The press and girls basketball

[ManitouDan]

girls sure don't understand how to give the passer a good angle to avoid the pass either getting stolen or deflected. .

[Falconburger]

I always teach there are two parts to a pass. the passer and the receiver, you don't always get a good pass, but a good receiver will catch it if they are prepared to.

Like everything else it is easy to teach things in practice, but if players are not willing to work at it or listen then you will not be successful. Alot of players now days are just playing to be on the team, you don't see alot of players working on their game in the offseason. This also falls on parents, if you dont remind your player that they need to work on something that they want to be good at, then all the coaching in the world during the season won't help. I stand by what I said earlier, players are always made in the off season, not during the season.

[ManitouDan]

amen brother falcon ! I was having vision's of smashing that ____ XBOX last nite . Then do away with cell phone and we might be able to get something accomplished . MD

I know 2 kids very well right now that are being recruited by D-1 schools BEFORE they have ever played a minute in HS sports. BOTH train 3-6 days a week in their given sport . year round.. and never ever miss a week without practicing. never. dedication pays off. MD

[footballfanatic1]

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT YOU CAN SURE SEE THE DIFFERENCE WHEN THE SEASON STARTS WHO HAS HAD THE BALL IN THIER HANDS DURING THE OFF SEASON. MY THOUGHTS ARE THAT HARD WORK WILL BEAT ABILITY ALWAYS....

[mhs95_06]

When I first saw this thread, I thought it was going to be complaining about newspaper coverage, like last weekend when the Marietta Times covered the MHS boys home foundation game on Friday, but did not cover the MHS girls opener with Zanesville on Saturday night.

Amen to the comments about the importance of pass receiving. I have seen many good pass receivers who have saved many turnovers on poor passes to them. Often times they turn it into a free throw opportunity as the defenders gets aggressive and "licks her chops" when sees the poor pass and posssible steal coming. The receiver senses that and agressively goes toward the ball and and oft times the defender gets called, most times correctly so, for the foul.

[mhs95_06]

When I first saw this thread, I thought it was going to be complaining about newspaper coverage, like last weekend when the Marietta Times covered the MHS boys home foundation game on Friday, but did not cover the MHS girls opener with Zanesville on Saturday night.

Amen to the comments about the importance of pass receiving. I have seen many good pass receivers who have saved many turnovers on poor passes to them. Often times they turn it into a free throw opportunity as the defender gets aggressive and "licks her chops" when she sees the poor pass and posssible steal coming. The receiver senses that and agressively goes toward the ball and and oft times the defender gets called, most times correctly so, for the foul.

[mhs95_06]

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT YOU CAN SURE SEE THE DIFFERENCE WHEN THE SEASON STARTS WHO HAS HAD THE BALL IN THIER HANDS DURING THE OFF SEASON. MY THOUGHTS ARE THAT HARD WORK WILL BEAT ABILITY ALWAYS....

I disagree that hard work will ALWAYS beat ability. It is for sure that hard work will develop and hone ability. However most of the work should be on weaknesses. I am thinking of a couple of very good players that were both good left handed dribblers, one a right handed shooter and the other left. I think it is common for left handed dribblers to have more success going only left than right handers going only right, because the defenders are more used to guarding right handed dribblers. Therefore the left handed dribblers are not forced as much to learn to go right handed. So they get along well until someone is smart enough to take that away, and then they are stuck not being able to go right very well. I think that a young player should take about 80% of their dribble bounces in games with their weaker hand to develop it and then their stronger hand is available for a couple key bounces or two to succeed in key situations. You know they say perfect practice makes perfect - you have to pracctice doing the right things the right way.

Now I have seen girls, and guys too for that matter, that just don't have the ability that others have, and as hard as they work on the right things, they just never get some things mastered, or anywhere close, so in that regard I wouldn't say that hard work always beats ability.

A word about inactivity making skills rusty. I know that when I played, and didn't play or practice for a while, I felt like the rustiness was way worse in ball handling than it was in shooting.

[bballermom]

I always teach there are two parts to a pass. the passer and the receiver, you don't always get a good pass, but a good receiver will catch it if they are prepared to.

Like everything else it is easy to teach things in practice, but if players are not willing to work at it or listen then you will not be successful. Alot of players now days are just playing to be on the team, you don't see alot of players working on their game in the offseason. This also falls on parents, if you dont remind your player that they need to work on something that they want to be good at, then all the coaching in the world during the season won't help. I stand by what I said earlier, players are always made in the off season, not during the season.

I do not in any way want to start an arguement or cause trouble, but I am going to change the subject of this topic for just a minute. What is the problem with just playing to be on the team..Why do we drill into our children's head that they have to practice, train, and improve at a sport in the offseason. What about letting our kids be kids in the offseason?? I understand that everyone wants to win. But let them play because they like the sport and enjoy playing, let them play with their natural talent/ability and we will still have a winner and a loser. I understand that some kids are looking for tuition for college, but I remember when I was in school, we didn't have all the travel clubs, and the kids still got athletic scholarships. I guess what I'm saying is that sometimes I think too much emphasis is placed on sports..the majority of the kids playing ball are not going pro..but they are going to have to join the workforce. So why not emphasize that in the offseason?? I know I said let the kids be kids, but really, doing the offseason training is like having a job only you don't get paid for it. I may be way off base here..and I may be hissed and booed at about this, but I have always had these feelings about how much pressure we, as the parents, put on our children when it comes to sports.

[ManitouDan]

hmmmm i think i'll debate this in my mind before spouting off lol

[md2020]

One important point: Some kids play year around because THEY love the game. It is what they want to do. That is the case sometimes. When they are in the driveway by themselves , in the rain , shooting basketballs, having to make ten free throws before they will come in. They want to play, they do what they do because they want to.

[footballfanatic1]

just look on the court at any given time and you can tell the girls that want to play because it matters to them if they win or lose. winning is fun...

[bballermom]

I understand winning is fun...nobody likes to lose..

I'm not real sure I can get my point across through typing, and for that matter, not sure anyone really cares what my point is..lol... but what I'm trying to get across is that sometimes I think all the offseason stuff is for the parents...so they can say " I take my kid here to do this and I take my kid there to do that.. and they play on this team for so many months and that team for the rest of the year"...if your kid is good at a sport that is great!!! but maybe they are good at 2-3 sports...how do you make them decide what sport to focus on in the offseason? Let's say you have a son that is good in football, basketball and baseball. What is wrong with letting him just play all 3 sports ( like you did in high school) and enjoying his high school career? It doesn't take away from the fact that he wants to win, it doesn't make him less of a player because he doesn't focus on 1 sport. He may love the game of football, but only in the fall..He may love the game of basketball, but only in the winter, and He may love the game of baseball, but only in the spring. What is wrong with that? And then in what little bit of summer he has left , maybe He could love summer, just for summer..go to the pool and love the pool and not have to worry about a game or practice later in the day. I really DO NOT want to offend anyone..I just see all the kids doing all this offseason training and makes me think if they are truly enjoying it or feel they are going to let their parents down if they don't.

[ironmen1987]

My daughter plays in 3 sports but she actually quit working on the basketball and has been concentrating on cross country and track over the last year. She did end up deciding to play bball but has since said she regrets the decision because it's just not fun to her anymore. Everyone wanted her to play but me but i told her the choice was hers to make so now she has to make the most of it. I thought she needed a break as she runs year round. I worry more about the injury part of it than anything as bball has become more and more physical as she has gotten older. A coach that loses year after year will be out of a job so i can understand why they have to push but i wonder if playing year round actually hurts other sports. Girls that might star in track or softball are now playing AAU or spring soccer instead and i'm sure there are other examples. The decision between being good at 3 sports or great at 1 is hard to make sometimes.

[ManitouDan]

ballmom--some of your points are valid. my question or concern is that why should the team be put in jeopordy of losing by giving playing time to someone who doesn't take the game seriously ? Or another way of asking the question -- you have 4 girls on a bb team who work their tails off to be good and win games for their HS , the 5th starter just wants to be part of the team , doesn't work hard, as you stated just wants to be part of the team.

Is it fair for the 4 hard workers to be critical of the 5th girl who is causing the entire team not to be able to reach it's potential or goals ?

BTH -heck of a thread hijack. MD

[bballermom]

I think ironmen1987 is more on my line of thinking..I think ...injury is a very good point too!..just think of the aches and pains we as parents have from high school sports, can you imagine the problems the kids are gonna have from all of the over use of certain muscles all the time? I mean, you have kids already having surgery for different things.

Let's look at West Portsmouth for example...they have had tremendous success over the last decade or so in softball..but their basketball program was weak..because all the girls were focused on softball, but what about those girls that loved basketball?? Maybe they could've had successful seasons in both instead of just softball, but nobody wanted to work on the basketball part.. now that they are improving on the basketball court, I look for the softball team to fall behind..it may or may not happen?? Only time will tell..

MD~When playing high school ball, you have to have a knowledge of the game. It is no longer biddy ball, so if you don't understand or can't play the game, more than likely you won't be on the team,which, by the way I completley understand. I'm talking about kids that are good at sports they just don't do offseason training...
the 5th starter better be one of the hardest workers or they shouldn't be starting...but just because they don't work on it in the offseason doesn't mean they aren't a hard worker or take the game seriously. As far as being fair for the 4 girls to be critical of the 5th girl..how about being encouraging and helping instead of critical?

I really had no intentions of hijacking the thread :-)...the comment "Alot of players now days are just playing to be on the team" kinda just struck me as odd.....doesn't everyone play to be on the team? Just because you don't offseason train doesn't mean you don't love the game.

[ManitouDan]

i want my players playing to win.

[bballermom]

and that is fine..but I think all players are playing to win..I just don't think it is necessary for all the offseason training.

When the kid has graduated high school and looks back to all the things they did as a child are they going to remember fun times or just working hard for a sport??

No hard feelings meant for anyone, just my opinion..have a Merry Christmas!!

[ironmen1987]

I use to really think my daughter was a good player until she reached the age where she started playing outside the "biddy" program. She seemed overwhelmed by the speed of the game, the press, and the teamwork of some of the girls that had played travel ball together for several years. I think this happens to many of the girls as they hit jr high and see the talent outside of their circles. My daughter improved as the season went along but the gap in experience is hard for a coach to overcome when he/she has an entire team like that. Look at the difference between last years Jackson 7th and 8th grade squad. AAU is great for the improving the quality of a players game. The only downside is the disparity it has created in 7th-12th grade sports between those that play and those that don't.

[ManitouDan]

^^ true dat

[footballfanatic1]

1987 the disparity created is as you know is from hard work.......if you want to play whatever sport you must be willing to put the effort into it don't make it sound like just because some players don't or won't put the time into it is unfair...come to think of it anything you do in life you must apply yourself...