Pivoting. Footwork.
Leverage. Getting low.
Balance. Sealing off your man.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Basics: Boxing Out
Anyone remember this? Coach Jimmy Miyasaka (Cal Poly Pomona shooting guard 2006-09) walking the Thunder through a box-out drill at Kahala Park during a summer practice.
Pivoting. Footwork.
Pivoting. Footwork.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Manage time or time will manage you
It's one thing to play in the summer, (partly) free from academic responsibilities. Now, in late September with school in full gear, there are a few of our guys who are struggling with one or more classes. It's good that a few of us are getting extra help. Not everybody is excellent in every single class during high school.
But I do know how easy it is to let the hours wind around the clock without getting any homework done. By the time you guys get to college, you'll have a much better grasp of time management out of necessity. However, it's much, much better for you to get a grasp of your schedule, day by day and hour by hour, right now while you're still finding your niche as a student-athlete.
That's why I looked up this simple jpeg form. Do yourself a HUGE FAVOR and keep a regular schedule for yourself. Block off time for homework and be specific about which class and whether it's the initial homework or you're double-checking. (You do double-check everything, right? Not double-checking is as bad as not hitting the boards to rebound. A must.)
Also block off time for meals, relaxing (TV, internet, video games), basketball practice and pick-up games, hanging out (movies, etc.). Block off everything and be diligent. Every hourly block should be marked, even if it is simply "vegging out" or "watching TV". Nothing will form perfectly, 100%, but having a schedule keeps you IN CHARGE of your life and your results to a large, large degree.
Print and post. There's no reason why we all can't do better work. Just takes some will power and organization.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Reminder: Practice is at Kahala Park
And for the rest of the season. HUGE MAHALO to Coach Tes Whitlock and John Wade for providing us access to Holy Nativity Gym. I'm going to miss that place.
Practice at Kahala Park, 4-6 p.m. from today on.
Practice at Kahala Park, 4-6 p.m. from today on.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Practice at Kahala, no gym
Thunder Alert: Practice is at Kahala Park the rest of the season. Gym time is pau. Sad but it's not available now. We were born on the blacktop, so back we go...
Practice 4-6 p.m., Kahala Park.
Practice 4-6 p.m., Kahala Park.
Thunder-KBB post-game: We must be doing something right
I spent the rest of Sunday, after the game, editing video of football games I've covered, working the weekly Top 10 polls (work) and, finally, examining the video of our game with KBB.
We did some things well. We had better ball movement against their zone defense. We moved our feet more defensively. Not perfectly and all the time, but we're getting much better at it.
Things to improve on? We still have a habit of leaving our feet offensively for no reason other than to pass. That gives any defender an extra split-second to read you, and when we did it, it resulted in turnovers. Always best to stay on two feet, use your brain and a fake or two instead of jumping and throwing the ball away.
When we did take care of the ball, we got quality shots most of the time. That's one aspect I like. We have a better sense of shot selection than a lot of the high school varsity teams I've seen over the years.
Overall, though, the key was our hustle on both ends of the floor. KBB was a young team, but disciplined and fundamentally sound, as all of Coach Ed's teams and players are. His son, Kainoa, wasn't Player of the Year in high school basketball last year for nothin'.
Beyond all that, the one thing I know we can't control is the officiating, and I've gone to lengths with the league director and the officials to correct what seems to be a decline in good positioning (yes, refs have to get in position, too) and basic reflexes. By that I mean sometimes a rusty or past-his-prime referee will miss calls that are in plain view, not more than 5 feet away.
When that happens, as was the case when Blake got elbowed on the head on a low-post shot and there was no call, there's really nothing a coach can do except bring it up, which I did during the time out that followed. Quality is varied when it comes to officials; some work hard to improve and others stagnate before declining quickly.
Any time you realize that a call hasn't been made properly, just remember that players have no choice but to adjust to the game officials, not vice-versa. That's why I'm proud of you guys. Things didn't always go our way, but you kept playing hard and never lost your cool.
As for any further discussion with the league director, Greydon, about the dropoff in officating in our past two games, LET ME HANDLE IT. I've already done one DVD on our previous game. I'm going to put another one together for yesterday's game since there were at least six questionable-to-blatant non-calls.
As a former age-group and ILH intermediate summer league referee, I know it's not easy. But it's also wrong to simply ignore sub-par officiating. It has to be dealt with, not just for the referee's sake — maybe he really does need to get his eyes checked — but for the players' sake most of all.
Even when things aren't looking so bright, we find the light, Thunder. We find the light.
See you guys at Kahala Park on Tuesday, 4 p.m.
We did some things well. We had better ball movement against their zone defense. We moved our feet more defensively. Not perfectly and all the time, but we're getting much better at it.
Things to improve on? We still have a habit of leaving our feet offensively for no reason other than to pass. That gives any defender an extra split-second to read you, and when we did it, it resulted in turnovers. Always best to stay on two feet, use your brain and a fake or two instead of jumping and throwing the ball away.
When we did take care of the ball, we got quality shots most of the time. That's one aspect I like. We have a better sense of shot selection than a lot of the high school varsity teams I've seen over the years.
Overall, though, the key was our hustle on both ends of the floor. KBB was a young team, but disciplined and fundamentally sound, as all of Coach Ed's teams and players are. His son, Kainoa, wasn't Player of the Year in high school basketball last year for nothin'.
Beyond all that, the one thing I know we can't control is the officiating, and I've gone to lengths with the league director and the officials to correct what seems to be a decline in good positioning (yes, refs have to get in position, too) and basic reflexes. By that I mean sometimes a rusty or past-his-prime referee will miss calls that are in plain view, not more than 5 feet away.
When that happens, as was the case when Blake got elbowed on the head on a low-post shot and there was no call, there's really nothing a coach can do except bring it up, which I did during the time out that followed. Quality is varied when it comes to officials; some work hard to improve and others stagnate before declining quickly.
Any time you realize that a call hasn't been made properly, just remember that players have no choice but to adjust to the game officials, not vice-versa. That's why I'm proud of you guys. Things didn't always go our way, but you kept playing hard and never lost your cool.
As for any further discussion with the league director, Greydon, about the dropoff in officating in our past two games, LET ME HANDLE IT. I've already done one DVD on our previous game. I'm going to put another one together for yesterday's game since there were at least six questionable-to-blatant non-calls.
As a former age-group and ILH intermediate summer league referee, I know it's not easy. But it's also wrong to simply ignore sub-par officiating. It has to be dealt with, not just for the referee's sake — maybe he really does need to get his eyes checked — but for the players' sake most of all.
Even when things aren't looking so bright, we find the light, Thunder. We find the light.
See you guys at Kahala Park on Tuesday, 4 p.m.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Saturday shootaround: 10:30 am-noon
Back to Kahala Park in the morning for some basics. Some of us need to sharpen our footwork on the low post. Others need to square up properly and complete shots in balance (as opposed to leaning or fading away). There's just a lot of little things that can be accomplished with a simple shootaround.
Then there's shave ice if the Pop Warner booth is there, and they say they'll be there in the morning. Hope to see you guys there.
Then there's shave ice if the Pop Warner booth is there, and they say they'll be there in the morning. Hope to see you guys there.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Game story: Southside 45, Thunder 42
HONOLULU — The Diamond Head Thunder rallied from a five-point deficit to tie the game with 2:35 left, but Southside scored the final three points, all at the foul line, for a 45-42 win on Sunday at McKinley Student Council Gym.
Southside (5-0) remained unbeaten in Compete and Learn (CAL) 15-under play. The Thunder dropped to 3-2 despite 16 points by Blake Wade.
With just five players to start the game, Southside showed signs of wilting against the Thunder fastbreak. Keanu Vela (nine points, seven boards) and Eliet Donley (seven points) helped point guard Randon Oda push the tempo.
Vela had five assists in the first half, mostly on feeds to Wade and Donley for open perimeter shots. Blake was a force on the low post in the second half, but untimely turnovers cost the Thunder opportunities. The game was tied at 42-all when they missed on a low-post fadeaway shot, a 3-point try and another low-post shot, in addition to a turnover on the break.
Southside needs a win this Sunday against KBB to secure a playoff berth. Tip-off is at 10:10 a.m. Pre-game is 9:30 a.m.
Southside (5-0) remained unbeaten in Compete and Learn (CAL) 15-under play. The Thunder dropped to 3-2 despite 16 points by Blake Wade.
With just five players to start the game, Southside showed signs of wilting against the Thunder fastbreak. Keanu Vela (nine points, seven boards) and Eliet Donley (seven points) helped point guard Randon Oda push the tempo.
Vela had five assists in the first half, mostly on feeds to Wade and Donley for open perimeter shots. Blake was a force on the low post in the second half, but untimely turnovers cost the Thunder opportunities. The game was tied at 42-all when they missed on a low-post fadeaway shot, a 3-point try and another low-post shot, in addition to a turnover on the break.
Southside needs a win this Sunday against KBB to secure a playoff berth. Tip-off is at 10:10 a.m. Pre-game is 9:30 a.m.
NCAA Scoreboard - Diamond Head Thunder (3-1) vs. Southside (4-0)
McKinley Student Council Gym
McKinley Student Council Gym
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Monday, September 20, 2010
Game Video: Thunder vs. Southside
Four parts, and please keep it in the family. No reposting the video please.
Lot of good stuff. See you guys at practice tomorrow!
(Thursday, Sept. 23: Just reposted the game video with newly added text (scoring, roster). Enjoy!)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Lot of good stuff. See you guys at practice tomorrow!
(Thursday, Sept. 23: Just reposted the game video with newly added text (scoring, roster). Enjoy!)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Thunder Update: Officiating on video
Had a good shootaround with Josh at Salt Lake Park tonight, squeezed it in (40 minutes) in the middle of his studying. It's all about diligence and working on everything on a daily basis, and he's willing to do the hard work. That's all any coach or parent could ask for.
I have not examined the entire game video yet. Had some work today and was out of the house most of the time. But I did take a look at the final 30 seconds or so, and sure enough, just as I saw from the bench during the game, Keanu was fouled clearly on his 3-point shot from the right wing with about 22 seconds left. We were down 43-42 at the time, and since the official didn't blow his whistle, there was no foul called.
It's NOT the reason we lost. Turnovers were too plentiful in the second half, to be sure, but I feel all right about our outstanding defense and hustle, plus the fastbreak was rolling and some guys were hitting shots all day.
But the video will come in handy. I've already clipped that non-call on Keanu's 3-point shot, put it unlisted on YouTube and sent the link to the CAL League director. The reason I'm sharing this with you guys is so you know you don't have to fret or be concerned about the way so many non-calls affected our game today with Southside. I'm going to deal with that. You guys just keep working hard and having fun. DO NOT FORGET ... THE JOY OF THE GAME IS IN YOUR HEARTS. Nothing can change that, not bad officiating or whatever.
Let me handle that. The video evidence is more than enough (I'm going to collect all the non-calls — forearm shots to the gut, body checks, etc. — and send them to the league), and hopefully it will help the league filter out officials who are not up to par. I expect it will help because the league director is very open and honest, and like any other parent or coach, he wants the best for all of the kids. He really does.
Time to hit the gym. Coach needs to get off his lazy okole and play some hoops!
I have not examined the entire game video yet. Had some work today and was out of the house most of the time. But I did take a look at the final 30 seconds or so, and sure enough, just as I saw from the bench during the game, Keanu was fouled clearly on his 3-point shot from the right wing with about 22 seconds left. We were down 43-42 at the time, and since the official didn't blow his whistle, there was no foul called.
It's NOT the reason we lost. Turnovers were too plentiful in the second half, to be sure, but I feel all right about our outstanding defense and hustle, plus the fastbreak was rolling and some guys were hitting shots all day.
But the video will come in handy. I've already clipped that non-call on Keanu's 3-point shot, put it unlisted on YouTube and sent the link to the CAL League director. The reason I'm sharing this with you guys is so you know you don't have to fret or be concerned about the way so many non-calls affected our game today with Southside. I'm going to deal with that. You guys just keep working hard and having fun. DO NOT FORGET ... THE JOY OF THE GAME IS IN YOUR HEARTS. Nothing can change that, not bad officiating or whatever.
Let me handle that. The video evidence is more than enough (I'm going to collect all the non-calls — forearm shots to the gut, body checks, etc. — and send them to the league), and hopefully it will help the league filter out officials who are not up to par. I expect it will help because the league director is very open and honest, and like any other parent or coach, he wants the best for all of the kids. He really does.
Time to hit the gym. Coach needs to get off his lazy okole and play some hoops!
Thunder-Southside post-game
Can't feel bad about today's game even though it's another close loss. Thunder, we did so many things right today. Shot well, rebounded decent, covered a good shooting team with our man defense fairly well. I just hope we get to play Southside (and the Sharks) again in the playoffs.
For now, we'll keep working on all the little things. Sure, we're a little younger than most of these teams. Means nothing to me. You know in your heart exactly what our potential is regardless of age. Reaching that potential is as realistic for us as it is for any team in our league, if not more so, because of one crucial ingredient: heart. I think we have more than any team, and as experience and chemistry kick in for us, it's just a matter of time before we reach a new level.
It's clear to me that the guys who put in the extra time on their own have really stepped up. The payoff is almost immediate. For those guys who don't put in extra time to improve their games, I really recommend that you find the time and build a strong foundation. It will give you a head start going into tryouts for your school teams when November arrives.
Remember, if you're sitting around and loafing, someone else is out there working on their handles, their pull-up jumper, their footwork and jab steps, their 3-pointers, their high- and low-post moves ... Your destiny is in your hands.
This week, we'll have another new emphasis: taking care of the ball. We had a few too many turnovers today, but it's very correctible without losing our fastbreak momentum. I love the way we ran the floor. You guys were not just great at times, but a whole lotta fun to watch. Good job, Thunder!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Saturday shootaround: 10:30 am-noon
Just a quick note: We'll have shootaround at 10:30 a.m., Kahala Park. I'll bring the Gatorade and water.
If Pop Warner games are on that day at the park, I'm buying shave ice. Maybe chili bowls.
That's all!
If Pop Warner games are on that day at the park, I'm buying shave ice. Maybe chili bowls.
That's all!
Almost 90 minutes of effort
Good practice, Thunder. Once we got settled down and focused on the work at hand, excellent work was done. I just hope we get started faster on Sunday than we did today. VRROOOM VRROOOOM ...
I couldn't emphasize it any more than I did during practice, but I'll try again anyway. On Sunday, we will push, push, push the ball. We will be quick. We won't rush. Quick without rushing or hurrying. It is very possible to push the tempo and play intelligently at the same time.
I think today was a good demonstration in the importance of transition DEFENSE, or recognizing that half the battle is won there. Running the fastbreak isn't hard. It's fun. But getting back on defense, there was quite a bit of lagging, especially by the second scrimmage today.
It's all good, though. Getting ready for the rest of the season means being balanced and being able to play at any tempo. We have the slower and moderate tempos down pretty good. We've shown that we can go uptempo at times. Looking forward to Sunday's challenge.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
From one elite student-athlete to you
Jaymason Lee is one of the top quarterbacks in the state and has been for two years now.
He's a good student (3.0 GPA) and a co-captain of the Castle Knights. He's passionate about his sport, dedicated to his craft. He spent every Sunday in the past two offseasons working with the premier quarterbacks coach in the state, coming into town from the Windward side diligently.
What does he think younger athletes need to do? Here's what he told me:
"For younger kids, I’d say keep working. When the other quarterbacks are at the beach or movies, you gotta be the one that’s still training."
Football, basketball ... the sport doesn't really matter. Dedication, work ethic, intelligent preparation ... those matter.
Football, basketball ... the sport doesn't really matter. Dedication, work ethic, intelligent preparation ... those matter.
Put your track shoes on
Ample warning for all Thunder: We are going to run, run and run on Sunday. If you think we're going to walk it up every single time against a team with a slow-footed 6-foot-7 center, you is craaaazy!
We're going to push that tempo every time. Get an easy shot on the low post. Layups. Open outside shots. If it's not there off the fastbreak, we'll still run our offense. But we are pushing to start every possession.
I recommend that everybody do some running today, Friday and some light running on Saturday in preparation. Two to three miles each day until Saturday would be wise if you guys are serious about reaching potential as a team this week.
We've gotten better on defense. The shooting is coming along — Blake, your extra work is paying off well. We're taking better care of the ball. We're even running the floor a little more. But what I want on Sunday is to put serious pressure on our opponent by running every time, before their center can get back and before they can even set up any of their presses.
We will be the aggressor on both ends of the floor. Lightning and Thunder.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Game story: Thunder 40, Kapolei 28
HONOLULU—Keanu Vela scored 14 points and Blake Wade added 10 as the Diamond Head Thunder rallied for a 40-28 win over Kapolei on Sunday.
The Thunder improved to 3-1 in CAL Basketball League (15U) play despite another slow start. Vela, who also had a game-high 12 rebounds, had eight points in the first half to help his team stay within range. Kapolei led 17-14 at halftime.
Wade, who shot 5-for-9, hit a low-post bank shot to give the Thunder the lead for good at 18-17 early in the second half. The Thunder fastbreak, sparked by Vela and point guard Randon Oda, caught Kapolei on its heels.
Eliet Donley added six points and seven boards, and Mike Pimentel grabbed nine rebounds.
The Thunder bench, a.k.a. Bomb Squad, maximized a good all-around defensive effort. Kapolei shot 10-for-46 from the field (22 percent) and the Thunder seized a 40-27 advantage on the glass.
The Thunder will meet Southside next Sunday at 10:10 a.m. The team will meet for pre-game at 9:30 a.m.
Southside edged Kapolei 49-45 three weeks ago.
The Thunder improved to 3-1 in CAL Basketball League (15U) play despite another slow start. Vela, who also had a game-high 12 rebounds, had eight points in the first half to help his team stay within range. Kapolei led 17-14 at halftime.
Wade, who shot 5-for-9, hit a low-post bank shot to give the Thunder the lead for good at 18-17 early in the second half. The Thunder fastbreak, sparked by Vela and point guard Randon Oda, caught Kapolei on its heels.
Eliet Donley added six points and seven boards, and Mike Pimentel grabbed nine rebounds.
The Thunder bench, a.k.a. Bomb Squad, maximized a good all-around defensive effort. Kapolei shot 10-for-46 from the field (22 percent) and the Thunder seized a 40-27 advantage on the glass.
The Thunder will meet Southside next Sunday at 10:10 a.m. The team will meet for pre-game at 9:30 a.m.
Southside edged Kapolei 49-45 three weeks ago.
McKinley Student Council Gym - Diamond Head Thunder (3-1) vs. Kapolei (1-2)
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Teamwork beats any press
Hope everyone is enjoying the game video from Sunday (below, previous post). (I've reposted the videos and they are all "normal" sized now, still in HD.)
For now, check out this snippet of video I shot of one of Southside's games on Sunday afternoon. When they send their big man (Canton) to the bench, they like to press out of their man-to-man defense with the five smaller guys. Nothing special. The point guard dribbles up the sideline and a second defender leaves his man to trap right past midcourt. Simple and effective against ballhandlers with bad habits.
Notice that the Blazers did just about everything a team could possibly do wrong against such light pressure:
1. Jumped to pass over a trap, giving the back defender an extra second to time an easy steal
2. Sent high, soft lobs over the middle, easily intercepted
3. Drove into the paint without a plan — whether to use a post move or dribble back out — and wound up with a traveling violation
It was a comedy of errors that could've been corrected and prevented.
A. When there's a sideline trap, the smart thing to do is dribble away from the trap area. A second teammate should always be parallel to the point guard as a "safety valve".
B. If you see a trap coming, immediately decide whether to drive around the second trapper, or retreat with a dribble to create separation and space. (We'll work on this at practice.)
C. Use fakes constantly. If you noticed, Southside trappers love to jump again and again, hoping for deflections. They're not that tall, so if they jump on your fake, you should have an easier view of your teammates, and if they jump, dribbling around them is easy. It's a matter of faking and patience.
D. Once you pass successfully out of the sideline midcourt trap, you MUST cut to the basket. Your teammate will find you and we'll have 4-on-3 and 3-on-2 situations all game long.
So watch and learn. This is what I mean when I say we can win by 20 or lose by 20. It's about your awareness, intelligence and patience first and foremost.
For now, check out this snippet of video I shot of one of Southside's games on Sunday afternoon. When they send their big man (Canton) to the bench, they like to press out of their man-to-man defense with the five smaller guys. Nothing special. The point guard dribbles up the sideline and a second defender leaves his man to trap right past midcourt. Simple and effective against ballhandlers with bad habits.
Notice that the Blazers did just about everything a team could possibly do wrong against such light pressure:
1. Jumped to pass over a trap, giving the back defender an extra second to time an easy steal
2. Sent high, soft lobs over the middle, easily intercepted
3. Drove into the paint without a plan — whether to use a post move or dribble back out — and wound up with a traveling violation
It was a comedy of errors that could've been corrected and prevented.
A. When there's a sideline trap, the smart thing to do is dribble away from the trap area. A second teammate should always be parallel to the point guard as a "safety valve".
B. If you see a trap coming, immediately decide whether to drive around the second trapper, or retreat with a dribble to create separation and space. (We'll work on this at practice.)
C. Use fakes constantly. If you noticed, Southside trappers love to jump again and again, hoping for deflections. They're not that tall, so if they jump on your fake, you should have an easier view of your teammates, and if they jump, dribbling around them is easy. It's a matter of faking and patience.
D. Once you pass successfully out of the sideline midcourt trap, you MUST cut to the basket. Your teammate will find you and we'll have 4-on-3 and 3-on-2 situations all game long.
So watch and learn. This is what I mean when I say we can win by 20 or lose by 20. It's about your awareness, intelligence and patience first and foremost.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Game Video: Thunder vs. Kapolei
Four parts and nothing missing this time. WOOOHAAH!
As always, these videos are for us (team) and family only. Click on the 360p button and switch to 720p for High Defintion.
You may have noticed that the video dimensions are HUGE AS HECK for some reason. I have no idea what that reason is. You can double-click on the video to see it on YouTube in not-so-gigantic proportions until I figure out what happened.
(Tuesday, 2:36 am: The problem has been solved.)
As always, these videos are for us (team) and family only. Click on the 360p button and switch to 720p for High Defintion.
(Tuesday, 2:36 am: The problem has been solved.)
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Thunder-Kapolei post-game
THUNDER ALERT: Solid work today, Thunder. I say work because you guys played great defense at times today. Is it possible we actually got better on defense in just one week? Offense can be dream-like if you're in The Zone ... but it comes and goes. Defense? It's pure consciousness, complete effort and sweat. It's not a dream. It's heart. That's what I saw more of today.
Would've been closer to perfect if we'd hit the floor for those loose balls.
Good poise, keeping composure in a close game with Kapolei. The A-Team was balanced and got mostly good shots. Bomb Squad out of sync. With more reps at practice, we'll get this thing nailed down. The sweetest thing is both units played fairly good defense.
Overall, it's a good team win. Enjoy it. We've got work to do this coming week. I saw Southside win two games this afternoon against the Blazers and the Sharks. They've got some size and quick guards, but they're also very, very beatable. We could beat them by 20 or lose to them by 20.
I'm looking forward to Tuesday already.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Thunderation, Thunder Nation
Thunder. A-Team. Bomb Squad. Unveiled tomorrow. Fun Times to da max ... could be.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thunder-Sharks full stats n/a
I just got done statting our game with the Sharks, found that I was several points short for both teams. Strange. I looked back at the footage carefully and found that the first 4 1/2 minutes of the second half were unrecorded. Our video guy is usually reliable, so I don't know what happened. Probably a simple error since he had no experience with shooting video until our first game and he's been quite good regardless of age. (He's a 12-year-old kid.)
So, unless someone else has video, I'm stuck. The stats I do have indicate no big surprises. We had a bounty of turnovers. We didn't shoot well. We hardly got to the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Sharks didn't shoot so well, either, but they turned it over less than we did.
Even with all the errors, it still came down to defensive execution and we let this one slip away. Hopefully, we'll get another shot at the Sharks. They're a smart team — just a little bit smarter than we were on Sunday.
My incomplete stats (25 1/2 out of the 30 minutes) show Keanu with 11 points, seven boards, four steals and four turnovers. Blake had five points and one board. Nobody else had more than a basket.
Looking back, we showed far better ball movement later in the game, but at times we didn't recognize which side we had overloaded and didn't take advantage of the numbers. I'd also like to see us hit the low post more frequently. Blake got the line on his one time in the low post. He fought hard for position and was rewarded. Mike was open on the low post twice, but didn't get the ball.
It's key for anyone on the low post to get position (pin your opponent), get leverage (get your hips low) and call for the ball with one or two hands extended (high, low or out). Body language is HUGE when you're in the post. If you have alligator arms down there, your teammates won't feed you the ball. You have to WANT it to get it.
Later, Mike wanted it, got the feed and scored a big basket that tied the game late in the game. That's what we need more of.
So, unless someone else has video, I'm stuck. The stats I do have indicate no big surprises. We had a bounty of turnovers. We didn't shoot well. We hardly got to the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Sharks didn't shoot so well, either, but they turned it over less than we did.
Even with all the errors, it still came down to defensive execution and we let this one slip away. Hopefully, we'll get another shot at the Sharks. They're a smart team — just a little bit smarter than we were on Sunday.
My incomplete stats (25 1/2 out of the 30 minutes) show Keanu with 11 points, seven boards, four steals and four turnovers. Blake had five points and one board. Nobody else had more than a basket.
Looking back, we showed far better ball movement later in the game, but at times we didn't recognize which side we had overloaded and didn't take advantage of the numbers. I'd also like to see us hit the low post more frequently. Blake got the line on his one time in the low post. He fought hard for position and was rewarded. Mike was open on the low post twice, but didn't get the ball.
It's key for anyone on the low post to get position (pin your opponent), get leverage (get your hips low) and call for the ball with one or two hands extended (high, low or out). Body language is HUGE when you're in the post. If you have alligator arms down there, your teammates won't feed you the ball. You have to WANT it to get it.
Later, Mike wanted it, got the feed and scored a big basket that tied the game late in the game. That's what we need more of.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hey, hey! Slight change to game times
The CAL League has been given more leeway by the gym director at McKinley — a very good thing! — so starting times have been all moved back by 30 minutes.
This solves some of the time crunches for some of the teams and coaches who are involved with early-day clinics and stuff. So, our game this coming Sunday is now at 12:50 p.m. 11:00 a.m.
The new times are posted at right in our game schedule.
This solves some of the time crunches for some of the teams and coaches who are involved with early-day clinics and stuff. So, our game this coming Sunday is now at 12:50 p.m. 11:00 a.m.
The new times are posted at right in our game schedule.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Game video: Thunder vs. Sharks
Haven't had a chance to stat the game yet, but in the glimpses I've seen, the one glaring bad habit is that we didn't consistently pick up our man. Several times in the final minutes, we lost track of our man and he got open — too open, once by 10 feet — while our defense lost track. It was something only video can really help us with, and we'll continue to work on this aspect of the game at practice tomorrow afternoon.
Ball, man, you. If you can't find the ball and your man, your positioning is off. Getting 100% effort on defense from everybody on the floor is KEY. We can't play our best against the best teams if four guys are playing defense and one loses his man. Defense is work by all five men on the floor. Defense, as the cliche goes, wins championships. If you want a championship, consider giving defense your all, Thunder.
I believe we can and should do it. Everything else that we didn't execute perfectly, from free throws to ballhandling (turnovers), I can actually live with. We learn from those kinds of mistakes, and if professional athletes make those mistakes, a team of 13- and 14-year-olds will make them, too. There hasn't been a 100% free-throw champion ever in the NBA, has there?
Great defense trumps most, if not all, mistakes. Let's have fun getting back to work tomorrow.
* As always, the game video is for us: players and families only.
Enjoy and learn.
Ball, man, you. If you can't find the ball and your man, your positioning is off. Getting 100% effort on defense from everybody on the floor is KEY. We can't play our best against the best teams if four guys are playing defense and one loses his man. Defense is work by all five men on the floor. Defense, as the cliche goes, wins championships. If you want a championship, consider giving defense your all, Thunder.
I believe we can and should do it. Everything else that we didn't execute perfectly, from free throws to ballhandling (turnovers), I can actually live with. We learn from those kinds of mistakes, and if professional athletes make those mistakes, a team of 13- and 14-year-olds will make them, too. There hasn't been a 100% free-throw champion ever in the NBA, has there?
Great defense trumps most, if not all, mistakes. Let's have fun getting back to work tomorrow.
* As always, the game video is for us: players and families only.
Enjoy and learn.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Thunder-Sharks post-game
Good effort, Thunder! We've got a lot of good done so far, but there's so much higher we can go. We'll get there together.
You're one of the best effort teams I've coached or played on. Hat's off to the Sharks for a well-played game. They showed us what smart passing and ball movement can do.
When we play with a little more consistency and attack a zone with more confidence, we'll be OK. I'm looking forward to our next game, but I'm also looking forward to playing the Sharks again, hopefully in the playoffs.
Always remember, these are the final two months of the off-season. We know our individual strengths and weaknesses. It's up to you to identify them — the strengths and weaknesses I haven't told you about already — and go to work on them day by day. The power is within you.
Protect, Penetrate, Produce
Still one of my all-time favorite videos on ballhandling, right there with the Pistol Pete Maravich series. I like this one, 4 minutes of God Shamgod explaining how he became a master ballhandler through sheer effort and learning moves slowly before they became quick.
I've posted this video before, but it's worth seeing again. The Pistol Pete videos are also on this blog. Just hit the search box in the upper left corner.
I've posted this video before, but it's worth seeing again. The Pistol Pete videos are also on this blog. Just hit the search box in the upper left corner.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Game story: Thunder 42, Wildcats 37
HONOLULU — Keanu Vela scored 16 points and Eliet Donley added 12 as the Diamond Head Thunder rallied past the Holy Family Wildcats 42-37 in Compete and Learn (CAL) Basketball League 15-under play on Sunday.
Vela shot 9-for-12 from the free-throw line and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go with three steals. Donley pulled down seven rebounds and had a key blocked shot in the final minutes to help the Thunder seal the win.
Blake Wade tallied eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and eight rebounds, and Mike Pimentel added eight boards of his own. Randon Oda, who led the fastbreak with Vela, finished with four assists. Tai Boyd came off the bench to contribute four offensive caroms and four assists.
Holy Family led 11-3 before the Thunder rallied for a 23-17 lead before intermission. A 37-21 advantage on the boards helped keep the Thunder ahead through the rest of the contest.
The Thunder meet the Sharks in their next game on Sunday. Tip-off is 9:20 a.m. at McKinley.
Vela shot 9-for-12 from the free-throw line and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go with three steals. Donley pulled down seven rebounds and had a key blocked shot in the final minutes to help the Thunder seal the win.
Blake Wade tallied eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and eight rebounds, and Mike Pimentel added eight boards of his own. Randon Oda, who led the fastbreak with Vela, finished with four assists. Tai Boyd came off the bench to contribute four offensive caroms and four assists.
Holy Family led 11-3 before the Thunder rallied for a 23-17 lead before intermission. A 37-21 advantage on the boards helped keep the Thunder ahead through the rest of the contest.
The Thunder meet the Sharks in their next game on Sunday. Tip-off is 9:20 a.m. at McKinley.
NCAA Scoreboard - Diamond Head Thunder (2-0) vs Holy Family Wildcats (0-1)
McKinley Student Council Gymnasium
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