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!