[Paint Touches] The origin of paint touches under Buzz Williams

[PaintTouches]

Not the blog, but the offensive mentality. It's a fantastic story that will truly surprise you.

http://painttouches.com/2013/10/15/the-origin-of-paint-touches-under-buzz-williams/

On a related note, we went to the film and tracked every single paint touch from last season. The intention is to log all five years, but that's a work in progress.

http://painttouches.com/2013/10/15/marquette-paint-touch-tracker-2012-13/

[The Lens]

The funniest part of it all is, it was never meant to be this scientific formula that it has become — and as you will find out, the numbers are jaw dropping in their predictive power. To get to the bottom of the story, we asked Williams himself where in his years of watching basketball did he come up with 49 paint touches as the measurement of success for his team?

“When I got the job here, our (center) was Dwight Burke. (He was) 6-6, terrible. We had to get it to the paint. Jerel McNeal was going to take bad shots. Wesley Matthews wanted to prove he was a better player than Jerel McNeal. Dominic James couldn’t shoot, so he had to get it to the paint. We would play red-light, green light. The light is red until the ball touches the paint. When the ball touched the paint, then it’s green. That’s literally how it started, the little kid game. It’s just evolved and evolved.”

Oh Buzz...don't ever change.

[Skatastrophy]

"I’ve seen that into our culture as well."

What?

[🏀]

Oh Buzz...don't ever change.

That is an awesome quote.

I've always wondered how those there could play together.

[Lennys Tap]

Great job! People frequently complain on Scoop about our shortcomings as a team. No big men, can't shoot threes, etc., etc., but even as Buzz tirelessly recruits to minimize those shortcomings long term, he adapts to what he has short term. Most coaches have a system that either limits who they're able to recruit or forces square pegs into round holes once players arrive. Buzz builds a different house every year - he'll beat you fast, he'll beat you slow. He'll beat you with the three or by taking it to the hoop and shooting free throws. But more often than not, he'll beat you.

Beyond winning, you hit the nail on the head referring to Buzz as a "relationship specialist". Our players and our school is lucky.

[tower912]

I could never quantify it like Buzz does.   But I am always nervous when MU comes out hitting everything without paint touches.   It seems they inevitably go cold and stand around waiting for something to happen because they didn't get into their motion early. 

[Galway Eagle]

Interesting, funny how things develop over time. 

[boyonthedock]

Oh man, reading that gave me the closest thing to a sports orgasm I've ever had. I've never been so simpatico with the coaching/management of one of my favorite sports teams as I am right now. This must be how Tampa Bay Rays or Houston Rockets fans feel.