These two articles, found here and here, highlight the Grinnell system of play is utilized so that everybody gets to play and kids are encouraged to take shots and try to make that risky pass. There was an extended story about them in ESPN The Magazine last year I remember showing to Mr. McClaine, and I thought it was absolutely awesome what they were doing. The coach never yelled at a kid, and this was D-III, not high school ball.

In the next two articles, found here and here, you'll see a high school coach laying the blame on one loss on a bunch of seventeen and eighteen year old kids, and in the other, you'll see that same coach announcing that he really didn't think his team could win the game going into it. When I told Danny about the calling out of his players, he looked at me in disbelief and said "You can't do that. In high school, the coach takes all of the blame."

I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if you're a really bad basketball coach who sucks the joy out of a game I love more than anything in the world, but you happen to luck into a stacked team when some of the traditional powers in your section are rebuilding, even you can get a playoff berth.

But congratulations to the guys on the Wolves team, and remember that anytime you're criticized for having a bad attitude, just say what my good friend Julius Campbell pointed out in Remember The Titans:

"Attitude reflects leadership, captain."

(Everyone at Notre Dame has no idea what I'm trying to get across with this post, but I know Dill appreciates it after three years of getting screamed at, so that makes it worthwhile. A new OC letter and my Ode to Arrested Development in the next post.)