Tough Weekend

We have had 4 days of camp, and then got to play games on Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday during the day. It is always good for us to be able to play games at the end of the first week of camp:

1- Summer games are the "carrot" for players. Unlike many sports, we can play actual games in the summer. By the time our players are varsity age- the games are what they enjoy.



2- For us as coaches, games at the end of the first week of camp expose clearly things we need to work on in camp the second week of camp.

3- For our freshmen players but also our varsity age players- games make them realize what they need to work on. Players may or may not believe the coach when they tell a player what they need to work on. But when an opponent shows them their weaknesses- they tend to be more motivated.

When we went to the System, I met with Coach Porter at ONU. He told me to realize ahead of time that there was more to learn in the System than in traditional ball so we would start out slower with the System. I really did not believe him. I figured we would pick it up fast. But he was right. We got blown out of games the first two weeks of the first summer, struggled in November the first year, got blown out of games last summer the first two weeks, and lost early last season in November.

Running the System is not just rolling out the ball. It looks like it is "just letting them play." But if we are going to do it right, it involves more learning and more teaching than any style I have worked with.

This weekend we were at one time or another we were minus 5 of our 15 players for injuries, ACT test, and funerals. Obviously that tested the girls more. Part of the System is attempting to get the players in a "groove" learning specific jobs- with so many out, we had to shift players around. But in the long run that will be good for us because it forces us to experiment with players in different situations.

In terms of wins/losses, we.....
Lewistown- won
IVC- won
Springfield- lost
Limestone- won
West Hancock- lost
U-High- lost

The varsity girls came in on Monday- ready to work. It is a process.

Our younger players sometimes struggle because they may be playing against other teams who are older than them. But hopefully that "toughens" them up for the season.