I figured out from early on that this was going to be a fairly long season for us based on the experience level and age of our team. Considering only one of the kids had played organized basketball before and the majority of the team were third graders (in a league of third and fourth grade kids), I guess we ended up pretty much where I figured we would.

    Our season started off on an extremely rough note, when we lost 38-0 in our earliest start time of the year. Although getting shut out in basketball should never happen, it gave the other coaches and I an indication of just where we stood with these kids. We learned who could handle the basketball (one of those kids turned out to be Samantha which, considering her basketball experiences to date, surprised me), who could shoot (not many of our kids - especially outside of the 5 to 8-foot range), who could play defense, and who had a clue what was going on in general.

    The second game turned out to be our best effort overall. We not only scored our first basket of the season - and the first of the game - but we scored enough to win the game! It was a nail-biter at the end, as both teams had opportunities for baskets that would have either lengthened the lead or take it over. Thankfully we scored enough points to keep us in the lead. After an inbounds pass with 8 seconds left we were able to maintain possession of the ball and close out the game!

    Games 3, 4, and 5 were closer to game 1 than game 2, as we struggled with scoring and defense again. The quality of our opponents improved (the team we beat ended up winless, while all of our other opponents ended up with at least two wins) while we didn't show enough improvement in our all-around game. Games 4 and 5 were particularly frustrating to me. I had a difficult time understanding the coaches decisions to not have their kids back off a little late in the game. In fact both coaches kept their better players in the game for the most part, even at the end. When your team is up by 40 points or more, it may be a good idea to take those kids out and play some of your kids who don't score as much, who don't play as much, and who just aren't as good as the others. Especially in a game where the opponents only two points came on free throws from two different players (like how we scored our two points in game 5). Just a thought guys...

    The playoff game started out well for us, as we played against the same team that we played in game 4 to a virtual tie to halftime (OK, we were officially down two points, but for our kids that was as good as a victory!). Unfortunately the momentum from the good first half didn't carry over to the second half and the opposition began to run away form us once again. The loss officially put an end to our season.

    After the playoff game the other coaches and I took the kids to Dairy Queen to celebrate their hard work for the season. None of them seemed heartbroken with how the season turned out, although I think that a couple of more wins wouldn't have hurt their feelings any! All of the kids said that they planned to return once again next season, so I guess we accomplished our job as coaches of sparking an interest in playing basketball in each of them.

    Samantha played consistently well all season, but couldn't get herself on the scoreboard with any baskets. Another summer playing against her brother should help her out a lot, and by next season she should be that much better. As long as she continues to work on her dribbling and getting those shots to fall she will be a force to be reckoned with next season!