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Pinewood defeats Mitty for CCS Open Championship 50-48

Coaching clinic by the legend Doc. His team plays the right way. Just a better brand of basketball. Mitty is just bigger faster and stronger than teams. They had about 5 billion offensive rebounds and missed 5 billion foul shots. Docs girls handled the pressure beautifully. When Mitty can't turn you over 100 times a game they struggled to score in the half court. Great high level basketball game. Pinewood only led once in the final minute of the game. They had an answer for every run and Ladine hit some massive 3s in the first half to stop the bleeding.
 
Coaching clinic by the legend Doc. His team plays the right way. Just a better brand of basketball. Mitty is just bigger faster and stronger than teams. They had about 5 billion offensive rebounds and missed 5 billion foul shots. Docs girls handled the pressure beautifully. When Mitty can't turn you over 100 times a game they struggled to score in the half court. Great high level basketball game. Pinewood only led once in the final minute of the game. They had an answer for every run and Ladine hit some massive 3s in the first half to stop the bleeding.
So when the bigger, faster and stronger team loses…. The coach has to be the reason… Doc just out coaches her…anybody says otherwise I call BS
 
Super happy for the PW guard tandem of Thompson and Decker. They have been a joy to watch for years. They had to live with the sting of last year's blowout loss, came back stronger, and managed to find redemption.

Special kudos to Maia Garcia who more than held her own against the Mitty might.
 
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Super happy for the PW guard tandem of Thompson and Decker. They have been a joy to watch for years. They had to live with the sting of last year's blowout loss, came back stronger, and managed to find redemption.

Special kudos to Maia Garcia who more than held her own against the Mitty might.
She did everything she could against mittys size. Could have had 20 plus too she missed a few bunnies but she played her ass off under the basket and was an A + rim runner. She pressured the ball well on the edges to make the post entry pass difficult as well when she found herself outside the paint. The pinewood guards are just nails. Incredible players. Fitting way to go out for those legends. Their cardio is incredible. 99 % of other guards gas out but they never did. Also, a coaching clinic by Doc as I expected.
 
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What a high level game. Wouldn’t say one out coached the other, I don’t think either team showed something the other didn’t expect. Great players made big plays down the stretch for both teams and obviously one more than the other. What a great way to end the this weird season for fans like us!
 
Doc at Pinewood and Malik at O'Dowd are probably the best coaches right now at priming their teams to be peaking at the end of the year.

Doesn't always mean titles, but last night wasn't the first time Pinewood has exceeded postseason expectations
 
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The prima donna loses to that little school….Fantastic!!!!!!!
You and I know that "Little School" is and has been a monster in the CCS. It's a non public, non parochial private school so size has nothing to do with it. Basing anything on Pinewood being little is almost a slap in the face to the Pinewood players. You and I know most hoop players are at these schools not just for the education but to grow as B-ballers.
 
Was Mitty really bigger, faster and stronger? Not with the 6 players Doc played. Looked pretty evenly matched physically to me (it's clear when you watch the video posted above). Maybe Mitty was a little taller, but Pinewood was a little faster. His bench is much shorter, so I guess that's why he didn't play them and people say Mitty is bigger.
 
You and I know that "Little School" is and has been a monster in the CCS. It's a non public, non parochial private school so size has nothing to do with it. Basing anything on Pinewood being little is almost a slap in the face to the Pinewood players. You and I know most hoop players are at these schools not just for the education but to grow as B-ballers.
Sue’s pipeline, infrastructure, recruiting machinery and shear population size makes them at least 3 or 4 times the size
of Doc’s…she is born on third base…now some people you that is part of being a great coach…but what do we say when a school without all of those advantages beats her team?
 
Doc at Pinewood and Malik at O'Dowd are probably the best coaches right now at priming their teams to be peaking at the end of the year.

Doesn't always mean titles, but last night wasn't the first time Pinewood has exceeded postseason expectations
And which coach did not meet expectations
 
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Your vitriol for Sue reflects a lot more poorly on you than her ...

The game, though I didn't see it, appeared to be won (or lost) at the free-throw line. Two for 10, if the paper is correct, won't get it done at this level.
 
Coaching clinic by the legend Doc. His team plays the right way. Just a better brand of basketball. Mitty is just bigger faster and stronger than teams. They had about 5 billion offensive rebounds and missed 5 billion foul shots. Docs girls handled the pressure beautifully. When Mitty can't turn you over 100 times a game they struggled to score in the half court. Great high level basketball game. Pinewood only led once in the final minute of the game. They had an answer for every run and Ladine hit some massive 3s in the first half to stop the bleeding.
What is the right way?
 
Your vitriol for Sue reflects a lot more poorly on you than her ...

The game, though I didn't see it, appeared to be won (or lost) at the free-throw line. Two for 10, if the paper is correct, won't get it done at this level.
No vitriol here… I just see an overrated coach and most here do not

just watch the posted video… Mitty was slower and less fit than PW…PW is a quicker and more fit team.. with two minutes to go in the third Mitty had a 41 to 29 lead.. Mitty folded and was outscored 21 to 7 in the last 10 minutes
I call BS on anybody who can’t admit what is true
 
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What is the right way?
The right way to me may be the wrong way to you and vise versa. Not a shot at anyone. To me I love straight M2M ball pressure and I hate watching teams that throw janky traps and send 3 to 4 girls at the ball running all over the floor like a chicken with it's head cut off. That's just my opinion. Might be beautiful to you I'm not sure. Offensively I like quickess, spacing, deception and organization. All of which Pinewood does at the highest possible level.
 
And which coach did not meet expectations

And yet you continually make it about Sue. If you don't think someone does a good job, don't talk about them. I think that is a pretty simple concept

Back to my post, what does everything think are the reasons Doc and Pinewood have been able to peak late in the year and post some of these big wins? They do have good talent, but they seem to play above it almost yearly.
 
The right way to me may be the wrong way to you and vise versa. Not a shot at anyone. To me I love straight M2M ball pressure and I hate watching teams that throw janky traps and send 3 to 4 girls at the ball running all over the floor like a chicken with it's head cut off. That's just my opinion. Might be beautiful to you I'm not sure. Offensively I like quickess, spacing, deception and organization. All of which Pinewood does at the highest possible level.
Wouldn't the right way be the way you are most successful? Many ways to skin a cat? Winning is beautiful. Whatever way you gotta do it is the right way I think.
 
Wouldn't the right way be the way you are most successful? Many ways to skin a cat? Winning is beautiful. Whatever way you gotta do it is the right way I think.
Yes sir! That's why styles make fights. My point was mainly that Pinewoods style fits my imagination of what perfect basketball looks like to me. But you have to coach to the strengths of your team I get it.
 
And yet you continually make it about Sue. If you don't think someone does a good job, don't talk about them. I think that is a pretty simple concept

Back to my post, what does everything think are the reasons Doc and Pinewood have been able to peak late in the year and post some of these big wins? They do have good talent, but they seem to play above it almost yearly.
Having veteran experienced quick guards always shines brightest in the playoffs. When the game speeds up in these intense games having elite level guard play helps Pinewood slow the game down. Decker is a great example. She doesn't really score but she helps them get into their sets and you can rely on her not to crumble against elite ball pressure. Doc always has elite guard play and their value spikes in playoffs which is why they peak in February and March.
 
Doc at Pinewood and Malik at O'Dowd are probably the best coaches right now at priming their teams to be peaking at the end of the year.

Doesn't always mean titles, but last night wasn't the first time Pinewood has exceeded postseason expectations

Malik is one of the best coaches? Man, I swear...I've had the pleasure to go watch practices at a lot of these "best coaches" gyms and he is FAR from being "the best". He has horses that can play. It's pretty plain and simple. Sue and Doc are hands down some of the best coaches at teaching the game.
 
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Malik is one of the best coaches? Man, I swear...I've had the pleasure to go watch practices at a lot of these "best coaches" gyms and he is FAR from being "the best". He has horses that can play. It's pretty plain and simple. Sue and Doc are hands down some of the best coaches at teaching the game.
did you tell malik while there that you do not think he is that great of a coach?
 
Super happy for the PW guard tandem of Thompson and Decker. They have been a joy to watch for years. They had to live with the sting of last year's blowout loss, came back stronger, and managed to find redemption.

Special kudos to Maia Garcia who more than held her own against the Mitty might.
Decker is the little GIANT just a coaches dream point guard.
 
The right way to me may be the wrong way to you and vise versa. Not a shot at anyone. To me I love straight M2M ball pressure and I hate watching teams that throw janky traps and send 3 to 4 girls at the ball running all over the floor like a chicken with it's head cut off. That's just my opinion. Might be beautiful to you I'm not sure. Offensively I like quickess, spacing, deception and organization. All of which Pinewood does at the highest possible level.
A Coach is coaching to win the game and not to please the guy in the stands. Man to man or in a zone a good coach makes the right adjustments game by game. if you have an athletic team that can't shoot you zone them, if you have a great shooting team you get inside them, man to man.
 
A Coach is coaching to win the game and not to please the guy in the stands. Man to man or in a zone a good coach makes the right adjustments game by game. if you have an athletic team that can't shoot you zone them, if you have a great shooting team you get inside them, man to man.
Never asked to be pleased 🤷‍♀️ wake me up when you see a doc pinewood team play a zone!
 
Yes sir! That's why styles make fights. My point was mainly that Pinewoods style fits my imagination of what perfect basketball looks like to me. But you have to coach to the strengths of your team I get it.

No post game, no mid-range, only 3 pointers or layups/floaters? That's nice and all and a big part of the game, but that's not all there is to "perfect" basketball and gets boring as well if that's all you do
 
It's not that boring when you win ... and there is no such thing as "perfect basketball."

All systems have flaws; no system is perfect, in any aspect of life. Doc wins with his system, and has lost with it. Sue has won with her system, and lost with it.
 
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No post game, no mid-range, only 3 pointers or layups/floaters? That's nice and all and a big part of the game, but that's not all there is to "perfect" basketball and gets boring as well if that's all you do
I guess Winning is boring. Look at their percentages 37% on threes 56% on twos. The points per possession are at the highest of level.
Turn around contested post shots, contested mid range are highly inefficient shots. Pinewoods mid range game are floaters which are now a highly practiced and mastered shot by players at high levels.
It’s about how you create easy baskets. And developing those shots with discipline every day.
 
I guess Winning is boring. Look at their percentages 37% on threes 56% on twos. The points per possession are at the highest of level.
Turn around contested post shots, contested mid range are highly inefficient shots. Pinewoods mid range game are floaters which are now a highly practiced and mastered shot by players at high levels.
It’s about how you create easy baskets. And developing those shots with discipline every day.

I agree wining isn't boring. Someone said press, double teaming, taking advantage of mismatches was boring and not the "perfect" way to play basketball, so I was playing devil's advocate.

Regarding post, midrange. What if you're 5" taller - wouldn't you post up your man? even if you're a point guard?
 
It's not that boring when you win ... and there is no such thing as "perfect basketball."

All systems have flaws; no system is perfect, in any aspect of life. Doc wins with his system, and has lost with it. Sue has won with her system, and lost with it.

The thing that I love about watching Pinewood play is that yes, they have a system but the things they do in practice daily is really apples to apples and is a huge reason why they've been successful all these years. It helps to have a middle school feeder system that incorporates all of the fundamental principals that he teaches and it's the same things at the high school level.
 
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I agree wining isn't boring. Someone said press, double teaming, taking advantage of mismatches was boring and not the "perfect" way to play basketball, so I was playing devil's advocate.

Regarding post, midrange. What if you're 5" taller - wouldn't you post up your man? even if you're a point guard?

I think what he/she was trying to say is that there are teams that press the entire game (say the famous 2-2-1 Wallberg press), don't adjust and when playing against teams just as good as them, they have to get out of it and can't handle a good fundamental team. Remember when SMS was number 1 in the nation and got beat by Pinewood? They handled their press and when SMS tried to play man to man, they got smoked even more cause they didn't have good man principals. SMS was by far the superior team (athletically) but IMHO, couldn't produce out of their press like they were accustomed to.
 
Posting up isn't as easy as it might seem for a couple reasons.

One, fronting the post with weakside help in the paint can really negate that kind of advantage -- or alternately, taking away the baseline with the post defender and dropping the weakside wing into the paint to prevent the turn to the middle. Yes, this opens up a skip pass to the weakside for a three, but if the pass isn't delivered at a high speed, the defenders can recover.

Which leads to two: The entry pass. It is not that easy to make good entry passes, especially with ball pressure. The post has to present a good target, and the wing has to find a way to deliver the ball to the right spot. If the post is fronted, the only pass available is the lob, which is a difficult touch pass to learn and complete.

Now if you have a post who will always be a mismatch problem, you can spend a lot of time working on this, but if the advantage is only available in a few games -- just like pressing -- then it doesn't really make sense to use your precious practice time on it.
 
Rewatching the highlights, two things stood out to me.

1. The number of smiles from the Pinewooders throughout was remarkable. They played with joy and I think it helped them rally when they were down 12.

2. This defensive sequence from Courtni Thompson is an all-timer.
.
 
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Pinewood players definitely looked more confident in their game plan. When you play happy and with confidence it makes a huge difference
 
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