Written by Rick Torbett on March 20, 2009 – 3:24 PM
Sean Conroy, Maree Basketball
Over the off-season in the summer of 2008, I was looking for a new “offense” for our Under 18 team and came across the Read and React system on the web. To be honest, having seen lots of DVDs, some good and some not so, I went back to the web for critiques of R&R, as a six-DVD set is a lot. I wanted to be sure. Because it was so new, there wasn’t much comment or feedback around, but what was there was all very positive, and so I decided to go for it. You could say “I read and reacted!”
You have to look at the DVDs a few times to let the concepts sink in. The whole R&R is really well thought-out, and Rick explains it all clearly. Coaches have to “unlearn” a lot of things they may well hold near and dear.
What do I like about it?
• The concepts are easy to teach because the system is so logical.
• In particular, it is a sheer joy to get to the point, in practice, where five guys can run the floor and create a different and unique offense each time, whether transition or half-court. It was when our team got to doing this and high-fiveing each other after particularly creative efforts, that I knew it was the way to go. Fear of failure out; joy of creativity in.
• It doesn’t matter if one guy screws up; so what, we just carry on. The system doesn’t depend on any one player, though of course if all five are tuned in, it’s lethal.
I use the phrase “jazz offense” to describe R&R, because each Offense is “improvised” around the principles that form the basic “tune”. It’s rarely the same twice.
Our Under 18 team is experienced, and the steepest part of the R&R learning curve was the first three practice sessions only. Their fundamentals are good, in no small part due to skills camps over the past 6-8 years, which we brought the great Peter Sharkey over from Fresno to run. I’m not saying our R&R is perfect, but it’s to the point where it’s all we used in the National Cup Final, so you can take it we’re happy with it.
Hey coach,
Congratulations on your season. I liked your phrase “jazz offense”; this is a great way of describing the “organized improvization” found in the R&R offense. I will use that with my team. I too implemented R&R with my high school team in Alaska. I also liked your “fear of failure out, joy of creativity in”: the kids when they catch the ball are concentrating on what they should - attacking the D, and not thinking about the next step in the continuity offense. I immediately found that even in layer 1 it made my team more aggressive on offense. I am a R&R coach for life now.
best wishes,
Arne Eriksson
Hoonah High School
Hoonah, AK
Hi Sean,
I really liked your review on the read and react system. We as a club have started running this at all levels. With one training session a week it’s already a difficult job, but the fact that all our coaches are coaching the same system with the same emphases and teaching the players to play the game and not run a pattern, I feel we have a great base to create brillant players in my opinion.
I love your term, “Jazz offense”; that is a great way to describe it! I also call it basketball for dummies!! Because it’s so simple and so effective.