Go With The Flow

Last week I was at a game between a team that was hovering around .500 and one that had won only two games all year. Early in the second half the .500 team put some distance between the two - up 12 I think it was. And a funny thing happened. I hope all of you take this lesson to heart.

So the bad team, down 12, started to get frustrated. And one of two things happens when teams get frustrated. 1) the wheels fall off and they completely break down. 2) they start to play with some urgency. This night, they played with some urgency. They started going to the basket hard, they rebounded hard, they stretched the game to the whole floor. Very little structure and a lot of just going at them. And the other team? They started to play back on their heels, they couldn't handle the new pressure being applied to them. Slowly the first team inched their way back in it, and cut the lead to 3 with a minute or so to go.

So what did the coach do? He called time out and put them back in their pattern offense. The result? Turnover. Game lost.

Please, teach your kids how to play, then let them play. There is a time for more structure and their is a time for less. Learn the difference. I'll help you if you stay tuned.