My Coaching - Season 2

[SShorefan 3.0]

We had our grade 2 draft on Saturday.

First of all, I find something terribly wrong with drafting 2nd graders, but that's a whole other story.

so we've had our eye on Tyler since preschool, and we were really glad he slipped to the second round, we were going to trade up to get him, but the dinosaurs wanted 3 juice boxes, and we were only willing to give up 2

Laugh out loud and a TP --- but sadly closer to the truth than not.

[Kuberski33]

I have coached youth basketball for longer than I care to remember. Coached travel and town teams. Some times we won alot other teams not as much. The one thing I did learn however is that even though winning is great, the game needs to be fun for ALL the kids on the team. When I was much younger I coached a team that had a few dominate kids. My son was one of them. Either one could go for 30 and played great D. The only problem was I finally realized was the other kids weren't having fun watching these two scoring 80-90 precent of the points. They wanted to be involved also.
From what you wrote, I don't see you talking about the rest of the team. Maybe it was just an oversite, but I just suggesting you make it good for everyone. Not to mention I've seen a ton of kids who dominated in 7th and 8th grade and faded by high school. Your job should be to make sure that every player improves over the course of the year. Do that and the winning will come along with it.

Another coach here who has been doing it for a few years and I couldn't agree with you more.  Winning is great but what really matters is getting them all on the same page and making the entire experience fun for all involved.  20 years down the road, the kids forget about who won or lost -- but they remember both the real good coaches --and the real bad ones. 

Most of the bad ones I've seen be it in town or Travel stress the winning and embrace the stars - and forget about the weaker players. 

So you end up winning a few more games -- and having 2 or 3 parents hating your guts and their kids quitting the sport.  And they'll always remember who their last coach was......

[CelticBalla32]

We dominated today.

You know those two players I've been telling you about? Yeah, well they put on a clinic today and scored - no lie - 46 of our team's 48 points. One kid had 26, the other poured in 20.

3rd Quarter Points Allowed: 1. Again, no lie. One point. We ended up winning 48-34, but we did hold a lead as high as 21.

3-1

[celts55]

We dominated today.

You know those two players I've been telling you about? Yeah, well they put on a clinic today and scored - no lie - 46 of our team's 48 points. One kid had 26, the other poured in 20.

3rd Quarter Points Allowed: 1. Again, no lie. One point. We ended up winning 48-34, but we did hold a lead as high as 21.

3-1

Okay, so once again I ask, what was the reat of your team doing while these two scored all but 2 of the points? Please try to think about the other kids on your team. I'm sure it's not that much fun for them to watch the two "stars" score all the points. Teach them to pass and get the other kids involved. Believe me, it will be much more fun for all involved, and I bet you'll still win your share of games.
Remember, in a few years no one will remember who won these games, but the kids will remember the coaches who taught them something and made them better.
I still run into kids I coached years ago and have had some thank me for helping make tham a better player. Quite a few went on to make the high school team. It's not all about these two kids. 

[Mean Gerald Green]

Don't let Balla fool you, I'm pretty sure he's coaching 3-year-olds on a 6-foot plastic tyco hoop.

[CelticBalla32]

Update

We finished the regular season 7-1 (were originally supposed to play 9 games, but one was canceled due to snow).

Our first playoff game was intense. We ended up winning by four in overtime. It was such a great game. Some kid on the other team buried a BS Eddie House-esque high-arching three from the top of the key to tie the game with like two seconds left in regulation. Then the refs wouldn't give us a timeout even though we screamed it from the bench, as did my point guard on the court.

We were up by one point with a few seconds left in OT. One of my kids bulleted a one-handed Tom Brady pass to another kid on my team, who caught the ball a little past halfcourt... after a defender tipped it. He took it all the way to the basket and got an and-one. Made the free throw to put us up four with one second left. Game over.

Unbelievable.

Our second playoff game is tonight at 7:00.

[CoachBo]

Meh. As long as you're playing everyone and teaching the same package of fundamentals to everyone, you're doing your job.

[CelticBalla32]

Well, we squeaked by by four in game two. My two big guns were late for the game due to their school team's game, and we were down 12 at the end of the first quarter, but we rallied back.

Our next game is Saturday at 8 am. Getting up that early on a Saturday is going to suck.