pfft...I hate that term.
by NDMike2001 (2022-05-25 09:29:42)
Edited on 2022-05-25 09:31:37

In reply to: Position-less Perplex  posted by BabaGhanouj


Mostly because it's a bit of a misnomer and means something different to different people - including coaches. And then it leads to people getting pissed because, for example, Sam isn't playing enough even though the coach says she prefers positionless basketball.

The only thing that matters is what it means to the coach and his or her ability to articulate the vision. Suffice to say, it's a way of saying that a coach is trying to do something other than your traditional rigid post-up offense. But a team still needs players on the court capable of doing traditional things. Like defending the post for example. Positionless doesn't mean that every player defends every position. Each player will have an assignment. And the team will have responsibilities if, for example, an Olivia gets caught defending Aliyah Boston on a switch.

A team of 5 Sonia Citrons might a nightmare to try and defend in a 5-out offense. But if the other team has a post or two, then one or two of those Sonias will have the assignment to defend the player. To your question about coaching, the position coach is obviously there to coach those fundamentals and assignments.

"Positionless" could also be more of a 4 around 1 where ND has four ball handlers and perimeter players around a post like Ebo. Niele's vision might be to have any of the other four (including a Maddy) bring the ball up the court. But that's most certainly not going to be Ebo.

At any rate, I think the term is dumb. Every player has defined roles, responsibilities and assignments. They may or may not be described as 1-5.


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