Back in Ohio March 19, 2011
Posted by palhoop in girls basketball.add a comment
There’s nothing more welcoming than March Madness and the state girls basketball tournament as I arrive back in my home state. I must say it’s great to be back in a state that takes the basketball seriously. With both OSU men’s and women’s teams winning the conference and their 1st round tourney game, march madness is sure to be a treat. Hats off to the other Ohio teams in the tourney: Xavier, University of Dayton and Bowling Green.
Feels like home, Cbus!
The HEAT played at NMSU’s Halftime December 2, 2009
Posted by palhoop in girls basketball.add a comment
While the area, and intensity has changed, one thing is certain: Coaches still have a desire to expose kids to new possibilities. Greg, The Heat head coach and program director, arranged for his girls team to play during the halftime of New Mexico State University’s womens basketball game. My heart smiled when I heard him make the announcement at practice. I thought to myself, “He’s planting a seed; one in which a little girl just might get the idea that if she worked hard at it, she could play college basketball too.
As human-beings, we all desire new things, tireless hope kissed by blissful possibility. A coach’s perceptions empowered by the teams beliefs. My heart could not have been warmer that evening as the young players’ eyes lit up because they were sharing the spotlight.
Hopes and dreams, dreams and hopes; in hoops, I once dreamed; hope always dreams…my dreams eventually hooped; came to fruition. My, my…the power of dreams; oh my, the power of a planted seed; Oh my,my, my…the power of perception; but you and I know the real power is in belief.
I hope I never stop dreaming too…God help me if I do!
I hope I never stop believing….God give me strength to follow-through!
New beginning…new place…new coaching gig…Same Passion, different twist: NOT MY TEAM! November 5, 2009
Posted by palhoop in girls basketball.4 comments
I volunteered to help coach local youth teams at a public elementary school. The teams constists of both boys and girls and range in grades k-5. It’s interesting here: Basketball is not business–you know, sweat, tears, gut-wrenching hard work. Basketball is for FUN. None of the kids have the “basketball could pay for college” seed planted in their minds. Basketball is a social-event, a break, a recess, where the court is the playground. Coaches are conditioned to accept that each kid might be in their own little world, doing their own thing. I caught a 10-year-old boy spinning in circles while we went over a zone defense drill. One coach smiled and asked him to stop spinning…the disciplinarian in me was appaulled; it was then that I reminded myself that I am a volunteer and this is not my team.
Competitiveness is lacking here. The thrill of beating your own self is a non-existent concept. The thrill of beating an opponent, however, is a concept well understood by kids their age. Everyone wants to be a winner, right? And if you’re team puts more points on the board you win. Here it doesn’t matter how you put those point on the board. You can travel before a shot, shoot with two hands, and flock to the basketball like fish to food. Unfortunately, it’s the thrill of beating their own selves that I long to foster in youth; if they learn that, they are well on their way to becoming the very best they can be–fixated in a cycle of continuous improvement, never settling for mediocrity. I feel a little out-of-place here. I’m trying to remember the last time I showed up on the basketball court just to goof off. I’m having problems remembering the last time I felt that way, but the same words keep resounding in my head: “This is not my team. This is NOT my team. THIS IS NOT MY TEAM!”
And the highlight of the practice session was a little girl named Kylea. Her honesty was commendable. She told me, “Coach B, I do not run that fast.” My response was, “That’s okay. Will you try your best?” Nodding her head she proceeded to try to turn the dribbler and tripped over her Chuck Taylors landing flat on the linoleum floor. I held out my hand to help her up and said, “I like your hustle. Be careful–the floor is slick”. She fell again seconds later and her father sprang from his spectator seat as her tears began to roll. He rushed to her only to say, “I told you to put your basketball shoes on, but you know more than me.” I glanced at her low-cut Chuck Taylors, thinking silently to myself: those are basketball shoes, just old school ones. Crying, Kylea stated that she wants to go home. Her dad told her she wasn’t going home. I told her she was a soldier to get back up and try again; and I wanted to hug her dad for not letting her call it quits for the evening. She learned 3 valuable lessons tonight: 1) 21st century basketball shoes serve you better in practice, than in your closet. 2) Just try your best 3) If you fall, you’d better get up because quitting is not an option. After practice Kylea came up to me and thanked me for coming to practice today. As a coach, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a player saying this to me after practice, but I appreciated the sentiment.
I learned valuable lessons today also: 1) Let basketball just be pure fun–it’s okay 2) You can still teach tough lessons in a fun environment. 3) This is not my team. 4) I miss the drive of the players on my team; you could look at one of them and tell they wanted to PR that day 5) A little change is still good. Change is still constant. 6) This is not my team 7) This is not my team 8) This is NOT my team.
More Than A Game October 3, 2009
Posted by palhoop in girls basketball.3 comments
As I pack my things to leave Chillicothe, I decided to stop back by the PAL blog; its my way of revisiting my first love [basketball] and paying tribute to a game that has given me so much more than basketball. It’s also my way of applauding and thanking those who journeyed with me, in creating a fully-funded girls bitty-ball program. I delighted myself in working with a wonderful group of strong, intelligent, young atheletes. To ALL involved (players, parents, coaches, PAL administration, and community supporters): THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Thank you for your belief in me and, more importantly, your belief in what these young girls could accomplish together.
I took a break from packing today and watched the trailer for the Lebron James movie. (Lebron James Story: More Than A Game)(The Nike Official site for More Than A Game) In the trailer the coach stated that he began coaching Lebron’s 5th grade team in a gym with a linoleum floor. It was then that I began to think of my PAL girls, who got their start in a similar gym. My mind quickly fast forwarded to what they can become together. I’m excited for their future! I’m excited for how great they can be!
The girls in the PAL program accomplished far more than anyone expected. They arrived, smilely-faced and ponytailed, at a cracker-box gym (linoleum floor and all), expecting to improve each day. They set goals, volunteered in their community, encouraged other girls to excel, and pushed themselves without questioning, while glaring tenaciously at their opponents (underdog or not) cross court. The program sprouted a 2009 Jr. WNBA All-Star player, an Enforcers travel team adorning a record 38 wins and 6 losses, and two expansion teams (4th and 5th grades).
Towards the end of our journey, I found myself trying to step outside of myself to truly enjoy the magic that was taking place in that gym. The PAL girls talked eachother through practices. They bruised the male practice team. Their passes and cuts were sharper than they had ever been. They knew their fast-break offense and how to transition into their secondary offense. They knew 3 full-court presses, 8 half court defenses, and a multitude of offensive plays. When focused, these girls made basketball look like poetry in motion. They made it look so “not-like-6th-grade giiiirrrrls” playing basketball; they were Enforcers who never practiced like 6th graders at all.
Our end-of-season banquet left me brokenhearted and smiling, if you can imagine that chex-mix of feelings: content in all we accomplished together, yet not satisfied because I felt like we have so much further to go… but the hour glass said, “It’s time to let go.” I closed the doors of PAL that evening with the “we are still just getting started” feeling embedded deep in my heart. It was then, I realized that the whole time I thought I was coaching them, they were really coaching me. I am better from the lessons they taught me.
These girls have now out grown their PAL t-shirts, their Enforcers uniforms, bitty-ball practices, and lessons of how to treat others. They’ve out grown the tennis ball dribbling, small orange cones, Queen of the Scene books, and jock jams cds. Yet, I know they have not out grown me; Just like a throw-back jersey’s revival, a “Coach B Comeback” may be right around the corner…
You may ask, Why?…Why are you leaving when you have a fair chance to coach at least half the crew again?…and…Why do you predict a comeback, even before you’re gone?……
Well, I can’t turn down the unique job opportunity I have set before me, so I take this opportunity knowing deep in my heart, coaching is still what makes me happiest.–We always return to what makes us happy because, well, it’s true what they say life is: The Pursuit of Happiness. I will come full-circle coaching again; don’t know where or when. I just hope that there will be a group of strong, intelligent, young athletes, smiley-faced and pony-tailed, willing to meet me at the intersection of iAM Street and iCan Avenue. Their reward will be my continued promise: iWILL outwork them.
PAL Banquet – May 14th May 13, 2009
Posted by palhoop in girls basketball.2 comments
The 5th & 6th grade PAL spring banquet will be held @ PAL [conference area] on Thursday, May 14th, 6–7:30pm. Join us to celebrate the accomplishments of the Enforcers–Together, we are a FORCE!
Unioto 3-on-3 Tourney May 7, 2009
Posted by palhoop in girls basketball.add a comment
Reserve your spot today–this tourney only accepts the first 8 teams in each age division.
Chillicothe (Paint Valley) Classic Schedule May 7, 2009
Posted by palhoop in girls basketball.add a comment
Saturday, April 4th
PAL 5th Grade:
9:05am PAL vs. Southern Swish @PV H.S. Court
11:15am PAL vs. Southeastern Panthers @PV M.S. Court
PAL 6th Grade:
2:30pm PAL vs. SO Magic – Miller @PV H.S. Court
7:55pm PAL vs. SO Magic – Sams @PV M.S. Court
Sunday, April 5th
PAL 5th Grade:
10:10am PAL vs. Southern Swish @PV H.S. Court
1:25am PAL vs. Southeastern Panthers @PV M.S. Court
PAL 6th Grade:
9:05am PAL vs. River City Swish @PV H.S. Court
2:30pm ….12U Championship @ PV H.S. Court
Links: Chillicothe (Paint Valley) Classic Teams :: Chillicothe (Paint Valley) Classic Schedule
Enforcers Pound Steel City May 4, 2009
Posted by palhoop in girls basketball.2 comments
The 6th grade Enforcers took Pittsburgh by storm, finishing a perfect 4-0 at Robert Morris University. Excellent job sharing the basketball on offense and helping eachother defensively. The 6th grade Enforcers wrap up the spring traveling season with guest sideline coach , Mrs. MaCarter (a.k.a. Coach B’s favorite teacher), at the Paint Valley Chillicothe Classic–We will be playing up 12U this tourney, so let’s go out with a bang! Together, we are a FORCE!
PAL Enforcers- GBA Steel City Shoot-Out from Katie Holton on Vimeo.
The 6th grade Enforcers GBA record is now 19-3 and their overall 2008-2009 record stands at 36-4.
*************************************************************
Come support the 5th grade Enforcers this weekend as they compete in the Chillicothe [Paint Valley] Classic–schedule TBA
Enforcers, 2-0, on Day 1 of Tourney May 2, 2009
Posted by palhoop in girls basketball.1 comment so far
The 6th grade Enforcers were fearless during day 1 of the Steel City Classic in Pittburgh. Relentless pressure, combined with a lightning fastbreak offense, left Pennsylvania opponents gasping for air. Congrats, Enforcers on a strong start out of state! Together, We CAN & We WILL!
Results—-
PAL Enforcers(40) vs. Primetime Caprio (7)
PAL Enforcers (32) vs. Primetime Kline (17)
