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
We are the Framingham, Ashland, Dover and Sherborn developmental girls basketball program of New England.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
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
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
Thursday, July 18, 2013
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
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
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
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.
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.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
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.
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.
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