Author: host1help1

Doug DeVries has been working in youth basketball for over 25 years. He has a passion to see sports in balance in life, for kids to thrive in sports, and for parents to enjoy the entire process.
Posted on

I love to watch you play!

Discovered ilovetowatchyouplay.com recently and wanted to connect you with the site.

A place for parents seeking balance, sanity and an edge in the crazy world of youth sports.
I Love To Watch You Play

They say “No matter how good your child is or isn’t at playing sports, according to a survey conducted over 30 years by two coaches and athletic administrators what young athletes want to hear most from their parents after a sporting event is,“I love to watch you play.”

 

For some encouragement, read the full article “The Conversation after the Game” by Gordon MacLelland.

Posted on

Are you a transformational or transactional coach?

4 questions every coach should ask themselves:

  1. Why do I coach?
  2. Why do I coach the way I do?
  3. What does it feel like to be coached by me?
  4. How do I define success?

Continue reading “Are you a transformational or transactional coach?”

Posted on

Front row as an AAU parent

Front row as an AAU parent. Thousands of parents are enjoying AAU games this weekend. We get really used to the view from inside a gym.

We’d love to see a photo of your game. Upload it below.

 

 

Posted on

Losing the right way is better than winning the wrong way.

Had the privilege of hearing Jake Locker speak this weekend. Of the many interesting and challenging things he shared, this stood out to me:

Losing the right way is better than winning the wrong way.

How often we can get this confused in youth sports. Winning in the “wrong way” is risky message to teach our kids. The lesson they learn on the court will translate in to their work and family lives.

So what is the “wrong way” to win? Winning by a ref’s bad call, a technicality, or by intentionally hurting a player are a few that come to mind. But a few grey-area wrong ways to win include; intimidate young refs so they don’t call fouls on your team, always foul the shooter, foul overly aggressively, only play the 5 best players, only play 2-3 zone and forcing the other team to shoot, or press the entire game when it is obvious you will win.

In youth basketball some of these tactics mean kids are not being development as complete athletes and basketball players. And if half the kids on your team sit on the bench the entire game just to win you are really only helping 5 kids.

Check out this video. Yes, the dark-jersey team created a really strange play. BUT why is the white-jersey team pressing them when it is 16-0. Why bother? Even in the half-court why not just let the team shoot.

Posted on

Is the AAU system going to change?

WESTFIELD, Ind. — A longtime high-major assistant coach stops cold, cocks an eyebrow and chortles.

“Different?” he says. “Nothing is different. Not yet, not for awhile. This is like turning around a big ship.”

The coach shrugs and moved on. More games to see; more games to be seen at. Out here on the AAU trail, there’s little else to do at this point. Last fall, when the FBI diverted its resources from its regular hodgepodge of terrorism, cyber crime, drug trafficking and Wall Street fraud to unmask the national threat of cheating in college basketball, sweeping change seemed imminent. And yet, eight months later, precisely nothing has changed in college basketball’s summer circuit. It’s the same characters reading from the same script. Depending on who you ask, maybe that’s not the worst thing. Others say, yes, it most definitely is. Everyone has an opinion on AAU basketball. Problem is, few come without an agenda.

Read full article at: https://theathletic.com/336048/2018/04/30/a-weekend-on-the-aau-trail-same-as-it-ever-was/

Posted on

David Dickson – Squalicum High School

We’ve been honored to have Coach David Dickson recently contribute to Tourney.Life. He is a standout coach and man of integrity.

He is currently the Head Boy’s Basketball Coach at Squalicum High School. He was inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame after 22 seasons of coaching. He is currently in his 24th season of coaching. Keith Stackhouse has said of him, “I didn’t know a person who didn’t want to work hard and play well for Coach Dickson. You want to win for Dickson, and you want to work hard for him.” You can read more about Coach David at the Bellingham Herald article.

His numbers as of 2016:

  • 22 seasons of coaching
  • 351 career coaching victories
  • .660 career winning percentage (351-181)
  • 11 State tournament appearances
  • 5 State trophies won by his team
  • 2 State championships in 2009 & 2010

Posted on

Separate your training from the average | PGC Basketball | Mental Toughness

Precision is having the discipline to do something as well as it can be done, every single time, even if it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient. —Dick DeVenzio

Separate your training from the average | PGC Basketball | Mental Toughness

Explore more videos from PGC at their YouTube Channel.

Posted on

AAU Events Earn Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism Honors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Nov. 27, 2017) – Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism …

Posted on

The Race to Nowhere

The title of this movie – RacetoNowhere.com – caught my attention because in youth basketball sometimes we forget what we are “racing” towards. This movie focuses more on academics, but the parallels to athletics is important. So there so many redemptive reasons to participate in youth basketball.

3 Redemptive Reasons to do youth basketball: 

  1. Learn to make quick & correct decisions under pressure.
  2. Learn to work with teammates who often have different perspectives and attitudes.
  3. Develop physical skills.

Want to dig deeper?

The Race to Nowhere Trailer: