My Players Versus Jay Wright

 My Players Versus Jay Wright

I appreciate coaches who dress the part! This is from December 6, 2017.

If you are a regular reader, you know that my teacher's aide at school picks out what I wear for class each day. Over the past five years, that task has been handled by Minna Wong, Mi Ngo, Jean Zolensky (twice), and this  year by the wonderful Cristina Granados. I keep several weeks worth of shirts/ties/pants in my classroom along with a supply of shoes/belts/socks. Each morning, Cristina, who is a senior, assembles my wardrobe for the following day. I can't tell you how much easier my life has become with fewer decisions to make, especially ones I struggle with. I also get more compliments, a nice byproduct of my clothing system!

If you are a regular reader, you also know I really like the kids on my middle school girls' basketball team this year. Although we are small in number, having only seven players, we have improved steadily with a record standing at 5-3. There are advantages in coaching a small group, particularly in regards to being able to get in a great deal of individual work and the kids all knowing they are going to play considerable minutes in the games. We also have Wednesday devotionals led voluntarily by the young ladies and they have been terrific! I like this bunch so much I would almost pay to coach them- but don't tell my bosses.

There's something else I'm letting my players do this year for the first time. On game days, I let one of them take Cristina's role and choose what I wear during the contest that afternoon. They have really bought into this responsibility! Yesterday, we won a one point thriller and seventh grader Katelyn, who had chosen what I wore, took partial credit.... as well she should! This is not to disparage what others wear- the majority of basketball coaches on this level wear school polos. I just feel more comfortable dressing up like I do for school. And here's something else. I determine what the kids wear to practice and to some extent, in games. They represent me and I want them to look like a sharp, disciplined basketball team. The flip side is true as well. I represent them and I see no problem in letting them have a large say so in how I appear in public. That's Villanova's Jay Wright, a coaching legend, at the top of  the page. He is often mentioned as the most fashionably dressed men's college basketball coach and rightly so. My guess is he has a large clothing budget or at the very least, his clothes are provided for promotional consideration. But I have an advantage over Jay; seventh and eighth graders who are committed to making their coach look sharp. When my players go on the court, their uniforms read CHRISTIAN in bold letters stitched on the front. We have to recall who we are representing in a much more important arena. That's the only outcome that eternally matters.

Applicable quotes of the day:

“A bad day coaching basketball is better than a good day doing almost anything else”
Bob Hurley

“I’m a lot better coach when I have really good players”
Chuck Daly

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Gospel Of Basketball Uniforms

 The Gospel Of Basketball Uniforms

It's all about the uniforms! This is from October 20, 2013.

After practice on Thursday morning, one of our sixth grade players asked when they are going to get uniforms- sixth graders tend to be antsy about stuff like that. Our first game is still three week off but it was on my checklist. Soon afterwards, I saw Josh Bailey, our high school girls' coach, and asked him about taking our middle school girls' uniforms out of storage. I also told him we would need to start thinking about getting new ones as this would be the sixth year to wear them and middle school uniforms have a limited shelf life. Josh reminded me he had a set of uniforms we had worn on the high school level with our varsity girls that were not being used. I had a few minutes and we pulled them out and counted. I have twelve players and there were at least twelve of tops and bottoms in both white and blue along with shooting shirts which are warm-up tops. I told him I would run it by our returning players and get back to him. At lunch, I pulled aside Madison, Jenna, Sydney, and Lizeth and had a short meeting in the high school locker room and explained the situation. The main plus for going with the high school uniforms is that they are much nicer and we would have both a home and away set. The drawbacks? Our old uniforms only had two pieces plus a shooting shirt and the high school ones would mean four pieces plus a warm up top- two more things to lose/misplace, a huge issue in middle school. Then there is the deal that the high school ones were tailored for older, taller girls so there might be some out sized fittings.  I left them to discuss and come back with an answer. As I suspected, they chose to go with the high school ones. I asked if they had tried them on- they had. I asked if they looked good- Sydney said they did. Sydney also noted the high school ones were much thicker and I explained that's a trademark of more expensive, better materials. We told the other girls yesterday morning and they too are excited- we'll be the best outfitted middle school in Houston. Now, we just have to play as good as we look!

We all want to look good, don't we? It carries over to almost every part of our lives. It starts when we are young but doesn't subside when we get older. We combine how we feel we look with how we feel about ourselves. There are numerous Biblical referrals to dressing up, often in terms of a bride for her husband. There are also warnings in James not to look down on those whose outfits are not stylish and Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 that the body is more than clothing. Many of the clothing references have to do the relationship we have with the Lord. Romans 13:14 says, Rather, clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 19:8 speaks of the linen worn by the bride of the lamb
as being the righteous acts of the saints. Job, in his book, chapter 29 and verse 14, proclaims that I put on righteousness as my clothing. And Paul, in Galatians 3:27, puts it this way: for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. I like that last one- I had a good discussion with a friend about baptism tonight!

Do you know what I glean from those examples in contrasting our Christian clothing and basketball uniforms? Well, basketball uniforms are only worn for short periods of time. Come to think of it, we may struggle with that as believers as we deal with the taking off and the putting on of the Christian armor. Then there's the fact that as a basketball player, you wear different outfits home and away. Wait- we might have our church face and our world face, our church demeanor and our cultural demeanor so maybe that's not a good contrast either. I guess one thing about basketball uniforms is that they can identify who is with you and who is against you. Never mind- I just remembered Jesus in Matthew 7 gave this warning: Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Oh well, maybe basketball uniforms are simply basketball uniforms and not suitable for some deep spiritual conversation. But my girls' uniforms are different in one respect; they say Christian on the front. That puts the pressure right where it should fall- on the coach!

Applicable quote of the day:
"Just putting my uniform on keeps me going. Being able to get out there keeps me going. That's the best therapy."
Eric Davis (Major league baseball player)

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Bracket Guru

 The Bracket Guru

Dahlia ended up playing quite a bit as a 7th-8th grader and now as a senior, cheerleader, and HOMECOMING QUEEN, will give our Wednesday morning team devotional in several weeks! This is from April 7, 2015.

Our basketball season is over but I have still have all my players together every morning for the first period of the day. Our games ended in the latter part of January and we had a good season in many ways even though we lost more game than we won. We play an 8th grade schedule but we weren't quite an 8th grade team ourselves. Of the ten young ladies who suited up for the games, two are 8th graders, seven are 7th graders, and one is in 6th so we were at an age disadvantage somewhat. I should add that in addition to the ten, we have four more young ladies who are part of the team but who do not play in the games. (All are sixth graders- two have conflicts with volleyball and two are on our cheer squad.) We do some different stuff in the Spring. We play full court almost every day. We also have contests and mini tournaments and we chart progress, especially in shooting. I also let the kids ref and give each a chance to plan a practice which some decline. They find my job isn't as easy as it looks!

One tradition we have among many is that each girl fills out an NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament bracket every March. The player with the most points in our scoring system wins a $10 Starbucks gift card. It's an easy system. You get a point for each game you pick correctly in the first round, two in the second, and so on. If you correctly select the national champions, six points are added to your total. (One player, who will remain nameless, tallied only five points which is almost statistically impossibly bad!) I assumed that one of the older girls would take home the gift card. In my mind, Sydney, who won last last year, was the favorite but there are others who follow college hoops including one, Kendall, whose grandfather played on the last undefeated NCAA champions, the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. She was pretty juiced about Kentucky getting beat!

That brings me to Dahlia. When all was said and done after last evening's thrilling Duke victory over Wisconsin and all the adding up on the brackets was completed for another year, Dahlia won in a blowout, setting an all-time Lady Wildcat record of 85 points! Her nearest competitor was thirteen points in the dust. She picked three of the four Final Four contestants and the ultimate champion, the Duke Blue Devils. Here's the amazing thing about Dahlia an absolutely amazing young lady. She is one the sixth grade cheerleaders I spoke of and by her own admission, she knows next to nothing about basketball. She worked hard this year and continues to do so but has never played in a game. I asked her this morning in front of her teammates to name a Duke player- no idea. Next, I asked, "Well, do you know Duke's nickname?" No clue although she was pretty sure their uniforms were blue. And yet, she destroyed almost everyone I know in terms of her bracket, including guys who do it for a living! I am certain I could have taken her bracket, which we had to show her how to fill out, to Las Vegas and made a killing!

What to make of Dahlia's sterling prognostications? Maybe you could say beginner's luck. Maybe it's more along the line of many people simply overthinking everything or making it too complicated. Former NBA player and coach Scott Skiles once remarked that, "Basketball is like church. Many attend but not too many understand." Maybe he was right on both ends. Dahlia apparently has a grip on the basketball side. I hope she's not after my job! Although many of the parables of Jesus seem very simple to us today, The Master Himself taught there would be a dearth of understanding by His listeners to these simple stories. Maybe I can make a tie in between the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the NCAA tournament. I'll get back to you. I have to run it by Dahlia!

Applicable quote of the day:

It ain't like we're curing cancer or anything, we're watching basketball.

Charles Barkley

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Princess Factor

 The Princess Factor

The four young ladies featured in this story are now sophomores and juniors at WCS! This is from June 23, 2013.

Basketball camps ended Friday. Ninety hours of fun/instruction came to a conclusion at 3:45 PM, CST, June 21, 2013. If you add in the total time we were there, it's 120+ hours. Truthfully, the hours flew and this might be the most fun I've ever spent in camps. The young lady I'm coaching in the photo is one of my favorite campers ever, Victoria. Right behind Victoria is yet another favorite, Emily, the girl in the bright gold shorts. And visible right behind Victoria's back is still another favorite camper, the very diminutive Ruby. All three girls had three awesome weeks of camp this muggy June. Here's one detail I left out; this picture was taken five years ago. These  young ladies coached with me this summer at our WCS basketball camps. All three have been in our very successful high school girls program which has been in the top ten national rankings two of the past six years. Emily just graduated last month, Victoria will be a senior in August, and Ruby will enter her junior year. How time flies!

One thing I love about our camps is the traditions which have been passed down, some for twenty years, from Greg Glenn to Russell Carr to Trey Austin. Staples like word of the day, roasted watermelon, and cookie day are as much  of the allure as basketball. This was my fifteenth year as part of our six session program and for the past twelve years, I've only coached the girls' teams at our co-ed camp. The mornings are more fun. We have younger kids in the AM, some as young as five. Several years ago, and I can't remember quite how it started, we began a new tradition known as Musical Triple Threat which combines the best aspects of Musical Chairs with triple threat, the basic basketball offensive stance. I sing loudly while the kids run around and when I stop, they have to get into their triple threat stances. It's great fun. This year, my little girls' team began singing the song of the day with me before the actual contest. The song was different each day of camp, from Call Me Maybe to Stop In The Name Of Love, from Hey Jude to All You Need Is Love to We Are The World. Hayden was the lead singer but had backup help from her sister, Piper, as well as Vanessa and this past week's addition to the quartet, Emily. Probably my favorites were I Will Always Love You and our swan song on Friday, This Girl Is On Fire. I always act emotional and start crying when the girls sing but Hayden gives me a hug and it's all better.You have to love little kids.

Twenty years ago, I read a great book about a high school girls' basketball team with an odd title, In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle. The book followed the real life Amherst (Massachusetts) High squad for a year, ending with their state title. In one chapter, it spoke of a player who worked at a basketball camp and she called each of the campers goddesses. For example, one little girl with braces was Goddess of Shackled Teeth. I liked that connection she made. Last week, one of our little ones mentioned being a princess so as we did our form running and footwork drills, I challenged them to tell me what they were princesses of that day. Here are some of the answers which came from, in alphabetical order, Emily-Hayden-Piper-Vanessa, in the third week of WCS basketball camp, morning session:
Princess of Footwork
Princess of Beat Lebron James (a shooting game)
Princess of Thursday and Friday
Princess of Singing
Princess of Hockey Stops (a way we change directions)
Princess of Layups
Princess of Basketball
Princess of Kool Pops (our morning snack)
Princess of Karaoke (an agility drill)
Princess of Triple Threat
Princess of Free Throws
and my personal favorite, courtesy of Piper,
Princess of All Basketball Princesses
Now, all of this may strike you as being extremely silly but it isn't to little girls. They all want to be a princess and this lets them choose their own kingdom. I think I'll add this to my coaching repertoire' with the little ones next summer. Princess of the Day- it has a ring!

In his sermon tonight, our pulpit minister, Dave Yasko, mentioned how he is so pleased that in our congregation, we don't have the problem of elevating one ministry above another or one Christian and his/her talent above another. No two of us are identically gifted or identically drawn to the same works in the kingdom. But we should never be idle, no matter what our talent/talents may be; a ministry requires commitment and action. According to 1 Peter 2:9, believers are a royal priesthood! If I'm not mistaken, royalty demands princesses and princes. You see, I originally looked at the past three weeks as simply basketball camps but that was shortsighted on my part. In reality, four little girls were displaying for me a way of thinking that is just ahead of its time! That's what princesses do.

Applicable quote of the week:

"Behaving like a princess is work. It's not just about looking beautiful or wearing a crown. It's more about how you are inside."
Julie Andrews

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

When Three Equals Six

 

When Three Equals Six

 

This post from March 17, 2021 shows that basketball math can be weird!

This may come as a surprise but I rarely watch basketball anymore. I sat in front of the TV during some games at Dave's over Thanksgiving/Christmas but that's because that's what they, and my nephews, were watching and it's part of the holiday! But I haven't watched an NBA or college game this season. When offered tickets to games over the years, I politely declined although honored to have been invited. The reason is I find watching, either from the stands or my living room, boring. I was talking to a local TV journalist recently about this and he told me he doesn't spend much time watching the news. There is something about wanting to get away from your job on your free time.

Having said all that, you might think I don't enjoy coaching any more. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, I love coaching more than I ever have. Like other coaches, I enjoy practice more than games, a carryover from my playing days in high school/college when I could not wait for practice. The problem I run into is monotony. Girls' basketball has had two major rule changes since I began coaching; the smaller basketball and the three point line, introduced mere years from each other. The strategy has changed some but most skills remain constant. The ruts come in the teaching. If you do the same drill over and over and over for decades, it becomes tedious for coaches and kids who are with you multiple years. That's why I search for different ways to teach the same skills. We've had limited numbers of players the past four years which, while challenging, has benefits, primarily in hands-on instruction. If we don't get better, it's the fault of the coaches.

I love new drills! There are millions on the Internet/you tube and we introduce new ones to our kids regularly. We like to force them to adapt and when we play in our practice sessions, we let them make as many decisions as feasible. We've had basically the same group of girls the past two years; next season, they will be 8th graders. We only attempted one or two three point shots this year and made zero- the kids are still growing into their size and strength. But, they are getting to the point where they need to start looking for three pointers with high school ball only two years off. So now when we play at the end of each practice, I count any made three point shots as six. Not only that, every three point shot attempted that hits the rim counts as a point, unless it's simply thrown at the goal. As you might expect, the threes have been flying and two girls have hit a decent percentage. It changes strategy, too, as a team down by five points can come back to take the lead on only one possession. I'm not saying we are the Golden State Warriors of several years ago but at least the three point shot has entered our collective consciousness.

Why change the rules? The girls need to see the reward in doing what is uncomfortable but which can also make them better. There are other wrinkles. When Caylee, our least experienced player, scores, we have given her team five points- it makes Caylee more likely to shoot and her teammates more likely to pass her the ball. Then, there was the week we used the SIKMA RULE. Each time one of our post players made a Sikma Move, doing a rear turn when they catch the ball with their back to the basket, their team was rewarded with a point. Maggie was so proficient at it, we had to stop doing it but it's now in her repertoire! (Jack Sikma is an NBA Hall of Famer who created space by his unconventional move.) We will add other twists as we go on but I hope you get the drift.

Life is a series of choices we make where risk vs. reward factors into decisions. An example might be dating in the 21st century. A guy meets an attractive lady who he considers asking out on a date. There is RISK- rejection, fear of accusations of harassment- versus reward- she might reciprocate the interest and a relationship is kindled. What are we willing to risk? In the story of the Rich Young Ruler, the man wants to be a disciple but can't wrap his heart around the Savior's directive to dispose of his wealth. Peter then asks the Christ about the reward for following Him, rightly noting they had left everything in the pursuit of righteousness. Jesus assures Peter the reward will come because of their sacrifice, both here and in eternity. I'd like to think I do the right thing just because it's the right thing to do but I can't say I do. That would make me pure in heart which I'm not. I do think about the reward as well as the cost of disobedience. The momentary risks here- rejection, being hated or ridiculed, persecution- pale in light of the light of heaven awaiting the faithful. I tell my students about a girl I really liked in college but did not ask out because.......  you know, she might say no. And the rest of the story is…… there is no rest of the story. Who knows- I might have been married by now. Too bad I wasn't my own coach- maybe I would have taken the shot. And that’s why three sometimes equals six, on the court and in life.

Applicable quote of the day:
“I am not where I am because of luck. I am where I am because I took risks others weren’t willing to take. The world rewards the risk takers. It always has. It always will.”
 Dan Pearce

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Caught On Film

 Caught On Film

They say the tape doesn't lie! This is from March 6, 2013. 

We were scheduled to film our shooting strokes this morning in our first period basketball practice, but Josh Bailey, our WCS varsity girls' coach, who was to be the cinematographer, got tied up with other matters so we'll do it it tomorrow. Zoee told me the girls were nervous about being filmed....and now they had to wait another day. I told Jenna at lunch that I was going to post the tape on FACEBOOK and she believed enough to see a little bit of panic in her reaction. On one hand, I don't know what these young ladies are scared of, but on the other hand, I do. Some of them realize their shooting technique has room for improvement. Seeing it on screen only reinforces that realization. I wish I would have been able to watch myself shooting as a kid because I look back and see that my form, influenced by playing against my much taller brother, Dave, did not lead to consistency. To me, the filming is a useful tool. To some of these girls, it's just cementing the negativity they feel about their shooting form.

Sometimes, the worst thing that can happen when we shoot a basketball is that it goes in, which simply becomes a matter of chance. We have a single elimination tournament every morning in practice, seeding on random information like alphabetizing by first name or chronological birthdays. The contest might be Knockout or Big Ball Free Throws- I'm pretty creative! At the end of the session, we tape the completed bracket to the locker room door so they can all see where they finished. Sometimes, I make them rate themselves on certain categories and today we did, one through nine, fastest to slowest. Not unexpectedly, the two slowest players were sixth graders and yet, Sydney the # 8 seed, won the competition. This morning, we played "Around The World" which is a shooting game where you have to make a shot at seven different spots before your opponent to win. But we had this caveat- it wasn't a make if it wasn't clean, or a swish. I added this proviso because it forces the girls to get the ball up- a higher trajectory, up to a certain point, leads to a higher shooting percentage. According to the rules we used, several times a girl made more shots but lost the game because her shot always touched the rim when it went in. Many of them didn't like the rule because they shoot the ball flat but they know it helps them in the long run. Sydney loved it, winning her first tournament of the Spring!

I'm not a big Ray Stevens fan. I thought his hits like The Streak and Shriner's Convention were extremely silly. But, he hit a home run, in  my non-musically educated point of view, with Have A Little Talk With Myself, posted at the top of this page. Stevens laments how his attitude has taken a turn for the worse and everybody in his orbit knows it. We were talking about the Prodigal Son with my 8th graders today and I made the point that the younger boy had to hit rock bottom before he could get better. As long as we make excuses- or let our parents make excuses for us as teachers often see- we can't turn the corner. Several times in his Corinthian letters Paul urges his readers to examine themselves. That's not always fun. I tell my students that I am better looking in some mirrors than others- guess which mirrors I gravitate to? Sometimes, our best friends are the most accurate barometers of our progress in life. Best friends are the ones we trust will be honest, even if the truth might be painful. In basketball, your best friend might be the tape. The camera doesn't lie.

Applicable quote of the day:

"You should examine yourself daily. If you find faults, you should correct them. When you find none, you should try even harder."
Xi Zhi

To listen to Ray Stevens sing Have A Little Talk With Myself, click or copy/paste the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp8r_Xjz7xM

God bless,
Steve/Coach
Luke 18:1

Basketball And Billions

 Basketball And Billions

This coming Thursday is the day many American guys dream about; the opening of the men's NCAA basketball tourney. I am not sure how closely I will pay attention. This sporting phenomenon has a big impact on the economy in several ways. Bellow is the entry I wrote on March 16, 2006.

March Madness began today. The NCAA men's basketball tournament kicked off this afternoon with a field of sixty-four teams vying to win the national championship. The first day is always exciting. There was a bomb scare in San Diego before the Alabama-Marquette match up. There was a double overtime game and there were blowouts. My school, Westbury Christian, has three alumni playing in the tourney: J.D. Collins (West Virginia), Stanley Asumnu (Tennessee), Wendell Preadom (Wichita State). Stanley's face graced the ESPN website for awhile this evening- that was neat! I'm picking Duke to win it all this year. It's a safe choice. The Blue Devils have been ranked #1 in the polls for most of the season. Duke is akin to Notre Dame in football. The Dukies manage to be the most admired AND the most despised college program at the same time. You have to be good to be as hated as Duke.

In recent years, the popularity of the tournament has exploded. There is much to like about it. There is the David vs. Goliath angle: will we finally see a #16 seed topple a #1 seed? There is the euphoria of bands-cheerleaders-proud parents living and dying with every basket or turnover. There is unashamed weeping for joy and sobbing in grief. There is the reality of one and done- you lose, it's over. But there is another side of March Madness. It's estimated that as much as 2.4 billion dollars is wagered in office betting pools alone. A Chicago firm, working with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, estimates that US companies lose 3.8 billion dollars in productivity during the tournament. It used to be about finding a television to watch the games but now the Internet allows fans to keep tabs on the action from their workplace desk. Like everything in our culture, money drives the process, even in a sport that is theoretically amateur. Money is necessary but dangerous. I asked one of my students this question: If you suddenly became a millionaire, would it make you a better or worse person? The young lady, one of my favorites, honestly answered, "Worse." I asked if she would take the money, knowing the effect it would have on her. Of course she would. We all think we can handle it, that it is worth the risk. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:10 that eagerness for wealth can cause us to lose our faith. Teachers at our school received a bonus in February, a nice and unexpected gift. As soon as I had the check, I began worrying about how to spend it. Jesus tells us not to worry but I didn't volunteer to give it back. I can handle it and I will put it to good use. In fact, I'm going to use it to but a computer to type these daily devotionals. You see, money won't change me. It's those greedy people, those lovers of money. I don't love it- I just like it alot!

Applicable quote of the day:
"Greed is a fat demon with a small mouth and whatever you feed it is not enough."
Janwillem Van De Wetering

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1