Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, preparing for the 2010-11 season while appearing in court in the extortion trial of Karen Cunagin Sypher, has announced that the Cardinals will unveil a new, fast-paced offensive system he calls "the 15-Second Offense."
Predicated on speed and built around deft ball-handling in the open court, the offense will seek to get a shot off within 15 seconds on each and every posession.
"I know it won't satisfy everybody, but it will make for some exciting basketball," said the coach, speaking to a group of university alumni last weekend. "It's all about quickly setting the table and scoring fast. You have to get right on top and push the ball up the court, keep the pressure up. This will lead to a lot of quick spurts."
Pitino also pointed out the importance of crashing the boards after the initial shot. "The ball goes up quickly, before the defense is ready, so there are a lot of sloppy second opportunites," he said. "Guys have to be ready to jump in and take advantage." Pitino said long-time aide Tim Sypher would be responsible for teaching this important skill to the players, as "he's got the most experience in this aspect of the game."
When asked if a deeper, better conditioned team might catch the Cardinals off-guard in such a fast-paced game, Pitino responded, "no, no, no. We won't get caught. It's only going to last fifteen seconds, and Larry Bird is not going to walk through that door."
