We "WON" 4 for 4 Last Night

5:30 game

Destroyers II        7

Sting Angels       50

Nine of the 13 players who made the game attempted shots. We had 43 attempts and  3 makes all scored in the second half. One player made it to the foul line.  The girls are starting to shoot more. I like what I see. We were 0-6 for threes and each was an open shot taken by a player capable of making it. We had 20 rebounds. Our defense got better in the second half. 

6:30 game

Destroyers I                12

Bay State Storm         44

Twelve of the 15 players made attempts on the basket. We had 36 attempts and 5 makes. Four players scored from the floor. We had 17 rebounds. Two players made it to the foul line. Early in the game I had to call a time out to remind the girls to play defense. Our defense got a little better in the second half. 

7:30 game

Destroyers I            9

Sting Angels         60

Eleven of the 15 players made attempts on the basket. We had 31 attempts and 4 makes. One player made it to the foul line. We had 18 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Our defense got better in the second half. 

8:30 game

Destroyers II              25

Bay State Storm         56

All 13 players made attempts on the basket. We had 63 attempts and 11 makes. We were 3 for 10 on 3 point shots. Four players scored from the field. One player made it to the foul line. We had 30 rebounds. Our defense got better in the second half. 

My take away from this night is we still don't understand how to play defense. We are not picking up a player as soon as the ball swings to our opponent. We are still guarding our mark with out understanding that the BALL is the threat.  We lose sight of the ball while looking for our  mark and the ball goes right by us. We also continue to mark our player when the ball is driven past us instead of steping up to stop the ball. On the rare occasions that we DO go help, we forget to recover to our original mark. 

Every one is getting better at it but no one has the mental toughness to play hard the entire possession yet. It will come as the desire and pride of getting stops grows. When the defense kicks in AND the shots start falling we will be able to compete.  I like that we are shooting. Once the shoot, shoot, shoot is habit, I will teach them about shot selection and about getting the shots with in our motion. The rebounding is a bonus since it is not something that I stress or work on yet in practice.

Despite what the score boards announced, it was a good night to be a Destroyer. 

Toughness Is Learned

I believe that the three most important traits for a basketball player are toughness, unselfishness, and relentlessness. For a kid to be truly unselfish and relentless they have to be tough. We are starting with tough and will build relentlessness and unselfishness from there. 

After my mid season parents report I received an email from a dad asking what do I mean by "toughness" when I talk about middle school girls and basketball. Girls get frustrated and discouraged easily and quit / cry, he added. 

An email from a mom said that it is hard to watch her daughter struggle without stepping in to comfort her child. 

Toughness is the quality of being able to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking. It is enduring strength and energy.

Toughness is learned. It is not just physical and based on how much punishment a player can serve and take. Toughness has nothing to do with size, physical strength or athleticism.

I repeat, "Toughness is learned."

Toughness isn't a sometime thing, it's an all the time thing. Toughness has to be evident in everything thing I do in practice. I have to demand it, encourage it, expect it, reward it, require it and inspire it. You parents have to expect toughness from you daughters, too. 

A player can't fake toughness. If a player can't play they can't hide that, just like they can't hide a lack of toughness. I must look for and instill toughness in every drill, every day and in every player. But there is more to it than just running the right drills. 

A tough player has a willingness to compete without fear of failure and sometimes without fear of injury. Tough players get down and dirty. Toughness is learned.

They dive on the floor after loose balls, take charges, stay in their defensive stance. They sprint the floor rim to rim to rim EVERY time.  They do the little things. Every play is the most important play of the game. 

These are all coachable but more importantly adaptable to any player. A kid doesn't have to be talented nor athletic to be tough. Toughness is learned.

Players who do their jobs everyday are extremely tough. They don't take days off. They don't take plays off. If they get hurt, they get up. If they get injured, they get helped up. 

Away from the ball, whether on offense or defense is where toughness is displayed.   Tough players stay in their stance. They talk on offense and defense. They cut and screen with purpose. They are engaged. They rebound. 

On the bench they watch the game and encourage their team mates on the floor. They don't go visit their mother at half time. Mom, you have to send you child back to the bench when she comes to visit. Toughness is learned.

The best players on the team especially have to show toughness even when they do not have the ball. They set the mood for the rest of the team. Toughness is contagious. 

My goal is for toughness to be the norm for Destroyers. If it is our culture, it will become an adaptation. All our players (and parents) will be forced to be tough to survive in our program. 

Please print out Jay Bilas' steps to building Toughness and read it with your basketball player. 

ToughnessbyJayBilas.pdf

Robin

Pro Shot System Shooting Clinic

Tommy Freeman explains The System.

Tommy Freeman, a coach for Paul Hoover's Pro Shooting System, came to Framingham yesterday to work with our girls.

He focused on keeping the shot straight and attaining more arc. We had 33 players, 12 youth/travel/AAU coaches, 2 high school girls coaches and 1 high school boy's coach attend. The players, spilt almost evenly between female and male, ranged in age from 3rd grade to high school senior with the majority being middle school aged.

In college, Freeman, 24, went from 54 - 3 pointers made in his second season (2008-2009) to 93 made in his third season (2009-2010) after he was introduced to The System. He went on to set the Ohio University career record with 259 three-pointers. His 99 three-pointers during the 2010-11 season eclipsed his own previous high (93) and was the second highest single-season mark for a Bobcat. The sharpshooter from Muncie, Indiana, graduated with an overall three-point percentage of 44.3 (259-584), eclipsing the .419 mark of Ohio’s all-time leading scorer, Dave Jamerson.

After he graduated college he signed a contract with the Worcester Wolves of the British Basketball League and played his first professional season in England. He is soon starting his third professional season with SAM Massagno in Switzerland where he will be in his second year with the team.

Tommy Freeman drives in college action.

"Every kid dreams about playing for the high school team and then the DI level and I did that," Freeman says. "Now I get to play professionally. I have a job because I can shoot the ball."

During the 3 hour clinic Freeman covered the six main components of the Pro Shot System:

1. Finger = Pinch the index finger to the thumb and aim the index finger through the rim on release every time.

2. Touch = Spend a week touching your off hand to your shooting hand for arm to keep it from interfering with the flight of the ball.

3. Turn = Turn your feet, hip, and shoulder to be in line with the basket. Keep your feet narrow (NOT SHOULDER WIDTH), flex (not bend) your knees, and hop in to your shoot.

4. One eye shooting = Shoot through your chin, cheek and eye. Focus only on the shot.

5. Dip ball (except bounce pass and off the dribble) = Start the shot where you catch it, dip to your hip and go up in to the shot in one motion. Hold the ball with your index finger in the middle of the ball.

6. Sway = Jump straight at the basket while sweeping your feet forward and your shoulders back. The further you are from the basket the more you sway. If there is a line in front of you when you take off for the shot, you will end up over the line.

Destroyers take shots during the clinic.

Michael Jordan, who used the finger method of shooting, once said, "You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way.

I saw A LOT of players improve their percentage of makes quite a bit during the during the short clinic. FADS will host another clinic in the fall so that the vacationing Destroyers can also learn the system.

You can see most of the videos shown at the clinic and many more here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/proshotcoach?feature=watch

Paul Hoover's website is here:
http://www.focusedshooter.com/

--

Robin

Both Team Were Competitive

7:30 game

Destroyers I      36

Natick               28

8:30 game

Destroyers II      22

Belles                 25

Yesterday, we were competitive against both teams that we played. 

Destroyers who played in the early game had five players score with 2 in double figures. The second game had 2 scorers and several players attempt shots.

Both Destroyers teams showed both defensive sparks of brilliance (and costly defensive lapses.) Both teams were able to create turnovers which lead directly to open lay ups. Our defense gets better every game. One day it will be a source of Destroyers pride. 

I saw several different players on each team able and willing to bring the ball up the floor.

During Games, I am assigning players different roles during each shift in an effort to have every one try everything. If you see some of the smaller players posting up, it is because their turn came before their height arrived. If you see a player striped time and again bringing the ball up the floor, and hear me just encouraging from the bench, it is because it is that player's shift to try to bring up the ball. 

I don't believe in taking a player out of the game because of mistakes. It kills a child's confidence. Basketball is a game of mistakes. I might call a time out, give some encouragement, offer suggestions and have the player keep trying. And you will see me jump up and clap for them when them manage. 

After our late game one of refs commented that we would have won (and by a lot) if I would have started and played Tayja just 5 more minutes or if I let her attack, attack, attack (instead of insisting that she run our offense.) He also pointed out that the other coach gave the bulk of her minutes to 4 players including 2 who played the entire second half. He added that in the long term, ours will be the better prepared players. 

Best yet, a parent of a player from the winning team asked where we are located because she would like her daughter to play with us. She commented on the equal playing time, the letting kids play thru their mistakes and the joy that our kids had while playing.

I loved to see EVERY one of our players hustling and making the most of their floor time. Seemed to me, win or loose, everyone is having fun. Case in point: When I announced that we would take this week off from practice, I was booed. 

Robin

Parent's Mid Season Letter

Our journey is a marathon not a sprint. What matters is that our team gets better with each practice and each game. This summer is just the first step to being able to play well by high school. We are building to be a great team in two years.

If we want to raise up good players, basketball does not have an "off-season.” The season that starts the day after the Winter (Travel, CYO, TBA) season is the “improvement season.” Champions don't have an off-season. We aspire to raise champions.

One of the reasons that summer league is so valuable to our growth is that playing against the best competition will make us tougher. Nobody is going to outwork us, but nobody will have more fun either.

Future winning will be a by-product of working hard, working together, and doing things the right way over time. Good teams and players give second efforts, great teams give 3rd, 4th, and 5th efforts. That takes physical and mental toughness.

I have had a couple of parents express concern with how tough their child is NOT. Toughness is a skill. It can be practiced and improved like all other skills. I am trying to teach the girls to go hard on every play because it could be the play that makes the difference in the game. What is more important, is that it could be the play that causes the "toughness" light bulb go on in a player.

Bob Knight was an asshole of a coach. I would not let him near MY kid. He got one thing right, however, "In basketball, the mental is to the physical as 4 is to 1."

Our defense is where we test our toughness. Right now we don't have much defense nor much toughness.

Any one can be a great individual defender. All it takes is heart which is another name for mental toughness. Defense is mostly HUSTLE, EFFORT, and DESIRE. It doesn't take ANY talent to hustle.

As the girls learn and practice our defensive positioning, they are also expanding their physical and mental toughness. Our girls play defense for 50% of the time they are in the game, so have a lot of opportunity to practice toughness.

Great defensive teams have five players on the floor who play in a defensive stance at all times. It takes more mental toughness than we have right now to do that. We will get there. We can have them excellent at defense long before they become even fair at shooting.

The girls are still learning that if the have to rest during their shift in a game, they should rest on offense and use all of their energy on defense. They still have to learn that their energy level is controlled by their thoughts.

I plan to help get there by celebrating EFFORT over results. We are going to miss lots of shots, have lots of turnovers, and make lots of mistakes. Our girls are learning that the key to getting back on track after a setback is what you do afterward. I preach "Brush it off" and "Next play."

I want them to stay in the moment, focus on each practice, each workout session, each game to get better. If I can get them all to make an honest effort - in games and during practice for 30 seconds or one possession at a time, and that's all that really matters.

Rebounding continues to be a problem. That will not change for awhile. I hear you parent yelling "box out!" We have not practiced rebounding yet so the words are meaningless to most of the girls.

I have to limit the things I teach our kids at a time. We can not learn to play man, run a zone, press, rebound, make a lay up and run a great motion offense all at once. This year we will have one flexible offense and one hard nosed person-to-person defense. We will not get to boxing out this summer.

I also know parents cringe when we have turnover after turnover. Since we try to play up tempo, we are going to have to live with some turnovers and work daily to learn to value the ball.

The goal by mid-season of travel is that we will be a transition team the takes care of the basketball because turnovers are missed opportunities to score. We will continue run if we get a chance and learn to run our offense when we don't get a chance for a transition lay up.

I like the Read and React in 5 out (open post) for youth players. We will try and bring the other teams out and away from the basket to give us our back door and back screen opportunities as well as give some of our more skilled players a chance to drive to the basket. Heck, I praise ANYONE, no matter how skilled at this point in our journey) for a basket drive.

I believe that trick to winning games is the combination of defense, minimizing turnovers, rebounding, making easy shots (lay ups) and having 5 or 6 different players per game scoring. That is where we are slowly headed.

This summer I am flooding the players who come to practices and clinics with individual skill development, motion offense and basic man to man. During summer league, we will measure our results on the 2nd time that we play opponents versus the first time that we played them. We will use the same standard during the winter season.

Because we don't work a lot on shooting beyond lay ups at practice, I am excited that a few of our girls are doing the 10,000 Shot Challenge.

 http://fadsgirlsbasketball.blogspot.com/p/10000-challenge-running-totals.html

Next summer the Challenge will be required of all my travel players. It is a major commitment for kids, like mine, who do no have a basket in their driveway.

The simplest way for a player to get better on offense is to become a better shooter. If a kid can shoot, they will play be it CYO, Travel, Middle School or High School. If you are planning on your daughter playing high school basketball, now is the time for her to learn to shoot.

Good shooters, once they learn good form, shoot most days. Excellent shooters shoot everyday.

Only about 1% of High School basketball players will play in college. What percent do you think make 500+ shots/day with good and consistent form during the summer? My guess? About 1% and I don't think it is a coincidence.

I am not looking for our middle school age kids to make 500 per day during the summer. I do think 150 to 200 most days is reasonable with a summertime average of 100 a day - with a concentration on correct form. How much time does your daughter spend watching TV during the summer? Kick them outside for 30 minutes of lay ups.

I've had four or five parents tell me that their child who is attending camps and / or workouts with other coaches is confused about who to listen to about shooting, footwork, and etc. Please tell the players to listen to their coach. Which coach? The one who is coaching the player at that moment.

When they're with me, listen to me. When they're at camp, they listen to the camp coach.

Also please tell them that because the camp coach teaches things differently or stresses different things, it does not make the camp coach wrong or stupid. Players who can adjust and adapt to their surroundings more easily than their opponents can are going to ultimately see more success than those who insist on always doing what their "other" coach says.

Tell you daughters to take the opportunity to learn and perfect different techniques so if and when she needs them someday she'll have them at her disposal.

Robin

Bay State Games Game 3

Yesterday at 10 am we played the South-shore based Mass Ducks. They had two all 5th grade going in to 6th grade teams entered in the tournament out of their programs 8 teams in the correct age groups.

We faced the better of the two. This was their National 5th grade team who have played together YEAR-ROUND for two years. They practice twice a week during the school year and sometimes daily during the summer to prepare for important tournaments. They have players for all over the south shore and one whose parents drive 50 miles one way from RI. They have played more than 35 tournament games this year since March 2013 and will be playing in a national invitational tournament in Chicago this coming weekend.

This team beat the SNH Saints, who we played in our second game (and WE were competitive with), by over 20 points yesterday. They also went home with the Bay State Games gold.

The score board read 11 to 50.

I was proud of our girls for playing with heart and fighting to the end. We collected 18 rebounds, and  4 blocks. A player who has not attempted a shot in the tournament had 5 attempts. Four of the 10 who dressed for the game scored. We had 42 attempts and made 5 baskets from the floor.

It was a short game. We were so far behind at the end of the first half that the clock did not stop at all in the second, not even when the ball ended up way off court and took a while to retrieve.

My take away from the weekend is that we need much more work on our full court, helping, gap defending, man defense. The girls fall in to their TBA/CYO defensive training. My goal is to develop their defensive basics without allowing easy points. We will still get beat, most likely even often, but I am teaching the kids how to play correctly for the future.

Once they gain skill in shooting, ball handling and passing, making the easier shots and playing hard nose basic man defense, I will add a jump and run pressure defense and a 2/3 match up zone.

Ideally I like to have everyone score in most games, with 4 or 5 players per game reaching double figures and to limit the other team to one shot at the basket on each possession.

The teams we faced this weekend were a steeper mountain than any we have faced so far by either team in summer league. The summer league teams are for the most part, a steeper climb than we will face in the MetroWest Travel League.

This weekend we have climbed two steps toward the summit. We've years to reach the top.

Robin

Bay State Day One Update

In game one we played the Central Mass Shamrocks. They are based in Worcester and have 6 teams of the correct ages. The team we played was their top 6th grade going in to 7th grade team. They have practiced twice a week and have played about 25 tournament games all over New England this year since March 2013. The team started playing together in 4th grade.

The score board said we lost 58 to 9. Though we only made one basket and a free throw in the second half, the score board does not reflect who we are. The other team had superior shooting skill (5 out 10 in double figures and 2 other close to it).

Here are the details.

The Ugly: Three or four Destroyers gave up half way into the first half. The body language said clearly "I quit." I called a time out and screamed at them. Shocked them, too. LOL. I heard the bench mumbling "She's mad!"

"THIS is where I will see if any of you have ANY heart. Show me your heart," I yelled.

I told them that I do not expect them to "win" a game based on what is on the score board. We are a REC team playing top club teams. They will make more baskets than us this weekend. We measure our wins by how well we play defense, run our offense and attack the basket.

I said that I DO expect them to work hard on full court man to man defense. Guard SOMEBODY on defense and attack on offense, I said.

I do expect them to get over the heat since the other team is just as hot, I told them.

"Show me your heart!" is how I ended the time out.

The Good: Out of the 11 players who played, 9 attempted shots. Five players had 2 or more attempts. We had 33 attempts that resulted in 4 made baskets to give us a painful 12 percent. Only one player scored. I'd rather the girls shoot and miss than not shoot at all. AND 12% is ouch!

The Amazing: Nilijah Rose.

I don't believe in singling out one player. Basketball is the ultimate team sport: a game is about everybody. Not in THIS game.

Nilijah dove on the floor after loose balls, drove the ball to the basket and shot SIX times, worried people 2 feet taller than her on defense, ran the floor in both directions, tied up the ball and DID NOT stop fighting when she was on the floor. The child was the only player who did not take a possession off. She did all that without committing a foul.

Nilijah IS the amazing in game one.

In game 2 we played the SNH Saints - based in Derry, NH. All were 5th graders going in to 6th who played together last year, too. They have practiced twice a week since this March 2013 and had a 14-6 2013 record, as of June 4, 2013 but has played in two more tournaments since then including the Zero Gravity Nationals at the end of June where they finished 4th.
We were competitive with them.

One of the kids at halve time said, "Coach Robin, we can BEAT them!" We were down by 6 or so.

My answer was "yes, we can. If I keep the starters in for the rest of the game and sub out for each one, one at a time, for about 2 minutes each to rest them, we would win.

"All of you on the bench right now would play 2 minutes each in the second half.

"We would win. So what? These games do not mean anything. What means something is that everyone on the team get better. You have to play to get better so I will stick to equal playing time."

Everyone split the minutes and we finished with 28 points to 40.

The Ugly: Our game started so late that all the referees had gone home. Two coaches, one of whom had never refeed before tonight, stepped in to do our game. They let the girls play and whistled few fouls.

The Good: Eight of the ten Destroyers shot. We had 26 attempts and made 14 shots for 54 percent. As great as THAT is it is not the Amazing.

The Amazing: We had five players score! That is half of the players who dressed for the game!

Tomorrow morning at 10 we play the South Boston based Mass Ducks. They have two all 5th grade going in to 6th grade teams entered in the tournament out of their programs 8 teams in the correct age groups. Only one of them is in our pool. Both teams have played together for two seasons, practice twice a week and have played more than 35 tournament games this year since March 2013. They beat the SNH Saints, who we played in our second game, by over 20 points this morning.

Robin

We ARE Improving even more!

Yesterday was amazing. Let me tell you why.

In the 7:30 game Practice Group 2 played a division 4 MetroWest 6th Natick travel team which finished last year in the middle of the standings ALL players on that team are moving to 7th grade in the fall.

My travel team scrimmaged the same team this pass winter and lost by about 10 points. That scrimmages was weighted heavily in our favor, however, because a shooter from one of the Flyer's 8th grade travel teams played with us. Last night's team was composed of only 6th, 5th, and 4th graders - all Framingham kids since all 4 Dover players missed the game.

Here is the amazing:

The Destroyers II team finished with 27 points to Natick's 35. Four different players scored for us and several other players made attempts.

While we missed 15 foul shots (making 9 of those would have given us the game), those shots represented 6 drives to the basket (by THREE DIFFERENT players) where both shots were missed; 2 drives where one foul shot was missed and one made; one where the drive was completed and the "and one" foul shot was missed and one where the drive was completed and the "and one" foul shot was made.

We had basket drives by THREE DIFFERENT players that resulted in fouls! Yes, in my world, that is worth repeating in a shout. There where other drives by additional players which resulted in blocked shots or misses, too. Our girls are learning to hunt the paint.

But here is the best parts for me from that game, the girls executed a trap - once - late in the second half after working on trapping Tuesday night in practice for about five minutes. We won just about every 50-50 ball by out hustling the Natick team. And, I saw a little picking starting to happen.

After the game, the ref who worked a couple of our early season travel games said, "If I did not recognize most of their faces, I would not believe these are the same girls. Wow! Have they all got better or what?" He also commented that he loves our hustle.

In the 8:30 game Practice Group 1 DEFEATED a 5th grade (going to 6th) AAU team, the Sting Belles, 36 to 18. Once again we had balanced scoring with five players putting points on the board.

We had both a height and a hustle advantage. The game was fun to watch because our fast-paced style means our players are up and down the court quickly and often. The game started an hour late so the refs did not call many fouls (6 total for the game compared to 19 in the first game.)

Here are my take-a-ways from the games for both teams:

1. About half of the players have the idea of playing full court player to player defense and maybe half of THOSE can get their minds and bodies to do it. My season end goal is for all of the players to have the idea and at least half to be able to do so with out weak side helping. We will get there by continuing to out-hustle other teams and by developing a defensive attitude that is aggressive. It isn't necessary that a player be highly skilled to play effective, hard-nosed defense. All one needs is desire.

2. Both teams are ready to pick / screen.

3. I will continue to stress attacking the rim / hunting the paint. Practice Group 2 is ready for drive and kick. Group 1 will be ready for it soon.

4. Dribble hand-offs still need a LOT more reps. We had less turn overs this week than we had last week from hand offs gone bad but the numbers are still too high.

5. We can never do too many ball handling drills. It is time to add handling in traffic to the practice plan.

--
Robin Sallie
Framingham, MA
 
Written on a small keyboard. Please forgive bizarre typos.

3 on 3 teams are now closed.

If anyone else wants to have their child play 3 on 3, you have to find three players to play with her.

 I entered two teams made from the 8 players who expressed an interest in playing. The teams are split by age. The youngest 4 players are on the 6th grade team. The oldest 4 are on the 7th grade team.


Destroyers I (6th Grade Team)
? - Jomi L.   - 3rd grade practice player
1 - Celine A. - 4th grade
10 - Katy E.  - 5th grade
13 - Tayja S.  - 5th grade

Destroyers II  (7th Grade Team)
0 - Delaney C. - 6th grade
21 - Brooke S. - 6th grade
11 - Nilijah R. - 6th grade
44 - Ashley L. - 7th grade

robin

We ARE improving

Both Summer teams played the same 7th grade National Sting AAU team. The Sting team draws top players from around the Metrowest. They travel the east coast playing in tournaments and have done so year round for two years.

BOTH Destroyers teams played well in spurts against them. Our kids, only used to only facing man to man,  struggled playing against a zone.

Our defense has improved nicely from last week to this week. We will get better and better each game. The girls seem to be catching on to full court man to man defense. In the second game our defense cause the coach to use up most of her time outs.

We moved the ball well and stuck to our offensive principles and spacing. Getting the ball in to the basket was a challenge for both Destroyer teams. I must work harder on getting our girls to attack. They still will pass the ball out of the attack zone when open.

Our lack of scoring prowess is the reason I am bringing in a shooting coach, Paul Hoover, on July 26. If you have not already signed up your basketball player, do so ASAP. The clinic is limited to 36 players. There are only 3 or 4 spots still open. To reserve a spot, email me directly.

I had one parent complain tonight about his daughter's lack of playing time. I told him that I don't expect much to change. My goal is to get players in as equally as I can. One team has 15 players. The other has 17. With 14 minute halves, there isn't much playing time to go around.

And if we are behind by 20 or more - as we have been in every game so far - the mercy rule kicks in and the clock doesn't stop. Which means the game is over even quicker. Tonight I talked to the league rep about ignoring the mercy rule in the future so that we can get more players in at the end of the game. Upcoming vacations also will help somewhat.

Friday night scrimmages were started to increase the opportunities for playing time. Last Friday 13 players out of 35 showed up and played an average of 90 minutes each. You could see the difference in those players' defense from last week's game to this one.

Another upcoming opportunity for minutes and touches on the ball is the 3 on 3 tournament Aug 3 and 4. So far I have enough players signed up to have two teams of 4. If your player is worried about a lack of playing time or touches on the ball, I recommend this tournament.

Bay State Games July 2013

The Bay State Games are July 20 and 21 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. F. A. D. S. is entering one team in the Jr Basketball 5th and 6th grade division.  Our Bay State Team is made up of 7 - 6th graders and 7 - 5th graders and all FADS communities are represented.



The team will be:
Nilijah R.
Brooke S.
Paige D.
Delaney C. (Injured)
Colleen D. (No Show)
Jessica L. (Saturday Morning only)
Emma S.
Tayja S.
Jazlynn L.
Sabrina D. (No Show)
Celine A.
Lara S.
Katie E.
Britney K.

3 on 3 Tournament 8/3 and 8/4 Foxboro

FADS will be entering teams in a 3 on 3 Tournament that runs August 2nd- August 4th at Mass Premier Courts in Foxboro.

Teams are 4 players.

The cost is $65 per team or $16.25 per player.

If you are interested in you child playing, email me. RTSALLIE@Gmail.com


I love 3 on 3 HALF-COURT basketball. It quickly improves a young player’s long-term development. Players touch the ball more often. More touches on the ball is a very good thing.

In the 5 on 5 game, players can go almost the whole game without touching the ball.

When there are only six (3 on 3) players on the court, players are more inclined to run the pick-and-roll, set screens, and basket cut.

They start to figure things out for themselves which is I want our players to do.