One of the teams in our program won a game the other day 10-9. Of course we were disappointed with the offense, but there is a silver lining in that.
The other team sat back in a 2/3 zone and bottled up the inside. Good strategy if your purpose is to win games. But these were 5th and 6th grade girls. Winning games is not our purpose, learning to play the game is.
No, what had us so pleased was that our girls consistently attacked this zone on the dribble in the gaps. They brought two players to them then they tried to make a move to score or pass. It rarely worked, as you can see by the score. But they tried. And failed. And failed. And failed. But they kept trying. Their was no set play, no pattern, just reading the defense and making a decision based on what they saw. Their decisions were wrong a lot, but the decided and went with it.
We thought their play was fantastic, and their offense was even better. And we only scored 10 points. Eventually, there will be no defense that can shut them down because they will be able to make moves, dribble in traffic, shoot jumpshots, or attack in any way they wish. We are giving up short term success - as a 2/3 zone is, or a pattern offense is - for the sake of long term success.
The other team sat back in a 2/3 zone and bottled up the inside. Good strategy if your purpose is to win games. But these were 5th and 6th grade girls. Winning games is not our purpose, learning to play the game is.
No, what had us so pleased was that our girls consistently attacked this zone on the dribble in the gaps. They brought two players to them then they tried to make a move to score or pass. It rarely worked, as you can see by the score. But they tried. And failed. And failed. And failed. But they kept trying. Their was no set play, no pattern, just reading the defense and making a decision based on what they saw. Their decisions were wrong a lot, but the decided and went with it.
We thought their play was fantastic, and their offense was even better. And we only scored 10 points. Eventually, there will be no defense that can shut them down because they will be able to make moves, dribble in traffic, shoot jumpshots, or attack in any way they wish. We are giving up short term success - as a 2/3 zone is, or a pattern offense is - for the sake of long term success.
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