Finally got some competition today. Our 13U/14U scrimmaged Punchbowl PAL - Jared and Micah's team. They were young (12U), quick, talented. Mostly kids 11, down to 9 years old. It was hard for a few of our guys to stay focused from start to finished, but that's what my job is. We got good hustle from everybody, but playing for the first time since October, there was some rust.
Kyle did a really solid job on both ends, grabbed the most offensive rebounds. He's our floor leader, initiating the offense and setting up teammates for easy shots. That's what a good point guard does, in addition to keeping everyone together and keeping everyone accountable. He knows what I ask for every day from everyone in his/her role, and if he doesn't do the job on the floor, you will hear from me back on the bench - about your duties, whether you're doing a fantastic job or a not-so-good one.
Jerry grabbed a ton of loose balls. He might be one of those guys who just has a knack for that, and we need more guys like that. Jackson is learning, hustled his butt off. Josh did a good job finding open spots, but like Jackson, he needs to get into better shape. Sierra did great on the fastbreak getting to her spot and shooting the open 3, also battling on the boards against two, three opponents. Jimark played tough on both ends. Chris did a good job at times on the boards against Tanielu was super quick on the fastbreak and had some perfect pass-and-cut plays with Jimark. Jimark worked hard, ran the break well.
I want everybody to be a little more cohesive and fluid offensively, and that takes time. Repetitions. Practice. The scrimmages we get, the better, naturally. Cliff (Jared's dad) said that Punchbowl's 14U team will want a scrimmage with us, hopefully. It's hard to get better against a younger, slower team, but it was good to get some competition.
We've got some bugs to work out, but I love the aggressiveness that we play with (most of the time). I want EVERYBODY running the break, but also to do this within his or her responsibilities. When we all do this, things balance out and everyone will have fun playing fast, smart team basketball with great energy. Maturity will be the difference between winning championships or not. For the most part, everybody is mature for his/her age. But we need to get to a championship level mentally and emotionally.
We can do this.
Tonight, Sierra, Jimark, Josh, Jerry, Kyle, Coach Roy and I are at the ‘Iolani Classic. Some good basketball. Kalaheo was up on Yates (Texas) by 16 in the third quarter, but they got tired, sloppy and lost by 2. Oak Hill is still jumping over everybody. La Lumiere (Indiana) is very solid and smart.
Wednesday: Practice 6:00 pm at Kalakaua gym. Coach Roy will be in charge. Work on plays, pressure defense, pressbreakers, drills on low post, high post, wing, 3-point shooting. Do it all, boys and girls. Everything you dream of is within your grasp if you're willing to put the time and sweat into it for your team.
WE LUB THIS GAME!
No comments:
Post a Comment