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!