Thank you Coach Sar and Coach Rob for your guy's help. My team has a game later today against one the other teams in my conference. I'm going to use EVERYTHING you guys have told me to do. Just by talking to me you guys have made me EXTREMELY confident in my playing ability. But here's a questions for you Coach Sar or Rob, do you guys coach HS or College? And what are your guys' playing background? Just curious haha

I coached at a lot of levels.... starting coaching 7th & 8th graders for 13 years...... Moved to the HS level... 1 year of JV/assistant varsity ..... 9 years as the Head Sophomore coach and 17 years as the Head Varsity Coach... 1 years with girls, that was a treat... but it was fun...All in all with helping some guys from time to time after I retired I coached for about 43 years.. I am now retired but I help some coaches personally and a I hope I am helping a lot of them online.... along with some kids..... I've met some coaches in person from Florida, Georgia, Arizona, 3 from Hawaii... and 1 from West Virginia.I met Jeff and Joe Haefner and Don Kelbick..... there is a lot of knowledge and experience out there.

Playing experience???? Are you being a wise guy?? haha I think I told you that I was 4'11" as a freshman at 13 years old..... and you are 5'8 in 8th grade. There wasn't a lot of room for guys my size and I wasn't exactly an Allen Iverson.
LOL

I learned to coach this game the hard way.... a lot of experience at the middle school level.... meeting with HS coaches, going to clinics, watching teams play and working hard at the HS level. I coached football also.... and I like to think that I was pretty good with Xs and Os, game planning and teaching the kids how to play the game.

I had no desire to coach at the college level.... you better win there or you are gone.

GOOD LUCK today and let us know how the game goes

Coach, I can't thank you enough. This page may be the reason my team won tonight in an EXTREMLEY hard and AGRRAVATING game. Before the game, I read some of your articles about mental toughness and how to handle pressure. So we 13 seconds to go and my team being up 32-31, I was sent to the line for a 1 n 1 (Now, I've never been a good FT shooter, so this was a pretty nervous spot for me to be in). I swished both. The opposing team quickly another bucket and after the ball being bobbled around by both teams, I came up with it and was fouled. All I could think of was that I DIDN'T CARE IF IT WENT IN. I did exactly what the articles said. And I made both of them. And my team WON by 4. Thank you Coach Sar and all the other GREAT people that help with this page. We probably would've lost without you.

Thanks from everybody here.... nice of you to say all those complementary things. Makes it all worth while for us ....

While some of the things we said, it was all about your team and your will to win! Funny thing, one of my X players wrote something that I used to say ( at least that's what he told me ) " They didn't want it bad enough! " Obviously your team did. You can share this part with your team if you'd like -- You took a GIANT step towards being a TEAM and moving forward.

Remember, the season is a JOURNEY, NOT a DESTINATION.!! You will be taking a lot of small steps this year, hopefully all the right direction. It takes courage to step up to the free throw line with the game on the line.... making them both is great.... that took a lot of pressure off of everybody.. and the best part, you came up with a loose ball to seal the deal. Hitting the FTs was a bonus.

Think about this when you go to the FT line... go through your pre shot ceremony, 6 bounces, around your back, spin on your finger etc. (just kidding) but do you pre shot routine.... then take a deep breath and let it out slowly.... it will relax your muscles and make it easier to shoot.

CONGRATULATIONS to you and your team on the victory, hopefully it is the first of many to come. Learn from every time you set foot on the floor..... think about the game and how you played.... think, is there something I can work on to be a better player? Then work on those things next few practice sessions.

Good luck in your next game.

This is his comment to me and a few other guys....
Yep Jeffrey dropped one, had one denied, and cutler had pick in end zone before the half. They should have one, like my basketball coach would say "they did not want it bad enough".

"

Kenny: Ive read all your posts, and what Im hearing is a kid that wants instant success...eg: I watched thousands of videos and tried thousands of methods and I brick every shot. Well, you need to stick to ONE method and keep at it until you achieve consistency. You are not Kobi, so dont shoot like Kobi...Kob's form is not perfect however, he has shot this way a million times and eventually achieved the consistency required to play at the level he is at. Coach Sars has given you a ton of good advice read it and heed it....follow the basic rkules of BEEF discontinue changing your shot everytime you are not successful, have patience young man, practice the basics, give your body time to grow, work on your blocking out, and soon the 6'3" kid wil be a distant second...Good Luck Coach Mac

Coach Mac -

Glad to see you back ......... Kenny, listen to him, he has a ton of experiences and knowledge (not as much as me of course haha) and if you listen to him along with the other coache here... you WILL be successful.

The one thing I want to add is this.... BE THE BEST THAT KENNY CAN BE. Forget Kobe or MJ or whoever, I couldn't do what they did without the ball. LOL

I agree Mac, I bet that Kenny is already better than Drew, as long as he keeps his head on straight and works at his game.
You cant worry about him, you haven't seen him play and the last time I checked, there are 5 players on the floor..... so IF you are a good player, the coach WILL find a spot for you.

I haven't lost my SARcastic touch have I Mac? LOL

First, I'd like to say thanks to both of you for the great feedback. Coach Mac, I think you're completely right, I have been giving up on my shot way to quickly, and I do need to be more patient. Coach Sar, thank you so much for your confidence, for it has given ME confidence in my self, now here's a question, I go to a CLASS C school (town population 2500), now, how do get college coaches to take notice of me? I mean, not right now but like when I'm a Junoir and Senior?? Their's a class A school near me, but theirs no way I would ever leave my school, I owe to much to it for helping shape me into the kid I am now, and I'm not one to give up on something/someone. Only one person in the history of our school has ever made it to a Division 1 college, I want to be the next.

First thing you need to do is to be the best player in your area... if you are a standout... they will notice you. Down the line, ask the head coach about what you need to do to improve and play at the D1 level. Do you have a good relationshiip with the head coach? If so, maybe you can talk to him now about your goals and what you need to do to be that kind of player.

Be a leader and improve all areas of your skills.

During your off season, can you play AAU ball? The more you play the more people will see you.

I love guys that have these types of goals.... and as long as you are willing to work towards them.... you are taking a big step in the right direction. Just remember, talk is cheap. Coach Mac, Jeff & Joe have a lot of contacts along with Don Kelbick. Can you go to camps during the sumer? Don Kelbick holds several that can help you.

Well, the thing is, my family can't afford AAU ball or B-ball camps. I have to pay for alot of the things needed for basketball with my own money (shoes, 150$ camp last year, basketball hoop, ect) and I can't afford things like that, not to mention AAU ball requires lots of traveling (I think) and I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to do it.... He a class C schools makes it to the State Championships, would college coaches be watching?

Kenny: I rarely answer twice to any forum question but Iwill this time because I admire your pluck. You are me 50 years ago only with me it was Ice hockey.. I grew up very poor in a small northern Canadian town and learned to play on the frozen ponds. I would get up at 6 in te morning before school and go and skate then on the weekends, we would begin at 7 a.m. and play untiil eleven at night. If I broke a stick, I would nail it together and go back at it. I made it to semi pro, in fact I was offered a scholarship to Michigan State but couldnt accept because my grades were terrible. I quit high school to play Junior hockey for 15 dollars a week plus room, it was a tough life. why do I tell you this, because I think you are the kind of kid that can hurdle your difficulties and become successful. If you are good enough, trust me, the scouts will find you. They found Andrew Wiggens in the small town of Aurora Ontario they will find you. . My final piece ofadvice to you is dont let your financial situation be your excuse to quit or give up. All the coaches on this forum love this game. Coach Sars certainly does as he continues to aid youngsters such as your self long after retirement. Coach Kelbick, Joe Jeff Coach Rob will look after you trust in them, trust in yourself. Dont let us down..Coach Mac