Highlights
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Video: 13U vs HomeGrown
Highlights
Our best game so far in 13U. Great chemistry on and off the court, a lot of good pieces inside and outside, great coverage on our presses, outstanding use of the press breaker. The 13U are already more consistent about running the press breaker than our older teams. They are, of course, the guys who are at practice every day. (Our older guys are busy with school team practices.)
All the hard work the 13U are putting in at practice seems like fun for them most of the time. Can we get better? Of course. We have to get better if we're going to win this league.
I lub this game.
Our best game so far in 13U. Great chemistry on and off the court, a lot of good pieces inside and outside, great coverage on our presses, outstanding use of the press breaker. The 13U are already more consistent about running the press breaker than our older teams. They are, of course, the guys who are at practice every day. (Our older guys are busy with school team practices.)
All the hard work the 13U are putting in at practice seems like fun for them most of the time. Can we get better? Of course. We have to get better if we're going to win this league.
I lub this game.
16U loses to Maryknoll Div II
It was a close game all the way, but the tempo never went the way we wanted. Every time we had a steal and a bucket, we seemed to follow that with a turnover or a low-percentage shot. We were in foul trouble all game long, partly due to too much reaching and not enough lateral movement with our feet.
Final: Maryknoll D-II 33, Thunder 30. As always, a loss falls on the coach and with Coach Bo (football), Coach Larry (work) and Coach John (off island) unavailable, I filled in. We had nine players and enough depth to make this a fast tempo game. But we missed a lot of layups, turned the ball over and didn't get the ball upcourt even when we had one or two teammates wide open for baskets.
It was ugly and still we led at halftime, think it was 21-18. I've managed to get our new kids on 13U to press fullcourt, even after the other team gets over halfcourt. That's what the 41 or 2-2-1 (Cincy) is supposed to do. But we didn't keep this going, probably because guys got tired. No matter how many times I drew it up for us to press at midcourt and in the corners, just about everybody always pulled back into the 2-3 zone.
This is a product of habit. I know Coach Bo has you guys doing this since the spring season began. But when I say to trap everywhere, I mean it. And when guys aren't listening, that is still my fault. I have to find a way for you to understand that when we are outsized but have a speed advantage, we have to use it.
The officiating was questionable. They fouled JayAre out of the game in the first half. His fifth foul was a clean block, according to the other official. But most of it was simply too much reaching in. That was my fault not sitting him down after the third foul. But I really didn't think he would foul two more times. I thought wrong.
I explained our regular and slide zone offense over and over and our rover would not pop out to the corner. Part of this is a result of lack of practice time together. The other part? I have no idea. Is it just plain "don't do anything coach says"? Or is it sheer stupidity? I don't know. I kept saying it over and over, and nobody would pop to the corner. When we hit the corner and the zone pulls out, now we have a chance to rotate the ball to an open teammate on the opposite wing or corner.
Execution and precision were even more important than usual, having a major height disadvantage. And we just didn't get enough of both.
It was frustrating as heck and that's the truth. We played well in spots. Great hustle on the press. But we also broke containment and let them dribble through the middle a few times. Bottom line: Their best shooters hit clutch shots. Ours did not. And it's my job to put our best players in position to succeed.
Final play of the game: It was Monday, and I knew the defense would overplay it. We had our low post (Max) drawn up to cut all the way up to the top of the key and take a handoff from Isaiah to shoot the 3-point shot. We had 15 seconds to do this. But Max didn't go the top of the key. This is a good lesson for ALL of us. During the time out, make sure you listen 100%. Had Max gone to the top of the key, his defender would've left him alone, probably, and he would've had a wide-open try to tie the game. Instead, Isaiah had no open target to pass to and no screener at all to get off a 3. We ended up with a miss in side by Mick.
Two things about this: 1) Max has hit a clutch go-ahead 3 for us before (15U vs Wahiawa), and 2) we will run this play again when we get the chance and someone will hit the winning 3-pointer. I know it.
It's not easy with players this young, trying to execute a play we haven't run in practice. But that's why we do situationals at practice. They are exactly like this. 15 or 20 seconds left, down by 1. Down by 2 Or down by 3.
It pains me to lose this game because Maryknoll stacked up its roster with incoming juniors, so they were similar to our lineup, plus they had four of our guys (Chase, Cody, John and Kaelen). We had a 5-foot-8 and under team, but it was still plenty enough to win this game. We just didn't do it.
After the game, the scorekeeper said that the league schedule for the final week would be altered. They're going to pair up teams with similar win-loss records. She noted that today's game wouldn't count as a loss since we didn't really play the Maryknoll II (Intermediate) team, which surprised me. So we're tied (I guess) with Kamehameha at 5-2. Punahou is 6-1.
Whatever happens, I'm glad we'll have a good challenge in our next game there. Then again, I was bummed that we couldn't bring up our 13U to play Maryknoll's Intermediate team.
Back at it Saturday morning, 11:00 am against Kaimuki at Maryknoll JV League. Meet there at 10 am. I'll pick up the guys who want a ride at Makiki Park, 10:00 am. Beyond the weekend, we have a matchup with Roosevelt on Tuesday in the Kalani Varsity League, and the boys had a lot of fun last night after the game with Kaiser talking a little trash about the upcoming game.
I'm dreading it. Having to play against our own guys — Isaiah, Mick, Alleck, Brent — is not going to be fun. Not only that, as tough as it was today to run our offense without John and Kaelen setting picks against man defense, it'll be just as tough or harder to do it without our core of guards. The chemistry is just not the same when we lose 4 players for a night. We'll have to figure out a way to make it happen on Tuesday.
I lub this game. Still.
Final: Maryknoll D-II 33, Thunder 30. As always, a loss falls on the coach and with Coach Bo (football), Coach Larry (work) and Coach John (off island) unavailable, I filled in. We had nine players and enough depth to make this a fast tempo game. But we missed a lot of layups, turned the ball over and didn't get the ball upcourt even when we had one or two teammates wide open for baskets.
It was ugly and still we led at halftime, think it was 21-18. I've managed to get our new kids on 13U to press fullcourt, even after the other team gets over halfcourt. That's what the 41 or 2-2-1 (Cincy) is supposed to do. But we didn't keep this going, probably because guys got tired. No matter how many times I drew it up for us to press at midcourt and in the corners, just about everybody always pulled back into the 2-3 zone.
This is a product of habit. I know Coach Bo has you guys doing this since the spring season began. But when I say to trap everywhere, I mean it. And when guys aren't listening, that is still my fault. I have to find a way for you to understand that when we are outsized but have a speed advantage, we have to use it.
The officiating was questionable. They fouled JayAre out of the game in the first half. His fifth foul was a clean block, according to the other official. But most of it was simply too much reaching in. That was my fault not sitting him down after the third foul. But I really didn't think he would foul two more times. I thought wrong.
I explained our regular and slide zone offense over and over and our rover would not pop out to the corner. Part of this is a result of lack of practice time together. The other part? I have no idea. Is it just plain "don't do anything coach says"? Or is it sheer stupidity? I don't know. I kept saying it over and over, and nobody would pop to the corner. When we hit the corner and the zone pulls out, now we have a chance to rotate the ball to an open teammate on the opposite wing or corner.
Execution and precision were even more important than usual, having a major height disadvantage. And we just didn't get enough of both.
It was frustrating as heck and that's the truth. We played well in spots. Great hustle on the press. But we also broke containment and let them dribble through the middle a few times. Bottom line: Their best shooters hit clutch shots. Ours did not. And it's my job to put our best players in position to succeed.
Final play of the game: It was Monday, and I knew the defense would overplay it. We had our low post (Max) drawn up to cut all the way up to the top of the key and take a handoff from Isaiah to shoot the 3-point shot. We had 15 seconds to do this. But Max didn't go the top of the key. This is a good lesson for ALL of us. During the time out, make sure you listen 100%. Had Max gone to the top of the key, his defender would've left him alone, probably, and he would've had a wide-open try to tie the game. Instead, Isaiah had no open target to pass to and no screener at all to get off a 3. We ended up with a miss in side by Mick.
Two things about this: 1) Max has hit a clutch go-ahead 3 for us before (15U vs Wahiawa), and 2) we will run this play again when we get the chance and someone will hit the winning 3-pointer. I know it.
It's not easy with players this young, trying to execute a play we haven't run in practice. But that's why we do situationals at practice. They are exactly like this. 15 or 20 seconds left, down by 1. Down by 2 Or down by 3.
It pains me to lose this game because Maryknoll stacked up its roster with incoming juniors, so they were similar to our lineup, plus they had four of our guys (Chase, Cody, John and Kaelen). We had a 5-foot-8 and under team, but it was still plenty enough to win this game. We just didn't do it.
After the game, the scorekeeper said that the league schedule for the final week would be altered. They're going to pair up teams with similar win-loss records. She noted that today's game wouldn't count as a loss since we didn't really play the Maryknoll II (Intermediate) team, which surprised me. So we're tied (I guess) with Kamehameha at 5-2. Punahou is 6-1.
Whatever happens, I'm glad we'll have a good challenge in our next game there. Then again, I was bummed that we couldn't bring up our 13U to play Maryknoll's Intermediate team.
Back at it Saturday morning, 11:00 am against Kaimuki at Maryknoll JV League. Meet there at 10 am. I'll pick up the guys who want a ride at Makiki Park, 10:00 am. Beyond the weekend, we have a matchup with Roosevelt on Tuesday in the Kalani Varsity League, and the boys had a lot of fun last night after the game with Kaiser talking a little trash about the upcoming game.
I'm dreading it. Having to play against our own guys — Isaiah, Mick, Alleck, Brent — is not going to be fun. Not only that, as tough as it was today to run our offense without John and Kaelen setting picks against man defense, it'll be just as tough or harder to do it without our core of guards. The chemistry is just not the same when we lose 4 players for a night. We'll have to figure out a way to make it happen on Tuesday.
I lub this game. Still.
17U's winning night (updated)
Our 17U were much more sound tonight in a win over Kaiser, which brought some of their better players for a change. We won by about 15. We didn't box out consistently, but it was an improvement over last game against Punahou, when most of us didn't box out once all night.
Offensively, much smoother, particularly when Isaiah was at the point. Pick & Roll. Defensively, both presses worked tonight fairly regularly. I hope everyone studies the game video later and learns from mistakes. This is the time of year when we can work on weaknesses and become well-rounded as a team and as players.
Doesn't hurt that we have fun as a team on and off the court, and that good attitude and leadership is tricking down to our younger teams. More on the game video later. I'm fried.
Friday/Saturday game schedule
Friday: 2:00 pm Pickup at Kaimuki HS; 2:30 pm Pickup at Makiki Park; 3:00 pm Warmups at Maryknoll; 4:00 pm 16U vs Maryknoll.
I was planning on bringing our 13U to play, but Maryknoll informed me that they're switching some sophomores to the roster for this game, including four of our Thunder guys. They're gunning for us since we've beaten them twice already. Who's up for this game?
Post-game meal? Pizza Hut (on Beretania by Safeway), probably.
Don't forget, we also have a Saturday, 11:00 am game against Kaimuki in the Maryknoll JV League.
Update, Friday, 10:00 am: I'm editing recent and not-so-recent game videos, so here's one from last month — 17U vs. Hawaiian Punch, NJB All-Net League game at Palama gym.
Offensively, much smoother, particularly when Isaiah was at the point. Pick & Roll. Defensively, both presses worked tonight fairly regularly. I hope everyone studies the game video later and learns from mistakes. This is the time of year when we can work on weaknesses and become well-rounded as a team and as players.
Doesn't hurt that we have fun as a team on and off the court, and that good attitude and leadership is tricking down to our younger teams. More on the game video later. I'm fried.
Friday/Saturday game schedule
Friday: 2:00 pm Pickup at Kaimuki HS; 2:30 pm Pickup at Makiki Park; 3:00 pm Warmups at Maryknoll; 4:00 pm 16U vs Maryknoll.
I was planning on bringing our 13U to play, but Maryknoll informed me that they're switching some sophomores to the roster for this game, including four of our Thunder guys. They're gunning for us since we've beaten them twice already. Who's up for this game?
Post-game meal? Pizza Hut (on Beretania by Safeway), probably.
Don't forget, we also have a Saturday, 11:00 am game against Kaimuki in the Maryknoll JV League.
Update, Friday, 10:00 am: I'm editing recent and not-so-recent game videos, so here's one from last month — 17U vs. Hawaiian Punch, NJB All-Net League game at Palama gym.
Highlights
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Video: 17U vs Punahou (updated)
We learn more in one loss against a good team than all our wins combined. (Part 2 will be up later tonight.)
Highlights, Part 1
Highlights, Part 2
Highlights, Part 1
Highlights, Part 2
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Thunder tripleheader Wednesday pau
Just another three-game night for the Thunder. Ironman 5 at Maryknoll JV League lost to UHS 30-28. Coach Larry said Cody Ogoso hit three or four treys. Pretty good with no subs. Our Roosevelt and Kaimuki guys were busy with their school team's practices.
The 13U got past HomeGrown (I forget the score, but margin was 14 or so) in our best game so far. Tanielu was all over the court! We shared the ball and moved it against HG's zone really well. We also handled their fullcourt press very, very well. Our guys have learned the pressbreaker in such a short time. Chris is such a intuitive, smart passer against the press and starts the fastbreak extremely well. Kyle is our glue man, keeps everyone centered and distributes nicely.
The 15U had just three fresh guys and four or five guys from the 13U who had just played. They lost to a good Blue Devils team by about 20. It was close for about a half. Maximillian Roe had a nice game, shot well in the first half. Just didn't have enough bench with so many missing guys. But our younger guys got a lot of good experience tonight and they're only getting better.
The 15U had just three fresh guys and four or five guys from the 13U who had just played. They lost to a good Blue Devils team by about 20. It was close for about a half. Maximillian Roe had a nice game, shot well in the first half. Just didn't have enough bench with so many missing guys. But our younger guys got a lot of good experience tonight and they're only getting better.
Thursday, "only" one game: our "varsity" plays at the Kalani Summer League, 7:15 pm. Meet there at 6:15. Practice at the park is 3:00 pm. The boys (13U/15U) love to practice and get better, and it makes a happy coach out of me.
Friday, we have a game at Maryknoll JV League, 4:00 pm (meet at the park by 3:00 pm). Since we're playing Maryknoll II (their intermediate team of ninth and eighth graders), I'm hoping the league allows us to bring our 13U guys like Jerson, Jared, Tanielu and Chris. (Micah, Kyle and Sifo are already on the roster.)
I LUB THIS GAME.
Updated Schedule
Thursday, June 28
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
5:45 pm 17U leave for Kalani gym
6:15 pm 17U warmups, Kalani gym
7:15 pm 17U vs. Kaiser, Kalani gym
Friday, June 29
2:45 pm 3:15 pm 16U leave for Maryknoll gym
3:00 pm 3:30 pm 16U warmups, Maryknoll gym
4:00 pm 4:30 pm 16U vs. Maryknoll II, Maryknoll gym
Saturday, June 30
9:45 am 16U leave for Maryknoll gym
10:00 am 16U warmups, Maryknoll gym
11:00 am 16U vs. Kaimuki, Maryknoll gym
3:00 pm Shooting drills
4:30 pm Regular practice
Sunday, July 1
3:00 pm Shooting practice, Pizza, Makiki park
Monday, July 2
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Tuesday, July 3
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
5:45 pm 17U leave for Kalani gym
6:15 pm 17U warmups, Kalani gym
7:15 pm 17U vs. Roosevelt, Kalani gym
Wednesday, July 4
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Thursday, July 5
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
5:45 pm 17U leave for Kalani gym
6:15 pm 17U warmups, Kalani gym
7:15 pm 17U vs. Saint Louis, Kalani gym
Friday, July 6
* Aiea 18U Tournament (July 6-8, times TBA)
3:45 pm 4:15 pm 16U leave for Maryknoll gym
4:00 pm 15U leave for McCully gym
4:20 pm 15U warmups at McCully outside court
4:00 pm 4:30 pm 16U warmups, Maryknoll gym
5:20 pm 15U vs. Lanakila, McCully gym
5:00 pm 5:30 pm 16U vs. Damien, Maryknoll gym
Saturday, July 7
* Aiea 18U Tournament (July 6-8, times TBA)
5:45 pm 17U leave for Kalani gym
6:15 pm 17U warmups, Kalani gym
7:15 pm 17U vs. Kalani, Kalani gym
(New CAL League schedule to be released)
Sunday, July 8
* Aiea 18U Tournament (July 6-8, times TBA)
Monday, July 9
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
6:30 pm 15U leave for Kilauea gym
7:00 pm 15U warmups, Kilauea gym outside court
8:00 pm 15U vs Boom, Kilauea gym
Tuesday, July 10
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Wednesday, July 11
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
5:40 pm 13U leave for Kilauea gym
6:10 pm 13U warmups, Kilauea gym
7:10 or 8:00 pm, 13U playoff game, Kilauea gym
Thursday, July 12
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Friday, July 13
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Saturday, July 14
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Sunday, July 15
3:00 pm Shooting practice, Pizza, Makiki park
Monday, July 16
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Tuesday, July 17
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
July 18-22
NJB Hawaii Classic, Manoa gym
• 14U boys (8th grade)
• 17U boys (11th grade)
• 12U boys (maybe?)
(NOTE: We have not paid entry fees, $325 per team, yet.)
CAL League (15U, 13U) and NJB All-Net (17U, 15U, 13U) will begin Fall season in August.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Tough on the outside, soft inside?
Just days after losing to Punahou's JV after a huge comeback, our "varsity" did virtually the same thing. Tonight, we were down 32-16 at the half, and the lead swelled to 19 points or so before we finally turned it around.
We got within 4 points or so before finally losing 44-38. Yeah, that's a respectable margin against one of the top programs — they won the state high school championship last season. But if you were there, you know what I'm talking about when I say we played (possibly) our worst game (17U) of the year.
• No boxing out. None. I'm sure when I look at the video I'll find John or Cody doing it. But on the whole, we just didn't have the desire to physically challenge a team with two tall, big rebounders. I asked everyone after the game why we didn't box out. Nobody had an answer. For the first time in a long time, we didn't play with heart under the boards. That's disappointing, to say the least.
• On-ball pressure. When we pressed, on-ball pressure was often non-existent. We have never, EVER taught soft on-ball pressure. That would be POINTLESS. I've told you guys a thousand times that soft on-ball pressure leads to easy passes and easy layups. We always get right up on the ballhandler, in his grill, and bend him to our will. In the Power 10, that means an air-tight trap. In the 41 (Cincy), it's an air-tight trap or simply crowding him so closely that he has no choice but to dribble up the sideline — into the next trap.
But we didn't do this. It was as if we had no energy, which is strange since we haven't played a game for a few days. So what happened?? I still can't imagine a reasonable answer to this.
• No organization in the halfcourt offense. It's tough enough when we are reluctant to run the break simply because of a defensive defeat (giving up a basket), but we managed to push the tempo better in the second half. But our halfcourt offense was nowhere to be found. Isaiah normally runs the plays, but he was gassed from playing an entire game earlier for Roosevelt.
We have to find a way to run the offense if our point guard is fatigued and/or out of the game. In the final minutes, down 6 points, we had Isaiah, Bryson, Tai, Haka and Mike on the floor. We called 'Monday', but instead of Isaiah on the top, somehow Tai was running it. We had started at midcourt, out of bounds. Tai was on top at the yellow line (NBA range). Instead of running the play, passing to the left wing (Isaiah), he shot a 25-footer that was long, and Punahou rebounded.
It's not that Tai can't make that shot. It's that we didn't get a better 3-point attempt off a set play with THREE SCREENERS. The beauty of Monday (and Tuesday) is that when the wing is overplayed by the defense, that means we have a 2-on-2 give-and-go or pick-and-roll situation that gives us a chance at easy points in a very open court.
But because several of our guys are not familiar with the play, we didn't execute when we really needed to. One play didn't make or break the game, but I use this as an example because it could've been avoided. Bryson could've run the play, but he isn't assertive enough to take charge. He should be, though, as one of our vets, one of our few incoming seniors.
Isaiah could've run the play, too. I would've preferred that, with either Bryson, Haka or Tai was the shooter. Bryson shot well (again) in this game, so I would've leaned toward him.
We play, we succeed and fail from one play to the next, and we learn along the way. That's basketball. We're 3-1 in the Kalani Varsity Summer League and I'm grateful we were invited. But I will not lay down and say I enjoyed tonight's game. I think all of us watching were happy with the rally and the hustle. But I know what we are capable of as a team, and tonight was a 1 or 2 on a scale of 0 to 10 as far as performance goes.
All the hustle in the world can't make up for a defense that simply doesn't box out almost all game long. It's totally about desire and a willingness to be physical to protect your backboard. That's why I'm pissed and probably will be for a long, long time. Playing a premier program is a great opportunity to measure yourself as a player and team. But it only becomes truly measurable if everyone brings their best, smartest game.
We brought crap for the most part. We'll never know what would happen if we brought our best effort from start to finish. Me? I think if we actually cared and boxed out all game long, we win. Not just win, but win solidly. I have no doubt about that whatsoever.
But it's history now. There's no playoffs on the schedule, so as far as I'm concerned, we blew our opportunity to step up. A year from now, we won't be the young team anymore. All our sophomores-turning-juniors will be incoming seniors by then. We'll probably be better. We'll probably win even more than we do know.
I just thought we would be much more hungry, much more focused. I thought we had more heart. That's what hurts. That's what's sickening. When I see more guys at practice learning the plays, when I see more guys hitting the floor for loose balls, when I see everyone boxing out and pushing the fastbreak every single time, I'll see real Thunder basketball again.
Until then, all we can do is work our asses off at practice, run our stairs and laps (on your own time), take our 200 (300, 400, 500) shots a day and wait for the next game.
Update, Wednesday, 2:15 am: Editing game video from tonight's loss to Punahou. They are such a polished group of players, no surprise. Watanabe has been all-net on us since he was back at Holy Family in the 15U CAL League. Pleasure to watch that young baller. Watching our guys play against a team led by a great coach (Darren Matsuda) — almost surreal.
But it's painful to edit the video because some of our best guys didn't show up. They let Punahou walk right through the paint to get easy rebounds. It's either a fear of playing physical under the boards, or just plain apathy. Either way, it's sickening.
A win is always owned by the players. They put out the effort, the sweat equity, the blood, the tears. A loss always falls on the coaching staff; we didn't motivate our bigs properly, it seems. It bugs me like hell.
The relief? Some guri-guri and Coppola Claret. But that's no cure. The antidote will applied at practice, if we can get most of the guys there together for once.
We got within 4 points or so before finally losing 44-38. Yeah, that's a respectable margin against one of the top programs — they won the state high school championship last season. But if you were there, you know what I'm talking about when I say we played (possibly) our worst game (17U) of the year.
• No boxing out. None. I'm sure when I look at the video I'll find John or Cody doing it. But on the whole, we just didn't have the desire to physically challenge a team with two tall, big rebounders. I asked everyone after the game why we didn't box out. Nobody had an answer. For the first time in a long time, we didn't play with heart under the boards. That's disappointing, to say the least.
• On-ball pressure. When we pressed, on-ball pressure was often non-existent. We have never, EVER taught soft on-ball pressure. That would be POINTLESS. I've told you guys a thousand times that soft on-ball pressure leads to easy passes and easy layups. We always get right up on the ballhandler, in his grill, and bend him to our will. In the Power 10, that means an air-tight trap. In the 41 (Cincy), it's an air-tight trap or simply crowding him so closely that he has no choice but to dribble up the sideline — into the next trap.
But we didn't do this. It was as if we had no energy, which is strange since we haven't played a game for a few days. So what happened?? I still can't imagine a reasonable answer to this.
• No organization in the halfcourt offense. It's tough enough when we are reluctant to run the break simply because of a defensive defeat (giving up a basket), but we managed to push the tempo better in the second half. But our halfcourt offense was nowhere to be found. Isaiah normally runs the plays, but he was gassed from playing an entire game earlier for Roosevelt.
We have to find a way to run the offense if our point guard is fatigued and/or out of the game. In the final minutes, down 6 points, we had Isaiah, Bryson, Tai, Haka and Mike on the floor. We called 'Monday', but instead of Isaiah on the top, somehow Tai was running it. We had started at midcourt, out of bounds. Tai was on top at the yellow line (NBA range). Instead of running the play, passing to the left wing (Isaiah), he shot a 25-footer that was long, and Punahou rebounded.
It's not that Tai can't make that shot. It's that we didn't get a better 3-point attempt off a set play with THREE SCREENERS. The beauty of Monday (and Tuesday) is that when the wing is overplayed by the defense, that means we have a 2-on-2 give-and-go or pick-and-roll situation that gives us a chance at easy points in a very open court.
But because several of our guys are not familiar with the play, we didn't execute when we really needed to. One play didn't make or break the game, but I use this as an example because it could've been avoided. Bryson could've run the play, but he isn't assertive enough to take charge. He should be, though, as one of our vets, one of our few incoming seniors.
Isaiah could've run the play, too. I would've preferred that, with either Bryson, Haka or Tai was the shooter. Bryson shot well (again) in this game, so I would've leaned toward him.
We play, we succeed and fail from one play to the next, and we learn along the way. That's basketball. We're 3-1 in the Kalani Varsity Summer League and I'm grateful we were invited. But I will not lay down and say I enjoyed tonight's game. I think all of us watching were happy with the rally and the hustle. But I know what we are capable of as a team, and tonight was a 1 or 2 on a scale of 0 to 10 as far as performance goes.
All the hustle in the world can't make up for a defense that simply doesn't box out almost all game long. It's totally about desire and a willingness to be physical to protect your backboard. That's why I'm pissed and probably will be for a long, long time. Playing a premier program is a great opportunity to measure yourself as a player and team. But it only becomes truly measurable if everyone brings their best, smartest game.
We brought crap for the most part. We'll never know what would happen if we brought our best effort from start to finish. Me? I think if we actually cared and boxed out all game long, we win. Not just win, but win solidly. I have no doubt about that whatsoever.
But it's history now. There's no playoffs on the schedule, so as far as I'm concerned, we blew our opportunity to step up. A year from now, we won't be the young team anymore. All our sophomores-turning-juniors will be incoming seniors by then. We'll probably be better. We'll probably win even more than we do know.
I just thought we would be much more hungry, much more focused. I thought we had more heart. That's what hurts. That's what's sickening. When I see more guys at practice learning the plays, when I see more guys hitting the floor for loose balls, when I see everyone boxing out and pushing the fastbreak every single time, I'll see real Thunder basketball again.
Until then, all we can do is work our asses off at practice, run our stairs and laps (on your own time), take our 200 (300, 400, 500) shots a day and wait for the next game.
Update, Wednesday, 2:15 am: Editing game video from tonight's loss to Punahou. They are such a polished group of players, no surprise. Watanabe has been all-net on us since he was back at Holy Family in the 15U CAL League. Pleasure to watch that young baller. Watching our guys play against a team led by a great coach (Darren Matsuda) — almost surreal.
But it's painful to edit the video because some of our best guys didn't show up. They let Punahou walk right through the paint to get easy rebounds. It's either a fear of playing physical under the boards, or just plain apathy. Either way, it's sickening.
A win is always owned by the players. They put out the effort, the sweat equity, the blood, the tears. A loss always falls on the coaching staff; we didn't motivate our bigs properly, it seems. It bugs me like hell.
The relief? Some guri-guri and Coppola Claret. But that's no cure. The antidote will applied at practice, if we can get most of the guys there together for once.
Monday, June 25, 2012
13U gaining ground
Another Thunder practice is pau. The younger kids (13U) amaze me. We had eight of them today, learning step by step all the little things from fundamentals (footwork, ballhandling) to plays. Can't teach them a whole lot at once, but they are definitely being challenged to expand and grow. They just love to play the game with a natural joy and competitiveness that I haven't seen in kids that young since I was another little kid at Ala Wai Park.
Was also good to have Mike back from his busy trips off island. He was itching for some strong competition. Sorry Mike. You have to wait until game time tomorrow. Thank God for basketball. I'm not alone in this. Hoopaholics all around me. I lub this game.
Was also good to have Mike back from his busy trips off island. He was itching for some strong competition. Sorry Mike. You have to wait until game time tomorrow. Thank God for basketball. I'm not alone in this. Hoopaholics all around me. I lub this game.
Updated Schedule (Mon June 25)
Updates with Compete & Learn (CAL) League's July schedule (up to July 13), just released today.
Monday, June 25
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm 13U/15U/17U Regular practice
Tuesday, June 26
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
5:45 pm 17U leave for Kalani gym
6:15 pm 17U warmups, Kalani gym
7:15 pm 17U vs. Punahou, Kalani gym
Wednesday, June 27
3:00 pm Shooting drills
3:30 pm 13U/15U Practice
4:45 pm 4:15 pm 16U leave for Maryknoll gym
5:00 pm 4:30 pm 16U warmups, Maryknoll gym
6:00 pm 5:30 pm 16U vs. University, Maryknoll gym
5:40 pm 13U/15U leave for Kilauea gym
6:10 pm 13U/15U warmups at Kilauea outside courts
7:10 pm 13U vs. HomeGrown, Kilauea gym
8:00 pm 15U vs. Blue Devils, Kilauea gym
Thursday, June 28
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
5:45 pm 17U leave for Kalani gym
6:15 pm 17U warmups, Kalani gym
7:15 pm 17U vs. Kaiser, Kalani gym
Friday, June 29
2:45 pm 3:15 pm 16U leave for Maryknoll gym
3:00 pm 3:30 pm 16U warmups, Maryknoll gym
4:00 pm 4:30 pm 16U vs. Maryknoll II, Maryknoll gym
Saturday, June 30
9:45 am 16U leave for Maryknoll gym
10:00 am 16U warmups, Maryknoll gym
11:00 am 16U vs. Kaimuki, Maryknoll gym
3:00 pm Shooting drills
4:30 pm Regular practice
Sunday, July 1
3:00 pm Shooting practice, Pizza, Makiki park
Monday, July 2
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Tuesday, July 3
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
5:45 pm 17U leave for Kalani gym
6:15 pm 17U warmups, Kalani gym
7:15 pm 17U vs. Roosevelt, Kalani gym
Wednesday, July 4
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Thursday, July 5
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
5:45 pm 17U leave for Kalani gym
6:15 pm 17U warmups, Kalani gym
7:15 pm 17U vs. Saint Louis, Kalani gym
Friday, July 6
* Aiea 18U Tournament (July 6-8, times TBA)
3:45 pm 4:15 pm 16U leave for Maryknoll gym
4:00 pm 15U leave for McCully gym
4:20 pm 15U warmups at McCully outside court
4:00 pm 4:30 pm 16U warmups, Maryknoll gym
5:20 pm 15U vs. Lanakila, McCully gym
5:00 pm 5:30 pm 16U vs. Damien, Maryknoll gym
Saturday, July 7
* Aiea 18U Tournament (July 6-8, times TBA)
5:45 pm 17U leave for Kalani gym
6:15 pm 17U warmups, Kalani gym
7:15 pm 17U vs. Kalani, Kalani gym
(New CAL League schedule to be released)
Sunday, July 8
* Aiea 18U Tournament (July 6-8, times TBA)
Monday, July 9
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
6:30 pm 15U leave for Kilauea gym
7:00 pm 15U warmups, Kilauea gym outside court
8:00 pm 15U vs Boom, Kilauea gym
Tuesday, July 10
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Wednesday, July 11
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
5:40 pm 13U leave for Kilauea gym
6:10 pm 13U warmups, Kilauea gym
7:10 or 8:00 pm, 13U playoff game, Kilauea gym
Thursday, July 12
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Friday, July 13
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Saturday, July 14
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Sunday, July 15
3:00 pm Shooting practice, Pizza, Makiki park
Monday, July 16
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
Tuesday, July 17
3:00 pm Shooting practice
4:30 pm Regular practice
July 18-22
NJB Hawaii Classic, Manoa gym
• 14U boys (8th grade)
• 17U boys (11th grade)
• 12U boys (maybe?)
(NOTE: We have not paid entry fees, $325 per team, yet.)
CAL League (15U, 13U) and NJB All-Net (17U, 15U, 13U) will begin Fall season in August.
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