Random Thoughts, What I’d like for Xmas, and please stop with the five out offenses!

By Eric Berry

First of all, I’d like to wish all my family, friends and acquaintances a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season! Second of all, before gifts or anything materialistic, I wish you good health, or better health as we head into 2026 and beyond!

If I had a billion dollars!

OK, let’s talk about what I’m going to do when I win Powerball tonight. Let’s make a list:
Take care of my kids, grandkids, and their kids and their kids first via trusts that have stringent clauses attached to the disbursement of the money. If you act are not a productive human being or you become a junkie, no money for you. The disbursement would kick forward for another year and if it’s the same thing after two years you lose the trust – it goes to someone else.

The first emphasis above all would be on health. How can we use the money to help everyone be the healthiest they can be?

Take care of a lot of my friends that are close to me and have been at my side for so many years. Not sure how it would all shake out but safe to say the little financial things in life would be alleviated.
I would give a lot of money to the most needy people or organizations, those that I feel make the biggest impact on our local and regional communities.
In the above vein I would build the biggest athletic facility in all of Vermont somewhere in the Lyndonville area. Yup, Lyndonville – where I’m from. It would be called the Pat and Everett Berry Athletic complex or something like that. There would be a new hockey facility, a football field with turf and lights, a weight room that would be unrivaled. I would help out a lot of athletic programs in our area so that they had the resources they needed for their athletes and athletic programs. As I am closer to LI and SJA, as well as Danville, I would consider large donations to those schools. I’m so glad Danville will still be a high school by the way! Things would have to change dramatically at one school before I’d consider any type of donation actually, and by change dramatically I mean an absolute house cleaning! Not hard to figure out who I mean.
I would definitely own a house in Aruba, or somewhere tropical, and a house in Montana or somewhere out west where hunting is great. Of course all of this is contingent upon my boss’ approval too.
I think that’s mostly it – maybe a big health center – or that would be an arm of the athletic complex.

The 5 out or Dribble Drive offense

I’m sure there’s a time and place for it. I’m sure there’s reasons for some high school teams to use it. I’m just 100% against it. I don’t know if AAU killed all reasonably effective offenses over the years or what it is, but what I do know is that I haven’t seen fluid, team oriented offenses this year thus far as a whole. I’ve spoken with many retired coaches and asked them why we are seeing this madness? Their reaction is always the same(ish) – because parents say the kids don’t have fun running “sets” on offense.

Would you rather run a set and win, or play this freelance dribble/drive/turnover offense and lose? Unfortunately the answer is not something I’d like to hear from most. Most would say they’d rather see the kids have “fun”. It’s that mindset that is ruining real offenses. I see hardly any offenses running any high 1-4 sets(North Country girls do run a nice 1-4 set however). Now, I haven’t seen everyone this year but given what I saw last year I’m guessing not much will change. Run and gun, throw up 3’s, turn it over and call it good. The mini-NBA. Though I am cynical, I’m not wrong.

Some of you ask why are you so against it, EB? Simply put, besides the self-inflicted turnovers that inevitably happen, the defense just doesn’t have to work that hard. No one is moving on the backside of the defense – almost ever! The defense can just help and stop any dribble penetration and recover easily to their man. Some of these offenses are passing it around and not even looking to shoot or score in any way, shape or manner. When James Naismith put the peach basket up on the wall in 1891 the idea was to put the ball in the basket! It’s not a game of keepaway. If you’re stalling that’s one thing, but let’s make some passes that lead to a shooter shooting in a comfortable spot, or something that carves the defense up on the attack for a lay up. Or simply, just put someone in the low post! Go 4 out and 1 in and get an inside/outside game going. Look around. How many back to the basket post players do you see? How many times does anyone even look to throw them the ball? How many can actually make an entry pass? Post play and entries are a lost art! Time to bring it back and throw those pathetic 5 out offenses in the trash. Coach ‘em up, coach ‘em up to score it!

The NFL has me riled up still!

Anyone see the pass interference not called in the Patriots game Sunday night? A full on tackle of the receiver. Nothing to see here. Yet, earlier in the game someone breathed on the Baltimore quarterback from the Pats and it was roughing the passer penalty. There were two roughing the passer calls in the Vikings/Giants game that were abysmal. Football ain’t football anymore. It’s different. Can’t hit the quarterback low, or high, or if your facemask barely touches theirs – you are the lowest of lowest scumbag and will get a 15-yard penalty called on you. It’s gotten ridiculous. Same with hitting a receiver or tackling someone ‘a little too hard’. The veterans of the game must want to vomit. The Bears won a game on a long touchdown pass when the Steelers defensive lineman’s uniform was being pulled on and the officials ‘didn’t see it’. Come on man.

EB and Johnny’s Ticket to the Game

Last Friday night I took a young man, his grandmother and father to a Celtics game as part of the program’s mission. It was such a gratifying experience. Just seeing the smiles on all the faces makes it all worthwhile! The foundation is close to receiving non-profit status which is exciting. If you’d like to give one more Christmas gift to a kid this season please go to the website and help out if you’re inclined to donate at https://ebandjohnnystickettothegame.org/ways-to-give/

Thank you and, once again, Happy Holidays!

The opinions expressed by EB are solely his and do not reflect those of NSN. If you’d like to reach out to EB, please contact him at eberry@nsnsports.net. You can read all of Eric’s blogs at www.nsnsports.net.