Upstart Milwaukee Hamilton starting to grasp Diener's defensive system
posted by Mark Miller at 1/5/2009
By Mark Miller Wishoops.net Editor Whether he’s on the sidelines at Fond du Lac St. Mary’s Springs, Muskego, Milwaukee Vincent or Milwaukee Hamilton, Tom Diener has always stressed one thing over all others when it comes to teaching the game of basketball, namely playing strong man-to-man defense.
Now in his first year at Hamilton after a tremendously successful 15-year stint at Vincent that included five WIAA Division 1 state championships, Diener’s emphasis on playing tight man-to-man defense appears to be paying off for an extremely young Hamilton squad as the Wildcats shut out host Janesville Craig for the entire first period last Friday en route to a 50-26 non-conference victory.
Some observations from the Hamilton at Craig contest:
Defense, defense and more defense Despite the fact Hamilton started five sophomores against five seniors from Craig, it was apparent from the start the Wildcats would be able to dictate tempo thanks in large part to their superior man-to-man defense.
After taking a 10-0 lead after the first period, Hamilton limited Craig to just nine points in the second quarter, 10 in the third and seven in the fourth as it improved to 4-1 heading into Tuesday’s Milwaukee City Conference opener against Vincent.
“Up to this point, we’ve probably spent about 90 percent of our time in practice on man-to-man defense,” Diener said. “It’s starting to pay dividends and the kids are starting to buy into playing man-to-man defense. It has a lot to do with the priority we set in terms of our time allotment. We’ve spent a lot of time and effort on teaching man-to-man. It’s rewarding to see them progress from game-to-game.”
Certainly, playing strong man-to-man defense becomes a bit easier when you have talented players with good quickness, size and basketball intelligence. That is certainly the case at Hamilton as sophomore starters Charles Lee, Haki Stampely, Elgin Cook, Kiwane Crowder and Darnell Harris are all outstanding players with great futures in the game.
“These guys are working really hard,” Diener said. “All of our practices are before school. Our guys get there between 5:45 and 6:00 a.m. From a teaching standpoint, it’s a lot of fun because there are no distractions. Usually in high school basketball, you are sharing the gym with another team or you have people walking through the gym or there are all sorts of other stuff going on. But at 5:45 a.m., we are the only people in there. Having that kind of a setting to teach and coach is a lot of fun.”
Hamilton’s young talent already attracting collegiate interest With no less than five players from the class of 2011 who could wind up playing at the next level, college recruiters already have been spotted at Hamilton games. Wisconsin assistant Howard Moore was among several college coaches in attendance at Craig, and more figure to make their way to the southside of Milwaukee to watch Hamilton this season.
Topping the list of potential collegiate prospects for Hamilton is Harris, a multi-skilled 6-foot-7 forward who just might be the state’s top prospect in the sophomore class.
“He’s a guard,” Diener said of Harris, who played on the varsity a year ago at Bay View. “He’s our best passer. He’s a tremendous passer. He might be the best passer I’ve ever had in terms of seeing the floor and making all the different little passes. Now his decision making isn’t where it needs to be, but in terms of the mechanics of passing, he’s just really, really good. He’s also very skilled for that size. We need to get some weight on him and some strength. Weight lifting will be very important with all of our guys.”
Joining Harris on the Wildcats’ frontline is Cook, a physical 6-5 forward and the son of former Milwaukee Bucks guard Alvin Robertson. Of all the sophomores in the Wildcats’ lineup, Cook may have improved the most over the past 12 months. He finished with 10 points against Craig and was able to get his shot off whenever he wanted it.
“Cook has got a little bit of toughness, which I like,” Diener said. “He gets mad in practice and goes at people. He doesn’t back down. He isn’t afraid to put his body into people. I think that will serve him well.”
The Wildcats’ backcourt of Lee, Stampely and Crowder is rock-solid and is bolstered by senior Brandon Ware, who comes off the bench and gives Diener quality minutes at both guard spots.
The 5-9 Lee is a terrific point guard who can push the ball and can either make pull-up jump shots or find open teammates.
“I played basketball at 5-9 and a half so I think size has always been over-rated,” Diener said. “But it won’t be over-rated by me. Charlie is just a very good ball player. There might be some people who make mistakes with Charlie because of his size, but I won’t be one of them. He’s still making some mistakes that are unforced … that’s the one area where he needs to get better.”
The 6-0 Stampley made four-of-five shots from the floor and appears to be vastly improved on the defensive end of the court.
“Haki is a two-guard who needs to get a little tougher and a little more intense,” Diener said. “He’s a little lackadaisical at times with the ball. He has a very nice pull-up jump shot in the lane.”
Unlike Harris, Cook, Lee and Stampley, who all transferred to Hamilton from Bay View, the 6-0 Crowder came over after playing on the varsity squad at St. Francis last season. He made all four of his field-goal attempts against Craig on the way to scoring nine points.
“Kiwane plays so hard,” Diener said. “Crowder is our most consistent hard-working player. He really works hard. I think his ceiling is pretty high, too. I think he can become a Division I player down the road.”
In addition to Ware, senior Jake Potrykus (6-6) and junior Stephan Thompson (6-4) received big minutes in reserve roles against Craig and figure to be important components for Hamilton as it enters City Conference play this week.
“We still have to play Germantown and St. Catherine’s in addition to our City Conference schedule,” Diener said. “Our schedule this year is very, very difficult. I am glad we were able to get some wins early because I know there is going to be quite a few bumps in the road along the way. The wins and losses aren’t the important thing this year. It’s more laying the foundation and putting our system in, primarily our man-to-man defense.”
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