We're deep into the basketball season now, with travel games for school, and all the schedules out for all the other leagues.
The Rec League (as a board member): It's funny, the usual high strung age groups (re: parents) are pretty chill this year. With the exception of the "Where are the uniforms?" question, which I immediately tell them to contact the league president (who is the only one who knows what's going on). They're overall happy just to be playing on the court.
The Biddy parents/coaches (1st and 2nd grade) are holy terrors. Demanding equal playing time as the high schoolers, demanding equal practice time (with COVID quarantines and Thanksgiving holidays closing school 7 out of 10 Biddy teams demanded alternative practice time. Only 5 of the 20 3rd-6th grade teams even asked), and generally being the self-entitled parents from day one. It's a shame, the 2nd grader's parents seemed totally awesome when they were Kindergarten pre-COVID. The pandemic turned them in Karens and Kyles.
The schedule worked out, with only one or two minor issues (the Biddy divisions adding time to their games, which in turn made half of the afternoons game late. The school district just made masks optional last week, but I'd like to avoid extra crowds at the gyms, if at all possible.
Maja:
Maja had four games originally on her schedule, two games for the 7th grade team over the weekend, and two away games for the Freshman team, with destinations an hour-plus drive away.
The 7th and 8th grade games all are played at the regional vo-tech school. It's a relatively central location, parking is great and the snack bar is inexpensive for the kids. With half the 7th graders normally practicing as the Freshman team, this was the first chance since tryouts to have everyone together.
On Saturday they group boarded the bus and drove up to the vo-tech to play a very depleted and raw Wyoming Valley West team. After seeing Maja's AAU teammate make their 8th grade team (and the top notch 8th graders all make their Freshmen team, there wasn't much left to work with.
First game was a win for Maja's team 42-5. Maja got in every stat category except a block. Even the 8th grade team got a four-point win against the West 8th graders (minus Maja's friend).
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| A snapshot from the video of Maja's first basket |
Their second game was first thing Sunday morning against a slightly better Wyoming Seminary team. We had seen them the day before take a pretty decent squad to the final minute, so we knew it wouldn't be a cake walk.
It was more of pie walk, then, as the players took control early and never looked back, 30-12.
With Maja getting six points between the two games, and bunch of rebounds, and a lot of time filling in for the star Center, there was little to complain about with two dominating performances by a talented team.
The 8th graders played their counterpart from Wyoming Seminary, and with many of the Sem's players on both squads, lost their game 26-23.
For Freshmen, we discovered the Thursday game in Williamsport was cancelled for the Freshmen, but there was still a Tuesday game out in the middle of remote coal country. We left a half-hour after the bus to only have Maja call us ten minutes to the high school to let us know there would be no game: the girl's basketball team there didn't have a Freshman program at all!
Their first Freshmen game is now Monday, at home, against a local rival who hopefully has a team.
7th/8th site rescheduled this weekend's game, thanks to a COVID scare, so the weekend gets a little bit easier.
Millie:
(a) Millie's AAU league is a strange assortment of 3rd-7th grade girls with pedigrees up and down the spectrum. With conflicting times, she only played a half, scored four points, and had to rush to her rec league game.
(b)... which we were late for tip-off, so Millie got her mandatory four minute sit in early. Unfortunately, by the time she checked in, it was already 8-0 to the other "hated" team. The team was a mess, with one player missing, and another making her first team appearance at the game. Still, the other hteam only eeked out a 13-12 score for the remainder of the game, so 21-12 isn't so bad.
(c) The travel team had it's eyes looking at a tougher opponent for next week, and did NOT suffer for it. Rather, they rolled over the Wyoming Seminary 5th grade team, 34-1... and it could have been soooo much worse, if they had hit their shots early. A talented Freeland squad will be ready for them this Sunday, and if that goes better than expected, there's an overloaded 6th grade team from Berwick ready that should humble them.
(d) West Hazleton's schedule just came out this week. Season starts January 8th and runs through March. I see some potential conflicts, and a few logistical nightmares, but if both girls want to play, I'm not saying no.
This weekend is still crazy:
Saturday:
- 9:00 - Maja's 9th grade practice
- 2:00 - Millie's Rec League
- 3:00 - My 3/4 Boys coaching swan song, I hope.
- 3:20 - Millie's AAU League (full game)
Sunday:
- 11:00 - Maja's 9th grade practice
- 6:30 - Millie's Travel Team game.
The Adopted 3/4 Boys Team (More like Foster Care Now)
I thought I could turn over the keys to the team to the parent (and new head coach), but they're out of town this weekend. I managed to half-coach this time to a 27-24 loss. Coaching 3/4 Boys is a lot like 3/4 Girls: nobody can hear a word your saying. Luckily the big guy on the team willed at least 16 of those points, the one Indian kid on the kid actually listens AND hits free throws for four, and I've got a long range sniper who's 2-for-2 from three-point land, but has trouble with a lay-up.
I make no guarantees anything I coached those boys will sink in this season, but I actually tried to teach the team a play to run. It was very reminiscent of the play Maja's team ran where she scored her first points, feeding it the to the big guy and giving him options of drive, shoot, and pass to open teammates. It fell completely apart in the scrimmage we played, but some of the kids got the concept of moving around. Others.... not so much.
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