Quick Update

We are now two weeks into the season and while I am still excited for the season, it has been an interesting past two weeks. Out of the four official practices we have had, we have only had one with all ten players in attendance.  Full attendance is not necessary for individual development but at this point in the season our focus is on team systems and then incorporating individual development after the main systems are in place. The focus on team systems is two-fold, firstly reviewing for previous players as they are coming from high school which played a different system and secondly having the three new players learn the system. I would say I am more disappointed than upset over the lack of attendance as I have no reason to question the commitment level of the players. Unfortunately illness happens, school commitments and lastly four of the players got the great opportunity to travel to Arizona and Vegas with their high school team.

This upcoming week will be crucial, as our first game is on Friday and we have two practices to get prepared. 

Let the season begin

Let the season begin With first practice being less than a day away, I have decided to formally write down my goals for the season. They can be placed into what I will refer to as intrinsic and extrinsic goals.

 Intrinsic
 1. Personal basketball skill development
 2. Personal growth as an individual
 3. Provide a rewarding and enjoyable experience for all

 Extrinsic

 1. Division 1 gold medal
 2. Tournament gold medals
3. An opportunity to meet and showcase talent to post secondary coaches
 4. Hold an opponent to under 20 for a game
 5. Shut out an opponent for a quarter.

 These are my personal goals and I suspect they will be very similar to those of my players. One of my first main tasks during practice tomorrow night is to have each player indicate their interest in playing post secondary basketball and this will help to drive my actions moving forward. My other main task will involve providing each player with a cut up section of an actual basketball net with instructions to tie it to their gym bags. This piece of string will serve as a constant reminder of our team goal to win the D1 championship and cut down the net at the end of the season.

I think it goes without further stating but I will say it anyways. I am extremely pumped to get started.

Preparation Update

We are less than a week away from the start of practices and I am getting more excited as each day brings me closer to working with the team. Most of the preparation for the season is complete. All that remains is the usual administration stuff like getting registration forms signed, sending in tournament applications and collecting of fees. But that is stuff that all teams must do and my own unique preparations and concerns have been addressed.

Firstly, I have heard back from my regulatory organization in regards to my request for an exemption to play more tournaments at a higher age group. The fair play committee has decided to allow my team to enter only one tournament in an age group higher. I am disappointed with their decision but fully accept it and will continue to move forward without any further discussion. My main concern with is not making sure the team does not get complacent or too cocky with the concept that most of the tougher competition will not be present this season. It is even more important this season that I make sure the practices are tougher than any game situation we may come across. I was initially reluctant to share the fact that most of the top team are not in our league this year with the players but I recently conducted an informal poll on Twitter and the overwhelming response was that players want to know who their main competition is for the season in regards to opponents. As a result of this poll I am leaning more towards to sharing this information with my players. Bottom line still remains that I would rather be in contention for a U17 division 1 gold instead of competing in Division 3 in U19. I am not knocking division 3 as I have been there but the opportunity to win division 1 and claim the title as best in the province is not something that everyone gets every year.

Secondly, all the preparations for Dr. Kim Davies are coming into place.  I have secured a nice meeting place thanks to my long standing relationship with the school staff. The equipment is being provided by a team parent. Funding is being secured by my anonymous source, so we are all ready to go. I have also place invitations to two more players from the senior girl’s basketball team who do not play for me but will be seeking to play elite sports such as softball and rugby. In the spirit of sharing and collaboration I am going to extend an invitation to the coach of the other high school age group team. Needless to say I am very anxious to see how the girls respond to the presentation.  

Training the Mind

I am not only super stoked to begin our season and our practices, but I am really looking forward to bringing in a different type of guest coach for the team. In the past I have hired the services of professional basketball trainers that include Kyle Julius and No-Limit Performance to work with the team for a practice. Their focus is on making them better basketball players on the physical side of the game.

 However, this season I have arranged for a Performance Consultant to speak to my team over the course of the season. We start working with her the first week of practice and the plan is to have her come back during the season to evaluate their progress. I believe that if I preach the importance of the mental aspect of the game, then I need to walk the walk and back up my words.

Dr. Kim Davies plan is to can start on a more individual level and teach them about arousal regulation and really show them the connection between their mind and body and how crucial it is to their performance. This session will give them more of a feel for sport psychology and how important it is to their performance. They will learn tools to help control their emotions and anxieties.

Dr. Kim Davies is a Performance Consultant specializing in Sport. Currently based out of Southern Ontario, her consulting allows clients to achieve and sustain optimal performance through the latest in Performance Psychology.

Over the past ten years, Dr. Davies has consulted throughout Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes. Clients have included individual athletes and teams competing in the Olympics and Canada Games, as well as within a variety of professional, intercollegiate, and amateur leagues. Her consulting has also involved individual and group training for nationally recognized businesses and corporate leaders. Dr. Davies is a registered professional member with the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA).

Dr. Davies has published extensive research in the areas of Group Dynamics, Peak Performance, and Aggression in Sport. Her findings have been presented at several national and international conferences. She has been a contributing author on numerous Sport Psychology books and is currently collaborating on an upcoming Applied Sport Psychology book.

Academic Background

• PhD, Sport & Exercise Psychology – University of Western Ontario
• MA, Sport & Exercise Psychology – McGill University
• BSc, Psychology – University of Toronto
• Biofeedback Certification – Alter ABC Inc.

Applied Background

• Registered Professional Member with CSPA
• Collegiate Professor & University Guest Lecturer
• Research Project Coordinator on the Attributional Styles of Sport Teams for the University of Western Ontario
• Research Consultant on Biofeedback and Neurofeedback Sport Protocols for the Centre National Multisport

#WintheDay

The theme for the team this season is #wintheday. For the past couple seasons I have implemented the concept of a theme for the season. The idea to use a theme was inspired from the movie "The Heart of the Game" in the coach in the movie implemented different themes each year for his high school girls team. Last year's theme was "Embrace the Moment" and some previous themes have included "pride of lions" and even one year " creating music". These themes provide a focus point for the team and also is the foundation for my talks during the season. I make it a habit to have regular communication with my players especially after each practice and each game.  In fact last week, I was talking with a couple players before their high school playoff games and one said " I miss the talks from coach". 

Why #wintheday as this year's theme? During the offseason I make it a point to try and read new books that can help me become a better coach. This offseason I was recommended the book "The Mind of Champions" by a college coach and previously I read "The Mind Gym" upon recommendation from my eldest. Each of these books speaks to the importance of the mental aspect of an athlete and how is affects performance. As a coach I strive to provide my players with not only the physical skills needed to excel but also the mental skills to help them perform their best both on and off the court. 

#Wintheday in its simplicity means to take one day at a time. If we focus on doing our best everyday then the end result will be successful.  Too often our focus is swayed by thinking about what happened in the past or what is coming up in the near future and we don't place enough emphasis on what is taking place in the present. " the past is a a lesson to learn from , the future is dependent on today's outcomes but the present is within our control ".  One of my goals as a coach is to ensure that the players place special emphasis on making each practice the best one they have yet and by winning in practice the result will translate into success on game day. This can mean to place a practice focus on a specific aspect of their game , either guarding a new way or finishing stronger at the hoop.  Without a goal in mind we are just going through the moments and losing the day. 

I will continue to expand on the concept of #wintheday in future blogs.  

Preseason Preparations

Preseason prep blog

With the season just over three weeks away I have been busy working on keeping ready for our journey. 

Three areas I have been focused on for past few days have been 

1) aligning the team in a proper age category 

2) finalizing arrangements for a sports psychologist. 

1) The team is officially a U17 team made up of 6 girls U17 and 4 U16 girls. The plan from the beginning has been to play at the U17 age group and compete for a Division 1 title. You see this team has developed with a core group of players to move from Division 8 to 5 to 2 over the past couple years.  Here lies the problem, at least 9 of the top 10 teams from last year will not be competing in the U17 division this season. So that leaves our team as front runners to win division 1 and claim the title of top U17 girls team in province.  That by itself is only one of my goals! I also want to make my players better players and that is only done when they are able to play in competitive games. I have thought of a solution of staying at U17 but also entering a couple U19 tournaments and having exhibition games vs teams in the U19 division. The exhibition games are easy to do but the tournament pose a different problem. The regulatory body states that a team may only play up for 1 tournament. To get around this I am currently filing for an exemption and hope to have this resolved in a week or so.  

2) I have arranged for a sports psychologist to come speak to my team for a total of three sessions with the first happening later this month. More details on her will appear in a later post.  Right now I am just working on the logistics of where to meet.  

It is fair to say that I am getting excited to start working with the ladies. 

Looking Back to move Forward

Before I go any further talking about a team of the future, allow me to give you a quick background on myself. I grew up the youngest of three boys who were all very active in hockey but my sports career did not go past the youth minor league status as my last season was a disappointing one as it was no longer fun to play the game but rather seemed more of a burden than a pleasure.  I guess you could point that season out as the driving force behind me wanting to keep the game fun for all involved. I eventually did start playing pick-up hockey again but by then my career and family had taken up most of my time.

Well how did I end up being involved in the sport of basketball, it was similar to that of many parents as my eldest daughter wanted to play. Prior to basketball they had tried soccer and skating. When I asked her why basketball she said it was because her best friend at school played it so she wanted to do it also. As a result of playing sports all my youth I couldn’t deny her this chance. Her first season was quite the interesting one as it was not uncommon for her to walk down the court holding hands with her best friend while the game was going on and sometimes going whole games without touching the ball. Since it was house league I was not concerned but more confused. I can recall often asking her after the game if she had had fun and every time she would say yes. You see this confused me as I couldn’t get how someone could enjoy the game when they were not even involved for the most part of the game BUT she was having fun and at the age of 7 that is all that really matters.

Let’s jump ahead 15 years now. My eldest is no longer playing competitive basketball but still follows the game. I now coach my third child and the youngest is also playing.  I began coaching more as an accident when her team needed a coach and it just became an addictive activity from there. I have been coaching competitive basketball for close to 12 plus years now ranging from girls age 7-10 and up to high school senior boys with a two summers coaching a regional elite team in between. Now I am ready to begin my season with 15 and 16 yr old girls team for our area.

You may say that coaching is coaching and there is now difference whether it is 7 year olds or 17 year olds. BUT I beg to differ; it is actually a huge difference as for the younger the age the more teaching is involved versus strategy and motivation as they get older. You see the girls I am coaching this year already know the fundamentals of the game and while they are very adept at performing these skills there is still work to done.  In fact I see my role being similar to that of Phil Jackson back when he was with the championship Chicago Bulls. It will not be a matter of teaching them how to execute the fundamentals but having them play as a team and finding ways to help them enjoy the game they already love. Despite what an outsider may think it goes beyond winning and losing but rather enjoying the experience.

History Lesson

History Lesson

A brief history of this team. Last season the team earned Bronze in Division of the provincial championships basically placing them 11^th in the province. A quick pre-cursor that needs to be noted is  that they participated in the OBAs and were not part of a recently created JUEL Prep league. Despite not being in the JUEL Prep it does not take away anything from the outstanding achievements that the team has accomplished.

The team has evolved over the years using the theory of “if you build it, they will come”. Through multiple series of additions and subtraction of players the core group has moved from 53^rd to 35^th to 11^th in province during the past few years. Last year’s group was not only the most successful in terms of rankings but the chemistry among the players is a wonderful mixture that I am fortunate to witness on a first hand basis.

 This chemistry was often displayed by the way they would laugh and giggle during practice while at the same moment giving a maximum effort in everything they do. Despite having intense practice sessions the girls were known to hang around after practice just to be around each other. One of the team rules was to be ready for practice 10 minutes before the scheduled time and rather than getting ready as individuals they would gather in a circle and prepare as a group. Needless to say, team bonding was not an issue that needed to be addressed.

The unique challenge posed by this group is – “how do we maintain this special bond moving forward?” A challenge I am more than willing to accept. 

It Begins

THE SEASON OPENING LETTER 

Hello all,
It is with great excitement and anticipation that I wish to inform you that your daughter has selected to join the Brantford Briers U17 girls basketball team.

Quick notes
- those new to team will shortly receive an email from Teamsnap informing you of your addition to the team website.
- no more tryouts or practices until the high school is complete
- please complete the OBA registration form and return to myself either in person or scanned via email by this Saturday please. On form club team is Brantford Briers, membership category is Rep team player, category of play is U17,region is Kitchener-Waterloo
- no money is due right now
- waiting for final budget from administration and will pass along once I receive
- those needing uniforms will receive a separate email
- girls homework will also be in separate email

I am ecstatic about the team that has been selected and the season that awaits us.
Quick recap of my preliminary plans
- two practices a week , Thursday and Tuesday evening 8-930 pm, tollgate
- entry in OBL league and 3 tournaments plus OBAs in Kitchener
- if no OBL then 5-6 tournament plus OBAs
- various visits to local universities and colleges for tours and mini-practices ( already received confirmation from 2 universities and 2 colleges)
- booked three group sessions with a sports psychologist

Contact info

Twitter @nextgenballer
Instagram nextgenballer

PLEASE feel to contact directly with any questions.