Good note-taking at the end of this year, while memories are fresh, will help for next year.
1. Attend the coaches' meeting! It results in more prime pick of practice times and locations.
2. Sign up for two, two-hour practice slots immediately. We can always cut back if the parents disagree. Aim for either a Monday-Wednesday combination or Tuesday-Thursday, to allow adequate rest between practices and games (I enjoyed Monday-Wednesday better).
3. Avoid using the Y for practice, unless the entire team is deaf. There are two courts separated by a curtain, and a rattling running track circling above.
4. Using the first practice to test skills (speed, jumping, etc.) was good. Also use the first week of practice to have them work on individual fundamentals, in particular triple threat, shooting, and dribbling. Progress to "pair" fundamentals such as the pick-and-roll, ball denial, defensive-slide/pick-switching and rebounding. Team fundamentals such as defensive chatter in the lane, passing in-and-out of the lane.
5. Lay out the "no complaining rule" early. "Play like men" might be a good phrase. Assess penalties in scoring for violations of that rule. Tell the story of the two 25-point losses and how much more fun the second one was. I should respect you; you should respect each other.
6. The 1-3-1 defense worked well. It will probably work even better with a smaller team.
7. Offensively, we'll face a lot of man-to-man. We ran a 1-4 with pick-and-roll. For next year I think it would be good to add another option, having the opposite forward set a back screen for the guard. The "all shots within 15 feet" rule should go into place early, as should a "pass inside before a shot" rule.
8. Be aggressive without the ball. Since outside shooting is weak in this league, aggressive rebounding is a must at both ends of the court. And wings tend to stand around and wait on offense; preach finding an open spot (and of course, preach to pass the ball).
9. Find a scorekeeper early. Having a videographer helps too!
1 comment:
Another good idea is to scout the other teams and poach what players you can, by hook or by crook, before next season. When I was 8, players were being assigned to various teams in a crowded gym. Tim was assigned to a different team. Dad recognized the disorder and chaos, and simply walked over and led him away and to our team. We went undefeated.
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