The Fall AAU season wasn't my proudest moment of my coaching career. There are different kinds of ways things "challenge" you, and that was a struggle for me to handle. But working with the high school team was nice.
Once the high school team got into it's Fall league, that was a bright spot, as I got to work with guys who understood how to make adjustments to their opponents, and were committed to being at all the games. I wasn't really comfortable with the situation since I didn't really know the players and they were practicing right after school (which is prime working hours), but they responded well, and helped me to settle in a bit as we collectively prepared to turn the program around in December. The very first game was against the cross-town rival high school, which we won fairly definitively (especially since we didn't have any of our post guys) so it just felt good to be a part of that. Overall we did pretty well for a coach with minimal knowledge of the team and minimal high school experience. Best part was that there was no real pressure to win every game. I'm sure we lost a few games we "should have won" but the head coach just kind of went with it, helping to find signs of growth and where we would improve by December. Perhaps that's one of those things you learn over time, because I still don't fully understand how that's okay, but I do appreciate that it never felt like I was on the hot seat or inadequate. The fall was a growing period for the entire Hills program, and I think we did a good job on all levels, from top to bottom, of doing just that.
The winter was interesting to put it mildly. Actually, that's just a flat out understatement. Winter was CRAZY. I coached a 5th grade travel team and had coaching responsibilities at Hills, so every day of the week was basketball just about. Most of the time it was fun - the Hills guys played with a chip on their shoulder and played with such blue-collar energy, while my 5th graders were dominant through most of their season with their chemistry. Sure, both teams had rough days where a lack of energy or focus made the day tough to swallow, and there were off court issues that made me want to destroy the Internet and cell phones, but that's something all coaches go through. I've learned that it's easy for fans and parents to forget that coaches aren't robots, but people. People with jobs, personal lives, emotions. Sometimes they just put on the glasses that block out everything but their interest (their con, their personal goals) and just look for every opportunity to attack. Comes with the territory, and you learn to deal. But for most of the season, it was fun to be around, as the 5th graders won 2 tournaments, took runner up in 2 tournaments, won 1 league, and took runner-up in another league while Hills won their League and had an over .500 record for the first time in years. Like I said, I was busy and worn down at times, but the experience was well worth it (so much so that I'll be in a very similar boat this winter) as I was able to learn things from the high school staff that I could turn around and implement with the younger kids. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel like I'm on the right track to catching up.
As busy as it was, I really did enjoy the winter overall. I could have done without some of the parental attitudes, and probably had to pass on a lot of great social experiences, but this is what I want. I want to be able to lead a program to victory from year to year, and that takes sacrifice. People talk about sacrifice in sports all the time, but they almost always think of what the players have to sacrifice. I know from experience, that coaches, if they want to be the best, sacrifice too if they want to maintain that success and respect.
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