Back several weeks ago I saw the PE teacher (Profe) coaching both the boys and girls basketball teams, so during a foolish moment at a faculty party I volunteered to help. Last week he took me up on the offer and with the parting words, "We lost all our good players last year," put me in charge of the girls' team. The boys' seem to have a chance at the national championship.
Yesterday we began working on our offense for the regional tournament that starts next Tuesday. I introduced the 'screen' to the girls. The concept is swishing around in their gray matter for the first time for most of them along with the thought that the coach does not know what he is doing. Their previous offense seems to have been to stand in one place and try to throw the ball over the heads of the opposition to someone (hopefully) on their own team. Half way through a lethargic practice where team members would run over to Profe who would send them back after telling them I was their coach now, I called a team meeting. I explained that Profe had asked me to take on coaching their team, but it would not hurt my feelings in the least if they felt they didn't need me. But if I stayed, practice and the team would be run my way. I sent them off to have a team meeting to decide with another reminder that giving me the axe would not hurt my feeling in the least. Their discussion went on for a little longer than I would have expected, but they came back with the decision that they wanted me as coach.
Last night I woke up at 1 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep until 4 with annoying thoughts of what players would be best where and how to take advantage of what skills the team has and on and on and on. Also I needed to give myself a good foot massage after 2 hours of running up and down a cement basketball court.
No comments:
Post a Comment