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| Troy Johnston earned his starting spot on the varsity mainly due to his defensive efforts. |
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| Coach Jim "Killer" Kane (shown here on the sidelines during the December game against Wahoo) was known for his success with the 1-3-1 defense. Coach Anderson's patterned his defense off of Mount Michael. After losing to the Warriors, Coach Kane had some suggestions for the Warriors. Coach Anderson: "He mentioned a couple of other things we might want to try with our 1-3-1. We probably will. I think Jim wants to see a good 1-3-1 work whether it's his or someone else's." |
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| “Our kids know if they don’t put forth the effort, they sit because we have plenty of kids that can play.” -- Coach Anderson |
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In Pursuit of Glory
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The 1-3-1
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“Defense wins championships.” How many times have coaches (in all sports) uttered those words? It’s a commonly held belief; it’s a cliché. While most coaches say it, some believe it, and a few do it. When the Warrior basketball team reported for practice in November of 1989, Coach Anderson knew he had an exceptional team. But his many years in basketball coaching also made him well aware of the uncertainties of the game. Still, there was an air of confidence in the coach that was more pronounced than ever. One reason for that confidence might have been that in addition to the abundance of talent he saw on the court, he knew he had a strong foundation from which to launch this 1990 team: the defense that these players had learned from their years in his program; the defense they would be able to execute night after night.
On the first day of December in 1989, the coach’s commitment to defense was evident. When the Warriors took the court against David City, Troy Johnston was a surprise starter for the Warriors that night and it was primarily defense that won him the starting nod. Coach Anderson: “We like to choose our team defensively first.” Coach Anderson said of Johnston, “When you can get a kid to accept his role as a defensive specialist and not an offensive threat in today’s age of basketball, that tells you that you’ve got a kid who’s very unique and special.” As Wahoo’s high profile success in high school basketball was extending into it’s third year, “Wahoo” was becoming synonymous with the 1-3-1 defense. Just as important as the defensive scheme was Anderson’s commitment to it and his belief in it. That commitment was communicated to the players -- if you didn’t play defense, you didn’t play. And the players believed. With two State Championship trophies already on display, there was no doubt that “defense wins championships,” and defense would launch the 1990 team toward another.
Perhaps the biggest key to Wahoo’s success with the 1-3-1 in 1990 was the pressure applied by the two wing players: Jason Glock (6’4”) and Randy Hoffman (6’5”). The decision to use Steve Volin (6’3”) in the middle allowed Glock to move to the wing. Coach Anderson called Volin his “enforcer.” After facing the Warriors, Mount Michael coach, Jim Kane, pointed out, “... when you put Glock and Hoffman out there on those wings, they’re pretty tough to shoot over.” Wahoo Neumann coach, Paul Johnson also recognized the significance of that size, noting, “We had trouble on the wings with their big kids on defense.
The 1-3-1 served Wahoo well, but this team wasn’t a “one trick pony.” First of all, the 1-3-1 wasn’t always the same; Anderson frequently moved personnel around. One of the most significant moves was to sometimes put Jason Glock on the point. Coach Anderson would also extend the 1-3-1 to half court, three quarters court and full court. And Wahoo did employ other defenses. At times, the Warriors played a 2-3 zone and sometimes they would go man to man. And when the opponents had an especially good player, the Warriors would apply “slime” -- the box and one or triangle and two, part zone, part man to man. But no matter what the scheme, perhaps the real key to the Wahoo defensive success was how the players played. The defensive pressure was intense and always present. Syracuse coach Leon Bose, whose team had lost to Wahoo three times in 1989 and was defeated twice in 1990, commented on Wahoo’s defense: “With that kind of intensity on defense, you’re not going to have bad nights.”
Part 3 -- points |
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| The 1-3-1 zone defense employed a point, two wings, a center and a baseline. Coach Anderson favored the 1-3-1 because it allowed him to play zone, but in an aggressive style that attacked the offense away from the basket. |
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| “We feel championships, no matter what level of sport, are won with defense first. When it comes down to the district and state tournaments, sometimes the collar might get heavier and heavier for good shooting teams. We’ve always emphasized that our best offense should be our defense.” -- Coach Anderson |
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| The emphasis on defense often determined who played. Bernie Inbody (shown here defending against Yutan) was mostly known as a 3 point shooter, but when he came off the bench he also played intense defense. |
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| "We take more pride in our defense than we do offense. We like scoring and all that, but I think defense wins championships ... We've really played good defense the last two years." -- Coach Anderson |
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| 12/26/09 |
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