🏀 Jim Crutchfield's System
NBA greats think this D-II coach is a basketball genius. So why don't you know who he is?
Nova Southeastern plays faster than anyone in college basketball -- the Sharks' 85.8 possessions per game this season are nearly 10 more than the fastest-playing Division I team -- applies a full-court press constantly and plays every possession like it's game point, while the man calling the shots is as quiet as a librarian on the sideline. Crutchfield, a former math teacher who never played college basketball and coached tennis before getting his big D-II break at West Liberty University, sees the game like a math problem and has created his own calculations.
As a fan of unconventionally frenetic basketball systems, I was immediately intrigued by this article and 85.8 possessions per game is music to my ears. I like thinking about how I would implement my own take on systems like this at the high school level. I've looked into Grinell a little bit, but I don't like how 3 pointer-oriented they are. I want a system that can still be effective even if you don't have very many quality 3 point shooters. I've really liked what I've seen as I've started looking into Jim Crutchfield and his Nova Southeastern team further though. He's actually won a D2 national title at two different schools with his system.