When the Greenwood boys basketball team was setting goals for itself during the preseason, the players decided that one of those goals was to give up 10 points a game fewer than last season.
That’d be a tall order for any team. For the Woodmen — who allowed an already-respectable 51.7 points per game last winter — shaving that much off of the average seemed an improbably steep mountain to scale.
"I looked at them like, ‘You guys have got to be kidding me. Nobody does a 10-point improvement,’" Greenwood coach Joe Bradburn said. "But they were sincere, and they had a heart and a focus about wanting to compete defensively, and that’s what they’ve done."
They’ve done it even more effectively than they thought. Midway through its regular-season slate, the 8-3 Woodmen are surrendering a paltry 38.0 points per outing. That figure is not only well below even the goal they set for themselves a couple of months ago, but it began the week as the second-lowest number in the entire state of Indiana. (Only Clinton Prairie, a Class 2A school that ranks near the bottom of the state in strength of schedule, has been stingier.)
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Part of the reason that the Woodmen have maintained such a low defensive scoring average is their pace of play. Bradburn notes that his team doesn’t have a ton of raw scoring ability — it’s had less than 40 points in each of its three losses — so it has to patiently work for shots. But Greenwood has also been very good at forcing opponents to take the same deliberate approach against it.
The Woodmen have only let two teams reach the 50-point mark this season, and they’ve yielded 35 or less six times. In half-court situations, their defense has been virtually impenetrable.
One of the main things that’s made Greenwood so successful at that end is that everybody has bought into the idea of becoming great at it — a rarity when dealing with younger players normally more eager to practice highlight-reel moves on offense.
"We know we can definitely do big things," sophomore guard Brock Kincaid said, "and if we want to do that, we’ve got to take care of it on the defensive side of the floor first."
"We try to execute every little detail," junior guard Ty Moore added. "Who’s going to be help side … things like that, just help each other out, trust in our teammates and help each other."
The gauntlet that Greenwood’s opponents must run to reach the basket begins with the guards. Senior Ian Raker has helped set the tone up top with his tenacity, which has been supplemented by the rangy athleticism of the 6-foot-3 Kincaid and the 6-1 Moore.
Those guards can afford to be more aggressive, too, because of how solid the forwards behind them have been. Spencer Aaron and Rasheed Elemikan both possess a combination of size and agility that allows them to guard nearly anyone inside or out. Big and deceptively mobile senior center Gavin Dowling provides more physicality in the paint, and he also helps lead the charge communication-wise, much like a middle linebacker is often tasked with doing on a football field.
Everyone, though, has stayed mentally and verbally dialed in, which is a big part of what has made the variety of pieces fit so seamlessly together.
"As a team, we’re really good about communicating, and with communication brings energy," Aaron said. "That’s one thing we’ve improved on since last year. I think all the guys on the team respect each other enough to play as a unit instead of playing individually, and I think that helps defensively."
Even when the Woodmen have lost, their play has earned praise from the opposing side. Greenwood Christian, the No. 1-ranked team in Class A and the squad responsible for two of Greenwood’s three defeats this season, has totaled just 80 points in two games against its crosstown rival. The Cougars have averaged 67.5 points against everyone else.
GCA coach Jonny Marlin pointed out after last week’s county semifinal matchup between the two schools that Greenwood has been successful this year because it forces the opposing team to play its game, whether it wants to or not.
That’s something the Woodmen take pride in.
"We try to make our own speed on the game," Elemikan said. "We don’t want the (other team) to tell us how we can play our game, so we try to control the whole game on both sides of the floor."
Perhaps just as impressive as the team’s enthusiasm to excel on the defensive end has been a similar enthusiasm from the fan base, which has developed an appreciation for what Greenwood has been doing on the court.
"Coach has been really big on turning the culture around," Dowling said, "and I think the fans have kind of bought into that, so longer defensive possessions, rebounds, the fans get excited for — which is typically not something you see in high school basketball, but it’s a good culture all around."
