Barkeep49
11-29-2003, 04:03 PM
This is my first attempt at a dynasty, but I thought it might be one that would interest people around here. It will describe the happenings for a High School basketball team that I'm coaching.
Some background on me
I am currently 21 years old, newly graduated from college, and soon to be liscenced as a teacher. In High School, I belonged to a youth group. This youth group has a basketball league which I participated in. For the past three summers I have acted as a camp counselor at the youth group's camp. Now that I have graduated I act as an occasional chapperone for a few of the chapters in the area.
How I ended up coaching the team
On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I was chapperoning the youth group's biggest dance of the year. At this dance, I ran into the father of someone who had been my best friend in Junior High and High School (but who I don't really ever talk to anymore). As we were talking he told me that he was coaching both of the teams from my old chapter (he had coached the team when his son and I were on it). One thing led to another and suddenly I had agreeded to coach the team that he doesn't have a son on, the Gray team.
Why this dynasty is titled as it is
Quite simply both of the teams stink. It used to be that there was a junior/senior team and a freshman/sophomore team, but evidently a couple youth directors back (my old chapter is on its 3rd director in 4 years) decided this wasn't fair (as obviously the junior/senior team always did better) and mixed it up. Ever since both teams have stunk. This year they have played one game and both teams lost. The other team (team Red) lost by "only" 24 points, while my sad sack of a team lost by 32.
Further, the community center that the teams had practiced in for years, no longer is allowing them to practice there. The whole explanation is quite unclear as to why. So despite needing "a million practices in a row" as my friend's father put it, we are SOL.
Finally, the next game is Monday (two days from now) and I only know who two of the players on the team are. It's possible I know more players on the team, but I haven't gotten a roster or anything fancy like that. One of the players on the team, to put it nicely, is a klutz. I fear that he might be one of the better players on the team.
Why all is not as hopeless at it might seem
There are a few small glimmers of hope that I'm hanging on to, right now. First is that I might be able to get us a practice space. As I noted above, I am about to become a real teacher and am currently student teaching at an elementary school. I place the odds at about 50/50 that the principal will agree to let us use the gym at night. The youth director for the chapter had tried all the area schools, (including the one I'm teaching in), but since I know people I hold out a little more hope, especially since the principal is surprisingly unconcerned about liability. Additionally I know someone in the Park District, and might be able to talk them into letting me use a Park District Gym, but I place the odds of this at about 1 in 10. Also, in a bit of luck, I had Thanksgiving dinner with soemone who teachers kindergarten at our old practice place and who has a good relationship with the guy not letting us use the gym. She has promised to talk to him. I have no idea what the result of this will be.
There are a couple of good points on the player front as well. At this same dance I had been talking to a mother of another friend of mine from High School, who told me that her son recently quit the basketball team there. He is reportedly burned out from basketball, but I am hopeful I can convince him that player in this league will be fun (which it is). I say I have about a 1 in 5 chance of getting him. Additionally, another guy I know upon hearing how bad the team is, and that I will be the coach, sorta said he would be willing to play. He is a solid ballplayer and I would love to have him on the team. The other player that I know is a pretty talented guard. A fairly selfish player, but still good. I have a real good relationship with him so I'm hoping that his skills will outweigh his cons. Especially since...
My Strategy
I plan on playing as boring of a game of basketball as is possible. If the final score is 20-18 that would be just great by me. I think this works well on a psychological level and on a practical level. I think it'll be a real problem to try and implement this, especially with-out any practices, but going into Monday's game that's my strategy.
In our next installment, I will go over our players as well as the results of our first game. Hopefully there will be some good news about a practice space. Comments and suggestions (either about the team or the dynasty) are very welcome.
Some background on me
I am currently 21 years old, newly graduated from college, and soon to be liscenced as a teacher. In High School, I belonged to a youth group. This youth group has a basketball league which I participated in. For the past three summers I have acted as a camp counselor at the youth group's camp. Now that I have graduated I act as an occasional chapperone for a few of the chapters in the area.
How I ended up coaching the team
On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I was chapperoning the youth group's biggest dance of the year. At this dance, I ran into the father of someone who had been my best friend in Junior High and High School (but who I don't really ever talk to anymore). As we were talking he told me that he was coaching both of the teams from my old chapter (he had coached the team when his son and I were on it). One thing led to another and suddenly I had agreeded to coach the team that he doesn't have a son on, the Gray team.
Why this dynasty is titled as it is
Quite simply both of the teams stink. It used to be that there was a junior/senior team and a freshman/sophomore team, but evidently a couple youth directors back (my old chapter is on its 3rd director in 4 years) decided this wasn't fair (as obviously the junior/senior team always did better) and mixed it up. Ever since both teams have stunk. This year they have played one game and both teams lost. The other team (team Red) lost by "only" 24 points, while my sad sack of a team lost by 32.
Further, the community center that the teams had practiced in for years, no longer is allowing them to practice there. The whole explanation is quite unclear as to why. So despite needing "a million practices in a row" as my friend's father put it, we are SOL.
Finally, the next game is Monday (two days from now) and I only know who two of the players on the team are. It's possible I know more players on the team, but I haven't gotten a roster or anything fancy like that. One of the players on the team, to put it nicely, is a klutz. I fear that he might be one of the better players on the team.
Why all is not as hopeless at it might seem
There are a few small glimmers of hope that I'm hanging on to, right now. First is that I might be able to get us a practice space. As I noted above, I am about to become a real teacher and am currently student teaching at an elementary school. I place the odds at about 50/50 that the principal will agree to let us use the gym at night. The youth director for the chapter had tried all the area schools, (including the one I'm teaching in), but since I know people I hold out a little more hope, especially since the principal is surprisingly unconcerned about liability. Additionally I know someone in the Park District, and might be able to talk them into letting me use a Park District Gym, but I place the odds of this at about 1 in 10. Also, in a bit of luck, I had Thanksgiving dinner with soemone who teachers kindergarten at our old practice place and who has a good relationship with the guy not letting us use the gym. She has promised to talk to him. I have no idea what the result of this will be.
There are a couple of good points on the player front as well. At this same dance I had been talking to a mother of another friend of mine from High School, who told me that her son recently quit the basketball team there. He is reportedly burned out from basketball, but I am hopeful I can convince him that player in this league will be fun (which it is). I say I have about a 1 in 5 chance of getting him. Additionally, another guy I know upon hearing how bad the team is, and that I will be the coach, sorta said he would be willing to play. He is a solid ballplayer and I would love to have him on the team. The other player that I know is a pretty talented guard. A fairly selfish player, but still good. I have a real good relationship with him so I'm hoping that his skills will outweigh his cons. Especially since...
My Strategy
I plan on playing as boring of a game of basketball as is possible. If the final score is 20-18 that would be just great by me. I think this works well on a psychological level and on a practical level. I think it'll be a real problem to try and implement this, especially with-out any practices, but going into Monday's game that's my strategy.
In our next installment, I will go over our players as well as the results of our first game. Hopefully there will be some good news about a practice space. Comments and suggestions (either about the team or the dynasty) are very welcome.