To get the obvious out of the way, I'm safely holed up in my apartment while Sandy makes her visit to the NY Metro area. So far for me, she's been nothing more than a tree-stripping, work cancelling noise-maker, but I'm pretty sure I'm just lucky. For those families who live in areas prone to flooding or got hit harder than I did, hope you get to return to normalcy real quick.
So, perhaps I'm old school or I'm just too hard on players still in middle school and below. All I know is, that I'm not that much older than these kids I coach and it seems like things are so different. When I was a kid, you were a student and an athlete and were expected to be decent at both if you wanted to stay a student athlete. The trick was in effective use of time and resources. You knew you had class from 8 to 3:30 and then you had 2 hours of practice. You were expected to be at both. Big test? Great, make sure you study, go to tutoring in the morning before school, whatever - but keeps those grades in the passing range. Well, almost whatever...you still have practice from 3:45 to 6. You didn't call up coach saying you had a test or something and expect to not have some kind of punishment for missing practice. You committed to being both a student and an athlete. You didn't just drop one when it was convenient for you.
Now it seems like the new idea behind student athlete is that you are a student before an athlete. Yeah, that's cool too. Let's face it, for basketball players, there are only 30 NBA teams which means only 60-65 guys get in (give or take some for undrafted free agent signings) so the rest of the people in NCAA, NJCAA, NAIA, and the like have to find some other way to make money. While from a rational, beating-the-odds viewpoint, this idea makes sense, I think what people forget is that being a student athlete is a privilege, not a right - and it should be earned by excelling in both areas. Not just bouncing back and forth, letting one area slide to correct the other. You need to bring your "A-Game" in both realms to be a student athlete.
I coach 5th grade through 7th grade, and across all levels this season I've had parents tell me "John Smith won't be at practice today because he has not finished his homework." I'm sorry, but I don't feel bad for you or your kid. For one, I doubt the school system is giving these kids that much homework to be out of school by 3:30, if not earlier, and get there homework done before or after practice. I especially don't feel bad for the multi-sport kids, as that I feel is just a lapse in judgement by the parent(s) that the team should not suffer for. If you are going to invest in your kid to be in all these after school activities, you should make sure they, and you as a parent, are prepared and capable to handle all associated responsibilities that come with the decision(s) to participate. Where I'm from, that kind of oversight was typically met with the dreaded "end of the bench" seat - the seat coach's eyes never seemed to be able to reach when it came time to sub.
While I don't want to take any emphasis away from academics (that is what got me my scholarships after all), I have to ask the parents and kids to take a serious look at what it means to be a student athlete. I chose the route of just being a student, and it served me well I guess, though I wish I had made that run at the basketball team while I had the chance. I have some old associates who chose to just be athletes and struggled to get into colleges that would get them looks from NBA scouts and the like, though they were local heroes on their respective high school teams. But then, there are the student-athletes, who excel in the classroom, on the court/field, and at home with time management that get to go to the likes of Duke, North Carolina, Texas, Alabama, USC, and of course Baylor, and then get an opportunity to continue playing after graduation. I know for most of my players that's almost 10 years away, but it's never too early to start forming good habits.
Oh, and before I forget - shout out to Coach BDG for getting hitched this weekend and flying out literally just before the storm for his honeymoon. Best wishes to you and your new life with a wonderful wife.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The Good, The Bad, and...
So last weekend was interesting. Here's a quick recap:
The Good:
My 13U team continues to battle hard, even when the odds are against them. We had a double header and were only at half strength. While we lost both games, the guys gave it everything they had and fought to the very end. For various reasons, only 6 players were available for the games and each of our opponents had at least 12 players. Every coach knows that when you see that your number one priority is to run, run, and run - and run they did. We hung with them as best we could, fighting all the way through the first game up until the final buzzer where we fell short by 4. Unfortunately, that game wiped us out and we just ran out of gas for our second game. We did our best, but it wasn't much of a contest. Still proud of the effort - it's good to see your team full of fight.
The Bad:
I may have over-estimated the strength and ability of my 11U team. Our early success made us look like a better team than we really are, and this last weekend was quite the eye opener. There is so much the team doesn't know, and I completely misjudged our playing level. It was bad. We couldn't run plays, we couldn't make layups, we just have so much to do to call ourselves a team. Well, we've got 4 more weeks, and that's more than enough time to turn it around.
The Unacceptable:
During the second game for the 13U's we played a team with a young boy, perhaps the coach's son, who would lead the team out of time outs and things like that. It was cute and funny - up until the last 2 minutes when we were down by 30. It was clear to everyone that we were just fighting with pride, but there was nothing left. The game was over, and everyone knew it. Then in comes this little kid with a jersey strutting on the court. Really? What kind of sportsmanship is that? You just don't do that. It's one thing to put in the lower half of your bench, but to put in a kid that's clearly not even close to 13? That's a sheer sign of disrespect for the effort that my guys are putting out. One day, I'll see that coach or team again, and we'll be ready. And you know what - they better not expect any kind of mercy.
The Unbelievably Awesome:
Last week we were down in the dumps struggling to figure out how we were going to turn things around for the 12U team. I had a little talk with the team with how we would proceed, since it's just as much their team as mine. We re-evaluated our personnel needs, some of the schemes we had in place and made a commitment to work to finish the season strong. I called in some new faces, we tweaked our defense, lit a little inner fire, and voila - CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!! Yes, that's right. The guys really bought into everything, they were inseparable for 45 minutes before each game. They cheered for one another throughout each game. It was a total transformation, and it really payed off. Our two pool play games were close, but we were able to move the ball well, shoot and rebound well. Parents were engaged and interested, which was new. We ran out of gas in the final two minutes of the championship game, or maybe the other team just rallied off of the technical called on their coach. But it was the best game we've ever played. My boys were finally able to walk of the court feeling like ball players. Finally able to walk around after the game with heads held high, smiles, and a sense of accomplishment. We're not done yet, but man did it feel good to get those wins.
The Good:
My 13U team continues to battle hard, even when the odds are against them. We had a double header and were only at half strength. While we lost both games, the guys gave it everything they had and fought to the very end. For various reasons, only 6 players were available for the games and each of our opponents had at least 12 players. Every coach knows that when you see that your number one priority is to run, run, and run - and run they did. We hung with them as best we could, fighting all the way through the first game up until the final buzzer where we fell short by 4. Unfortunately, that game wiped us out and we just ran out of gas for our second game. We did our best, but it wasn't much of a contest. Still proud of the effort - it's good to see your team full of fight.
The Bad:
I may have over-estimated the strength and ability of my 11U team. Our early success made us look like a better team than we really are, and this last weekend was quite the eye opener. There is so much the team doesn't know, and I completely misjudged our playing level. It was bad. We couldn't run plays, we couldn't make layups, we just have so much to do to call ourselves a team. Well, we've got 4 more weeks, and that's more than enough time to turn it around.
The Unacceptable:
During the second game for the 13U's we played a team with a young boy, perhaps the coach's son, who would lead the team out of time outs and things like that. It was cute and funny - up until the last 2 minutes when we were down by 30. It was clear to everyone that we were just fighting with pride, but there was nothing left. The game was over, and everyone knew it. Then in comes this little kid with a jersey strutting on the court. Really? What kind of sportsmanship is that? You just don't do that. It's one thing to put in the lower half of your bench, but to put in a kid that's clearly not even close to 13? That's a sheer sign of disrespect for the effort that my guys are putting out. One day, I'll see that coach or team again, and we'll be ready. And you know what - they better not expect any kind of mercy.
The Unbelievably Awesome:
Last week we were down in the dumps struggling to figure out how we were going to turn things around for the 12U team. I had a little talk with the team with how we would proceed, since it's just as much their team as mine. We re-evaluated our personnel needs, some of the schemes we had in place and made a commitment to work to finish the season strong. I called in some new faces, we tweaked our defense, lit a little inner fire, and voila - CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!! Yes, that's right. The guys really bought into everything, they were inseparable for 45 minutes before each game. They cheered for one another throughout each game. It was a total transformation, and it really payed off. Our two pool play games were close, but we were able to move the ball well, shoot and rebound well. Parents were engaged and interested, which was new. We ran out of gas in the final two minutes of the championship game, or maybe the other team just rallied off of the technical called on their coach. But it was the best game we've ever played. My boys were finally able to walk of the court feeling like ball players. Finally able to walk around after the game with heads held high, smiles, and a sense of accomplishment. We're not done yet, but man did it feel good to get those wins.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Exhausted
I find myself struggling to finish the post - so we'll have to wait for a night when I'm not so tired. Busy, busy, busy...
Monday, October 15, 2012
I Got A Feeling....
So this past weekend was interesting....
Every coach has that one (or more) team that he hates losing to. So I played that particular team and then lost to start my weekend. Can you say bad mood? My 13U team played their first game well and came out with a win so I had a bit of a smile. The next game started with a 20-point hole so any positive energy was sapped right out of me. We fought hard in the second half to keep the loss respectable (6 points), so we were back to a just so-so mood. The next three games were then disastrous as I watched my teams get dismantled by the opposition and by their own mental mistakes. Just to give you an idea, here are the stats from one game that afternoon -
FG% - 9.7% (3 - 31)
FT% - 50% (2 for 4)
3PT% - 0% (0 - 9)
REB - 18
TO - 8 (I think my stat keeper was being generous...)
PTS - 8
You put yourself in a tough spot when you have stats like that...
I can't lie, I felt horrible Saturday night. I was absolutely just down in the dumps wondering what to do to keep from having a repeat day. My post on Facebook that night was just one word - "Deflated". It's how I felt. I was so excited and happy with how the teams were coming along and then we have a day like this and it's like someone pulled the rug out from underneath me. It was like a whole month of drills, concepts, games, experience just disappeared as players were making weak passes, trying to go one on five, and refusing to go left. I just couldn't believe what was taking place and felt absolutely helpless to stop it. Saturday night I just went home, ate and went to bed. I couldn't be bothered to do anything else. Just wanted to disappear and forget everything that had just taken place.
Then came Sunday. I was just hoping for better. We played better, even though we didn't get any wins. But the moment that snapped me out of my "Great Depression" was when my 13U team took on a 14U team. How we got matched up with them, I don't really know. In hindsight, it was a very good thing.
We came out with no fear. I didn't sense any hesitation. We were prepared to give them everything we had. And I just got that feeling that this was going to be one of those games that you'll walk away from feeling good. So I cheered up and fed off their energy. So much so that when one kid ran by our bench yelling "And 1!" to the referee, I just looked at him and said, "You didn't get it, so shut up and play." I didn't mean to say it out loud, it just kind of slipped. Then because we were sticking with them the whole game and they never really gained much separation from us, the parents started to get unruly. "We're putting this on YouTube because you refs are horrible and should be ashamed." My bench starts laughing. I look and a couple are saying, "Sure we want to be on YouTube!" Enjoying their energy and attitude, I just laugh and agree. Then sarcastically a player says, "Yeah they should put it on YouTube and explain why a 7th grade team is still in this game." Can't argue with that. They had us beat in terms of size and strength, and if you were to just look at the two teams, you'd be talking about a bad match-up and a blowout waiting to happen. We only lost by 12, and the 14U team left very, very frustrated. Win in my book, and it completely reversed my mood.
We've got some work to do, and some teams have more work than others. But that game got me back in my zone, feeling good and ready to make things happen again. Thanks guys for setting me straight - you have no idea how much I needed that game.
Every coach has that one (or more) team that he hates losing to. So I played that particular team and then lost to start my weekend. Can you say bad mood? My 13U team played their first game well and came out with a win so I had a bit of a smile. The next game started with a 20-point hole so any positive energy was sapped right out of me. We fought hard in the second half to keep the loss respectable (6 points), so we were back to a just so-so mood. The next three games were then disastrous as I watched my teams get dismantled by the opposition and by their own mental mistakes. Just to give you an idea, here are the stats from one game that afternoon -
FG% - 9.7% (3 - 31)
FT% - 50% (2 for 4)
3PT% - 0% (0 - 9)
REB - 18
TO - 8 (I think my stat keeper was being generous...)
PTS - 8
You put yourself in a tough spot when you have stats like that...
I can't lie, I felt horrible Saturday night. I was absolutely just down in the dumps wondering what to do to keep from having a repeat day. My post on Facebook that night was just one word - "Deflated". It's how I felt. I was so excited and happy with how the teams were coming along and then we have a day like this and it's like someone pulled the rug out from underneath me. It was like a whole month of drills, concepts, games, experience just disappeared as players were making weak passes, trying to go one on five, and refusing to go left. I just couldn't believe what was taking place and felt absolutely helpless to stop it. Saturday night I just went home, ate and went to bed. I couldn't be bothered to do anything else. Just wanted to disappear and forget everything that had just taken place.
Then came Sunday. I was just hoping for better. We played better, even though we didn't get any wins. But the moment that snapped me out of my "Great Depression" was when my 13U team took on a 14U team. How we got matched up with them, I don't really know. In hindsight, it was a very good thing.
We came out with no fear. I didn't sense any hesitation. We were prepared to give them everything we had. And I just got that feeling that this was going to be one of those games that you'll walk away from feeling good. So I cheered up and fed off their energy. So much so that when one kid ran by our bench yelling "And 1!" to the referee, I just looked at him and said, "You didn't get it, so shut up and play." I didn't mean to say it out loud, it just kind of slipped. Then because we were sticking with them the whole game and they never really gained much separation from us, the parents started to get unruly. "We're putting this on YouTube because you refs are horrible and should be ashamed." My bench starts laughing. I look and a couple are saying, "Sure we want to be on YouTube!" Enjoying their energy and attitude, I just laugh and agree. Then sarcastically a player says, "Yeah they should put it on YouTube and explain why a 7th grade team is still in this game." Can't argue with that. They had us beat in terms of size and strength, and if you were to just look at the two teams, you'd be talking about a bad match-up and a blowout waiting to happen. We only lost by 12, and the 14U team left very, very frustrated. Win in my book, and it completely reversed my mood.
We've got some work to do, and some teams have more work than others. But that game got me back in my zone, feeling good and ready to make things happen again. Thanks guys for setting me straight - you have no idea how much I needed that game.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Like Raising a Pup
So today is my dog's 4th birthday. He taught me a lot about being patient and it helped to handle some tough coaching decisions, and can help teach some parents that same lesson. So Happy Birthday, Pharaoh!!
As I finish this season and prepare to enter into the winter season, one conversation I'm sure I'll have to have with at least one parent, if not more, is about playing time. I've been through a few of them, and it's easy enough to deal with assuming the parent is realistic about what they are asking. I can't really help you if you are asking for something that makes little sense, like asking for 30 minutes of playing time in a 32-minute game. Not happening - not even Kobe plays the entire game. This post is not about those parents. This post is for parents that realize that most coaches are willing to work to make your job as a team parent easier while keeping the team on track to maintain and improve its level of competitiveness.
The first thing a parent has to do is realize what their child is up against. In a 32 minute game on a team of 12 players, you're going to have to earn your minutes in most cases. Granted, you may get lucky and the guy in front of you may get into foul trouble, but the average athlete doesn't like that scenario. He wants to be the kid that the coach has in his rotation and calls into the game trusting he'll be able to get the job done. It's a great feeling - but it can be tough to reach for some. Not because they aren't good, but there are 11 other people fighting for those same minutes. Sometimes, it may look like an impossible mountain to climb. It's your kid's Mount Everest. We coaches don't do it on purpose, we love that your kid comes to practice and works hard day in and day out. I love those kids more than the lazy ones who manage to dominate simply because they happen to hit their growth spurt early. Which is why I don't mind the reasonable conversations.
Sometimes though, its not that the coach made a mistake and got caught up in the game or whatever else parents say. Sometimes it's just that the kid just isn't ready for the competition. Whether he's lacking the confidence, quick decision making, or some other intangible, it's something that may just need time. It just requires patience from everyone - parents, coaches, and teammates. Some people can walk in and just pick up a ball and it just happens. They are ready to go in a few weeks. Others it takes years. All we can do, is encourage the good things, try to improve or correct the bad, and give them opportunities to keep working on their game. This is what my little guy taught me.
I knew he was a smart dog when I got him and I had a feeling that we'd get along pretty well - that's why I picked him. What I didn't know was how much work it was going to take compared to my first dog. My first dog, Shakeeta, was like that naturally gifted kid on the team - just got her home and in a few weeks she knew the schedule, was housebroken, and the like. Pharaoh was not that quick. In fact, he just got to the point where he can be left in the house all day without having an accident on the floor a few months ago. I had moments where I wanted to just give up and pass him off to someone who had the ability to just stay at home and let him out every few hours, or could play with him so he didn't find something of value to destroy while I was at work. But, we kept working - re-emphasizing the same routine day in and day out, encouraging the good with treats and stuff. Now he gets it, and he's able to do a lot of things my first dog couldn't as a result of that continued effort.
Youth basketball players tend to follow a similar pattern. Maybe they aren't the star player in 5th grade. They may even be #10 in the rotation and get minor minutes. I've seen kids go from the 10th guy to THE guy after a few years of hard work because they never gave up. Their parents, coaches, and teammates never gave up. When parents understand that, it makes it a lot easier for everyone. The parent(s) work with the coach to help everyone get better and everyone understands what the goal is for that child and how it fits into the team.
Not everyone is going to be an overnight celebrity (we have enough of those anyway). But if you are willing to put in the time and effort, and throw in a lot of patience, you may end up with something truly awesome.
 |
| Pharaoh - Miniature Pinscher |
As I finish this season and prepare to enter into the winter season, one conversation I'm sure I'll have to have with at least one parent, if not more, is about playing time. I've been through a few of them, and it's easy enough to deal with assuming the parent is realistic about what they are asking. I can't really help you if you are asking for something that makes little sense, like asking for 30 minutes of playing time in a 32-minute game. Not happening - not even Kobe plays the entire game. This post is not about those parents. This post is for parents that realize that most coaches are willing to work to make your job as a team parent easier while keeping the team on track to maintain and improve its level of competitiveness.
The first thing a parent has to do is realize what their child is up against. In a 32 minute game on a team of 12 players, you're going to have to earn your minutes in most cases. Granted, you may get lucky and the guy in front of you may get into foul trouble, but the average athlete doesn't like that scenario. He wants to be the kid that the coach has in his rotation and calls into the game trusting he'll be able to get the job done. It's a great feeling - but it can be tough to reach for some. Not because they aren't good, but there are 11 other people fighting for those same minutes. Sometimes, it may look like an impossible mountain to climb. It's your kid's Mount Everest. We coaches don't do it on purpose, we love that your kid comes to practice and works hard day in and day out. I love those kids more than the lazy ones who manage to dominate simply because they happen to hit their growth spurt early. Which is why I don't mind the reasonable conversations.
Sometimes though, its not that the coach made a mistake and got caught up in the game or whatever else parents say. Sometimes it's just that the kid just isn't ready for the competition. Whether he's lacking the confidence, quick decision making, or some other intangible, it's something that may just need time. It just requires patience from everyone - parents, coaches, and teammates. Some people can walk in and just pick up a ball and it just happens. They are ready to go in a few weeks. Others it takes years. All we can do, is encourage the good things, try to improve or correct the bad, and give them opportunities to keep working on their game. This is what my little guy taught me.
I knew he was a smart dog when I got him and I had a feeling that we'd get along pretty well - that's why I picked him. What I didn't know was how much work it was going to take compared to my first dog. My first dog, Shakeeta, was like that naturally gifted kid on the team - just got her home and in a few weeks she knew the schedule, was housebroken, and the like. Pharaoh was not that quick. In fact, he just got to the point where he can be left in the house all day without having an accident on the floor a few months ago. I had moments where I wanted to just give up and pass him off to someone who had the ability to just stay at home and let him out every few hours, or could play with him so he didn't find something of value to destroy while I was at work. But, we kept working - re-emphasizing the same routine day in and day out, encouraging the good with treats and stuff. Now he gets it, and he's able to do a lot of things my first dog couldn't as a result of that continued effort.
Youth basketball players tend to follow a similar pattern. Maybe they aren't the star player in 5th grade. They may even be #10 in the rotation and get minor minutes. I've seen kids go from the 10th guy to THE guy after a few years of hard work because they never gave up. Their parents, coaches, and teammates never gave up. When parents understand that, it makes it a lot easier for everyone. The parent(s) work with the coach to help everyone get better and everyone understands what the goal is for that child and how it fits into the team.
Not everyone is going to be an overnight celebrity (we have enough of those anyway). But if you are willing to put in the time and effort, and throw in a lot of patience, you may end up with something truly awesome.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
About Page
So, I've been posting for a year and never really got around to creating an about page. Slipped my mind. Well, for whatever reason I got up and decided to make one. Done.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
1.5 and 0?
Okay, so this post is also a day late. Been a bit of a slacker. Or just so mentally drained from the day-to-day grind of office work that I don't muster the strength to put something down worth reading. Either way, we've got to get back on the schedule. Fortunately, I've got a bunch of stuff to tell you about since I have two tournaments I haven't told you about.
So, I got my first high school win in the Spring, which I told you about in Undefeated! back in July. Well two Sundays ago, Coach D asked me to help him with his teams down in Lakewood since the schedules overlapped. I was a little nervous when I realized that meant I'd have to actually finish the game because unlike last time, I hadn't really been involved with this team - I didn't know the rotations, skill sets of each kid, plays they ran, etc. Going in blind. But that all went away when I realized who was on the team. Two of the kids I knew were great ballers, and would be able to help me get through it. For those that didn't hear it elsewhere, heady point guards that you can trust to run your style are arguably the greatest thing since sliced bread! The other just knew how to find ways to score, so I got settled down really quick and then just decided to focus on trying to get the other kids' rotations down and see where Coach D was using them. I don't know if he did it intentionally, but he managed to get all the others in for a few minutes and then it was halftime. We were in a tough battle, but the guys were playing defense and staying patient on offense getting good looks at the basket and taking advantage. At halftime, we had a 7 point lead. Then it was time for Coach D to leave.
I really have to work on my self-motivation. The horn goes to signify the end of half-time, the guys come up, not too worried that Coach D has left me at the helm - they had more faith in me than I did I guess. They were ready to go back out, I was telling myself, "You'd better not blow this." It's so much easier when you're comfortable, but you probably learn the most when you are extremely uncomfortable. And there's a lot of learning to be had for me.
So we go back on the floor, and all I'm trying to do is make sure we are holding tough on defense to hold this lead. Traded buckets and stops for a bit, then bang - 3 point bucket. Lead is 4. They get a stop and then the lead is 2. Now we fight the panic. I feel the nerves jumping, inside I'm screaming at myself because we are losing it while trying to calm myself down because it was just two plays with somewhere around 5 minutes left.
Break the time out and we get a good look and drain it. Up two. Force a bad shot on defense and secure the rebound, going the other way and drive to the basket...INJURY! Great. There goes one scorer (he swore the whole ride after the game that it was intentional, but it just looked like a hard foul to me). Sub comes in for two free throws while he's getting looked at by the trainer on site. Clang - missed the first. And the second. So still up two. Another bad shot and we're under a minute. Intentional foul time. Call a time out just to say one thing - "You guys know who your free throw shooters are. They are going to full court man press you, so screen for them and get them the ball. When you get it, play keep away and kill as much clock as you can." Ball in, kill about 5 seconds, foul. Swoosh - drains the front end of the one and one. Swoosh. Up four. Other team must have been in panic mode, because the next shot they got was a forced 3 that barely caught rim. We're going the other way and manage to get the ball to Strobey before the foul comes. Strobey on the line is money in the bank if you didn't know. So yeah, up 6 now. The other team pushes the ball up and gets a good drive to the basket. Back to 4, but there's less than 5 seconds left. Surprisingly, we inbound the ball instead of just letting the clock run. Fortunately Strobey got the ball and went back to the line. Up 6 with 4 seconds. The usual no foul comes from our bench as they inbound the ball and heave up a half court shot that wasn't even close. We pulled it out and won by 6.
I know there's no such thing as a half a win, but I probably wouldn't have been able to deliver a win that game had Coach D not started it and given me that cushion. Like I said, there's a lot of learning to be had on my part. So, I'll just say I got half a win that day, even if it was mostly me beating my own nerves.
So, I got my first high school win in the Spring, which I told you about in Undefeated! back in July. Well two Sundays ago, Coach D asked me to help him with his teams down in Lakewood since the schedules overlapped. I was a little nervous when I realized that meant I'd have to actually finish the game because unlike last time, I hadn't really been involved with this team - I didn't know the rotations, skill sets of each kid, plays they ran, etc. Going in blind. But that all went away when I realized who was on the team. Two of the kids I knew were great ballers, and would be able to help me get through it. For those that didn't hear it elsewhere, heady point guards that you can trust to run your style are arguably the greatest thing since sliced bread! The other just knew how to find ways to score, so I got settled down really quick and then just decided to focus on trying to get the other kids' rotations down and see where Coach D was using them. I don't know if he did it intentionally, but he managed to get all the others in for a few minutes and then it was halftime. We were in a tough battle, but the guys were playing defense and staying patient on offense getting good looks at the basket and taking advantage. At halftime, we had a 7 point lead. Then it was time for Coach D to leave.
I really have to work on my self-motivation. The horn goes to signify the end of half-time, the guys come up, not too worried that Coach D has left me at the helm - they had more faith in me than I did I guess. They were ready to go back out, I was telling myself, "You'd better not blow this." It's so much easier when you're comfortable, but you probably learn the most when you are extremely uncomfortable. And there's a lot of learning to be had for me.
So we go back on the floor, and all I'm trying to do is make sure we are holding tough on defense to hold this lead. Traded buckets and stops for a bit, then bang - 3 point bucket. Lead is 4. They get a stop and then the lead is 2. Now we fight the panic. I feel the nerves jumping, inside I'm screaming at myself because we are losing it while trying to calm myself down because it was just two plays with somewhere around 5 minutes left.
"You shouldn't be panicking yet. There's too much time, teams are supposed to make runs." "No, no, no. We had them the whole first half, Coach D leaves you with 7 points and now you have 2. What are you doing?!?"Fighting with yourself is not fun, even if you do always win. Especially if the other team comes down and ties the game while you are trying to figure out what to do. Okay, we have to settle this. The players aren't really looking panicked, so maybe I just needed to settle. Time out. I refocus, and just tell the guys that we have to make sure we're playing the tough D that got us the lead in the first half. They made a run, and it happens. We just have to stay composed, make sure we get a good look at the basket and a couple of stops and get this win. Listen to your own advice, coach...
Break the time out and we get a good look and drain it. Up two. Force a bad shot on defense and secure the rebound, going the other way and drive to the basket...INJURY! Great. There goes one scorer (he swore the whole ride after the game that it was intentional, but it just looked like a hard foul to me). Sub comes in for two free throws while he's getting looked at by the trainer on site. Clang - missed the first. And the second. So still up two. Another bad shot and we're under a minute. Intentional foul time. Call a time out just to say one thing - "You guys know who your free throw shooters are. They are going to full court man press you, so screen for them and get them the ball. When you get it, play keep away and kill as much clock as you can." Ball in, kill about 5 seconds, foul. Swoosh - drains the front end of the one and one. Swoosh. Up four. Other team must have been in panic mode, because the next shot they got was a forced 3 that barely caught rim. We're going the other way and manage to get the ball to Strobey before the foul comes. Strobey on the line is money in the bank if you didn't know. So yeah, up 6 now. The other team pushes the ball up and gets a good drive to the basket. Back to 4, but there's less than 5 seconds left. Surprisingly, we inbound the ball instead of just letting the clock run. Fortunately Strobey got the ball and went back to the line. Up 6 with 4 seconds. The usual no foul comes from our bench as they inbound the ball and heave up a half court shot that wasn't even close. We pulled it out and won by 6.
I know there's no such thing as a half a win, but I probably wouldn't have been able to deliver a win that game had Coach D not started it and given me that cushion. Like I said, there's a lot of learning to be had on my part. So, I'll just say I got half a win that day, even if it was mostly me beating my own nerves.
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