Every coach has to adjust to the situation. Sometimes you get to prepare, sometimes you get blindsided. But at the end of the day, you've got to find a way to overcome and get out of the game with a victory.
After the great steps forward during the Holiday Slamfest tournament, we ran into yet another obstacle. Two of the starters were out of action this past weekend. One kid was on vacation, while the other caught a stroke of bad luck and ended up with Appendicitis. The team averages somewhere around 26 points (that average is skewed as we didn't score much initially) and the two guys who were out average 14 points a game. They also brought some leadership and height to the team. To sum it up - we had the potential to have a terrible, demoralizing weekend.
My guys knew that the loss was going to be big - you can't hide an elephant behind a toothpick. I refused to believe it though. I absolutely felt that we could run with the teams we were matched up with. I believed in my team enough that I was a little offended that one of the coaches made comments after our last meeting that made me feel like his only threat were these two guys. It motivated me to make it a point of emphasis that the team as a whole is growing, improving, and not to be taken lightly. I shared my frustration and told the players that not only should we look to beat this one team again, but to beat them worse than we did the first time. We probably had the best practices we've had all season as we worked hard to make sure that everyone was ready. People were going to have to step up, they were going to get more chances to shine, and the opportunity to earn the respect of their parents, teammates, and coaches was waiting for them to seize it.
It was a slow start, but as the confidence of the guys who were just getting used to the extra time on the court grew, we began to roll. Once we settled in at halftime, the score jumped from 16 - 10 to 30 - 13 in about 3 minutes. From then on we never looked back. The defense forced bad shots, we moved the ball well against the zone without some of our top guys. That game was big for the team - the first half you could tell some of the guys weren't really convinced that we could win or even compete. But then it was like a light clicked on and we were rolling. The next game was a tough one, and although we didn't get the W, we were in it up until the very end when our short bench got the best of us. But we were able to claw back from down 12 to draw within 4 in the final quarter. It was a little frustrating to be so close and then fall short, but all in all I'm proud of the boys for stepping up.
This weekend was a huge morale booster, and I can tell by the body language that some of the guys who were hesitant are now more confident which has helped their game. I was pleasantly surprised and now have to reconsider my rotation a little. And the opportunity is still there as my player recovers from his surgery. Hopefully people will continue to step up and understand that the misfortune of one player is a great opportunity for them. All I can say is that some of these guys that really came through will be pleasantly surprised when they suit up this weekend. It's just as they say, good fortune/luck is what happens when opportunity meets hard work. They've earned it.
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