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2004 Tournament to be in Poplar Bluff, Missouri {}
Posted by Donald Wilkerson at Jul 7, 2004 5:00PM PDT
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Poplar Bluff won the championship.
Clear Lake won the Consolation Championship.
The December 2004 out of town tournament for the Varsity Boys will be in Missouri this year. The dates are Dec 28,29 and 30. This is an 8 team tournament with four games each day. The first game starts at 4 p.m. daily. Clear Lake starts off in the first round against Austin East.
FYI: Poplar Bluff High School senior Tyler Hansbrough, who has signed with North Carolina,(6'9", 26.7 ppg) is one of the nation's top players. That alone should make the trip worthwhile for basketball aficionados.
FYI: Poplar Bluff High School senior Tyler Hansbrough, who has signed with North Carolina,(6'9", 26.7 ppg) is one of the nation's top players. That alone should make the trip worthwhile for basketball aficionados.
Give the Coach the Benefit of the Doubt by Don W
Posted by Donald Wilkerson at Jun 8, 2004 5:00PM PDT
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(by Don Wilkerson)
We as involved fans usually like to believe our basketball knowledge, combined with our willingness to share our opinions and our fervor for the game, allows us to effectively “out strategize” a coach’s decisions, especially during a closely contested game. My observations of high school basketball have caused me to conclude this is rarely true.
Fans and parents are usually not aware of some of what goes on in the practices, in the dressing room, in the huddles, and often even on the bench. The steps a coach takes toward a player or players which might be filed, for example, under the heading of “character building for a player or team,” often appear puzzling, confusing or short sighted even to the observant fans because the underlying reasons are unknown to us. We tend to think the coach just blew it by failing to do something we see as obvious. It does happen but it is rare especially among veteran coaches.
That is not to say that coaches do not make mistakes but, in most cases, given a more complete understanding of the situation, we would often take the same steps and make the same decisions as the coach (assuming we had the boys' best interests in mind). I am not saying that I do not find myself questioning why a coach does something from time to time or fails to do something at times. I am saying that we should all try to remember that perhaps we do not have all the facts and to remind ourselves that most coaches, especially veteran coaches in the big schools, really do know what they are doing. They may not all be super motivators or superlative strategists or best buddies with their players but they do know what they are doing. As in any profession or endeavor, coaching is a growth experience over time. Without any special insight or knowledge regarding any game events over the course of the season I recommend giving the coach the benefit of the doubt.
We should also remember when we watch these boys play basketball we tend to think they are more mature than they really are because of their size and their impressive athletic prowess. In fact the teenage brain is not yet physiologically fully developed and they are still growing emotionally and psychologically. People, especially people the age of these players, sometimes tend to exagerate for both positive and negative events so wise parents usually temper what they may hear with their wisdom.
Although this is less true for most coaches than it used to be back in the good ole days, being a high school basketball coach is about building character in young people, not just about winning games. I know that may sound naive in today's intense, highly competitive environment where parents are hopeful their player son can earn a college scholarship, but I still believe it.
We as involved fans usually like to believe our basketball knowledge, combined with our willingness to share our opinions and our fervor for the game, allows us to effectively “out strategize” a coach’s decisions, especially during a closely contested game. My observations of high school basketball have caused me to conclude this is rarely true.
Fans and parents are usually not aware of some of what goes on in the practices, in the dressing room, in the huddles, and often even on the bench. The steps a coach takes toward a player or players which might be filed, for example, under the heading of “character building for a player or team,” often appear puzzling, confusing or short sighted even to the observant fans because the underlying reasons are unknown to us. We tend to think the coach just blew it by failing to do something we see as obvious. It does happen but it is rare especially among veteran coaches.
That is not to say that coaches do not make mistakes but, in most cases, given a more complete understanding of the situation, we would often take the same steps and make the same decisions as the coach (assuming we had the boys' best interests in mind). I am not saying that I do not find myself questioning why a coach does something from time to time or fails to do something at times. I am saying that we should all try to remember that perhaps we do not have all the facts and to remind ourselves that most coaches, especially veteran coaches in the big schools, really do know what they are doing. They may not all be super motivators or superlative strategists or best buddies with their players but they do know what they are doing. As in any profession or endeavor, coaching is a growth experience over time. Without any special insight or knowledge regarding any game events over the course of the season I recommend giving the coach the benefit of the doubt.
We should also remember when we watch these boys play basketball we tend to think they are more mature than they really are because of their size and their impressive athletic prowess. In fact the teenage brain is not yet physiologically fully developed and they are still growing emotionally and psychologically. People, especially people the age of these players, sometimes tend to exagerate for both positive and negative events so wise parents usually temper what they may hear with their wisdom.
Although this is less true for most coaches than it used to be back in the good ole days, being a high school basketball coach is about building character in young people, not just about winning games. I know that may sound naive in today's intense, highly competitive environment where parents are hopeful their player son can earn a college scholarship, but I still believe it.
10 Commandments of Sports for Parents by Morgan Wootten
Posted by Donald Wilkerson at May 30, 2004 5:00PM PDT
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(by Morgan Wootten*)
1. Make sure that your child knows that win or lose, scared or heroic, you love him, appreciate his efforts, and are not disappointed in him.
2. Try your best to be completely honest about your child’s athletic capability, his competitive attitude, his sportsmanship, and his actual skill level.
3. Be helpful, but don’t coach him on the way to the court or on the way back, or at breakfast.
4. Teach him to enjoy the thrill of the competition. Don’t say “Winning doesn’t count,” because it does.
5. And hear this, parents: Try not to relive your athletic life through your child in a way that creates pressure. Don’t pressure him because of your pride.
6. Don’t compete with the coach. Remember, in many cases the coach becomes a hero to his athletes, a person who can do no wrong.
7. Don’t compare the skill, courage, or attitudes of your child with those of other members of the squad or team...or at least not in his hearing.
8. You should also get to know the coach so that you can be sure that his philosophy, attitudes, ethics and knowledge are such that you are happy to expose your child to him.
9. Always remember that children tend to exaggerate, both when praised and when criticized. Temper your reactions when they bring home tales or woe or heroics.
10. Make a point of understanding courage and the fact that it is relative. Some of us climb mountains but fear a fight; some of us fight but turn to jelly if a bee buzzes nearby. A child must know: Courage is not absence of fear, but rather doing something in spite of fear.
11. Don’t have the coaches thinking about you while they are coaching your child.
*Morgan Wootten, a native of Durham, North Carolina compiled a 1,274-192 (86.9%) record in 46 seaons at DeMatha High School in Washington, D.C., the all-time best record among high school basketball coaches. Under Wootten, who had coached at DeMatha from 1956-2003, DeMatha has won mythical national championships in 1962, 1965, 1968 and 1984. In 1984, USA Today named Wootten the National Coach of the Year. His teams have recorded 44 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins and have won 33 Catholic League championships. Most impressively, DeMatha has finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Washington, D.C., area 20 times in the last 33 years. When Wootten's teams have played games outside the area, which is common for DeMatha, the results have been impressive. The 1965 DeMatha team broke the 71-game winning streak of Lew Alcindor's Power Memorial team. To his credit, more than 150 of Wootten's former players have played college basketball, while a dozen have played in the NBA, including Adrian Dantley and Danny Ferry. More than 20 of his former coaches or players are now coaching on the high school, collegiate or professional level. Wootten attended both Montgomery Junior College and the University of Maryland. Wootten announced his retirement on November 6, 2002.
"Morgan Wootten has been called the finest high school basketball coach in the country.
I disagree. Morgan Wootten is the finest coach, at any level, I have ever seen."
Former UCLA Head Basketball Coach and Basketball Hall of Fame Member John Wooden
1. Make sure that your child knows that win or lose, scared or heroic, you love him, appreciate his efforts, and are not disappointed in him.
2. Try your best to be completely honest about your child’s athletic capability, his competitive attitude, his sportsmanship, and his actual skill level.
3. Be helpful, but don’t coach him on the way to the court or on the way back, or at breakfast.
4. Teach him to enjoy the thrill of the competition. Don’t say “Winning doesn’t count,” because it does.
5. And hear this, parents: Try not to relive your athletic life through your child in a way that creates pressure. Don’t pressure him because of your pride.
6. Don’t compete with the coach. Remember, in many cases the coach becomes a hero to his athletes, a person who can do no wrong.
7. Don’t compare the skill, courage, or attitudes of your child with those of other members of the squad or team...or at least not in his hearing.
8. You should also get to know the coach so that you can be sure that his philosophy, attitudes, ethics and knowledge are such that you are happy to expose your child to him.
9. Always remember that children tend to exaggerate, both when praised and when criticized. Temper your reactions when they bring home tales or woe or heroics.
10. Make a point of understanding courage and the fact that it is relative. Some of us climb mountains but fear a fight; some of us fight but turn to jelly if a bee buzzes nearby. A child must know: Courage is not absence of fear, but rather doing something in spite of fear.
11. Don’t have the coaches thinking about you while they are coaching your child.
*Morgan Wootten, a native of Durham, North Carolina compiled a 1,274-192 (86.9%) record in 46 seaons at DeMatha High School in Washington, D.C., the all-time best record among high school basketball coaches. Under Wootten, who had coached at DeMatha from 1956-2003, DeMatha has won mythical national championships in 1962, 1965, 1968 and 1984. In 1984, USA Today named Wootten the National Coach of the Year. His teams have recorded 44 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins and have won 33 Catholic League championships. Most impressively, DeMatha has finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Washington, D.C., area 20 times in the last 33 years. When Wootten's teams have played games outside the area, which is common for DeMatha, the results have been impressive. The 1965 DeMatha team broke the 71-game winning streak of Lew Alcindor's Power Memorial team. To his credit, more than 150 of Wootten's former players have played college basketball, while a dozen have played in the NBA, including Adrian Dantley and Danny Ferry. More than 20 of his former coaches or players are now coaching on the high school, collegiate or professional level. Wootten attended both Montgomery Junior College and the University of Maryland. Wootten announced his retirement on November 6, 2002.
"Morgan Wootten has been called the finest high school basketball coach in the country.
I disagree. Morgan Wootten is the finest coach, at any level, I have ever seen."
Former UCLA Head Basketball Coach and Basketball Hall of Fame Member John Wooden
Basketball Well Represented Among Top Scholars
Posted by Donald Wilkerson at May 25, 2004 5:00PM PDT
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Among the honor graduates at last Saturday's Clear Lake High School 2004 graduation were three Falcon varsity players: Dan Rieke (Magna Cum Laude), Aaron Greenwood (Cum Laude), and Nandi Wijay (Cum Laude). From a graduating class of almost 800, this is quite an achievement. Congratulations to all the graduates.
