Looking back on a ‘3-Diculous’ year

They got a taste of what was to come during spring practice in 2006, yet members of the Marina High boys’ basketball team had absolutely no idea where any of it would be leading.

No one could have fathomed it, really.

How could they?

It was nearly a year ago that Vikings Coach Roger Holmes installed a style of basketball known as “The System.” He said he adopted it from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. Grinnell Coach David Arseneault is the creator of The System, which, according to Holmes, was created to “promote excitement, participation and fun.”

Well, those three components are just what the Vikings had going for them in the long, 2006-07 prep basketball season that finally ended last weekend with the conclusion of the state playoffs.

“What it is a group of players taking on specific roles and playing so hard that they can only stay on the court for about a minute,” Holmes stated, as he explained The System. “The idea is to keep constant pressure on your opponent, play the numbers game of threes for twos, get a ton of steals, create havoc and wear the other team down by the fourth quarter.”

Yes, Marina’s brand of basketball this year went at a frenetic pace and did involve its entire roster. And by the end of the season — one that ended at 16-11 and included postseason play — what the Vikings accomplished almost has gotten lost in a season that lasted nearly four months.

All the Vikings did was establish the prep national single-season record for three-point baskets.

They also set a state record for three-pointers (28) in a single game.

Marina hit 437 of them during the course of the season, to be exact.

The old state single-season record? 303. Easily shattered.

The previous national single-season mark? 382. No problem.

Holmes said that the Vikings, who had their team banquet Monday night, first got a taste of The System when he toyed with it in practice and in a few games toward the end of the 2006 Sunset League season.

It wasn’t until they took the floor for spring practice, that they really began to work on their new game plan.

“Everyone was new to it and we were starting from scratch,” said sophomore guard Garrett James. “We started with the small things, learning that everyone on the team has a role to play and that everyone has to be into it, in order for The System to work.”

James had one of the big hands in the record-setting season. He hit the three that set the state record during a Jan. 10 Sunset League win over Esperanza.

“Our practices were really detailed and fast-paced,” James said. “As we got more comfortable with it, everyone was convinced. It was that first game against Brea that really opened our eyes. We scored more than 100 points and won. I was pretty much exhausted after that game. I even lost my voice. It was amazing how much energy we had to expend. I was thinking after that game, ‘we have 20 or so more games of this?’”

Marina wasn’t a team possessing height this year. Nor was it a program that had come close to achieving the success that the 2003-04 Vikings had as they reached the CIF Division I-A championship game at the Pond of Anaheim. Holmes said that those two factors figured into the implementation of The System.

“It was a combination of things,” he said. “We played at the Pond in a CIF championship game and just fell off, becoming a very mediocre ball club. We looked at what we had for this year and decided to use ‘The System’ to take advantage of what our strengths were: team speed, good shooters, unselfish attitudes and toughness. It was somewhat of a gamble, but one that was worth it because the kids believed in what we were doing.”

Practices were mostly about shooting. Each player took 100 three-point shot attempts before every practice.

The System, really, is all about shot attempts, not percentages.

“We did a lot of 5-on-0 stuff to save their legs and not wear ourselves out,” Holmes said. “It was very different than anything I have done before.”

Senior guard Mike Kinoshita also figured prominently in the records. His three just before the halftime buzzer in the Esperanza game tied the state record. In a Feb. 2 game against Edison before a packed, raucous house at Marina, guard David Vo tied the national mark, and Kinoshita delivered a three early in the fourth quarter that set the new national record.

The Vikings rallied for a thrilling 105-101 victory.

“When we first started learning about ‘The System,’ I thought it was pretty cool that everyone got to play and got to shoot,” Kinoshita said. “Everybody was 100% into it and I think that we had the team to make it work. Our team was so close that we trusted each other. When you shuffle five guys in and five guys out every 1 1/2 minutes, you have to.

“As for the three-point records, did we think that we would have them by the end of the season? No way. It’s just crazy to think that we did what we did.”

As the three-pointers began to pile up, word spread and a there was a buzz on the Marina campus. Crowds at home games swelled as students came out in “huge numbers,” Holmes said.

There were free pizza nights for students, even a “white-out” promotion — where Marina fans were encouraged to wear white — for the Edison game. It was during that game that Holmes said student started a “Three-Point Nation” chant.

Both James and Kinoshita said that the fan support was what made the team’s achievements even more special.

Soon after that Edison game, a banner that read, “3-Point Nation” was created, and was hung above the student section. There was even a “3-Diculous” T-shirt made. The slogan was thought up by the Vikings coaching staff and the first T-shirts were made for the players by Kinoshita’s parent.

“Soon, everyone was asking for them,” Holmes said. “We sold out quickly.”

All the accolades, accomplishments and spotlight these Vikings enjoyed during the 2006-07 season certainly made for a memorable season. What did Holmes enjoy most about using The System for the first time?

“The whole season, every minute of it, was a positive experience,” said Holmes, who completed his 13th year as head coach.

“We were venturing into something very unorthodox and new and we all embraced it and went for it full tilt. It was so much fun and was filled with so much excitement.”

Even he was blown away by the record-setting accomplishments of his players.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “We shattered state records, Twenty-eight three’s in a single game, old record, 24. We made 437 threes. Old state record was 303. Old National record 382. Those are some amazing numbers that could only be had with the total commitment of the team.

“We were in Sports Illustrated twice and had a season wrap up story on SI.com. We were on Fox Sports Net High School Spotlight and on a Laker Pre-Game show. It was incredible.”

Holmes, who has been asked to speak at a “Run and Gun” clinic in Portlandon April 27-28 — to talk about how Marina adapted Grinnell College’s style to the high school game — said that a banner will be hung in the Marina gymnasium to commemorate the team’s three-point records.

“All of the hard work by the guys on our team that screened, rebounded, hustled and sacrificed, should not go unnoticed,” he said. “We have the national record because of their relentless play as much as the guys who drained the shots.”

James, who will be a junior next year, is ready for more threes.

“I’m already looking forward to it,” he said. “I can’t wait for next season.”