WHAT YOU DO, YOU'VE GOT TO KNOW

Coach Pete Newell talking about Coach Bob Knight explaining his motion offense to him the first time -- the lesson however, is it's not for everyone. Too many times, coaches think they can attend a clinic, read a book or watch a DVD and they are ready to put in a system of play. Coach Knight would refer to his offense as "complex simplicity." It was a system based on read and working towards players strengths while avoid their weaknesses. That sounds simple and in effect it is -- but teaching those concepts is complex and time consuming. As Coach Meyer often asks, "Would you rather have better plays or better players." The answer, I think is simple -- but the journey, the process, is not.

“He set up that motion offense right on the floor of our living room. We have the chairs out, everything spread out all over the place. It was almost like a court and Florence was right there with us. The thing was, Bobby understood that offense and he believes in it. What you do, you’ve got to know. Too often a coach will accept the tenets of another successful coach and go against what he’s seen and known himself. You might appreciate Bobby’s offense, but you don’t have the first clue how to teach it, how to break it down, how to put it together. But because Bobby Knight did it, by God you’ll try it. Some guys don’t realize that a few lectures and a
blackboard won’t win them the championship.”

—Pete Newell from A Good Man by Bruce Jenkins—