Change in basketball is a constant, but not always for the better

The game of boys basketball, at all levels, is certainly different than when I started coaching 37 years ago.

One of the most obvious changes has been the 3-point shot that came into the game in 1987.

I can remember those who promoted the 3-point rule saying the game would become much more wide-open. Both offensively and defensively players would be spread out more, and this would help decrease the increased physicality of the game.

In actuality, the opposite has happened. The game has become much more physical, and it has resulted in many low-scoring games. I think that you see much more hand-checking in the open court, bumping and shoving in the post, and hard screens away from the ball. Even though these are all fouls that should be called, they occur so frequently that officials can only call those that are blatant or that make a difference.

As a coach, you must now coach your team to play physically, or it becomes difficult to be successful.

Consistent with this is that many of today's coaches put much more emphasis on defense. Some feel that a low-scoring, physical game gives them more of a chance to win.

They enhance this philosophy on the offensive end as well by giving their players restrictions or rules. Some of these might be that unless they can shoot a layup, they must throw a certain amount of passes, or they must reverse (have it go from one side of the floor to the other) the ball a certain amount of times, or that every player on their team must touch the ball, or the post player must touch the ball. Only then can a player shoot an outside shot.

While some coaches used this philosophy previously, it seems much more common today.

In an effort to combat some of the physical play, I ran an offense in the 1994-95 season called Circle Motion. It involved much passing and cutting through the lane and was one of the factors that helped us become an Elite Eight team that year.

During the following season, other teams in the area tried it as well. What we found, however, was that defenses were then coached to bump our cutters and to make it very difficult for them to go through the lane. Probably those "bumps" were fouls, but they were not being called. Thus, our innovative offense was neutralized, and we used it much less after that.

Today's players are bigger, stronger, and faster than their predecessors, and along with the spacing created by the 3-point arc, the game has become more of an inside-outside game.

Most shots are at the post, or created by penetration for layups or kick-outs to 3-point shots.

Thus, players of all sizes feel that they must practice the 3-point shot more, and, as a result, the jump shot is not as prevalent as before. Some coaches would even say that the 5- to 15-foot jump shot is a "lost art" -- that players today do not practice it very much and are not as good at it as they need to be. Most players practice 3-point shots and bigger players love to dunk. Very few practice shots that are in between.

There are other changes beyond the 3-point shot. The proliferation of AAU basketball for players of all skill levels has definitely affected the high school game. Because of AAU, many players play all year, and sometimes miss playing with their high school teams during the off-season. Lou Wool, the boys basketball coach at Wheeling, feels this participation can affect a varsity team's chemistry.

"The spring, summer, and fall are when teams learn to play together and hang out together," Wool said. "While AAU basketball gets more kids playing more basketball, it also can hurt a high school team's development."

Coach Wool also had another interesting observation with regard to AAU basketball. He made the point that players from rival schools sometimes end up on the same AAU team or see each other more frequently in these venues.

"When they return to their high school teams and compete against each other," said Wool, "they are not as competitive as previously. They are friends more than they are rivals."

One other change that I have observed is the popularity of motion-type offenses. Maybe, as in the defensive changes, it is the Bobby Knight influence. Love him or loathe him, he has impacted the game on all levels, giving rise to the motion offense and the defensive emphasis.

Finally, what about the player? Has he or she changed? Certainly the world around the player has changed with the proliferation of technology. The Ipod, cell phone, Internet, and video games all are big influences on the players. These, among others, can be helpful or distracting, but they must certainly be recognized as a part of all of our lives. A player's concentration may be hindered by distractions like these, or it may be helped because he or she is used to these outside influences and, therefore, crowd (and other) distractions are tuned out.

So, whether you believe that the game of basketball has changed for the better or not, it has definitely changed. I know that I had to adjust my coaching over the years to keep up with the changes and to keep our teams at a high level of success.

Maybe you have observed other changes in the game. If so, I would appreciate your feedback.