"ALL SYSTEMS GO!"
By Chris Granozio
As I look to the national leaders page, I’m struck by the top four scoring teams in Division 2:
- Gannon 105.1
- Nova Southeastern 104.6
- West Liberty 101.9
- Coker 99.8
And that’s no coincidence. There is a “system” at work. Nova’s head coach, Jim Crutchfield, introduced a style when he was at West Lib 20 years ago that accentuated quick passes, multiple 3-point shots, and applying relentless pressure, beginning with inbounds passes after makes. It’s simply referred to as “The System” among its disciples. Those include Crutchfield’s protégé and former Hilltoppers scoring star, Ben Howlett, who took over the reins when Crutchfield migrated south seven years ago. Howlett has thrived utilizing the same philosophy, and actually met up with his mentor in last year’s national championship game (the highest-scoring one in history, unsurprisingly, won by NSU, 111-101). Last spring, Howlett’s former assistant, Michael Lamberti, earned his first head coaching gig at Coker (SC), where he is poised to end a nine-year streak of losing seasons. And Crutchfield’s former assistant, Jordan Fee, was also hired during the off-season at Gannon and immediately implemented the same style. Within the first week of play in November, the Golden Knights had already matched last year’s pathetic win total. And that was just the start. All Fee has done this winter is orchestrate the most stunning transformation in the country from last year’s moribund 3-23 record to a phenomenal 19-2 mark this winter, restoring Gannon to its place of prominence as one of the premier programs in D2 (currently ranked #8 in the NABC Coaches’ Poll). One of the most boring teams in the nation offensively last year has perhaps become the most exciting. So here are the records of each “System” adherent to date:
- Jim Crutchfield: 512-84
- Ben Howlett: 176-30
- Jordan Fee: 19-2
- Michael Lamberti 11-9
TOTAL: 718-125
Now, let’s take a look at their NCAA Tournament success:
- Jim Crutchfield: 36-11 (13 of 19 NCAAs)
- Ben Howlett: 10-5 (6 of 6 NCAAs)
- Jordan Fee: TBD (TBD)
- Michael Lamberti TBD (TBD)
TOTAL 46-16
Though it has proven to be an unquestionably successful formula, last March marked the first time that a “System” team (sounds like a term used for a secret society such as the Illuminati) had helped a team win a national championship as Nova Southeastern achieved a perfect 36-0 campaign. Still and all, the numbers are too loud to ignore: namely, an absurd .852 regular-season winning percentage and .742 success rate against the very best teams in the NCAA Tournament.
So what exactly is “The System?”
“It’s five players making decisions on the floor,” according to Howlett, who retained the style when he ascended to the head coaching seat because he said the fans had become accustomed to it. “It’s a fun brand of basketball to play,” he told D2easthoops.org this week. “It’s not scripted, but we require them to exhaust themselves. It allows guys to play freely and play hard, and that takes care of the Xs and Os. I play five-in, five-out because you’ve got to keep guys fresh. No one can play this way for 40 minutes. It’s physically and mentally impossible. We want them on the court for 22-25.”
Crutchfield, the architect, says it's as mental as it is physical. "YOu have to keep your eyes open and look for opportunities on both ends of the floor." He shared with D2easthoops he humble origins of his brainchild. "We never had a name for it. I was a high school basketball coach and I liked to play uptempo, and the last game I coached, we lost 104-101. I inherited a team (West Liberty) that had lost a lot (4-23 record in 2003-04)." He knew changes needed to be made and was already thinking outside the box. "I did what I was comfortable with," he said. "Being aggressive without giving something up. On theoffensive end, I never cared if we didn't get a shot off quickly. We wanted to attack continually until we got a good shot. We didn't want to waste any time not looking to score, and it evolved fom there."
The West Virginia native structured his practices that way every day, and was always surprised how much scoring resulted. "To this day, I say in the preseason that there's no way we are going to score 100 a game but we do," He told us. "It's a byproduct of the system. We werern't re-inventing the wheel, and I've never said 'I've invented a new way to play the game,' but the numbers it produced was surprising. Scoring a lot of points was never the goal. The goal has always been to win the game."
Fee – who is also enjoying a homecoming in Erie – told me that he’s surprised with the success his Gannon team has had since adopting the new style. “We are trying to play a completely different game than everyone else,” he told D2easthoops. “It’s a linear game and we try to eliminate all the lulls that occur in a typical game, like allowing the other team to bring the ball up the court. We bring constant pressure, on both offense and defense. We play the entire game as if we’re down 10 with two minutes to go. If you do it right, that’s what it’s supposed to look like.”
Lamberti labels it “helter-skelter badness” and claims it’s “unscoutable.” When asked what type of player best fits The System, he covets “a guy who’s obsessed with basketball. A blue-collar bulldog who will run through a wall for you… a gym rat who wants to play full-speed all the time. One who’s fired up for his teammates who come in for him.”
A product of the Pittsburgh suburbs, Lamberti says his team is still struggling with some of the defensive concepts but he knows patience is the key with such a major overhaul. “Experience matters,” he said. "Once you get a year or two under your belt, it becomes second nature.”
Howlett, who grew up just minutes from the West Virginia border in Ohio, says he has made some minor tweaks to The System over the years, “but mostly on the offensive side, with certain actions and principles. Most of the defensive principles are pretty much the same.” The offense is very similar to the five-out motion famously run by Bentley and St. Anselm in our region over the years. Perhaps that’s one reason why the latter team successfully “upset” Nova Southeastern at the 2019 Elite-8 before the Sharks went out for blood thereafter.
The closest we have to this high-octane style in our region is St. Thomas Aquinas, which since the days Tobin Anderson took over the program, has elected to press after made baskets and throw chaos at the opposing team. But even at its chaotic best, STAC doesn’t commit full-throttle like these others. Fellow Rockland County team Dominican – which actually defeated West Liberty in December – also dabbles with some of these tenets, such as scoring quickly, pressuring the ball and forcing turnovers. East Stroudsburg – which Gannon defeated on the road in PSAC play early in the season – also showcases a similar pressing style, though with occasional lulls. Grinnell, the D3 program in Iowa that has drawn national attention due to its absurd scoring records, does it differently too, with commitments to shooting within the first few seconds of the shot clock, regardless of shot quality, while also gambling more and allowing uncontested lay-ups. And because Grinnell has never come close to equaling the success of the System teams, its style is more appropriately classified as a gimmick.
Not counting Coker, notice that the top three scoring teams in D2 are also the top three in forced turnovers:
- Nova Southeastern 25.42
- Gannon 23.96
- West Liberty 20.68
Coker checks in at #20 on this list, as the Cobras’ roster hasn’t made the full adjustment to the new style quite as easily.
To date, the only “System” programs are in Division 2. Howlett says that’s because athletic directors are afraid to hire coaches who want to play this style. And, there are inherent risks. “If all five on the floor aren’t playing as hard as they can… even if it’s just one who isn’t, it won’t work,” he offered. “You have to get guys brainwashed.”
Lamberti cites Bob Huggins’ West Virginia teams with Jevon Carter a decade ago that enjoyed some success with a D1 “Press Virginia” version of The System. “Most D1 schools think it won’t translate but it did work for them (WVU). And you can recruit a different type of athlete at that next level.”
Crutchfield predicts it will happen eventually. "No doubt it will. I can't speak for the people making decisions at D1 but it's simply a matter of science and mathematics. I was a math major and there are certain truths about more shots and opportuities." He went on to mention an NBA connection. Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla, who coached against Crutchfield when he was head coach recently praised him and admitted to bringing some of that System success to his team, which sports the best record in The Association: https://twitter.com/nsu_mbasketball/status/1709579268106186839?s=42&t=kOu3xY6wljvdvDWE5NY_cg
So the question now becomes: Who’s the next coach to fall off the Crutchfield Tree? And the follow-up: Which school will be bold (smart) enough to hire him?
Howlett sums up The System simply and succinctly: “A. It’s worked, and B. It’s what I know.”
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