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.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
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!!
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