Wise and St. Albans Use Differences to Prepare for Season
Ron Bailey, Publisher
November 26, 2006 – Yesterday at St. Albans School (Washington, DC), two schools who approach the game of basketball differently scrimmaged, when the home standing St. Albans Bulldogs worked against the Pumas of Dr. Henry Wise High School. Both schools, though widely different in style of play and approach, benefited from the experience.
Wise, which won all five of the scrimmage’s periods, features a fast break/up tempo attack led by freshman Daryl Traynham (13 points) and junior Roscoe Davis (14 points). According to their coach, Glennard “O.J” Johnson, that’s par for the course in their league, Maryland’ PG 4A. “Everybody in our league pretty much runs” he said. “Hopefully if we get a chance to get to the playoffs” where teams play other styles “this will give us an opportunity to see other stuff here, we will see there”.
As a competitor in the always guard oriented PG 4A league, Wise, pictured here before scrimmage action, welcomed the opportunity to face different of sets and tactics presented by St. Albans.
That’s because Wise – a first year program at a first year school – faced Bob Brown and a set of Bulldogs that throw a plethora of sets and looks at opponents: For example, Brown, a 30 year veteran of high school coaching used amongst other defenses, man to man, sagging man, 2-3 zone, 2-3 match up zone, and a 2-2-1 zone press backed up by a man to man. Offensively, he shared “for man to man offense, we had 16 plays, and against zone, three or four sets”.
Switching formations on both sides of the court frequently was something Brown learned from Bobby Knight, and is a challenging modus operandi for his players to master. To make it second nature for them, Brown shared “Well, we teach it and then we make the guys gradually go up to speed”; using repetition which allows his players to grasp the large volume of information.
Bob Brown, bending over, has utilized multiple offenses and defenses during games, for over 30 years.
“We’ve been playing against athletic teams for 30 years” said Brown, when asked if playing Wise prepared his team for the upcoming season. “It helps. And if you can handle the basketball and learn your sets, you can play with anybody”.
Wise’s Johnson should know, as he graduated from St. Albans in 1997, where he was a three year player for Brown. As such, he counseled his team to stick to basics, and not get flustered by St. Alban’s changing tactics. “I just told them they have to be patient” he said, which the Pumas did for the most part.
The combination of Traynham and Davis stood out for the Pumas: The two repeatedly displayed a level of comfort born from years of playing together. Tranyham, who fed Davis several times for not only alley-oop dunks but easy shots generally, revealed afterward “We started playing together like two and a half years ago” for DC Assault (AAU).
Senior Ryan Dougherty (14 points) not only shot the ball with his trademark skill for St. Alban’s, but also helped advance the ball through Wise’s full court pressure, especially in the later periods. Sophomore Jamelle Bailey (10 points) also played a significant role for the Bulldogs by functioning as a primary ball handler, driving, and finding open teammates. Freshman Glenn Thomas (9 points) came off (the bench) to provide a needed inside presence for the Bulldogs.