I coach a high school girls basketball team in North Carolina. Our season ended last Friday and when that happens, at least for me, there’s a feeling of not knowing if I could make it through another season. Maybe it’s like finishing a marathon and then being asked as you cross the finish line, “Do you want to do that again?” In this episode, my sister Anne talks me through the end of the basketball season.
The Notes below guided my discussion with my sister Anne about the end of the basketball season:
Big Picture the End of the Season:
- The players enjoyed each other; I can point to ways that each of them grew, and I believe the team played to its potential. These are big successes.
- The players wanted to make a return to the final four, and we believed we could win a state championship. We didn’t accomplish those things, but there is not a feeling of “we blew it.” for me. I think we all did everything we could. Making the final four has a lot to do with what teams are where in the brackets. We could beat the team that we lost to, but that team is really talented and played well on their home court in order to beat us.
- Our final record was 22-6. We won the regular season and conference tournament championships. It’s the fourth year in a row the team has won or shared the regular season title and the fourth year in a row the team won the conference tournament. The players on this team played well under pressure to accomplish these things again.
- We lost in the elite eight at Lake Norman to a team that’s 28-1. We led after the first quarter and we were down 43-40 at half. I thought the players were fearless in the big game and made lots of winning plays.
The Coach’s Exhaustion at the End of the Season:
- If we think of a season as an academic school year, there was a lot of loss and sadness in this year’s season. I’m not talking about winning or losing games: my oldest daughter went six hours away to college. Our dad broke his hip, there was a lot of care for him, and he eventually passed. Hurricane Helene hit the Boone, NC area where I live the day of dad’s funeral, and then there’s the end of this run with this group of players that has been so committed and successful.
- I think as these things happen in life, what I mostly do is briefly acknowledge them and then get back to work. Is this healthy? What’s going on with me that I might not be seeing?
The Post Game Process, especially during the conference and the playoffs. Games are usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. Here’s what I do after most games:
- Post the results of the game on a website called MaxPreps. Upload the game video to HUDL. Post the results to social media or re-share something that has already been posted that nicely summarizes the result.
- Open a new Google Doc and start taking notes on personnel. Who has made the most threes? What percentages does each player on the opponent’s team shoot? I’m preparing to watch video of the opponent and know a little bit about each player.
- I watch at least two videos of our opponent. I pull clips that will be used for my planning and some of which I will show to the team. Before each game, I’ve tried to get game video of the next opponent. That often involves videoing a television upstairs at our house with an iPad.
- Put together the game plan for the next game. This involves a lot of moving magnets around on a board imagining game situations and drawing diagrams on my iPad.
- At some point, the stats come back from HUDL. This is usually the next morning or later in the day. I watch all of our baskets and at least check to see if the assists seem right. Does every player’s point total match what is in the book? I down the file from HUDL and upload it to Max Preps. I type up a box score of the positive stats from the game and share it on social media.
- I type up the notebook pages for the following day that point out significant statistics. I create a player scouting report, keys to the game, and scripts for the players to read that go with video clips we will watch.
- I put together the next day’s practice plan. These are usually 5-7 pages with screen shots and/or diagrams. I wonder if any other coaches would even recognize what I use as a practice plan. I feel like it’s a pretty unusual way of working.
- I check social media almost everyday to see if there are posts that need to be shared. I post a game day post.
- This process repeats itself on most Tuesday and Friday nights. So Tuesday and Friday nights are often work sessions that last beyond 1AM. I share my process to think about the work I’ve created. Is it the right work? Is it the most efficient way to do the work?
Where I’m at as the season ends:
- My mind clamps down–it feels like a tight clenching–on the topic of our team and the teams we will play. So I don’t sleep well once the season gets going. I assume I have a lot of company on that front with other coaches and lots of other people with all kinds of jobs. I wake up and my mind is working on something to do with the team. I feel addicted to the work. It takes several weeks, maybe over a month, to break the addiction of the work.
- The season is over. There is the feeling every second of…I should be doing something. What should I be working on now?
- I’ve developed this process (notebooks, the way I plan practices, the way I scout, the way I do social media) that has created so much work. Maybe too much work? Is there a better way?
- What’s left undone: there are at least 75 pieces of mail sitting on the desk next to my desk at home. There’s a tree down in the yard that has been there for months. The culvert under the driveway is blocked. One of the garage doors doesn’t work. The truck isn’t running well. Mom’s car still has a messed up bumper. I have ignored these things during the season.
What’s left to do after the last game?
- Social media promotion for things like all conference and all district teams.
- Collecting and organizing gear. Overall equipment assessment including new uniforms.
- Hopefully designing a shirt to celebrate this team’s accomplishments.
- Attending an all star game in Wilmington.
- Planning and executing the awards banquet.
- Maybe in three weeks there is a break at the end of March that lasts something like 6 weeks. In mid May, it’s probably time to get ready for the June games and camp.
The above notes were talking points for my sister Anne and I on this episode of the Torg’s Stories Podcast. Thanks for checking it out!