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The Rise Of Positionless Hoops

Where's a basketball jones when you need one yourself?

Former Blue Devil Jabari Parker, shown here with the Milwaukee Bucks,  is a classic example of a guy growing beyond a positional label.
Former Blue Devil Jabari Parker, shown here with the Milwaukee Bucks, is a classic example of a guy growing beyond a positional label.
Mike McGinnis

For years, Coach K has argued that he doesn't put people in positions but lets guys play to their abilities and strengths. You've probably heard the plant-in-the-jar metaphor.

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Let 'em grow free: it's worked pretty well so far, and it's spreading.he first team we remember really noticing like this was the great '89 Illinois team. Lou Henson started Nick Anderson, Steve Bardo, Kendall Gill and Kenny Battle and brought Marcus Liberty off the bench.

All six guys were between 6-5 and 6-8 and all of them  were more or less interchangable.

It's a lot better, to us anyway, than a rigid system based on numbers and roles.