The Life of a Varsity Girls Basketball Intern: On The Road, SCOUTING

(Sandersville, GA, 2009)

Scouting Trip to Sandersville, GA

One of the aspects of my internship as an assistant coach involves traveling to cities, which probably still have 56K dial-up internet connections, to scout teams that our girls will play in the near future. What a blast.

On my most recent trip to Sandersville, GA, which is 3 hours round trip from Athens, GA, luckily, one of my best friends, Rob Murry joined me. Rob is engaged to be married in March and is a full-time pharmacist. So, for him to join me on my scouting venture to Sandersville really meant a lot.

Considering Rob and I don't even travel 5 min to Stegeman Coliseum to watch the #9 Lady Bulldogs basketball team, but we traveled 3 hours round trip to watch Varsity High School Girls basketball, I can only imagine what Rob's fiance thinks about our recent excursion. I'll leave the explanation part up to him...

When we went to scout Brentwood, we sat on the home team's side. I'm sure the home crowd was a little baffled by the presence of a graduate student and full-time pharmacist at a Varsity Girls' game in "Civilization Central." They were probably really confused because of our presence, especially during the most intense part of the game, when Rob and I yelled statements that were ambiguously clear...Some examples included yelling "Cat in a Corn Field" after a bad call and "Pickle in a Pea Patch" after a missed free throw.

Considering they didn't know us, I'm sure they were wondering what the heck we were doing there. Rob and I thought about this before entering the gymnasium, and concluded we would tell them that "We were Uncle Ned's Kids," if asked.

(Owen Wilson and Vince Vaugh would have told the Brentwood faithful that they were "Uncle Ned's Kids" too)

Aside from the game itself, which reminded me so much of "the intensity of a home Georgia football game," Rob and I had a great trip.

On the way to Sandersville, somehow, we got into a "real light"discussion of free will vs. predestination/determinism. We even discussed R.C. Sproul's book, Chosen by God, which offers a Reformed view on the matter if you're interested. I really value our conversations together and am glad we could talk about such interesting matters.

Due to our fatigue, we had slightly less discussion on the journey home, but more "male bonding" time. And, by male bonding, I mean listening to reflective music that a lot of guys would admit they liked behind closed doors, but would scoff at amongst peers. We felt it was ok because we're secure in a our friendship.

Some of the Music from Our Post-Game Soundtrack:

1. Now We Are Free- Gladiator Soundtrack
2. Something in Celtic/Gaelic Language- Enya
3. Braveheart Theme
4. Revelation Song- Kari Jobe
5. Our Great God- Fernando Ortega
6. Comfortably Numb- Pink Floyd
7. Stairway to Heaven- Led Zeppelin

(Enya's Watermark CD creates some great road Easy Listening, which we found out)

The Life of a Varsity Girls Basketball Intern: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, BUT, some Women are from Mars, Part II

Different Audiences

Knowing your audience definitely helps, but sometimes, audiences are composed of members with different preferences and personalities that cannot be lumped into one box or formula!

Yes, there is some general truth to the statement, Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus, asserting that men and women are different, but sometimes, some of the girls I coach seem to be from MARS!

Recall the scenario in Part I, with the basketball player missing a wide open lay-up, where I broke down how I would generally handle the situation with a guy vs. a girl. I said that I would normally criticize a guy for his mistake, while encouraging a girl...Trying to apply that formula to each girl backfired once or twice.

Some of our varsity girls' respond differently! For example, one time, one of our forwards missed a lay-up, and I began clapping, saying "It's ok, you'll get it next time." She did not get pissed, but nicely told me to basically "stop B.S.-ing her." She told me that if she screws up, she wants to know it because it motivates her to play better when a coach criticizes her for mistakes.

I took her advice, and given my edgy sense of humor, have found creative ways to apply criticism to her. For example, after she shot the ball, and it was an "air-ball," hitting nothing and going out of bounds, I "encouraged" her, stating, "WOW! That was an NBA-caliber shot!"

For those who don't know what the acronym stands for besides "National Basketball Association," it also means "Nothing But Air."

Conclusions

From my observations of Coach Hamilton and my experiences, I have found that getting to know your players is one of the most important aspects of becoming an effective coach. Knowing your players can help you better understand them and treat them differently in different situations.

But, most importantly, I have learned that in coaching girls, as a coach, where I would normally criticize a guy several times for the same bone-headed mistakes until my corrections were entrenched in his brain, with most girls, sometimes, you just have to let it go and let them figure it out themselves.

The Life of a Varsity Girls Basketball Intern: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, BUT, some Women are from Mars, Part I

Lessons Learned

This is the first experience I have ever had coaching girls in any sport. While I have some prior experience mentoring guys in basketball, coaching girls is a completely different story...and, trust me, I knew this coming in. However, putting theory into practice is a not always easy.

I once learned in English to know your audience. This principle definitely applies to Varsity Girls basketball. Therefore, when I try to coach the girls dealing with technique or fundamentals, I have utilized, or at least tried to utilize, different tactics that I probably would with guys. Listed below are some examples:

Scenario 1: During a game, a player comes down the court and misses a wide open lay-up...

Coaching a Guy: (Foot Stomp!) What the crap was that? You can't just run 90 mph at the goal and expect the ball to go in. Missed lay-ups can lose ball games!

Coaching a Girl: (Clapping) That's ok, your form looked great on that ... lay-up. I "know" you'll make it next time, get back and play good defense.

From this scenario, we can clearly conclude that often guys and girls respond to different stimuli. Guys often respond to criticism, which can even be negative at times, because in the South, criticism "threatens their manhood" and they want to prove the criticizer wrong.

I have found that girls generally respond well to positive reinforcement. Most girls seem more secure in their abilities and aren't out to prove something to everyone in the world. However, if someone, such as a coach, negatively points out a flaw, it generally does not go over well and causes a reverse response from guys. Sometimes girls can then become too concerned about that one flaw, completely focusing on it, and blocking out the rest of the game. In contrast, if a coach positively reinforces a mistake, most girls respond well because there is less pressure on the mistake, allowing them to not focus on the mistake, but the game.

(Don't make comments to girls that reference size)

Scenario 2: I am working with forwards/centers with post moves around the goal...

Coaching a Guy: Listen, Offensive Player X, you are much bigger than Defensive Player Y, use your size as an advantage to score. If Defensive Player Y is right on you, put your butt into him and back him down!

Coaching a Girl: Listen, Offensive Player X, you are much bigger than Defensive Player Y, use your size as an advantage to score. If Defensive Player Y is right on you, put your butt into her and back her down!

Ha, ha, ha...yikes. Notice, there is no difference in the way in which I handled coaching a guy and a girl. This scenario actually happened, unfortunately.

If you are guy and haven't already noticed the problem, let me lay it out for you.

Problem #1: Girls do not appreciate comments about their size. While as a coach I was thinking nothing negative when I told one of the girls that she was bigger than the other and to use her size as an advantage, she probably did not share the same feelings as me. She probably felt obese after that comment. Fail.

Should've Said: You have more height than the other girl, use your height as an advantage!

Problem #2: I told one of the girls to put her butt into the other player. While it is hard to describe to a girl to "body up" to the player behind them and play more physical without saying "put your butt into her," coming from a 24 year old college student to a 12-14 year girl sounds a little Uncle Trickett-ish. Fail.

Should've Said: Play more physical, backing the defender down!

(One may expect a "butt" comment from Uncle Trickett, but not me!)

The Life of a Varsity Girls Basketball Intern: The Intro

Background Info

I am currently serving as an Assistant Varsity Girls basketball coach at Westminster Christian Academy in Watkinsville, GA.

Interestingly, the high school that I graduated from was a part of the AISA (Alabama Independent Schools Association), a league of private schools in Alabama. Similarly, Westminster belongs to the GISA, which is basically the same as the AISA, except in Georgia.

While my high school was one of the larger schools in the AISA, Westminster is one of the smaller schools in the GISA. So, despite belonging to similar sports leagues, the two schools sizes' make them different to some degree.

How Did I Obtain the Internship?

I am currently pursuing a master's degree in Sports Management from the University of Georgia, and will be finished in May with this degree. The program requires students to either write a 75 page thesis, or complete an internship in the realm of sports. I obviously chose the internship.

I am a member of a Presbyterian (PCA) Church just outside of Athens in Watkinsville, called Christ Community Church. Coincidentally, the gym that houses Christ Community Church is also the gym that Westminster plays in. Further, a friend of mine in my community group, Mark Hamilton, happens to the Head Varsity Girls Coach.

Mark has been the head coach for the past 3 seasons, and the team has steadily improved each season under his leadership. Coach Hamilton led the team to their best season last year, winning the region championship and losing to one of the best teams in the state during the playoffs. Considering that I was a starting PG in high school and have played basketball my entire life, I possess pretty extensive basketball knowledge. Coach Hamilton was looking to expand his team's capabilities, hopefully winning the state title, and I was looking for an internship in sport.

A match was made...

Billy Christmas

We Must Protect This House Trilogy

We Must Protect This House, Tha Remixed Remix





We Must Protect This House, Tha Remix





We Must Protect This House

A Weekend of Football

My Weekend Football Slate (Review)







Alabama at Auburn

Analysis: Auburn played with more emotion and intensity than Alabama. Auburn played much better than expected, but fell just short.

Predicted Score: Alabama 31-7

Final Score: Alabama 26-21

Prattville High at Auburn High

Analysis: Two great defensive teams. I had never seen either play...

Predicted Score: Auburn High 31-17

Final Score: Prattville 13-9

Georgia at Georgia Tech

Analysis: See Analysis of Game Prediction. All holds true...Tech and the ACC are painfully weak

Predicted Score: Georgia 31-27

Final Score: Georgia 30-24

This, That, and the Other

My Weekend Football Slate (Games I'm Attending)

Alabama at Auburn, 2:30 EST, CBS

Analysis: Auburn's strength on defense is their secondary, and their rush defense is their weakness. Alabama's weakness on offense is passing, while their strength is rushing. Alabama's strength on defense is everything.

In short, Auburn just doesn't match up well with Alabama at all. I despise Alabama, but,
Alabama 31 Auburn 7.


6A Alabama State Playoffs, Semi-Finals
#2 Prattville High School at #1 Auburn High School, 8:00 EST

Analysis: I know nothing about either team or Alabama High School Football. However, my first cousin, Taylor, is on Auburn High School's Drumline. That'll be fun to watch.

Since I'm from Auburn originally, I'll choose them (Great Logic by the Way)...
Auburn 31 Prattville 17


Georgia at Georgia Tech, 8:00 EST, ABC

Analysis: Yea, yea, yea, Georgia Tech has only lost one game and is #7. Who cares? They haven't played anyone and are in one of the weakest conferences in college football. In addition, they are incredibly one dimensional. Remember the last time an SEC defense played against Tech? LSU destroyed them. UGA won't make the same mistakes they did last year, and are talented enough to win, despite their recent struggles.

Georgia 31 Georgia Tech 27


What I've been Listening to Lately (Suggested Listenings from a Wide Variety):

1. Sarah McLachlan (Happy Xmas, What Child is This/Greensleeves, The First Noel)

2. U2 (I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, Magnificent, Until the End of The World)

3. Muse (Hysteria, Our Time is Running Out, Supermassive Black Hole)

4. Fernando Ortega (Our Great God)

5. Salt-N-Pepa (Push It)


Movies I've Seen Lately That I hadn't Seen

1. August Rush (My Rating: B-)

2. Twilight (My Rating: F-)

3. Keeping Mum (My Rating: B+)

4. 12 Angry Men (My Rating: A+)

5. Pump Up the Volume (My Rating: B)

6. Changeling (My Rating: B+)

Georgia Football

Check Out Some of the Sights of Georgia Football
Click Each Photo For A Larger View

Trivial Favorites List (Top 5's)

If anyone even cares...

Most Liked Teams:
1. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Auburn Tigers (I know, weird).
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Atlanta Falcons/Braves/Hawks

Most Disliked Teams:
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Oklahoma Sooners
3. Tennessee Volunteers
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
5. USC Trojans

College Stadiums:
1. Sanford Stadium (Georgia)
2. Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn)
3. Tiger Stadium (LSU)
4. Neyland Stadium (Tennessee)
5. Ohio Stadium (Ohio State)


Favorite Cities (Other than Athens, GA):
1. Paris, France
2. New York City, New York
3. Sandestin, Florida
4. San Diego, California/Seattle, Washington
5. Atlanta, Georgia/Savannah, Georgia

Artists:
1. Led Zeppelin
2. The Doors
3. R.E.M.
4. Jimi Hendrix/Pink Floyd/The Who
5. The Beatles

Movies:
1. Gladiator
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. American Beauty
4. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
5. Original Star Wars/Forrest Gump

Drinks:
1. Sprite
2. Water
3. Orange Gatorade
4. Chimay Blue
5. More Sprite

New Bleacher Report Article!

Check out my new slideshow/article that was featured on the main page of Bleacher Report today!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294303-the-10-wealthiest-and-most-recognizeable-teams-in-college-football

R.I.P. UGA VII

Today, unfortunately, the symbol of the Bulldog Nation, UGA VII, passed away.

He will probably be most remembered for his tenure during the successful careers of Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno. Even though he did not last long, he'll always maintain a place in Georgia Football History.

(Blawg Moment of Silence).

Go Dawgs!

Bobo Fails Again vs. Auburn

As many of you may recall, with 13:14 left in the 2nd quarter of the Auburn game, Joe Cox ran a play action pass, pump-fake, 50 yard TD pass to Israel Troupe. At the time, it seemed like a brilliant play call on the part of Big Bird, Mike Bobo. Not so fast my friend...

On the previous 2 plays before the TD pass to Troupe, Joe Cox quickly threw the ball to stud receiver A.J. Green for 12 yard gains on each play. Following consecutive 12 yard gains, A.J. Green was taken out of the game. I was a little frustrated at Green being pulled, but figured he was taking a breather (I later found out Green was injured). After Green was pulled, Georgia had Troupe in at Flanker, Tavarres King at Split End, Shaun Chapas at Fullback, and Caleb King at Tailback.

Given the personnel in the game, notably without Green, I thought there was no way UGA was going to pass the ball. Thus, I expected another predictable toss sweep to the outside that never works with Caleb King. To my surprise, as stated above, Cox ran a play action, pump fake pass to Israel Troupe (who came off the bench and has not played much at all during the entire season) for a 50 yard TD.

Following the TD pass, I had to bite my tongue and admit that was a good play call, considering no one would have expected UGA to pass without Green in the game, following 2 consecutive pass plays.

Interestingly, today, I find out that Mike Bobo made the play call thinking that A.J. Green was, in fact, in the game on that play. That is, the pass that went to Troupe was designed to go to Green, who wasn't even in on that play. Are you kidding me?

So, what are the issues here, considering UGA did score?

1. Our offensive coordinator, who stands on the field, did not even know that the biggest playmaker on UGA's offense (A.J. Green) was not on the field when making a play call.

2. It implies that if Bobo knew Troupe was in the game instead of Green, that play would have never been called because Big Bird is so conservative and does not trust other receivers...

FAIL.

I say, good for Israel Troupe! That a way to step in and make a big play, showing the coaches the depth of talent on our team.

Mark Richt's Seat Heat Rising as Georgia Coordinators Continue Obsolete Methods

Written on November 02, 2009

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

I've been making the same statement for a while now: Mark Richt is a quality individual and head coach who, at one time, was a great offensive mind, especially when he was the offensive coordinator at Florida State.

He still may be a great offensive mind, but Richt has allowed Big Bird (Mike Bobo) to call plays for the last two and a half years.

So, unless Richt has more play-calling authority than the public knows about, I do not know if Richt is still a great offensive mind or not because he is not calling the plays.

Being a successful head coach requires an individual to be elite in knowledge of the game and management of staff/players. I still think Richt's knowledge of the game is elite, but I severely question his management.

Prior to the 2008 season, after Georgia finished No. 2 in the AP Poll, it appeared that Mark Richt was certainly amongst the elite coaches in both knowledge of management.

Georgia went 10-3 during the 2008-2009 season. Thus, a 10-win season is a success, right? No, not necessarily in all circumstances.

Winning 10 games is certainly an impressive feat for most college football teams, but if someone broke down how Georgia lost three games last year, given their talent level, 10 wins seems far less impressive.

1. Georgia was massacred by Alabama 41-30, in UGA Funeral I (Georgia used black jerseys for the second time as a source of motivation to beat Alabama but failed miserably after Alabama put up 31 in the first half.)*

2. Georgia was destroyed by Florida 49-10, a year after the end zone celebration and defeat of Florida 42-30. Georgia was still an outside title contender before this loss.*

3. Georgia embarrassingly blew a 28-12 halftime lead over in-state rival Georgia Tech at home.*

* Georgia had two first round picks in their backfield in Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno. In addition, they had two receivers with 900-plus yards receiving, one of which was a second round draft pick and starter in the NFL (Mohamed Massaquoi) and the other who led the SEC in receiving yards (Green).

Does Georgia's 10-win season still seem as successful? I don't think so.

So, if UGA had all that talent and could only manage 10 wins (let's not forget about UGA surviving Kentucky and Auburn), does this imply that something is flawed with the coaching? Seems plausible.

Entering the 2009-2010 season, somehow, I convinced myself that Stafford and Moreno's egos hindered UGA's chemistry during the 2008-2009 season and believed that Richt would manage and lead a more cohesive "no-name" team to a surprisingly successful season.

I was wrong.

With the losses of Stafford at QB and Moreno at RB, the coaching flaws are becoming even more evident, as Georgia can't simply win on talent. The play-calling, even though good at times, few and far between, rivals that of an amateur playing EA's NCAA Football .

For example, how many freakin' times are people going to see Georgia's offense run HB draws on second or third and long? First off, UGA does not even seem to have the talent at RB this year to be consistently successful at running HB draws. Secondly, whereas other teams are aggressive in these situations, Georgia predictably concedes.

Let's take a minute to analyze Georgia's outdated, "MS-DOS" offense against Florida, or any other team, for the past eternity:

Scenario One

It's 2nd-and-16. Joe Cox lines up in shotgun formation with his feet even and shoulder width apart. This detail about his feet is crucial because when Cox puts one foot forward, he is going to throw, but when his feet are even and shoulder with apart, he almost always runs a HB draw.

Of course, if Bobo implemented different, unpredictable foot patterns, that would be "far too complex" for UGA's offense.

Bobo sends in Caleb King or Richard Samuel, who take forever to run the ball to the outside, to play HB and stand right beside Cox. The ball is snapped, and Cox runs a HB draw to one of these two, and they attempt to run to the outside, at most getting five yards if UGA is lucky.

It's now third down with 10 to 12 yards to go. Cox takes a five-step drop and is blitzed by good defenses, such as Florida or Alabama. Florida plays single coverage on A.J. Green on the outside, and Michael Moore is consistently open in the slot across the middle.

Big Bird (Bobo) calls for an Orson Charles (Tight End) deep out , and Cox throws into double or triple coverage.

...Do you want to continue y/n? y

Scenario Two

It's 3rd-and-9 on the Florida/opposing team's 20-yard line. Big Bird (Bobo) is gonna fool them this time! Georgia runs a HB draw, failing to get a first down.

Score: (in the fourth quarter) Florida/Other team (35), Georgia (17) —yippee!

...Do you want to continue y/n? n

Scenario Three

You have a senior QB who has paid his dues and waited behind Stafford for years now. So, he must be the best to start, right? No. He's only thrown 12 INT in eight games.

But Georgia has this highly talented freshman named Aaron Murray who is supposed to be the future of Georgia football. Can't he start or be given a chance?

Richt to media: We are going to start the QB who gives us the best chance of winning.

Murray hasn't even played, so how do we know that he doesn't give UGA the best chance of winning?

On the flip side, isn't it possible that some QBs give UGA the best chance of losing?

Get the picture now? In addition to the offensive coordination being basic and foolish, the defense has been allowing teams to score points relentlessly.

What's the Main Point?

Suppose you are the CEO of a large company (Mark Richt) and your company's stocks are falling because your top executives (Bobo and Willie Martinez) are possibly not competent or capable of doing their jobs. Would you continue to defend them or keep them at their current level of duties? No, I wouldn't think so.

So, if the company continues to fail and the CEO does not make changes, where would the Board place the blame? On the CEO.

Thus, if UGA's coordination on either side continues to fail and boosters begin to decline in their support of UGA Athletics (falling stocks), and if Richt does not make coordination changes, don't be the least bit surprised when Damon Evans and others place the blame on Richt, not Bobo or Martinez.

And that's where the blame should go.