So you go on the road to compete in a tournament. You win your pool. The kids have great team building and the hotel and watching Avatar in theatre. You meet the team that won your home tournament in this final. You have a chance to win your first tournament of the year to send a message to your conference competition. You have the most rest going into the final. You have every reason to go out and compete hard. You have every reason to be hungry for a win.
Yet for some reason teenagers can still come out flat, lethargic and unwilling to defend competitively. You end up scoring 92 points in regulation but still can't win because no one defends all game long. Then the long ride home.
I hate that ride. You should be moving on (the teens you travel with clearly have) and all you want is silence to mope in. You've debriefed after the game. You've talked about positives and negatives for individuals, but still all I want is that ride to be over.
Grrr . . . I thought coaches were supposed be above petty competitive issues like this. Still need to grow up some I guess.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Season Reflection #6 - Big Baby's
So apparently I can still let my emotions get the best of me.
We played the other night and it didn't go well in the first half. You can't give up 51 points in a high school half of basketball and expect to compete. That being said we were only down a dozen at half so we went to talk about. I went in and began detailing defensive adjustments we had to make in order to close the gap and positive things we needed to keep doing in order to maintain success on offense.
But I was mad.
(We interrupt this blog to remind the reader that has happned on many occassions I don't see the world like most people. When most coaches would think that their kids weren't playing well, or didn't understand, or weren't sharp or even were dumb I don't. My default position on everything in the universe is that if we cared more it would work. It you cared enough to try harder, cared enough to train better, cared enough to sacrifice yourself for the win, etc.)
So I was mad and under the surface was the looming - Why don't you care monster - and then I saw them. Player with their shoe laces undone, players with their heads down, players clearly upset with their playing time rather then the score. I stopped (snapped - no stopped) and said:
"Forget everything I just said its all bullS#&^ ! You know the real reason we can't stop these guys. Its the same reason my 6 month old daughter can't play high school boys basketball. Baby's can't defend at this level!"
That was it. Everyone playing their guts out felt like they needed to do more and looked emploringly at their teammates. Unfortunately the nature of being a "big baby" is that when someone calls you on it you sulk and make it worse.
Did I feel better? Sort of! Did the kids who wanted to say something but didn't feel like the elephant in the room was brought up and they could relax? Probably. Did the issues causing the defensive short comings get resolved? Mostly no!
The moral of the story is a common one with me and teens: what I say is not what they are hearing. What they are hearing is definitely not what I mean. The really real truth is that in the at moment I want to run and around screaming "you see, you see" because all the stuff I bring up in practice and in meetings about needing to care more and work harder to be successful become manifest when its on the line. The simple fact is that at that point me gloating, finger pointing, or doing anything except being positive isn't going to help the outcome.
At this level of sports their are only so many in game adjustments kids can make. The competitor in me needs to take a back seat to the grown up coach who needs to find a way to manage the game. Could I have done something else? Would it have made a difference in the outcome?
I think what coach Greenburg says is true: You can't be the motivator, the disciplinarian, the counsellor, the teacher, the cheer leader and the support strucuture. If you are everything you burn out and they have nothing to do. The problem is cultural I'm still trying to make kids that aren't self motivators motivated instead of addressing the issue that they need to train them to be self motivated. I need to have less responsibilty and invesment in the outcome then they do.
How do I get them to do that?
We played the other night and it didn't go well in the first half. You can't give up 51 points in a high school half of basketball and expect to compete. That being said we were only down a dozen at half so we went to talk about. I went in and began detailing defensive adjustments we had to make in order to close the gap and positive things we needed to keep doing in order to maintain success on offense.
But I was mad.
(We interrupt this blog to remind the reader that has happned on many occassions I don't see the world like most people. When most coaches would think that their kids weren't playing well, or didn't understand, or weren't sharp or even were dumb I don't. My default position on everything in the universe is that if we cared more it would work. It you cared enough to try harder, cared enough to train better, cared enough to sacrifice yourself for the win, etc.)
So I was mad and under the surface was the looming - Why don't you care monster - and then I saw them. Player with their shoe laces undone, players with their heads down, players clearly upset with their playing time rather then the score. I stopped (snapped - no stopped) and said:
"Forget everything I just said its all bullS#&^ ! You know the real reason we can't stop these guys. Its the same reason my 6 month old daughter can't play high school boys basketball. Baby's can't defend at this level!"
That was it. Everyone playing their guts out felt like they needed to do more and looked emploringly at their teammates. Unfortunately the nature of being a "big baby" is that when someone calls you on it you sulk and make it worse.
Did I feel better? Sort of! Did the kids who wanted to say something but didn't feel like the elephant in the room was brought up and they could relax? Probably. Did the issues causing the defensive short comings get resolved? Mostly no!
The moral of the story is a common one with me and teens: what I say is not what they are hearing. What they are hearing is definitely not what I mean. The really real truth is that in the at moment I want to run and around screaming "you see, you see" because all the stuff I bring up in practice and in meetings about needing to care more and work harder to be successful become manifest when its on the line. The simple fact is that at that point me gloating, finger pointing, or doing anything except being positive isn't going to help the outcome.
At this level of sports their are only so many in game adjustments kids can make. The competitor in me needs to take a back seat to the grown up coach who needs to find a way to manage the game. Could I have done something else? Would it have made a difference in the outcome?
I think what coach Greenburg says is true: You can't be the motivator, the disciplinarian, the counsellor, the teacher, the cheer leader and the support strucuture. If you are everything you burn out and they have nothing to do. The problem is cultural I'm still trying to make kids that aren't self motivators motivated instead of addressing the issue that they need to train them to be self motivated. I need to have less responsibilty and invesment in the outcome then they do.
How do I get them to do that?
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Season Reflection #5 - Level 2 vs Level 3
So we just got a butt whooppin handed to us yesterday.
These things happen when you take a border line AA playoff team to a gym with your family's name on it, to play the best AAA team in the province. It also happens worse when your best player stays home like a baby because he'd rather claim the sniffles then suck it up after you chewed him out last practice and sent him home. Then your next leading scorer sprains his ankle on the jump ball, and they aren't even jumping.
Needless to say it was a struggle being out athleted, minus our two kids who could score at this level and not being able to be deeper then a team we were playing for the first time all year.
As my valiant little guys kept getting blocked over and over again as they caught the ball on their basket cut into the CIS sized men waiting at the rim. All I could think of was a Dave Smart video where he is discussing screen situations. He talks about the basic theory of slipping or pinning your player after the screen and the level 2 by the book that makes sense. The difference between level 2 and level 3 is your 5'7 kid recognizing he's trying to pin or slip into the middle of 6'10's and needing to make a better read.
Today I saw how limited we are not only do we not understand the next level of read and react stuff, not only can't we scan to see the 2nd layer of d before making a decision, even if we could I'm not sure how we would adjust and still score. I guess step back and shoot longer shots we probably can't make. I hate zone. We might be the only team on the planet that you zone to get a 20 point lead and then go m2m to make it competitive for us.
These things happen when you take a border line AA playoff team to a gym with your family's name on it, to play the best AAA team in the province. It also happens worse when your best player stays home like a baby because he'd rather claim the sniffles then suck it up after you chewed him out last practice and sent him home. Then your next leading scorer sprains his ankle on the jump ball, and they aren't even jumping.
Needless to say it was a struggle being out athleted, minus our two kids who could score at this level and not being able to be deeper then a team we were playing for the first time all year.
As my valiant little guys kept getting blocked over and over again as they caught the ball on their basket cut into the CIS sized men waiting at the rim. All I could think of was a Dave Smart video where he is discussing screen situations. He talks about the basic theory of slipping or pinning your player after the screen and the level 2 by the book that makes sense. The difference between level 2 and level 3 is your 5'7 kid recognizing he's trying to pin or slip into the middle of 6'10's and needing to make a better read.
Today I saw how limited we are not only do we not understand the next level of read and react stuff, not only can't we scan to see the 2nd layer of d before making a decision, even if we could I'm not sure how we would adjust and still score. I guess step back and shoot longer shots we probably can't make. I hate zone. We might be the only team on the planet that you zone to get a 20 point lead and then go m2m to make it competitive for us.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Season Reflection #4 - Close
So two road losses to the top two teams in our division by a total of 5 points. So between last season and this that is the last 5 in conference road losses all by less than 6 points. Obviously my first reaction is always what can I do?
The reality is that we win and lose games over 40 minutes. We play up and down getting everyone in and out regularly. Though we play this way to promote depth there are regularly players in the game who are best streaky and and worst routinely weak. As a result our positive streaks do not outweigh our negative moments over the course of the game.
I would still trust my 8-12 more then all of our opponents 8 -12. Unfortunately we seem to never be able to take advantage of their 8-12 with our top kids they way their top kids take advantage of ours. We continue to play team ball to score, when their best player or two we'll smell blood in the water and go for a quick 4-6 points exploiting that. Our best kid will be a layup then pass the rest of the shift. We get more greedy when we miss shots then after we make them.
The short term solutions are paying closer attention to matchups or shortening the bench. The long term are to make the bottom 6 players closer in skills to the top 6 so their is no noticeable drop off when they go in the game.
This feels like the conversation I keep running in circles with in regards to how we play zone. We get all sorts of open shots that we can't make. I don't think we need a new zone offense, we need to be able to shoot the ball better. That can't happen over the course of a week, but I'm not willing sacrifice long term player development to beat some 15 year olds that want to stand in the key learning nothing about how to defend. Oh, except that we can't shoot and that may beat us.
The reality is that we win and lose games over 40 minutes. We play up and down getting everyone in and out regularly. Though we play this way to promote depth there are regularly players in the game who are best streaky and and worst routinely weak. As a result our positive streaks do not outweigh our negative moments over the course of the game.
I would still trust my 8-12 more then all of our opponents 8 -12. Unfortunately we seem to never be able to take advantage of their 8-12 with our top kids they way their top kids take advantage of ours. We continue to play team ball to score, when their best player or two we'll smell blood in the water and go for a quick 4-6 points exploiting that. Our best kid will be a layup then pass the rest of the shift. We get more greedy when we miss shots then after we make them.
The short term solutions are paying closer attention to matchups or shortening the bench. The long term are to make the bottom 6 players closer in skills to the top 6 so their is no noticeable drop off when they go in the game.
This feels like the conversation I keep running in circles with in regards to how we play zone. We get all sorts of open shots that we can't make. I don't think we need a new zone offense, we need to be able to shoot the ball better. That can't happen over the course of a week, but I'm not willing sacrifice long term player development to beat some 15 year olds that want to stand in the key learning nothing about how to defend. Oh, except that we can't shoot and that may beat us.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Season Reflection #3 - Song Time
We've instituted a pregame ritual this year. Before we leave for the floor we sing a doctored Version of Lukey's boat. Fundy's boat is not intended as a rallying cry but more as a commitment too each other. I figure if teenage guys will sing a silly song in front of each other then being comfortable communicating on the court shouldn't be a big deal?
Though what do you do if superstar won't sing along?
Fundy's boat is painted blue - Ha me boys!
Fundy's boat is painted blue, she's the prettiest boat I ever knew.
A ha me boys - a riddle I eh,
Fundy's boat's got a fine fore cuddy - ha me boys!
Fundy's boat's got a fine fore cuddy, and every inch is chinked with putty.
A ha me boys - a riddle I eh,
Fundy's boat has high top sails - ha me boys.
Fundy's boat has high top sails, the sheets are planted with copper nails.
A ha me boys - a riddle I eh.
Though what do you do if superstar won't sing along?
Fundy's boat is painted blue - Ha me boys!
Fundy's boat is painted blue, she's the prettiest boat I ever knew.
A ha me boys - a riddle I eh,
Fundy's boat's got a fine fore cuddy - ha me boys!
Fundy's boat's got a fine fore cuddy, and every inch is chinked with putty.
A ha me boys - a riddle I eh,
Fundy's boat has high top sails - ha me boys.
Fundy's boat has high top sails, the sheets are planted with copper nails.
A ha me boys - a riddle I eh.
Fundy's boat is painted blue - Ha me boys!
Fundy's boat is painted blue, she's the prettiest boat I ever knew.
A ha me boys - a riddle I eh,
Friday, November 27, 2009
Season Reflection #2 - Leadership
Bill Bradley once wrote:
Leadership means getting people to think, believe, see and do what they might not have without you. It means possessing the vision to set the right goal and the decisveness to pursue it single-mindedly. In means being aware of the fears and anxietyies felt by those you lead even as you urge them to overcome those fears. It can appear in a speech before hundreds of people or in a dilaogue with one other person - or simply by example.
I love this quote. It helps me to refocus when I get concerned over things beyond my control. The last few weeks I've been worried about our leadership in house. I've got 2 players who kids certainly look up to athletically and skill wise who will be ones with the ball in their hands in big moments, but neither of them are kids that other players look to emulate or support. Neither is the sort of kid the others would take a bullet for. On the other hand I've got a kid that every one loves, the emodies commitment and hard work but in big moments he won't even be able to get open let alone take over the game at either end because of his phsyical deficiencies.
The solution I continue to remind my self of is to identify the problem. If I think the problem is leadership then I need to define what leadership is and then go looking to see where we fall short.
In this light I don't have a leadership problem. I know exactly who everyone is looking to and whose attitude and performance makes people around them better. I know who our leader is and so do the kids. We just wish it was someone else. They'll do anything for that kid but he isn't the one charging them on to victory. We'll just have to hope Calvin Sampson isn't right and that your best player doesn't have to be your leader?
I've had other captains that weren't my best players have great moments of leadership (though in their defense they were a lot closer to being our top performer then this young person):
- We were in the midle of what would have been a huge upset on the road vs. the one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the province at any level. At half time we had let a 14 point lead slip away to end up tied at 53. This was primarly due to the best of their 4 university bound players deciding to take over and end the half going on a 14 point run himself culminating in a huge dunk. As I came into the locker room my captain was going round the room trying to keep kids fired up and saying "Just because he can dunk doesn't mean their pg won't keep turning it over!"
- I had a Captain that was facing an overtime game vs a cross town rival we'd never beaten. At that moment 3 of our best athletes told us they had to leave because they had an commitment to another sporting event. Instead of fighting or getting mad, my captain grabbed everyone else and said "Forget them. If they don't want to stay and win thats too bad, but we're all staying to win this." They did leave, and we did win.
- We had a freshmen on the line in our gym game tied 4 seconds left. He made the first, but back rimmed the second. The other team grabbed the defensive board and that palyer took 2 dribble towards half and heaved a 50+ footer that went in. On the way off the floor our captain went over and grabbed the freshmen saying "Hey, you won that game. If I'ld boxed a little harder and made someone else get the rebound that doesn't happen."
So I guess leadership isn't always about who you would get the ball too, though it wouldn't hurt if it could be. We'll have to see where we go from here.
Leadership means getting people to think, believe, see and do what they might not have without you. It means possessing the vision to set the right goal and the decisveness to pursue it single-mindedly. In means being aware of the fears and anxietyies felt by those you lead even as you urge them to overcome those fears. It can appear in a speech before hundreds of people or in a dilaogue with one other person - or simply by example.
I love this quote. It helps me to refocus when I get concerned over things beyond my control. The last few weeks I've been worried about our leadership in house. I've got 2 players who kids certainly look up to athletically and skill wise who will be ones with the ball in their hands in big moments, but neither of them are kids that other players look to emulate or support. Neither is the sort of kid the others would take a bullet for. On the other hand I've got a kid that every one loves, the emodies commitment and hard work but in big moments he won't even be able to get open let alone take over the game at either end because of his phsyical deficiencies.
The solution I continue to remind my self of is to identify the problem. If I think the problem is leadership then I need to define what leadership is and then go looking to see where we fall short.
In this light I don't have a leadership problem. I know exactly who everyone is looking to and whose attitude and performance makes people around them better. I know who our leader is and so do the kids. We just wish it was someone else. They'll do anything for that kid but he isn't the one charging them on to victory. We'll just have to hope Calvin Sampson isn't right and that your best player doesn't have to be your leader?
I've had other captains that weren't my best players have great moments of leadership (though in their defense they were a lot closer to being our top performer then this young person):
- We were in the midle of what would have been a huge upset on the road vs. the one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the province at any level. At half time we had let a 14 point lead slip away to end up tied at 53. This was primarly due to the best of their 4 university bound players deciding to take over and end the half going on a 14 point run himself culminating in a huge dunk. As I came into the locker room my captain was going round the room trying to keep kids fired up and saying "Just because he can dunk doesn't mean their pg won't keep turning it over!"
- I had a Captain that was facing an overtime game vs a cross town rival we'd never beaten. At that moment 3 of our best athletes told us they had to leave because they had an commitment to another sporting event. Instead of fighting or getting mad, my captain grabbed everyone else and said "Forget them. If they don't want to stay and win thats too bad, but we're all staying to win this." They did leave, and we did win.
- We had a freshmen on the line in our gym game tied 4 seconds left. He made the first, but back rimmed the second. The other team grabbed the defensive board and that palyer took 2 dribble towards half and heaved a 50+ footer that went in. On the way off the floor our captain went over and grabbed the freshmen saying "Hey, you won that game. If I'ld boxed a little harder and made someone else get the rebound that doesn't happen."
So I guess leadership isn't always about who you would get the ball too, though it wouldn't hurt if it could be. We'll have to see where we go from here.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Basketball Season Reflection #1 - Superstar
I'm not a superstar's coach. I preach 5 guys on offense working together the open guy will make the shot, 5 guys on defense will stop 1 ball, and we talk about our 12 being better then anyone elses best 5-6.
The truth is after all that is said and done I expect our best player(s) to the be the best players every single posseision.Is that unreasonable? Probably, but if you can't handle unreasonable then having any interaction with me is probably not going to go well.
This year I'm in a position with the kid who holds the keys to our kingdom's success being a phenominal athlete and talent. The only issue is that if he were any more relaxed I would have to water him.
I am not the sort of coach who is going to draw up plays to make sure so and so gets their shots. I expect the team on the floor (with consultation from me) to recognize the options available and get the player in the best situation to score the ball. What I face is we still have kids who can't make unconstested anything, and a kid who could play at the next level willing to defer to them.
I'm sure if I talked to my coaching colleagues about this I would get advice about winning the kid over, or giving him more responsibility, or even trying to find a connection to inspire him to greatness. The reality is we have a pretty good connection, and he does mean well, its just not a big deal to him. When I say "its" I mean everything, win/loss, score/shutout, getting yelled at getting hugged, its all the same so long as he's out there running around he's ok with that. If he's not out there running around he just sits back and waits for his turn.
What do you do with a superstar who's relaxed indifference would make the Budha jealous?
The truth is after all that is said and done I expect our best player(s) to the be the best players every single posseision.Is that unreasonable? Probably, but if you can't handle unreasonable then having any interaction with me is probably not going to go well.
This year I'm in a position with the kid who holds the keys to our kingdom's success being a phenominal athlete and talent. The only issue is that if he were any more relaxed I would have to water him.
I am not the sort of coach who is going to draw up plays to make sure so and so gets their shots. I expect the team on the floor (with consultation from me) to recognize the options available and get the player in the best situation to score the ball. What I face is we still have kids who can't make unconstested anything, and a kid who could play at the next level willing to defer to them.
I'm sure if I talked to my coaching colleagues about this I would get advice about winning the kid over, or giving him more responsibility, or even trying to find a connection to inspire him to greatness. The reality is we have a pretty good connection, and he does mean well, its just not a big deal to him. When I say "its" I mean everything, win/loss, score/shutout, getting yelled at getting hugged, its all the same so long as he's out there running around he's ok with that. If he's not out there running around he just sits back and waits for his turn.
What do you do with a superstar who's relaxed indifference would make the Budha jealous?
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