Sometimes Winning IS Everything

I was always amused by basketball 'people' (coaches & fans) who would suggest that a coach is either a 'defensive-coach' or 'offensive-coach.' Consider please, a coach can play a very deliberate offensive style and the final 'low' score perhaps would suggest he is a defensive coach; ain't necessarily so.  My first head-coaching job was at Mason City (Illinois), which is now a consolidated school called Illini Central. I followed a coach into that position who was a deliberate offensive and good defensive coach. I recall once my second year when my Mason City team beat an opponent 114-to-89. Many local fans thought I was not teaching defense because they were accustom to their Mason City teams winning 50-to-25; a similar point-difference but low scoring thus suggesting 'defense.'


I remember the late, Joe Lucco (Edwardsville high school coach) who once told me that he believed a good defense started with a great offense. Joe's theory was 'put up' twice as many shots as your opponent and you'll win.' I personally believe that since high school coaches cannot (legally) recruit players it behooves the coach to determine, in the preseason, the strengths and weaknesses of his players and then orchestrate offensive and defensive approaches that give the kids a chance to win. As they say, 'accentuate the positive (strengths) and eliminate the negative' (weaknesses). That said...don't call me a defensive or offensive coach; most fans didn't, they called me other things!


PS. On another matter, I recently said in a blog that Harry .S Truman was second only to Abe Lincoln when listing our best Presidents. Obama  needs to take a page from Harry's 'playbook' and drop the 'Big One' everywhere we know ISIS terrorists are active. Again, sometimes the best defense is a good offense!