February 24th, 2013 | Uncategorized
The other day my U16 girls that I have been coaching played one of their better games this season, and we even ended up getting the win (even though it was because the other team was disqualified, but hey, a win is a win!). We scored 30 points, which may not seem like a lot to many of you, but for this team, it was a huge accomplishment. All season I have been struggling to get the girls to shoot the ball on offense, let alone actually look at the basket when they catch the ball. In the beginning of the season, it was like nobody on the team wanted to touch the ball; every player on the court would run away from the point guard. But over the last couple weeks, I have seen an improvement and an increase in some of the players’ confidence.
One girl in particular has improved immensely from the beginning of the season. I remember the first game she played in: she looked like a deer in headlights when she was out on the court. But now, she gets open on offense, and every time she catches the ball, she looks at the basket. She shoots her open shot, but also knows when to pass it to a teammate. Not only has her offense improved, but her defense is much more aggressive and when she gets a steal and a fast break, she goes up for the lay up strong. The best part about this player is that she always has a huge smile on her face after she’s scored a basket or done something positive on defense. Although this group still needs a lot more work, it’s the little things like a smile on a player’s face that make me feel like I have taught these girls something and helped improved their game!
