Alright, let’s talk about Josh Schertz. I got kinda interested in his coaching style a while back. Wasn’t really planned, just sort of happened after catching bits of games and hearing his name pop up.
Digging In
So, I decided to actually look into it. First thing I did was try to find some full game footage. Not just highlights, you know? I wanted to see the flow, how his teams actually played minute by minute. Found some older broadcasts, some stuff from his time at Lincoln Memorial and then Indiana State. Had to piece it together a bit.
Then, I just started watching. Really watching. Sat down with a notepad, nothing fancy. I wasn’t trying to be some expert analyst, just wanted to see what jumped out at me. What kind of sets were they running? How fast did they push the ball? That kind of thing.
- Looked at the offense first. Seemed like a lot of movement, player movement and ball movement. Guys cutting, screens being set. It wasn’t static.
- Tried to notice the defensive side too. How they matched up, rotations, effort level.
- Paid attention to timeouts. What was the body language like? Couldn’t hear what was said, obviously, but you can sometimes get a feel for the coach-player dynamic.
Making Sense of It
It took a few tries, honestly. The first couple of games, I was just kinda watching basketball. Then I started trying to focus on specific things each time. One game, I’d only watch the point guard. Next game, maybe how they defended ball screens.
Jotted down some simple notes. Stuff like “lots of back cuts” or “quick transition O”. Nothing technical. Just my own observations in plain language. It wasn’t about breaking down X’s and O’s like a pro, more about getting a feel for the philosophy behind it.
Found myself comparing his approach at different schools too. Seeing how things maybe evolved or adapted based on the players he had. That was pretty interesting.
What I Got Out of It
It wasn’t easy sometimes. Finding good, clean footage without commentary sometimes was a pain. And honestly, understanding the real deep strategy takes more than just casual watching. I’m just a guy interested in the game.
But, I definitely got a better appreciation for what goes into building a team’s style. Seeing how Schertz got his teams to play, that specific brand of basketball, it was cool to observe. It wasn’t some magic formula I discovered, just spent some time watching and thinking about how one coach gets his vision onto the court. Made watching games, not just his, a bit more interesting for me afterwards. You start noticing little things more.
