The Grinnell College Basketball System: An Unorthodox Approach to Victory
The Grinnell College basketball system, often referred to as "The System," is a unique and fast-paced style of basketball developed by coach David Arseneault Sr. at Grinnell College. Players love it, spectators marvel at it, and even NBA teams are experimenting with its core principles. It's a system that emphasizes high-scoring games, a relentless pace, and maximum player participation.
The Genesis of "The System"
The System can be traced back to 1989, when David Arseneault Sr. became the Head Men’s Basketball Coach. He inherited a program that hadn’t seen a winning season in over 25 years and was consistently at the bottom of the conference. Tired of regular defeats, Arseneault sought to reinvent the program. He took his ideas to Grinnell’s athletic director, Dee Fairchild, and began experimenting with unconventional strategies during games and practices.
“After two years here, I became convinced that anything resembling a traditional basketball approach would just add to the losing streak,” Arseneault Sr. said.
These experimentations led to the development of the innovative style of play known as "The System." By any measure, The System transformed Grinnell men’s basketball. Once conference cellar dwellers, the Pioneer men have become perennial overall national scoring champions. Grinnell is no longer an automatic win for the rest of the Midwest Conference.
Key Components of The System
The Grinnell System is a fast-tempo style of basketball that relies on several key components:
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- 3-Point Shots: The System prioritizes 3-point shots as a primary scoring option. Grinnell attempts a high volume of shots from beyond the arc, often exceeding 50% of their total field goal attempts.
- Constant Full-Court Pressure: A relentless full-court press is applied on defense, aiming to force turnovers and disrupt the opponent's offensive flow.
- Continuous Substitutions: The System utilizes frequent substitutions, with more than a dozen players participating in each game. This keeps players fresh, maintains a high energy level, and wears down opponents.
- High Pace of Play: The Grinnell System emphasizes a fast pace of play, with offensive possessions often lasting only a few seconds. The goal is to get as many shots as possible in a short amount of time.
The Philosophy Behind The System
“The System is kind of an attitude,” head coach Dave Arseneault says. “We are not a survival-of-the-fittest program. We are a participation program."
The core philosophy of the Grinnell System revolves around maximizing scoring opportunities and player involvement. It's about getting more shots, specifically more three-point attempts, than the opponent. To achieve this, the system focuses on:
- Increasing the pace of play: Pushing the ball, generating early shots, pressuring the ball the entire length of the court, and teaching urgency on offense. Utilizing a 12-second shot clock in practice to simulate game conditions.
- Forcing more turnovers: Applying constant full-court pressure after made shots, missed shots, and dead balls.
- Producing more second-chance opportunities: Sending multiple players to the offensive glass on each shot, shooting more 3s to generate longer rebounds, and attacking the offensive glass in transition.
Arsenault took his ideas for reinventing the program to Grinnell’s athletic director, Dee Fairchild. He did just that. “I was using our games and practices as a chance to experiment,” Arseneault says.
Measuring Success: The Key Metrics
The Grinnell College Basketball System focuses on five specific metrics to determine if the system was successful during any given game:
- 100 Field Goal Attempts: A high volume of shots is crucial to the system's success.
- 50 Three-Point Attempts: Emphasizing the 3-point shot as a primary scoring option.
- 32 Forced Turnovers: The full-court press aims to disrupt the opponent and create scoring opportunities.
- 35% of Rebounds are Offensive Rebounds: Generating second-chance opportunities through aggressive rebounding.
- +25 Shot Differential: Taking significantly more shots than the opponent.
Students conducted their analysis of The System as an independent study project under the direction of Tom Moore, professor emeritus of mathematics and statistics.
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The Impact and Legacy of The System
The System gained national attention in November 2012, when Grinnell sophomore Jack Taylor ’15 scored a record-smashing 138 points in a single game. NBA star LeBron James was quoted as saying it was a feat he wanted to see. Now, even NBA teams are experimenting with The System.
The Grinnell System has had a lasting impact on the world of basketball:
- National Scoring Champions: The team achieved the title of NCAA’s National Scoring Champions 16 out of their previous 18 seasons.
- Record-Breaking Performances: In 2012, Jack Taylor set the record for most points scored in a game and set another record the following year, being the only player in NCAA history to score over 100 points in a game twice in his career.
- Influence on Higher Levels of Play: Last fall, the Sacramento Kings hired former Grinnell assistant coach David Arseneault, Jr. ’09 as head coach of their development league team, the Reno Bighorns. Arseneault, Jr. brought a version of the Grinnell System with him.
Adapting and Evolving: The Modern Grinnell System
Even after 2013, Grinnell kept putting shots up and breaking records. Fast forward to 2018, Coach David Arseneault Sr. knew that he would continue utilizing the Grinnell System, but knew that the program needed new practice methods. Prior to 2018, training was mostly partner shooting and static drill work leaving them limited when it came to shot training. Which is why Coach Dave decided to upgrade the program’s shooting machine equipment to a Dr.
Since switching to Dr. Dish, the Grinnell Men’s Basketball program has been able to focus more on player development and purposeful training. “It was a no-brainer decision for us to switch to the Dr. Dish in 2018. The customer service is top-notch and the functionality of the Dish is perfect for all levels”, Coach Dave stated. With this shift to more focused training, the team has been able to average 50-60 field goal attempts a game. Grinnell then set yet another NCAA record with 111 shot attempts in a single game during their ‘22-’23 season.
“The Dr. Dish CT+ allows our basketball players to get a ton of shots up in a short amount of time. It’s incredibly easy to set up and there are a variety of options depending on the type of workout a player wants. The CT+ opens up a whole new world of training for Grinnell with the technology and innovation the machine provides. Like, helping create consistency in each shooter's shot form done through repetition. And allowing for more drills than ever thought possible!
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Just like the CT+, Grinnell Basketball wants to continue to stand out, be cutting edge, and be innovators with their high-speed style of play.
Is The System Right For You?
The goal with this article is to help coaches understand the concept behind the system, why the system was created, and help coaches determine if this style of play is a good fit for your youth, travel or varsity program.
While The System has proven successful for Grinnell College, it may not be suitable for every team. Factors to consider include:
- Player Skill and Athleticism: The System requires players who are skilled shooters, quick, and possess high levels of stamina.
- Team Depth: A large roster with players who can contribute effectively is essential for the constant substitutions.
- Coaching Philosophy: Coaches must be willing to embrace the unorthodox style of play and prioritize pace and shot volume over traditional offensive sets.
- Emphasis on Effort: In order for this system to produce the results you want it to, you'll need maximum effort from each athlete in every practice, every game, and every team event. Placing an emphasis on 100% Effort is a great goal to establish with all of your athletes.
A Lasting Legacy
Building a lasting legacy is not something that just happens overnight, no matter the basketball program or the overall talent of the team. When David Arseneault Sr. became Head Men’s Basketball Coach in 1989, he had an ambitious goal of creating a program that truly stands out above the other 435 Division lll colleges and universities across the country.
Grinnell College Pioneers are an NCAA DIII team located in Grinnell, Iowa and have popularized a system of play that focuses on scoring boat loads of points, getting up tons of shots, and making for an exciting style of play for players and fans alike. In the 2023-2024 season, Grinnell Men's Basketball averages 116.0 points per game while giving up 96.0 points per game. They average 91 field goal attempts per game while taking 58 three point attempts per game. Grinnell is currently 12-3 on the season, and have scored as much as 166 points in a game with no overtime periods.
“It’s controlled chaos,” Arsenault says. “I guarantee if you watch us play, it will be very difficult to go back to watching any other brand of basketball,” Arseneault says. “It’s just pure entertainment.
The true beauty of our system is that it has basically withstood the test of time. Once ridiculed by many, today much of what we do offensively has been adopted by the majority of NBA teams and college programs at all playing levels across the country,” Arseneault Sr.
Coach Aaron Levin is currently an American Assistant Men's Basketball Coach, as well as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coordinator at Grinnell College in the Midwest Conference. Levin is familiar with being a Pioneer student athlete as he played for Grinnel College. In his short tenure as a player due to medical reasons, he has played 64 games in his career. Levin averaged 18.3 points and 6.4 rebounds as a senior, more importantly he became A multi-year Academic All-Conference selection. Prior to his coaching tenure at Grinnell College, Coach Levin became the head coach for the freshman boys basketball team and assistant boys varsity basketball coach at William Howard Taft High School in Chicago.
To this day, Grinnell plays the same high-paced, three-heavy, electrifying basketball.
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