Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Austin Hatch
I finally got a chance to see Austin today. It's his birthday and he was hanging out with his friends in the cafeteria. I shook his hand and told him how happy I was that he was back with us. I can't imagine what his life has been like for the past few months and what it's going to be like for the years to come. But I do know that he might be as close to Superman as I ever get. I believe the Lord has huge plans in store for him. He is a reminder that life is too short and we should squeeze out every last bit of goodness that we can. Welcome back, big fella!
Monday, October 17, 2011
One week...
I woke up this morning feeling tired. Daughter Cassie called LATE last night (who looks forward to THAT call???) and wondered how I felt about her adopting a kitten that some of the girls had encountered. She's been bothering us about getting a pet down at college (something, by the way, that is not allowed in the dorms) and this was the latest attempt at doing so. After I tried (in vain - why did she even bother calling me?) to dissuade her from going down that path, I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, unable to get back to a restful slumber.
So, today's been a bit of a drag. The one thing that keeps perking me up from time to time, is when I see one of our ballplayers and we remind each other that practice starts in earnest one week from today. I spent quite a bit of time this past weekend on the phone with a half dozen college coaches, talking about the beginning of our seasons, comparing notes on teaching points, discussing talent, and sharing the optimism and enthusiasm that invariably emerges at this time of the year. No matter the level of coaching, we are all working from the same starting point. The kids have been putting in work and now it's time to begin providing the organization and vision to help them achieve success as a team.
Soon, the media requests will begin. The message boards will start to light up, as (mostly) anonymous pundits and fans will post about which teams are going to be strong and what players should be recognized and why doesn't the IHSAA do something about the latest travesty committed by the private schools against humanity. It's all very predictable and I only mention it because we get the opportunity to deal with it every year. We are fortunate that the media are interested in what we do and how we do it. We are fortunate that there are both fans and haters of our program. It means that people are actually paying attention to what we do. No matter the reason, they are still watching us. By any measure, that's an indicator of a successful operation.
One week from today, it all begins...
So, today's been a bit of a drag. The one thing that keeps perking me up from time to time, is when I see one of our ballplayers and we remind each other that practice starts in earnest one week from today. I spent quite a bit of time this past weekend on the phone with a half dozen college coaches, talking about the beginning of our seasons, comparing notes on teaching points, discussing talent, and sharing the optimism and enthusiasm that invariably emerges at this time of the year. No matter the level of coaching, we are all working from the same starting point. The kids have been putting in work and now it's time to begin providing the organization and vision to help them achieve success as a team.
Soon, the media requests will begin. The message boards will start to light up, as (mostly) anonymous pundits and fans will post about which teams are going to be strong and what players should be recognized and why doesn't the IHSAA do something about the latest travesty committed by the private schools against humanity. It's all very predictable and I only mention it because we get the opportunity to deal with it every year. We are fortunate that the media are interested in what we do and how we do it. We are fortunate that there are both fans and haters of our program. It means that people are actually paying attention to what we do. No matter the reason, they are still watching us. By any measure, that's an indicator of a successful operation.
One week from today, it all begins...
Monday, October 3, 2011
Open gym - 3 October 2011
We had a bit of a snafu today at open gym. I didn't think the boys were coming in to play (thought they were just conditioning) and Coach Kline didn't think we were coming in to play. So, we just put the side baskets down and ran side courts. The girls played 9-10 games against a couple different squads of freshman and sophomore boys, and overall the results were pretty good. The girls only lost one game, despite playing with just a single sub while the boys were able to rotate entire squads.
We are definitely going to need to set up a "scout team" similar to the one Danny McMahon organized last season. Being able to compete against bigger and stronger opponents will help us improve in the physical element of the game. At the moment, the girls are mostly just playing without a lot of organization. Practice opens three weeks from today, so we're looking forward to getting the entire squad in the gym and working off the same page. We have some dangerous offensive players, but we will need to concentrate on defense and rebounding, particularly without a space-eating center in the paint.
There's quite a bit of talent, but there's going to be a lot of coaching/teaching by the staff -- more than we did last year. As always, the goal will be to hit our stride in February and March and let the chips fall where they may.
"Whatever it takes!"
We are definitely going to need to set up a "scout team" similar to the one Danny McMahon organized last season. Being able to compete against bigger and stronger opponents will help us improve in the physical element of the game. At the moment, the girls are mostly just playing without a lot of organization. Practice opens three weeks from today, so we're looking forward to getting the entire squad in the gym and working off the same page. We have some dangerous offensive players, but we will need to concentrate on defense and rebounding, particularly without a space-eating center in the paint.
There's quite a bit of talent, but there's going to be a lot of coaching/teaching by the staff -- more than we did last year. As always, the goal will be to hit our stride in February and March and let the chips fall where they may.
"Whatever it takes!"
Team theme
I am not particularly clever, and like most basketball coaches, if I see something that I like, I commandeer ("steal" is such a negative concept) it for our own. Way back in the early 90s, we used a phrase "Whatever it takes" at Columbia City. It's pretty self-explanatory, and something we'll use a lot as we develop a mentally tough squad this season. It can assume a few different meanings, whether it means spending extra time in the gym shooting free throws, playing a new position, or making personal sacrifices for the good of the team. The implication is that we will all do whatever it takes to be successful, short of cheating or playing in a way that fails to honor the game.
We also will adopt one of my favorites from Tony Dungy: No Excuses, No Explanations. Again, it doesn't require much interpretation. We will play the game the way it's supposed to be played. We will support each other and enjoy the successes of the team with little or no concern for personal accolades. And, if we fail, we will handle ourselves with grace and class. There will neither be the need for excuses nor explanations; we did our best, we played our hardest, that's all we'll ever do.
I hope you get a chance to find us in a gym near you. I think we're going to be a lot of fun to watch. And we'll do whatever it takes...
We also will adopt one of my favorites from Tony Dungy: No Excuses, No Explanations. Again, it doesn't require much interpretation. We will play the game the way it's supposed to be played. We will support each other and enjoy the successes of the team with little or no concern for personal accolades. And, if we fail, we will handle ourselves with grace and class. There will neither be the need for excuses nor explanations; we did our best, we played our hardest, that's all we'll ever do.
I hope you get a chance to find us in a gym near you. I think we're going to be a lot of fun to watch. And we'll do whatever it takes...
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
2011-2012 Schedule
Follow the link to see our full schedule for the upcoming season...
Canterbury Lady Cavalier Basketball Schedule
Canterbury Lady Cavalier Basketball Schedule
T-minus one month and counting...
I am going to make a more concerted effort to use the blog this year to keep our fans updated on the activities of the team and the results of the season, from the perspective of the coaching staff.
Stay tuned to the blog for information and my current stream of consciousness...
Stay tuned to the blog for information and my current stream of consciousness...
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Blessings in a Backpack
Today was our annual team service project, packing food for the Blessings in a Backpack program at South Wayne Elementary School. After a slow start (who could have predicted dead batteries in BOTH of our mini-bus vehicles?), we made it to the school and had a good experience, talking and laughing while we stuffed over 200 bags with food designed to take the edge off of the hunger so many of those students experience over the weekends. It is simultaneously sad, yet heartening, when we consider what we're doing and why we're doing it. In a perfect world, no child would ever go hungry.
Because of the initial delay, we only had about 45 minutes of practice time left once we returned to school. The upside of having only 13 players is that we can get a lot more reps in over a shorter period of time. The downside is obvious - we're going to struggle to field both a varsity and a JV squad most nights. Two or three players makes the difference between everyone playing a lot vs. a good number of our younger kids suffering from a lack of playing time. I am very disappointed that we have not been able to sustain the typical 18-20 players we normally have. I guess there are lots of reasons why it's happening, but I don't think I buy most of them. The bottom line is that we have 13 kids who are playing hard and improving every night. The girls who have chosen to not play are providing more time for personal attention for the girls who are. We're going to serve them as well as we can, and I think the level of improvement we'll see this year will be very apparent.
Our practice time has been maximized by the addition of The Gun 8000. It's a computerized rebounding/passing machine that allows our shooters to get off dozens of shots in a short period of time without the typical rebounding/chasing that we've done in the past. Thanks to the generous support of Dr. Steve Hatch, we've got a new weapon in our practice arsenal. Some of our kids even stay after practice just to get a few more shots. It's pretty cool, and we really appreciate how useful it has been.
The jamboree is next Tuesday. We're looking forward to matching up against someone else, although I'm not sure how prepared we will be. This year will see a lot of teaching and (hopefully) learning. Our goal, as it always is, will be to have our team ready for a good tournament run. If we stay healthy, we will be fine.
Because of the initial delay, we only had about 45 minutes of practice time left once we returned to school. The upside of having only 13 players is that we can get a lot more reps in over a shorter period of time. The downside is obvious - we're going to struggle to field both a varsity and a JV squad most nights. Two or three players makes the difference between everyone playing a lot vs. a good number of our younger kids suffering from a lack of playing time. I am very disappointed that we have not been able to sustain the typical 18-20 players we normally have. I guess there are lots of reasons why it's happening, but I don't think I buy most of them. The bottom line is that we have 13 kids who are playing hard and improving every night. The girls who have chosen to not play are providing more time for personal attention for the girls who are. We're going to serve them as well as we can, and I think the level of improvement we'll see this year will be very apparent.
Our practice time has been maximized by the addition of The Gun 8000. It's a computerized rebounding/passing machine that allows our shooters to get off dozens of shots in a short period of time without the typical rebounding/chasing that we've done in the past. Thanks to the generous support of Dr. Steve Hatch, we've got a new weapon in our practice arsenal. Some of our kids even stay after practice just to get a few more shots. It's pretty cool, and we really appreciate how useful it has been.
The jamboree is next Tuesday. We're looking forward to matching up against someone else, although I'm not sure how prepared we will be. This year will see a lot of teaching and (hopefully) learning. Our goal, as it always is, will be to have our team ready for a good tournament run. If we stay healthy, we will be fine.
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