The Hunnies Are Back!

The Hoop Hunnies are back in action! 

Its year two in coaching my town's travel basketball team.  Last year I coached the 5th grade team and this year, I moved up with the team to the 6th grade. Last year was an interesting year as it was a first for us all. It was my first year coaching, their first year playing in a competitive league, and the first year the league had a 5th grade division.  It was definitely a learning year.  We started out in the hole a few games but improved enough to end the season with a winning record and we were the only team in our town to win a playoff game!

This year I went into the season with a better idea of what my goals for the team were because I knew what to expect. My assistant coach C was back and we were pumped to get the season going and see who we would end up with on our team.

Sometimes I forget that the girls are all 11-12 years old and I expect them to act like adults.  Is it too much to ask that I have their undivided attention for the duration of the practice? I think not.  But I also have to keep in mind that they are going to be silly and joke around.  Will it be allowed while C or I are talking? ABSOLUTELY NOT.  The whistle will blow and the girls will run.  Should we allow it on water breaks or down time? Sure, but to an extent.  

This is what my team looks like when I tell them I am not there to babysit them and they need to listen to me. http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/40-strangely-funny-womens-basketball-team-portrait

Tonight I was flying solo and because the hunnies have the day off from school tomorrow, they were extra sassy and not quite as focused as usual.  It was frustrating at the time, but looking back, days off from school were the BOMB. (I think that was a term I used when I was their age). At the end of practice we were gathering to go over some "housekeeping" notes.  

First order of business was to vote on a team name.  I asked the girls last night to think about names to vote on.  We had a wide range of names from the Ballin' Babes to Blue Storm to Blue Thunder.  While I secretly LOVED the Ballin' Babes (last year I referred to the team as the "Hoop Hunnies" because that was a suggestion last year), I let the girls all vote on names.  The Methuen Blue Thunder edged out the Blue Storm by one vote.  Some girls protested and asked for a recount, but I refused.  I know I counted correctly.  

Next, I passed out folders I made the girls with their names on them.  It was like Christmas.  If I knew all it took to get their attention was a manila folder with their name on it, I would have done it at the first practice. In the folder was an 8.5x11 sized paper with a basketball court on it.  Each girl took 5 pennies and I asked that they practice our team plays using the pennies as players. "This is SO cool, I am going to make my mom, dad, and brother all play with me when I get home."  Who said learning can't be fun? I also bribed them telling them that if they did their homework, I would buy a fun colored pre-wrap to use as headbands as well as some ribbon for their hair.  Hey, it promotes camaraderie and unity.

My next task was to have each girl write down a goal and their name for our first game on Saturday.  I want to ask them after the game is over if they reached their goal.  This is the first time I did this, so I didn't know what to expect.  I figured I would get a few "I want to box-out"s and "make my lay-ups".  I definitely got those, but there were two that stood out in my mind.  One girl said she wanted to "score two goals."  I worked a little on basketball terminology, but I guess I need to go a little further.  The other one that stood out wasn't for the goal itself, but instead of the girl writing her name at the top with the goal following, she wrote her goal, and signed it: Love, (and her name).  

As much as I sometimes get caught up in the frustrations of coaching girls, I love it.  I love their humor and their "reality."  I told them I cancelled a very hot date on Friday night so I could get to bed early and be ready for the early morning game.  One girl responded to my "7:00 pm bed time" with a "well, I am going out to dinner with my family and if we are still at the restaurant at 7:00, I will go sleep in the car, I promise."

While we were leaving, one of the girls asked if we could have a nickname for the Blue Thunder.  I was thinking she would try to shorten our team name into B.Thun. or something like that.  She suggested we call ourselves the "Thunder Thighs."  After having myself a good laugh, I kindly explained that it was not a flattering nickname and we might want to consider something else. 

I also gave them each 3 pieces of candy and sent them home. They couldn't believe I let them have more than one.  Is there a rule about candy I should know about?