It's a really dark and negative rant this week. But first, the slight rays of sunshine.
The team Millie's team beat last weekend, the Bulls? With a horrible practice day (Monday) and multiple cancellations by the school they were far behind the other teams. The easiest solution was to open up our practice to them. We had Coach Pat and three of his players take us up on the offer, and we were able to get in some solid drills and some 5-on-5 scrimmaging before we ran out of time. The Bulls have extended the same courtesy to us on the their Mondays when the schedule opens up in January. It's a joint operation that benefits both teams and builds some camaraderie among the league's players.
The rest of the week was pure chaos and last-minute school events played havoc with practices and re-schedules. The coming ice and snow for this Monday and Tuesday have only complicated things worse. And as the scheduler, there's very little I can do.
My biggest problems as an administrator, a coach, and a parent of a player this week came from someone I'll simply label Coach C. Coach C and their spouse burst onto the scene in pre-season to coach two divisions and ask a million questions that could be easily found on the website. We suffered through the draft and constantly trying to get friends of their daughter. Now, a lot of our conversations are indicative of a coach, a player, or a family that has played elsewhere and are learning the ropes of the new league. While I don't want to be a full-time concierge it is my job as a Board member to assist them.
This week, however I was hit with:
Millie's Spurs had a huge undertaking to close out the late games, a basketball Ernie Banks: Let's play two!
In the first game, the Spurs size, experience, and listening to the coaches' drill from practice overwhelmed the younger, but resilient Warriors 16-1. The score isn't true to the spirit of the game. Both teams for aggressive and didn't back down an inch until the final whistle. We took advantage of more opportunities, and the the Warriors' couldn't get a shot in if they were lifted up a foot over the hoop and dropped it in from there. I anticipate a closer rematch in the near future.
I stalled for some time (including sweeping the court) to get a little extra rest for my players so the refs couldn't initiate the "games can start 15 minutes" early rule to it's full effect.
Game two was against Coach C. Even under some anonymity, I will withhold some comment, but my first impression of her coaching style was informing the greater tri-county area that every other Spurs dribble was the perfect opportunity for a trap. Their trap was moderately successful, although they scored a lot more points through our miscues after escaping them. It was a great tough game....
..before Millie came over to the sidelines crying from a flagrant elbow away from the ball. A little blood, no teeth knocked out, and no whistle. Millie needed to sit out the remaining portion until the next substitution, plus her own mandatory substitution time, which made thing a little dicey, but the girls played great and only gave up a 2-0 extension of the Coach C's lead.
By then the reports from my girls, the game was devolving into thuggery. Coach C had 6 girls who were playing with the same admired intensity of the Warriors, only they had a lot more talent and strategy. In hindsight, if the draft was held tonight, I would rank them much higher than I would have in October. I would be happy to have any of them on my team.
But the seventh player was a thug with a modicum of talent and a bit of speed due to height. She didn't seem to fit into the trap scheme and according to reports from four of my girls, spent the rest of her time kicking, elbowing, slapping, and punching without so much as a whistle. The junior official was worthless after a whistle in the second, and the senior adult ref (a state-sanctioned ref) was too busy watching dead ball travels on the perimeter and a few pushes to matter.
Millie even went up to the referee to state the conduct of the other player, and nothing was done, until the player verbally threatened Millie, and the ref sat both of them down.
I will say, at time, and given the utter lack of calls regarding the situation, sitting both was the right call to diffuse the situation. It was just done waaay too late.
The worst thing is, all this extra-circular BS had no true effect on the game's results. Coach C's team won 16-10 outside of these numerous incidents. It was a great, intense game before it turned into a debacle.
The last 36 hours have been a flurry of texts, e-mails, and calls to (1) apologize for my outbursts during and after the game. (2) working with other coaches in the league to corroborate that this behavior isn't a one-off incident (It wasn't. Three other players complained about over-the-top behavior by the player that wasn't called.... When 7 out of 21 opposing players can only make one complaint on sportsmanship and all the same player, there's a problem. And Coach C still hasn't played the best team in the league and a very vocal coach. I don't see this problem going away, and as a board member, I have an obligation to report what I saw, excuse myself from the formal proceedings due to the bias I have in the situation.
I'm not happy with the conduct of some of the officers, trying to smooth things over with the other coach (Who's still "furious" at the accusations). It's simple, regardless of parents, relatives, upbringing, it's up to the coach to control the actions of their players while on the court. Failure to be willing to address those situations one player is bigger statement on her coaching than all the hard work she put into the other six.
When I've get (purely anecdotally) remarks Coach C's players that they don't like and even slightly fear their Center because she always fouls out and intentionally hurts people, it's even more damning.
Win or lose, the biggest moment of the game, prior to Millie's elbow to the face, was our newest player scoring her first basketball. She grabbed a loose ball at half-court, and much like my other two surprises last week, dribbled all the way to the basket and made a textbook lay-up. I've only got one more player that needs to score and we'll get there.
And the Bulls? After blow-out after blow-out, they hung in tough against the top-ranked Sixers
Sunday was a day of hot tub moving with the league president (chewing his ear the entire time.. along with confirming the other coaches had issues with just that one player on that one team).
The girls had their friend (and center for the Spurs) over to for the afternoon and to travel to the Kingston Rec for travel team. Our 4th-6th grade team met forces against a very polished and professional team of all 6th graders from Dallas, but despite holding them scoreless for the first eight minutes of the game, Dallas' talent won over in convincing 38-9 fashion. Maja didn't score but got a lot a essential point guard time against a superior opponent.
And a funny thing, 36 minutes against a tough, older opponent at least a half-head taller than our girls, and the only injury was a bloody nose, from an errant rebound hitting her. No extraordinary measures by any player. The Dallas program knows how to run things professionally.
The team Millie's team beat last weekend, the Bulls? With a horrible practice day (Monday) and multiple cancellations by the school they were far behind the other teams. The easiest solution was to open up our practice to them. We had Coach Pat and three of his players take us up on the offer, and we were able to get in some solid drills and some 5-on-5 scrimmaging before we ran out of time. The Bulls have extended the same courtesy to us on the their Mondays when the schedule opens up in January. It's a joint operation that benefits both teams and builds some camaraderie among the league's players.
The rest of the week was pure chaos and last-minute school events played havoc with practices and re-schedules. The coming ice and snow for this Monday and Tuesday have only complicated things worse. And as the scheduler, there's very little I can do.
My biggest problems as an administrator, a coach, and a parent of a player this week came from someone I'll simply label Coach C. Coach C and their spouse burst onto the scene in pre-season to coach two divisions and ask a million questions that could be easily found on the website. We suffered through the draft and constantly trying to get friends of their daughter. Now, a lot of our conversations are indicative of a coach, a player, or a family that has played elsewhere and are learning the ropes of the new league. While I don't want to be a full-time concierge it is my job as a Board member to assist them.
This week, however I was hit with:
- Conniving to get a double practice, while swapping out their Wednesday practice, only to have that elementary school close for a concert. Then their first practice only had three players, and induced the ire of our 3/4 boys travel team coach. He accepted the need to fill a half court with a team due to the crazy schedule, but to waste it with three players when the travel team is afforded a full court to practice made him complain.
- Three separate complaints by parents of the coaches not following our substitution rule. Ran as much of an investigation as I could but couldn't confirm anything beyond the some in-game administrative slap on the wrist with some flimsy evidence. Two of the parents had kids on Coach C's team.
- And some reports that's the center on Coach C's team had a recent history of over aggressive "extra-ciricular" activity on the court.
But first Maja's Saturday:
Maja's 5th/6th grade team continued to dominate, overrunning the Lakers by 20. Maja played solid guard and lights out defense with a dozen+ steals, most of which were intercepting the same lackadaisical passes to the same spot.
Millie's Spurs had a huge undertaking to close out the late games, a basketball Ernie Banks: Let's play two!
In the first game, the Spurs size, experience, and listening to the coaches' drill from practice overwhelmed the younger, but resilient Warriors 16-1. The score isn't true to the spirit of the game. Both teams for aggressive and didn't back down an inch until the final whistle. We took advantage of more opportunities, and the the Warriors' couldn't get a shot in if they were lifted up a foot over the hoop and dropped it in from there. I anticipate a closer rematch in the near future.
I stalled for some time (including sweeping the court) to get a little extra rest for my players so the refs couldn't initiate the "games can start 15 minutes" early rule to it's full effect.
Game two was against Coach C. Even under some anonymity, I will withhold some comment, but my first impression of her coaching style was informing the greater tri-county area that every other Spurs dribble was the perfect opportunity for a trap. Their trap was moderately successful, although they scored a lot more points through our miscues after escaping them. It was a great tough game....
..before Millie came over to the sidelines crying from a flagrant elbow away from the ball. A little blood, no teeth knocked out, and no whistle. Millie needed to sit out the remaining portion until the next substitution, plus her own mandatory substitution time, which made thing a little dicey, but the girls played great and only gave up a 2-0 extension of the Coach C's lead.
By then the reports from my girls, the game was devolving into thuggery. Coach C had 6 girls who were playing with the same admired intensity of the Warriors, only they had a lot more talent and strategy. In hindsight, if the draft was held tonight, I would rank them much higher than I would have in October. I would be happy to have any of them on my team.
But the seventh player was a thug with a modicum of talent and a bit of speed due to height. She didn't seem to fit into the trap scheme and according to reports from four of my girls, spent the rest of her time kicking, elbowing, slapping, and punching without so much as a whistle. The junior official was worthless after a whistle in the second, and the senior adult ref (a state-sanctioned ref) was too busy watching dead ball travels on the perimeter and a few pushes to matter.
Millie even went up to the referee to state the conduct of the other player, and nothing was done, until the player verbally threatened Millie, and the ref sat both of them down.
I will say, at time, and given the utter lack of calls regarding the situation, sitting both was the right call to diffuse the situation. It was just done waaay too late.
The worst thing is, all this extra-circular BS had no true effect on the game's results. Coach C's team won 16-10 outside of these numerous incidents. It was a great, intense game before it turned into a debacle.
The last 36 hours have been a flurry of texts, e-mails, and calls to (1) apologize for my outbursts during and after the game. (2) working with other coaches in the league to corroborate that this behavior isn't a one-off incident (It wasn't. Three other players complained about over-the-top behavior by the player that wasn't called.... When 7 out of 21 opposing players can only make one complaint on sportsmanship and all the same player, there's a problem. And Coach C still hasn't played the best team in the league and a very vocal coach. I don't see this problem going away, and as a board member, I have an obligation to report what I saw, excuse myself from the formal proceedings due to the bias I have in the situation.
I'm not happy with the conduct of some of the officers, trying to smooth things over with the other coach (Who's still "furious" at the accusations). It's simple, regardless of parents, relatives, upbringing, it's up to the coach to control the actions of their players while on the court. Failure to be willing to address those situations one player is bigger statement on her coaching than all the hard work she put into the other six.
When I've get (purely anecdotally) remarks Coach C's players that they don't like and even slightly fear their Center because she always fouls out and intentionally hurts people, it's even more damning.
Win or lose, the biggest moment of the game, prior to Millie's elbow to the face, was our newest player scoring her first basketball. She grabbed a loose ball at half-court, and much like my other two surprises last week, dribbled all the way to the basket and made a textbook lay-up. I've only got one more player that needs to score and we'll get there.
And the Bulls? After blow-out after blow-out, they hung in tough against the top-ranked Sixers
Sunday was a day of hot tub moving with the league president (chewing his ear the entire time.. along with confirming the other coaches had issues with just that one player on that one team).
The girls had their friend (and center for the Spurs) over to for the afternoon and to travel to the Kingston Rec for travel team. Our 4th-6th grade team met forces against a very polished and professional team of all 6th graders from Dallas, but despite holding them scoreless for the first eight minutes of the game, Dallas' talent won over in convincing 38-9 fashion. Maja didn't score but got a lot a essential point guard time against a superior opponent.
And a funny thing, 36 minutes against a tough, older opponent at least a half-head taller than our girls, and the only injury was a bloody nose, from an errant rebound hitting her. No extraordinary measures by any player. The Dallas program knows how to run things professionally.
No comments:
Post a Comment