Mid-week Update
Hey everyone, this is Colin giving you another look into the developments of the program here in Belfast.
Last week finished really well with a strong turnout of guys at Dunmurry High School Thursday afternoon. It’s amazing to watch how the natural athleticism of some can so quickly translate to a sport which up until the last few months was completely foreign to them. At Dunmurry as well as at the three other schools we are coaching at, the lads have swiftly accustomed themselves to the particular movements, cuts, and spacing demanded by the game of basketball. There is a real flow out there on the court now, and a certain cohesion amongst teammates that I figured would have taken a lot longer to emerge. That has been very encouraging for me. The Dunmurry guys unfortunately are off for exams this week, but are excited to start playing with their St. Colm’s counterparts as soon as possible (right now it is looking like Tuesday, December 9 for their first joint training session).
Monday brought the Belfast Blazers back together. They weren’t able to practice together last Wednesday because St. Joseph’s was out of session for teacher training, but they didn’t miss a beat out there on the court. The activity and energy was pulsing from the get-go, despite the hall being a bit chilly. Dave Tierney and I took the guys through a similar warm up to our previous session, leading the guys through different passing and fast-breaking drills. We then broke up the group by position, Dave taking the big guys down at one end while I worked with the guards at the other. The Blazers worked hard at the various dribbling, shooting, rebounding, and defensive drills we exposed them to, but were also light-hearted and easy-going in their interactions with one another. They were exceedingly encouraging to their teammates through out and unselfish almost to a fault while they played; the guys are probably still in that somewhat tentative stage of getting to know someone where they aren’t quite comfortable enough to make fun of the other guys and behave normally, but Dave and I are more than willing to step into that void by joking about ourselves and the other fellas on the team. Dave’s additional eyes and perspective on the game along with his infectiously enthusiastic personality are invaluable.
Tuesday we were off to St. Colm’s and another great session. The improvement in their level of play has been rapid, and I couldn’t ask for any more in terms of their attitudes. Turnouts and commitment have been exceptional; one of the guys came in today and made it through the whole practice (despite our attempt at getting him to sit out) coughing up a lung with a nasty flu the whole while.
We’ve really built some thorough momentum as the Christmas holiday approaches.
Last week finished really well with a strong turnout of guys at Dunmurry High School Thursday afternoon. It’s amazing to watch how the natural athleticism of some can so quickly translate to a sport which up until the last few months was completely foreign to them. At Dunmurry as well as at the three other schools we are coaching at, the lads have swiftly accustomed themselves to the particular movements, cuts, and spacing demanded by the game of basketball. There is a real flow out there on the court now, and a certain cohesion amongst teammates that I figured would have taken a lot longer to emerge. That has been very encouraging for me. The Dunmurry guys unfortunately are off for exams this week, but are excited to start playing with their St. Colm’s counterparts as soon as possible (right now it is looking like Tuesday, December 9 for their first joint training session).
Monday brought the Belfast Blazers back together. They weren’t able to practice together last Wednesday because St. Joseph’s was out of session for teacher training, but they didn’t miss a beat out there on the court. The activity and energy was pulsing from the get-go, despite the hall being a bit chilly. Dave Tierney and I took the guys through a similar warm up to our previous session, leading the guys through different passing and fast-breaking drills. We then broke up the group by position, Dave taking the big guys down at one end while I worked with the guards at the other. The Blazers worked hard at the various dribbling, shooting, rebounding, and defensive drills we exposed them to, but were also light-hearted and easy-going in their interactions with one another. They were exceedingly encouraging to their teammates through out and unselfish almost to a fault while they played; the guys are probably still in that somewhat tentative stage of getting to know someone where they aren’t quite comfortable enough to make fun of the other guys and behave normally, but Dave and I are more than willing to step into that void by joking about ourselves and the other fellas on the team. Dave’s additional eyes and perspective on the game along with his infectiously enthusiastic personality are invaluable.
Tuesday we were off to St. Colm’s and another great session. The improvement in their level of play has been rapid, and I couldn’t ask for any more in terms of their attitudes. Turnouts and commitment have been exceptional; one of the guys came in today and made it through the whole practice (despite our attempt at getting him to sit out) coughing up a lung with a nasty flu the whole while.
We’ve really built some thorough momentum as the Christmas holiday approaches.
posted by Full Court Team at
10:58 AM
