BeantownHoops Blog

Beantownhoops recently caught up with new Westwood Boy’s Basketball Coach Steven St. Martin as he looks to build the Wolverines into a  winning program.

BH: You are taking over a program that won seven games last season, what do you feel is the first thing that needs to change in order for the program to succeed?

Coach St. Martin:  Implementing our identity as a program is the first step that we will take to reach what we define as success. Making sure that each player throughout the program knows what this means so we are all on the same page and making a commitment to the program’s identity to assure the success of the program.

BH: What is your coaching philosophy and preferred style of play?

Coach St. Martin:  The philosophy is to play as hard as we can and to execute as efficiently as we can so we have no regrets about our involvement in the activity we just participated in. I like to play an up-tempo, fast paced, and pressing style but the strengths of the team determine what style we will play.

BH: What coaches have influenced you in your career?

Coach St. Martin:  Coach DeBari (Assumption College), Coach Conrad (Anna Maria), and Coach Doherty (Quinnipiac) are the coaches who I had personally as a player at Assumption that have influenced me the most. Each coach that I played for, from the beginning of my playing days to my professional career, have influenced me and I have taken a piece from each in my development.

BH: What team(s) will be the ones to beat in the Tri-Valley next season?

Coach St. Martin: Each team we play against is one in which we need to respect. Each one has had seasons that were successful for them. We need to work extremely hard to get our self in place to compete with each of these teams.

Read more on Coach St. Martin in the Westwood Press.

Coach Cardoso is in his second season at Charlestown, where he has guided the team to an 11-9 record, 8-5 in league, which was good for third place behind #3 Madison Park and #13 East Boston.
BH:   How did you get started in coaching high school basketball?
EC:  My first high school coaching job was at Fenway High School. I was working in marketing for the Boston Public Schools and through that I was able to meet many Athletic Directors and Principals. A coaching opportunity was presented to me at Fenway and I took the job.
BH:  What is the most enjoyable thing about coaching?
EC:  I enjoy mentoring young teens and watch them develop through their high school years, both as students and as athletes.
BH:  What do you consider to be the toughest part about coaching at the high school level?
EC:  The toughest part of coaching at the high school level is making student athletes stay consistent with their academics and their basketball season. Teaching time management to young students can be a very difficult challenge, especially when they are not good with having structure in their lives.
BH:  What changes need to be made to high school basketball in Massachusetts to make it better?
EC:  I think that every school should have an athletic trainer. Inner-city schools need more resources to be successful and coaches need to focus on the student athlete and not just winning.
BH:  Which coaches have influenced your style or philosophy?
EC:  I am mentored by Raymond Porch who was a former college coach at Eastern Nazarene and Benjamin Franklin. His style of teaching young men to be unselfish and patient has helped Charlestown High School be successful this year.
BH:  Tell the readers of Beantownhoops.com something that many people don’t know about you.
EC:  Though I am a young coach, I have coached overseas, coached at the college level, and played for some great coaches in High School and College.  I am also very passionate about teaching student athletes about discipline.

Cory McCarthy is currently in his seventh season at New Mission High School (five as the girls coach and two as the boys coach).  He has guided the Titans to a #4 ranking and a 15-1 record, and the overwhelming favorite in Division 4.

BH:  How did you get started in coaching high school basketball?
CM:  I got my start coaching CYO, and then moved on to BNBL. I just loved watching the college game so much as a kid that I knew that I’d be involved as a player or a coach.
BH:  What is the most enjoyable thing about coaching?
CM:  Watching kids develop. Sometimes I look at kids and say “you have no idea how much talent you have” then a year later I recognize how far they have come in terms of fundamentals, basketball language and IQ. Too bad most of the time the kids don’t see their own their development. If you leave it up to them they’ve been that talented since birth. It’s amusing.
BH:  What do you consider to be the toughest part about coaching at the high school level?
CM:  Teaching our kids to be mentally tough and thick skinned about the game, politics and their surroundings. Because we are a city team, people see our kids as being tough but in reality they are easy to rattle and sometimes let their emotions get the best of them in a competitive setting. Instilling those non tangible values about the game sometimes makes it difficult to be consistent as a coach on this level.
BH:  What changes need to be made to high school basketball in Massachusetts to make it better?
CM:  Coaches need to coach and be active with their players year round like the other states do. We are sending a message that these kids can only be around someone they look up for only 3 months out of the year. Where are they supposed to go for the other 9 months? We have to be more consistent in their lives and the rules take us in and out of their lives with respect to the game.
BH:  Which coaches have influenced your style or philosophy?
CM:  Hubie Brown, I have unlimited amounts of notes from his coaching clinics and I am particularly inspired but the job he did at Memphis. It takes a lot to turn a culture around and he used the game to do it. My assistant coach Paul Mahoney has taught me a ton about basketball along with former New Mission coach Darryl Hilliard.
BH:   Tell the readers of Beantownhoops.com something that many people don’t know about you.
CM:  My commitment to community service is my life’s calling. This year on MLK day the basketball team went to Pine St Inn and cooked and served breakfast for the homeless and I was as proud of my boys as I would if we won the city or state title.

Each week we will profile a high school coach in the area.  Here is our latest profile with Coach Jim Dolan of the Weymouth Boys.
Coach Dolan is in his 7th season at Weymouth.  Last season, his team did not win a game when he decided not to keep some players that would have helped on the court, but were destructive to the team’s philosophy and chemistry.  He has quickly turned the team around as the younger players from last season are now experienced and the current underclassmen have stepped up their games with his guidance.  Currently, the team is 5-4 overall and 4-3 in the tough Bay State league.

Beantownhoops.com (BH): How did you get started coaching high school basketball?
Coach Dolan (JD): Right out of college I started coaching - I made stops at the D3, JuCo and Prep school levels - Since playing basketball at Weymouth North HS- I always knew I wanted to coach at some level.
BH: What is the most enjoyable thing about coaching?
JD: The best part of coaching is working with kids on a daily basis, hopefully making them better people. You always want kids to improve after being part of our program, both on and off the court. We preach a family structure, we talk about making good decisions and giving back to the community. This fall we ran an intramural program with the girls team and we will make a donation to the Mass Epilepsy foundation.
BH:  What do you consider to be the toughest part about coaching at the high school level?
JD:  I am fortunate to work as a PE teacher at Weymouth, so in addition to the two hours a day you have them for basketball, I see them in class.  It is really tough knowing all the down time kids have nowadays.  Structure is a great thing for high school age kids.
BH:  What changes need to be made to high school basketball in Massachusetts to make it better?
JD:  I think basketball in MA on the whole is getting better.  I would love to be able to work with my kids in the off-season, not full time, but it would be great to get them for an assigned time in the spring and summer.
BH:  Which coaches have influenced your style or philosophy?
JD:  I was very fortunate to have played for great coaches in high school, both Gerry Morrelli and Steve Shoff were great mentors to me, not only while playing but when I got in to coaching.  Also, my father, he coached at the town and freshman level as well as reffing for a long time.  To this day we still break down each and every game-good or bad - he is no doubt the reason I have a passion for basketball, I have been very blessed. On a professional level I have always admired Coach Knight as well as Coach K,  you have to respect what they have given to the game.
BH: Tell the readers of Beantownhoops.com something that many people don’t know about you.
JD:  My favorite time coaching is with Rockland Basketball, where I coach the 4th grade travel and run a 2nd grade program that my sons are involved with.  My wife Laurie is very supportive, along with my three boys, James 9, Connor 7 and Aidan 3.

Coaches, as you get ready for the first day of practice, here is a list of items I’ve compiled during my coaching career to keep in mind before your first game:

Administrative

1. Has your A.D. scheduled buses for all levels already?
2. If you are fundraising during the season, do you have a parent’s group or alumni to help the team out?
3. Ask yourself this important question, If your principal was not required to go to your games, do you think he or she would still go to support your program?  If you answered no, you better be sure they are on your side.
4. Does your A.D. coach another sport in the school?  If they do, make sure you attend their games to show your support for him or her as well.
5. Have you met or do you plan to meet with your player’s parents?  Be sure to let them know what is expected of them and their sons or daughters.  Please do not talk with them about playing time ever!

Tryouts

1. Make sure that you have enough scrimmage time so that the players that you are cutting can say they had enough court time.
2. Don’t keep a Senior unless you know he is going to play significant minutes or if he/she is content with just being a cheerleader from the bench.
   
3. If the football playoffs are going to affect your roster make sure all the players are aware of their tryout status.

Coaches

1. Are all your coaches in your program using the same terminology for offense and defense?
2. Assistants are there to assist you, not be the head coach.  Don’t let them overstep their boundaries.

X’s and O’s - At the very least, the ten things you need in by your first game

1. Base half-court offense vs. man and zones (even and odd fronts)
2. Base half-court defense
3. Defense against baseline and sideline out of bounds
4. Full-court press breaker
5. Special situation to beat the shot clock
6. End of game situations with 2 minutes left 
7. End of game situations for a last second two and a three
8. One solid sideline out of bounds
9. Two solid baseline out of bounds vs. a zone and a man defense
10. After all that, make sure you spend enough time shooting the basketball in practice.  I always scheduled through various drills at least 30 minutes for shooting every practice.  Remember at least 30 minutes (at game speed if possible).  If your team struggles shooting in the first game, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.

- More great stuff from Perfect Practice.net  Read this article on teaching players how to cut properly.

“In order to teach players to utilize changing speeds and changing directions when cutting to get open, I have always used the analogy of the foot races that we had when we were kids to see who was “faster.”

When you race your friends, it is a huge advantage to be the one to say “go!” You know when it is coming and your friend that you are racing doesn’t. It would be even more of an advantage if your friend didn’t know where you were racing to and you have the choice of going in any direction that you want.

When defending a cutter, even if the defense is quicker, they have to wait and react to when and where the cutter goes. If you can get your players to think about using the advantage of changing speeds and changing directions, just like they did when they fought over who could say go for those childhood races; and then explode out of the cut before the defense is ready to react, it will help them to be more strategic (and successful) in getting open.”

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In another earlier poll, I asked the question, “What is the best zone to play?”  Here were the results:

Match-up zone 45%

Man defense will always be better than any zone  32%

2-3 zone 14%

3-2 zone 5%

1-3-1 zone 5%

I have ran a match-up zone in the past and it was very successful allowing my teams to win some big games.  Don Chaney at Temple popularized the zone and they were always a tough out come tournament time.  Just recently with the zone being allowed in the NBA, we are seeing teams run the 3-2 match-up for key possessions and as a way to mix it up.  If you don’t know much about the zone, essentially it is a switching man defense with heavy emphasis on your team’s close out ability.  Jim Boeheim at Syracuse runs the 2-3 match-up and will even trap the corners.  It also helps that Coach Boeheim recruits long players don’t have very far to close-out on shooters.  If you have thought about playing a match-up, look at the checklist below and see if your teams has the tools necessary to implement it:

1.  Does your team talk on defense?  If they don’t or you don’t emphasize it, don’t read any further!

2.  You have to have tough wing players who are willing to play against bigger post players and be aggressive on the boards.

3.  You need five good rebounders on the floor at all times.  If you just have three or four it will be tough.

4.  Closing out and containing the drive are the key defensive elements.  Your team must be able to excel at both.

5.  If you don’t know much about it don’t try it yet.  It took me a good year of watching it in action, reading about it and going to clinics until I felt comfortable with teaching the defense.  Remember the most important point about coaching, if you can’t teach it don’t do it.

There are many resources on the match-up on the internet and in books and videos.  If you want game footage of it, I could also send you some of my past teams when they ran it.  If you supply the blank dvd I would be glad to burn a copy for you.  Send any requests to webmaster@beantownhoops.com.
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In our last poll, I posed the question “What is the best man offense against a man defense?” Here were the results:

Basic Motion - 27%
Flex - 20%
Dribble Drive Motion - 20%
No system, running set plays - 19%
Princeton offense - 6%
Wooden’s UCLA - 6%
Other - 3%

The results were suprising to me because it seems like each year there is this innovative new way to play basketball. Not too long ago the Princeton offense was all the rage and many schools at the high school level were trying to implement it . I watched the tapes and read the books (Basketball’s Princeton-Style Offense: A Simplified Approach for High School Coaches) but it definitely takes time and a tremendous amount of teaching for players to get it. When I was in Chicago, I asked a member of the Northwestern University staff (Head Coach Bill Carmody is a disciple of Peter Caril) about the offense and he said that’s all they work on in practice. I don’t know of too many coaches who can commit all their practice time to it. The most recent trend has been toward the Dribble Drive Motion popularized by Vance Wahlberg and John Calipari. Wahlberg had plenty of success at the junior college level, but not so much at Pepperdine University. Calipari has had tremendous success with the offense (John Calipari: The Definitive Dribble Drive Motion Offense (DVD)), but of course he has had two first round picks in Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans running the point for him. Although the results were only a 7% point difference, it shows me that coaches are still committed to the fundamentals of offensive play: screening, cutting, movement, and crisp passing. My team in Chicago ran the Flex which received 20% of the vote, but I had a team of similar sized players and it fit them well. I still had to teach the basic fundamentals of a motion offense in order for them to get it and the principles for all intensive purposes are the same. Running set plays received 19% of the vote and I know many coaches who buy into this philosophy. It allows them to micro-manage the game and make plays which fit their players each season. As I go and watch games this season, I will take note of what teams are running offensively and will follow up on this story. Of course we all know that if you have good players, any offense works!
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Coach Mark Leszczyk has had an impressive record in his tenure at Roxbury CC.  The team was 24-5 last year and 17-1 in conference play.  Coach Leszczyk (3rd season at Roxbury) has recruited heavily in Massachusetts and I wanted to get his perspective on a number of issues from the state of the girls game here to playing basketball at a two-year school.

Beantownhoops.com: How would you describe the girls high school basketball scene in Massachusetts?

Coach Leszczyk: The basketball scene in Massachusetts has improved greatly over the past ten years or so in the suburban areas, but in the cities, whether it’s Boston, where we are located or Springfield or Worcester, local high school programs for the most part have taken a severe downturn. Coaching in the inner-city is extremely lacking in quality with some exceptions.

Beantownhoops.com: What do you like about the girls game that is different than the boys?

Coach Leszczyk: I have coached both girls and boys at many different levels, high school, AAU and college. Quite honestly I got involved in girls athletics because out of my own three children, it was my daughter who was the most competitive and took her game to a higher level. The girl’s game for the most part is more of a team game, less athletic individuality and more geared towards the team concept. Sorry guys….but the ego’s are much smaller as well!

Beantownhoops.com: What advice would you give high school coaches looking to coach in college?

Coach Leszczyk: Be careful what you wish for! Unless you are at a big time program where you have a complete staff to delegate assignments to, you are in for a life full of off the court duties. The pay isn’t what you’d imagine it to be, so if you are in it for the money you are in it for the wrong reasons.

Beantownhoops.com: What is your team’s outlook for this upcoming season?

Coach Leszczyk: I never like to predict, but let me say that this is probably the most excited that I have been in a long time regarding the outlook for my team. We have a great returning class that was part of a team last year that finished ranked #9 Nationally at the Junior College level. We had a 3 point overtime loss last season which kept us from the National Tournament which still hurts to this day! This year, we have been able to address our most pressing need which was size bringing in 3 quality post players who can surely play along with 4 other freshman who have great skills. We will be once again knocking on the door for a National Title.

Beantownhoops.com: What do you like about coaching at Roxbury?

Coach Leszczyk: First of all I have a very supportive administration from the College President on down to the Athletic Director and support staff that is dedicated to their coaching staff but also to winning. Having come from another college where sports were more of a recruiting tool for the admissions department, focusing on winning is a pleasure! I also have great kids who work hard in the classroom as well as on the court, and seeing them reach their potential as young adults is the ultimate pleasure as a coach.

Beantownhoops.com: What benefits do girls have playing at the JUCO level before moving on to a four year school?

Coach Leszczyk: The benefits are huge and unfortunately overlooked by many here in the Northeast. In most other parts of the country Junior College is a natural progression for many athletes. Throughout the South, Midwest and West, Junior College athletics are extremely competitive. Many of today’s top professional athletes, Curt Schilling and Chad Johnson as examples come from the Junior College ranks. Pat Summit’s back to back 2007 and 2008 National Championship teams had two starters who were JUCO transfers. Here in the Northeast where there is more of an “elitist” attitude, many look at Junior College as failure, and prefer to spend money on Prep schools (which are virtually non-existent outside of the Northeast) to improve their college playing options. However year after year, my Junior College programs have placed more athletes at the NCAA level than any New England Prep schools on the female side. We have had countless college coaches from all over the country inquiring about our players at Roxbury on a daily basis and out of this year’s 5 sophomores, 4 will be continuing their careers at quality 4 year institutions. (One has decided that this is it as she prepares to enter studies in the medical field). Prep schools have their place don’t get me wrong, but they are not the only option for a student/athlete who may need an extra step to realize their full potential. If you are a surefire DI prospect who may just need to boost your SAT scores or GPA and will make an immediate impact at a college program then I can see the Prep school route, but that in my mind is the only example. Many athletes will go to a Prep and then sit for their freshman and sophomore years in college, waiting for their time to hit the court. At the JUCO level athletes can compete immediately at Junior College and then transition into a four year program where they are looking for an experienced college athlete to fill an immediate need.

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I just got back from witnessing my first Fall League action of the year.  I went to the Medford Boys and Girls Club to catch the team I recently previewed, the Medford Boys, versus Somerville.  As I watched the game, I couldn’t help but think of all the things that bothered me about my teams playing in Fall Leagues.  My teams in Seattle always played in a Fall League while my teams in Chicago would not, but played in one big Fall Tournament over a weekend.  It always seemed like a good idea after the summer lull and not seeing your players who were on the AAU circuit all July and August and just watching your players lift and run in September and October.  Once the league began, that brief moment of excitement for me turned into sheer torture.  Let me elaborate:

1.  You can’t coach - as you sit there in the bleachers, you want so badly to call out instructions and to fix bad habits, but you’re just stranded there.  In addition, you hope that whoever is coaching the kids is competent enough to run the team and make the substitutions that you would want.

2.  Short courts - It’s probably just me, but playing on smaller courts doesn’t really tell me much about my team’s offensive spacing and ability to rotate and defend from help positions.

3.  Incomplete rosters - Without fail, every team is missing someone.  Players on the football team, church, work issues, sickness, it’s always something.  I think the worst thing is not having fall sports athletes there.  Those players come into the season so far behind that you almost have to start over when they get there.

4.  Lack of basketball knowledge with the players - How many times did you run that play in practice last season?  How many times did you tell them to move while the ball is in the air on defense instead of reacting once it is caught? How many times did you tell them to trap, hedge, or switch a ball screen?  And my favorite, how many times did you tell them to locate their man on a shot, make contact, seal him, and grab the freakin’ ball with two hands above their shoulders on the rebound?  I know all of you are going to answer too many times to count.  How many times did they do it your last Fall League game?

5.  Injuries - Just seeing a player go down in the Fall League is a horrible feeling.  Granted injuries are part of the game, but there is always something bad about it when it happens and it’s not even season yet.  I guess you can argue if they are going to be injured, better now than later.  I don’t like them period and when they occur when the play is less than stellar it makes you rethink whether playing in the league is the right thing to do.

I do see some benefits to playing in the Fall.  It definitely breaks the monotony of conditioning and open gyms against everyone in the school.  It gives your teams a chance to compete in game action and it’s just nice to see where other teams are at this point.  It would be great if state associations would just allow coaches to coach in a couple of fall tournaments and give the teams a better chance of improving in the off-season.  I don’t anticipate that happening soon so hopefully coaches across the country can find some benefit from these leagues that will translate into a successful season.

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