Michigan Coach of the Year and State Champion East Lansing has the entire basketball program shooting on Noah
Another Noah school—another state title.
Lately, it seems there have been many success stories scattered across the country about teams that have integrated the Noah system into their program and then eventually achieve the ultimate victory.
This time, it's East Lansing High School in Michigan.
The mighty Trojans finished the season 27-1 and claimed the Class A girls state championship with a 65-54 victory against Detroit Renaissance. The title capped off an amazing run of Coach Rob Smith's eight-year tenure at the school.
Smith has compiled a 164-32 record while qualifying for the state quarterfinals four years in a row and winning the CAAC Blue Conference title the past seven years.
"Don't let anybody fool you, winning your last game is the ultimate in sports as a coach," Smith said after being named Lansing State Journal's 2010 girls coach of the year.
But the team wasn't picked to win the 2010 championship like it had been the previous year. That 2008-2009 team featured three seniors who had recorded a 98-8 mark over four seasons. But disappointingly, the Trojans lost in the state quarterfinals.
"We were really close this season as a team," said sophomore point guard Alex Green, who started 10 games. "I think that made a big difference. We spent a lot of time off the court. The seniors took us under their wing right away, and I felt like we were playing for each other."
One activity the team used to bond was practicing on the Noah Select system. Smith encountered the system last summer at a basketball clinic in Michigan. There he met Paul Galbenski, Noah representative and former boys head coach for 11 years and current girls assistant coach at Detroit Day School.
"Paul has such a great reputation as a coach in this area," Smith said. "I listened to his presentation, and I thought Noah sounded like a great idea, especially the concept of how the machine allowed the shooter and the coach to work hand-and-hand with each other."
Also, Smith learned that famed instructor Rick Torbett had endorsed Noah. The East Lansing coach, who has earned his own standing as a high-level shooting teacher, used Torbett's "Better Basketball" DVDs to reinforce lessons taught during practice.
"I bought Rick's instructional DVDs in 2008 and realized what a special instructor he is," Smith said. "It was at that point, I thought, ‘it sure would be nice to have a Noah system as well.' When I saw Paul last summer, it got me more excited that we could get one."
When Noah Select arrived at East Lansing late last summer, players curiously poured into the gym to see what it was all about. Smith said players took to Noah immediately because of the technology behind the system. He added they could see themselves on video, get instant feedback and generate computer stats—things that the modern athlete needs today.
"We live in a world where it's not good enough to tell players to adjust their shot or do something a certain way because ‘a coach just knows,'" Smith said. "They need visual reinforcement."
Green said she's probably practiced 80 sessions on Noah and has reached the Expert IV level. She agrees with her coach and said that sometimes a coach will tell her what's wrong with her shot, and she will listen but not always understand. With Noah, "I can watch myself shoot, and the instant replay and slow motion let me know exactly what I'm doing wrong."
The Trojans will have to reload after losing four talented seniors, who all will play at the next level. Klarrisa Bell, who was named Michigan's Miss Basketball, will lace it up for Michigan State. Bell did a little of everything and averaged 19.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.3 steals and almost a block per game. She shot 50 percent from the field, 77 percent from the foul line and connected on 21 three-pointers. Malika Glover and Zakiya Minifee will play for the Oakland University. Glover had an outstanding championship game with 25 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. (Coincidently, Oakland University was the first Michigan college to purchase the Noah system.) The fourth senior, Hannah Fitzpatrick will play her ball at Lansing Community College.
The loss of the four seniors will hurt, but Smith is confident his team will still maintain speed because of solid returning contributors and additions from an undefeated JV team.
Green is one player who is ready to step up.
"We're going to be super young," Green said. "But I'm ready to take on a bigger role and do what the seniors did for the younger players last season."
Smith mentioned that after one year with Noah, he will adjust the way he uses the system.
"I've assigned one of our new assistant coaches to be in charge of running Noah," Smith said. "We have our entire basketball program using Noah, so the coach will schedule time with the kids to use it. We also plan to get kids in the gym this summer to use Noah. This will give us more one-on-one time with them. I feel with Noah, it's not about going in to get the reps, but going in to get the right reps."