Since his retirement a few years ago, there have been some
wonderful features and accounts of the coaching career of
Charles "Lefty" Driesell. Some have focused on his 786 wins,
taking four different schools to the NCAA tournament or his
invention of "midnight madness."
Each is a part of what Lefty Driesell was as a coach, but there
is one thing that comes to mind when summing up the coach and
the man. He is genuine.
In any walk of life we encounter individuals who appear to be
one thing on the surface, but in truth they wear more than one
hat. Such can never be said for coach Driesell. That sense of
humor and friendly demeanor, which were seen on television for
years, are still evident when that green light goes out.
There is an old adage that suggests that you can often judge the
quality of a person by how many friend he or she has. Well you
would be hard pressed to find someone who has come in contact
with coach Driesell that doesn't truly like the man.
Lefty's friendly, outgoing and personable makeup says more about
the man than any of his 786 victories. There have been many
occasions when I have been at a function with coach Driesell,
when people have come up to say hello. In every case, he gave
those people his full attention.
I have heard people say that Lefty Driesell had a lot of
compassion for the game. I do not disagree, but I would add that
he also has a lot of compassion for people.
We can all envision his intensity and passion on the sidelines,
but when the game was over he brought those same traits to those
he knew and those who he would meet for the first time that day.
I remember meeting Lefty, early in my coaching career at Iowa.
At that time I was very new to the division I coaching ranks,
having spent many years in the junior college ranks in
California. But Lefty treated me like a long lost friend.
For all that he had accomplished to that point in his career, he
never acted like a "wheel." He was so very down to earth. And
more than 25 years later he is still as humble and genuine as
ever.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the line I believe a lot of
people lost sight of just how good of a coach he was. I have
always thought he never got the credit he deserved.
Coach Driesell was an excellent recruiter, but he was also an
excellent coach. All too often coaches get tagged with a label
of being a great recruiter, but not a great coach.
He won 100 games or more at four different schools. No one else
has ever produced such a feat. He also took each of those
schools to the NCAA tournament, on the way to nearly 800 career
wins.
Now you do not accomplish such things if you are just a
recruiter.
In any walk of life if you have a weakness, your competition
will eventually exploit it. And you certainly do not last 41
years in this profession if you are one dimensional.
He took over four losing programs and left each, following a
successful tenure. At every stop he helped lead a program to new
heights.
I hope that Lefty has found time to relax and spend with family,
but if ever decides to place his resume on someone's desk it
would be difficult to consider anyone else.
He produced 22 twenty-win seasons, 21 postseason bids, nine Top
10 finishes, 11 Top 20 finishes, and coached 33 players drafted
into the NBA.
His teams advanced to the Final 32 12 times, the Sweet Sixteen
six times and Elite Eight four times.
His mentorship of coaching has developed assistant coaches who
have gone on to win over 2,300 games, more than any other head
coach in NCAA history.
That's an impressive resume. But above all the numbers, just
below the name Charles "Lefty" Driesell there should be one word
to begin that resume -- "Genuine."
I was very happy to see CollegeInsider.com establish the Lefty
Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award. I hope that each
player that receives this award, in the coming years, will
understand the impact Lefty made on the game of basketball.
DEFENSE:
EFFORT, PASSION AND COMMITMENT
by Lute Olson
Defense wins basketball games. Offense only determines the
margin of victory.
It’s always interesting to hear people talk about teams
that are great defensive teams, as opposed to those that are
not. Defense is all about effort, passion and commitment. So why
aren’t all teams great on the defensive end of the floor? After
all, effort, passion and commitment should be components all
teams should possess.
It’s simple. If you commit to becoming a good defensive
player then you will become a good defensive player. You have to
put forth the effort and have passion. There is no better
example of this than Kevin Garnett, of the Boston Celtics.
We often hear analysts say, “He plays every possession
like it was his last.” That’s good, but anyone can expend
energy. It’s more than just pounding the floor and looking the
part. There has to be a purpose behind it all and Kevin Garnett
certainly plays with a purpose. But it’s more than just effort
and passion. He is committed to being a great defensive
presence.
Presence is the key. There are a lot of excellent
defensive players, but Garnett brings a defensive presence to
the floor that is contagious. He makes those around him better.
For the entire careers Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were viewed as
outstanding scorers. They were not known as defensive-minded
players. Last season they became very good defenders. That is a
credit to Garnett. His presence was the foundation for Boston
being the best defensive team in the NBA.
Sometimes the message doesn’t come through clearly enough
for some players. That thought that we can simply outscore the
other team is what dominates their thoughts. But when you see it
first-hand it tends to have a different effect. Looking at the
NBA landscape this season we find Cleveland is a much better
defensive team than a year ago. Defensively they are among, if
not, the best in the NBA.
The Cavaliers took a cue from Boston -- Defense wins games
and raises banners.
That same message should be received at the college level.
In any given year, you will find the most successful teams in
March are also some of the best defensive teams. Offensive
explosions may help get you to the month of March, but that
alone will not get you much further.
We often hear analysts say, “This is important defensive
possession.” But why is that possession any more important then
the first possession of the game? Time and situation dictate
that, but players should remember that all the previous
possessions led to this one possession. Had you gotten a stop
earlier, perhaps this would not be that most important
possession of the game.
It’s simple -- Every possession is important.
It’s important to play every possession as if it were the
final possession of the game. What happens in the closing
moments is what analysts always highlight, but plays throughout
the game will dictate whether it comes down to that proverbial
final possession.
Rarely do you hear that the steal in the opening moments
was the difference in the game, simply because there are so many
possessions remaining. In baseball it could be the failed
sacrifice in the third inning and it football it might be the
dropped pass on third down in the first quarter that is talked
about in the aftermath.
In both cases there is still plenty of time to overcome
the failure to execute, but if you don’t overcome it with a
victory it becomes the topic of discussion after the game.
But basketball is different. It’s not dissected to the
extent of those other sports.
In the final analysis it’s usually a handful of
possessions, during the course of the game, that determine how
good or bad a team is statistically. Players have the physical
ability to be excellent defenders, but they don’t always put
forth that effort on every possession.
Add passion and commitment and you have defense.
QUICK TURNAROUND TIME
by Lute Olson
While fans are
busy filling out their brackets, coaches are busy making
preparations to face their first round opponent. And shortly
after the brackets are unveiled, coaching staffs immediately
begin the process of preparation.
Methods to the madness differ, but all are consistent with being
very thorough.
We have always had a very detailed approach to preparing for
both our first and -- potential -- second round opponents, which
does not vary much from our regular season scouting system.
One of the most often used expressions is, "Our focus is solely
on our next opponent." That is not exactly true.
In practice our attention is focused squarely on the next game
and nothing else, but -- as a staff -- we are always trying to
stay two steps ahead. As a coaching staff, we have our next
three opponents scouted and that is something that we carry over
to the NCAA Tournament.
And that process begins all over again when the brackets are
announced on Sunday evening.
More likely than not, we already have game tapes on our first
round opponent. We have an excellent video crew who tape every
single college basketball game throughout the season.
One assistant coach is assigned the responsibility of breaking
down every aspect of that first round opponent, from the tapes
we have available. While he is examining film, another assistant
will begin utilizing contacts to obtain updated game tapes.
Five to six hours after the brackets have been announced, the
assigned assistant has a complete scouting report mapped out.
One of our other two assistants has the assignment of working
with him on specifics of defensive approach. He answers the
questions, what players do have to be concerned with, what types
of sets the opponent will run in a given situation, what are
their tendencies and so on.
When we convene as a staff on Monday morning, we are fully
prepared to discuss approach and implement our game plan.
At the same time the first round opponent is being examined, a
third assistant draws the assignment of scouting the two teams
who we would possibly face in the second round, assuming that we
win our opening round affair.
His breakdown also begins on Sunday evening and often goes late
into the evening. But his assignment is not discussed during our
Monday morning meeting. I do not want to know anything about our
potential second round opponent until the first game has gone
final.
Still, it is of the utmost importance the assistant that draws
that assignment to have a complete understanding of both teams
in advance. By the time we board the plane for our first round
destination, we have a thorough breakdown on three teams.
In the days leading up to that first game, every conceivable
scenario is played out. We break our preparation down to the
finest detail with one simple goal in mind -- We want our
players prepared for everything.
One thing that we always preach to our players is that they will
never be surprised by what they encounter on game day.
Once they step foot on the floor they will know that when the
opponent's guard goes left he will probably look for a screen to
get his shot, if he goes right he will look to pass to the post,
if he penetrates to the middle he will look to kick it back out
and so on.
By no means do we do anything radically different than every
other coaching staff in America. More likely than not, our
approach is very similar to every team participating in the NCAA
Tournament.
Some coaches put a heavy emphasis on their own teams, with the
idea that if they execute their own stuff they will be
successful. I have always taken a different approach, in that we
want to be sure we are sound in what we want to do, but we also
want to be sound and secure about what our opponent will do.
There are always going to be variations in approach and
philosophy, but one thing is the same with all sixty-five
coaching staffs -- They are all very thorough.
WE KNEW HIM AS COACH
by Lute Olson
It
was three years ago this week that we lost one of the great
people to ever coach to this game. His name is synonymous with
March Madness.
The greatest compliment you can pay can pay someone in this
profession is to simply call him “coach.” Admiration, success
and the respect of one’s peers are what earn a man the simple
title of “coach.” Coach Ray Meyer had all of those things and
more.
The passing of the legendary DePaul coach was somewhat lost in
the midst of first and second round action of the 2006 NCAA
tournament. Ironically that is probably how coach would have
preferred it. He devoted much of his life to the game he loved,
never seeking the spotlight but the spotlight most certainly
found him.
For more then four decades he brought class and dignity to the
sidelines at DePaul University. Twice he took teams to the Final
Four and seven times he guided teams to the National
Invitational Tournament, including a team that featured George
Mikan. At a time when the NIT was college basketball’s crowning
jewel, Mikan helped coach win the 1945 NIT and the national
championship.
Thirty-seven winning seasons and 724 career wins would seem
unapproachable to a young man breaking into the profession
today. But among his most remarkable achievements was that his
second appearance in the Final Four, in 1979, came thirty-six
years after his first trip, in 1943.
It was only appropriate that he was inducted into the Naismith
Basketball Hall of Fame that same year.
Equally as impressive as his staying power was his ability to
take something pretty good and make it really great. So many of
his teams began the season without expectations, but by season’s
end he taken the average and turned it into a winner. And he did
that year after year.
But it wasn’t only basketball teams that coach would touch in a
positive way. Always approachable, coach wore a smile like it
was his purpose. And in many ways it was. He always made every
person feel like they were special. That was his way.
Through the years countless numbers would cross paths with the
legendary coach and they were the better for it. But it was
coach who believed he was in fact a better person for having
known you. He truly loved and admired people.
As visible as he was over the last twenty-plus years, it’s hard
to believe that coach actually retired following the 1984
season. His career might have concluded in an official capacity,
but he really never put down the whistle.
He would remain a fixture at the University that he alone made a
household name. For thirteen years he served as a Special
Assistant to the President, with a focus on special projects. He
would also provide color commentary for DePaul basketball games
on the radio until 1997. Even then he was never more then a
mid-range jumper away from the game and the program that he
loved so much.
In December of 2003, the playing surface at the University’s
arena was officially named “Ray and Marge Meyer Court,” in honor
of coach and his late wife. And his legacy will continue.
Quite simply, he was and will always be DePaul University.
News of his passing may have been somewhat lost in all the
excitement of the NCAA tournament, but those that knew would
agree that he would have had it no other way.
A true coaches coach, it was never about him. It was always
about the players. Therefore it was only fitting that his
passing came during one of the most exciting and entertaining
first weekends that the NCAA tournament has ever seen.
It
was three years ago this week that we lost one of the great
people to ever coach to this game. His name is synonymous with
March Madness. 
