So due to user error, this did not actually auto-post when I wanted to (I hit the save button instead of publish) this is late. Had my coworker not asked me how my boys did, I probably wouldn't have even thought to check. My apologies. No edits, so just pretend it's still Dec. 31, 2012 while you read this.
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So the trip back to New Jersey was interesting. After my last post I hopped on the second leg of my return flight and then was stuck on the runway for about an hour and a half waiting on a mechanic to fix a part of the plane. Obviously, most people would be happy such an issue was discovered prior to take off - except when you find out that the broken part of the plane was a seat that wouldn't stay in the fully upright position. And to make it worse, a member of the cockpit came back, looked at it, put some makeshift thing in place to solve the problem in about 5 minutes. The remaining hour and 25 minutes was spent waiting on the mechanic to answer his radio and confirm that the fix was sufficient to meet regulations and let us leave. Then once the plane gets to Newark Airport, we have to sit on the tarmac another 45 minutes because they didn't have a gate for us. Did I mention I had a game to be at. I got off the plane as fast as I could, made a couple of quick texts to Coach HH to find some basketballs, and made my way straight from the airport to the gym. I'm so glad I put just about everything I'd need to coach in my car before I left.
I arrived in time to have a quick meeting with my team, and break down how important is was for us to finish strong. Finish the year with a sense of just how far we've come over the last six weeks. Finish with a sense of pride that would energize us to a great run in 2013. Finish strong because that is what the best of the best do. We jumped out of the gate well that night, outrebounding, outworking, and just outwilling the opposition. It was far from a great game, but considering how much better it was looking from our first games in November - it was amazing. The determination spoke volumes, and it was like a rite of passage getting that win, especially when the margin was over 20 points.
Many people would think that a fluke, and the other coaches and I refused to let it sink in. The next day, the message to the team during the pregame meeting was simply, "Don't repeat last night's performance - improve it." We talked about some of the areas we needed to focus on, and I tried to gear it towards the things we do well, our strengths would be what carried us to a second victory. Sure enough, we came out with more toughness, fire, and won a second game by over 20. We kept the formula the same thoughout the weekend and managed to go 3 - 1, advanced to our first semi-finals appearance, and improved our record to 5-11.
It may not look like much on paper, but to see the smiles, feel the confidence level triple, and hear the kids talk about how now they can really compete made those 3 wins probably the biggest of the year for me. It was a great way to close out the year. Sure we lost the last game, but the three wins outshine the loss by far. I look forward to getting more wins in 2013, and just getting more out of the team as I finally feel like we can move past some of the basic, low level type stuff in practice. It feels like we finally have a foundation to build on.
As the year comes to a close in these final minutes, I wish that everyone stays safe, makes at least one resolution they can keep, and remembers to finish strong. Happy New Year!
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