The Gaels’ new system has created serious challenges for opposing teams this season.
The Queen’s Men’s Basketball team has made a significant change to how they approach the game defensively. After averaging over 32 points off turnovers in the last three games, Head Coach Stephen Barrie spoke with The Journal about the inspiration behind the change, and what’s still needed to achieve his vision.
The System, a high-intensity defensive scheme developed by coach Jim Crutchfield at Nova Southeastern University, a National Collegiate Athletics Association Division II program in the United States, has inspired Queen’s new approach.
“The System,” as it’s often called, applies constant pressure with a full-court press to force offensive players into making mistakes, allowing teams to increase scoring opportunities while opponents struggle to adapt.
Coach Barrie has adapted the system to suit the Gaels’ conditioning and high-powered offence, equipping it with traps and intricacies that suit the Gael’s style of play. So far, its paid off big time for the reigning Coach of the Year.
The Gaels currently lead the OUA East and are ranked eighth nationally. They’ve scored 151 points more than any other team in the league, while also averaging the most points off turnovers in the OUA.
Initially, Coach Barrie intended to implement his new system before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, however, non- practices and quarantine protocols derailed the process.
“In 2019-20, we kind of went halfway with it. We full court pressed all game, we had a very young team, but we didn’t go full out with trapping and those kinds of things. We were just kind of feeling it out a bit, but we actually had a very good season,” Coach Barrie said in an interview with The Journal.
The Gaels finished that season with a 14-8 record, their best at the time. In the season following COVID-19, Coach Barrie opted to return to a more generic approach. With the Gaels making it to the National Championships that season, Barrie thought it would be best to leave the defensive scheme as it was for that specific group of players.
After winning the OUA, falling short in a heartbreaker of a National Championship last season, and losing almost the entire starting five, Coach Barrie returned to the drawing board, devising a plan to maintain the Gaels momentum.
Now 12-1, the Gaels are on track to sur last year’s record of 19-3. The team’s success hinges on the players’ unselfishness and commitment to teamwork. “This isn’t for everyone,” Barrie said. “We felt our team was a good fit for it because the kind of guys we’ve gotten throughout my whole time here have been unselfish and always put the team first.”
The full-court press style of play is very physically taxing as it demands a high level of physical conditioning and frequent substitutions. Coach Barrie recognizes this, stating nobody who plays here should expect to play 40 minutes a night.
“If you had high-maintenance players that are looking for their numbers or needing stats, you can’t do this—it just doesn’t work that way. We platoon sub, so you’re going five in five out. If someone was like I need to play 35 minutes, you can’t. It doesn’t work with those players.”
The Gaels have improved significantly since the season began. In the first few games of the season, they scored around 20 points off turnovers and lost to the Windsor Lancers. In their past three games, they’ve averaged nearly 40 points off turnovers and are currently riding an 11-game win streak, the best in the OUA.
Although the Gaels are the top team in the league and have been consistently improving throughout the season, Coach Barrie recognizes there’s still lots to be done on his end.
“This is our first time coaching this—it’s a very different way to coach. You have to change your mindset totally from what we’ve done in the past. And so, we’re not good at it yet from a coaching standpoint, but we’re getting better.”
While the Gaels’ Head Coach sees significant room for improvement, the Gaels have already become a nightmare to play against, with opposing players looking shell-shocked as they’re subbing out, frustrating both visiting coaches and players alike.
“At the end of the day, we’re playing at the pace we want to play at, and we do this every day, we feel like over the course of 40 minutes, we will be successful.”
The Gaels’ next game is on Jan. 18 at the Athletics and Recreation Centre where Queen’s will host the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. The Ridgebacks are currently 6-7 on the season.
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