WOW, what a great way to end the session! Both our 4th grade teams (comp and tournament) worked very hard this weekend and ended with a 2-1 record. I’m so proud of how this team responds under pressure. They have demonstrated this quality all session and especially this past weekend. All of the kids have worked very hard and have all improved since we first began this program.
Our first game this weekend was a very close game. I think the 8am start time really affected how we played. Everybody was sleeping and just going through the motions; we didn’t even score once during the 2nd and 3rd periods, and we trailed EDH by 10 points as we entered the 4th quarter. However, half way through the 4th quarter we finally woke up and went on an 11-0 run to win the game by 1 point!!!
Our second game was a tough game for us. We played a MUCH larger and older (5th grade) Reno Ballers team. The Ballers had us down early, but we never gave up. In fact, we managed to trim the lead down to single digits late in the game, and in the end we lost by 14 points. I wanted to share, that after the game, the Ballers head coach came to me and told me that our team was a very good team, and he was impressed with the tenacity and the lack of “quit” we put forth as a team. He recognized what a young team we are and wanted me to share with you all that we gave them all they could handle.
Our final game was one of the most physical games (for this age group) I have been exposed to in quite some time, and it was a great introduction for our Comp players to see and feel what AAU basketball is really about. One of the players from the Irish team was partially ejected for an intentional foul. This team was not a cheap shot team, but they played quite a physical game. That being said, I also felt that this game was a blast. Our players responded to the physicality the way I expected them to…with class, composure, perseverance and FIRE! The game took off as a defensive dual, and to further complicate things, we were on the much smaller court 8. Putting these two teams on that court was like putting two lions in a small cage together…it no doubt was a physical situation! Both teams were in the double bonus by the time we entered the 4th quarter, and there were multiple players who fouled out, some for their fist time. In the end, clutch defensive stops and free throws sealed our 2 point win over the tough playing Irish team.
Please take note that I did not give any named shout outs in this week’s blog; this was weekend’s style of play and end results were truly based on the team effort this week, and I didn’t feel it necessary to point out individual players. Without the contributions of each and every player, we wouldn’t have been as successful as we were this week.
We finished this first session living up to our motto: “100%, 100% of the time.” I feel privileged and honored to have worked with each and every one of your boys this session, and I look forward to helping them further their basketball careers. A big THANK YOU to our parents as well…at this level of basketball play, it’s not just the players that have to be dedicated; it’s the parents too!
Coach Bob
