The Reno Bighorns broke an NBA Development League record last Saturday when they scored 157 points in a game, improving on their previous best of 155. Reno Public Radio’s Esther Ciammachilli stopped by one of their practices to find out how they’re making this happen.
It’s called “the System” and it’s the brainchild of Reno Bighorns’ coach David Arseneault Jr. and his father, who coaches college basketball in Iowa. Those familiar with this method sum it up in three words.
“Run and gun style; run and gun; run and gun."
You just heard from players Jordan Hamilton and Ra’Shad James, along with managing owner Herb Santos Jr. Run and gun is when a player sprints up court with the ball and fires a shot from behind the three point line. All this takes place in 12 seconds or less. Such a fast, pressure-inducing strategy takes its toll on players, but Coach Arseneault has found a way to remedy that.
"We will mass substitute. Often times we’ll go five for five substitutions in an effort to keep our guys fresh and in an effort to wear the opponent down.”
Most professional basketball teams will switch out one or two players at a time, but the Bighorns substitute all five players every 90 seconds, for a constant rotation of fresh and energized bodies on the court.
“We’re trying to really just use maximal effort where another team might be pacing themselves because they know it’s a long game and they know that they have to stay on the court for nine consecutive minutes, so they’re taking a few short cuts, or something like that. We’re trying to avoid all that and just play as hard as we can, knowing that we’re going to be able to come off the floor.”
Point guard Ra’Shad James says the System has actually made him a better athlete.
“It’s just been keeping me in tip top shape man because, we run a lot as you see in the practices. We get up a lot of three-point shots and lay-ups, and we’re just told to sprint the floor as hard as we can for that minute, minute and half that we’re on the court and I’ve just been in the greatest shape ever.”
The Bighorns also take a lot of shots in the paint, the white line signifying the three point threshold. Usually teams focus more on scoring two-point shots. But three-points add up faster. So far this season, the Bighorns are averaging about 141 points per game. Most professional teams score around 100.
“When you look at it on the fan side of it, they like to see three point shots, they like to see dunks and so you see a lot those at our games.”
That’s Herb Santos Jr., the managing owner. His team is gaining a lot of attention – both nationally and within the Reno community. Locally, attendance has increased more than a quarter and the System has put Reno on the map as an NBA testing ground for new ideas.
Despite the success of his System, Coach Arseneault says it’s still evolving and he strives to make it better.
“Yeah we’re averaging 141 points per game, but we’re also giving up about 141 points a game. So, there’s certainly room for improvement, but we have figured out a way to win basketball games, to compete, to show that there are different ways that you can play this game. And we’re going to continue to experiment.”
All this experimentation has some believing the Bighorns could have a 200 point game in the very near future.
Below is an extended interview with Coach David Arseneault.
This interview took place just before the Bighorns broke the D-League scoring record on Jan. 31.
