by Hinsa » Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:01 pm
As adults, we have a responsibility to teach junior high boys and girls that there is a sportsmanship component in sports. Compete hard, play hard, work hard, strive for excellence, but also have some compassion for your opponent.
I tell my kids to knock the other player down when they are boxing out and rebounding, then pick them up, dust them off, ask them if they are OK, and then knock them on their can again the next time. I don't coddle my players, but I also teach them that it's OK to respect your opponent and treat them with dignity. Knocking 'em down and then picking 'em back up sends the message that "I'm going to kick your butt, but when this is over I'll shake your hand and respect you."
As for getting better, let me give you an example from personal experience. We have a team in our area that has a travelling team in grade school. They play up to 50 games a year in elementary school. When they get to junior high they regularly kick butt because they are more advanced in playing agressively, stealing the ball, and shooting layups. To their credit, they DO NOT press, but they certainly play aggressive half court defense, get tons of steals, and shoot layup after layup.
As the other teams in the area catch up in skills and physical development, the high school teams of this school regularly get passed by the other teams in the area that have concentrated more on fundamentals rather than steals and layups. When the kids they used to steal the ball from and shoot layups against learn how to pass the ball and run an offense, these kids can't compete because all they know how to do is steal the ball and shoot layups.
So I believe in the philosophy of calling off the dogs and working on other aspects of the game, both as a sign of sportsmanship and also to develop other skills that will serve the kids better in the long run.
Twins and Vikings Forever!