Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Numbers Issue
The numbers for the seventh grade is staying strong. . . 10 players is really a pretty solid number as you have enough to play 5 on 5 in practice plus there is more playing time for each player in games.
However. . . I don't know what will happen with the 8th grade! At last night's practice there were only 4 players. . . thankfully these were the top four players from last week but you can't play with only four. Missing were the 6 "newbies". I don't know if they decided that basketball wasn't for them or if it was a fluke that all of them missed on the same day? Like I said in an earlier posting, these six girls don't know much about hoops and it would be a major task to try to get them up to speed at this point in their careers. Missing practices isn't a good start.
The other eighth grader(the one I told to think about coming back out for basketball during MEA) was a no show at last night's practice. . . Bummer! She did explain that she would probably go out as a 9th grader but I don't think she understands how missing one year really hurts your chances of success the next year. It would be like skipping Algebra and going into Advanced Algebra the next year. It can be done, but only with a ton of work.
BRIGHTER NOTE:
I think I talked Nikki Wontor into finally going out. She is an eighth grader and will give us a starting five. Nikki is a great kid and has solid skills so I hope she is there for tonight's practice. Plus, she has been out for hoops over the years and she knows how to play the game.
We may need to move some 7th graders up to 8th grade ball and then ask 6th graders to move up and play with the 7th graders. This would be a first for us but I know they do this in Ulen – Hitterdal.
POST SCRIPT:
I do wonder if I am doing something wrong. . . I really try hard to make girls' basketball a program that is not only competitive but also a program that girls would want to belong.
However. . . I don't know what will happen with the 8th grade! At last night's practice there were only 4 players. . . thankfully these were the top four players from last week but you can't play with only four. Missing were the 6 "newbies". I don't know if they decided that basketball wasn't for them or if it was a fluke that all of them missed on the same day? Like I said in an earlier posting, these six girls don't know much about hoops and it would be a major task to try to get them up to speed at this point in their careers. Missing practices isn't a good start.
The other eighth grader(the one I told to think about coming back out for basketball during MEA) was a no show at last night's practice. . . Bummer! She did explain that she would probably go out as a 9th grader but I don't think she understands how missing one year really hurts your chances of success the next year. It would be like skipping Algebra and going into Advanced Algebra the next year. It can be done, but only with a ton of work.
BRIGHTER NOTE:
I think I talked Nikki Wontor into finally going out. She is an eighth grader and will give us a starting five. Nikki is a great kid and has solid skills so I hope she is there for tonight's practice. Plus, she has been out for hoops over the years and she knows how to play the game.
We may need to move some 7th graders up to 8th grade ball and then ask 6th graders to move up and play with the 7th graders. This would be a first for us but I know they do this in Ulen – Hitterdal.
POST SCRIPT:
I do wonder if I am doing something wrong. . . I really try hard to make girls' basketball a program that is not only competitive but also a program that girls would want to belong.
# posted by Viking Warrior @ 1:34 PM 
