So, I had a referee that said something to me during a game that got me thinking.
A little background: I only take 10 kids on my teams because it's easier to manage minutes, and work with the team in groups. Smaller class size in practice lets me work with each kid that much more individually. I see a lot of other coaches coming into games with 12 and even 14 kids. I almost feel sorry for those kids, because the good ones are either going to leave the weaker kids in the dust, or get held back as the weaker kids are brought up to speed.
So I'm in a game where we are taking care of business and comfortably in control. The other coach starts reaching deep into his bench because he knows the game is over and wants to give the kids playing time. I have no beef with that. But enter the issue. One of these weaker kids and one of my bigs go up for a rebound. My guy has the kid beat by at least six inches, but the other kid managed to get position on him. My player does his job in that situation and just out-jumps him with no contact. However he doesn't hold the ball high enough and both kids get hands on it. The ref calls over the back. I instantly argue the call. The ref looks at me and then walks over and says, "Come on coach, its about sportsmanship and the other coach is down his bench." I turn to him and ask, "What does that mean?" I understood what he meant about being down his bench, but I guess the ref assumed that being young I was dumb and explained the phrase anyway. What I wanted to know is why should my player who did absolutely nothing wrong, be penalized because the other team is weak?
If it truly is about sportsmanship and player growth, then we need to hold these weaker players to the rules. It is not the referees jobs to teach the game. That falls on the coach. At fifth grade, the only call I could see you overlooking as a referee is carrying, but even then once you get about half way through the season you should crack down on that. Because now, I am in an awkward spot. I want my kids to respect the referees, but with calls that are clearly wrong, how can that happen. I want them to be aggressive and learn the game, but with calls like that now the next time in that situation, what does he do, just let the kid in front have the ball?
It only further enraged me as I watched my guys get called for fouls that never happened, the other team got to take an extra step or shuffle, legal hard screens were called illegal because the defender got knocked down. I expect my weaker players to perform at the same level as my stronger ones, but I also put them in positions to do so. That's my job. But by letting them get away with things because they are weaker, I would be doing them a disservice, as are the referees that follow the philosophy of the refs I had at this particular game. I hope I don't run into too many of those this season, because I may actually have to get a technical or two.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Thanksgiving Shootout
Well, as I said before I didn't get much time to rest up between seasons. I spent my limited time preaching defensive intensity, and it carried us through our pool with very little resistance. The playoffs were a different story.
Our first game was against a shorter St. Joe's team, but we couldn't rebound to save our lives, and we had no concept of offensive spacing or flow. But I expected that to a point. When you get a new team and you don't spend much time on offense that's what you are going to get. What I didn't expect was for St. Joe's to take care of the basketball. We managed to get enough pressure to squeeze out a win and advance to the championship. In the championship game we played against and aggressive team from Bayonne. They were beatable, but their success was created by their chaos full-court press. I guess we earned their respect, because they didn't press us until late in the second half, but our lack of offensive IQ hurt us. Thanks to some clutch free throws and rebounds, we snuck past Bayonne to claim the title of Thanksgiving Shootout Champions, and earned an invite to the March Tournament of Champions.
Not much time to rest again, as our second tournament, the Mike Blake Invitational, started 5 days later. More to come on that later..
Our first game was against a shorter St. Joe's team, but we couldn't rebound to save our lives, and we had no concept of offensive spacing or flow. But I expected that to a point. When you get a new team and you don't spend much time on offense that's what you are going to get. What I didn't expect was for St. Joe's to take care of the basketball. We managed to get enough pressure to squeeze out a win and advance to the championship. In the championship game we played against and aggressive team from Bayonne. They were beatable, but their success was created by their chaos full-court press. I guess we earned their respect, because they didn't press us until late in the second half, but our lack of offensive IQ hurt us. Thanks to some clutch free throws and rebounds, we snuck past Bayonne to claim the title of Thanksgiving Shootout Champions, and earned an invite to the March Tournament of Champions.
Not much time to rest again, as our second tournament, the Mike Blake Invitational, started 5 days later. More to come on that later..
Saturday, November 26, 2011
AAU Final
Well, my AAU boys had one last tournament to let it all hang out, and leading up to it, I loosened up the rules defensively and just explained how to play aggressive without giving up too much. I knew they could have played this style of defense all along, however, I wanted them to get a sense of discipline so we aren't lunging at every pass just because we are close to it. Payed off big as we won every game in the Garden State Basketball Fall Jamfest IV by at least 20. Some of the coaches that we hadn't seen before blamed their loss on the fact that I had a 6-foot kid on the team, but the other parents who had played us before came up afterwards and were complimenting the team on their basketball IQ and team ability. We played phenomenal basketball, pure and simple. Did having a 6-foot kid help? In some instances. But we probably would have beaten all those teams without him even stepping foot on the floor because the boys were in the zone. We were forcing turnovers, contesting shots, running the fast break and draining buckets with ease. I hope that team stays together, because it has a ton of potential. The guard will need to start bulking up a bit before their size becomes a weakness, but I can't really work on that in a 22-game season.
This was a great season for all of us. The boys had a ton of fun, and half of them will be staying together for their travel season. 3 of the 5 will likely be starters, with the other 2 filling in their roles understanding that's what they are for. I had a great season, helping them develop their teamwork, defensive intensity and hustle, and helping them to understand that not everyone needs to put up 20 points to be important. Those 3 past seasons of learning subbing rotations, helped, and just being honest with the kids was key. "Hey, I need you to hustle and get those boards. If you don't score but get 6 rebounds, I'm happy and you get a star in my book." No trying to hard, just went out there and got his rebounds, and then you look and he's got 4 points from put-backs. Kid comes off the floor feeling like a superhero. Win - win. The parents were great. Totally committed to both me and the team. No issues with playing time; they understood their kids limitations and were happy to see them happy playing their roles. Parents that can admit that their kid is a role-player are unsung heroes, let me tell you. I need more parents like these each season, the lack of distractions really gives me the ability to just coach, not play politician.
All in all, it was a great season, with successes all around. Yeah we had some easy games which helped boost our confidence and fluff our record, but their were some hard wins in their that let you know we were legit. Here's a few high notes from the season:
Record: 19W - 3L
Longest Win Streak: 9 Games
Most points scored: 77
Fall Classic One Day Shootout I Champions
Fall Classic One Day Shootout II Champions
Fall Classic One Day Shootout III Champions
Bergen Catholic Tournament 3rd Place
Fall Classic One Day Shootout IV Champions
Garden State Basketball Fall Jamfest Champions
Rest is for "suckas" lol. Travel Basketball is already underway, and it's right back to work from the ground up. Time to keep my personal win streak alive, and start a new one with a new team that will hopefully see a similar success story unfold before their eyes.
This was a great season for all of us. The boys had a ton of fun, and half of them will be staying together for their travel season. 3 of the 5 will likely be starters, with the other 2 filling in their roles understanding that's what they are for. I had a great season, helping them develop their teamwork, defensive intensity and hustle, and helping them to understand that not everyone needs to put up 20 points to be important. Those 3 past seasons of learning subbing rotations, helped, and just being honest with the kids was key. "Hey, I need you to hustle and get those boards. If you don't score but get 6 rebounds, I'm happy and you get a star in my book." No trying to hard, just went out there and got his rebounds, and then you look and he's got 4 points from put-backs. Kid comes off the floor feeling like a superhero. Win - win. The parents were great. Totally committed to both me and the team. No issues with playing time; they understood their kids limitations and were happy to see them happy playing their roles. Parents that can admit that their kid is a role-player are unsung heroes, let me tell you. I need more parents like these each season, the lack of distractions really gives me the ability to just coach, not play politician.
All in all, it was a great season, with successes all around. Yeah we had some easy games which helped boost our confidence and fluff our record, but their were some hard wins in their that let you know we were legit. Here's a few high notes from the season:
Record: 19W - 3L
Longest Win Streak: 9 Games
Most points scored: 77
Fall Classic One Day Shootout I Champions
Fall Classic One Day Shootout II Champions
Fall Classic One Day Shootout III Champions
Bergen Catholic Tournament 3rd Place
Fall Classic One Day Shootout IV Champions
Garden State Basketball Fall Jamfest Champions
Rest is for "suckas" lol. Travel Basketball is already underway, and it's right back to work from the ground up. Time to keep my personal win streak alive, and start a new one with a new team that will hopefully see a similar success story unfold before their eyes.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A Clean Sweep
In my last post I mentioned that we were playing in a Bergen Catholic tournament that I hoped to dominate. Apparently the host of the tournament expected us to dominate too; they told me almost as soon as we walked in that the championship game would be on Monday. Sure enough, we lost the first game and had to settle for 3rd place. Seems we were still shaking off the cobwebs from our last few losses.
We got back to the gym, had a brief heart to heart about how less is more, and decided to put this behind us once and for all. Spent a couple of days just doing extra simple things; no flash, no wow factor, just basic, introductory skills. Then I requested that some of my travel kids come in for a workout and scrimmage and that went really well. I've never seen anything like what I saw that day. My AAU guys had a ton of energy, and cheered for each other for every single shot, steal, and rebound. The travel boys were getting creamed, but they played hard all the way to the end of practice. Did I finally put together a team that won't quit?!?
Those practices set the tone for the final Fall Classic One Day Shoot Out of the season. We met up at Hoop Heaven for our first game, and all I said was to keep it simple and pour on the energy. Our first game was against the NJ Thunder, which we've played several times this season. No upset there. Our next game was against the NY Kings. My history against teams from NY is not that great, in fact, I've never beaten a team from NY. Needless to say all that energy we found at practice paid of and lifted us to a 40+ point win. Perhaps there was a little too much energy in that game, because they had me feeling like it was a close game and I didn't realize how lopsided it was until there were 6 minutes left in the game. It felt good to get a win against a NY team in that fashion though, since they typically have no issues with destroying other teams. On to the championship game. Very good game on tap, as we were playing the team that we lost to in the Bergen Catholic tournament again.
The game was epic. Constant back and forth action, plenty of lead changes, emotional plays, and all around good basketball. As the game enters the final minute, we are up by 2, and both coaches have a time out left. He calls his and draws up a good play and they tie the game. No panic yet, its just a tie. We attempt to get the ball up the floor and get a good look at the basket - BRICK!! They get the ball back and throw a bad pass. Whew, we're safe. Seven seconds left. Ok, time to call my timeout. I'm prepared for overtime in my head. I just tell the guys to be smart, and don't turn the ball over, we can handle them in OT, we just don't want to blow it. They take the floor again, determined - there was no way we were turning the ball over. We inbound the ball to my point guard. He looks up the floor and sees a wide open sideline and heads for it. The defense realizes they have a hole and start to collapse on it. My guard is quick enough to blow past it enough to get a good look at the rim. He takes one last dribble and puts the ball in the air. It was like a scene from a movie - he lets go of the ball with just over a second left, and I swear the world slowed down for that second. Everyone in the gym is silent, waiting to see what will come of this prayer. The buzzer sounds and the ball is closing on the backboard, and I hear one of my parents yell "Its in!" The ball hits the glass and then goes into the hoop. We won!!!
It feels good to be able to say we won an entire tournament series. Well, we've got one last tournament for the season, and it should be a good one. Let's ride this out in style!!
We got back to the gym, had a brief heart to heart about how less is more, and decided to put this behind us once and for all. Spent a couple of days just doing extra simple things; no flash, no wow factor, just basic, introductory skills. Then I requested that some of my travel kids come in for a workout and scrimmage and that went really well. I've never seen anything like what I saw that day. My AAU guys had a ton of energy, and cheered for each other for every single shot, steal, and rebound. The travel boys were getting creamed, but they played hard all the way to the end of practice. Did I finally put together a team that won't quit?!?
Those practices set the tone for the final Fall Classic One Day Shoot Out of the season. We met up at Hoop Heaven for our first game, and all I said was to keep it simple and pour on the energy. Our first game was against the NJ Thunder, which we've played several times this season. No upset there. Our next game was against the NY Kings. My history against teams from NY is not that great, in fact, I've never beaten a team from NY. Needless to say all that energy we found at practice paid of and lifted us to a 40+ point win. Perhaps there was a little too much energy in that game, because they had me feeling like it was a close game and I didn't realize how lopsided it was until there were 6 minutes left in the game. It felt good to get a win against a NY team in that fashion though, since they typically have no issues with destroying other teams. On to the championship game. Very good game on tap, as we were playing the team that we lost to in the Bergen Catholic tournament again.
The game was epic. Constant back and forth action, plenty of lead changes, emotional plays, and all around good basketball. As the game enters the final minute, we are up by 2, and both coaches have a time out left. He calls his and draws up a good play and they tie the game. No panic yet, its just a tie. We attempt to get the ball up the floor and get a good look at the basket - BRICK!! They get the ball back and throw a bad pass. Whew, we're safe. Seven seconds left. Ok, time to call my timeout. I'm prepared for overtime in my head. I just tell the guys to be smart, and don't turn the ball over, we can handle them in OT, we just don't want to blow it. They take the floor again, determined - there was no way we were turning the ball over. We inbound the ball to my point guard. He looks up the floor and sees a wide open sideline and heads for it. The defense realizes they have a hole and start to collapse on it. My guard is quick enough to blow past it enough to get a good look at the rim. He takes one last dribble and puts the ball in the air. It was like a scene from a movie - he lets go of the ball with just over a second left, and I swear the world slowed down for that second. Everyone in the gym is silent, waiting to see what will come of this prayer. The buzzer sounds and the ball is closing on the backboard, and I hear one of my parents yell "Its in!" The ball hits the glass and then goes into the hoop. We won!!!
It feels good to be able to say we won an entire tournament series. Well, we've got one last tournament for the season, and it should be a good one. Let's ride this out in style!!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Recap - Part 2
So to continue where I left off with my last post...
Even without me, my boys managed to secure another tournament championship, and extending our win streak to nine. As happy as I was for them, I knew that this was not a good sign. I hate when I'm right. Last week's practices were less than stellar. No focus, no desire, and completely unproductive. To make matters worse, when some of my bench players tried to encourage some of the starters to "get it together", they were met with all kinds of attitude and disrespect. Perhaps my philosophy is a little flawed, but if you are going to get complacent and stop working hard to keep getting better, then I'm going to let you beat yourself. The great teams don't say "We're good, we don't need to get better and keep working hard," they keep getting better because with each win that target on your back gets bigger and bigger. So it was time for a Laker-esqe fall from glory (you can't tell me you didn't clown the Lakers after losing to the Cavs last season). Ok, so that might be a little extreme, but we needed a wake up call.
Well, we got it, having to be in Bound Brook, NJ at 8:30 am. Nothing more exciting than waking up on a Saturday as if it were a workday. We all get to the Central Jersey Halloween Hoops Tournament all set to dominate like we had in tournaments prior. I have to be honest, I didn't really feel all that confident the whole ride down; something felt off. I look around and I've only got 7 players. My center got himself grounded and 2 others had conflicts. Not quite the end of the world, but then we find out that the schedule was changed and we're there for an extra hour before we play. Good more time to try to get that confidence. An hour later, we're doing the warm-ups and we can't make a lay-up to save our lives. "This is going to be one of those games," I say to myself as I try to compel my guys to get back to simple basics. We come out ice cold and shoot way too many jump shots that don't even hit iron to really threaten our opponent and we suffer our first loss in a tournament. Little time to hang our heads as the second game would start in 10 minutes. No big speech, no getting angry, just a quick are we going to lose both these games, or is someone going to step up and get back to how we do things. Short roster and all, we pull out a win and control the game all the way through. Third game was a bit of a struggle, thanks to sloppy play. I guess that one loss didn't settle it in their minds that they weren't invincible, because there was way too much razzle-dazzle and not enough scoring. We turned the ball over in that games in ways I hadn't seen from this team ever. Tried to explain to the guys that our next opponent, the Gym Ratz, would take advantage of sloppy play and would easily beat us. Again, I hate when I'm right. We got out-hustled and outplayed right into our second loss.
Hopefully we get a revenge match-up, but more importantly hopefully we learned some lessons last weekend:
Even without me, my boys managed to secure another tournament championship, and extending our win streak to nine. As happy as I was for them, I knew that this was not a good sign. I hate when I'm right. Last week's practices were less than stellar. No focus, no desire, and completely unproductive. To make matters worse, when some of my bench players tried to encourage some of the starters to "get it together", they were met with all kinds of attitude and disrespect. Perhaps my philosophy is a little flawed, but if you are going to get complacent and stop working hard to keep getting better, then I'm going to let you beat yourself. The great teams don't say "We're good, we don't need to get better and keep working hard," they keep getting better because with each win that target on your back gets bigger and bigger. So it was time for a Laker-esqe fall from glory (you can't tell me you didn't clown the Lakers after losing to the Cavs last season). Ok, so that might be a little extreme, but we needed a wake up call.
Well, we got it, having to be in Bound Brook, NJ at 8:30 am. Nothing more exciting than waking up on a Saturday as if it were a workday. We all get to the Central Jersey Halloween Hoops Tournament all set to dominate like we had in tournaments prior. I have to be honest, I didn't really feel all that confident the whole ride down; something felt off. I look around and I've only got 7 players. My center got himself grounded and 2 others had conflicts. Not quite the end of the world, but then we find out that the schedule was changed and we're there for an extra hour before we play. Good more time to try to get that confidence. An hour later, we're doing the warm-ups and we can't make a lay-up to save our lives. "This is going to be one of those games," I say to myself as I try to compel my guys to get back to simple basics. We come out ice cold and shoot way too many jump shots that don't even hit iron to really threaten our opponent and we suffer our first loss in a tournament. Little time to hang our heads as the second game would start in 10 minutes. No big speech, no getting angry, just a quick are we going to lose both these games, or is someone going to step up and get back to how we do things. Short roster and all, we pull out a win and control the game all the way through. Third game was a bit of a struggle, thanks to sloppy play. I guess that one loss didn't settle it in their minds that they weren't invincible, because there was way too much razzle-dazzle and not enough scoring. We turned the ball over in that games in ways I hadn't seen from this team ever. Tried to explain to the guys that our next opponent, the Gym Ratz, would take advantage of sloppy play and would easily beat us. Again, I hate when I'm right. We got out-hustled and outplayed right into our second loss.
Hopefully we get a revenge match-up, but more importantly hopefully we learned some lessons last weekend:
- Everyone on the team is there for a reason, and getting yourself grounded hurts the team
- You are never too good to stop getting better
- You play the way you practice
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Recap - Part One
So, work hit a whirlwind, and my personal life's been somewhat of a mess, which has led me to fall behind yet again in posts. My plan is to get you all up to date by the end of the weekend, but I make no promises as I still have more games and tryouts to attend this weekend.
After taking a week to build on the success we've been having this season, we entered into the third Fall Classic One Day Shootout tournament of the season. Two new teams showed up to this one, and they along with the CrossRoads squad, met defeat at the hands of my team's intense defense. It was pretty bad at times, I recall going into a half time break up 34-11. But it gave my bench plenty of time on the floor, which I'm sure will prove valuable towards the end of the season. I did have to miss the championship game of the tournament because I had to hold a tryout for my Winter Travel Team.
The tryout went well, and that team is looking like it will be a fairly good, well-rounded team, with a bit of height to go with it. Not the fastest group I've coached, but I think we've got enough speed to not have that be a glaring weakness. Nothing really prepares you for having 16 kids tryout though. While it's great to have that kind of turnout, it stinks because that means you have to make six phone calls that no one wants to get. I managed to barrel through all those calls and we should be ready to get that team going pretty soon.
I'd write a little more, but the site has added some new stuff to play with that I want to try out before it gets too late. Hopefully I'll be able to get a mobile version of my blog up so you can read it anywhere!!
After taking a week to build on the success we've been having this season, we entered into the third Fall Classic One Day Shootout tournament of the season. Two new teams showed up to this one, and they along with the CrossRoads squad, met defeat at the hands of my team's intense defense. It was pretty bad at times, I recall going into a half time break up 34-11. But it gave my bench plenty of time on the floor, which I'm sure will prove valuable towards the end of the season. I did have to miss the championship game of the tournament because I had to hold a tryout for my Winter Travel Team.
The tryout went well, and that team is looking like it will be a fairly good, well-rounded team, with a bit of height to go with it. Not the fastest group I've coached, but I think we've got enough speed to not have that be a glaring weakness. Nothing really prepares you for having 16 kids tryout though. While it's great to have that kind of turnout, it stinks because that means you have to make six phone calls that no one wants to get. I managed to barrel through all those calls and we should be ready to get that team going pretty soon.
I'd write a little more, but the site has added some new stuff to play with that I want to try out before it gets too late. Hopefully I'll be able to get a mobile version of my blog up so you can read it anywhere!!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Double Take!!
Hey everyone! I've got good news from this past weekend!
In my last post, I had said we were playing in a Gym Ratz tournament. I'm assuming they didn't field enough teams, so I was a little bummed to hear that it had been cancelled. That moment of sadness was erased when I found out they would be playing in the same tournament as us anyway. I wanted to see how my team would stack up against another up-tempo team, and it turns out I was going to get to play two of their teams. Our first game was against their 6th grade squad, and as expected the game was pretty intense, which is what I expected. When my guys played good, solid basketball, we controlled the game and the lead. However, the plague of inconsistency struck, and in our moments of not-so-great basketball, the Gym Ratz capitalized and closed the gap. Fortunately, we had more great moments than bad ones and held on to win by 8.
Our second game was against the Gym Ratz - 5th Grade, and I purposely told my boys that they were 5th graders. Some people may wonder why, but I noticed that my boys were getting a little cocky and I wanted them to get "hit in the mouth" because of it. Sure enough, my squad took the 5th graders lightly and we were only up by 8 at the half. Perfect. Time for a halftime speech!!!
The final game was the championship game against the NJ Drive. First time I've ever played them, but I was able to watch one of their games, and I could tell they had no issues with contact. It was a very physical game (but well within the rules) and we played well. The physicality of the game I could tell was causing some "comfort" issues with my boys, but we played through it and ended up with our second championship title.
I'm not going to lie. Things are much more fun when you have a good group of kids who are all on the same page and have what many people refer to as "the hunger." When everyone is playing to win, you spend less time trying to motivate and more time improving, which makes you more competitive sooner and the kids enjoy the game more. We still have work to do, but we are worlds ahead of where other teams I've coached have been at this point in the season.
In my last post, I had said we were playing in a Gym Ratz tournament. I'm assuming they didn't field enough teams, so I was a little bummed to hear that it had been cancelled. That moment of sadness was erased when I found out they would be playing in the same tournament as us anyway. I wanted to see how my team would stack up against another up-tempo team, and it turns out I was going to get to play two of their teams. Our first game was against their 6th grade squad, and as expected the game was pretty intense, which is what I expected. When my guys played good, solid basketball, we controlled the game and the lead. However, the plague of inconsistency struck, and in our moments of not-so-great basketball, the Gym Ratz capitalized and closed the gap. Fortunately, we had more great moments than bad ones and held on to win by 8.
Our second game was against the Gym Ratz - 5th Grade, and I purposely told my boys that they were 5th graders. Some people may wonder why, but I noticed that my boys were getting a little cocky and I wanted them to get "hit in the mouth" because of it. Sure enough, my squad took the 5th graders lightly and we were only up by 8 at the half. Perfect. Time for a halftime speech!!!
That's what you get for playing like garbage. Those 5th graders wouldn't have decided to play up if they didn't thing they could beat you, and sure enough they are pretty close to doing it. You have two choices in the second half: Get embarrassed an end your win streak to a team of 5th graders, or take this game seriously and dominate. Don't tell me which one you are going to do, just go out there and do it. Let your game tell me.Won that game by 16, but it could have easily been a much larger margin if I didn't believe in sportsmanship.
The final game was the championship game against the NJ Drive. First time I've ever played them, but I was able to watch one of their games, and I could tell they had no issues with contact. It was a very physical game (but well within the rules) and we played well. The physicality of the game I could tell was causing some "comfort" issues with my boys, but we played through it and ended up with our second championship title.
I'm not going to lie. Things are much more fun when you have a good group of kids who are all on the same page and have what many people refer to as "the hunger." When everyone is playing to win, you spend less time trying to motivate and more time improving, which makes you more competitive sooner and the kids enjoy the game more. We still have work to do, but we are worlds ahead of where other teams I've coached have been at this point in the season.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Third Time's A Charm
Well, since my last post things have gotten off to a pretty good start. Here's the 'Reader's Digest' version of the last few weeks.
We started our season with a couple of scrimmages. Both went well considering we had only had the opportunity to practice once due to flooding. I took the first game as an opportunity to see who would produce and in what situations they'd excel in, which really told me a lot about what I have to work with this season. It seems that I've got a lot of speed to work with this season. A lot. And I have a 6-foot kid on the team, which is a huge help. Unfortunately, our first scrimmage was against a team with 3 kids his size, so our lack of practice hurt us. However, it was a good loss, since all the kids played hard all the way to the end and they had fun. The second scrimmage, after getting things hammered out in the first, was a much different story. I conveniently forgot to tell them the game was against 7th graders, so there were no pre-game psych outs. We came out swinging, and jumped out to a quick lead. However, we got bit by inexperience again, and fell behind going into the second half. We fought back though and forced two overtimes, and managed to squeeze out a one point victory. Afterwards, I filled the team in on the significance of their win, which energized them going into the next week of practice.
We had a week of practice, during which I worked defense and basic fundamentals. We had a tournament on the horizon, and I wasn't about to let us get beat by basic crap. This season I have a team that can compete, so I'm determined to make the most of it. Well, that played out well. It was a three game tournament in Mahwah. First game was against the NJ Thunder. I've played this group before, and though they don't usually have a strong team at the beginning of each season, they have a great coaching staff that gets the kids to make pretty good strides as the season goes on. Our defensive intensity was awesome. I don't think I could get my Winter Travel team to play with that much intensity. Our defense carried us to a 23 point victory. The second game was against Crossroads Basketball. Haven't really played them before, but I figured they would be a little tired since their first game they lost by 1 in a game everyone said was tight all the way through. More great defense and a second straight tournament win. The Thunder won their second game, so we ended up having to play them for the championship. We got a little soft and overconfident, but I straightened that out over halftime and we put that to bed. Yep, ladies and gentlemen, I finally got the opportunity to say I coached a team to victory in an AAU tournament.
Well, this upcoming weekend we're on tap for another tournament, but this one should be a little more challenging. The team hosting it, the Gym Ratz, tends to be stacked with speed, so it will push us and we'll see just how good we really are. I think we can pull it off, but it will definitely require us to have a solid week of practice. I think we'll do some damage with plays we've put together, and one more week of practice should put us in a good spot. Let's go Wolfpack!!
We started our season with a couple of scrimmages. Both went well considering we had only had the opportunity to practice once due to flooding. I took the first game as an opportunity to see who would produce and in what situations they'd excel in, which really told me a lot about what I have to work with this season. It seems that I've got a lot of speed to work with this season. A lot. And I have a 6-foot kid on the team, which is a huge help. Unfortunately, our first scrimmage was against a team with 3 kids his size, so our lack of practice hurt us. However, it was a good loss, since all the kids played hard all the way to the end and they had fun. The second scrimmage, after getting things hammered out in the first, was a much different story. I conveniently forgot to tell them the game was against 7th graders, so there were no pre-game psych outs. We came out swinging, and jumped out to a quick lead. However, we got bit by inexperience again, and fell behind going into the second half. We fought back though and forced two overtimes, and managed to squeeze out a one point victory. Afterwards, I filled the team in on the significance of their win, which energized them going into the next week of practice.
We had a week of practice, during which I worked defense and basic fundamentals. We had a tournament on the horizon, and I wasn't about to let us get beat by basic crap. This season I have a team that can compete, so I'm determined to make the most of it. Well, that played out well. It was a three game tournament in Mahwah. First game was against the NJ Thunder. I've played this group before, and though they don't usually have a strong team at the beginning of each season, they have a great coaching staff that gets the kids to make pretty good strides as the season goes on. Our defensive intensity was awesome. I don't think I could get my Winter Travel team to play with that much intensity. Our defense carried us to a 23 point victory. The second game was against Crossroads Basketball. Haven't really played them before, but I figured they would be a little tired since their first game they lost by 1 in a game everyone said was tight all the way through. More great defense and a second straight tournament win. The Thunder won their second game, so we ended up having to play them for the championship. We got a little soft and overconfident, but I straightened that out over halftime and we put that to bed. Yep, ladies and gentlemen, I finally got the opportunity to say I coached a team to victory in an AAU tournament.
Well, this upcoming weekend we're on tap for another tournament, but this one should be a little more challenging. The team hosting it, the Gym Ratz, tends to be stacked with speed, so it will push us and we'll see just how good we really are. I think we can pull it off, but it will definitely require us to have a solid week of practice. I think we'll do some damage with plays we've put together, and one more week of practice should put us in a good spot. Let's go Wolfpack!!
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Test Begins
Well, tomorrow's my first day of practice. From the sound of it, all
of my players and their families didn't lose too much during the
hurricane. Hopefully, that good luck will carry over into the season.
But then again, it wasn't all good luck as I've already lost one player.
Short story is that when I sent out the emails to let everyone know they made the team, I was in a hurry and a little distracted. Come to find out I fat-fingered an email address, and who knows where the "Congrats on making the team" email went. It didn't go where it was supposed to and the kid signed up to play somewhere else. I didn't realize it until today when I went through my contacts to create the email distribution list that it was wrong, and well...too late. Moral of this story: Keep a draft of that email on your phone so that if life gets hectic you can send it out anytime from anywhere.
With 9 players, its a gift though.
1. I get a free workout since most drills will need an even number of participants, and I needed something to encourage me to finally get in shape enough to get those extra 2 inches added to my vertical so I can dunk.
2. One less kid to share playing time with, which ultimately gives me that much more time to think about game strategy instead of parent strategy.
Speaking of strategy, how does one start the season. It's a given in just about every situation, if you start with trash, then end is still trash. So how you start the season is crucial. For me, my philosophy is big on team success, so I start with team based activities. The Fall is a short season, about two and a half months long, with maybe five tournaments. So you don't have much time. But I'll be going up against some teams that have played together for years. I have to at least try to get them comfortable with each other enough to look like we've been at it for years. Some of them have though, so who knows. Maybe that chemistry will already be there and I won't have to work too hard to put it to use. The other thing I'll focus on is communication. You'd be surprised how little 5th and 6th graders talk on the court, which only adds to the likelihood of a turnover, blown zone assignment, and things of that nature. To encourage this, I've got this drill that forces them to either talk to each other and learn to trust one another, or they run into each other and do something like wind sprints or wall sits. I'll explain that drill, and let's see what people think.
You'll need the full length of the court for this, but I'm sure the more creative coaches can adapt it for a smaller space. Have the players line up under a basket, with their backs to the opposite basket. They will backpedal, one at a time, at full speed until they reach the other basket, at which point it's up to their teammates to tell them to stop (our gym has a padded wall that is not much fun if you unexpectedly run into it). Once the player reaches the other side and has been told to stop, they take a side-step (I send my kids to their right), and sprint back towards half court. Once the player hits the half court line, he/she will break down into a defensive stance and perform a defensive slide to the near sideline (again, my players are told to go right). Once the player hits the first sideline, they perform a defensive slide to the opposite sideline. Once there, the player will finish the drill with a sprint from half court to the starting baseline. Essentially the drill looks something like this:
S = Start F = Finish
F_____S______
^ |
| |
| |
|_____ | ______
| _____|
| |
| |
| |
|_|
I usually let the kids go at a relatively slow pace the first couple of times, so that they make sure they learn each others names, understand how it's supposed to look and all that fun stuff. The first time I'll tell them to go when the player before them gets to the opposite free throw line, and once we've been at it for a few minutes, I'll end up with 6 kids on the floor at the same time, and you'll hear a pleasant chaos of "Chris stop!", "Jason, man behind you - slow down!" and other directions all going on at once. By then end, names are learned, the players are used to running and talking, and it looks like it brings them a little closer. Mission accomplished. In the two seasons I've really worked this, the in game communication has gotten better, so I'd like to think it's working.
Well, I have a parent's meeting to prepare for. Balls have air, shoes are laced. It's basketball time!!
Short story is that when I sent out the emails to let everyone know they made the team, I was in a hurry and a little distracted. Come to find out I fat-fingered an email address, and who knows where the "Congrats on making the team" email went. It didn't go where it was supposed to and the kid signed up to play somewhere else. I didn't realize it until today when I went through my contacts to create the email distribution list that it was wrong, and well...too late. Moral of this story: Keep a draft of that email on your phone so that if life gets hectic you can send it out anytime from anywhere.
With 9 players, its a gift though.
1. I get a free workout since most drills will need an even number of participants, and I needed something to encourage me to finally get in shape enough to get those extra 2 inches added to my vertical so I can dunk.
2. One less kid to share playing time with, which ultimately gives me that much more time to think about game strategy instead of parent strategy.
Speaking of strategy, how does one start the season. It's a given in just about every situation, if you start with trash, then end is still trash. So how you start the season is crucial. For me, my philosophy is big on team success, so I start with team based activities. The Fall is a short season, about two and a half months long, with maybe five tournaments. So you don't have much time. But I'll be going up against some teams that have played together for years. I have to at least try to get them comfortable with each other enough to look like we've been at it for years. Some of them have though, so who knows. Maybe that chemistry will already be there and I won't have to work too hard to put it to use. The other thing I'll focus on is communication. You'd be surprised how little 5th and 6th graders talk on the court, which only adds to the likelihood of a turnover, blown zone assignment, and things of that nature. To encourage this, I've got this drill that forces them to either talk to each other and learn to trust one another, or they run into each other and do something like wind sprints or wall sits. I'll explain that drill, and let's see what people think.
You'll need the full length of the court for this, but I'm sure the more creative coaches can adapt it for a smaller space. Have the players line up under a basket, with their backs to the opposite basket. They will backpedal, one at a time, at full speed until they reach the other basket, at which point it's up to their teammates to tell them to stop (our gym has a padded wall that is not much fun if you unexpectedly run into it). Once the player reaches the other side and has been told to stop, they take a side-step (I send my kids to their right), and sprint back towards half court. Once the player hits the half court line, he/she will break down into a defensive stance and perform a defensive slide to the near sideline (again, my players are told to go right). Once the player hits the first sideline, they perform a defensive slide to the opposite sideline. Once there, the player will finish the drill with a sprint from half court to the starting baseline. Essentially the drill looks something like this:
S = Start F = Finish
F_____S______
^ |
| |
| |
|_____ | ______
| _____|
| |
| |
| |
|_|
I usually let the kids go at a relatively slow pace the first couple of times, so that they make sure they learn each others names, understand how it's supposed to look and all that fun stuff. The first time I'll tell them to go when the player before them gets to the opposite free throw line, and once we've been at it for a few minutes, I'll end up with 6 kids on the floor at the same time, and you'll hear a pleasant chaos of "Chris stop!", "Jason, man behind you - slow down!" and other directions all going on at once. By then end, names are learned, the players are used to running and talking, and it looks like it brings them a little closer. Mission accomplished. In the two seasons I've really worked this, the in game communication has gotten better, so I'd like to think it's working.
Well, I have a parent's meeting to prepare for. Balls have air, shoes are laced. It's basketball time!!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Let's Get Ready to...Dribble!
Okay, okay. So the title is a little cheesy. Sue me. But that's how excited I am about this season getting started. We had tryouts for the Fall season last week, and it was great to see two of my high potential kids come back from the Spring team, and most of last Fall's team come back. Since I started this blog after the Fall season, give you some insight on why I'm so excited.
Last Fall, I coached a group of kids that were no doubt already the metaphorical 'men among boys', and to top if off, they were my younger kids. Once I got the stones to not try to play everyone every game, and just get everyone in every tournament, we really got rolling and were fairly competitive. Well, when you have that success with kids that young, see them play in other leagues throughout the season still improving, there's nothing more exciting then seeing them walk into the gym, give you the "What up, Coach" and take the court ready to go. Tryouts were more like a practice than tryouts. Add to that core group another stud youngster, and little guard with the attitude that says even LeBron can't stop me at the basket (if only you saw some of the hits this kid took in the Spring and how fast he popped up to knock down his free throw), you're pretty amped. Throw in a couple of raw, but coach-able low post guys and voila - you got yourself a coach pretty much in heaven. Toss in some extra commitment since football and basketball can't share players in the fall and I'm more than happy.
The biggest thing that has me really excited is that just about all these parents know me. One parent has coached against me (I lost to him once, and that's because statistically the game meant absolutely nothing and I wanted to get some of the bench in) and is down with my approach. No conflicts there. One parent coached most of the kids that I'll see in a month for my winter tryouts, and well he knows I'm good and he's got minimal complaints that are strictly strategical, but every coach has that. In essence I should not have any parent drama at all, which for those not involved with youth sports, is 99% of your headache! Nothing is worse than going 48-7 and still wondering whether or not these parents are going to try to jump you because you didn't play this kid during this part of the game, or you only won by 5 instead of 30. A win is a win, and the kids had fun, so get off me! It's frustrating, and it was a huge distraction, which I hope to eliminate going forward, because it takes a toll on you mentally, affects your game preparation, your sub rotation, and just your overall performance which is something that has to be in peak condition. So yeah, I'm excited. Thrilled, perhaps even elated. For the first time, I feel like I have a legitimate AAU team that can compete from the start, and that's just awesome.
On a less excited note, the devastation that recently hit the gym is huge. I have yet to go by there because I know how the area gets and that would be a date with a parking lot. The gym itself is probably fine, with the exception of the original court which has roof problems, but unfortunately they can't get to the building to refinish the floors as planned. That roof on the old gym can't take much more of a beating. I'm glad they are working to get it fixed because I'm sure it's not going to be able to take another hit like this. That area get hit pretty hard every time it rains a lot, and to take a hit from a hurricane, even in Irene's weakened state, it just devastating. My prayers go out to those in the area, and I hope that the number of houses completely destroyed is minimal and that these families can get back to some sense or normalcy soon.
Last Fall, I coached a group of kids that were no doubt already the metaphorical 'men among boys', and to top if off, they were my younger kids. Once I got the stones to not try to play everyone every game, and just get everyone in every tournament, we really got rolling and were fairly competitive. Well, when you have that success with kids that young, see them play in other leagues throughout the season still improving, there's nothing more exciting then seeing them walk into the gym, give you the "What up, Coach" and take the court ready to go. Tryouts were more like a practice than tryouts. Add to that core group another stud youngster, and little guard with the attitude that says even LeBron can't stop me at the basket (if only you saw some of the hits this kid took in the Spring and how fast he popped up to knock down his free throw), you're pretty amped. Throw in a couple of raw, but coach-able low post guys and voila - you got yourself a coach pretty much in heaven. Toss in some extra commitment since football and basketball can't share players in the fall and I'm more than happy.
The biggest thing that has me really excited is that just about all these parents know me. One parent has coached against me (I lost to him once, and that's because statistically the game meant absolutely nothing and I wanted to get some of the bench in) and is down with my approach. No conflicts there. One parent coached most of the kids that I'll see in a month for my winter tryouts, and well he knows I'm good and he's got minimal complaints that are strictly strategical, but every coach has that. In essence I should not have any parent drama at all, which for those not involved with youth sports, is 99% of your headache! Nothing is worse than going 48-7 and still wondering whether or not these parents are going to try to jump you because you didn't play this kid during this part of the game, or you only won by 5 instead of 30. A win is a win, and the kids had fun, so get off me! It's frustrating, and it was a huge distraction, which I hope to eliminate going forward, because it takes a toll on you mentally, affects your game preparation, your sub rotation, and just your overall performance which is something that has to be in peak condition. So yeah, I'm excited. Thrilled, perhaps even elated. For the first time, I feel like I have a legitimate AAU team that can compete from the start, and that's just awesome.
On a less excited note, the devastation that recently hit the gym is huge. I have yet to go by there because I know how the area gets and that would be a date with a parking lot. The gym itself is probably fine, with the exception of the original court which has roof problems, but unfortunately they can't get to the building to refinish the floors as planned. That roof on the old gym can't take much more of a beating. I'm glad they are working to get it fixed because I'm sure it's not going to be able to take another hit like this. That area get hit pretty hard every time it rains a lot, and to take a hit from a hurricane, even in Irene's weakened state, it just devastating. My prayers go out to those in the area, and I hope that the number of houses completely destroyed is minimal and that these families can get back to some sense or normalcy soon.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Needed to take a Full Timeout...
I know it's been a while since the last post, and I think the break did some good and bad things for my mental state. We'll get to that shortly.
The spring season ended, and we only won 5 games, and three of them happened to be against 5th graders, so I'm still not really sure that should count. On one hand, it was technically a win and I did absolutely nothing wrong in terms of the rules. On the other hand, one year makes a huge difference on the court at this age group. Between commitment issues - I'll never take that many baseball players on a team ever again - and a lack of desire and heart, the team was honestly a mess towards the end of the season. I think the kids ultimately gave up on themselves, and I had to fight it a lot towards the end of the season. Fall is starting up soon, which tends to produce a bit more talent and commitment, so I'm hoping for a much better result.
Some of the reason for my absence was just simply the result of too much going on at once. Between a new role at work, a new apartment, coaching, and the odds and ends of everyday life just didn't leave much time for blogging. I had to make a strategic choice, and unfortunately the blog drew the short straw. But that also made me decide on a new approach to my blog. Yeah, it's a basketball blog, so it should be about basketball. But, it's about my coaching career, and to say that some of the other things I have going on in life don't help shape, in some form, my coaching career would just be ridiculous. As a result, I'll throw in a tidbit of what else is going on off the hardwood. Who knows, maybe just typing it out will allow me the outlet to clear my head rather than making a mistake during a critical moment in a game because my head is all clouded.
Be on the lookout, I just got my text message that tryouts are coming up soon. I can't wait!!
The spring season ended, and we only won 5 games, and three of them happened to be against 5th graders, so I'm still not really sure that should count. On one hand, it was technically a win and I did absolutely nothing wrong in terms of the rules. On the other hand, one year makes a huge difference on the court at this age group. Between commitment issues - I'll never take that many baseball players on a team ever again - and a lack of desire and heart, the team was honestly a mess towards the end of the season. I think the kids ultimately gave up on themselves, and I had to fight it a lot towards the end of the season. Fall is starting up soon, which tends to produce a bit more talent and commitment, so I'm hoping for a much better result.
Some of the reason for my absence was just simply the result of too much going on at once. Between a new role at work, a new apartment, coaching, and the odds and ends of everyday life just didn't leave much time for blogging. I had to make a strategic choice, and unfortunately the blog drew the short straw. But that also made me decide on a new approach to my blog. Yeah, it's a basketball blog, so it should be about basketball. But, it's about my coaching career, and to say that some of the other things I have going on in life don't help shape, in some form, my coaching career would just be ridiculous. As a result, I'll throw in a tidbit of what else is going on off the hardwood. Who knows, maybe just typing it out will allow me the outlet to clear my head rather than making a mistake during a critical moment in a game because my head is all clouded.
Be on the lookout, I just got my text message that tryouts are coming up soon. I can't wait!!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
J&J Basketball Showdown I - Apr.30/May 1
I know I'm a little late, as we're almost a whole week overdue, but better late than never. The team made some serious strides in the right direction since the Garden State Slamfest II tournament which was evident on the court more than in the final score.
Game 1 - Wolfpack vs. King Street Kings (4/30/11)
Perhaps an error on my part, but I waited until the day of to check the rules of the tournament. I figured at the age group I have, the only differences between tournaments would be the number and duration of time outs and the game clock. This tournament taught me to get the rules ASAP, because you might have to prepare. So along with another early morning game, I had the pleasure of telling my boys that we were using a girls ball in the tournament unless the other coach agreed to use a regulation ball. The Kings' coach did not agree, and the one inch difference really hurt us. During the break between tournaments, we worked on moving without the ball, catch and shoot, and other things that smaller teams tend to do to combat their lack of size on the inside. I guess I did a good job of drilling that into their heads, because it was torture trying to tell them to pass on the open looks and drive until they got the feel of the ball. We chucked up air ball after air ball, and when we hit the rim, we couldn't seem to get the friendly bounce. But the guys played hard and fought from beginning to end, so losing 49-23 wasn't so bad. After the game, the coach came up to me and said he was impressed with how well the guys looked moving without the ball and the heart they showed. The best compliment any coach, young or old, can receive is, "You've got a well-coached team with a lot of heart." That completely made my day.
Game 2 - Wolpack vs. Crusaders (4/30/11)
Since I knew it was going to be a rough weekend fighting the small ball size, I immediately went looking for the Crusaders' coach to see if he'd agree to use the regulation ball. He did, but the refs overruled us because they wanted to go by the book. Too bad I didn't print the rules... The refs only had the first page, and the clause allowing the coaches to overrule the ball size was on the second page. So, I spoke to the opposing coach and convinced him to lend me a couple of the smaller balls to warm-up with. I also noticed that his starting point guard was my starting point guard in the fall. I immediately made the focus of the game to force him into traps because he's going to look to drive and he's pretty selfish with the ball. I also told them not to bother stealing the ball and to commit all their energy to just keeping up with him. For the first time, a team actually listened to my strategy! Again, the ball killed our shooting, but the focus on defense allowed us to get some easy fast break layups. We ended up losing 49-42, but I was just happy to see them adjust and start playing better defense.
Game 3 - Wolfpack vs. Hoop Heaven Rams (5/1/11)
I was finally able to win the ball battle, and with the help of my printed copy of the rules we played the final game of the tournament with a regulation ball. Oh, what a difference an inch makes. We were hitting our shots at a pretty good percentage. The guys were still playing hard, moving without the ball, everything good teams should. Unfortunately the Rams had us beat by about 5 inches at every position, and used the height to their advantage. They out-rebounded us, clogged passing lanes, and would pass over most of my team, making defense nearly impossible to play. But again, we played hard, from start to finish and lost 61-38. And again, the opposing coach came up to me and commented on our heart and energy, and said that if his boys weren't so tall the score could have easily been flipped because we played so well.
The team showed a lot of heart at the tournament, so I'm still pretty confident that we're heading in the right direction and that elusive first win is right around the corner. I had a couple of parents to step up and volunteer, and after just two practices I can see continued improvement. We have this upcoming weekend off (Happy Mother's Day, moms!) and then it's back to back tournaments the next two weekends. No surprises this time, and the opposing teams better watch out.
Game 1 - Wolfpack vs. King Street Kings (4/30/11)
Perhaps an error on my part, but I waited until the day of to check the rules of the tournament. I figured at the age group I have, the only differences between tournaments would be the number and duration of time outs and the game clock. This tournament taught me to get the rules ASAP, because you might have to prepare. So along with another early morning game, I had the pleasure of telling my boys that we were using a girls ball in the tournament unless the other coach agreed to use a regulation ball. The Kings' coach did not agree, and the one inch difference really hurt us. During the break between tournaments, we worked on moving without the ball, catch and shoot, and other things that smaller teams tend to do to combat their lack of size on the inside. I guess I did a good job of drilling that into their heads, because it was torture trying to tell them to pass on the open looks and drive until they got the feel of the ball. We chucked up air ball after air ball, and when we hit the rim, we couldn't seem to get the friendly bounce. But the guys played hard and fought from beginning to end, so losing 49-23 wasn't so bad. After the game, the coach came up to me and said he was impressed with how well the guys looked moving without the ball and the heart they showed. The best compliment any coach, young or old, can receive is, "You've got a well-coached team with a lot of heart." That completely made my day.
Game 2 - Wolpack vs. Crusaders (4/30/11)
Since I knew it was going to be a rough weekend fighting the small ball size, I immediately went looking for the Crusaders' coach to see if he'd agree to use the regulation ball. He did, but the refs overruled us because they wanted to go by the book. Too bad I didn't print the rules... The refs only had the first page, and the clause allowing the coaches to overrule the ball size was on the second page. So, I spoke to the opposing coach and convinced him to lend me a couple of the smaller balls to warm-up with. I also noticed that his starting point guard was my starting point guard in the fall. I immediately made the focus of the game to force him into traps because he's going to look to drive and he's pretty selfish with the ball. I also told them not to bother stealing the ball and to commit all their energy to just keeping up with him. For the first time, a team actually listened to my strategy! Again, the ball killed our shooting, but the focus on defense allowed us to get some easy fast break layups. We ended up losing 49-42, but I was just happy to see them adjust and start playing better defense.
Game 3 - Wolfpack vs. Hoop Heaven Rams (5/1/11)
I was finally able to win the ball battle, and with the help of my printed copy of the rules we played the final game of the tournament with a regulation ball. Oh, what a difference an inch makes. We were hitting our shots at a pretty good percentage. The guys were still playing hard, moving without the ball, everything good teams should. Unfortunately the Rams had us beat by about 5 inches at every position, and used the height to their advantage. They out-rebounded us, clogged passing lanes, and would pass over most of my team, making defense nearly impossible to play. But again, we played hard, from start to finish and lost 61-38. And again, the opposing coach came up to me and commented on our heart and energy, and said that if his boys weren't so tall the score could have easily been flipped because we played so well.
The team showed a lot of heart at the tournament, so I'm still pretty confident that we're heading in the right direction and that elusive first win is right around the corner. I had a couple of parents to step up and volunteer, and after just two practices I can see continued improvement. We have this upcoming weekend off (Happy Mother's Day, moms!) and then it's back to back tournaments the next two weekends. No surprises this time, and the opposing teams better watch out.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Garden State Basketball Slamfest II - Apr. 16/17
Over the weekend we had our first tournament. Hopefully I’m not the only one in attendance who found our performance bittersweet, but I guess that’s a part of coaching. I think that coaches should try to remain positive, especially in youth sports, and I was definitely tested this weekend. One thing I know I’m going to have to quickly adjust to is the difference in officiating between seasons. It wasn’t as noticeable going from the Fall AAU season to the Winter Travel season; I was so ‘green’ at that time that I was focused on other things that are now routine and require minimal thought. Problem is that after almost sixty games of fairly tight officiating you get frustrated seeing the “ticky-tack” fouls go uncalled. Shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment for me, but even I can improve from this weekend. Here’s what we did over the weekend:
Game 1 – Wolfpack vs. NJ Shoreshots (4/16/11)
Our first contest as a team, and every one looks excited and ready to go. We hit the court, feel it out, and we'll see where the season takes us.
We are playing pretty good defense and the energy is pretty good, which is a good sign for any coach to start the season. We moved the ball around well and got plenty of great looks at the basket; we just couldn’t find the bottom of the net. 8:30 am games will do that to you. We finish the half down 25-7. No panic, we've only had four practices and so far we're doing the things we need to, the shots just aren't falling, but they will. Sure enough, we keep playing hard and the shots start falling and we make it a game. Unfortunately the hole was just too deep and we lost 47-36. But considering our lack of practice, I'm happy with what took place.
Game 2 - Wolfpack vs. Raritan Roundballers (4/16/11)
Hoping to build off of our second half success, we head into the second game even more energized and awake. It showed, as we jumped out to a 16-6 lead in about 3 minutes. We're holding off their run, and the opposing coach calls in the full-court press. Of course, to add to our limited number of practices, school closures in Wayne forced us to share courts during practice and we've only been working on half a court. The press does its job and we go into half time down by 6. We managed to keep it close, but we couldn't seem to get a stop in the closing minutes and they hit some clutch free throws. We lost that game by a score of 45-39. Again, we're playing hard so I'm still happy and excited about what's taken place.
Game 3 - Wolfpack vs. Brooklyn Panthers (4/17/11)
Excited that the kids were pumped about the first two games, I figured this game would bring more of the same. Oh, what a difference a day makes. After two games Saturday, and knowing we had a game Sunday I had figured any one with a time conflict would have let me know at the games, called, or e-mailed me. So I was shocked when two players failed to show up. Oh well, I took a roster of twelve expecting people to miss so its more of an annoyance than a problem. About 3 minutes in, my center goes down with an ankle sprain. Seems he wasn't the only thing that went down. Energy dropped, defensive intensity dropped, and it was just a nightmarish display. No matter what I said to try to get the energy up from my stronger players, I just couldn't get through. At half time, we were down 25-6, and I was done talking to a wall. Some of the subs had shown they were going to fight, so I turned to the bench and just said first five people who are actually going to play basketball on offense and defense go check in. They went out, fought hard, and we ended up losing 47-30. There is nothing that enrages me more than losing because we didn't show up to play. Let's face it, losing is a part of basketball. The best players lose, so it's not something you can avoid. But you can avoid losing because you didn't play. It's a matter of pride. You don't just roll over and die, you have to go out swinging. We'll address that at practice for sure, and those kids in the second half are going to get tons of kudos.
All in all the weekend gave me a lot to look forward to, but a lot to work on. Time to hit the strategy books and figure out where we go from here. Hopefully this is the last weekend where we don't show up to play, and it was good to see that I've got a few kids who will play their hearts out no matter what the odds. It's going to be a great season.
Game 2 - Wolfpack vs. Raritan Roundballers (4/16/11)
Hoping to build off of our second half success, we head into the second game even more energized and awake. It showed, as we jumped out to a 16-6 lead in about 3 minutes. We're holding off their run, and the opposing coach calls in the full-court press. Of course, to add to our limited number of practices, school closures in Wayne forced us to share courts during practice and we've only been working on half a court. The press does its job and we go into half time down by 6. We managed to keep it close, but we couldn't seem to get a stop in the closing minutes and they hit some clutch free throws. We lost that game by a score of 45-39. Again, we're playing hard so I'm still happy and excited about what's taken place.
Game 3 - Wolfpack vs. Brooklyn Panthers (4/17/11)
Excited that the kids were pumped about the first two games, I figured this game would bring more of the same. Oh, what a difference a day makes. After two games Saturday, and knowing we had a game Sunday I had figured any one with a time conflict would have let me know at the games, called, or e-mailed me. So I was shocked when two players failed to show up. Oh well, I took a roster of twelve expecting people to miss so its more of an annoyance than a problem. About 3 minutes in, my center goes down with an ankle sprain. Seems he wasn't the only thing that went down. Energy dropped, defensive intensity dropped, and it was just a nightmarish display. No matter what I said to try to get the energy up from my stronger players, I just couldn't get through. At half time, we were down 25-6, and I was done talking to a wall. Some of the subs had shown they were going to fight, so I turned to the bench and just said first five people who are actually going to play basketball on offense and defense go check in. They went out, fought hard, and we ended up losing 47-30. There is nothing that enrages me more than losing because we didn't show up to play. Let's face it, losing is a part of basketball. The best players lose, so it's not something you can avoid. But you can avoid losing because you didn't play. It's a matter of pride. You don't just roll over and die, you have to go out swinging. We'll address that at practice for sure, and those kids in the second half are going to get tons of kudos.
All in all the weekend gave me a lot to look forward to, but a lot to work on. Time to hit the strategy books and figure out where we go from here. Hopefully this is the last weekend where we don't show up to play, and it was good to see that I've got a few kids who will play their hearts out no matter what the odds. It's going to be a great season.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Launch - Tip-Off!
Nothing beats the sheer excitement of lacing up the game shoes for the first time in the season; the pride of donning the jersey seeing your new family name on the front; the energy of walking on the court with the 12 guys you'll spend the next three months in battle with. Ok...so this isn't quite the same experience, but it's close as I've finally launched my blog as a coach.
As a new coach, I've made my share of mistakes and been fortunate enough to see some success as well, but I have had a ton of support from family and friends. To those that have been there for me, this blog is dedicated to you. Hopefully you'll be able to share in the joy, the pain, and your support in a whole new way. I look forward to your comments, good and bad, about my writing style and coaching.
For those new to my career as a coach, I coach youth basketball for the Wayne PAL. I started out as an assistant for the Fall AAU 12U and 13U Blue teams, and was promoted to interim coach of both teams about half way through the fall season. Both squads had their struggles, but in the end, the players grew and looked like much better basketball players. Both records were horrendously embarrassing, but as a first time coach and considering our competition, I was happy to just keep most games respectable. Once the fall AAU season finished, I moved into the Winter Travel 5th grade team. Taking the things I learned in the fall, this team saw much more success. By the end of the season, we had a 48-7 record, 4 tournament championship titles (including one from Boston, MA), won the NJJBL American Conference, and finished 2nd overall in the league of 16 teams. While I saw plenty of success on the court, I had my share of shortcomings off the court - most of which were with parents. But again, I'm new to this, so it's just something else to work on as I progress through the ranks.
Using past experiences as a guide, I am now preparing to take more steps in the direction of greatness with my Spring AAU 12U team. We're already starting a little behind the curve as most teams were set months before us, but I'm up for the challenge. Without further ado, I would like to be the first to welcome you all to Wolfpack Basketball, and I look forward to your support!
As a new coach, I've made my share of mistakes and been fortunate enough to see some success as well, but I have had a ton of support from family and friends. To those that have been there for me, this blog is dedicated to you. Hopefully you'll be able to share in the joy, the pain, and your support in a whole new way. I look forward to your comments, good and bad, about my writing style and coaching.
For those new to my career as a coach, I coach youth basketball for the Wayne PAL. I started out as an assistant for the Fall AAU 12U and 13U Blue teams, and was promoted to interim coach of both teams about half way through the fall season. Both squads had their struggles, but in the end, the players grew and looked like much better basketball players. Both records were horrendously embarrassing, but as a first time coach and considering our competition, I was happy to just keep most games respectable. Once the fall AAU season finished, I moved into the Winter Travel 5th grade team. Taking the things I learned in the fall, this team saw much more success. By the end of the season, we had a 48-7 record, 4 tournament championship titles (including one from Boston, MA), won the NJJBL American Conference, and finished 2nd overall in the league of 16 teams. While I saw plenty of success on the court, I had my share of shortcomings off the court - most of which were with parents. But again, I'm new to this, so it's just something else to work on as I progress through the ranks.
Using past experiences as a guide, I am now preparing to take more steps in the direction of greatness with my Spring AAU 12U team. We're already starting a little behind the curve as most teams were set months before us, but I'm up for the challenge. Without further ado, I would like to be the first to welcome you all to Wolfpack Basketball, and I look forward to your support!
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