Coach's Note Issue #3 Dec 20_2016

Coaches Note – That is better!  In our first couple of games we shot 27% from the floor.  We were getting decent shots but not “great.”  The last two games have been much improved.  We shot 36% on Tuesday and 44% on Friday.  We also wanted to improve our turnover situation.  We have improved our turnovers from an unacceptable 31 in game #1 to a more reasonable 12 in game #4.  I am SOOO impressed with your sons' ability to take constructive criticism.  It is not easy to hear that you need to change or focus on something different, yet your boys do a great job of it.

What your son and our team have been working on:  We have been working on improving our offensive movement and spacing to help get better shots and to reduce the amount of turnovers.  We have also worked to improve our assist percentage.  In our first two games we had assists on less than 50% of our shots.  Friday, against Eaton Rapids we had 17 assists on 21 baskets (incredible!). 

With all that said, I want to share the concepts or ideas that we have really tried to emphasize.

• ·        On the ball pressure defense: During the second half of our game against Lumen Christi and all of the game against Eaton Rapids we were able to put appropriate amounts of defensive pressure on the ball handler.  This really helps us turn their offensive game into a reactive game. When we pressure the ball, any good cuts by them do not get utilized and shots become very difficult.  We will continue to work on the fundamentals and the aggressive nature of defending the ball that is required to be successful.
• ·        Free Throw Attempts: Until this week, we were not getting many free throw attempts and our opponents were getting 25 or more.  Despite what my wife thinks, this is not because the officials do not like us ;-).  Instead it was because we did not attack the rim after we moved the defense and because we were trying to do too much in the offense one on one.  The other teams were shooting a lot of free throws because we were not putting enough pressure on the ball and our help defense was not quick enough to get proper position so they reached and got called for fouls. 

Upcoming:  We have a scrimmage at Grand Ledge on Thursday, December 22^nd then 3 days off for Christmas.  We then practice Monday 26^th through the 28^th to prepare for our game at Grand Rapids West Catholic on December 29^th.

Other: Early in the season we asked your sons to list 3 team and 3 individual goals.  We will work on how to write effective goals (S.M.A.R.T) later but I wanted to list some of what they had to say.

• ·        Make the team better
• ·        Play team basketball
• ·        Be the best defender
• ·        Everyone develop into better players
• ·        Develop a better jump shot
• ·        Become a close, cohesive group
• ·        Win & have fun
• ·        Become a better ball handler, don’t panic
• ·        Win a district
• ·        Be a leader, even if not voted captain
• ·        Win the league
• ·        Lead the team in assists and be the best teammate that I can be.

I am very honored to work with and proud of this group of young men.  We are growing and developing with a “growth” mindset.  It is a real pleasure to watch them develop and reach their goals.  Thanks for all the positive comments about this communication; I really enjoy talking to you about your sons.

Thanks

Coach Dartt

@coach_dartt

517.231.3113

coachd33@gmail.com

Coach's Note Issue #2 Dec 12, 2016

Coaches Note –

Well, well, well, that wasn’t exactly the start to the season we were working for. On the down side, we saw our team lose two games that we could have won.  On the up side, we witnessed our team improve in many areas and looked competitive on Friday.

What your son and our team have been working on:  Our team has a lot of diverse players that will ultimately make this a very good team.  It is our focus to figure out who works best and creates the most productive group.  We have shot poorly in both games so shooting is of course a focus, but more importantly, the focus has been on being disciplined in the offense to get great shots versus good ones and on limiting turnovers.  We have also been talking a lot about toughness.

·         Offensive Execution – We were pleased with the improvement from Tuesday to Friday regarding our half-court offense. Because of proper spacing, player movement and passes, we were able to get much better shots (open) than the previous game.  When we look at the shots taken in games, we are evaluating them on the following scale:

o   The best shooter should have the most shots and our worst shooter should have our best FG%(only takes lay-ups, wide open shots).

o   Cougar Rating System *adapted from Coach Don Meyer(We want most of our shots to be 3s or 4s.)

§  4 = Wide Open Lay-Up

§  3 = Wide open shot by good shooter

§  2 = Contested shot by good shooter or open shot taken by a poor shooter.

§  1 = Terrible shot(contested shot taken by poor shooter)

§  0 = Turnover (Poor decision, contested, little chance of success).

·         Reducing Turnovers – We had 31 turnovers on Tuesday (sorry to those who witnessed that!).  The good news is that we reduced that number to 22 on Friday.  There are many reasons for turnovers and reducing them in a contest is a real challenge.  To improve, we need to make sure we understand how to play basketball with each other.  We must know that given a certain action that our teammates will most certainly perform a reaction that makes sense.  The other component of poor passing is speed.  We are asking our kids to go faster than they have in the past.  This will cause more turnovers for us in the beginning of the season.  We will gradually see that number improve.  We should be able to get our turnovers to 12 – 15 per game maximum, by the end of the season. 

·         Toughness – Toughness in sport has many components.  Athletes need to be physically tough, going after loose balls, boxing out to get the rebound, sprinting the floor when their legs tell them “no”, etc.  They also need to be mentally tough.  Being able to listen to teammates and coaches in the heat of the battle and convert that information into something useful is challenging.  Athletes also need to be emotionally tough.  They need to be able to handle a bad call, a teammate criticizing them, a mistake made in front of their friends and families, or a coach correcting them.  We witnessed some real growth in the emotional part of our game from the first half of Tuesday’s game to the end of the Friday game.  We will continue to emphasize the importance of not reacting negatively to officiating or a teammate’s bad play.  Please help us with this part by applauding their emotional toughness when you see it.

Upcoming:  Second week of play is about to begin.  We play Jackson Lumen Christi at home on Tuesday following the 9^th grade and JV games.  On Friday we host league opponent Eaton Rapids at 6pm. 

Other:  We have shot a combined 26 free throws vs our opponents who have shot a combined 61.  We need to find ways to limit our opponent’s opportunities and increase ours from the free throw line. There is more discussion to come on this topic next week.

Thank You and God Bless!

Coach Brian Dartt

Assistant Basketball Coach - Lansing Catholic High School

Teacher - Olivet High School

Twitter: @coach_dartt

Mobile: 517.231.3113

coachd33@gmail.com

Coach's Note - Issue #1 Dec 2, 2016

Welcome to the 2016/2017 season! It is with great optimism and hope that I write this letter to you. It has been a great 3 weeks of basketball practices. Our team is getting ready to challenge for another league title and a possible tournament run.

These are lofty goals for sure given all the athletes that graduated but we have some very dedicated and talented upperclassmen that are familiar with our system and underclassman who bring a lot of skill, energy and enthusiasm. Through regular emails I intend to communicate with you throughout the season about the team and your son. I am hoping that it will connect you to the program and allow you to get to know us a little better. We (the coaching staff) hope that you feel comfortable discussing your son or the team anytime. We are in this together and want what is best for your son and the entire team.

What your son and our team have been working on: At the beginning of every season there is a mad dash to get “everything” in. Offense, defense, transition offense, transition defense, press attack, zone press, man to man press, quick hitters versus zone, quick hitters versus man to man, baseline out of bounds (BLOBS) plays, etc. It can seem overwhelming for your sons at times. Not only are we focusing on the above concepts and all that goes into breaking them down and teaching them, but we are also working to help each player develop the fundamental skills to be successful.

With all that said, I want to share the concepts or ideas that we have really tried to emphasize.

•  Communicate – we expect our athletes to talk on defense by calling out what they are doing. This simple talking on defense can increase our focus and energy and create a cohesive defensive unit. Athletes are expected to talk on offense by calling out the player’s name that they are passing to. The entire team is to call out any named offensive play. Interesting Note: You will hear our athletes call out “WOLF” during practice or games. This is a warning for the ball handler that a defender is coming from behind. This warning actually came from the days that Darren Zwick and I played at Olivet College for Gary Morrison. We also are urging our kids to communicate with their teammates and coaches about what they think they are good at and what they want help to improve. We are helping each of our athletes be an advocate for themselves, letting the coaching staff what they need. •
• Tempo – we are a relatively small squad who does not want to spend a lot of time playing half-court basketball against bigger and stronger athletes. Our goal is to wear teams out by transitioning on offense and pressuring on defense. Ultimately this will give us the opportunity for easy scores as our opponents find it difficult to keep up. At times we are asking our kids to go faster than they are comfortable. The only way for them to become comfortable playing a skilled sport like basketball at the speed that is necessary, is to actually do it. 

Upcoming: The season is about to begin. We play Okemos at home on Tuesday following the 9th grade and JV games. On Friday we host league rival Williamston at 6pm. We will be playing the first game of a varsity double header on Friday’s.

 Thanks

 Coach Dartt @coach_dartt
517.231.3113
coachd33@gmail.com