ATWOOD – There were skeptics.

There are always skeptics when a new coach, with new ideas, promises a radical overhaul of an athletic program.

Especially when that new coach plans to implement an offensive philosophy in basketball that he's never coached.

Especially at a high school that had endured sub-.500 seasons 16 of the previous 19 years, averaging 7.5 wins per season in that time.

Bill Lyons stuck to his game plan this season, his first as Atwood-Hammond's boys' basketball coach, following five seasons as coach of the South Piatt (A-H/Bement co-op) girls' program.

"From the time the boys get on the court, until the time they leave, they need to be on a dead sprint," Lyons said.

His team revolutionized the way area fans saw the game of basketball.

"This year has been tons of fun," said Phil Irace, one of the Rajahs' starters.

A 16-14 season, which ended with a first-round Class 1A regional loss Monday, has been one for the record books, not just those of the school variety, but also on the all-time IHSA charts.

Three for the show

With some variations, Lyons instituted an offense made famous by Grinnell College. The emphasis is on three-point shooting – he'd like one attempted within eight seconds of the time the team gets the ball – crashing the boards for rebounds and playing at full speed for about 35 seconds before another wave of players hits the court running.

That's every 35 seconds, with the exception of the final minute of a half or the end of a close game.

"Five in, five out," Lyons said.

Remember those skeptics?

Some originally were playing for Atwood-Hammond this season. Randy Crist was one of them.

"Honestly, I can't say I was a believer at first," Crist said. "In the beginning, I thought 'this is going to be a waste of senior year.' "

Irace had a similar reaction.

"I wasn't so sure about the system," he said.

Like Crist, however, he remained open-minded.

"I gave it a chance," Irace said.

Starting strong

Seeing is believing.

The Rajahs rolled up 100 points in their season opener and made 17 three-pointers (tied for 12th on the all-time IHSA single-game list) in Game 3.

"As we were putting it in, I was excited," Lyons said. "When it came down to the first game, about two days before, I was a nervous wreck.

"I was thinking, 'What if it's a total flop?' It was the most nervous I've been."

Austin Bialeschki said this was the ideal season to revamp the offense.

"We want to get as many shots as we can, so that means shooting the first open look we get," Bialeschki said. "This was a good year to start because four of the five starters can play the guard spot, run and shoot."

The numbers reveal the system's effectiveness.

Atwood-Hammond attempted more three-pointers this season than any school in state history (1,214), which figures out to be one attempt every 47.4 seconds. The team's 267 conversions are fourth on the all-time IHSA list.

Lyons said it would be OK if the attempts came even quicker.

"You can never shoot too fast," he said. "The more shots we take, the more points we can score."

Tyler Sebens became the third area boy to hit at least 100 three-pointers in a season (103). He is one of four squad members who put up at least 20 points in a game.

Until this season, only one school in state history had attempted more than 800 treys in a season. The previous record-holder was Oak Forest with 1,175 in the 2001-02 season.

"The key to success is to play at a speed nobody else has ever played," Lyons said.

Instead of a first team and seldom-used reserves, Lyons had a varsity full of players expected to contribute.

"Under a traditional basketball system, most coaches play five to eight players," Lyons said. "At the start of the season, we dressed 14 players on varsity and 13 played regularly."

Talk about a boost to team morale.

"Everybody loves getting so much playing time," Irace said. "It's a benefit in helping us keep up the pace of play, and it helps future Rajah teams by getting the younger guys some experience."

Gaining favor

The fan-friendly games were fun for most everyone.

"I think the refs hate the fact that we run so much," Crist said. "They get more of a workout in one game than the next three or four they referee."

Bialeschki said feedback he received was positive.

"People say it's nice to see something a lot different than walking the ball upcourt and passing it around for 30 seconds every trip," he said. "Coach tells us how other coaches are impressed at how hard we crash the boards."

The ultimate comment, Irace said, came from opposing players.

"I've had quite a few players tell me they wish they could run the offense we do," Irace said. "They're surprised at how big our crowds get.

"Our fans love to watch the system."

Open season for shooting

Even practices were fun for the Rajahs.

"We spend the majority of our practices shooting and doing shooting drills," Irace said. "We even shoot during our spare time."

They drilled enough, they understood what Lyons expected. That's shots, followed by more shots. After offensive rebounds, unless there was a layup possibility, the ball went back to the perimeter for another three-point try.

"Coach says the only bad shot in the system is a shot not taken," Irace said. "He encourages the primary shooters to shoot as much as possible."

While it was open season on three-pointers, not everyone had a green light to launch at will. Bryce Root, the 6-foot-7 double-digit rebounder, attempted one three-pointer all season.

"Everybody has a role in the system, and we all stick to our roles," Irace said.

On the map

Lyons had A-H's junior varsity team play the same frenetic style and doesn't envision scrapping the plan.

"We wanted to start something that would put A-H basketball on the map," he said. "I can't see transitioning back to a traditional team.

"There is always room for improvement, and there are things we will tweak for next year. I think the kids love what we do."

Crist is so enamored he wishes he still had eligibility remaining.

"I hate that it's my senior year," he said. "I think the guys that are going to get one or two more years in this offense will be playing very competitively in every game. They will have this offense down pat.

"It will be fun to watch."

Beyond a dream

Bialeschki will take with him fond memories of his final high school season.

"We wish we could have some games back, but when we doubled last year's record, we can't complain too much," he said. "We score 70, 80, 90 points every game (averaging 73.5) and are on the record books for state. It's not hard to have fun."

Irace will take pride in what he and teammates from a school with an enrollment of 112 accomplished.

"To know that a little school like Atwood-Hammond has the potential to set records like that means a lot," Irace said. "I never would have dreamed of those records before the system came along, but anything can happen with the system."

Fred Kroner is The News-Gazette's prep sports coordinator. He writes a weekly high school-related column throughout the school year. He can be reached by phone at 217-351-5232, by fax at 217-373-7401 or at fkroner@news-gazette.com.

Shooting for the top
Coach Bill Lyons had 10 squad members help Atwood-Hammond garner the fourth-place slot on the IHSA’s all-time record books for three-pointers made in a season. The players and their final totals:
NAME    THREES
Tyler Sebens   103
Randy Crist    52
Andy Webb    38
Austin Bialeschki    29
Phil Irace    25
Kyle Wierman    14
Eric Downs    3
Logan Dukeman    1
Corey Garrett    1
Dakota Ruff    1
Total    267

All-time team season leaders
SCHOOL    YEAR    THREES
Lincoln    2004-05    286
Brother Rice    2003-04    275
Oak Forest    2001-02    274
Atwood-Hammond    2010-11    267
Shelbyville    1995-96    264
SOURCE: IHSA