Ottoville High School Improves Shooting with the Noah Instant
"Whether you're a shooting coach or not, the Noah Instant is a must..."
When Ottoville High School announced the coaching vacancy of the boys basketball team more than two years ago, Todd Turnwald didn't hesitate to apply.
Though Turnwald had just led nearby Columbus Grove to an impressive 21-2 record and had the program headed in the right direction after five seasons, this was a chance of a lifetime.
Turnwald was raised in Ottoville, a small Ohio town of less than 1,000 people and a typical graduating class of around 50. Turnwald was a three-year varsity basketball letterman, a two-year captain and still lived in the tiny village in Putnam County.
"It just made sense to coach at Ottoville," Turnwald said.
And one of the first things Turnwald wanted to do when he returned to his alma mater was to bring the Noah Shooting System to the school.
It was several years ago when Turnwald first experienced Noah and its 45 and 11 shooting system. He had heard that Coach Mark Smith of Delphos Jefferson High School had won a Noah from the Great Shot Give-A-Way program in 2008.
"Mark invited some of our kids over to check out the Noah and to work on their shooting," Turnwald said. "I remember that day well. We went over on a Sunday. When I first saw it, I knew this would be the perfect thing for us.
"I instantly loved it. One of the things we struggled with at Columbus Grove was arc. Our players shot too high or too flat. But once Noah got them consistent at the 45 degree mark, I saw how much of a difference it made. I said 'we need to have one.'"
Turnwald wasn't able to procure a Noah at Columbus Grove, but he scheduled a free clinic as soon as he got to Ottoville. It seemed like the entire town showed up.
"We don't have football in Ottoville so basketball is the main sport," Turnwald said. "Boys and girls basketball is what we hang our hats on. We have a waiting list for season tickets."
All winter, the talk around town revolves around the basketball program. There's a local cable channel that broadcasts games. There's a radio station and Internet stream that keeps fans tuned in.
"We not only have support from those who live in Ottoville, but we have alumni from Florida, California, from all over who we hear from all year," Turnwald said. "It's really a neat thing."
It didn't take long for coaches, players, parents, fans and boosters to realize the value of Noah and in particular, the Noah Instant System.
"Paul Galbenski (Noah representative) did a wonderful job," Turnwald said. "He put our kids through shooting drills. He had printouts for everyone. We could see the improvement right away."
Turnwald has a strong recommendation to any coach or school program looking to purchase the shooting system—buy the Noah Instant.
The Noah Instant mounts securely to a wall, making it virtually unnoticeable. The system is always on and there is no setup time. The Instant works great with the MyNoah app for iPhones, iPad and iPod Touch. It also announces the shot entry angle or shot depth.
"There's nothing like the Noah Instant," Turnwald said. "You see different systems out there and many of them have setup time. It's my experience that those systems get a lot of dust on them because they are stored and not used a lot."
Turnwald said at Ottoville, there's a core group of kids shooting on the Noah Instant every morning, whether they are practicing free throws, pull up jumpers, catch and shoot or two bounces and shoot. The kids don't have to do anything other than practice. They even have all their sessions recorded and stored.
Two such student-athletes, Ryan Honigford and Derek Schimmoeller, were brimming with excitement when the Noah Instant arrived last spring. The senior guards took to the system instantly.
"It's pretty amazing how technology can help you improve your shot so fast and so well," said Honigford, a senior guard who averaged 9 points and shot 82 percent from the line this past season. He was a 48 percent foul shooter last year. "I like to take it to the rack and draw fouls, but I struggled from the foul line last year. This season, I capitalized on my free throws and that gave me a lot of confidence."
Schimmoeller jumped his foul shooting to 77 percent this season. That's up from 65 percent. The senior guard averaged 10 points per game.
"It's all about the instant feedback," Schimmoeller said. "The instant feedback helps with my muscle memory. I also like how Noah lets me know if my shot is too short or too deep. I'm pretty consistent hitting the 11 (inches deep) now."
Foul shooting was more important to the Big Green this season because of its style of play. Turnwald likes to adapt his team's style based on talent.
"My philosophy is to do whatever puts us in the best position to win," Turnwald said. "I've had teams that pressed and shot quickly. I've played 11, 12, 13 players. I've played six and been methodical and played a Princeton style."
This past season, Ottoville employed the Princeton system. The Big Green did a good job of playing their tempo and held some high-scoring teams to dozens of points below their season average. Ottoville also relied on fundamentals and committed just 11 turnovers a game.
Ottoville finished 9-15 overall but played one of the toughest schedules in Boys Division 4 Ohio High School Basketball. The Big Green was within one or two possessions of winning virtually every game.
According to Turnwald, the season wouldn't have been as successful if Ottoville didn't improve its foul shooting from 58 percent to 76 percent. And that's with more attempts. The Big Green also upped its three-point shooting from 24 percent to 33 percent.
"Whether you're a shooting coach or not, the Noah Instant is a must," Turnwald said. "The thing I like with the wall system, it's always on. A kid can come anytime and shoot and get instant feedback. A kid can improve anytime."