- Joined
- Jan 6, 2015
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Always appreciate when the coaches of the Boneyard talk shop and check in with their teams.
Happy to share that I am coaching probably the most talented and fun team I've got in about ten years. I coach the 7th/8th grade boys' team at the international school where I teach: just 90 kids in the middle school, so we don't have tryouts and we only offer basketball as the only winter sport, so as you can imagine, it's quite a crapshoot depending on the year.
This year, I've hit the jackpot: six kids play on travel teams outside of school and most watch basketball on their own. After losing every game (and only a handful were close) over the last two seasons, we've started the season 4-1 (our only loss was to the A team at a NEPSAC school that tiers their teams based on tryouts, and that was an eight point loss.)
I feel like I'm Mark Few with the collection of international talent I've got: my best and tallest player is a Dane who can play literally every position, so in our 4-out motion, he's a mismatch nightmare as a wing. We play man D, but mostly with a one-man zone down low, and I always have this kid guard their 4, so he's a heck of a weak-side defender, especially when the opponent's center gets doubled. Our point guard is a taller eighth grader from Turkey who plays unselfishly, isn't afraid to drive and is a beast on D. I have a smaller combo guard whose mom is from Cuba and he hits legit 40% of his threes in games, but doesn't overshoot. My best low post beast is from Mexico..he's built like a left tackle, good feet and shockingly long arms and he runs the baseline excellently, just a smart kid. My Dennis Rodman defender is from China. My best athlete's dad played college football at URI. A handful of other kids who are solid rotational guys and out of my roster of 17 (I rotate and bring about 10 players each game) maybe just five players struggle on the floor, but are great kids and want to learn.
Just a breath of fresh air coaching kids who know the game, want to do well and are just awesome kids and teammates.
Hope you're seasons are going well!
Happy to share that I am coaching probably the most talented and fun team I've got in about ten years. I coach the 7th/8th grade boys' team at the international school where I teach: just 90 kids in the middle school, so we don't have tryouts and we only offer basketball as the only winter sport, so as you can imagine, it's quite a crapshoot depending on the year.
This year, I've hit the jackpot: six kids play on travel teams outside of school and most watch basketball on their own. After losing every game (and only a handful were close) over the last two seasons, we've started the season 4-1 (our only loss was to the A team at a NEPSAC school that tiers their teams based on tryouts, and that was an eight point loss.)
I feel like I'm Mark Few with the collection of international talent I've got: my best and tallest player is a Dane who can play literally every position, so in our 4-out motion, he's a mismatch nightmare as a wing. We play man D, but mostly with a one-man zone down low, and I always have this kid guard their 4, so he's a heck of a weak-side defender, especially when the opponent's center gets doubled. Our point guard is a taller eighth grader from Turkey who plays unselfishly, isn't afraid to drive and is a beast on D. I have a smaller combo guard whose mom is from Cuba and he hits legit 40% of his threes in games, but doesn't overshoot. My best low post beast is from Mexico..he's built like a left tackle, good feet and shockingly long arms and he runs the baseline excellently, just a smart kid. My Dennis Rodman defender is from China. My best athlete's dad played college football at URI. A handful of other kids who are solid rotational guys and out of my roster of 17 (I rotate and bring about 10 players each game) maybe just five players struggle on the floor, but are great kids and want to learn.
Just a breath of fresh air coaching kids who know the game, want to do well and are just awesome kids and teammates.
Hope you're seasons are going well!
