RE: wait. you think they should try to get closer to the basket?

Posted on: December 22, 2017 at 14:59:43 CT

Even up to around 1925 or later in many pockets of the country, the concepts of utilizing the dribble or quick passing to try and get shots relatively close to the basket was a newer concept. There were basically 2 schools of thought: The 'long pass' game where you heaved the ball around and took deep shots or tried to lob the ball into a heavily defended offensive player, or the newer 'pivot and pass' tactics that utilized shorter passes, passes, and dribbles to try and achieve higher % shots. Most teams used a combination of both. MU's Hall of Fame coach Walter Meanwell was really a pioneer at the time of emphasizing quick passing and taking high % shots.

I recently read a book published by Meanwell in like 1922 about coaching and playing basketball. Its pretty interesting to see the point in time difference compared to what we know the sport and tactics today.