“You Can’t Score If You Don’t Shoot”
It’s been an entertaining 7th-grade girl’s basketball season. In the midst of getting significantly beaten in several games, there have been numerous memorable moments that have had the effect of raising the experience from just another ho-hum season. For example, when all five of my players ran to the other end of the court to play defense. Unfortunately, our opponents were inbounding the basketball underneath their own basket on the end of the court that they had just sprinted away from. Notice I said all five players ran away…and it was the fourth quarter…which meant they had been defending that end of the court for one quarter+ already.
It’s a sign of the level of inexperience I’m coaching. Only two of the ten girls have ever played basketball before. Most of the middle school teams we are playing are comprised of girls who have been playing on club teams for several years. I have 5 volleyball players, 1 dancer, 1 distance runner, 1 girl who has never played any sport, and the 2 who have played basketball before this year.
But they have improved greatly, even in the midst of lop-sided scores. This past week I told them that they have really improved in their warmups before a game. I was being serious. We no longer have to check for cracks in the backboard. They are actually making most of their layups during warmups. No joke!
They are discovering my “wise sayings”, such as “She doesn’t get smaller the closer you dribble the ball toward her”, and “You can’t score, if you don’t shoot.”
That one came at halftime of a game where we didn’t attempt our first shot until there were 9 seconds left in the second quarter. Since then, a couple of my players have taken the advice to the max, more than willing to fire as soon as they cross half-court.
Small steps.
We have won a game…in overtime on a banked three-point shot!
The thing is…I’m loving it! They’re learning and staying positive. In the midst of a 38-2 defense to a team that may one day be playing in the WNBA, I said to one of my players who was sitting beside me on the bench, “Hey! These girls have been playing together for the past 4 years. How long have you been playing?” She looked at me and said, “One game.”
“Exactly! This is all about learning, and you’re on the fast track of learning how to play basketball.”
No one has hung their head in discouragement. No one has pouted. No one has entered the transfer portal or asked about their NIL. They are experiencing being a part of a positive athletic team in defeating situations. Anytime we score a basket, I chuckle. When we scored the one basket in the 38-2 blistering, the crowd erupted. When one of my volleyball players actually does a reverse pivot, I cry, “Holy cow! Did you see that?” When my tallest player sprints down the court and intercepts a pass that was headed to a player for an easy layup, I get all jittery! When another one of my volleyball players dribbles back and forth but remembers to use her left hand, I want to cry. I’m so happy.
We took them to the Air Force vs. Wyoming Women’s basketball game, and they watched the game as opposed to having their faces buried in their cell phones. We debriefed afterward about what they had learned. After each of our games, we talk about what we learned, in what ways improvement was evident, and what we need to work on.
We’re going as a team to our high school’s game this coming week. In essence, these ten young ladies are taking an accelerated course in basketball.
It will all be over in a week, and I’ll miss them greatly. About a week after the season is over, I’ll recognize what a blessed coach I have been to teach them, lead them, and figure out in new ways how to instruct players new to the game.
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