fan25

I have seen several of the Lady Yellow Jackets basketball games this year. I do not want to bash the coach or single out players, but I will suggest several things that I think is essential to turning this program around. DISIPLINE starts with the coach on the first day of practice and does not change throughout the season. The coach is not being paid to win the girls friendship, but he is being paid to put together a program that the students, parents, and community can be proud of. This does not necessarily mean winning games, but does mean that the girls play hard, respect the coach, respect each other, respect other players, and understand playing for your high school team is something to be proud of. DEDICATION also starts with the coach and he must stay positive through the good times and bad. If the girls sense that the coach is giving up or quitting... the girls will follow his lead. The girls must dedicate themselves to basketball and this is not only during the basketball season. AAU basketball has changed the game and is essential for girls to improve their abilities. AAU basketball is not the only way to improve though, the girls can improve by lifting weights, shooting, and working on fundamentals. TEAMWORK. The players must respect each other and understand that each player has different strengths. It is essential that the girls support each other. If you watch Kingston play you can tell some of the girls do not understand the true meaning of a team. Here is my top 10 list of things that I see as problems with the Kingston Lady Yellow Jackets. 1. The girls are out of shape. They do not play but 6-7 players the majority of the time, so they need to be in shape to maintain intensity throughout the game. 2. The girls do not play with enough intensity. This could be corrected through tougher practices and better conditioning. Everyone needs to be attentive at practice so when they go into the game, or scrimmage in practice, they know the plays. 3. TURNOVERS. The Lady Jackets turn the basketball over approximately 20-25 times per game with the majority of the turnovers being unforced errors and this is allowed to continue without loss of playing time. 4. BREAKING THE FULL COURT PRESS. I think this is the only team that I have seen that continually takes the basketball up the sideline trying to break the full court press. Everything that I read or have been taught says you take the basketball to the middle of the court to break the press. 5. PLAYING A WEAK MAN TO MAN DEFENSE THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME. Defense is mostly effort and desire which must be enforced in practice every day. You have to play defense with an attitude that you can't beat me. When you watch the best AUU basketball teams in the country they all play hard nose in your face man to man defense. 6. It seems that some of the girls continually make the same mistakes but nothing changes. They continue to make the same mistakes and are allowed to keep on playing. This sends the wrong message to the players on the floor and the players on the bench wanting playing time. 7. Not playing to the strength of the personnel you have. Kingston has three big girls but the offense that is being ran has two of the big girls out on the perimeter the majority of the time. What is wrong with pounding the ball inside and then working it back out for the open jumper? 8. If you watch the Kingston offense you cannot tell what they are trying to do. I asked one of the opponents coaches how he prepared his team for the Kingston offense and he said after watching the film he could not tell what they were attempting to do and they did not have any continuity. 9. Somewhere in today's world with the complicated offenses the coaching staff has lost teaching the simple philosophy of setting screens, back door cuts, and staying in motion. The practice floor is where you teach and assure that the players understand what you are attempting to do; remembering that you can't just verbally explain what to do... they have to practice it. It is not about the number of offensive sets or plays you have but how well the players understand what is being coached and how well they can execute. 10. Most disappointing is that the Lady Yellow Jackets have played approximately 25 games with a record of 6-19, and I do not remember seeing personnel changes in the starting line up, different offensive or defensive strategies, or improvement in poor attitudes.

What is your suggestion? And how do you get your ideas to the right people?