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Reviews
Customer Comments
I am proud to be using this system, December 14, 2005
Reviewer: Ray W. Davi "Ray Davis" (Irrigon, Oregon)
I grew up in Corvallis as a rabid Oregon State University Beavers basketball fan, and I was in my mid twenties when Coach Seidler was an assistant to Ralph Miller. "The Orange Express" was by far the best coached team I have ever seen, and, as Sports Illustrated noted in 1980, those players "could pass a pumpkin through an inner tube!"
Coach Seidler has taken a personal interest in the growth of my team, as he communicates the details of this system to me by email and by phone.
This system is exciting to coach, and my team has improved a great deal in a short period of time because of our coaching staff's commitment to the 1-4 offense, and to the pressure defense techniques that are outlined, in great detail, in this book.
This book clearly explains this system in a user friendly fashion.
I am currently coaching at a new high school in Oregon, with a team comprised of only freshmen and sophomores. We are competing against some of the best teams in the State of Oregon.
To see the growth of the players, and the joy that they have in creating turnovers and backdoor opportunities against much more experienced teams has made our commitment to this system worth far more than the relatively small price of this book.
I am proud to be developing a program that honors the memory of Coach Miller.
**** As good as it gets!, December 13, 2005
Reviewer: JMC -
Well, where do you go when you are asked to coach your daughters sixth grade team and you have limited coaching experience. I grew up watching Ralph Millers teams and went to OSU so I do have a bias toward his ideas. Finding a book (the only book?) about his systems was a godsend. The ideas were exactly what we needed, a simple plan that they (and I) could learn thru repetition. We started out looking like the bad news bears in shorts. By the start of the seasons they could handle the ball reasonably well and run a rudimentary offense. Our defense became very good in a short period of time. When we reached the mid-point of the season they could set up the backdoor and executed it very well. Hearing the parents in the stands become more excited and cheer as the play was set up and then executed was very rewarding. I know the girls derived much satisfaction from playing as a team. We went thru the regular season undefeated and won the City championship. This year we have the same 10 girls from the same middle school that can now compete with the "A" and "Select" teams at tournaments. This is not due to my coaching ability but to drills and ideas outlined in this book. This does not mean its easy, it takes a lot of work and thought to implement the ideas, but it does show you how to do it. In my opinion you need the video also. Not for the kids to see but for you to visualize what is discussed in the book. All in all, the best money I could have spent.
Girls' High School Basketball
Coach/AD jlori81@gte.net, August 16, 2000
After
reading the book and watching the video, I could see why Ralph
Miller was so successful. His mastery of the fundamentals and
ability to integrate them into everyday practice was
outstanding. Steve Seidler's book is a must for young coaches
searching for a sound fundamental system of teaching basketball.
Best Basketball Coaching Book I Have Seen, November 25, 2001
Reviewer: T Stovall from Floydada, Tx United States
I have over 50 books and videos relating to basketball coaching. Some deal
with certain aspects of the game, others deal with a system. A System of
Game Execution is by far the best coaching book I have ever seen. It tells
of the history of basketball, how that history is related to the system, the
philosophy of the system, drills for the system, and how everything within
the system ties together. The book is written by Steve Seidler and explains
in detail the system used by the late Ralph Miller at Oregon State
University. Steve was an assistant to Ralph at OSU. Steve also provides his
e-mail address and is very good about replying to e-mails. The system is
sound and easy to teach and learn. The drills help the players to teach
themselves the system. The system is based on team concept and pressure on
the opponent at all times. I feel every basketball coach on any level should
have this in their library. It is a book you can read again and again and
learn something more each time.
A reader from Myrtle Creek, OR , June 2,
1999
Seidler shows how to implement a complete basketball system
Seidler's "System of Game Execution" is a must for any
coach. Most basketball books concentrate on one of the many aspects in the
game. This leaves many readers trying to incorporate many ideas into one
system. Seidler's book gives a detailed account of Oregon State
University's basketball program in the 1980s. During this time, OSU was
one of the most dominant teams in the nation and won several PAC-10
titles. Since Ralph Miller's departure, OSU basketball has taken a turn
for the worse and never returned to the dominating team it was during
Ralph Miller's tenure. Seidler's book simply does an outstanding job of
teaching the system that helped OSU develop into one of the best teams in
the country. Offensive series, defensive principles, pressure tactics, and
fast break patterns are all taught in this book. The best thing about each
component is how they all seem to mesh together to form a really
outstanding brand of ball. The drills used to develop the system are all
included in this book. Since implementing this system, my kids have
learned how to play basketball and their confidence has soared to new
levels. My kids always tell me how much fun they have playing basketball
now, and that the system we run is the reason why. I recommend this book
without reservation and believe there is something in this book to learn
for everyone.
danny@apex.net , April 9, 1999
It works at the
Sixth Grade level
The prospect of your first dedicated
basketball coaching experience is sobering. Even if it's only a sixth
grade community league. After all this is Kentucky . . basketball is
serious. I could not find what I wanted in the Public Library. Then I
heard of Steve Seidler's book "A System of Game Execution." Just what I
needed. A system that had been proven. A system that was simple to
understand, easy to teach, quick to learn, and did not require memorizing
plays. Besides the "X's and O's" the book had the theories of coaching by
an acknowledged master. Theories that stressed fundamental laws of
teaching, individual discipline, and a concept that team basketball is fun
basketball. My first season won/loss record probably indicates I should
read the book again . . and I will. I'm also ready for another season to
start tomorrow! Great stuff in this book . . for teaching boys basketball
and for preparing boys for real life.
jerloutodd@aol.com from Athens, Alabama USA , April 6,
1999
Excellent book about a
time-tested system of play
This book does a great job of
explaining Coach Ralph Miller's system of game execution. As a Ralph
Miller fan for many years, I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated reading
this detailed analysis of this style of basketball which can be easily
applied to the high school level of play. The concepts and techniques are
used by our coaching staff to simplify and make the game more fun to play.
sballard@getnet.com from Phoenix, Arizona , April 3,
1999
Great practical book for fundamental basketball
After reading the book and watching the video, I could see
why Ralph Miller was so successful. His mastery of the fundamentals and
ability to integrate them into everyday practice was outstanding. Steve
Seidler's book is a must for young coaches searching for a sound
fundamental system of teaching basketball.
Steve Wells
swells@puxico.k12.mo.us from Puxico, Missouri , March 11, 1999
An excellent source for coaching basketball.
There are more ways to coach basketball than just the
popular theories of today's game and this book provides the methods and
approaches to this. The book does a real good job of explaining from step
1 to completion of a system that utilizes and maximizes teaching time and
how to accelerate the learning curve of the player.
Robert.Sells@qm.phxhs.k12.az.us from Phoenix, AZ ,
February 12, 1999
One of the best books on a total system I
have read.
The content of the book is outstanding. Any
coach who reads this book will be able to take the information and
immediately incorporate it into winning basketball games. By teaching the
fundamentals that Coach Miller has used, tremendously helped our program.
The way the whole system is explained really enabled me to become a better
coach and understand the simplicty of the game.
The video was also outstanding. Being able to visually see what the
book outlined helped in the understanding of the entire system. From
practice drills to game footage you can see how and why Coach Miller was
so successful. I have watched it over and over again and learned something
new each time.
Back to the
Basics
Here at The Basketball Highway we are
constantly striving to bring you the hottest leading edge ideas in
coaching today. Every once in a while however we are exposed to
efforts that remind us our our basketball roots and simply bring us back
to basics. Ralph Miller's Pressure Basketball video is really more
of a coach's collectors piece than a fancy dandy pure X's and O's tactics
video. But then for those coach's who never had the great fortune to
meet Coach Miller and spend time around him you might wonder like many
coaches why he is one of the ten winningest coaches in Collegiate
history. His teams ran simple patterns, played very basic defenses
and presses in the decades where creativity and individuality
exploded on the basketball hardwood.
You might also wonder why we chose to review
a video, originally produced 15 years ago, and now reprinted after Hall of
Fame Coach Miller has been retired for more than 10 years. Well
here's the scoop. We are constantly seeing new trends, Pitino's
Presses, Dick Bennett's Blocker and Mover Offense, the Amoeba, the
Match-Up, etc. etc. However what most young coaches miss are very
basic fundamental teaching concepts which should be taught and applied
across all levels of the game. The video is a storehouse of
that type of knowledge. It isn't fancy, because Coach Miller wasn't
a fancy coach. He was a coach that demanded perfect execution of the
most basic parts of the game. He taught the game in simple concepts
and repeated their importance to his players over and over. It was
not uncommon to see Ralph Miller coached teams consistently commit less
than 10 turnovers a game, despite the fact that they could play fastbreak
and pressing defenses. So here is our opportunity to remind the
young coaches that there are resources, including this video, which in
knowledge and weight are more than worth revisiting even in
retirement.
How to Play the
Game
This is not an X's and O's demonstration
video. It is a series of taped interviews lasting more than 110
minutes where the former Wichita State, Iowa, and Oregon State Head Coach
shares his views on how and why the game should be played. There are
clips from games and practices interspersed throughout the video, however
if you are looking for a specific offense or defensive scheme you will
find it is more general in nature. Do not however underestimate the
lessons you might pick up by adding this video to your coaching library
because there are a large number of very good examples of how to play the
game.
Teach Concepts That Work in
All Systems
This collection contains 17 different
interview segments that cover everything from skill basics (the jump stop,
the pass, and drills to teach the game), to pressing and pressure
defenses. Coach Miller also discusses basic defensive concepts
critical to winning basketball, pass denial, the transition game, and the
importance of team concept. In the middle of the video is a solid
section on rebounding and outleting the pass and the fast breaking
game. He also gives you his experienced ideas on the back door play,
the lob pass, and the inside game. The end of this rich
collection of taped interviews are devoted to passing against zone
defenses, attacking zones, and attacking man defenses.
Now I will tell you this, some coaches will
view this video and say that I didn't learn anything new. However as
a coach of many years it has been my experience that each coach can teach
you something, and especially those whose simplicity and emphasis on
execution have resulted in nothing but winning season after winning
season. I was fortunate enough to have coached at Oregon State
during Ralph's final years and my ears were constantly open to his direct,
clear and precise pointers to his players. You have a chance to
experience that yourself in this video. You may not add it to your
shelves today, but make a mental footnote that someday, when your complex
offenses and defenses look like swiss cheese, come back and take some
notes from one of the true master teachers of the game.
A Few Samplings of
Miller-ism's
- "Very few zone defenses can handle a team
that can jump stop and jump shoot."
- "Passes move faster than any team defense
can react and move"
- "If you don't restrict the drills in
scrimmage situations you give your players the chance to learn "the hard
way".
- "the half court man (defense) allows you
to keep more consistent pressure on the ball, and you also have
individual responsibilties for screening off the
backboard."
- "A man should be within touching distance
of their man when their man receives the ball."
- "I love the players who bounce the
ball...it wastes time and space. It allows the defense to
recover".
These are but a few of dozens of useful tips
and teaching points that this collection of interviews affords those
willing to listen. Former Oregon State Assistant Steve Seidler
has also put together a written collection of Coach Miller's observations
on pressure basketball in a 260 page book entitled A System of Game
Execution.
Video Review
This video is a good tool for a coach striving for a
winning program. A high school coach or grade school coach can benefit
from Coach Miller's philosophies of basketball. The basic concepts of
Coach Miller's are simple and concise. His narrative throughout the video
emphasizes the need for fundamentals and the demonstration of these
fundamentals. The video is broken into individual and team concepts. The
individual concept focuses on the fundamentals of the jump stop, passing,
and defending. The team sections deal with similar application of the
aforementioned skills. Game situations from Coach Miller's Oregon State
teams are shown throughout the video.
The applications of this
video can benefit a program looking to run, excellent transition footage
and explanation. The team concept of offense could also improve a program.
Coach Miller's entire concept is not used much around the country
according to the author, Steve Seidler. Upon questioning the author, he
responded "No current teams use his system in its entirety except
Penn-Trafford High School. They had only won 6 games in two years before
they implemented Ralph's system. They only went 64-12, won three district
championships in the PENN 5A, the large school division in PA."
Try to ignore the uniforms, old footage, and concentrate on the
skills to be learned. This is a coaches video not a players.
Book Review
In the 1980's, Oregon State University's basketball program was one
of the most dominant teams in the nation. Since that time OSU has been
unable to achieve the success that Coach Miller had. The fourteen chapters
of the book provide different areas of how to improve overall team play.
At the heart of the book are the seven fundamentals that Coach Miller used
in his practices. This is what made the team offense and defense work.
Coach Miller's use of half-court offense, constant pressure and match-up
zone defense allowed his teams to become great defensively.
The
book details a firm approach in the ethics and style of a great coach and
his system of play. Many coaches should appreciate Seidler's effort in
writing this book. Seidler's inclusion of pre-season conditioning and
training helps to give another impression of what it takes to become a
great basketball player. Coaches take note, this system is not implemented
around the nation currently at any level, except for a single high school.
The style of basketball that Coach Miller enjoyed is why the game of
basketball is so enjoyable. This system of basketball applies pressure on
both sides of the ball. You need a deep bench to really make this work.
Book Analysis
The content of the
book is worth the price. Seidler has chronicled a system that has value.
Coach Miller's coaching style is for you, if you want to teach your team
to run. This is a great book on how to achieve a new level of play. Hats
off to Steve Seidler in preserving a system of basketball that should not
be taken lightly.
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