15U pulled away from a good, young Laie team to win by about 10. (Can't remember the score.) We got plenty of offense and defense from some of our "old timers" like Max and Brent, and our newer additions like Haka, Sean and Jake. It was a huge plus to have Jake for the entire game. Last time, he cramped up and we lost a close one to Lanakila. We also got solid physical play in the paint in the final minutes from Wilson.
This time, it worked out against a tall, athletic team from the North Shore. I think this makes us 1-2 in CAL 15U. Next game is Friday against Hawaii Kai.
The 13U is truly learning on the job. Several of them haven't had more than two practices with us, but I love the way they're working hard together defensively and sharing the ball offensively. Makakilo beat us 31-29, but I'm looking forward to seeing how much we'll improve with more practice time together. We're only starting to gel together. Having the Aiea 14U tourney over the weekend definitely boosted our unity, even though it was a very hard tourney as the youngest team entered.
Sometimes you get put through the fire and become sharper and tougher.
Tonight, some of our best plays came from the youngest guys. Little Paul (12) hit a big 3-pointer. Walter (10) nailed a 17-foot jumper. Chris (11) and Tanielu (12) had some clutch plays and played terrific defense on the press even though they're still learning on the fly. Kodee (11) had a bunch of steals on the press that helped keep us in the game.
Sifo played in both games and I think he's still feeling the effects of being so busy every day. But he loves this game and never turns down a chance to perform in the clutch. His workload was lightened by Jared (12), who had a solid night at the point and will keep getting better with more experience. We really missed Kyle, though, who suffered an ankle injury in the first game. His savvy on the point and high post would've been a big plus against Makakilo.
Still, we had a chance to go ahead in the final seconds. Sifo's NBA-range 3-pointer missed, but Kodee was there for the offensive rebound. Her putback bounced once, twice, three times on the rim before rolling off at the buzzer.
What a finish! I'm exhausted. Everybody on 15U and 13U contributed in big and small ways. EVERYTHING MATTERS. If play for me, Coach Larry, Coach Bo and Coach John long enough, you understand this. You practice quality basketball, it translates to your play in a game. On the other hand, if you practice foolishness, guess what happens in a game? That's what separates a truly great team effort from start to finish ... to a team effort that is inconsistent and frustrating for players and coaches alike.
That's why it's always, all about the work you put in daily, both with the team and on your own. Who is going to stop you from taking 200 shots every day? Larry Bird used to put up 700 shots every day, no surprise. He was one of the greatest shooters, especially under pressure, in the history of the game. When Magic Johnson learned that his nemesis was taking that many shots daily, Magic stepped up took 800 every day. That's what it's all about: what are you doing when nobody's around? Are you getting better one shot at a time? Or are you goofing around?
Remember this: there's plenty of time to goof around, relax and have fun off the court. But if you put in your 200 shots — it takes only 35 minutes — every day, that's 6,000 shots in a month and 30,000 shots by the time tryouts come around at your school in November.
Back at it tomorrow, 3 p.m. shooting drills at Makiki Park, then regular practice 4:30. We leave at 5:45 for the 17U game at the Kalani Summer League. Warmups/stretching at 6:15 p.m. Game time is 7:15.
I lub this game.
Thunder Reunion
Keanu is back on vacation. He joined us at practice on
Thursday at Makiki Park. From left: Keanu, Bryson, Sean and
Isaiah. Most of the team was at their school summer league
practice, so we had a good, compact workout on
shooting and footwork, both on the 3-point arc and low post.
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