Almost time for basketball tryouts. Hope all that are trying out have been working on their game the past two weeks. This is going to be one of the most competitive tryouts I've had in the last 10 years.
With losing 9 seniors from last years team of 14, there are plenty of spots open for the taking. Just so it is clear I am looking for players that will can not only help a team win, but also is the right fit. I know that is very vague, but when a coach picks a team they look for different things.
Sometimes it may be a player that has no fear or doesnt get nervous in pressure situations.Other times coaches look for an underdog type player that is willing to do anything for the team, a guy that does the grunt work but never expects accolades or their name in the paper.
Without any question this years tryouts are going to be tough, but I am eagerly waiting to get this thing rolling.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Pick Your Friends Wisely
Today an unfortunate event happened to a kid that was working to be on the team this year. I don't want to go into too much detail as to who the kid is or what happened. I just want to mention that this kid had an opportunity to make his senior year his best year, but decided to do something that got him suspended.
This kid had been warned that the choices he was making were not good for him, and they would catch up with him sooner or later. He knew he had a golden opportunity being at South and had a great shot of making the basketball team if only he stayed on the right track.
As it turned out he never fully trusted the people that cared about him most. He decided to be around the people that don't want to do the right thing. In doing that he found himself suspended from school and with no chance of being on the basketball team.
He is not the first person to waste a chance to become better and he certainly won't be the last. The lesson here is that if you are in high school, you DONT know everything, you are not indestructible, and there are consequences to your actions.
Besides trying to be a basketball coach sometimes I find myself being a life coach.
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This kid had been warned that the choices he was making were not good for him, and they would catch up with him sooner or later. He knew he had a golden opportunity being at South and had a great shot of making the basketball team if only he stayed on the right track.
As it turned out he never fully trusted the people that cared about him most. He decided to be around the people that don't want to do the right thing. In doing that he found himself suspended from school and with no chance of being on the basketball team.
He is not the first person to waste a chance to become better and he certainly won't be the last. The lesson here is that if you are in high school, you DONT know everything, you are not indestructible, and there are consequences to your actions.
Besides trying to be a basketball coach sometimes I find myself being a life coach.
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Wednesday, October 5, 2011
24 Points 29 Turn overs
No team will win when they have more turnovers than points. I repeat, no team will ever win with more turnovers than points. Why have we had so many turnovers? Its a combination of many things, but what stands out the most is we are just not experienced, and that's because we didn't do as much as we should have this off-season.
The off-season is to get better, and many of the players at South chose not to do that this off-season. With the exception of three players, every other person missed out on a large chunk of the off-season or showed up sporadically for whatever reason. This is being said, we have much work to do before Nov. 18, which is when we play our first game.
I will say that we do have some upside. I think this group is getting better and will come around. Im not just saying that because Im the coach, but I truly believe this group has the talent to win. When that happens will be around the same time we start to value possessions.
The off-season is to get better, and many of the players at South chose not to do that this off-season. With the exception of three players, every other person missed out on a large chunk of the off-season or showed up sporadically for whatever reason. This is being said, we have much work to do before Nov. 18, which is when we play our first game.
I will say that we do have some upside. I think this group is getting better and will come around. Im not just saying that because Im the coach, but I truly believe this group has the talent to win. When that happens will be around the same time we start to value possessions.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Today We Got Better
Moving fast was the theme today. Everything was done with speed and efficiency. We started the day running baseline to baseline in under 10 seconds, most made it and some struggled.
We did some more full court running drills where all except for two were gassed after 5 min. I don't want to call out the players that were sucking wind but I will mention the few that pushed hard. John McFadden, Delan Sinclair, and Kamal Jones all three of them ran their butts off and kept going.
After 2 1/2 hours of working and running, we went out to the track to finish with a mile run. Did I mention it was about 90 degrees out side.
I'm sure that everyone that showed up today, either took a nap when they got home or will be out before 9:30 tonight.
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We did some more full court running drills where all except for two were gassed after 5 min. I don't want to call out the players that were sucking wind but I will mention the few that pushed hard. John McFadden, Delan Sinclair, and Kamal Jones all three of them ran their butts off and kept going.
After 2 1/2 hours of working and running, we went out to the track to finish with a mile run. Did I mention it was about 90 degrees out side.
I'm sure that everyone that showed up today, either took a nap when they got home or will be out before 9:30 tonight.
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Thursday, September 29, 2011
Gatorade
The first player to tell me they read my Blog will get a Gatorade of their choice. They must also tell me where I first started coaching.
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Work Smarter & Playing Catch Up
In the last 6 off season games we are 1-5. There are many reasons for this record, but the one that stands out the most is that we have turned-over the ball on average of 18 times a game.
Yes, we have youth and inexperience, but 18 turnovers a game is inexcusable. Taking care of the ball, making good passes, taking high percentage shots, scoring in transition, identifying defenses, etc. These are all things we need to get better at so we can start having some success in these games. If we can cut the turnovers down by half, I believe the outcome would be in our favor.
Most players don't know how important an off-season is. Aside from travel ball and meeting at the park to play, most players do nothing else. Simply put, park play and travel are not enough. Players need hard core gym time!
The off-season is so you can work on the things you are weakest at. It could be ball handling, shooting, or it could even be working out so you can get in better physical shape. Most of the bball players at South, aside for a few, haven't done as much as they should have this off-season and it has shown in these games. Its like they are four months behind in work, and now they have to play catch up. It's not easy and overwhelming at times.
There is a silver lining in all of this. There is more athleticism with this group than any other group I have ever coached. I also have a few young guys that show much promise. In a few years, I'm sure colleges everywhere will be sending them letters.
With that being said, I know that if my players keep working hard and working smart, the future will look 100% better than the past or present.
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Yes, we have youth and inexperience, but 18 turnovers a game is inexcusable. Taking care of the ball, making good passes, taking high percentage shots, scoring in transition, identifying defenses, etc. These are all things we need to get better at so we can start having some success in these games. If we can cut the turnovers down by half, I believe the outcome would be in our favor.
Most players don't know how important an off-season is. Aside from travel ball and meeting at the park to play, most players do nothing else. Simply put, park play and travel are not enough. Players need hard core gym time!
The off-season is so you can work on the things you are weakest at. It could be ball handling, shooting, or it could even be working out so you can get in better physical shape. Most of the bball players at South, aside for a few, haven't done as much as they should have this off-season and it has shown in these games. Its like they are four months behind in work, and now they have to play catch up. It's not easy and overwhelming at times.
There is a silver lining in all of this. There is more athleticism with this group than any other group I have ever coached. I also have a few young guys that show much promise. In a few years, I'm sure colleges everywhere will be sending them letters.
With that being said, I know that if my players keep working hard and working smart, the future will look 100% better than the past or present.
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Fast, Relentless, and Inexperienced
Our first game went much the same as our games this past weekend, except we didn't score as much. Today we lost to BA 56-37. We hustled only half the time, took some weak floaters, and turned the ball over. On top of that, we are still foggy on how we need to play defense.
The only good news is all of these things are correctable and we have 57 days before our first game to fix them. After reviewing the film of the game, I saw a few flashes of greatness among a mix of awfulness. This style of play is tough, but once It gets going It will be very tough to beat.
Next Monday we play the defending state champs Sagemont, and the week after that we play defending district champs Cypress Bay and Dwyer. Win, lose or draw this is great competition for the team and will definitely get us ready for the season.
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The only good news is all of these things are correctable and we have 57 days before our first game to fix them. After reviewing the film of the game, I saw a few flashes of greatness among a mix of awfulness. This style of play is tough, but once It gets going It will be very tough to beat.
Next Monday we play the defending state champs Sagemont, and the week after that we play defending district champs Cypress Bay and Dwyer. Win, lose or draw this is great competition for the team and will definitely get us ready for the season.
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Location:Davie PAL
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Back 2 School Tourney
We went 1-3 and gave up way too many points. I always like to take positives away from losses, and this weekend is no difference.
What I like about this team is that they are extremely fast. The can run the floor and get to spots quickly. I know we'll be able to be really effective against teams that like to slow it up.
I also like the fact that we have the ability to score. With the exception of the game vs heritage which we were horrible on the offensive side. We averaged just under 70 points a game. What needs to change is our rotation and movement on the ball and protecting the paint. We also need to concentrate on boxing out. We still think we can out jump teams.
If we work on fixing those things, I think we can start winning more games. When more games are won, the players tend to have more fun.
By the way, I would love to know who is reading these blogs. So the first South student, player, or parent to tell me what the final score of the Gator vs Tennessee game was will win a South ball t-shirt.
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What I like about this team is that they are extremely fast. The can run the floor and get to spots quickly. I know we'll be able to be really effective against teams that like to slow it up.
I also like the fact that we have the ability to score. With the exception of the game vs heritage which we were horrible on the offensive side. We averaged just under 70 points a game. What needs to change is our rotation and movement on the ball and protecting the paint. We also need to concentrate on boxing out. We still think we can out jump teams.
If we work on fixing those things, I think we can start winning more games. When more games are won, the players tend to have more fun.
By the way, I would love to know who is reading these blogs. So the first South student, player, or parent to tell me what the final score of the Gator vs Tennessee game was will win a South ball t-shirt.
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Location:Broward
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
30 minutes
Conditioning for just 30 minutes and I still a had a few kids struggling to get through all the running. I realize its only the first two weeks but I have to wonder what these guys eat everyday that they have no energy after 10 minutes.
I'm thinking most eat junk food or don't eat much at all. Best thing for them to do is eat a good breakfast, eat healthy snacks throughout the day and stay hydrated.
"If you want to be a winner you have to fuel like a winner!" Dwight K Schrute
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I'm thinking most eat junk food or don't eat much at all. Best thing for them to do is eat a good breakfast, eat healthy snacks throughout the day and stay hydrated.
"If you want to be a winner you have to fuel like a winner!" Dwight K Schrute
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Location:South Gym
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Slipping and Sliding
Today we had another slip-sliding conditioning session. Seems like Broward County is not cranking on the AC during the weekends to save a little money. So 30 minutes into conditioning, the boys are drenched in sweat. I don't really mind it much, but there is about 17 guys that wished it was a little cooler in that gym.
With every person dripping with sweat and in pain from all of the running, it looks like we're no where close to mid-season form. If we are going to be a pressure team, then these guys need to be able to run up and down the floor for 48 minutes. We're two weeks away from our first Fall League game, so we got much work to do.
Location:South Plant Gym
Friday, September 2, 2011
South vs Nova football game
Spent a few hours at the first South Plantation home game of the season, and it was packed! There were plenty of parents, teachers, alumni, and a huge section of students.
I have plenty of football players in my class: Manny Abad, Hugs, Cory steel, Richard Darius, Zavier, and I could probably list 10 more. They all told me that not only would they win, but they would score at least 40. Nice to see they came through on their word. Final score South 42, Nova 21. Congrats to them for starting the season well.
I'd love to know who's reading. The first person to tweet me the word #southplantation will get a shout out on my next blog. Enjoy a few pics from the game below.
Coach M
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I have plenty of football players in my class: Manny Abad, Hugs, Cory steel, Richard Darius, Zavier, and I could probably list 10 more. They all told me that not only would they win, but they would score at least 40. Nice to see they came through on their word. Final score South 42, Nova 21. Congrats to them for starting the season well.
I'd love to know who's reading. The first person to tweet me the word #southplantation will get a shout out on my next blog. Enjoy a few pics from the game below.
Coach M
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:South Plantation Stadium
Saturday, August 27, 2011
First Conditioning
They ran, and ran some more. When we were done with one thing, they ran to the next. What made it worse was that our gyms ACs weren't on, so the players were slipping and sliding all over the floor.
Midway though it seemed as if they had already had enough, they looked drained from going up and down the court. At one point, one of the players went to the garbage and had to put in what they ate for breakfast. By the end of conditioning, every player was so soaked from sweat it looked as if they had just gone swimming in a pool.
The hustle was definitely there i just hope they start communicating more. I'm curious to see who will read this. So the first person to tell me what school I first started coaching for will get a prize. Send the answer by email or you can tweet it to me.
Coach M
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Midway though it seemed as if they had already had enough, they looked drained from going up and down the court. At one point, one of the players went to the garbage and had to put in what they ate for breakfast. By the end of conditioning, every player was so soaked from sweat it looked as if they had just gone swimming in a pool.
The hustle was definitely there i just hope they start communicating more. I'm curious to see who will read this. So the first person to tell me what school I first started coaching for will get a prize. Send the answer by email or you can tweet it to me.
Coach M
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, August 25, 2011
It's Been Too Long
It has been about 9 months since I last posted a message on this blog. It's not so easy to sit and put my thoughts on a screen especially during the season. I know I haven't put anything up during the off season as well, so there really is no excuse.
My promise to the few that check on this blog, is to be more dedicated to posting my thoughts. After workouts, games, practices, etc. I will do my best to put something up every few days. Even if I have to get only 3 hours of sleep, I will make sure that something fresh will be posted.
Coach M
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My promise to the few that check on this blog, is to be more dedicated to posting my thoughts. After workouts, games, practices, etc. I will do my best to put something up every few days. Even if I have to get only 3 hours of sleep, I will make sure that something fresh will be posted.
Coach M
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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