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.