Herrick Will Stand By Run-and-Stun Attack Despite 64-41 Setback

Greg Herrick, is, admittedly, an emotional sort, the kind of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. The Hart High basketball coach talks to himself, talks at referees and doesn’t hesitate to chew out a player or two.

“I can be pretty motivating when I want to be,” he says with a trace of a smile.

He also wears his philosophy on his chest. Above the left pocket of his shirt, emblazoned between Hart Basketball, are the words “Run and stun,” which, in a nutshell, summarizes the second-year coach’s offensive philosophy.

Only thing is, after spending six years at City Section power Cleveland, Herrick arrives at Hart last year to find that most folks thought his plan to use a fast-breaking style, was, in a nutshell, nuts.

“They used to tell me that we weren’t going to be able to run at Hart,” Herrick said. “Well, I don’t believe that.

“Our kids can run from point A to point B as well as anybody if they’re in condition--they just may not do it as fast.”

In a consolation bracket game of the Fairfax Summer Classic on Friday, Hart was speedily outpointed by Taft, 64-41, and by Toreador point guard Dedan Thomas, who finished with 15 points.

From Herrick’s viewpoint, however, games like these are a learning experience.

To run, you first have to walk, even if it means getting stepped on a few times in the process.

Hart trailed, 36-17, at halftime, largely because of 12 turnovers.

In the first eight minutes of the second half, the Indians (13-6 in summer league play) demonstrated the sort of execution Herrick sought.

Hart made a run at Taft, outscoring the Toreadors, 14-5, to open the half, before Taft responded by converting five consecutive shots to take a 51-35 lead with 11 minutes left.

While Taft thumped Hart with superior talent and speed, Herrick said the team will nonetheless stick to its plan--one that led the Indians to a 13-9 record in his first season.

And why not? Hart, a 3-A division team in the Southern Section, set a school records for most points in a game (115) and average points a game (72).

One setback isn’t about to convince a former City boy like Herrick that up-tempo isn’t the way to go.

“We just don’t have the athletes that they do,” he said. “For us to win against a team like that everything has to go right; the shots have to fall and we have to get the calls.”

But learning by rote is the quickest way to become acclimated to a new system, and Herrick said the players are becoming accustomed to the type of offense he likes to see. And the people, including the locals from Newhall, who said Herrick was a little light between the ears are seeing the light, too.

“They’re becoming indoctrinated,” he said. “They’re not the aficionados that some of the City people are because basketball is just not the main sport out there, but they saw it last year. You don’t set records if nothing’s working.

“As long as I coach we’re going to play up tempo. Since ‘81, we’ve always done that, the run-and-stun philosophy.

“I just think that’s the way to play and the kids and the fans like it that way.”

It worked last year at different levels as well, with the Hart junior varsity and freshmen teams both finishing 19-2 and winning Foothill League titles. It worked at Cleveland, where from 1979-85, Herrick’s teams won two City 3-A titles.

Brett Wilson, Hart’s only returning starter, scored a game-high 17 points Friday.