University High, as always, is well coached and fundamentally sound. Even with just seven players, they kept our 17U in trouble the entire way before we rallied for a 46-41 win on Tuesday in the Kalani varsity league. Sometimes a loss feels (almost) like a win, especially with our 13U kids. This time, it was a win that felt entirely like a loss.
Our Thunder 17U worked extra hard defensively, particularly in the second half. But we had a lot of problems executing traps on the presses (too loose in the middle), and the offense rarely called and executed plays properly. That's simply a lack of repetition — totally correctible, but only if everyone buys in and works hard together at practice.
I don't mind admitting this. Every single one of our Thunder players is cool. We're all different, but I've found that every player loves this game. Some want to get better every day. Some don't. That's life. Not everyone is hungry. Not everyone has desire and determination. Some people are just ... content.
That's why there have been times this week, catching up on videos from May games, or watching our team from the bleachers (or bench), that I've never felt so annoyed. Ever. That's exactly how I've felt. There have been good highlights to see, especially when our team works together defensively to take control of games. I always enjoy that.
But I have come to this conclusion now that we're two months into our "offseason" play: We've become stagnant. While there are guys like Alleck, Isaiah and Mick who have continued to improve in many ways through sheer work ethic — practicing every day both on their own time and with the team — I can't deny anymore that there are MANY players who have not improved at all. In fact, several of us have become worse in some ways, particularly as shooters.
How does this happen? It ain't from simple bad luck. Shooting, like most skills, requires repetition on a regular basis. Larry Bird was a DEADLY ACCURATE shooter from close and long range. Yet, even late in his career, he took a minimum of 700 shots every day.
I ask our Thunder guys to take 200 every day, not including 50 free throws. And when I follow up by asking everybody, "Who has taken 200 shots every day this week?" the answer is often painful. Maybe one guy, occasionally two. In the 35 minutes it takes to get 200 shots off, there is muscle memory at work. There is a natural development of an adjusting process for every athlete. We're all different, yet we operate mechanically and neurologically in similar fashion.
The more you shoot, the better you're likely to get. You know this. So why are so many of our guys struggling with their shots?
It's simple. The fewer shots you take daily, the worse you get. Going days or weeks without shooting the ball on your own in drills (or with the team) is basically basketball suicide. Taking 40 shots a day won't do it, either. That's basically a zero. A minimum of 200 gets you in a flow, gets the muscle memory going, and adjustments to missed shots come frequently and efficiently.
So why do so few of us put the work in? Are we afraid of sweat? Are we just too busy? Really, is 35 minutes a day a strain on your life right now? If it is, then be prepared to be a mediocre shooter.
One of the worst things I see in basketball is a player who peaks at a young age and never improves. Some guys hit their stride in sophomore or junior year, then decide, "Well, I'm good, real good. Practicing is for everybody else."
That's right, there are tons of guys who have filled this role. I've seen them all my life, from when I played at Boys Club and Kaimuki High School, through the decades of covering sports for a living, through the many seasons I've spent coaching kids from 12 (now as young as 10!) through 17 years old. Guys who think enough is enough, being a leading scorer is good enough, and there's nothing left to work on.
It's a complete definition of arrogance. Those are exactly the kind of players who deserve to be taken down, and often times they are. Nothing as sad or predictable as a guy who decides to stop working his ass off after sophomore or junior year. It's a revelation of character, really.
So ask yourself, even with all your school team basketball and/or football practices, with all the time you put in at the weight room, while you enjoy a summer day at the beach or movie theater ... DID I PUT IN MY TIME FOR BASKETBALL TODAY? Or am I going to be a stagnant player who plays this game only for the limelight and popularity? Do I really care about improving and helping my team? Or am I so selfish and deluded that I believe I will get better while sitting on my okole and putting zero sweat equity into the game? Am I really better off playing games every day without actually putting time into my skill set and expanding?
If you think a few wins in offseason leagues and tournaments justify a lazy work ethic, so be it. Nobody can or should change your mind. It has to begin within your heart.
Then there's the reality of what happens to teams that just don't practice together enough. I've seen it up close and from afar on all levels of basketball. When players don't practice at all with their teammates, stuff gets fugly real fast no matter how much talent has been assembled.
I don't intend to let that happen to the Thunder. That's why from here until the end of July, anyone who does not attend a single Thunder practice during the week will be benched for at least a half. He will probably be benched for the entire game. Your work ethic is your kuleana. But your ability or inability to come to one practice a week to build chemistry with your teammates and learn plays on defense and offense should be a simple matter to solve.
We did a version of this rule during the spring, when players sat at least a half if they missed practice all week. This time, I know everyone's schedule is still busy, but there are practices on Saturdays and Sundays, and all weekdays. It's not about conditioning and trying run guys into the ground. Not at all. It's about shooting drills, ballhandling drills against on-ball defense and learning the system.
You can condition with your school teams and/or on your own time. But if we allow players to be out of sync with their teammates, then play them in games, it's not the best thing for the team. Ever. So be warned, please come through and make this the best team it can be. It starts with you.
If I want you to be at your best, but you don't care enough, then there's not much else to say. I've simply failed to help you to improve. But if you care about getting better as a teammate and as a player, I want you to step up or continue to step up. You know who you are. But do you know that if we play the game at the right tempo, we should be averaging 80 points per game. That requires a total team effort; we aren't quite there yet.
I LUB THIS GAME.
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