Walberg's system pans out

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Mar 25, 2006 | by Jeff Faraudo, STAFF WRITER

OAKLAND -- The high-powered Memphis offense that UCLA will try to contain in today's Oakland Regional final was introduced to the Tigers by a former high school coach from Newark.

Vance Walberg, once the coach at Newark Memorial High, was visiting Memphis two summers ago to pick the brain of John Calipari, when the Tigers coach turned the conversation around.

"Why don't you tell me how you guys play," Calipari asked him.

"He started laughing and says, 'You don't want to know.' I said, 'Yes, I do.'"

So Walberg, now the coach at Fresno City College, began by explaining his ideas about offensive spacing on the floor, then detailed the offense his team uses to score more than 100 points per game. Fresno City won the California state JC title a year ago and reached the semifinals this season.

Walberg calls the system AASAA -- Attack, Attack, Skip, Attack, Attack -- which calls for players constantly to drive the ball to the hoop from the wing, and kick it out to someone if the path is blocked. It's perfect for Memphis, which boasts an impressive array of long and quick players.

"I like it," Calipari said. "It stimulated my thinking. I thought it was the best way to utilize these players. So I changed. People thought I was crazy."

Before the season, Walberg told the Memphis Commercial Appeal he expected the Tigers to thrive with the offense.

"My team has averaged 105 points the past three seasons," he said. "I don't think Memphis will get that. But they should get at least 85, no doubt."

Memphis is averaging 81.0, and it's not more than that only because Calipari declines to give in to the system as fully as Walberg does.

"I'm not crazy like him. I can't do it all'cause I just have the old roots of you've got to be able to slug it out, grind it out," Calipari said.

Still, Memphis players share Calipari's enthusiasm for the high- octane offensive system.

"I like to drive to the hole, try to dunk on people. This style of play really helps me do that," senior Rodney Carney said. "We like to drive, we like to shoot. This lets us play to the players we are."

Point guard Darius Washington added, "It's a great offense. You should try it."

Calipari gives full credit to Walberg, with whom he talks on the phone two or three times a week.

"He and I are dear friends," Calipari said. "He will be a Division I coach in the next year or two."

After coaching at Newark Memorial, Walberg developed a powerhouse program at Clovis West High. His players there included Stanford star Chris Hernandez and his own son, Jason Walberg, now a senior at Saint Mary's College.

RUBIN'S FINAL RIDE: Former James Logan High star Janou Rubin didn't find out he'd be able to play for UCLA this season until an NCAA committee granted him a sixth year of eligibility on Nov.14. UCLA opened its season the next day.

The walk-on guard played just 29 minutes over five games last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Now he's back in the Bay Area, one game short of reaching the Final Four.

"It's been really good," said Rubin, who has played in 17 games this season. "I knew (the program) was on its way up, and I knew it would be in my best interest to be part of something special."

TYUS, PART II: The steal-pass-and-layup that UCLA used to complete its miracle comeback against Gonzaga on Thursday already is part of Bruins basketball lore. A day later, comparisons were being made to Tyus Edney's length-of-the-court dash for a layup that beat Missouri during the Bruins' 1995 national title run.

But sophomore point guard Jordan Farmar, who delivered the pass to Luc Richard Mbah a Moute that beat the Zags 73-71, wasn't taking credit for himself.

"It's a great feeling," he said, "but anybody on the team should feel just as special because without a team effort, that play wouldn't have happened."

AFFLALO'S BURDEN: UCLA sophomore guard Arron Afflalo went from trying to defend Gonzaga's Adam Morrison on Thursday night to taking final exams in sociology and history Friday night to taking the defensive assignment today on Memphis star Rodney Carney.

"You take everything at hand -- whatever's ahead of you," Afflalo said. "There's a new task at hand (today)."

ADAM'S TOTALS: Gonzaga's Morrison, who scored 24 points against the Bruins, finished the season with a 28.1 scoring average. That clinched for him the national scoring title over Duke senior J.J. Redick, who scored just 11 points Thursday in the loss to LSU and wound up at 26.8.