The game began with the Dallas team taking control, playing aggressive...It was as if they believed they were better. I was impressed. Now, right before the game, I was speaking with one of my players' parents, and I mentioned that I used to look too much into pregame warmups. For example, "I feel they are ready", or "They look flat." The truth is, you never really know how your team is going to play. So at least, when we started the game slow, I wasn't surprised. Everyone was a little nervous. After all, it was the Finals!!!
What made this game even more interesting was that everyone seemed to be rooting against us. The JCC was loud, and it felt like a road game. Also, not having Allie in the lineup was a huge loss. She is an excellent basketball player who gives 100% every second.
Despite the slow start in the first quarter, I could tell the girls were not going to back down. During an early timeout, I explained that the other team believed they were better than us, and they were bullying us on the court. All of the girls glanced at each other's eyes, and it was clear that they didn't agree with Dallas' opinion of us, nor the Baltimore girls', who were jeering us from the stands.
About midway through the second quarter, we found ourselves down 10. The all of a sudden, Lindsey B. began drawing fouls, getting us to the line, and making free throws. She then stepped back about five feet behind the 3-point line and nailed an unbelievable shot! For the first time, the momentum was on our side. Lindsey had brought us back. Despite being down at the half, the girls appeared to have gained control of the game. I really felt at this point, we had a strong chance of winning. I firmly believed that despite the Dallas team practicing since April, we had better players.
During halftime, Mark had worked worked with Danielle on the post for a few minutes, and that helped us in the second half. When the third qurater began, Sam F. kept taking the ball to the wing, and entering it down to Danielle, who would proceed to score. When she didn't, Emily E. was always in the perfect spot for the offensive rebound. Emily grabbed as many rebounds as any other girl in the tournament. She was all over the glass ever single game, and defensively, she covers shooters like a hawk.
As Danielle continued to dominate the game, Lindsey, Jen D, and Sam F. controlled the tempo, keeping it fast and exciting dribbling through double teams, unslefishly sharing the ball, and playing flawless defense. When Erica came into the game, she played great, giving us help both at the guard spot and the post. Erica does whatever she is asked with great effort, and she learned to play multiples positions in only one week.
Jen D. played the entire game, never showing signs of fatigue. She reminded me of a high school phenom just coming into college, but playing like an experienced senior. She simply won't let up, and alonside Sam F. and Lindsey, we were stronger than the Dallas backcourt.
After Danielle scored a late basket, we went up 6, and we felt we could pull away. Unfortunately, depsite our constant ability to keep Dallas from getting into the paint, they kept knocking down 3 pointer after 3 pointer. I was looking over at our bench at Sam A. thinking that I needed to get her into the game more. Sam A. had played well in the first half in her usual role, backing up her older sister, but I had not yet put her in during the second half. I let her know that we would need her at some point as we were in major foul trouble. She nodded that she would be ready. When she did come into the game, she played pivotal minutes knocking down a free throw, and of course grabbing rebounds. She had a great tournament.
The game came down to the wire with us down by 2. After a timeout, Danielle scored a basket to tie the game to send it into overtime. The only people making any noise now were our boys' team as the rest of the fans were silent in their dismay.
Before the overtime, the girls looked at each other once more, this time knowing they had come too far against difficult odds to not accomplish their goal. Danielle came out and scored the first basket of overtime, just seconds after telling the team in the huddle that we had to score first and take cotrol. I realized there that her 2 previous gold medals had given her the confidence to carry the team home. After a defensive stop, the girls broke pressure with Jen throwing a great lead pass to Sam F. who flew, and I mean flew down the sideline. As she was laying the ball in for 2, she let out a "wooooooooo" with excitment.
We maintained a lead throughout overtime, but after a few lucky bounces and accidental bankshots, we found ourselves down again. Jen then weaved through the defense like a veteran, this time without Lindsey and Sam F. who had fouled out. She sliced the lane to make a beautiful layup, giving us the lead for good. Even though Dallas once again knocked a 3 pointer to give them a cahnce to win, we confidently finished them off with free throws, knocking down one after the other like a championship team. Emily, Erica, and Sam A. hit huge ones, and Danielle hit almost every one, finishing with 33 points, her jersey number by the way. After Jen broke full court pressure for the fifth consecutive time, she was fouled with 2 seconds left, and we were only up by 1. During the final timeout, Jen asked if she should intentionally miss the second free throw starting the clock immediately, but I told her to try to make them. After missing the first she looked over at me, and I changed my mind asking her to miss the second shot, as she had suggested, feeling her strategy would work. She nodded and then came through with a bang off the rim. By the time Dallas got the ball and called time, there was not enough time for them to score, 0.2 seconds to be exact.
Now, I would rather lose every game than have a player on my team hurt their head, but that is not how the game works. After the game, we huddled up as a team for the last time. We recognized that we won the game without Allie. We had won the game for Allie!!! It was beautiful! The girls each received their gold medals. They earned it!!!
Friday, August 15, 2008
A Golden Victory!
As you probably know already, the girls won the gold! I will post all of the highligts later tonight! Great job Team Miami!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
These Girls are Amazing!!!
It is one thing to win...It is another thing to shut a team out for an entire half. I had never seen it happen...Well, that is what the girls did today. But, let's backtrack a little to yesterday. In our game vs. Baltimore yesterday, we were up twelve with 5 minutes to go in the first half when the head coach of Baltimore began to taunt Lindsey by sarcastically yelling at her to shoot. I immediately walked over to the opposing coach and said to him with a shocked look, "Did you just talk trash to one of my girls?" I said this repeatedly until the referee stopped the game and reprimanded this disgusting man. I do not mind losing games, but I do mind an intimidating unprofessional bully who calls himself a coach, and this was not acceptable. And how did Lindsey respond to this? She hit a half court shot at the buzzer of halftime. (By far the best shot in both the boys and girls' tournament) Okay...Back to today. We now are coincidentally playing the same team today in the semi-finals of the playoffs, and our girls did not forget what had happened. They came out in a full court press and dominated the game scoring baskets off of steals, and passing the ball like a professional team...AGAIN!
By halftime, we were winning 24-0. 24-0? Unreal. I am so proud of them. The second half went smoothly, and I do not even remember the score, but every possesion the girls passed to each other until they made a layup. They were weaving the ball around like a 1950's team...
Now I have some good experience teaching the game, but I have learned it is always the players who make it work. The girls are awesome basketball players. I was so amazed at each of their abilities, and more importantly, I was so happy for them to feel great about their team effort and individual plays as well.
We are at the point where I ask the girls what they want to do giving them guidance, but trusting them in how they feel about what plays we are running. It is as much fun as I have had coaching games since college, and that was in 2004. Here are some highlights:
Jen has played flawless defense creating turnovers, and her ball handling and passing are beyond her years. Her intensity is like a pro, and she is shooting the ball well.
Lindsey is similar to Jen, hitting 3's, leading the team in assists, and of course hit the shot of the week.
Emily has more rebounds than any girl in the Maccabi games, and she is the catalyst in our fast break. She also is as unselfish as any player around.
Erica is our most versatile player playing guard and forward, and always makes the extra pass. She is so dependable for a coach and has given up some of her scoring for the other girls, even though she is a strong shooter.
Danielle has dominated the game on defense not only blocking shots 10 feet out of bounds, but she is a constant presence in the paint scoring and rebounding.
Samantha A. has played great copying her older sister with scoring, rebounding, and blocking shots. She is a great teammate and has been a pleasant surpise as she has little experience playing ball.
Sam F. had her best game stealing the ball every few possesions, setting up her teammates at the point, and she scored at least four straight baskets in the second half today.
Allie has been our 6-man, coming off the bench with energy on defense and offense. She is one of the most intense players on the court, and she stepped in for a charge today and took a hard hit to the head. Despite missing the second half from the fall, she was a pivotal part of our halftime shutout, and I am so proud of her. Tomorrow she will miss the game as she has a mild concussion, but if it was up to her, she would play.
Once again, I am so proud of the girls and cannot wait until tomorrow for the finals at 10:30 at the Akron JCC. I will forever remember today thanks to them and win or lose tomorrow, I know that they are learning the game and getting better.
By halftime, we were winning 24-0. 24-0? Unreal. I am so proud of them. The second half went smoothly, and I do not even remember the score, but every possesion the girls passed to each other until they made a layup. They were weaving the ball around like a 1950's team...
Now I have some good experience teaching the game, but I have learned it is always the players who make it work. The girls are awesome basketball players. I was so amazed at each of their abilities, and more importantly, I was so happy for them to feel great about their team effort and individual plays as well.
We are at the point where I ask the girls what they want to do giving them guidance, but trusting them in how they feel about what plays we are running. It is as much fun as I have had coaching games since college, and that was in 2004. Here are some highlights:
Jen has played flawless defense creating turnovers, and her ball handling and passing are beyond her years. Her intensity is like a pro, and she is shooting the ball well.
Lindsey is similar to Jen, hitting 3's, leading the team in assists, and of course hit the shot of the week.
Emily has more rebounds than any girl in the Maccabi games, and she is the catalyst in our fast break. She also is as unselfish as any player around.
Erica is our most versatile player playing guard and forward, and always makes the extra pass. She is so dependable for a coach and has given up some of her scoring for the other girls, even though she is a strong shooter.
Danielle has dominated the game on defense not only blocking shots 10 feet out of bounds, but she is a constant presence in the paint scoring and rebounding.
Samantha A. has played great copying her older sister with scoring, rebounding, and blocking shots. She is a great teammate and has been a pleasant surpise as she has little experience playing ball.
Sam F. had her best game stealing the ball every few possesions, setting up her teammates at the point, and she scored at least four straight baskets in the second half today.
Allie has been our 6-man, coming off the bench with energy on defense and offense. She is one of the most intense players on the court, and she stepped in for a charge today and took a hard hit to the head. Despite missing the second half from the fall, she was a pivotal part of our halftime shutout, and I am so proud of her. Tomorrow she will miss the game as she has a mild concussion, but if it was up to her, she would play.
Once again, I am so proud of the girls and cannot wait until tomorrow for the finals at 10:30 at the Akron JCC. I will forever remember today thanks to them and win or lose tomorrow, I know that they are learning the game and getting better.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Quick Update
The girls played as well as any team I have coached today. They looked like a pro team passing the ball around and scoring off of inside and outside shots. We had two games. The first against a mediocre Cleveland team, and the second against a strong team from Baltimore. In the first game we went up 19-0 before finally letting up a basket. It was a great team defensive effort. The second game was just as good as the girls played a near perfect game highlighted by a true half court shot at the halftime buzzer by Lindsey.
It has been a very long day so I am off to bed, but I will write a full recap either tomorrow or Thursday detailing all of the girls' best moments. We have a playoff game tomorrow at 10:30 am. Looking forward to some rest!!!
It has been a very long day so I am off to bed, but I will write a full recap either tomorrow or Thursday detailing all of the girls' best moments. We have a playoff game tomorrow at 10:30 am. Looking forward to some rest!!!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Maccabi Games Day 1
Game 1: Dallas 42, Miami 41
After an early morning wakeup, the girls patiently waited for their 10:30 am game against a strong Dallas team. Dallas came out hitting their outside shots to take a 6 point lead led by a small point guard who was making it difficult for our guards to bring the ball up the court. Once we made some adjustments, Jen, Lindsey, Allie, and Sam began to pressure Dallas full court creating some turnovers and easy baskets. Emily and Erica were getting their hands on many loose balls allowing our team to come back and take the lead. Both Sam Amaya and Danielle were dominating the paint grabbing rebounds, blocking many shots and finishing layups. By halftime, we were winning 19 - 18.
In the second half, we continued to play better passing the ball around unselfishly, and avoiding mistakes despite the constant pressure defense by Dallas' small, but quick point guard. Emily was grabbing many rebounds as was Samantha A. and Danielle. Erica made some great defensive plays, while Sam Friedman, Lindsey, Jen, and Allie were moving the ball around creating easy baskets for each other as well as Danielle and Sam. As we came down the stretch of the game, it was back and forth with both teams trading baskets. It was clear to me that this game was going to be decided by whoever ran out of time first, meaning both teams were playing well, and it was up to who scored the last basket. With about ten seconds to go down by 1, Jen Deutch had a great look at a baseline runner only to see it go in and out. She made a great play to get the shot off, and as I told her, sometimes they fall and sometimes they do not. It is mostly luck of the roll or bounce that decides a close game. So...despite defeat, it is clear that our girls are as good as any team here in Akron. Fortunately, we are most likely going to play the Dallas team again in the finals giving us another chance to beat them, and that game is when it counts.
Not only did we give a great effort, but the other team's coach told me they had been practicing since April... That is 5 months vs. 6 days! Great Job Girls!!!
Our next game is at 8am tomorrow! More updates soon.
After an early morning wakeup, the girls patiently waited for their 10:30 am game against a strong Dallas team. Dallas came out hitting their outside shots to take a 6 point lead led by a small point guard who was making it difficult for our guards to bring the ball up the court. Once we made some adjustments, Jen, Lindsey, Allie, and Sam began to pressure Dallas full court creating some turnovers and easy baskets. Emily and Erica were getting their hands on many loose balls allowing our team to come back and take the lead. Both Sam Amaya and Danielle were dominating the paint grabbing rebounds, blocking many shots and finishing layups. By halftime, we were winning 19 - 18.
In the second half, we continued to play better passing the ball around unselfishly, and avoiding mistakes despite the constant pressure defense by Dallas' small, but quick point guard. Emily was grabbing many rebounds as was Samantha A. and Danielle. Erica made some great defensive plays, while Sam Friedman, Lindsey, Jen, and Allie were moving the ball around creating easy baskets for each other as well as Danielle and Sam. As we came down the stretch of the game, it was back and forth with both teams trading baskets. It was clear to me that this game was going to be decided by whoever ran out of time first, meaning both teams were playing well, and it was up to who scored the last basket. With about ten seconds to go down by 1, Jen Deutch had a great look at a baseline runner only to see it go in and out. She made a great play to get the shot off, and as I told her, sometimes they fall and sometimes they do not. It is mostly luck of the roll or bounce that decides a close game. So...despite defeat, it is clear that our girls are as good as any team here in Akron. Fortunately, we are most likely going to play the Dallas team again in the finals giving us another chance to beat them, and that game is when it counts.
Not only did we give a great effort, but the other team's coach told me they had been practicing since April... That is 5 months vs. 6 days! Great Job Girls!!!
Our next game is at 8am tomorrow! More updates soon.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Off to Ohio
Today I leave to Akron for the Maccabi games with the 16 and under Boys and Girls Teams from the JCC in Miami. I will be posting updates in the evenings following the progress of the girls. I am confident that we will have an incredibly fun week!!!
I feel there are two main goals for the team. We would like to win the Gold medal as that is why you play the games. If we do not, I want the girls to learn how to understand the difference between losing doing your best and losing by being afraid. If we can manage to play without being afraid of making mistakes, then we will have accomplished our goal as well. Time to depart!!!
I feel there are two main goals for the team. We would like to win the Gold medal as that is why you play the games. If we do not, I want the girls to learn how to understand the difference between losing doing your best and losing by being afraid. If we can manage to play without being afraid of making mistakes, then we will have accomplished our goal as well. Time to depart!!!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Camp Day 3
Great job by everyone today. I am so impressed with all of my campers.
Here we go!!!
Brian has showed great improvement in his shooting and always has a good attitude.
Andreu had a strong afternoon playing games and he has made some nice new friends.
Grace is so smart she already knows everyone's names and her shooting was awesome.
Jessica did great on her ball handling and has as good an attitude as anyone.
Noah is becoming a leader on the floor and always encourages his teammates.
Aditi makes more shots everyday and it the famous gitchie goomie today.
Matt continues to be an MVP on the floor and off, and he sustains this greatness for 8 hours.
Brett has become a solid ball player making shots, rebounding, and playing great defense.
Marcus K. is on is way to the NBA, as he is one of the more talented young players around!
Spencer manages to hit three pointers while guarded and also sustains his greatness for 8 hours.
Trevor has great suggestions for the coaches, always plays his hardest, and is a great teammate.
Tyler has improved on his defense, and also is shooting the ball very well.
Jessica L. is one of the best players I have seen her age, and she also has a great collection of autographs that she earned through her play in many prior camps.
Sean is a leader, and he has a strong athletic approach to the game always giving his best.
Madeline is always making everyone smile with her great sense of humor, but she also is an amazing athlete.
Jacob is on his way to being a star, and no matter what types of injuries he might face with his hustle, he always shakes it off and continues to play.
Marissa continues to improve her skills, always has a smile, and has a great knack of walking on her hands...Pretty Cool Marissa!
Baillieu is a coach or teacher's perfect kid. He is nice, an athlete, and everyone loves him.
Stephanie is everyone's all american. She is one of the best players in the camp, and everyone knows she is amazing at softball and volleyball as well.
Leo continues to surprise us with his great rebounding, and there is word that he is almost a blackbelt in Karate. Great job today Leo!
Josh hit a game winning shot yesterday, and he continued to play at a high level today. He also toughed out a couple of jammed fingers and kept playing!
Joshua S. played like an all star today, as he has improved in his ball handling and scoring.
Jacob S. has become one of the best ball handlers in the camp and always has a positive attitude.
Christian and his long arms is now starting to become more than a great defender. He has been scoring, and handling the ball very well.
Armando has the best attitude of any kid I have coached, always helping out and he is a very good player as well.
See you tomorrow fellas!
Here we go!!!
Brian has showed great improvement in his shooting and always has a good attitude.
Andreu had a strong afternoon playing games and he has made some nice new friends.
Grace is so smart she already knows everyone's names and her shooting was awesome.
Jessica did great on her ball handling and has as good an attitude as anyone.
Noah is becoming a leader on the floor and always encourages his teammates.
Aditi makes more shots everyday and it the famous gitchie goomie today.
Matt continues to be an MVP on the floor and off, and he sustains this greatness for 8 hours.
Brett has become a solid ball player making shots, rebounding, and playing great defense.
Marcus K. is on is way to the NBA, as he is one of the more talented young players around!
Spencer manages to hit three pointers while guarded and also sustains his greatness for 8 hours.
Trevor has great suggestions for the coaches, always plays his hardest, and is a great teammate.
Tyler has improved on his defense, and also is shooting the ball very well.
Jessica L. is one of the best players I have seen her age, and she also has a great collection of autographs that she earned through her play in many prior camps.
Sean is a leader, and he has a strong athletic approach to the game always giving his best.
Madeline is always making everyone smile with her great sense of humor, but she also is an amazing athlete.
Jacob is on his way to being a star, and no matter what types of injuries he might face with his hustle, he always shakes it off and continues to play.
Marissa continues to improve her skills, always has a smile, and has a great knack of walking on her hands...Pretty Cool Marissa!
Baillieu is a coach or teacher's perfect kid. He is nice, an athlete, and everyone loves him.
Stephanie is everyone's all american. She is one of the best players in the camp, and everyone knows she is amazing at softball and volleyball as well.
Leo continues to surprise us with his great rebounding, and there is word that he is almost a blackbelt in Karate. Great job today Leo!
Josh hit a game winning shot yesterday, and he continued to play at a high level today. He also toughed out a couple of jammed fingers and kept playing!
Joshua S. played like an all star today, as he has improved in his ball handling and scoring.
Jacob S. has become one of the best ball handlers in the camp and always has a positive attitude.
Christian and his long arms is now starting to become more than a great defender. He has been scoring, and handling the ball very well.
Armando has the best attitude of any kid I have coached, always helping out and he is a very good player as well.
See you tomorrow fellas!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Courts 1on1 Camp Day 1
Okay, so today was a great first day...Everyone played hard and learned something new about basketball. Most importantly, everyone was unselfish and encouraging towards each other! If your name is not here, please tell me tomorrow and we will get you in the next entry!
Sean was an animal on the glass, and he was very unselfish with the ball.
Madeline scored many baskets and was a leader on the court.
Spencer played hard all day and was always positive with his teammates.
Michael H. led his team in assists despite being such a great scorer.
Marcus K. was also a great passer, even though he has great scoring skills.
Jessica dominated the boys all day!!!
Noah was a great teammate, and he really showed mad ball handling skills.
Baillieu played the game with passion, and he was constantly encouraging his teammates.
Aditi shot the ball very well, and she was another great teammate.
Tyler had some great baskets in our shooting game, and he played great defense.
Jessica proved to be a great presence with her hustle and she always had a smile while playing. Great job Jessica.
Stephanie proved to be a greta all around player, scoring, rebounding, and playing great defense.
Trevor constantly showed that he is a gentle giant. A strong boy with a big heart. You did everything well Trevor.
Andreu played hard, hustled the entire game, and he learned about teamwork.
Matt S. is an all around star. Plays great D, shoots with the best of them, and is a leader.
Leonardo suprised us all with great rebounding, scoring and is a leader by example.
Josh S. shot the ball great and was encouraging towards his teammates.
Jacob S. also showed his great shooting touch, and was unselfish.
Jacob. T. had a great morning showing that he deserves an award for his hustle and great attitude.
Thanks for a great first day!!!
Sean was an animal on the glass, and he was very unselfish with the ball.
Madeline scored many baskets and was a leader on the court.
Spencer played hard all day and was always positive with his teammates.
Michael H. led his team in assists despite being such a great scorer.
Marcus K. was also a great passer, even though he has great scoring skills.
Jessica dominated the boys all day!!!
Noah was a great teammate, and he really showed mad ball handling skills.
Baillieu played the game with passion, and he was constantly encouraging his teammates.
Aditi shot the ball very well, and she was another great teammate.
Tyler had some great baskets in our shooting game, and he played great defense.
Jessica proved to be a great presence with her hustle and she always had a smile while playing. Great job Jessica.
Stephanie proved to be a greta all around player, scoring, rebounding, and playing great defense.
Trevor constantly showed that he is a gentle giant. A strong boy with a big heart. You did everything well Trevor.
Andreu played hard, hustled the entire game, and he learned about teamwork.
Matt S. is an all around star. Plays great D, shoots with the best of them, and is a leader.
Leonardo suprised us all with great rebounding, scoring and is a leader by example.
Josh S. shot the ball great and was encouraging towards his teammates.
Jacob S. also showed his great shooting touch, and was unselfish.
Jacob. T. had a great morning showing that he deserves an award for his hustle and great attitude.
Thanks for a great first day!!!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Balance, Balance, Balance
When watching the US team play recently, I noticed how every move a player made, they had full control of their body and were balanced at all times. This needs to become the focus of how to teach basketball to our youth. Any player can be effective if they continuously have balance and control of their body.
There are some great drills to practice making strong change of speed moved while keeping your balance. Feel free to email me if you would like to work on them.
In the meantime, STAY BALANCED!!!
There are some great drills to practice making strong change of speed moved while keeping your balance. Feel free to email me if you would like to work on them.
In the meantime, STAY BALANCED!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)