Warriors boys basketball team can be offensive

Fallbrook High School boys basketball coach John Kroeger introduced his players to a new run-and-gun offense this season, and he admits that at times the new offense has truly been offensive – as in 'what the?' bad.

"When our shots go (in) and we whip those teams into a frenzy, we can play with anybody, but at the same time it opens the door for sometimes crazy shots, and crazy turnovers, and all those things, which is hard for the players, it's hard for the parents, it's hard for the fans," said Kroeger.

"It's like, 'what the heck are these guys doing out there,'" Kroeger continued. "And I get it. I mean, it's not for everybody. It's like anything else, it can't be done overnight."

The Fallbrook roster is full of seniors who in previous years employed a more deliberate offense, with many passes in each possession resulting in a controlled, slower tempo. In other words, an offense that is the exact opposite of what Kroeger is implementing this year.

Kroeger admits he was asking a lot of his players by making the switch in offensive style and appreciates their efforts in trying to make it work.

"We went from a Princeton style offense, bend-don't-break defense, to fully run and gun, take chances, anticipate," said Kroeger. "The guys are fully stuck. You'll see it in the middle of a possession – mentally or physically reverting back to what had been drilled into them. Their willingness to embrace the (new) style and the system, for me, has been awesome."

Since the Fallbrook squad is on the smaller side, Kroeger wants his team to make up for the height deficiency by out-hustling opponents. That is, run the other team up and down the floor.

"We're not tall, we're not outrageously athletic, but we're Fallbrook kids – we're scrappy and we're tenacious," said Kroeger. "The new system we're trying to implement is almost like controlled chaos. Let's work that other team into a frenzy. Let's control tempo, and that tempo is out of their comfort zone."

The Warriors have put on some impressive offensive performances this season. They poured in 87 points in a season-opening win over El Cajon Valley Dec. 2, and put 93 points on the scoreboard while whipping Preuss UCSD during a Coronado Holiday Tournament game Dec. 20.

Fallbrook owned a 6-12 record heading into its Valley League opener against Escondido on Jan. 17. What had been costly to the Warriors was the inability to win the close games as they were 2-5 in games decided by five points or less.

"If we can figure it out – how to win, how to close games – we can make a run at it (a league title)," said Kroeger. "I honestly believe this: we can beat any team in our league, and we can lose to any team in our league."

The Warriors' starters are Kobe Stallings, J. B. Oatman, Jonathan Ledenbach, Jack Grantham and Charlie Bickel. Stallings is the team's leading scorer, averaging 17.8 points a game.

"His skill set is probably the highest," said Kroeger of Stallings, a three-sport athlete. "He's good at everything."

Kroeger said Oatman and Ledenbach are both three-year varsity players "that have paid their dues and been through everything."

"J. B. is an undersized point guard, but a good ball handler who plays just nasty in-your-face defense – everything along those lines that you just love out of your point guard," said Kroeger.

"Jonathan Ledenbach is that glue guy," said Kroeger, referring to the term for a player who holds a team together. "The first guy on the ground, first guy taking charges, all those things you want. You need one – he's ours. His ability to be so coachable – it's awesome."

Grantham, at 6-foot-3, is the tallest of the starters.

"Undersized post player, but never question heart, never question anything," said Kroeger of Grantham, who was the starting quarterback on the Warriors football team. "The good thing with him is we can bump him out and he'll knock down a three, and when he is on the court, we're even faster because he's pretty much a forward playing center."

Kroeger complimented Bickel on his basketball instincts.

"He just has a knack of being in the right place at the right time," said Kroeger of Bickel, an all-round athlete (first team all-league selection at safety in football) who also excels in the classroom (an amazing 4.61 GPA).

The Warriors' next home game is Friday, Jan. 20, against Valley Center. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.