Preseason games have begun for the Boys' Basketball and Boys' Soccer league. This past Tuesday, we played Waldorf 's Basketball team and suffered a tough loss with a score of 16-52. We look forward to playing Waldorf in Soccer later today, so stay tuned for that result in next week's blog.
In this blog, I want to talk about the Boys' Basketball team and our progress so far. I assist Mr. Dinh on the coaching staff for both sports, however, my knowledge in basketball is finite when compared to soccer. After being assistant coach for 3 years in basketball, I've learned a lot from Mr. Dinh and his playbook. During my time at Emerson, the basketball team has consisted of an entirely new squad of players every year. A couple players have played organized basketball once before, but most of those who are on the squad have only played basketball through pick-up games at parks or gyms. Our team's biggest weakness is the team chemistry for now. It's always nice to see new guys join the team, but it also takes time to learn the plays. Mr. Dinh focuses a lot of time on the plays to ensure the team's success. The loss against Waldorf was an eye opener for the team, because once we were in a real game situation, it was as if we forgot the plays we practiced. This it definitely understandable, as the pressure during a game is tough to adapt to for a player still adapting to competitive play. This tough loss, however, was very productive for the team's mentality at our practice the following day. I could see that the team really wanted to learn more about how to space out the court, set screens, and make the smart passes and plays. It was refreshing to witness the team during that practice, and I am eager to see the results at our next basketball game. Win or lose, I look forward to seeing this young team's progress throughout the season.
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The girl’s volleyball team had concluded the season with an epic last round of games. The team went into the last week with a record of 2-5 and we had 3 games left to play. Since my last post, the team’s improvement has been quite noticeable. We went from being a team that focused on just hitting the ball over the net whenever possible… to the point where we were consistently getting the “bump, set, spike” technique down within the 3 weeks of the league games. I truly enjoyed being the coach for this girl’s volleyball team, and it continues to amaze me how determination correlates with improvement.
We ended our season with a league record of 4-6 (one win was from a forfeit). Nearly achieved a winning record and it has been a memorable year for the Emerson Choice Academy Girls Volleyball team for reaching the most wins in a CIF season at our school. At the beginning of the season I made a bet with the team that if they get a win this season (first win in two years) then I would wear any earrings that they choose. Well guess what ... they won 3 this year (not counting the forfeit). Please enjoy the candid moments captured by the girls on the team. Congratulations to the Girls Volleyball team on a great season! On paper, Emerson Girl’s Volleyball is 1-1 in the league. The tied record does not represent the progress observed on the court the last two games. We played Bethel Baptist on Tuesday, when they had dropped out of the league, securing our win, however, we scrimmaged them for our first practice game. We played best of 5 games, lost the three, but our best performance was the third game when the team truly stepped up and nearly secured the win with a score of 24-26. For the first time that match, I saw the potential that lies just beneath the surface.
The next day, we had practice at Grijalva park, on the grass. Coach Dinh and I had noticed that the girl’s main issue was the lack of communication on the court and the need for hitting the ball in repetition. We had the entire practice focused on calling the ball when it was in the air and drills to have the girls get their repetitions for bumps and sets in. As a coach, it is a good feeling when we can see the girls notice themselves improving in the basic skills of the sport. Thursday will bring Game 2 against Orange County Christian (OCC) at their home. Going in, we knew this was a stronger opponent than our last, but every game is a chance for improvement. We began warm ups, yet only half our team was there! One can imagine my frustration as the clock ticked its way towards game time. The referees came up to me and told me that if our sixth person does not come within 5 minutes of game time then we would have to forfeit the game. Luckily, the other half of the team showed up within 10 minutes of game time, skipped warm ups, and we huddled up and prepared for the game. Although OCC is overall a stronger team than Bethel Baptist, our girl’s stepped up and came out to play! We were hitting our hits and rallying the balls over the net. Our communication improved, hearing the girls yell “I got it!”. There are still things we need to work on moving forward, but I couldn’t have been happier with the results from the loss at OCC. With this type of improvement and progress made with just this last week, I see a bright future for the Emerson Girl’s Volleyball team. As long as they wish to improve, they will be able to. |
AuthorNovice blogger entering the world of writing to share my experience as a teacher/coach at Emerson Choice Academy. Go bears! Archives |