The last two games of our season have been probably the most frustrating games I’ve coached in a long, long time.

#uhoh

I’ve moved districts, just up the road so my drive time is a little longer, but my position is relatively the same. I teach sixth grade and coach jr. high girls basketball, this time with my wife. It’s a unique dynamic between the two of us, being married 29 years, and now working side by side, but gosh darn it it works. Last night, there were girls on the floor that I hadn’t sent in, and I looked down the bench and my wife smiled and waved at me. I was next to the AD from the school we were playing against, and said, “Sometimes, coaching with your wife, things happen without your knowing,” and he just laughed. We work well together, and that’s the biggest thing for both us and our team. Being good role models is always important for our classrooms and now, on the basketball court, it’s even more so!

Anyway, I’ve moved districts and just see a different mindset on the floor. In my previous district, sports is a big deal, but “traditional” sports. Football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, softball, track, volleyball, and to some extent cross-country, are all big deals. These are still big deals here, but there’s less emphasis on the sport itself. Travel teams are hard to come by. Let’s be honest, the money for these teams is harder to come by, thus it affects who plays and how often. Last night, our girls went up against a team where basketball is king. They play year-round and work to fundraise for this kind of constant in the sport. The previous Friday we played against a very similar school, one where basketball is taught at a very early age. They’ve been competitive forever.

Needless to say, we didn’t fare well against either team. Both our 7th and 8th graders struggled and I was up just crabby after the game. We had a parent incident, nothing major, but enough that it ruined the entire night. I posted an “update” on Facebook, and it was pretty down. One of our parents posted this for me and it really got me thinking:

We talked about this in practice today. Are you coachable? What are you doing to help yourself get better? Did your team get better? How do you want your last 5 games to play out? What are you willing to give up to make the second half of the season better than the first? What are you willing to do?

I also emailed the girls this:

Come to practice ready to work, but more importantly, ready to be coached. You may not see what you are capable of, but we do. 

We have talent. 

We have speed. 

We have girls who simply never give up. 

Now, what we need —-> everyone to believe that they bring something to our team and have a role. My best teams have been the teams where everyone knew their role. We had shoots, we had defensive people, we had people who just wanted to go out and play hard. I had one girl, her role, make people laugh and keep the team from getting angry. She didn’t have a shot, she wasn’t strong, but she kept the loose and ready to play.

What’s your role? Do you know? Have you thought about it? What’s stopping you from becoming better? 

This got long, but girls, we believe in you and your potential. We are halfway done with the season. Don’t give up faith now. 

I had to be reminded that yes, there are things more important than winning (not many!) and that this is a work in progress. These girls have had multiple coaches over their youth years, plus, for many, it’s their second or third year a basketball. Success takes time, and that’s what I needed. We’ll get to where we want to go, but it won’t happen in our two-month season. Our district’s girls basketball has come upon hard times, and changing that mindset of “we aren’t good” to “we can play with anyone” will take time as well. The varsity coach is new and commented on how girls were moving and cutting during our first game. My wife and I appreciated her comments so much, because you get blinders on as a coach (and teacher), seeing only the stuff that needs to be improved. Somedays, you need to let someone else in to see what’s going on.

This is true is so many places in our lives, allow the good to shine through!

If I don’t see you before Thursday, happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for you, my fine readers! 🙂