
131 - 153 (L)
118 - 115 (W)
174 - 169 (W)
134 - 138 (L)

Overall, they're 8-8. I wouldn't say that this system is revolutionizing the game, but rather sending it backwards.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Doesn't the skeptic usually get the axe?

Only where homogeneity/group think are VALUED

 

[kingsboi]

sounds like an evil nightmare you can't wake up from...

 

[PurpleHaze]

Very similar to way I used to play for years 3 on 3 half-court, sometimes 5 on 5 full-court outside concrete hoops. No shot clock needed as we endlessly chucked deep, drove inside, rebounded, kicked out, repeated. It was always frantic pace until some team showed up with their big brute monster boogie player. Then it all became slower pace in a hurry, trying to deal with the often devastating down low challenge.

 

[funkykingston]

If there is a hill to die on, this is my hill. You should not make 5th/6th graders play in a system like this. Kids at that age can't physically break a press, so you're just taking advantage of the fact that you're playing against kids. There are words for people like that, and they're not good words.

Yeah, I can't say I'm a fan, especially as someone that coached basketball both to younger kids and at the high school level. On the one hand it's AAU so we assume these kids have a lot more basketball experience than the kids learning to play during P.E. and there are some benefits at that level in learning to deal with different situations such as a full court press.

That said, I don't hold AAU basketball in very high regard in general. There are some very good coaches involved with it but there is also a ton of baggage and ulterior motives. Suffice to say that I agree with Kobe Bryant (!) when it comes to AAU.

 

[randymoss1881]

Very similar to way I used to play for years 3 on 3 half-court, sometimes 5 on 5 full-court outside concrete hoops. No shot clock needed as we endlessly chucked deep, drove inside, rebounded, kicked out, repeated. It was always frantic pace until some team showed up with their big brute monster boogie player. Then it all became slower pace in a hurry, trying to deal with the often devastating down low challenge.

How did you guys even win games? This last summer me and my boys played a high school team who tried to press us like that at the local Y. Needless to say we beat them 2 out of 2 games and they went on to win states. That press shot don't work let alone at an nba level.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I remember the last year I lived in Boston was Rick Pitino's first year with the Celtics.

He was going to play a super pressing D. First night they beat the defending champion Bulls pretty convincingly (the year after the 72 win season). Then went on to SUUUUUUUUCK for Pitino's entire tenure.

 

[Spike]

Yeah, I can't say I'm a fan, especially as someone that coached basketball both to younger kids and at the high school level. On the one hand it's AAU so we assume these kids have a lot more basketball experience than the kids learning to play during P.E. and there are some benefits at that level in learning to deal with different situations such as a full court press.

That said, I don't hold AAU basketball in very high regard in general. There are some very good coaches involved with it but there is also a ton of baggage and ulterior motives. Suffice to say that I agree with Kobe Bryant (!) when it comes to AAU.

I agree about their experience, to an extent. I think 5th graders, for example, are still on the lower end of physical development, even if they are advanced for 10/11 year olds. From what I've experienced, Kobe is very accurate wrt to AAU ball. There are very few out there who are really interested in developing kids, and the majority are in the "what's in it for me" cesspool.

 

[Spike]

Only where homogeneity/group think are VALUED

Yep.