Goals

They say if you don't know where you want to go, you'll never know if you're on the right path or if you're even heading in the right direction.  Heading into the fall season, I have some personal goals, some team goals, and once the team gets set, I'll encourage the kids to set their own individual and team goals.  Why?  Because everyone wants to compare wins and losses, but sometimes, that's not what really determines a good season.   Maybe you had an intense schedule and injuries, does that make you a bad team?  Not if you have other things to measure yourself against.  What if you don't get a lot of strong competition to measure yourself against, what can drive you to keep working when you're in the midst of a double digit win streak?   The way I see it, if you set achievable goals that help contribute to winning championships and the like, and accomplish enough of them, then you're in position to get that title.  If you just aim for the big prize with no little victories along the way, you're risking discouragement and a team break down if you hit serious opposition early on.

Here's what I'm shooting for on a personal level, in no particular order.  Some are easy, some are repeats from previous posts, but if I write it down, I have to be held to it (per my new years resolution hence why I've tried to stay more consistent with posts):

• Put together practice plans prior to each practice
• Establish open lines of communication between the parents, the players, and me
• Make time to analyze games in a timely manner

I also have a few goals for the team as well.  Again, in no particular order:

• Maintain a positive turnover differential
• Advance out of pool play each tournament
• Play the 32nd minute just as hard as the 1st
• Limit the opposition to no more than 5 offensive rebounds a game

Since I have not yet set the team, I cannot set any individual goals tonight.  I will encourage the players to establish their own goals as well as convey my team goals to them.  It will be these goals that I will measure the season against.  If we can do most of these for most of the season, I will gladly consider it a winning season.  Obviously I'd love to win some championships along the way, but that's not what it's all about at this level.  For now, its about learning, loving, and respecting the game.  We'll shift to that other stuff in a year or two.