Seventeen weeks.
There were weeks of planning, lots of wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth, but after the seventeen weeks, our local community basketball league, of which I'm a board member and a coach for, has officially wrapped up their winter season.
Monday: With the impending doom of Millie's Spurs in the 3/4 Championship with the juggernaut Sixers on Saturday, it was all hands on deck. A few coaches reached out for extra practice time for their own championship teams, but Monday's always have an open invitation with our friendly neighborhood Bulls. As the other teams in the division would participate in free throw competition, we focused on the rules to help the Bulls coach organize his players and work on shooting in general. Todays fun fact: the janitors at the elementary school the Bulls practice at already though the league was finished and had no one scheduled for the evenings and everything set for the morning. A few quick phone calls remedied that, but it a nuisance. (Five girls showed up)
Tuesday: Between all the Tuesday practice teams getting knocked out of the playoffs, and the Boy/Cub Scouts cancelling their troop/pack, we got a two hour block to work on dribbling and working on our play "Donut" (essentially the Sixers were positioned too far apart and we worked on sprinting through the the giant hole and what options they had. (Four girls showed up)
Wednesday: Disaster! Even in the age of texting, whisper down the alley can occur, as we double booked gym time with another team! After 15 minutes, the other team was happy to give us half court. Lots of dribbling, foul shots, and work on "Donut." (Five girls showed up).
Thursday: Regular practice: Lots of running and 3-on-3's. Full team practice. Two fun facts: My center, Annika's mom, asked to use the open half to go over technique and options. I literally sat down and watched her go over item after with a cool demeanor, a quick explanation, and consistent feedback. As a guy who never played basketball, I was simply in awe at the way she described things I couldn't properly convey all season. I bowed to her superior knowledge and technique, but I already did that earlier this season. Second, while Annika's mom did her magic, the arch-nemesis Sixers were on the other half-court. I avoided doing my best Bellichek spying impersonation, but the one thing I could hear, was a simple warning to keep the game narrative, "The Spurs have practiced every night this week. We have to be ready for them, because their coming at us..." No matter what the outcome on Saturday, a great use of our practices to keep them hungry.
Friday: A special clinic by Annika's mom, continuing to re-translate my stupid guy-speak into coherent basketball speak for 10 years olds. I'm wildly appreciative of all the time she spent, and reminded her that Coach's sign-ups for next season start in September.
As a special treat, our special practiced was a bookend for Maja's team practice. Coach Rich was nice enough to let some of my interested girls help scrimmage. They held their own, although the biggest quote of the night was "They're.... so.... *pant pant* fast..." They're all moving up to that division next year, so it was a nice taste of things to come.
Oh year, Millie had her Hazleton game Friday night, scored a couple of points, and they won 16-0, BUT delays in the schedule meant she wasn't home asleep until past 11pm....
CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY!!!!!
Big day and a logistical nightmare. I left home with Millie for 7:30am for a quick Dunkin' stop before heading over to the high school to set up the for the day. Meanwhile, my wife need to take Maja to her 9:30 Hazleton game, rush back for Millie's game, and Maja's Hazleton coach would rush her back for Maja's 11am game. Piece of cake!
Quick notes on all the games:
3/4 Boys - Only blowout of the day, a 30-4 win, but there was a black mark on the winning team, not during the game, but the fact that they openly ignored requests to stay off the court during the free throw shooting contest. Only jerk children for the entire day, and the coaches were no where to be seen. Did I mention it's the division that's created the most division within the league?
3/4 Girls - Spurs vs Sixers - The Finale.
They all got to the high school early. I gave my best Kurt Russell Miracle speech (The Sixers and Soviet Hockey wore red, coincidence?) Despite us having to play across the court to use the adjustable 9-foot baskets, I made the girls run up and down the full length twice to warm-up. We didn't get the "death sentence" refs who tossed out half the high school division in the playoffs last week.
If you had told anyone that the team playing the Sixers lost 22-2 in a preseason scrimmage would be in the championship, some may laugh. If you added that they lost 32-8 in the playoffs, you might be even more confused.
If you told me that the Spurs would be leading at halftime 6-4, with points from the smallest girls, I wouldn't believe you, and I was there to see. it.
It was a great game. Even as the players were coming off the court at the end of the third quarter with an 8-8 tie, they were sweaty, they were tired, but they were smiling.
They played 28 minutes of basketball against the Sixers to a tie.
Alas, their games are 32 minutes long. One good lay-up, one top-notch defensive play, a lucky bounce, and a wide-open jumper, and we ended the dream with a 16-8 loss.
The girls played their hearts out, they still got second place trophies (I got a dinged up one for my desk at work.), and unlike a lot of the boys games, two minutes after the buzzer, took this picture.
We, as a division, got tons of compliments from other division with how intense our girls play basketball.
Even the Sixers were excited, if for no other reason than the proverbial sweat of their effort makes the trophies shine a little brighter.
Oh, and our friend the Bulls? Monday might have helped, as they won the free throw shooting contest!
5/6 Girls: The much anticipated championship game between Maja's Bucks and the Bulls and the full-length high school court. Maja comes off the bench on this team, and it was needed to stop the bleeding of an 8-2 Bulls run. The starters were simply flat-footed the first four minutes of the game.
They pulled to 10-6 at halftime, and slowly pulled away in the 17-13 lead by the middle of the fourth.
Then, Maja sat for the 4th. Now after coaching a season, I understand a team needs balanced talent in a league with required equal playing time, but I knew for my team I needed players to handle the press and make those clutch plays at critical moments The final subs allowed two clutch players and a couple hope and see attitudes. It's no surprise that the Bulls hit a three, the Bucks followed up with a quick basket, but in the waning minutes, the Bulls took advantage of lack of hussle and easily layed-up the go-ahead and eventually winning basket 20-19.
Maja didn't get a chance to be super-Maja, but regular Maja still netted 4 points, 4 rebounds, and an assist. No ref issues, my little line-up grumble above, but otherwise, the Bulls were the better team.
5/6 Boys - A solid, thrilling 20-17 win
7/8 Middle School - Three close quarters (within five) while the Nuggets pulled away to win by 13.
After the Middle School game, we held a little ceremony for our Director of Officiating, Luke. He started as a Junior Ref, a PIAA, and was now working scheduling the refs for all our games. He's graduated college and found a job for Referee Magazine out in Racine, Wisconsin. A little cake, a plaque, and a golden whistle for his efforts were well-deserved.
High School - I missed this one, as I helped out the snack bar, but another good game. I guess we're one of the few local rec leagues offering high school games, and while a few players do play on the high school boys and girls teams, most of the participants didn't make those teams, but they still enjoy playing basketball. Better yet, to hear how appreciative they are to still have a place a to play
Coach's Games - About 14 coaches volunteered to play in a game to finish off the day. I was helping clean up for most of it, but it was a fun 73-58 affair, complete with the kids acting as bench coaches.
After my first full season of MYBL as a parent, coach, and board member, I'm freaking exhausted. I'm taking two weeks off before we implement an off-season transition program for 2nd grade and 4th grade girls moving up to the next divisions, and continue to collaborate on a May/June/possibly ongoing off-season conditioning program. It will be directed for girls ages 9-12, so we're not talking extreme exercise, just something to get them some endurance and a little speed. Pretty soon it's our Summer league, and we'll be getting peppered with questions regarding next season.
My girls are pulled in twenty directions, but MYBL is where I want them to foucs on in the winter right now. It's fun, it's got teams with widely ranging talent, and most importantly, it's where there friends are. Sure they make new friends with AAU and travel teams, but it's a lot easier to coordinate transportation and just hanging out when the kids are right down the road.
Supportive Parent? Check
Board Member for Another Year? Check
Coach? 99% sure I'm retired 6-4 record as a head coach, 2-2 in the playoffs with a great run to the championship game? That's enough for me. I don't want to be learning basketball as I'm teaching it to the girls.
Still, somehow has proposed Millie playing up to Maja's division next year, or even playing up and still dominating the 3/4 division. That means a whole new team of Spurs. I might be (foolishly) willing to support that idea.
There were weeks of planning, lots of wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth, but after the seventeen weeks, our local community basketball league, of which I'm a board member and a coach for, has officially wrapped up their winter season.
Monday: With the impending doom of Millie's Spurs in the 3/4 Championship with the juggernaut Sixers on Saturday, it was all hands on deck. A few coaches reached out for extra practice time for their own championship teams, but Monday's always have an open invitation with our friendly neighborhood Bulls. As the other teams in the division would participate in free throw competition, we focused on the rules to help the Bulls coach organize his players and work on shooting in general. Todays fun fact: the janitors at the elementary school the Bulls practice at already though the league was finished and had no one scheduled for the evenings and everything set for the morning. A few quick phone calls remedied that, but it a nuisance. (Five girls showed up)
Tuesday: Between all the Tuesday practice teams getting knocked out of the playoffs, and the Boy/Cub Scouts cancelling their troop/pack, we got a two hour block to work on dribbling and working on our play "Donut" (essentially the Sixers were positioned too far apart and we worked on sprinting through the the giant hole and what options they had. (Four girls showed up)
Wednesday: Disaster! Even in the age of texting, whisper down the alley can occur, as we double booked gym time with another team! After 15 minutes, the other team was happy to give us half court. Lots of dribbling, foul shots, and work on "Donut." (Five girls showed up).
Thursday: Regular practice: Lots of running and 3-on-3's. Full team practice. Two fun facts: My center, Annika's mom, asked to use the open half to go over technique and options. I literally sat down and watched her go over item after with a cool demeanor, a quick explanation, and consistent feedback. As a guy who never played basketball, I was simply in awe at the way she described things I couldn't properly convey all season. I bowed to her superior knowledge and technique, but I already did that earlier this season. Second, while Annika's mom did her magic, the arch-nemesis Sixers were on the other half-court. I avoided doing my best Bellichek spying impersonation, but the one thing I could hear, was a simple warning to keep the game narrative, "The Spurs have practiced every night this week. We have to be ready for them, because their coming at us..." No matter what the outcome on Saturday, a great use of our practices to keep them hungry.
Friday: A special clinic by Annika's mom, continuing to re-translate my stupid guy-speak into coherent basketball speak for 10 years olds. I'm wildly appreciative of all the time she spent, and reminded her that Coach's sign-ups for next season start in September.
As a special treat, our special practiced was a bookend for Maja's team practice. Coach Rich was nice enough to let some of my interested girls help scrimmage. They held their own, although the biggest quote of the night was "They're.... so.... *pant pant* fast..." They're all moving up to that division next year, so it was a nice taste of things to come.
Oh year, Millie had her Hazleton game Friday night, scored a couple of points, and they won 16-0, BUT delays in the schedule meant she wasn't home asleep until past 11pm....
CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY!!!!!
Big day and a logistical nightmare. I left home with Millie for 7:30am for a quick Dunkin' stop before heading over to the high school to set up the for the day. Meanwhile, my wife need to take Maja to her 9:30 Hazleton game, rush back for Millie's game, and Maja's Hazleton coach would rush her back for Maja's 11am game. Piece of cake!
Quick notes on all the games:
3/4 Boys - Only blowout of the day, a 30-4 win, but there was a black mark on the winning team, not during the game, but the fact that they openly ignored requests to stay off the court during the free throw shooting contest. Only jerk children for the entire day, and the coaches were no where to be seen. Did I mention it's the division that's created the most division within the league?
3/4 Girls - Spurs vs Sixers - The Finale.
They all got to the high school early. I gave my best Kurt Russell Miracle speech (The Sixers and Soviet Hockey wore red, coincidence?) Despite us having to play across the court to use the adjustable 9-foot baskets, I made the girls run up and down the full length twice to warm-up. We didn't get the "death sentence" refs who tossed out half the high school division in the playoffs last week.
If you had told anyone that the team playing the Sixers lost 22-2 in a preseason scrimmage would be in the championship, some may laugh. If you added that they lost 32-8 in the playoffs, you might be even more confused.
If you told me that the Spurs would be leading at halftime 6-4, with points from the smallest girls, I wouldn't believe you, and I was there to see. it.
They played 28 minutes of basketball against the Sixers to a tie.
The girls played their hearts out, they still got second place trophies (I got a dinged up one for my desk at work.), and unlike a lot of the boys games, two minutes after the buzzer, took this picture.
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Even the Sixers were excited, if for no other reason than the proverbial sweat of their effort makes the trophies shine a little brighter.
Oh, and our friend the Bulls? Monday might have helped, as they won the free throw shooting contest!
5/6 Girls: The much anticipated championship game between Maja's Bucks and the Bulls and the full-length high school court. Maja comes off the bench on this team, and it was needed to stop the bleeding of an 8-2 Bulls run. The starters were simply flat-footed the first four minutes of the game.
They pulled to 10-6 at halftime, and slowly pulled away in the 17-13 lead by the middle of the fourth.
Maja didn't get a chance to be super-Maja, but regular Maja still netted 4 points, 4 rebounds, and an assist. No ref issues, my little line-up grumble above, but otherwise, the Bulls were the better team.
5/6 Boys - A solid, thrilling 20-17 win
7/8 Middle School - Three close quarters (within five) while the Nuggets pulled away to win by 13.
After the Middle School game, we held a little ceremony for our Director of Officiating, Luke. He started as a Junior Ref, a PIAA, and was now working scheduling the refs for all our games. He's graduated college and found a job for Referee Magazine out in Racine, Wisconsin. A little cake, a plaque, and a golden whistle for his efforts were well-deserved.
High School - I missed this one, as I helped out the snack bar, but another good game. I guess we're one of the few local rec leagues offering high school games, and while a few players do play on the high school boys and girls teams, most of the participants didn't make those teams, but they still enjoy playing basketball. Better yet, to hear how appreciative they are to still have a place a to play
Coach's Games - About 14 coaches volunteered to play in a game to finish off the day. I was helping clean up for most of it, but it was a fun 73-58 affair, complete with the kids acting as bench coaches.
After my first full season of MYBL as a parent, coach, and board member, I'm freaking exhausted. I'm taking two weeks off before we implement an off-season transition program for 2nd grade and 4th grade girls moving up to the next divisions, and continue to collaborate on a May/June/possibly ongoing off-season conditioning program. It will be directed for girls ages 9-12, so we're not talking extreme exercise, just something to get them some endurance and a little speed. Pretty soon it's our Summer league, and we'll be getting peppered with questions regarding next season.
My girls are pulled in twenty directions, but MYBL is where I want them to foucs on in the winter right now. It's fun, it's got teams with widely ranging talent, and most importantly, it's where there friends are. Sure they make new friends with AAU and travel teams, but it's a lot easier to coordinate transportation and just hanging out when the kids are right down the road.
Supportive Parent? Check
Board Member for Another Year? Check
Coach? 99% sure I'm retired 6-4 record as a head coach, 2-2 in the playoffs with a great run to the championship game? That's enough for me. I don't want to be learning basketball as I'm teaching it to the girls.
Still, somehow has proposed Millie playing up to Maja's division next year, or even playing up and still dominating the 3/4 division. That means a whole new team of Spurs. I might be (foolishly) willing to support that idea.
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