Winning by the numbers.

A substitution system guaranteed to produce quality minutes for everyone on the team.

Contrary to what most basketball coaches believe, it is possible to ensure everyone on the team of quality minutes in every game.

We proved it at Ellison H.S. last season. Our basketball program is made up of four teams - two freshmen teams (an "A" team of 12 players and a "B" team of 15 players), a junior varsity of 17 players, and a varsity of 12 players.

As the coach of the jayvee team, I had one major problem: How could I give my 17 players the quality game experience (or playing time) they would need before moving up to the varsity?

The only answer, we felt, was a mathematically designed substitution system.

Just before the start of the 1998-99 season, I brought the players together and told them what my priorities were going to be.

The prime objective would be to get them ready for the varsity team next year, and that I was going to use a substitution system that would give everyone a chance to play in every game, with each getting the playing time commensurate with her skill.

Yes, winning would be important, but I believed we could do it with all 17 players getting quality minutes.

We would do it by breaking down the squad into five teams: Team 1, Team 2, Team 3 made up of substitutes A, B, C, D, and E; Team 4 made up of substitutes B, C, D, F, and G; and Team 5 made up of substitutes A, C, E, F and G.

All five of these teams (embracing all of our 17 players) would be used in every game in exactly the same fashion. Team 1 would start, play 3 minutes and 20 seconds; be replaced by Team 2, which would play 2 minutes and 20 seconds, then be replaced by Team #3 (4, or 5), which would play out the remaining 2 minutes and 20 seconds of the quarter.

The playing minutes for each team breaks down as follows:

The first team gets to play 13 minutes and 20 seconds.

The second team gets to pay 9 minutes and 20 seconds.

Third-team players A, B, C, D, and E get to play 9 minutes and 20 seconds.

Players F and G (working with the 4th and 5th teams) get to play 4 minutes and 40 seconds.

Since everyone will be playing approximately 2 to 3 minutes a quarter, they will be expected to give 100% every second they are on the court.

Note: In our first 26 games, we won 18 and lost 6, with a winning margin of 13.8 per game.

Of the 17 players on the team, 15 averaged about 9 to 12 minutes of playing time, with the other two players getting about 4 minutes and 40 seconds.

Obviously, the system works. All the kids are getting the quality minutes and game experience that will help their chances when they go out for the varsity the following year.

Everyone wins - the players, the JV coach, the school, and the varsity coach.

Substituting by Quarters

First Quarter:

1st Team - 8:00 to 4:40 2nd Team - 4:40 - 2:20 3rd Team - 2:20 to end (made up of A, B, C, D, E)

Second Quarter:

1st Team - as above 2nd Team - as above 4th Team - as above (made up of B, C, D, F, G)

Third Quarter:

1st Team - as above 2nd Team - as above 5th Team - as above (made up of A, C, E, F, G)

Fourth Quarter:

1st Team - as above 2nd Team - as above 3rd Team - as above (made up of A, B, C, D, E)