FILM... the importance of Watching Film

Like any young coach, recreating what our coaches did that inspired us to become coaches MUST BE THE WAY WE DO THINGS.

Im sure it is the same for all coaches, the most important thing is that WE DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THE TEAM. There are several different ways to accomplish the same goals, the challenge is finding the formula that suits your players.

I try to do two things in my daily practice plan:

1. Reinforce the things we already do well.

2. Challenge ways we already do things, constant change/tweaking.

I became OBSESSED with film a few years ago when I was at Emerson.  I learned when executed with purpose film can extremely beneficial. I have learned to use film to help my team and my players individually improve.

Experience is our greatest teacher, we go out there and learn something new every day. Now we have the opportunity to learn even more from our experiences because we can recap it all on FILM. As coaches we try to avoid the digression of players and that point where our team stagnates. A total killer is when returns start to diminish and attention spans are lost, this can happen with film. If we have the proper INTENT (why we show film) we will be progress. If we have the proper CONTENT (what we watch) we will keep their attentions. If we have the proper ENVIRONMENT (where we watch film) we can execute with purpose.  If we have the right MOMENT (when we show film) our team will get better.

A player should want to watch film to:

1. IMPROVE

2. PREPARE

3. MOTIVATE

"FILM DOESN'T LIE", we have all heard that line and we have all lived that line.

Destructive to Youth Athletics

Mike Matheny Letter To Parents

Message from Kevin Seitzer - Mike Matheny is the new St. Louis Cardinals Manager.  Mike lived with me in Milwaukee his rookie year.  He's one of the most respected, wonderful people you will ever be around.  Mike coached his kids after retirement and this is a letter to the parents on his team.  This may be the BEST letter I've ever read regarding youth baseball and is exactly what "The Mac-N-Seitz Way" is all about.  Please enjoy and help us get there!

Letter from Mike Matheny.....

I always said that the only team that I would coach would be a team of orphans, and now here we are. The reason for me saying this is that I have found the biggest problem with youth sports has been the parents. I think that it is best to nip this in the bud right off the bat. I think the concept that I am asking all of you to grab is that this experience is ALL about the boys. If there is anything about it that includes you, we need to make a change of plans. My main goals are as follows:

(1) to teach these young men how to play the game of baseball the right way,

(2) to be a positive impact on them as young men, and

(3) do all of this with class.

We may not win every game, but we will be the classiest coaches, players, and parents in every game we play. The boys are going to play with a respect for their teammates, opposition, and the umpires no matter what.

With that being said, I need to let you know where I stand. I have no hidden agenda. I have no ulterior motive other than what I said about my goals. I also need all of you to know that my priorities in life will most likely be a part of how I coach, and the expectations I have for the boys. My Christian faith is the guide for my life and I have never been one for forcing my faith down someone's throat, but I also believe it to be cowardly, and hypocritical to shy away from what I believe. You as parents need to know for yourselves and for your boys, that when the opportunity presents itself, I will be honest with what I believe. That may make some people uncomfortable, but I did that as a player, and I hope to continue it in any endeavor that I get into. I am just trying to get as many potential issues out in the open from the beginning. I believe that the biggest role of the parent is to be a silent source of encouragement. I think if you ask most boys what they would want their parents to do during the game; they would say "NOTHING". Once again, this is ALL about the boys. I believe that a little league parent feels that they must participate with loud cheering and "Come on, let's go, you can do it", which just adds more pressure to the kids. I will be putting plenty of pressure on these boys to play the game the right way with class, and respect, and they will put too much pressure on themselves and each other already. You as parents need to be the silent, constant, source of support.

Let the record stand right now that we will not have good umpiring. This is a fact, and the sooner we all understand that, the better off we will be. We will have balls that bounce in the dirt that will be called strikes, and we will have balls over our heads that will be called strikes. Likewise, the opposite will happen with the strike zone while we are pitching. The boys will not be allowed at any time to show any emotion against the umpire. They will not shake their head, or pout, or say anything to the umpire. This is my job, and I will do it well. I once got paid to handle those guys, and I will let them know when they need to hear something. I am really doing all of you parents a favor that you probably don't realize at this point. I have taken out any work at all for you except to get them there on time, and enjoy. The thing that these boys need to hear is that you enjoyed watching them and you hope that they had fun. I know that it is going to be very hard not to coach from the stands and yell encouraging things to your son, but I am confident that this works in a negative way for their development and their enjoyment. Trust me on this. I am not saying that you cannot clap for your kids when they do well. I am saying that if you hand your child over to me to coach them, then let me do that job.

A large part of how your child improves is your responsibility. The difference for kids at this level is the amount of repetition that they get. This goes with pitching, hitting and fielding. As a parent, you can help out tremendously by playing catch, throwing batting practice, hitting ground balls, or finding an instructor who will do this in your place. The more of this your kids can get, the better. This is the one constant that I have found with players that reached the major leagues....someone spent time with them away from the field.

I am completely fine with your son getting lessons from whomever you see fit. The only problem I will have is if your instructor is telling your son not to follow the plan of the team. I will not teach a great deal of mechanics at the beginning, but I will teach mental approach, and expect the boys to comply. If I see something that your son is doing mechanically that is drastically wrong, I will talk with the instructor and clear things up. The same will hold true with pitching coaches. We will have a pitching philosophy and will teach the pitchers and catchers how to call a game, and why we choose the pitches we choose. There is no guessing. We will have a reason for the pitches that we throw. A pitching coach will be helpful for the boys to get their arms in shape and be ready to throw when spring arrives. Every boy on this team will be worked as a pitcher. We will not over use these young arms and will keep close watch on the number of innings that the boys are throwing.

I will be throwing so much info at these boys that they are going to suffer from overload for a while, but eventually they are going to get it. I am a stickler about the thought process of the game. I will be talking non-stop about situational hitting, situational pitching, and defensive preparation. The question that they are going to hear the most is "What were you thinking?" What were you thinking when you threw that pitch? What were you thinking during that at bat? What were you thinking before the pitch was thrown, were you anticipating anything? I am a firm believer that this game is more mental than physical, and the mental may be more difficult, but can be taught and can be learned by a 10 and 11 year old. If it sounds like I am going to be demanding of these boys, you are exactly right. I am definitely demanding their attention, and the other thing that I am going to require is effort. Their attitude, their concentration, and their effort are the things that they can control. If they give me these things every time they show up, they will have a great experience.

The best situation for all of us is for you to plan on handing these kids over to me and the assistant coaches when you drop them off, and plan on them being mine for the 2 or so hours that we have scheduled for a game, or the time that we have scheduled for the practice. I would like for these boys to have some responsibility for having their own water, not needing you to keep running to the concession stand, or having parents behind the dugout asking their son if they are thirsty, or hungry, or too hot, and I would appreciate if you would share this information with other invited guests...like grandparents. If there is an injury, obviously we will get you to help, but besides that, let's pretend that they are at work for a short amount of time and that you have been granted the pleasure of watching. I will have them at games early so we can get stretched and loosened up, and I will have a meeting with just the boys after the game. After the meeting, they are all yours again. As I am writing this, I sound like the little league Nazi, but I believe that this will make things easier for everyone involved.

I truly believe that the family is the most important institution in the lives of these guys. With that being said, l think that the family events are much more important than the sports events. I just ask that you are considerate of the rest of the team and let the team manager, and myself know when you will miss, and to let us know as soon as possible. I know that there will be times when I am going to miss either for family reasons, for other commitments. If your son misses a game or a practice, it is not the end of the world, but there may be some sort of repercussion, just out of respect for the kids that put the effort into making it. The kind of repercussions could possibly be running, altered playing time, or position in the batting order.

Speaking of batting order, I would like to address that right from the top as well seeing that next to playing time this is the second most complained about issue, or actually tied for second with position on the defensive field. Once again, I need you to know that I am trying to develop each boy individually, and I will give them a chance to learn and play any position that they are interested in. I also believe that this team will be competitive and when we get into situations where we are focusing on winning; like a tournament for example; we are going to put the boys in the position that will give the team the best opportunity. I will talk with the boys individually and have them tell me what their favorite position is and what other position they would like to learn about. As this season progresses, there is a chance that your son may be playing a position that they don't necessarily like, but I will need your support about their role on the team. I know that times have changed, but one of the greatest lessons that my father taught me was that my coach was always right...even when he was wrong. The principle is a great life lesson about how things really work. I hope that I will have enough humility to come to your son if I treated him wrong and apologize. Our culture has lost this respect for authority mostly because the kids hear the parents constantly complaining about the teachers and coaches of the child.

I need all of you to know that we are most likely going to lose many games this year. The main reason is that we need to find out how we measure up with the local talent pool. The only way to do this is to play against some of the best teams. I am convinced that if the boys put their work in at home, and give me their best effort, that we will be able to play with just about any team. Time will tell. l also believe that there is enough local talent that we will not have to do a large amount of travel, if any. This may be disappointing for those of you who only play baseball and look forward to the out of town experiences, but I also know that this is a relief for the parents that have traveled throughout the US and Canada for hockey and soccer looking for better competition. In my experiences, we have traveled all over the Midwest and have found just as good competition right in our back yard. If this season goes well, we will entertain the idea of travel in the future.

The boys will be required to show up ready to play every time they come to the field. Shirts tucked in, hats on straight, and pants not drooping down to their knees. There is not an excuse for lack of hustle on a baseball field. From the first step outside the dugout they will hustle. They will have a fast jog to their position, to the plate, and back to the bench when they make an out. We will run out every hit harder than any team we will play, and will learn how to always back up a play to help our teammates. Every single play, every player will be required to move to a spot. Players that do not hustle and run out balls will not play. The boys will catch on to this quickly. The game of baseball becomes very boring when players are not thinking about the next play and what they possibly could do to help the team. Players on the bench will not be messing around. I will constantly be talking with them about situations and what they would be doing if they were in a specific position, or if they were the batter. There is as much to learn on the bench as there is on the field if the boys want to learn. All of this will take some time for the boys to conform to. They are boys and I am not trying to take away from that, but I do believe that they can bear down and concentrate hard for just a little while during the games and practices.

I know this works because this was how I was taught the game and how our parents acted in the stands. We started our little league team when I was 10 years old in a little suburb of Columbus, Ohio. We had a very disciplined coach that expected the same from us. We committed 8 summers to this man and we were rewarded for our efforts. I went to Michigan, one went to Duke, one to Miami of Florida, two went to North Carolina, one went to Central Florida, one went to Kent State, and most of the others played smaller division one or division two baseball. Four of us went on to play professionally. This was coming from a town where no one had ever been recruited by any colleges. I am not saying that this is what is going to happen to our boys, but what I do want you to see is that this system works. I know that right now you are asking yourself if this is what you want to get yourself into and I understand that for some of you it may not be the right fit. I also think that there is a great opportunity for these boys to grow together and learn some lessons that will go beyond their baseball experience. Let me know as soon as possible whether or not this is a commitment that you and your son want to make.

Thanks,

Mike Matheny

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My Last #Emerson Speech

I stand before you tonight with NO LEAGUE TITLE and NO STATE SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. Does this mean we were not a good team bc we do no bare those gifts, ABOSILUTELY NOT! Jim Valvano once said, “sometimes good teams just lose”. Well we are a great team and we just lost.

We played our best basketball in the first half of the season, one of the only teams left undefeated 16 games in, we were 16-0 and not with a cup cake, weak sauce schedule, we had the strongest schedule in our four years here. For a good portion of the season we were ranked 5^th in the Record’s North Jersey Poll. We won 25 games for the second year in a row and only lost 10 games in the last two years. All 5 starters received all league honors and Allison Larose was named honorable mention. Deanna Eyerkuss was 2^nd team All County for the 2^nd year in a row. She received her 1000^th point thanks to the help of her teammates. We leave Emerson with 77 wins and 35 losses.

Some memorable moments: December 18^th verse Bergenfield at the coaches verse cancer benefit game when I split my paints trying to get Marissa Cerniglia’s attention. But Cerniglia made up for it, not by paying my tailor bill but by when she grabbed an outlet from Bosseli’s rebound and viciously pushed the ball up the floor through two defenders to Jenna Albanese who stepped in for a 3 to win the game. And yes her foot was behind the line, we watched two game tapes from two different angles confirming it was a legit 3 pointer.

January 31^st , The “CONTROVERSAL CRESSKILL GAME”. We entered this game 16-0 and were about to be handed our first loss of the season. In the 4^th quarter I called a time out to rally the troops, to motivate them. I pulled the 5 seniors in and told them that “ 4 years ago, I fell in love with Emerson and our team, we are known as the county sweet hearts, favored by many, it was time to live up this role and sweep the county off their feet”. WE LOST. This was a revelation for me, it was the moment I realized that I rather be by my teams side with a loss than not have the opportunity to be with them at all. We walked away with a loss but I walked away with the most important realization of my coaching career here at Emerson.

February 7^th, at Pequannock. I scheduled a very tough Pequannock game on the road out by them. We were supposed to lose, they had a 6’3 girl going D1 next year and one of the better coaches out in that area. What happened, WE WON.

Febuary 27th, Emerson being the # 1 seed in the states playing Butler the # 16 seed at home in CAVO LAND. We only scored 8 points at half and where down. The gym was packed with fans and the infamous CAVOS CRAZIES. I told the girls to take a look around, all these people are here for YOU and this was no longer our team it was their team as well. We did not want to let you down. We fought our way back to a one point lead, 31-30 with plenty of time left on the clock for us to lose this one but the CAVO CRAZIES WOULD NOT LET US LOSE and neither would Jaclyn Bosseli. There she was behind that three point line, only one or two passes into the possession. Time and Situation teaches us to work the ball, a few more passes, no low percentage chances. Well Jaclyn Bosseli had devised her own game plan. She spots up for a 3, all of the coaches stand up in motion yelling “NO” synched together at the same time. IT GOES IN! At that moment I look over at Jill Muller who went from being in her 20s to approximately 128 years old. Janet claims she had heart palpitations. Jill’s face was Milky White and I think her hair started to fall out, all I could say was “did she really just do that to us… again”. We won 36-30 thanks to you, the community, the cavo crazies who drove us through ADVERSITY.

Tuesday, March 6^th – DAY NUMBER 100 of the season, Yes Jenni Cella I confirmed that number with my Calendar. This was the championship game verse cresskill. We lost, Did it hurt? It killed, it was devastating. My heart had just been ripped out and I didn’t know what to say to the team or even myself. The girls walked into the locker room, I could hear their cries. I stayed in the coaches office for quite some time , I realized coaching was like giving birth. Its painful. Dr. Velenti Walks in with the cavo crazie “JENNY WE LOVE YOU POSTER” with the line from forest gump. It immediately brought a smile to my face, I realized that Cresskill had won that night in the box score but we had won as a community. We brought everyone together to watch these 5 seniors weave in and out of their magic. We all became so close through the wins and even closer through the losses. Dr. Valenti was right, we had nothing to be ashamed of, we needed to keep our heads high. Vince Lombardi once said the best feeling in the world was lying exhausted in victory, when asked what was the second best feeling was he said lying exhausted in defeat.

As coaches we have many responsibilities, The goal is to win, but to win the correct way. Never sacrifice character for wins. I’ve always tried to provide my girls with as many opportunities to grow the game as much as possible. I stood up here two years ago and told you that I try to keep my kids playing, that I try to keep them together, it doesn’t guarantee success but it makes it that much more achievable. I believe in giving back to the community, kids keep me young and I enjoy working with them. I knew Emerson was the right place for me when Jenna Albanese told me to leave my harry potter looking blazer at home. Based on PAST HISTORY, our program has been full of character. BASED ON PAST HISTORY my players have believed that I’ve always had their best interest at heart. Based on past history the parents have understood that I’ve had a discipline approach but BASED ON PAST HISTORY we’ve always managed to have fun.

On Sunday April 29^th the record published an article titled the “PARENT TRAP” – a growing trend, mom and dad want coach fired.  Daren Cooper wrote “the truth is, athletes always know who is a good coach and who is not, and the athletes always know why someone is playing instead of them. They just can’t bring themselves to say it to their parents . They know what their parents have invested.  I know that our players and their parents have invested a lot into our program, well its paid off. No matter what position you play in life our game plan as coaches was to reach full development as a whole person, the complete student athlete.

My seniors, my friends, my pasi for life. Our bond and friendship did not end with our last game, it will only continue to grow. The ABCDE of Emerson Basketball. Albanese, Boselli, Cerniglia, DeThomasis, Eyerkuss. My professional goal was to add value to your lives every day. We used the basketball court as a life stage, what you do in basketball you will do in life. You won on the court and you will be winners off the court. You have been handed many great blessings, with these blessings come great responsibilities to reach out and make a difference.

We have introduced a new award for our program this year, it’s the BOB CARCICH AWARD. When I think of Cich, I think of an Emerson legend with a great personality and a great coach. I think of someone who is very dear to me, a mentor a friend and someone who took a chance on me four years ago.

Albanese – Jenna is the co-recipient of the Bob Carcich award. When I think about Jenna I think about how the more I got to know her the more appreciation I gained for having her part of my life. A strong individual who led by example. A coach of her own on the court. A natural leader. A student athlete who always worked with in the academic frame work of the school. Because of Jenna I have seen the positives of setting goals and pushing a team of players to achieve it, working together and striving for something as a team. Jenna Albanese can you make a “SPEED CUT” up here with that Milky White reflection and receive the Bob Carcich Award.

Thank You Lisa and John Albanese.

Boselli – Jaclyn is a strong character who has evolved as a strong leader and a GREAT COMMUNICATER. My biggest success story with Jaclyn is not her 890 career points, but its that by her senior year our bond has placed us on the same page. We finally get it, we finally get one another. Because of her personality, she brought this team that much closer. I would walk into the gym for our morning practice scheduled before school to the girls stretching and Jaclyn singing “its 5 O’clock in the morning, mom and dad are still snoring”.  Because of this charm she is the co-recipient of the Bob Carcich Award.

Thank you Julie and Joe Bosseli.

Cernigilia – A three sport PHENOM, I still think basketball is her best sport but the bottom line is no matter what you were playing you were fun to watch. Those no look passes to JB in the post followed up by a doosh-umon by bosseli was the icing on the cake! You made it fun! Excellence is a gradual result of always wanting to do better, you’ve received excellence by pushing yourself to reach maximum potential. You are one of the reasons at senior night I titled everything under the word “Privilege”. It is a prievelge to play basketball for Emerson High School and its been a privelege coaching you that last four years. Marissa Cerniglia is the recipient of the 2012 Coaches Award.

Thank You Robin and Matty Ice.

DeThomasis –  I’ve made several references to Tara about being my pride. This will never change. Tara went from honorable mention last year to 1^st team all league this season. She was our leading scorer in several games. But what makes her even more special is what she was willing to do for teammates. She guarded all county players, she shut down top scorers just to help her team win. The key to a successful life is the process, thanks to Tara she has shown me that the process is what’s most fun in Basketball. You can’t rush this, you need to be patient and as a coach continue to provide opportunities for these student athletes to getter better. Tara DeThomasis is the 2012 most improved player.

Much Thanks to my Prayer Warrior and John DeThomasis.

Eyerkuss -  Deanna is a very blessed player. She has been a recipient of many accomplishments in the game of basketball. Her natural abilities have given her opportunity to succeed. There is simply no substitute for practice and hard work. She has done ordinary things better than everyone else. It’s the little things that separate the best from the rest. But what really makes Deanna MVP of was the level of maturity she attained by her senior year. She was fun to coach. Deanna is the 2012 MVP for the 3^rd year in a row.

Thank You Crystal and Steve Eyerkuss.

My Last Thank You’s:

Thank You Cich for putting up with me the last 4 Years.

Thank You Dr. Velenti for being a role model a young female striving to be a professional.

Thank You to the Board of Education and School Administrators, I went to Pascack Valley, I attended Board Meetings and received awards but you’ve made your faces known by attending our games and showing us great support thank you.

Thank You GUS – it just dawned on me 4 years later that we should have used your 6’3 frame for dream team.

Thank You Dream Team, we made some T shirts for you guys so please see us to grab them.

To My coaches, my wack pack, my ladies.  Janet and Jill we went through high school together and then four years here at Emerson, Im sure something will come up for us in the near future. Nicole, please don’t block my number bc I call you too much. I love you and Thank You.

To my Juniors, remember you are the studs next year and this is your team and your time.  To my sophmores, my little doo-doos you’ve grown into strong female athletes. My freshman, sky is the limit and no one can put a cap on the potential you can obtain.

Off Season Mentality

3 Rules for Execution:

1. Make strengths even stronger. They are what separate players. Nothing wrong with having a specialty. Being a great shooter, or a great defender, or a great passer is invaluable. Better to be great at one thing than average at several.
2. Work on weaknesses that actually matter. If a weakness isn’t preventing you from maximizing your role on your team (or playing at the next level), it shouldn’t warrant much of your time. Every player needs to be able to go right and left. Not every player needs to be able to shoot 3’s or play post defense. Not all weaknesses need to be addressed.
3. Don’t rush progress. You have to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. But eventually, you will have to ‘run.’ And you will have to run at game speed against live defense. Prepare accordingly. 1 on 0 drills will only get you so far. Drill to improve game performance, not to get better at doing drills!

Strength & conditioning is the foundation of every player’s game. Added strength, power, mobility, movement efficiency and stamina will allow them to perform their skills at a higher level.

Therefore, I strongly recommend high school players spend a ratio of 1:3 on strength & conditioning to skill work. For example, if a player plans to spend 10 hours per week on individual development, they should spend 2.5 hours ‘in the weight room’ and 7.5 hours on the court working on their game.

Summer Hoops

Summer is my favorite time of the year, for many reasons. We had a record breaking summer here at the Y with 11 Teams playing for us. Coaching youth basketball is one of the most rewarding, yet humbling experiences of my life! Unavoidable challenges come along with job description of coaching, getting through to a third grader is not exactly the easiest thing to do but I had fun trying! We spent the month of June and early July practicing for an 8-12 game season (per team) at Dominican College. They run my favorite league because they are the only ones to field all my teams in one season!

For 6 weeks we practices basic fundamentals, full court dribbling lines, catching and passing, motor skill, bring able to finish in motion etc. Dribbling are the most boring yet necessary drills for these younger kids. If a coach spots a kid being able to go coast to coast with total ball control, that coach is going to play that kid. Catching and Passing is the most forgot about fundamental, if you cannot catch the ball or make a pass - where do you think your going? Right on the bench, next to me. "Hey see the other team... don't pass them the ball"! A motor skill is a learned sequence of movements that combine to produce a smooth, efficient action in order to master a particular task. The development of motor skill occurs in the motor cortex, the region of the cerebral cortex that controls voluntary muscle groups.I have had a core group of my 6th grade boys since they were in 1st grade and we are just NOW seeing them develop in this area.

Having coached 100 games this summer you would think that my coaching staff is burnt out. There is something about summer hoops that makes it fly by. The 100 degree gyms, the coaching in flip flops and the walking into the gym with your shades on is why I love summer ball. Everyone gets playing time in summer ball, sub 5 in and 5 out, its the one time of the year that losing doesn't really matter. It's about the process, reaching maximum potential and summer ball is just an inch of that milestone!

My Letter of Resignation

This letter is to inform you that I am resigning from my position as the head girl’s basketball coach. I enjoyed my time while at Emerson and feel grateful for the knowledge and friendships that I have gained. Four years ago you took a chance and hired me to be part of your staff, I came into the high school as an enthusiastic young coach and it was a dream come true for me. That dream came true thanks to you! I’ve wanted to be a coach since my last high school game when I was 17 years old. I have spent almost every waking moment since spring 2008, when you hired me, doing everything I can to make the school proud of our program. I have tried my best to have an impact on the young women who came through the doors every day and put in the work to be a part of our program.

I am resigning from my current position as head coach from Emerson High School because I do not think I can pursue my position here to my fullest potential. I think the limitations and external factors have been too big of a distraction to continue a successful program. I do not think it is fair to anyone if I stayed just to be a “stipend” coach. I could never just show up and perform a task with out putting duties in that go above and beyond the job description. I have been offered and accepted a position at St. Thomas Aquinas College where I will pursue my qualifications and anticipate growing the game.

I will miss working with you very much as you have provided me with many opportunities to both learn and contribute. The appreciation that I have for CAVO NATION is immeasurable. I have been blessed to work with the finest administration and student body. Your mentoring and support have been invaluable to my progress. I will also miss many of my coworkers and take many positive memories with me to my new position.

I offer best wishes for a positive future. Please call on me if there is anything I can do to help ease the transition for the new coach. Again, I am excited about my new opportunity, but sad to leave. You are a wonderful subordinate and I will always be grateful.

Sincerely,

Jenny Jurjevic

Head Girls Basketball Coach

2008 - 2012

Best Compliment Ever!

Girls basketball roundtable

POSTED ON MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2012 3:11 PM

BY MARK CZERWINSKI

MARK: There are teams that have impressed me more than individual players, which is a little different. I find Emerson fascinating. The Group 1 Cavos are 11-0 without a lot of depth and they have already beaten two Group 4 teams (Fair Lawn and Bloomfield) and two Group 3’s (Bergenfield and Old Tappan). Most of their games are close, so they are working hard for everything they have. Deanna Eyerkuss, their top player, fits her role there perfectly and is one those “best player nobody knows” types. I wasn’t covering girl’s basketball during coach Jenn Jurjevic’s high school career at Pascack Valley and don’t remember seeing her play, but several people have told me that this team is such a reflection of her. I can see that just by her personality. This is going to be a fun team to watch in the County tournament.

Playing With Energy, Practicing with Energy....

Well coached teams are motivated. Great teams play with energy and a visible passion that proves they are engaged in the process that the coach has established. I've always made it clear that I COACH with my HEART on my SLEEVE. I coach the same way I played, even though the roles are totally different. There have been several times this past season I made references to "ROBOTS". I struggled with the "robots" of the team.

I felt as though players got into a routine and robotic-al in their motions, especially during their 15 minutes of pre-practice skill work. I got into a habit of implementing 15 minutes of practice (at the beginning) to warm up. By warm up, I do not mean sit on the floor and chit chat while stretching or step onto the floor to chuck three's up. I gave the kids a regiment to work on their own personal skill work: form shooting, foot work, free throws, shooting, ball handling and attacking the rim. BAM, the clock sounds, we sprint our butts to the baseline for a little pre practice talk (I only allow myself, or try to at least, to speak for 5 minutes) and then we roll into our practice plan.

Worst feeling in the world was walking into the gym to see the kids just going through the motions, not taking pride in their free throws or shooting. I felt like that carried over and bit us in the you know what what when the state championship game came along. Well coached teams have little or no game slippage from practice. They are able to execute and play at high intensity levels. When I realized their was a serious drop in the line up, some kids just made it look too easy in their execution, I brought boys in to scrimmage against. Practice should be competitive, you should get knocked to the ground a few times, you should be pushed and kept humble but no matter who you play against or what the score is you play with ENERGY. There is no room for card board cut outs, your not just there to be there. Make a difference. Don't bore me. Do Something! And do it with emotion!

"WELL COACHED"

This blog was inspired by a hand out emailed to me by University Of Washington in Michael Neighbors Basketball New Letter.

IS YOUR TEAM "WELL COACHED"??

No doubt about it, when someone makes the statement "Her team is well coached", there is no better compliment to go with the passion and drive that fuels us to coach young people. This is my ultimate compliment. I stress on coaching a program, not just a team. When Im coaching my program, I am coaching them to be fundamentally sound and difficult to beat. Every coach wants that compliment, not only for themselves but for their players as well. Every player NEEDS to be "WELL COACHED". Every player DESERVES to be well coached.

Well Coached teams have players who surrender to the culture of their program.

Well Coached teams have identifiable standards of excellence on the court.

What I think goes with a well coached team:

1) every shot must be closed out on.

2) you protect the paint/your shell with every ounce of heart and effort you have.

3) taking strengths away from opponents through scouting and preparation.

4) well developed fundamentals.

5) athletic approaches to drives/shots/put backs. "make an athletic approach to life"

6) under control emotionally.

7) withstand early momentum swings.

8) don't beat themselves with excessive turnovers or silly fouls. (I HATE STUPID FOULS).

9) motivation.

10) enthusiasm and energy.

Winning Streaks

Our 16 game winning streak was broken right before the County Tournament. We were one of the few, if not the only team in Bergen County left to be undefeated. I try to stay as realistic as possible, I know we were not going to go the entire season undefeated. "WE GOT HOT EARLY". I was anticipating a loss, just not the way we ended up losing. Down by 2 points at half, we were still in it! You hear coaches say this all the time, "We didn't have enough energy/enthusiasm to withstand the loss" and this was exactly the case for #EMERSON. My kids were flat but everyone is entitled to a bad game. I always thought I was lucky because we had 5 kids in the scoring rotation, really anyone could pick us up at any given time, like they had the last 16 games. Unfortunately this was not the case for game #17 verse one of our biggest rivals, Cresskill.

We ended up losing the game by 12 points but 14 in the books (another story). I spent most of the second half pulling some "remember the titans" crap instead of sticking to the game plan and being patient with the offense. It's hard to get over something like that, Passion obviously or hopefully drives a lot of coaches. When your kids don't feed off that its not easy. I was blessed that this was the one time out of 30 games this year my kids didn't bring the passion/motivation. We had a great talk the next day at practices, "I WILL BRING THE X's and O's, you bring the ENERGY" Lesson well learned.