DES MOINES, Iowa - Last October, David  Arseneault Jr. '09 faced one of the biggest changes of his life when he left his hometown and alma mater for western Nevada.
 
So, five months later, how has that adjustment gone for the head coach of the Reno Bighorns' basketball team?
 
"I'm having a great time," Arseneault said with a big smile following his team's contest with the Iowa Energy Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
 
Prior to taking the reins at Reno, Arseneault served as associate head coach for the Grinnell College Pioneer men's basketball team, working alongside his father, head coach David Arseneault.
 
But then the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA) came calling, courting the younger Arseneault to bring the famous high-octane Grinnell "System" to their D-League team in Reno.
 
And the results have shown. The Bighorns lead the league in points per game at 133.8, 11-plus points more than any other squad, while draining a league-high 17.4 3-pointers per contest.
 
In reality, the Bighorns are running a modified version of the "System" compared to the constant substitutions and pressing done by Grinnell teams.
 
"It's been a learning process," said Arseneault. "For starters, we're only allowed 10 players in uniform, so right off the bat we're a little short-handed in terms of what we can do with our substitution patterns. You also have a transient roster – we had a player who flew in from Maine yesterday and hasn't practiced with us and didn't know much about our philosophy, but still suited up and got minutes today.
 
"But that's all part of the business, and I welcome that challenge," he added. "And I'm having a great time doing it."
 
What other differences has Arseneault noticed?
 
"The shorter shot clock is one, for sure," he said. "And the longer 3-point line makes a difference with spacing on the floor. The nice thing is, as the season has gone on I'm starting to figure out the capabilities of both my guys and our opponents in terms of size, speed and quickness, which can help determine how they might defend."
 
Arseneault said he enjoyed working with college student-athletes over the years, as well as the professionals he deals with now.
 
"It's certainly different (dealing with the two groups)," he said. "It's been good getting a chance to work with these guys who have goals and dreams to get to the next level. We've had a couple of guys who have done that. Most players in this league live and breathe basketball as they work to get to the next level."
 
Among those who have gotten a taste of the NBA is David Stockton, son of NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton.
 
"He's incredible, isn't he?" said Arseneault after Stockton put up 35 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for Reno Sunday. He's perfect for the style of play we're trying to implement here."
 
While Stockton's performance was big, so was the local fan base that turned out to see Arseneault coach his squad. Wells Fargo Arena was sprinkled with Arseneault's family and friends, as well as Grinnell College faculty, staff and coaches plus former and current students and Pioneer players.
 
"The support was awesome," Arseneault said. "We didn't give them much to cheer about for the first three quarters, but down the stretch I could hear some people getting loud. It's great to come back home to Iowa. I really appreciate people making the trip over to watch. It means a lot."