Basketball's Change of Philosophy

In 1907, KU hired one of Naismith's players, Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, as head coach. Naismith provided Allen with a now-infamous piece of wisdom: "You can't coach basketball; you just play it." Allen set out to prove Naismith wrong and through unrivaled coaching success, he has become known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching". "Phog" passed on his knowledge of the game to some of the most well-respected names in the history of college basketball, including National Basketball Hall of Fame coaches Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Dutch Lonborg, and Ralph Miller' The style of basketball "Phog" Allen promoted is still utilized by the top college programs like Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina. Still, Dr. Naismith's sense of, "…you just play," is echoed on every playground in the world.

From personal experience, my college basketball coach fast- break system is the closest marriage of coaching and "…you just play." Paul Westhead, who is the only basketball coach to win both an NBA Championship and WNBA Championship, has been an evangelist for the fast-break system for decades. Profiled in ESPN 30 for 30 entitled the "Guru of Go", coach Westhead spoke of how his fast-break system is based upon a handful of rules but no set plays. Paul Westhead's Loyola Marymount Lions hold the NCAA single-season record for points per game with an average of 122.4 points as well as the top five NCAA Division I record for points per game.

Phil Jackson with the Tex Winter's triangle offense has won 11 NBA championships. His triangle offense also reflects a balance of Dr. Naismith's belief that basketball is something that you, "… just play."

The triangle offense provides structure but no set plays; it allows the team to flow and make decisions based upon what the defense offers them. Jackson is known for not calling time outs when the opposing teams seize the momentum and begin to makes a run; he allows his teams to figure the game out on the fly amid the adversity. The most successful NBA coach in History, with 11 NBA championships, Jackson's approach to coaching basketball is closer to Naismith's than that of Naismith's pupil Dr. "Phog" Allen. “Father of Basketball Coaching.”

Basketball is a continuous flow with players solving in-game problems among themselves and the opponent in the course of the game. Imagine the personal growth required to make a decision with the game on the line and time running out. It is important to understand that the time outs and coaching intervention, that is so prevalent in today's game, is the polar opposite of what Dr. Naismith envisioned. Dr. Naismith created a fluid game where players assume ultimate responsibility for responding to the adversity inherent in the ebb and flow of a game.