Way To Have Heart!!!

I just wanted to say to all of you Tic Tacs out there in Tic Tac Land…

Way To Have Heart, today!!!

Granted, we started out a little slow out of the gate…

How slow you ask? Well, how about NO Points in the first quarter.  How about 2 points in the entire first half!

I am here to tell you that any other team that was going into the second half of a game, trailing 24 to 2 might have curled up, rolled over, and waited for it all to end.

But not us.

We came into the second half like lions!  We hustled after that ball! Played Crazy Monkey Defense(TM), got the rebounds, put up the shots, made the great passes, and just plain hustled our pitooties off — excuse my language, but I’m very excited, here…

Katherine put up some great shots from the baseline — which means we did a great job trying to get the ball down low — well done!  Heidi ripped down rebound after rebound, and made some great passes. Savannah was a rebounding machine as well, and also put up 2 points on the board!

By the way — we had VERY few turnovers, guys!  The shots just weren’t falling that first half — that was half the problem.

Alyssa and Juuuulia did a fabulous job in the 2/3 position moving the ball quickly and decisively!

Sarah Shields absolutely came alive after a sluggish first half, putting up 8 points, and running the floor tirelessly.  Kelly did a nice job moving the ball down the court, passing and sinking 2 hoops.

And then there was Danielle, who put up an amazing 14 points in the second half — Ten of them in the last quarter!

What really worked for us of course, was our press. You guys did a great job for not really having practiced that much on it on Tuesdays.

OK.  I’ve said enough. I could say more, but that’s enough for now.  You guys held your heads up like champs going into the second half, and you did your parents, the team, and yourselves VERY proud pulling out that awesome scoring streak at the end. I don’t know about you, but for me, that was a great feeling.

No practice this Tuesday!

Have a great break!

-Coach Jim

Proud

It’s a little late in coming, and I already mentioned it a little last night at practice, but, I just wanted to say…Wow.

Wow! You guys should be really proud of yourselves! I know I am! I hope your parents are, too!! You guys really put out an excellent effort and put on an awesome, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat kinda show for everyone in the stands at our last game!!

Savannah and Heidi and Jen were yankin’ down rebounds and putting ‘em up without hesitating.

Kelly W and Danielle were setting picks and shooting like pros.

Katherine was doing some CRAZY monkey defense (we patented that, together) and also pulling some rebounds. Alyssa did a fantastic job under pressure, moving the ball, and also getting some great rebounds with, apparently, super-sticky fingers! She also put up a great shot that didn’t miss by much.

And let’s not forget Sarah Shields, whose tireless defense, and great fast-breaking layups helped secure the win. I should also mention that she made some great passes down low, as well.

As a team, we really did a great job going after that ball! We did a fabulous job rebounding and made some really good passes. And we didn’t panic, or get down on ourselves when we were down by four or five points.

And guess what happened? We won! In overtime, yet.

Like I said in our last timeout huddle, though: Win or Lose, we played a fantastic game. I don’t know about you guys, but I really liked doing that little offensive switch between the 4 and 5 position (where Savannah and Heidi were switching spots with Katherine and Jen Coffey on the low post.) And those of you who played 4 and 5 did a great job, especially considering that I sprung the idea on you right before the game! Essentially that’s called switching the “high post” (at the top of the key where the centers normally play on our team) with the “low post” which is where the power forward traditionally played, on the block, under the basket. And it worked well.

Another thing we did tremendously was pressing! One of the mom’s on the other team commented that our press was “unstoppable”. They just couldn’t get the ball down the court most of the time! Nice job!!

Things we did great: Grabbing the ball. Getting the rebounds. Shooting. Setting Picks. Defense.
Things we did OK: Communicating, driving to the open spots, ball-handling (some flashes of greatness here, too!)

Things we still need to improve upon: Boxing out. I shouted this all game, and even though some of you did it at times, I never saw a play where EVERYONE did it. I’m telling you, when we do this consistently we increase our score by a bunch!

Next game is against Blue Granite (Kapsambelis), who are currently in 2nd place. We played them our first game, and lost. But since then, we’ve beaten 2 teams that have beaten them, so we’re more than capable of pulling out a victory, here!

Our keys to  winning this one:

• BOX OUT (what a surprise!)
• Pass the ball into the LOW POSTS — please! Get it down there for the easy basket!!
• Give and GOOO. Please, don’t forget the “GO”
• Stopping their easy baskets near the hoop (including the drive down the middle)
• HUSTLING back on defense!!

That’s it. That’s enough to chew on for now.

Do those things, and play like last time (actually, let’s try to improve a little, we should always try to improve), and I will have absolutely no complaints either way!

See you Sunday!

-jim

Long Time….

Well, it’s been a long time, but the blog is back.

Just wanted to say thanks for a great effort last Saturday. We put up 18 points against a bigger team, but most importantly, we did a very nice job boxing out!  Could we have boxed out more? Sure. Would it have helped even the score? Probably.

But no matter how you slice it, you all put in a great effort.  We only had seven players last weekend, four of whom weren’t feeling too good, or weren’t at 100%.  This made the rotating a bit tricky, and made you all a lot tired. You all stuck it out, and I’m proud of you for that!!

We really are continuing to improve, and I love that you never lose heart, regardless of the scoreboard.

 Tonight we’ll hopefully have a good enough turn-out to do some 3 on 3 (maybe — not promising), and we’ll continue boxing out. We’ll also work on position for rebounds, spreading the floor, picks, and passing.

 See you there.

Almost Forgot: Game Review

Man, we played hard against the Extremez (currently the #1 undefeated team in our division.)  I got a comment from one of their parents that we really held our own. And I agree. We did!

In fact, a reliable source tells me that WE were the FIRST team that ever caused them to need to use a TIME OUT! So we must’ve rattled their cage, at least a little! Great WORK!

I was so proud of the hustle you guys put in. Going after those loose balls. You definitely brought out your inner animal. And you played some awesome defense, too. We are a fantastic defensive team. One of the best in the league, I have no doubt. You’re showing that every week. And let’s work on getting better and better.

How can we get even better at D? Here are some ideas:

• Anticipate the pass– sometimes it’s good to take a guess, when you think the ball’s going to be passed to your man, then lunge out at the last second, and steal it! This can be risky, but usually pays off big with a…dare I say it…fast break!
• HANDS UP. Sometimes it amazes me how well we do on D, when we’re constantly waiting til the last minute to raise our hands!  Keep them up, and it eliminates 90% of those lazy lobby passes the other team makes across the middle (especially the ones that get down to the low post player under the basket!)
• Beat the person to where they’re headed. You KNOW where that is…it’s the hoop! So if someone is headed down court — get in front of that hoop and don’t let them near it!
• Hmmm what else..ummm. Have I ever mentioned….BOX OUT!!!!! Yeah. I think I have. Some of us are vertically challenged. And even if we’re not, WE NEED TO BOX OUT! We will win far more rebounds when we do, and thus, get FAR MORE BASKETS!!

Once again, I’m really proud of all of you. You’re coming along really well. Keep it up.

Last point — I expect more shooting next game!!

 Take care and nurse any injuries from last night’s Cursed Practice….

-Coach Jim

Last Night’s Cursed Practice

Wow! What a cursed scrimmage that was last night!

Other than that, you guys put in a lot of great effort. I wanted to get across the idea of moving without the ball. That’s what most of the drills were about, if you notice. Good quick passing (and catching) and moving without the ball.

On a couple of drills we tried some ball-faking. It’s important to fake out the defense. That’s a big part of being successful in basketball. Don’t make it obvious where you’re passing. Make a convincing fake pass, before making the real pass. On the other hand, don’t get sooo wound up making the fake that your real pass is lousy.  It’s better to make a good hard pass right back to the one who passed it to you — and do it quickly — than it is to worry so much about the fake that you mess up the pass.

The bottom line is to keep the ball moving moving moving.

And if you are being closely guarded — CUT!  That’s what that first drill was all about. Pass and MOVE, and then look for a pass!

If you’re closely guarded, on the wing (2 or 3 position) try a back-door cut.  Remember this? You’re basically just running behind your defensive player, toward the basket. BUT DON’T FORGET THE IMPORTANT STEP (or should I say “two steps”) that comes first!! Not just one tiny step, or little lean away. No! Two hard steps away!! Then cut hard back!

I repeat: Before you make a backdoor cut, take two hard steps in the opposite direction. Then cut back fast and hard, toward the basket, looking for the ball!!

You have to draw your opponent AWAY from where you’re going, first. THEN cut hard where you REALLY want to go (to the basket, in this case) looking for the pass.

Finally. We worked again on sprinting down the court. We still have a little problem with this. I’ve begun to believe we’re just NOT a fast-breaking team. Which is too bad, because it’s the easiest way to make points. When we get a rebound that puts us on offense, EVERYONE has to sprint down the court, looking for the ball as they go. CALL for it if you’re open. CALL the guard’s name that has the ball: “KELLY!” “JULIA!” “SARAH!” “DANIELLE!” whoever it is…

THEN GIVE THE GUARD A TARGET (with your hands) to throw to. Then Kelly, Julia, Sarah, Danielle, or whoever, will make a GOOD HARD PASS to you, and you’ll take it right into the hoop.

OK. This weekend I want to see TONS of boxing out. You got to play your Sumo game, now I want to see it in action against our opponents!!

Thanks!!

Coach Jim

GAME DATE/TIME/PLACE Change!

Hi All,

I sent an email out to all of you about this, but wanted to post something here, too.

2 Days after Christmas was a very busy time for me.  It was then proposed by the other team that we switch our game day from Saturday to Sunday, and play in the MES Gym (where we normally practice), instead of our regular JMUES (where we normally play).

At that point the time was undetermined. I emailed that it should be fine, and asked that they just get back to me to confirm a time.

Well, I never got an email back with a time confirmation, so it sort of slipped off my radar.

Today I got an unofficial report from Coach Mary that the game time and place has been changed as follows:

DATE: Sunday, Jan 13th
TIME: 9:30 AM
PLACE: MES Gym (Where we practice)

Although I have emailed to get an official confirmation, I have to assume that this is the case, unless I hear otherwise.

So, again, sorry for the late communication, and I will be getting in touch to confirm with you all, after work today.

Thanks,

Coach Jim.

Please call with issues, questions, or problems
Before 5:15 PM — 603 913 3823 (talk to Mary)
After 5:15 PM — either the above number, or 603 913 3824

About The Up-Coming Game

Hello Tic Tacs!

Just wanted to drop a quick note about the upcoming game, but first talk about last night’s practice, which will tie in.

If you remember, we did really well the previous time we scrimmaged that team, and I take a lot of responsibility for us not doing as well last night, mainly because I didn’t put out our “regular” teams, and I had Jenn, and Kelly W playing in the four spot, Katherine playing in the three spot, I had you guys pressing them (just to help out the other coach…)

And THEN I threw the pick in there without really going over it, even as a refresher, first.

SO! It’s no wonder we didn’t do as well as we could have, based on that stuff.

A special note on Sarah Shields’ predicament. She was being heavily guarded by Sam — that tall, really good player. So, although she was making some excellent drives, which would work nine times out of ten, they weren’t working against Sam too well last night.

I talked with Coach Mary and came up with some strategies for that. When our best ball handler is being heavily guarded (and maybe even double-teamed) like Sarah was last night, her job is actually to draw her defender(s) AWAY from the center of the court. In this case, she would take Sam far out of the play by moving out beyond the three point lane. That clears the lane for everyone else to step in there and make some baskets.

That goes along with the general philosophy of S T R E T C H I N G out their defense. This creates wide open gaps where we can CUT to the HOOP, like we’ve been practicing. 

Another big point. I’ve said time and again: “We Need To Box Out”.  There’s no way they should’ve gotten all of those rebounds. Period.

Control that 2 feet in front of the rim!! BOX OUT BOX OUT BOX OUT (I’m jumping up and down right now). Please don’t make me pull my hair out. There’s not much to spare.

If you box out your opponent, YOU WILL get more rebounds. I bet you we will score about 10 more baskets per game if we all box out consistently, both on offense and defense.

My main point is: don’t get rattled by last night’s scrimmage. That was mostly my fault for not putting you in your normal spots and having you do stuff you don’t normally do (but that’s what practice is for, sometimes).

However, on Saturday, please be prepared to make adjustments on the fly. I want to give this undefeated team a big run for their money. So BOX OUT, put up the strong shots, make the strong passes, and SPRINT the court!

 We can do this tic tacs. We are on a ROLL!

In the meantime: Practice your shots. Practice hard passing. Carry a basketball with you around the home at all times. Box Out your parents, brothers, sisters, and pets. GET READY to PLAY TOUGH!

See you Saturday!!

-Coach Jim

Much Improvement

Hey Tic Tacs,

I just wanted to take a few seconds on my lunch break to tell you what a fabulous job you all did at Sunday’s game.  I know it was harder because we were missing a few people, so you had to keep up your endurance, which you all did really well.

The fact that you’ve all been improving steadily in practice really showed in the game. I saw some boxing out, I a lot of great shots taken. I saw some driving to the hoop, balls getting into the key, and even a give and go!  Your passes are looking sharper, and your dribbling is improving. And defensively, your rebounding is improving tremendously.

EVERYONE contributed with some Tic Tac Points.  I haven’t got the grand total, but I think we beat our previous tic tac record of 197 points. 

This week’s Tic Tac Point Winner was Kelly W. with 49, if I remember right, and Danielle was a not-too-distant second place.

Sarah Shields made some terrific drives, and both she and Kelly W. had some great ball handling — spinning around their aggressive defenders with ease.

Alyssa scored her first of what I’m sure will be many baskets this season. She was consistently in the right place for rebounds, and when you have a nice shot, like she’s developing, and you’re in the right place, you’re going to make some baskets. And she did.

Katherine came through with some great Crazy Monkey defense, shutting down that baseline drive quite well!

Jenn Coffey was a phenomenal rebounder for us, coming up with grab after grab!

Danielle took some great shots, did some of her famous blocking, and also grabbed some nice rebounds.

And who amI forgetting…? Oh no. I’m not forgetting her. SAVANNAH! You were truly QUEEN of the PAINT! I have to say, you have come sooo far since our first game that it’s like night and day. You should be very proud of your progress! Keep it up!

And again, all of us should be proud of our progress so far. We just keep getting better. It’s the tic tac way, really.

Listen. I have to go, because my lunch hour is ending, but I wanted to leave you with one thought — our next game is when they start allowing the full court press during the last four minutes of play.  All we have to do to break that is pass pass pass. Which we already do well. I won’t personally be having us do a full-court press, most likely. At least not until after a practice or two. We’ll just stick to our same solid D. That D of ours can win some games. We’re really getting that down to a science.

OK That’s it.  See you all on Sunday!  Check the schedule for a time (I don’t have time to check right now!)

Coach Jim

The Results Are IN

OK. I just have to say WOW am I good! There will be a video review as my next post. But for now, I just have to say WOW.

I was sooo close on my guess. We took 35 shots today — and I even counted the ones where we got stuffed, and weren’t open!

Now, my little mathematicians…If we shot 20 percent precisely and took 35 shots, how many baskets would that be?

Go ahead. You can guess.

I’ll wait.

It’s one out of every five baskets, soo…

Do the math…

Got it?

Yes!

Seven baskets is the correct answer. Well, we don’t always shoot exactly 20% — that was just a rough estimate. But my point remains the same. If we’d have taken twice as many shots, we’d have scored twice as many baskets. Roughly. If we’d have taken just 10 more shots? Probably would’ve got another two!

So what’s reasonable?

Well, in the first quarter we took 12 shots. That seems pretty good. If we’d taken 12 shots per quarter, 48 shots total, we’d have scored about 20 points. That’s how simple it is. Really! But we didn’t.

First quarter: 12 shots
Second quarter: 7 shots
Third quarter: 4 shots (Come on!!)
Fourth quarter: Back up to 12 shots

OK. I think I’ve made my point. Hopefully I’ll get a video review of our game posted soon.

Until then!

Coach Jim

Off The Cuff Review of Game 3

This was a close game.

We did some things really well.

We still need work on some others.

I firmly believe we need to shoot the ball more. Why are we so afraid to do it? You can’t win a game if you don’t shoot. As I’ve said before, 30% is a VERY HIGH shooting percentage. That means we’ll probably shoot 20%, OK? That means ONE in every FIVE of our baskets, roughly, will go in.

They got sixteen points today. We got 12. Could we have won?

Absolutely — as I said, you guys played really well. All we had to do was take 50 shots. Thats about 14 shots a quarter. And guess what? I’ll bet you a tic tac apiece that we only took about 30 shots. And 1/5 (or 20%) of 30 shots is six baskets, which gave us exactly what we ended up with: 12 points.

I begged and pleaded for you guys to take more shots. But that doesn’t get them taken. Apparently, I need to come up with a new strategy.

On the plus side I will mention a few stand-outs — Katherine had some fabulous Crazy Monkey defense on the low post — popping out fantastically to challenge anyone foolish enough to drive baseline! Well DONE! Just like we did in practice!!

Savannah and Heidi – great hustle. You pulled down a lot of rebounds and played REALLY tough in the paint!!! And there wasn’t even ONE three-second call made on either of you all game!! Fabulous! Yes, you both truly performed like the Queens of the Paint you are! You pulled down some great rebounds. Now we just have to condition ourselves to go after the balls that are on the floor, too, instead of letting someone else pick them up!

Sarah and Kelly W. and Julia and Alyssa. You guys were passing the ball famously! Really nice ball movement! I think we pass the ball better than most teams in our league, and that’s due in large part to you four! Now what will it take to get you to hock up a few more shots? If each of you could just put up 2 more shots a quarter that would be THIRTY TWO EXTRA SHOTS PER GAME!!!!! That would have doubled our score, in theory! The only one of my guards who (finally) listened to my incessant rantings and started shooting was Danielle! I should also point out that all five of the people in this paragraph played some pretty good D, too. Danielle, you seemed to stand out, for some reason, as playing really hard D — but I have to reserve formal judgment until I review the tape.

Kelly B, you’re shot is looking better and better all the time — now stop being afraid to use it! Plus, you’re getting better at grabbing the ball. We just have to work on getting rid of it a tad quicker — either with a shot, or a pass back to the guard you got it from.

Overall: I think you guys are improving your skills every week, and those skills are shining in the games. What we’re not showing so much right now is confidence in our shots. We just look afraid out there. Let’s get tough and UNafraid. Specifically, let’s get unafraid of taking shots. Unafraid of boxing out, and unafraid of grabbing our ball anytime it comes into our bubble!

Once we get unafraid like that, guess what? The other teams will need to be very afraid…of us!

Thanks team!

-Coach Jim.