The set-up: At the end of last season of the local rec league my girls play in, I cornered the league president and offered to volunteer.
1) I'm now the Vice-President of the league, in charge of schedules and background checks for all the volunteers.
2) As my youngest, Millie, moves up to the all-girls division finally, I took it upon myself to coach for the first time since I helped some hurdlers back at my high school around 1993.
3) Millie's female coach from last year volunteered to help, and we managed to draft a solid team with early draft picks and the only the good random lottery pick of the girls who couldn't attend tryouts.
4) Millie's former coach has a hectic schedule all by herself, plus she is now pregnant. Our third coach is much more vocal than I am, but he was also a coach on the one team last year that didn't win a game in the 3/4 girls division.
With all that out of the way, our first practice was Thursday, and while other teams were trying (badly) at their first practice to try set-up game simulations, I focused on evaluating more skills than the tryouts entailed, some lay-ups and jump shots, and a LOT of running.
Of course, the powers that be on the board decided to have our first scrimmages between teams the following Saturday, two days after the first practice. In truth, it's more of a dry run for the junior referee program, but still, you have kids coming out for basketball for the first time getting an hour practice and getting thrown at the wolves in a game.
We played the returning 4th grade players from the team Maja played on last year and got trounced accordingly 28-4. If I had any condolences from that game, it was that they had previously scrimmaged another decent team and beat them by the same score. Everyone knows who the villain in the 3/4 girls division will be this year.
With a short rest before our second scrimmage, we took the girls aside, reassured them that they had played a great team and they were something to aspire to. The parents (including my wife) were a bit incensed by my apparent relaxed attitude and gave plenty of suggestions. I ignored most of it and we went out against a different team that was short players, but had picked up a few quality extra players so we could continue with 5-on-5 (completely within league rules). With the odds a little better in our favor, we won a last second 6-4 slobberknocker of game.
Lucky for me, there's no games next weekend, so not only can I personally get down to Fall-In!, but we'll have time to focus on two practices before the next game (against the really good 28-4 squad). I know the flaws of those players (and boy, do they have flaws), we just need time to correct our issues, build on what little practice we've gotten, and attempt a more respectable result on the 23rd.
Pre-season record as a coach: 1-1
Millie: 0 pts games 1, all 6 points in game 2.
1) I'm now the Vice-President of the league, in charge of schedules and background checks for all the volunteers.
2) As my youngest, Millie, moves up to the all-girls division finally, I took it upon myself to coach for the first time since I helped some hurdlers back at my high school around 1993.
3) Millie's female coach from last year volunteered to help, and we managed to draft a solid team with early draft picks and the only the good random lottery pick of the girls who couldn't attend tryouts.
4) Millie's former coach has a hectic schedule all by herself, plus she is now pregnant. Our third coach is much more vocal than I am, but he was also a coach on the one team last year that didn't win a game in the 3/4 girls division.
With all that out of the way, our first practice was Thursday, and while other teams were trying (badly) at their first practice to try set-up game simulations, I focused on evaluating more skills than the tryouts entailed, some lay-ups and jump shots, and a LOT of running.
Of course, the powers that be on the board decided to have our first scrimmages between teams the following Saturday, two days after the first practice. In truth, it's more of a dry run for the junior referee program, but still, you have kids coming out for basketball for the first time getting an hour practice and getting thrown at the wolves in a game.
We played the returning 4th grade players from the team Maja played on last year and got trounced accordingly 28-4. If I had any condolences from that game, it was that they had previously scrimmaged another decent team and beat them by the same score. Everyone knows who the villain in the 3/4 girls division will be this year.
With a short rest before our second scrimmage, we took the girls aside, reassured them that they had played a great team and they were something to aspire to. The parents (including my wife) were a bit incensed by my apparent relaxed attitude and gave plenty of suggestions. I ignored most of it and we went out against a different team that was short players, but had picked up a few quality extra players so we could continue with 5-on-5 (completely within league rules). With the odds a little better in our favor, we won a last second 6-4 slobberknocker of game.
Lucky for me, there's no games next weekend, so not only can I personally get down to Fall-In!, but we'll have time to focus on two practices before the next game (against the really good 28-4 squad). I know the flaws of those players (and boy, do they have flaws), we just need time to correct our issues, build on what little practice we've gotten, and attempt a more respectable result on the 23rd.
Pre-season record as a coach: 1-1
Millie: 0 pts games 1, all 6 points in game 2.
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