Every member of the Roseville (California) Valley Christian High School boys basketball team is involved in a game.
“We have 14 guys,” head coach Brad Gunter said. “Everyone plays, everyone shoots.”
That’s because after 18 years of running the typical run and gun style Gunter knew it was time to change.
Gunter chose to adopt the “Grinnell System” created by Dave Arseneault, the former head coach of men’s basketball at Grinnell College in Iowa.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the basis of the system is:
- The first shot is the best shot.
- Take as many 3-pointers as possible.
- On defense, it’s better to giving up a layup than forcing a shot-clock violation.
- The ball-handler is double-teamed at all times.
The result is a chaotic style with players having to be subbed often, like that of a hockey line, because the system requires maximum effort from each player on the court.
“It’s a fun style. Just different. It’s not standard basketball,” Gunter said. “I want it to be as chaotic as possible and don’t want the clock to stop.”
For the Lions, the goal is to lead the state in scoring. It’s not about setting records, though they’ve done some of that this season.
In the span of a week, Valley Christian had three games and they set seven records. As a team they set five records, with two individuals earning a spot in the NFHS Record Book.
The team records:
- 109 three-pointers attempted (second in the Record Book)
- 33 three-pointers made (fourth in the Record Book)
- 73 three-pointers attempted (tied for ninth in the Record Book)
- 36 three-pointers made (tied for first in the Record Book)
- 122 three-pointers attempted (first in the Record Book)
Hunter Fenn attempted 27 three-pointers and Daniel Milligan attempted 29 three-pointers, ranking them 10th and tied for fifth, respectively, in the Record Book.
“Whether we win or lose, our fans love it,” Gunter said. “My kids have a blast. The fans have a blast. Even the opponents have a blast.”
[WRITER’S NOTE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON WWW.NFHS.ORG]