"The Last Gathering....."

Well we closed out our regular season with a pizza party and a few "unexpected" events....It' been an interesting season and I am sure that I will have some things to keep with me for many years to come...(some of which I may actually enjoy...)  ;)

                                                 

There are always going to be certain "events" that should demand "special" recognition after a season...I like to think of them as "Uniquely Valuable Player Awards"....Here are some of those special recipients this season....

In the catagory of, "MOST EFFECTIVE PLAYER FOR THE "OTHER" TEAM...." The award goes to..............
- Clayton "I-sco-fo-yo-team" O'Neal...(executing a perfect steal and lay-up....Unfortunately, the basket he decided to shoot at, which in his defense, was much closer, was not ours!)

In the catagory of, "BEST CHARGE TAKEN WITH ABSOLUTELY NOBODY AROUND"...."
The honored recipient is.....
- Logan "where-be-my-feet" Benefiel: Who' display of "grace" and "elegance", decided he wanted to "take a charge", while by himself....(by falling down on the court...) And to show it was no fluke, he did it twice!

The award for, "BEST IMPERSONATION OF A VERY LARGE ANIMAL WHILE RUNNING...."
- Nathan "Clydesdale" Ennis: Never before have I heard such a sound on the hardwood by just a single person...(I thought for sure this horse had "thrown a shoe...")

The award for, "HOW CAN SOMETHING SO SMALL "DO" AND "NOT DO" THAT...." goes to,
- Clayton "tomato-ROLL" Baugh: This young man will not only be in my memory for his "non-basketball" related demonstrations, but probably more so in my "nightmares"....Never before had I ever witnessed such a sight as when I had the unenviable task of watching this young man "attempt" to do a "forward roll"...(How one so small, be so uniquely, how shall I say,...."Eli-esque" is beyond my imagination, but he was...And if that wasn't enough, I had to watch the "Kobayashi" of tomato eating in action prior to a recent ball game. Clayton may be "gymanastically" challenged, but when it comes to putting away tomato slices, he has no peer! (33 slices of tomato at one sitting....He only stopped because there were no more tomatoes!)

In the catagory of, "THE BEST LOOKING SHOT TO THE WORST...."
DISCLAIMER: "No consideration was given to Eli since he didn't qualify for half of this catagory...) The winner is....
- Brandon "line drive Louie" Rollings: Brandon evidently decided about half way through the season that just shooting a basketball through the hoop was "child' play", so he decided that it was much more challenging, (and yet to discover, much less effective...) to make sure when you shoot the ball, that it never gets more than 3 centimeters above the rim!

In the catagory of, "YES, I HAVE HANDS, BUUUUTTTTT..."  The winner is....
- Eli "Iron mitts" Atterson: Never before have I seen a young man treat the basketball like it was layered in butter when it came to holding on to it....
NOTE OF INTEREST: Eli recieved more votes in this catagory than, "Chunk" from "Goonies" fame, the previous record holder in this catagory...

In the catagory of, "I DON'T CARE HOW CLOSE OR FAR I AM...." The award goes to,
- Nick "fade away" Parker: Like Brandon, Nick decided the game needed to be modified to become more challenging than it already is...Nick decided to take the approach of, "every shot needs to be a fade away....regardless of how close or how far! (More than once resulting in me having to utter, "your killing me Smalls..."

In the "STEVIE WONDER" catagory....the winner is, 
- David "where be my shot goin" Fiddler: Another first....to see a 2 footer leave his hand, only to land somewhere near the support beams...(A classic example of, "you wouldn't believe it if you hadn't seen it...")

Special "Honorable Mention" goes out to the following......
For "FASHION"....Jordan "Fashionista" Schaffer,  Jordan claims, "I have more fashion sense than my sister..." (An important quality you want to see in your ball players...)


For "VISUAL EFFECTS"  goes to Luke "I'm not so big" Bigger: For his amazing "disappearing" act...(I'm pretty sure at least a quarter of him  has disappeared this season..                       

The award for, "ANIMATION" goes to.....
Jordan "oh, I'm suppose to dribble before I hop..." Ross: During the county game at Honey Creek, Jordan on a couple occasions decided it was better to look like, "Bugs Bunny" than a basketball player...(I bet just because the refs didn't call it a couple times, he thought it must be "un-noticed".....NOT!

   
Finally, in the catagory of  "SOUND", the award goes to both, Bailey "Big Huh" Sherrill and Trevor "What? I Didn't hear ya...." Roskovensky....This catagory was too close to call. They both performed the same ALL season long when it came to "hearing"....

This was a good season....We even learned a little bit along the way. We learned "how to compete" as well as "what we still need to do to be more competitive". There is always something good to look forward to if you strive to be better tomorrow than you were today...  :)

 

"2nd Season Practice Sched."(01/23-28) REVISED

Monday:        3:25-5:00 (New gym)
Tuesday:        No Practice (County tournament @ Honey Creek)
Wednesday:  No Practice
Thursday:      5:00-6:30 (New gym)
Friday:          No Practice
Saturday:      8:00 - 10:00 (Old gym....2nd season players)

All future posts will be on the "2nd Season blog"

Game 14: Honey Creek 43 West Vigo 23

Well it wasn't exactly the way I was hoping things would end up, but "it is what it is..." so they say. It was just one of those nights that you don't want to see the "wheels falling off", but we did what we could and it just wasn't enough.

There are so many things that I think we were capable of doing better this year, but we played hard in every game and as the season went along we made progress and that' all (as a coach) that you really want to see. We made strides in the right direction and good things started happening for us. Here are a few of the "positives" that we can take away from this season....

1.) "We DID get better as the season went along..." 
- We lost to Wilson our 1st game of the season by 40 points! The 2nd time, we lost by 10 and we had them concerned enough to put some starters back in at the end of the game....
- We lost to Sarah Scott by 21 the 1st time and then we lost by 10 to them the 2nd go round...
- We lost to Otter Creek by 18 the 1st time and 9 the 2nd time...
- We lost to Honey Creek all 3 times we played them this year, by 32 the 1st time, 30 the 2nd time and then 20 tonight...
- We beat Chauncey both times. The 1st by 24 and the 2nd by 19...We won the games we should win.
- We picked up a nice win against Crestwood, winning that one by 6, with our highest point total of the season, scoring 54.

2) "We learned a lot of basketball...."
The bible says, "where much is given, much is required..." and I know I poured out a ton of new things for you guys to try to absorb in a short period of time during the season. But as the above shows, you guys were able to take some big steps this year and for those of you that are planning on playing at the high school level, you now have a head start going foward. The goal for me is always to give you as much of an advantage as I can so the transition into next season will be as smooth as possible. Much of what we implemented this year is what Coach Boehler and his staff will be using. This is going to allow you to move forward at a much faster pace than those that didn't participate this season. (It is especially important for all of you that are planning on playing next season to be a part of the off-season opportunities. We will have camp again AND "Open gym" opportunities that will be extremely beneficial to you. Make it a point to be there when the gym times are available....)

3) "We learned how to compete..."
This was as important as anything we did this year. When you guys first came in, I knew that was going to be the biggest obstacle I had to work through with you guys. As I told you from the beginning, it wasn't going to be about, "wins and losses", but rather, "learning" how to compete...the sacrifices needed....the WILL that it would take to get rid of the attitudes of "accepting defeat before you compete"....I watched this team literally turn itself around during the year. We went from being a "door mat" for everyone to walk over, to a team that the others didn't take for granted. That is a credit to each and everyone of you for "buying into" what I was trying to do. I know it wasn't easy at 1st, (and I told you it wouldn't be...) but all of you worked hard and truly became a much more competitive basketball team.

I am looking forward to the "2nd Season" and into the off-season opportunities as well.

"Thank you" for letting me be a part of this journey with you guys...  :)

Finally, I would like to have a pizza party for you guys on Saturday, around 2:00. Please let me know as soon as possible, (by text or f/b "message") so I can make sure I get something booked in.

Player Profile..."Trevor Roskovensky"

"Rosco" has been a young man I have admired this year. He has shown me that there are still young men that are willing to work hard even if the reward isn't immediate.

Rosco was faithful during our conditioning this season as well as during the Boys Club season. One of the hardest decisions I had to make this year was not to include him on our 12 man roster for the school season. But Trevor never missed a beat! (I told those that didn't make the team that I would keep 2 more players on the roster as "manager/practicing" players. Trevor was all over that! He has continued to work hard and is going to be a part of our "2nd Season" team that will begin tournament play in a few weeks.

I can honestly say I am as proud of Trevor for "hanging in there" as I am of any player on this years team....Trevor is an awesome young man and with this type of work ethic, he will go far in any endeavor he sets out to accomplish....   :)

"Practice/Game schedule..." (01/23 - 28)

Monday:        3:25-5:00 (New gym)
Tuesday:        No Practice (County tournament @ Honey Creek)
Wednesday:  3:25 - 5:00 (Old gym..."When" we win on Tues.)
Thursday:      No Practice  (County Championship @ North)
Friday:          No Practice
Saturday:      8:00 - 10:00 (Old gym....2nd season players)

"REMINDER......"

Tomorrow night is the "Recognition Night" for the middle school athletes during half-time of the varsity basketball game. As I told you earlier, I have a wedding tomorrow and will not be attending, however Coach Nevill will be there and has said he will help out as needed. As we discussed already, please make sure that Coach Nevill' concerns are kept at a minimum...(Also, when you line up, do so as if for the National Anthem as previously discussed.)

I know that Trevor will be unable to attend. If there is anyone else not able to be present, please let me know so that I can let Coach Nevill know as well....

In advance, "Have fun"...., (just not too much fun...)  ;)

"Practice cancelled....."

Due to the projected bad weather and icy road conditions to begin this afternoon and evening, there will be "NO PRACTICE" tonight or tomorrow a.m.

"Keeping things in perspective....."

"Life" is always about the little things that make a big difference...The game results Tuesday are secondary to what really matters. Don't forget that you guys were able to come "onto" the floor as "winners" because of what you did for Brice...I am sure that he loved the opportunity to be around all of you, "big boys". I hope that you guys really understand what a positive effect it will have on him for years to come...Proud of all of you. :)     ("Let your light so shine before men, that they may see you good works and glorify your father which is in heaven..."  Matthew 5:16  )

Let' not forget to keep him in our prayers for his upcoming surgery on Monday....

   

Game 13: Otter Creek 38 West Vigo 29

I am really starting to hate "halftime"!!  It seems like we just can't take what we come out of the locker room to start a game with us when we come out for the second half of our games...

I think we forget that we have to remain focused on the task at hand and our minds start to wander and by the time we get it figured out,......well, let' just say, the damage is already done.

Going into the locker room, I really thought that you guys had it figured out. It seemed like you understood that we still had more basketball to play and that we couldn't afford to just, "lay back" and pat ourselves on the back....I was wrong!

We are still finding ways to beat ourselves...There wasn't a single thing that Otter Creek was doing that we hadn't prepared for. We played like that in the first half and then we played the second half like we hadn't practiced for these guys at all...Once again, we became our own worst enemy! We let them think they were better than us, we stopped doing the little things that had us within 2 points at halftime...We didn't do the things we had discussed in the locker room at half to counter what I knew they would adjust to in the second half....End result, a 9 point loss.

On the positve side of it, we played the first half with intensity and with purpose. We played like we "belonged" on the court rather than like we need to "ask permission". Another positive was how we didn't "roll over" when they built a quick lead in the 2nd half. We weathered the storm and held our own. (most of which was accomplished after putting in fresh bodies....)

We may get another shot at them on Tuesday, but whether it' Otter Creek or Honey Creek, we need to make sure that we are "mentally" prepared to take the floor for a "FULL" game! If we do that, I believe we have a chance to put either team on the defensive...

Let' get ready to not just "show up", but rather to make a statement...."We're not going away without a fight!!"   :)

Player Profile...."Nick Parker"

Nick has truly come a long way this season. He has not only worked hard to become a better ball player, but he has worked hard to become a better leader.

Like many of his teammates, there has been an adjustment phase, but Nick has figured out what I am looking for out of him and has really taken big strides in that regard. I am sure that if he continues to work at his game, (he has made huge steps in his "ball handling; court awareness and confidence") he can make even bigger improvements and ultimately find himself playing high school basketball as well if he so desires....
(If he doesn't opt for wrestling that is....)

At the beginning of the season, Nick was renouned for being my "sorry" champion....Seemed like everytime I turned around, there he was, "sorry, coach"....(My philosophy is, "don't say I'm sorry....just fix it.) So I had to implement the "Nick clause"....This meant, "sorry = push-ups"....Early on, Nick was doing more than his share, but as time went on he figured out that it' a whole lot easier to just "fix it" than to continue to work on his upper body...   ;)

Nick has been a great pleasure to be around this season....   :)

"Practice/Game schedule...." (01/16-21)

MONDAY:         8:00 - 10:00 (New gym)
TUESDAY:         NONE (Due to 8th grade game)
WEDNESDAY:  5:00 - 6:30  (Old gym)
THURSDAY:     3:25 - 5:00 (New gym)
FRIDAY:            5:00 - 6:30 (Old gym)
SATURDAY:     8:00 - 10:00 (Old gym)

Game 12: Woodrow Wilson 44 West Vigo 34

Well we finished up our "3rd quarter" of the season tonight. We finished up at 2-2 with 2 quarters of good basketball and 2 quarters of "not so good" basketball. There is no reason to be redundant about our issues, so let' just suffice to say, "we've seen this before..." 

I think we were still enjoying the festivities tonight during the first quarter and then decided to play in the 2nd, only to vanish in the 3rd and sneak out again in the 4th. (If it were closer to Spring, I would think we were doing our impersonation of "Puxatawnee Phil" the way we came out and went back in so quickly tonight...

As I told you guys in the locker room, I can't complain about the effort we put forth for the most part, (take away the 1st quarter and we outscored them in the final 3 quarters 34-23.) but moral victories are just not my "cup of tea"...Having said that, we went from losing to these guys by 40 the first time to 10 this time and had them thinking enough about the final minute of the game that they were forced to put their starters back in. (No coach wants to have to do that at the end of a game...)

I think we have been making the necessary steps in the right direction and we just need to keep on doing that as we come to the last quarter of our season. We have Otter Creek on Tuesday and then we have the Honey Creek/Otter Creek winner the following Tuesday in the tournament. We just need to stay focused and work to clean up the things we can, (execution; fundamental skills such as dribbling; passing and decision making...) and let the chips fall where they may...

Again, as I have said countless times to you guys all year long, "it takes no talent to work hard....just heart!"
So let' lace em up a little tighter this last "few" games and make it our best effort yet this season!   :)

"From the A.D...."

Today I received this email from our A.D. in regards to a few issues...I am posting it in it' entirety so that you can see what was mentioned and thus the needed changes.

Keep in mind, some of these issues may not apply, but I addressed the ones that I thought did.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns....

Coaches,

Please be aware of a few things.  I have had some parent contacts and other issues reported to me recently.  Please make sure the equipment room and gym is left in better shape than you found it when you are done with practice.  That would mean no equipment left out and trash picked up.  I have been very good about purchasing new items over the last two years, and I don't like to find things left out and not taken care of the following day.  This has happened more than once this season, so please make sure you are doing your part.  In addition, you need to make sure that you are in supervision of your athletes from the time they are supposed to be here for your practice, until they get into the car with their parents.  We have had numerous reports from teachers, parents, and others that the kids are running around in the halls or going in to other practices when it is not their time.  I have also been informed that some coaches have left without the last kid being picked up.  This includes practices and games.  It is your responsibility to stay with those kids until they are with their parent/guardian.  Lastly, please make sure you are having open lines of communication with the parents.  Practice schedules are provided, games schedules have been established, yet we continually receive phone calls at school about these things from parents.  In addition to this, please be accessible to speak with parents about any concerns or issues they may be having as well.  This should have been established with a parent meeting to know to wait until the following day to speak with you after a game or if they may be upset in order to have time to cool down.  Please understand we are dealing with their kids and need to be around to speak with them when they have concerns. 

I appreciate all of your time and effort that you put in to our kids.  I want to remain a level above in how things are done at West Vigo.  We are a great school with good things happening, and that is due to your work.  Your level of professionalism is greatly appreciated and these are small issues to fix.

Thank you,

Adam

 

Changes...

1.) On the practice days that are at 5:00, you cannot stay after school. I will not be at the school until around 4:30. (Please make the necessary arrangements for transportation....)

2.) Please make sure that you have your rides at the school waiting on you after the games/practices. I will make sure that we are out of practice on time.

3.) I will continue to provide the schedules for practice times as soon as I have confirmation of gym times.

NOTE: Albeit I receive the schedule on a "month by month" basis, I will continue to post to the blog on a "week by week" basis due to changes. (gym availability; game changes etc....) 

4.) Please inform your parents that anyone wishing to discuss concerns they have can contact me to set up a meeting.

 

All additional communications shall continue to be done via the blog(s)....

 

"Recognition Night" (01/21/12)

There will be an additional "Recognition Night" for our players on Saturday, January 21st in between games at the high school. Please make the necessary arrangements for transportation to the game. As I told you last night, I will not be able to attend due to a wedding, but Coach Nevill will be there on my behalf.

Please make sure to be on your best behavior. Yes, Eli...that means you too! 
(I guess I could put Brandon to keep an eye on you, but that would be like having the fox watch the hen house...)   ;)

Player Profile...."Nathan Ennis"

Nathan is one of those that always works hard. What Nathan lacks, (not unique to him...) is "confidence". He is probably one of the most, if not "THE" most cerebral player on this team. He has no problem with understanding what we are doing, it' just getting him to play with more aggression so that when he gets the ball, he is ready to do with it what he "already knows" he' suppose to do...(As I said before, this is not something that is just for Nathan...)

Having said that, I couldn't ask for a better "student/athlete"...I watch Nathan helping his teammates, not only on the court, but also before games when they are all doing homework. He is an "old school" teammate....  :)

Nathan has more than school and basketball to deal with which might contribute to his lack of agressiveness....He may just be exhausted! He has two sisters and according to at least one of them, "They" are the "true athletes" in the family....Knowing Nathan, he probably would just smile and say, "oh well..."
(It may be time for you to put the hammer on them, Nathan!)    ;)

P.S. Nathan, I know how you must feel, one of those "lovely" siblings of yours pretty much gave me an ultimatum about who' "Player Profile" should be next...

To that I say...."Thanks AGAIN for helping me make the right pick(s) "    ;)

"Honors Night Recognition...." (01/12/12)

Just found out that the "Honors Night" recognition will be "in between the boys and girls games."
Please make the necessary arrangements to have family and friends there.

Also, I need to get the remainder of the information that some of you still need to give me. Please do that as soon as possible.  Thank you.

"Practice/Game schedule..." (01/09-14) REVISED

MONDAY:         5:00 - 6:30 (New gym)
TUESDAY:         3:25 - 5:00 (Old gym)
WEDNESDAY:  5:00 - 6:30  (Old gym)
THURSDAY:      NONE...(Due to 8th grade game)
FRIDAY:            3:25 - 5:00 (New gym) (Changed due to early dismissal...)
SATURDAY:     8:00 - 10:00 (New gym)

"Practice/Game Schedule..." (01/09-14)

MONDAY:         5:00 - 6:30 (New gym)
TUESDAY:         3:25 - 5:00 (Old gym)
WEDNESDAY:  5:00 - 6:30  (Old gym)
THURSDAY:      NONE...(Due to 8th grade game)
FRIDAY:            3:25 - 5:00 (New gym)
SATURDAY:     8:00 - 10:00 (New gym)

Game 11: West Vigo 48 Chauncey Rose 29

As I have said to you guys from the get go, "we need to win the games we are suppose to win"...Tonight was one of those games.

I am still looking for a "quality" win and we will have at least 3 more opportunities to get one. We get to go up against the prohibitive favorite in the county this year on the 12th, (which will also be, "Honor Night") when we play host to Woodrow Wilson. I think it gives us a good challenge to see what kind of team we really are now. We showed some signs of that in our re-match with Sarah Scott. I would like to see us continue that trend against Wilson by just playing with a sense of "belonging". We need to get beyond the 
"too psyched-out before the tip", and realize that we just need to go out there and do what we can to compete. 

We have about a week to prepare. Let' keep focused and come to practice ready to work. Who knows, stranger things have happened when you just believe in yourself and do what you are capable of doing.  :) 

Player Profile...."Brandon Rollings"

Brandon is a very gifted and talented basketball player. If his confidence were to match his "natural" ability, he can become a "very" good player at the next level. The confidence, (or lack of...) is what is keeping Brandon from becoming the dominant player I know that he can be. If he can get to the point of "embracing" the challenges of being a leader on the floor, his basketball future is extremely bright.

I know I put a lot on his shoulders at times and it' because I can see what he is capable of. (Even if he doesn't right now...) I hope he gets to the point where "he" recognizes it and accepts the challenge.

Brandon is also the one player who just loves doing push-ups. Sometimes he even goes out of his way to make sure that he can do as many as possible....(And to show that he' a "team player", he makes sure that his teammates get to do them with him as well....What a guy!)  ;)

"Reminder for game..."

We are on the road tomorrow....Don't forget your black socks.

Game 10: Sarah Scott 39 West Vigo 29

At this point in the season, there is no such thing as a moral victory. We let an opportunity slip by tonight. We had several chances to finally get over the hump and yet we still found ways to not take advantage of them.

Looking for excuses is never an option when it comes to moving forward. Bottom line, we just didn't step up when we had the chance tonight. All we can do is keep on keeping on. Working harder in practice.

We will have an opportunity to bounce back on Thursday at Chauncey Rose.
Don't take them for granted. We are the one team on their schedule that they think they can get a win against. If we don't prepare and compete the way we need to, they will get their wish.

Player Profile...."Luke Bigger"

Luke has put in a lot of work this year and it' really starting to show. (In more ways than one...) At the beginning of the season, Luke was struggling to get through the "warm-up" portion of practice. Yesterday, Luke finished in 4th in our "double-suicide". (What was really neat to see is that he pushed harder at the end than he did when he started!)  :)

To say that he has come a long way doesn't begin to describe how proud I am of what he has been able to accomplish over-all. Luke has started to become more of a vocal leader as well. I think this is all related to his seeing the "mini victories" of how hard work pays off.

I am looking forward to Luke' continued development in the future...maybe even at the next level.  :)

Great job, Luke!

"Practice/Game schedule..." (01/02-07) REVISED

TUESDAY:         Game at home vs. Sarah Scott
WEDNESDAY:  5:00 - 6:30  (Old gym)
THURSDAY:     Game against Chauncey Rose
FRIDAY:            3:25 - 5:00 (New gym)
SATURDAY:     8:00 - 10:00 (New gym)