Airing It Out

I recently had the chance to witness something I've been looking for for a while now.

A while back, I posted this entry and mentioned that I was looking for a group willing to gel enough as a team to be willing to constructively go at each other and hold one another accountable for their performance. I saw a team really go at it, and just sat on the side and listened.

There was absolutely no filter. They were mad, and they let each other know it. Questioning each others effort for that game and even the effort to grow as an individual player. Calling out ballhogs, poor shot selection, and playing too timid. As I said in the post, dysfunctional teams lack that comfort with one another to be that honest. It was good to see all of that come out and get verbalized. One problem teams have, and I can vouch for that as I have the same issue at the office, is that there's that generalized problem. "You" is all too often replaced with "we" so that no one's feelings get hurt. The court is a warzone, and there's little place for hurt feelings there.

The one problem I have with the display I witnessed was there was no rebuilding. No healing, no strengthening of the bond. Just destruction. The team left points on the table in a big way. These types of meetings have to have purpose - and that purpose should be similar to that of a creature shedding a weaker layer to make way for a better, stronger, improved version. When a creature sheds the old, it goes and heals, as it is vulnerable for a time, and nurses itself to allow the new version time to adjust, strengthen, and take hold. They did not do this, and as a result, I don't really see much improvement for them in their future (I also don't see much because they are not basketball players but just average athletes who are not committed to one craft, but three) and that's a bit of a let down.

One day I'll see that whole process take place again. And hopefully it will end the right way.

Ramblings

Not really sure what to post about today.  Sure there are plenty of things to talk about, but my mind is a mess and the three drafts I attempted started getting a little weird. So, instead we'll just empty out some of those ramblings and hope that it will clear my head a little.

#1 - Dwight Howard could be good, but I think he's not worth all the attention he's getting - at least not now. Lakers will actually be better without him under their current coach. He was taught by a great center in Orlando (P. Ewing) and those skills need to find a system that needs a true center. D'Antoni doesn't do that, and has a hard enough time using Gasol, though he's a bit more versatile than Howard. Unfortunately, I have no opinions on where he goes, I just wish he'd go already so ESPN can talk about other moves being made. Stop with this "Howard is going to...oh wait now he's not sure again. He's leaving, oh nope staying." It may be official as early as Wednesday, but you never know with Dwight. Could work out in Houston though as they could really take advantage of his inside presence to help free up their back court to get some uncontested shots and driving lanes...

#2 - I have way too much time on my hands right now. Not that I don't have things I need to do in the off season, but when you are used to going from work to practice and playing 5 games a weekend, coming home after work and getting to actually cook dinner makes you feel like you have time to do a ton of stuff.  Like hang artwork, rearrange closets, and the like. Productive, well needed, but I kinda miss the hustle and bustle. I'll be asking for a breather in December though :)

#3 - There is big news to announce, but it will have to wait. Just know that I love the position I'm in and the energy surrounding it. Yes, to leave it at that is a little on the evil side, but I'm going to do it.

#4 - Glad to see the USA Men's World University Games basketball team thrash United Arab Emirates on Sunday by 94 points in a game that saw plenty of minutes for everyone and helped them in their bid to advance from pool play (Not unsportsmanlike to score that much, its in the FIBA advancement rules, and when you're in a pool as strong as the USA pool, well you take every advantage you can).  Seems they won again today over the Czech Republic by 43. Baylor's Cory Jefferson had a 10-point 15-rebound game, which brings a little extra smile to my face. Sic 'em CJ!

#5 - NCAA Football 2014 comes out tomorrow and looks pretty legit. I wish they still had college basketball games though. Recruiting is a lot more fun that dealing with free agency...

#6 -  I need more trophies. With this newfound free time, I decided to put up a shelf for trophies. Should have thought that through a little bit more.  I thought I had more than 3 trophies, but then I realized that coaches don't get trophies anymore because it costs too much. Most players don't either. T-shirts is the new thing, but I want trophies. They don't shrink or fade.  They just boast awesome.

All right, that's enough. I need to go do something productive (eat being one of them) to get ready for work tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be a bit more focused and put together something a little more focused next week.

 

My Year in Review

Maybe it's just me, or maybe its a coaching thing, but I have two different "years" going on. There's the calendar year which dictates my day to day, Monday through Friday, "9-5" (who actually works those hours?) life and it goes from January 1 to December 31. Then there's the coaching year which goes from something like August to June. July is just a hole and a time to catch my breath - for now. As each year gets completed, I try to take a bit to look back on what I did (or did not do) during the year and see if I feel like it made me a better coach or if I took steps backwards. Here's a quick recap on my own little self review.

This year was a tough year for me. It was the epitome of the phrase "peaks and valleys" and tested my confidence.  But as I said a few entries back, you need years like this. Times that push you out of your comfort zone and force you to grow.  It's human nature - adapt or survive. That mentality has served me well in life. It's how I learned to swim as a kid - my dad picked me up, dropped me into the deep end and pretty much said figure it out or drown (He was close enough to save me if I didn't save myself, but far enough away that I wasn't about to cling to him for dear life). It's how I learned to do solid work under crazy time constraints - nothing like writing papers and doing science fair projects the day before you had to turn them in. Basketball for me is no different, and I think it ultimately made me a better coach to struggle the way I did this year.

Not Good

From a record standpoint it was nothing close to what I expected. Some people who were involved would say some it was because this year the talent level was lower than in past years, commitment at times was flaky, and that may be true. But I also think I was the source of a lot of my own demise.

1 - Don't over-commit yourself

I started the year out coaching a 5th, 6th, and 7th grade team. The program was growing in size, but the younger kids were smaller and it didn't sit well with us to possibly put them in a position to get injured, and I loved working with them so much that I didn't want to just say, "Sorry, no team this season." So I volunteered to take all the teams. While my heart was in the right place, you can't do that with teams that young and my full time job. I was being pulled every which way and couldn't really focus on anything ever. We all managed, but I think ultimately none of us saw our full potential that season. 

2 - Ask for help sometimes

This has always been an issue for me, simply because I have such little faith in the general public, especially parents of players, to do things for you without expecting some kind of "favor." I'm always weary of parents who volunteer because I always expect them to look for extra minutes because they are helping out. I've seen it before and heard the horror stories of that kid who had 3 left feet (and as a result spent more time on his face than standing) yet played the most because daddy was a team sponsor. However, there are a lot of things you have to do as a coach and sometimes the mundane administrative stuff gets in the way. While I haven't quite figured out which of the tasks I can delegate, I know there needs to be less typing in emails and texts and more film watching and strategy sessions.

Good

This year reminded me of what it is to be successful as a coach, especially at the younger levels. While it may sound cliche, it's not entirely about wins and losses, and the experience can be the difference between a repeat player and having to go recruit a whole new team.

1 - Stronger relationships with players

This is especially true with the last team I worked with, but even guys that I coached my first year I still stay in touch with and chat with about all kinds of things. While usually they want to compare which team was better, the conversation also includes choices outside of basketball and has branched into academics. Sure it's not on the same level as some of our other coaches in the program, but it's definitely building bonds that will help keep them interested in our program  and working hard.

2 - Practice organization

While it wasn't as consistent as I would have liked, I feel like I did a pretty good job organizing and scheduling practices and making the most of the court space I had. I also created a kind of rhythm that the players could expect so practices were more about getting in reps rather than taking time to refocus and being non-productive. Once I figured out how to turn the scoreboards on so everyone could keep on track to complete the exercise in a given time, the improvement was very noticeable. It also kept me from talking too much. Less talk, more work, more organization, better team.

Not that this was a year I am content with, I'm also not ashamed of it. There are many things in life that go through such a transformation where an old layer is tossed aside so that something new and better can emerge. There were several moments that I can learn from and I look forward to the opportunity to put that new knowledge to the test next year. Should I repeat, then I would have cause for alarm - for now Ihave hope that I am capable of going much better.