Letter to Wayne Hills Basketball

I had wanted to do this in person, but time conflicts just continue to get in the way. Perhaps a few of them read this, but at least my side of a recent decision will come straight from me should any one seek it....

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Dear Patriot family,

As we approach the horizon of yet another school year, another basketball season, another set of memories, you may notice that things are a little different. Different in a good way though - I wholeheartedly believe that Coach Grimes is doing a great job transforming the program into something you can be proud of - one that you want to wear that big W with pride as it was in years past. Unfortunately, my time as a direct part of that has come to an end. 

To those players that I pushed and challenged, I wish to say that those challenges still stand - just because I may not be on the bench to remind you, I intend to be in the stands and should our paths cross I'll continue to challenge you to be better each day. To the parents who encouraged me in various ways to be the best that I could, even in my limited capacity, thank you. Your support and kindness have only increased my desire to coach the game, embrace your community, and put nothing short of my best self out there each and every day.  I guess at this point the big question is - why did I choose to leave?

Yes, I chose to leave. Coach Grimes never mentioned not coming back to me. In fact, when I told him I was struggling with the decision on what to do next season, he reminded me that I was still very much welcome. I took some time to really look at what we were trying to build in the program and realized that I was the definition of irony in the situation. Every practice, every game was about being committed to more than yourself; putting the team's needs above those of your own, and being "all in". Was I willing to make sacrifices and tough decisions to make the Wayne Hills Patriots a better program - sure. The problem was I couldn't fully commit to a level that I could be proud of. I tried - man did I try - but it's not easy working in a full time eight to five job and being a part of a high school basketball program. On top of that, I was coaching at the Wayne PAL. Some would say I should have known that would be extremely tough to juggle and do successfully. They are right - I came aboard hoping to better myself, but it was a little selfish. This summer I realized that and felt I owed the team better than that. I felt like the literal definition of a hypocrite. How can I honestly ask for guys to buy into being "all in" or putting the team above self when I wasn't necessarily doing that myself? 

I spent a good part of the spring and summer after the season ended asking myself if I could make this work. Coach Grimes is doing great things and it would be great to be a part of, but I had to pull my weight. He never complained or was upset - he understood my situation and knew that my heart was in it when I was available. For that I am truly grateful - it's not every day that people are willing to look at the whole situation and take outside factors into consideration. For those that know me from my time at the PAL, you know I hold myself to a crazy standard. After weeks of going back and forth with myself, reaching out to Coach Grimes and close friends, I came to the decision that I wouldn't be happy unless I could commit full time to the program, just as we'd ask the players to do. That wasn't something I could do, and the you all deserved someone who could. I have gotten to know most of you pretty well, and will miss being around to share in your lives as a coach. But you better believe when I can I will be there as a fan, cheering each and every one of you on. I already took opening day off from work so that I could be there! 

I really do wish that I could have done this in person, and if our paths cross, I will gladly talk to you about it. This was not an easy decision to make, and at times already, even here in August I wonder if it was the right decision to make because of how much I loved being a part of the program and your lives. I guess I can still do that as a fan, and allow someone who can really be "all in" to come aboard. I wish you all the best, and look forward to a great season. I can't wait for December!

Sincerely,

Robert Bohannon, Jr. 

Coach RoBo

Creating a Brand

As another winter basketball season wraps up I decided a post was long overdue. Both Hills and my 5th grade team fell short of expectations this season for various reasons, I think a major one for both came down to not being mentally tough enough to compete for long stretches as a team. As I recapped the games to friends it always seemed like I always keyed on the same three things. Then one day, just as yet another rant was about to begin, a wise young woman stopped me and asked what my philosophy was. I always wanted to make a mark on the game and in the program, but how was I looking to achieve that? I didn't have an answer. I knew I wanted to be good and had the tools to be successful but never really figured out the "how" piece of the puzzle. That day, a young lady who only spoke of basketball because I brought her to games and spent way too much time talking about it, set me straight and helped me find a new way to grow as a coach.

I brought her with me on our annual trip to Boston and she was closer than normally allowed as the gyms were smaller. She felt that a phrase I used time and time again symbolized what my "brand" could be. How I could simplify the game for my young players without limiting them or preventing them from growing. Having watched those games in Boston where those words were stressed and then some of our others after where they weren't, she felt those three simplifying words made it easy for the boys to perform. To her, the team played with more understanding of the expectations and the result was better performance. All because of three very simple, fundamental words. That simplicity - the less is more approach - would give every team I was involved with a really easy way to understand what was expected and comprehend the pillars of what my team would stand for. 

Those three simple words, as she laid them out to me, looked like the very thing I was looking for. You can't build a great thing without a strong base and I truly feels that this gives me that. Those three words - rebound, defend, and communicate - are all things that every player can control. Officials can't stop you from giving everything you've got to do those three things. Even if you have an "off" night because the ball wouldn't go in the net, you can still be a solid contributor to the team. Basketball, especially at younger levels, is primarily a game of effort. Sure talent helps, but I've seen many a talented team fail and many a "scrappy" team succeed. Even more importantly to me though is that teams who play with great effort are respected. Those teams, regardless of record, are teams that everyone takes seriously. Even as we struggled through one of our leagues, finishing with only 3 wins, when we played with effort we put even the top teams on the ropes. As I took this new approach to building my brand the last few weeks of the season, I saw them latch on. We finished our final week with a very close back and forth battle in the playoffs that we lost in the closing seconds, put together a great tournament run to advance to the championship game. We played with purpose, effort, and we did those three simple things.

Sometimes you have to go outside to get the best idea for you. This makes sense. This gives me a map - maybe not the whole map, but at least a map to the next fork. The way feels clear, and I'm glad the  next level has occurred so soon. Positive energy with a simple set of expectations. The road ahead looks good.

The Balancing Act

Everyone loves to say youth basketball isn't about winning - it's about having fun and learning. I'd like to see those people coach competitive basketball. Basketball where there are playoffs, championships, and the like. Yes you want to have fun and learn, but when the standings always show you in last place kids start to check out because it's not fun anymore and learning isn't being rewarded with anything. Then you as a coach start to doubt yourself and feel that pressure from parents and colleagues to get wins, which kills your fun.  Sorry, but the game of basketball is about winning and that won't change no matter how the "pro-participation" party may try to spin it.

This last season though, I think I was able to figure something out. I sat the team down and we just talked about our reality and what winning meant to us. I didn't set the standard - they did. I just held them to it, and as I promised in my last post, tried to be as positive as I could all the while. Sure from a record standpoint we weren't very good, but we met our goals just about every game and that kept everyone involved.

Each game our goals were to give 100% effort, limit turnovers, and have fun. Lofty goals, right? When you think about setting good goals especially as a competitor it's really easy to make a bunch of goals that will set you up for failure because they are not entirely under your control. Goals like "win x games" are great if you can guarantee that you are not going to run into competition, but that also likely means you aren't being challenged to grow. But our goal of limiting turnovers was one where everyone had to work together to achieve and would put us in good position to win. By keeping the goals simple and focused on the team we were able to be competitive in a lot more games than most would have thought at the start of the season. By holding everyone to always giving their best effort, the feedback for everyone was based on what their best was and they understood that they were only getting measured against themselves. By doing that at practices as well as games they were able to see very quickly that if they gave that effort every time, not only would we look and play better, but it was a lot more fun regardless of the score.

And those goals stuck no matter what. Oh we are up by 10 - great. But we can't start to relax, you still have to give your best and not be sloppy with the ball. Down 20 - great. We aren't giving up because we said it would be 100% effort at all times and anything less would mean we failed ourselves. Whether I was talking to a parent or a player, that was the attitude. "Man, they were a tough team." "Yes, but no one in the gym can say we gave up or backed down. That is all that matters to us." After a while the parents would join in and it was just talk about how we played. Even when we lost by 20 to a team from DC parents were praising the boys for playing so hard. No one mentioned the score - just how we never quit and made them work for everything.

The winter season is about to start, so it will be another opportunity to strike that balance and get that total team buy in. Granted, the winter season is a different animal, but if I'm going to grow as a coach I need to pull it off. I feel like this will allow me to get to another level in terms of player respect and engagement, and those are "must-haves" for any decent coach. And I don't want to settle for being decent...

New Focus

So there is a post sitting in my drafts list about my Spring season to end my year long hiatus but it still brings up a lot of thoughts and feelings I'm not sure how I want to convey. So we'll table that post and move on...for now.

This season I have 8th graders and along with a new group of kids confess new expectations, new challenges, and, most importantly for me, new opportunities to react to situations. That in itself, I can honestly admit, is a major flaw of mine.

I was brought up in a household where anything less than 100% effort was a failure and failure was not tolerated. Did you occasionally fall short? Sure but it wasn't failure because you tried hard. Unfortunately, until this last year I never really had to understand that as more than words. I tried hard as a kid and always managed find myself where I wanted to be and accepted that those times I fell short were the result of me not giving my all. There was, and in many cases still is, no middle ground. I struggle with accepting short falls for just that and in my head chalk up failure to a lack of effort and tend to be up front with my disappointment.

This season I'm making more of an effort to understand that for some people and teams 100% effort may not cut it. At least not right now. There have been many stories where guys just kept going all out and were rewarded, ironically one close to home for me is the Baylor Athletic program. Using their success as a pseudo-guide (I'm definitely no Art Briles or Scott Drew by any stretch) I hope to make that change in my perspective and do what I started coaching to do: help kids get to their potential and enjoy the game.

We have our first tournament this weekend and our goals are simple:
Have fun, play five as one on the court, and walk away feeling like you've given your all. Win or lose, if we do those things we can go home and sleep day knowing we didn't fail. Myself included.

Ice Bucket Challenge

So I was challenged to do the Ice Bucket Challenge earlier in the week but couldn't do it due to tryouts and poor lighting conditions. So I did it today after work.

I encourage everyone to look into what the ALS Association is doing to help improve the quality of life for people who are diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. I've heard some people try to take the moment away from the effort because of how little is known about the disease, it's non mainstream-ness, or whatever reason they can think of, but if you look into what this does to people, families, and communities, then you'll understand why this is so important to those people and the ALSA. Get Yo' Learn On!


I issued a general challenge to look into the disease, but I nominated a few friends and my sister to take the challenge complete with ice bucket. Their rules are as follows:

 - Donate some money regardless of whether you actually soak yourself. These people really do need some kind of hope and I feel it's entirely long overdue. I know we may not have the finances for a big donation, but any bit helps.
 - I'm not going to limit you to 24 hours. I know you all have lives and schedules, just try to do it soon and spread the hope.

Without further ado - my #IceBucketChallenge!!!

Where I Was (Part 2)

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.

Where I Was (Part 1)

In the interest being more open about my journey as a coach, I decided to make this post about what happened over the last year. Maybe not all at once because that might be a REALLY long post and no one has time for that.

So we last left off with a good run in the Zero Gravity National Tournament and I was pretty happy with how we'd done considering the drama off the court and the competition we drew. Later that summer, I was asked to come on staff as an assistant coach for Wayne Hills High School. I had every intent to post that gem of great news once it became official with the school board. But then the Fall AAU season started and I began to get frustrated by what I perceived as a lack of commitment by a lot of players on the team. At that point I began to get frustrated by the lack of progress we were making as a team and I decided it was better to keep that to myself rather than turn this into a soap box.

Maybe I was wrong about what was going on. The numbers at tryouts were low and I had several multi-sport athletes on my team with no backups to cover the inevitable conflicts. Practices were draining as it felt like we just kept rehashing the same concepts over again since consistent attendance on a team level was nonexistent. I was trying to lead that team to some kind of tangible success to keep up with the rest of the program, while working a full time job and helping with the high school and adjusting to those guys. I was spread thin (admittedly, by my own choice) and it felt like the parents and players didn't care. I put so much energy and effort into trying to be a great coach for their kids and I practically had to beg people to show up. We showed up to one game with 5 players just in time for tip off, and of course one guy gets hurt and we have no subs. What do I do there? He's devastated because he feels like by getting injured he let his team down. The rest of the team battled hard but when you are a man down in basketball for an entire half it's not going to end well most times and is upset at the people who didn't show. I did my best to keep the focus on the positives of that game and let our injured teammate know that no one hates him for getting hurt playing his heart out. But on the inside I'm livid. I was ready to be done with that season and I rarely ever want that.

In hindsight perhaps it would have worked out better not to have a team with so many people fighting conflicts. We recruit out of an athletic area of Jersey and our only makes sense that the younger kids take their turns art every sport to see where they can and want to excel. I get it. I do, but I'm a basketball coach and I can't say I don't want people that are just going to play basketball. As we approach another Fall season, this does with on my mind a bit. So much so I almost told our director I didn't want a team just because I was dreading having that scenario unfold two years in a row (that is for another post).

I think that's enough for one post. We'll get back to this soon...

It's Been A While...

So it's been a really long long time since I posted. It wasn't that I stopped coaching, or that I'd have moments where I wanted to post, but I made a decision to take care of some other situations in my life. A while back, I'd taken a break because my mindset wasn't in the right place.I'd started back up, thinking I had righted the ship. Seems all I'd done was put a band-aid on it. I had a terrible attitude about a lot of things, my outlook on practically everything was filled with way more cynicism than any one person should have. Don't get me wrong, that was a big part of the lull and Houdini act, but another piece of the puzzle is that I got really busy.

One of my fellow coaches from the Wayne PAL program was offered the head coaching position at Wayne Hills and he brought me on board as a volunteer assistant. A challenge with the work schedule for sure, but one worth taking considering where I want to be in a few years. During the season, I was able to attend practices, go on scouting trips, and kept game stats, but most importantly, I was able to see how to build a program. How to gain the loyalty of the fans, administrators, parents, and players. While they weren't the tallest or strongest team in our league, by building that respect and trust, we were able to take a team that went 10-17 to a team that won the league title, won a county game (hadn't been done in years), and managed to play well enough to get a decent seed in the state tournament. Being a part of this also helped me see another idea behind scouting that I'd never tried and I was able to use some of that to lead my fifth grade team to a tournament championship title in Clark. I'm hoping to see more of that come into play next winter.

I had an interesting Spring season as we struggled to find an identity and purpose, myself included. Towards the end of the season we were able to find those elements and things started to turn around. Over the summer, I've done some more work on my mental state to hopefully stay in the right frame of mind to be successful and a positive leader. Another thing I've decided is to remember why I started this blog. "The successes and struggles of a young coach trying to make it..." Everything isn't always going to be sunshine and rainbows, and coaches are people outside of basketball. They get affected by things outside the lines, and it may affect what goes on within the lines. One thing I get frustrated with is how sometimes it feels like parents forget that we coaches are people too, but then when you don't let them see the human side of you, what do you expect?

I am not going to promise to hold to some kind of schedule. I don't even know what my schedule is going to be like. But I hope to still get back to my purpose for starting this. Talking about this thing that I love, the joy it brings me even when we lose, the thrill of winning as an underdog. The journey of being a nobody who just showed up one day asking to coach to one day being a respected, sought out leader. I'm not sure what that will look like, but writing has been my outlet for years, and I can't not do it. As time permits there will be posts. Some will be funny, some will be sad, but that's what this is for.

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.

The Road To Zero Gravity: Accomplishment

It was a long journey, but we'd made it. We'd managed to endure the pains of traffic delays and obnoxious driving long enough to make it to the hotel. It was late. We were tired and hungry but at the same time, excited and ready. We'd worked too hard to let those get in our way. We'd arrive in Foxborough and we were ready to test the best in the nation.

Because of the momentum and confidence we'd gained from our last tournament championship, the practices leading into the tournament were light and the energy was good. In my opinion, there wasn't much we could do - it's like cramming the morning before a final. If you don't know it before then, you won't know it that day unless it happens to be the first page of the test. Sure we had things to fix, clean up, but there was no reinvention that week. Confidence and positive energy were too important, so I did what I could to nurture that. We talked about what this meant for our team specifically. It was about experience and growth. None of us had played on this big a stage, myself included, and I knew there were going to be moments that the stage would possibly get the best of all of us. Win or lose our job was simple. Take in as much as we could so that the next time we found ourselves with that kind of an opportunity, it would be a fair fight with no outside help from nerves. We talked about what it meant for our program. We play together and never quit because that is what we want the Wolfpack to be known for. If we do those two things, nothing else matters.  If we did our jobs, we'd be fine.

When the pools of the tournament were released, I was glad I'd made those points very clear. We were scheduled to play Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC), Greater Boston Lions, Central Massachusetts Athletic Club (CMAC), and Visionary Basketball Club (VBC) Gold. The Zero Gravity Circuit ranks teams that participate in their events. All of the aforementioned teams - top 10 in the 8th grade level.

That's a tall order for a team on their first ever national appearance, but we had our goals and we were committed. Sure it was late, and even later once I'd eaten, but I wasn't going to put my guys on this mission without any advantage I could give. I don't scout much for the AAU season (mostly because teams are inconsistent) but this was going to be one time where I would. Late as it was after eating and getting semi-settled, I went and found where these guys were playing and set my alarm to get up in 5 hours and scout. 

Nine o'clock rolled around way too quickly...

However, I was not about to let my guys down and that 9:00 am tip-off found me on the sidelines with a pad and a pen, watching for areas we could look to exploit and give us a fighting chance. I did a pretty good job, I think, of picking up tendencies, strengths and weaknesses of the team as a whole and individual players. You obviously can't change what you do too much, so I took my notes and considered what would be in our realm to  adjust without losing who we'd become over the season. Those were the things we discussed during pregame, and successfully took advantage of on the court.

Our first game was against CMAC and we held our own for the most part. I would definitely attribute that particular loss to nerves and "stage fright" - we struggled to pass and rebound well, and shots we'd come to rely on just wouldn't drop. We did a great job with the scouting adjustments though and we absolutely achieved both goals we'd discussed in practice. We fell to CMAC 79 - 60, but we were still positive, and the guys got together and made their own adjustments to get over the nerves, which was good to see. As I said on last year's trip to Florida, chemistry is something you should  strive to build, because it is invaluable.

Next up was Greater Boston Lions. When I tell you it was like men against boys, I'm not exaggerating.  I knew that, so the message based on the scouting report was simple.

Remember why we're here. We don't quit, we don't go away - we are the Wolfpack. They live on the offensive glass, so let's put a little more effort into making sure they only get one look at a basket each trip.

And that we did. Sure, we got killed on the glass and scoreboard (I think the margin was 30 points), but we had a serious height, strength, and athleticism disadvantage. You could tell by the lack of fans that stayed to watch our game, that we'd been written off by most before the first tick of the clock, but by the end of the game everyone had respect for the Wolfpack. Every possession was a battle. We played with no fear, made sure that every point was earned, and even refused a guy his highlight dunk (it wasn't a dirty foul, but the message was clear - "No, No, No" <insert Dikembe montage>).  After that game, I made sure to have a moment with my team. I called the parents over to listen as well, because what was about to happen needed to be heard by everyone. I told them how proud of them I was because of the tenacity they played with that morning. I've coached teams that absolutely would have packed it in when they realized it was David versus Goliath. There was none of that, and everyone respected them more for it, myself included. The parents and I gave them all a round of applause as we were all proud of how far the team had come during our time together and these games were a perfect reward for the persistence, patience, and determination they'd shown.

The last game of the day was against VBC Gold. The mood was still upbeat. The energy was sky high. Sure we'd had a rough morning, but you wouldn't have known it looking at anyone. We were playing great basketball and challenged good teams. Why should we be upset? We took the court and blew everyone's doors off. Each game from the morning had stuck with them, and we were definitely learning from our games. Execution was on point, defense was suffocating, and before you knew it we were up 20 point on VBC. They didn't know what to do, as subs were flying in and out like I'd never seen before. They never recovered and we won by more than 20.  We were playing such great basketball, I didn't care what the score was. No one did. The parents were in awe - this was the same team that had so many struggles to move the ball just two months ago? That team just continued to earn respect, and it definitely helps morale when you are able to throttle the #7 team in a national ranking. It took a few hours to come down off of that cloud and go to sleep that night.

Our last game of the tournament was against BABC. If we thought the Lions game was a men against boys game, this was like men against toddlers. Their guards were as tall as our bigs! They had 3 guys dunking during warmups - we have two guys who barely touch rim. Easily outmatched, but we stayed true to our goals and did what we could to frustrate them, but they did a great job using their size to win by 40.

All in all, it was a great tournament and everyone was proud of the job the boys had done. No one left with their head down, and there was no bitter words exchanged. Sure we didn't have a record that people who didn't see the games would respect, but we knew the deal and we weren't upset. We got our taste of the big time, and next time we'll be better prepared. We'll be bigger, faster, stronger and smarter, and then it will be our turn to shine. At the start of the season, no one would have picked us to even get to this tournament, let alone compete with teams in the top 10. If you can't find joy in that, you aren't a competitor. We did what we set out to do, and could proudly say: Mission accomplished!

The Road to Zero Gravity: Juice

There's nothing a coach loves more than when he sees his/her team take a lesson from a past experience and apply it to become a better, more competitive unit. Well, except for when several of those lessons come together the weekend leading into your national competition.

The final weekend of competition before heading up to Foxborough was one where we really needed to make sure we grabbed up as much momentum as we possibly could. While there's many different ways to get momentum, as we found two weekends ago in the "desert", we were really looking for something a bit more convincing - a championship.

Due to some issues on the job with guys missing parts and needing phone assistance, I arrived at our first gym just in time to get there to warn up. Not that I had much to say leading up to the game anyway, the message was short, simple, and most of all, effective.

This weekend is about momentum. Taking all the things we've been through - our struggles, our successes, our bond - and coming out ahead. We don't back down - this is our time, our moment, our championship.

Our first game was pretty much a brawl the whole way. It was a very physical game, but at least the refs were consistent with not calling things. Clearly we learned from the last tournament, as we adjusted to the calls, didn't let the absence of the whistle deter us, and at points just bullied our opponent into submission.  While they did close the gap towards the end, there was no real concern (from us at least) as to who was going to win the game. Lesson from the beginning of the season - I told my guys that my panic button is hard to get to, I trust them to take care of business. As long as I don't panic, there's no need for them to. Sure enough, there was no panic from coach or the bench. Win number 1 in the books. Three more to go for that championship.As we lined up to shake hands after, a couple of the coaches commented on how physical we had been that game and what a difference that made. The also added that hopefully this was a wake up call for their group that basketball is a contact sport.

Sometimes all you need is to get bullied one too many times like we had...

We had little time to rest before our second game and our opponent had the luxury of watching our whole game, so they took the court a little cocky thinking they would take care of business. They figured since we had sliced up the other team's man-to-man defense that they'd go zone and force us to shoot. Reasonable logic, if only we weren't firing on all cylinders that day. Ball movement led to pretty much any shot we wanted whenever we wanted it - inside, outside, we were draining buckets from everywhere. And that was just on the times they could set up.  We suffocated them defensively and they practically gave us layups and a 20+ point lead with 8 minutes to go in the second half. At that point, I pretty much pulled all the starters and let the bench guys get some minutes. We had a couple of turnovers, and started to cool off in terms of shooting, and they in turn got hot. With about 4 minutes they lead was around 15 so I had to start getting starters back in. It wasn't a move I was fond of, and it bothered me a little even though we ended up winning easily. Not comfortable most of the afternoon with that quick panic button...

The next day we were fortunate enough to play the playoff games of the tournament in our own facility. Another short, effective message.

I let you sleep in a little, don't make me regret it. Don't get punked in your own building.

Not exactly movie-inspirational, but it got the point across.  We jumped on our opponent early. Steal, layup. Rebound, pass, pass, layup. Forced turnover, pass, pass, pass, 3-ball, BANG - timeout. They had no idea what hit them.  The next possession we went into our 4-high set, and they start calling out screens in anticipation. Sure, except - rip through, blow by, layup. We could do no wrong in the first half, and we were cruising. They were getting some 3's of their own to go, so score wise, they were within range to make a come back, but everyone in the building knew who was in control. At that point, I got the urge, understanding that this was about momentum and needing to have my whole team feeling it heading into the Zero Gravity event, I went to the bench a little early. The guys at the table was a little shocked. One ref gave me the side eye in confusion. I'm sure parents were bewildered. None of the players skipped a beat. The starters were in full support of the decision and cheered their teammates on. Sure the margin started to close, but there was no panic. At one point we were up by 17 or 18, and with 4 minutes left we found ourselves only up 10. I turned to my bench, and told a few guys, "If they cut this to 7, go to the table."

The 3 minute mark rolls around and they get fouled on a layup, the lead is 7. No one is at the table. No one is panicking, no one is being negative. The other coach calls a time out, probably trying to inspire his group to put up one last run to take the lead. I go to my guys, look the 5 guys on the floor dead in the eyes and say:

I pulled you guys early yesterday. I want you to know that I believe in you guys to pull this out. The guy at the table is saying I'm crazy. The referee is saying I'm ready to lose this game. But I'm telling you that I believe in you. None of your teammates are asking me to go back in. I even told some to check in and no one did. This is your time. Don't let it get to 5.

Break the time out, and the defense kicks in. Steal, layup. Turnover, pass, pass, jump shot. My bench wins that game by 12. Now we're rolling. The whole team has got the juice flowing. One last game to go.

The championship game, as much as I hate to say it, was over about 2 minutes in. Right out of the gate we jump to an 8-0 lead and the coach is calling a time out in less than a minute. His team gets a couple of buckets, but we answer right back with another run. We are just ballin' out of our minds at this point. Offensive rebounds, 50/50 balls, hustle plays - all ours and making it look easy. Again, our lessons from the desert kicked in and we just bullied that team out of our house with a huge margin of victory. We had clearly gotten into their heads and we were able to ride out the last 6:30 of the game.  We won a championship and played 4 phenomenal games of basketball. Did we have some issues, absolutely. But we have practices this week to fine tune that stuff. Nothing can compare to the confidence and trust we built in this tournament.

We set out to get momentum leading up to the Zero Gravity National Tournament, and momentum we got. Next stop - Foxborough!

The Road to Zero Gravity: Mental Toughness

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of taking a trip down memory lane. The days of playing basketball in one of the many driveways on my street with a basketball goal on a warm , 90 degree summer evening. Out there, if you don't break anything and there's no serious blood, you don't let the idea of crying foul creep into your head. It won't get honored, in fact you'll be laughed at as the opposition digs for reasons that he was in the right place and you just lacked the talent to score. Oh, the good ol' days...

The bad news is this trip took place because I felt like that's what we were dealing with in the first game of our tournament. It was like someone transported the Texas heat and locked it in this gym all day; you started sweating lacing up. Being from Texas, the heat doesn't really bother me much, so I made myself watch half of the game before mine, with the intention of scouting the other teams. That didn't take long. Pressure the ball handlers, make them shoot off the dribble, look to score in transition, and look for backdoor layup opportunities. Both were running a 5-out offense (which baffled me because they didn't cut hard or have anyone who wanted to beat their man off the dribble).  Maybe it was the heat, but that was probably the most stagnant game of basketball I've watched. But good thing I showed up, because I got to watch the officials. Why would you scout refs? They have the ability to control a game, so knowing what they look at, miss, temperament, easily influenced, et cetera could be the difference between winning and losing. The crew that night was not on the same page at all and were letting just about everything go.

The game ended and we were up next. As part of my pregame meeting, I told my guys to make sure they hydrated and that I'd do what I could to help them manage the heat so that they wouldn't have to play slower than we normally do to avoid problems. I also told them that they would be in for a physical game and to just play through the contact. Note to self - elaborate on what exactly that means next time...

Didn't take long before the officiating and heat got in our heads. Our pace was dreadful, we shot poorly from the field and the free throw line. Our defense was always two steps behind. At that point, I realized that if we were going to make any kind of run in a national tournament, our mental toughness had to improve. We've got guys who can take hits, so it's not a question of being afraid to get touched, but more so a question of when things don't go as we want or expect, can we find the will and determination to stay the course until it does.

The next day we had two games in the same oven, so I changed our pregame up a little. One thing I've learned from the high school coaches in our program, is that adjustments are paramount in tournaments. It's not just something the NBA does during playoffs, but even at our level, being able to adjust is huge. I had my guys stretch in a slightly cooler part of the school we were in. I also just talked to them about what it takes to  find wins at any level. I talked to them about what we as a group set out to do that one weekend when we started this journey. Then I probably blew all of their minds -

As much as I love you guys, the one thing I wish is that more of you would stop being so nice to everyone. The basketball court is a war zone. The only people you need to really be concerned with are the guys on your side; every thing else is just in your way. The other team, the refs, the crowd, and in this case, the heat - just obstacles. We obviously have to find some kind of compromise with the heat, and you leave that to me. The crowd is easy controllable with good defense and smart, efficient offense you'll have only supporters talking - the haters will shut up. The other team can be broken in the same way as we've done on several occasions.  The one thing I'm going to ask you to do at this point is to demand their surrender from the beginning. Don't drag it out and leave them with hope until the last 6 minutes. You go for the throat early. You set the tone by being aggressive and physical - for both the opponent and the officials.  If the refs let it turn into a street ball game, then you play street ball. If the ref does his job and calls it fair, then we play by the book.  They have to control the game or they won't be able to control the crowd, which never ends well for them. No more nice basketball. We're going to war.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are rules you have to follow, and we never want to see those malicious, dangerous fouls. But sometimes the only way to get a call is to be very, very physical. Put the ref in a tough situation where he has to call something. In the first game, there were a lot of times where we went to the basket without much conviction, got fouled and there was no call, and then on the other end the exact same thing resulted in an "and 1" situation. They were aggressive, we were not.

I guess my point got through (thanks to reminders during timeouts and half time, along with a "but don't kill anyone") as the next two games were just what we needed to test our new found toughness. The first game  was a back and forth game that looked like an old school tug of war game on field day. Just when the other team thought they had it with 2 minutes left we went on an 8 - 1 run to win. The same was true of the second game, just the ending was not as pleasant.  Back and forth the squads went, momentum swinging like the pendulum of a clock.

In the last 30 seconds, we were down one with the full length of the court in front of us. I get the ball just across half court to call a play looking for a back door cut into a layup (thanks BDG for the gem, by the way).  Only problem is our execution was terrible. We had time though so we looked for another opportunity. My point guard drove down the lane, got the defense to commit and dropped it off to my big man. If only he'd been ready for it...ball bounces off his fingertips and out of bounds. Eighteen seconds left, and we're in practically full ball denial.  The only option for the inbounder is their big, and we foul right away. The expression on his face, his teammates, and his coach said it all - he was a terrible free throw shooter.  We still had a chance! I put four guys on the blocks, the other coach only puts one, anticipating us to come down the court like lightning on the miss. First shot goes up, gets a friendly bounce and goes in, so we're down 2. Second shot goes up - bounce, bounce, off the left side of the rim! Yes!!! Wait, NO BOX OUT!! The one guy on the blocks gets it and tries to put up a shot, but gets fouled. He drains both, so we're down 4 with 13 seconds. I have two time outs, so I use one. I look at my point guard and tell him to get the ball and get it to me, I'll take the last time out to set up something. The other coach has his guys deny the ball just enough to keep us from rolling it to preserve clock, and we lose precious time because he opted to dribble it over rather than pass. These things happen, and I did tell him to bring the ball, so that's on me too. Have a quick teaching moment that next time pass because it's a lot faster and then draw up a play to get us a look at a three and bump the defender enough to hopefully get him to fly into the shooter just after the release so we can go to the line. The energy and excitement was there, but in enough of an excess that our execution failed yet again. We were able to get off a 3 at the buzzer, but there was no foul, and we lost by one

While it was tough to lose a heart breaker like that, the purpose of playing in the tournament was to get guys more opportunities to learn what to look for in special situations and more about ourselves as a team.  I would say, and quite proudly at that, we achieved both of those goals in that weekend. We fought through some pretty nasty situations in the last two games to remain competitive and at no point did it feel like we weren't trying to impose our will. It was even better because our second game was officiated by the same guys that did our first and they quickly realized that they were going to have to keep this under control and called a much better game. With one more tournament to go in preparation, I like the path we're on.

The Road to Zero Gravity: The Invitation

This Spring season, now that I have my own team to coach and opportunity to compete in a national event, I only found it fitting to record some of the events and the journey relating to it just as I did last Spring for the 17U team. The difference is that I'm starting a little earlier, since I know that I'm going. The next few blogs (and there will be a few between now and then) will be my attempt to have my first blog "series".  I'm not really up on all the blog lingo, so I'm not sure if that's even a legitimate thing or if it already has an uber cool name - but whatever. And now the world premier of...

The Road to Zero Gravity

(So yeah, that's not the most original title ever but I couldn't come up with anything. Open to suggestions though...)

Whether it's by rule or my own competitive nature and disgust with paying your way into things like this, I made it clear that we had to earn our ticket and invite. No trying to get by with a big enough check, sliding in as the New Jersey extension of the Zero Gravity circuit, or that we were sending so many other squads and we should just get to ride their coat tails. Though I'd be pissed about being the only coach not going, if we didn't get our invite, my team and I would be sitting at home doing nothing while the rest of the program was having a blast in Foxborough. In order to get the invitation, you had to win your division in a Zero Gravity event, and we had three on our schedule.


Event 1 - Hudson Valley Showdown

This event is one of those things that got lost in that period where my mind was a complete mess. It was early in the season and we were having rudimentary problems that just left me quite quite dumbfounded.  We made the drive and at times played terribly. The team was down on itself, from the top down. The good thing that came out of it, was all the driving gave everyone plenty of time to reflect. In our final game of the tournament with nothing to play for, we met and came to the consensus that everyone would find a way to help turn this ship around. We ended the meeting with the agreement that we were going to help the team we were playing, know that they could go home right after the game like us (we overheard a few of the parents talking about how inconvenient it was that they wouldn't know for a few hours whether they would advance - and we can't have inconvenienced parents, can we). Sure enough, we played our best game to that point and found new life, a renewed sense of confidence, and an enormous weight was lifted.

Event 2 - Spring Crossover

While things may have been a struggle between these two events (hence the Rocky Road post and lack of posts in between), we never what we wanted to do. We needed to win our division if we wanted to go to Foxborough, and we were running out of opportunities. We recognized that we let one slip away, and found ourselves working harder in the weeks coming up to it.  The week leading up to the event, we eliminated the distractions that had plagued us the weekend before. We came out and just balled like we were on a whole different planet. Ball movement was amazing, defense was suffocating, and we were hitting just about every shot that went up...at least during pool play.  Once we advanced out of our pool and got into the playoffs, the shooting seemed to cool off, which got in some of our heads and other things got a little sloppy. Nonetheless, we held it together enough to advance into the championship and earn our bid. Unfortunately, we ran into a beast in the championship and lost.

Event 3 - Garden State Classic

This event really didn't mean much for us in terms of getting an invitation, but we approached it as another opportunity to test ourselves against others who wanted to get their invitations and play on a national stage. In  essence, this was for confidence purposes. We finished the tournament well, but started off a little too sluggish and didn't get to advance out of our pool. We learned a lot about ourselves that weekend, and ultimately that's all we wanted from the event anyway (2 invites doesn't really mean much, it's like having 2 copies of the same movie).

Tournaments after our invite was secured served only as a way to build momentum leading into our national event. That momentum would be invaluable as most of these guys have never been on a national stage, and would need all the confidence, swag, or whatever the term you've coined for it is. Will we be the cartoon snowball that gains size, strength, and crushes all in its path? Tune in next time to find out!

Tomorrow...

I had a post all typed up, but then decided it probably wasn't  appropriate for what I'm trying to achieve here. Ctrl + A + Delete = Mature decision

I'll post tomorrow when I'm not fighting sleep while trying to eat and post.

To Play or Not to Play

Couple of administrative type things to get out of the way first...

Our Program Newsletter: May Edition - take a look: Click Here

Pancake Breakfast - Call the number on the flier or me for tickets: Click Here

And now to business.

We recently had a dinner event after a practice and I did something I rarely ever do - I sat down and had lengthy conversations with parents without being asked to discuss something. Don't get me wrong, I don't have it against the parents, just I got burned my first few years talking to parents about stuff, and just decided that it may be better for all parties involved to limit how much time we spend talking while I am their son's coach. Fortunately, I broke my own rule, sat down with the parents and we just hung out, talked about what's left of our season, and the like.

One part of the conversation that really struck me was that the parents were asking what our plan was for the next few weeks as we prepare for the Zero Gravity National tournament in Boston. I honestly hadn't quite decided what we were going to do as I was still trying to see if we wanted to play each weekend leading up to the tournament for momentum or play in one last tournament and then give them the weekend off to rest and recuperate. I know what you're thinking - you coach 8th graders, they don't need rest. I know that. But they do get burn out. Is was also my way of saying that I didn't want to kill the parents playing every weekend for the last 3 months with only 2 free weekends. In the past, I had parents complain about how busy the schedule was. I also had younger kids, and less experienced parents. Needless to say, the veteran parents - okay all of the parents - turned to me, looked at their kids, and then said, "Seriously, do you think they need a break?"

Well played, parents...

They then started throwing out all the reasons they wanted the boys to play. Momentum, staying active and engaged in the game, getting live game time experience with special situations and different styles of play and coaching. So yeah they won.  Which is good. I don't like off weekends. I get bored and then spend all weekend surfing the web looking at new gadgets and stuff that I really have no need to be looking at (or buying). I'd much rather be on a sideline somewhere. Besides, with some of the stuff that may be coming down the pike, I need every last opportunity I can to get better. Whether it's better with X's and O's, relating to my team, or even little details of the rules, I stand the chance to learn every time we play.

Maybe need to reevaluate my rule on parents.

Star Power

With the recent commotion regarding the Zen Master's (Phil Jackson for those that don't know) comments on Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) discussion has once again heated up. I typically stay out of such conversations because I feel like you can't compare across generations easily, and no one ever categorizes what is a requirement for being considered the GOAT. In essence, I could say Yao Ming was the greatest of all time, or Derek Fisher - just because it's currently, in most circles, an opinion based topic that requires zero substantial statistical backup.

In one recent discussion I was drawn in by some comments aimed at a friend and his stance on the subject. He came right out and said Jordan was a better player than Kobe, but he felt that Kobe was the GOAT because through all his accomplishments, he's still working hard while living in the shadow of His Airness and having done more than most in that discussion for a lot longer. Someone then said a few other names who could be thrown in there based on some other comments, and he went to say that he should be able to consider Tim Duncan in the conversation. I strongly disagree. While Duncan is a very fundamentally sound player with a great all star resume and a shoe-in Hall of Famer, he's been surrounded by a fairly decent cast through his career to help him achieve his best games.  To be among the GOAT's (in my OPINION), you have to have that star power that consistently forces teams to gameplan around you.  Kobe, LeBron, Rondo, Jordan, Westbrook - fit that in my opinion.  How often do you see teams play those guys straight up without demanding the help-side to attack them?  Duncan can be handled one on one.  Duncan is not a necessity for his team to win consistently (granted, they have a really good coach in San Antonio, which may hurt him in this particular argument).

As crazy as it may sound, you even have those guys at my level.  I have seen teams play like they have two different identities due to "that guy". In the past I would have denied this to a fault. "I believe in my guys, and as long as any 5 show up, we're going to battle." While that's partially true, I realize I may have been a little naive. I think I do a decent job of getting the guys to give it their all game in and game out, personnel plays a huge factor. I have that guy with the "star power" factor I mentioned above (I am not putting him in the GOAT conversation just yet mind you), and I've seen my team changed so drastically when he happens to miss a game. I coach the game the same way. I call the same plays. We just don't have that same edge, intensity, or fire like we do when he's there. He sets the tone on defense, and we find our way into more turnover and tough contested shots. His offensive ability to penetrate attracts the defense and he's got the willingness to make that extra pass to an open teammate. He is a game changer. His presence alone seems to give the team that little bit of cocky you need to compete. I see it on other teams in our program as well.  When they have that guy, the teams look to be on a completely different level.  Teams searching for that guy may play well, but struggle (I've coached a few of those).

Don't take any part of this post the wrong way. I'm talking about guys in high school and lower that may not see a minute of professional basketball or even Division I college ball. And I will not say that star power is the only factor to consider in the GOAT argument. One thing I can say with certainty is every coach knows what I'm talking about.  And the beauty of it is that "stars" are born every day. I wouldn't be surprised that because of being around a guy with star power and a little leadership, that a new star emerges. And in the case of star power, I'd have to give Kobe and Jordan a tie - but only in that case.

Rocky Road

So things in my life didn't level off like I thought they would.

It didn't level off for the team either.

It's been nothing short of your cliche "peaks and valleys" model.  We had a great couple of weekends of basketball, and then a total breakdown.

Times like these test your mettle, and they let you know more about who you are, providing that crucial understanding of who you are and what your identity is.  Some people fold, some people rise to the challenge, some people may even go as far as "evolving" into a completely different self altogether.  While I'm not sure which of these the team and I fall into yet, I will say that having my birthday roll through this turbulent period prompted me to do a quick reflection on things.

For those that don't already know, my disdain for having my name shortened comes out of respect for my father and all the things he's done for me.  While I'm not saying I was a terror child, I will admit dealing with me was not a simple task.  I'm sure he had moments where he couldn't be prouder of me and then I'd do something absolutely stupid and ridiculous that would probably have him asking if he'd been getting through to me or talking to a wall.  Through all of those less graceful moments, he always remained positive, inspiring, and never gave up on me.  I only have to deal with my team for, at most, 16 hours a week.  My dad put up with me for a lot longer.

One thing I always remember was that when I "slipped" he would always be there to explain what I did wrong and how much it disappointed him because he knew I was capable of so much more.  While it may not solve the issues at work or in the other areas of my personal life, it perfectly fits into the struggles we are having on the team.  Hopefully all the talks will pay off and we'll get back to playing with passion and intensity.  Time will tell, but if it worked for me, I'm sure I can find some success applying it to the team.

Finding Comfort in Discomfort

So yes.  It's been a while.  I intend to get back on schedule and post on my normal Monday evenings.

I want this place to be dedicated to coaching.  The struggles, the victories, the excitement, and the frustrations.  I realized I was not in the best mental space due to stresses on the job and that the purpose of my blog would have been corrupted by a few posts.  So I made the decision not to blog until I felt like I was ready and in a better place.

Then the season kicked in and we had our share of struggles.  Didn't really help.  Actually, let's just call it what it was.  I was a mess.  I felt like I couldn't do anything right, doubting myself, and just completely miserable.

I don't really know if a switch in my head flipped, or if someone said something, but I just suddenly found myself with less.  It hit me.  As much as I try to keep my two lives separate, that's a little naive.  When I see success and joy in one, the other seems to improve.  When one gets overworked and stressed, the ability of the other is weakened.  I hate that. Coaching was supposed to be my escape.  It was my place to put all the stresses of the "9-5" in a box and shut the lid tight.  You can't though.  You can control it to a point, but it's like all things in life - When the cup gets full, it's contents have to go somewhere.  Once we made that realization and accepted it.  Rather than split them entirely, I just made the decision to refocus the energy a little bit and became more determined to maintain a balance that had a more positive result.

It all rings true with the theme the team has come up with this season as we work collectively to learn from our mistakes and "right the ship" this season.  In essence, we all said we need to find our next level.  For them it's about thinking faster, executing sharper, and playing harder, but for me its about preparing, game time adjustments, and things like that.  But you have to be mentally ready, mentally committed, and when you get to that point where you find yourself wanting to be lazy, or take a shortcut, to have the conviction to stop yourself and refocus and push to the goal. It's been said that if you want to get to the next level, you have to be uncomfortable.  I was absolutely uncomfortable for about a month. Through that discomfort, I've learned, refocused, and seen improvements in my coaching ability (and yes things at work got a little better).  As we push through the season, the last few weeks of practice have sent the boys home practically exhausted, and most are actually sweating - but our play has seen improvement.  We're not where we want to be.  In fact, we're far from it. Once we adjust to the system, and the uncomfortable becomes comfortable, we'll have found our next level and have a season we can be proud of.

While it isn't something you want to do constantly at an extreme clip as I did, every now and then you need that jump start to encourage (or practically force) you to find that next level.  It's been a while since I felt that, and as a coach it was a nice reminder of what I'm asking players to do all season long.   It reminded me that to be effective, I have to not only encourage growth but take time to celebrate it so that players don't get to a point where they are overwhelmed as I was.