A Year at the Summit

My first season as a Varsity Head Basketball Coach begins with tryouts in exactly one week. With a new season on the horizon, I always like to look back at why I do what I do and to answer the following questions. What is the point in becoming a High School Basketball Coach? What can I possibly accomplish in a few short months? I am here to make a difference in the lives of kids. I am here to teach them through a sport how to work with others, how to sacrifice yourself for the betterment of the group, and how to grow and mature through a common goal. Teaching Basketball is teaching life. It is my job to help my players become overachievers, while doing my part to guide them down a path towards a successful future. High School Basketball is not about me. It is never about the coach. It is about the lives of the 12 kids on my roster. This brings me to remember my favorite season as a coach. Keep reading, this story is worth the time.

I eagerly anticipated my second season in Seattle with the Summit Invaders. I was fortunate to return as the assistant varsity coach and head JV coach at the Seattle alternative school. This was a school for students who did not succeed at other schools for one reason or another, and we had a variety of players on our roster from many different, and equally difficult backgrounds. The Summit basketball players had not been known for being the most successful students after they left school, this group proved them wrong. I also was back working for our head coach, Jay Gahan. Jay is the epitome of a coach. He cared more about the kids than about himself, and would do anything to help them grow into responsible, contributing citizens. In a game littered with parasites, people who use kids to make themselves look good, there are not enough Jay Gahan's. Every day on the court, I try to emulate the great character of this man. If I even get halfway there, I will have had a rewarding career. People like Jay are found the most at the high school level. They don't see youth basketball as a 'business', they see it as a way to teach life lessons. This is where basketball is at its best, and where I am going to stay. I have no desire to be a college coach. I only desire to make a difference, like Jay did.

The 2008-09 season at Summit did not start well. By the beginning of the school year, rumors were buzzing that our school was on the district's list to be shut down due to money concerns. Most of our players were underclassmen, and their futures were up in the air and they had no control over it. To say our group was distracted was an understatement. We lost often and badly. Our season had spiraled out of control as we left for a winter tournament without our starting point guard who slept through our departure time (he had insomnia and hadn't slept regularly for weeks). We lost both tournament games, and as a result were sitting at 1-7 at the beginning of January. After a Saturday practice in which 6 varsity players skipped, we pulled the group together for another team meeting. We met, argued, left the team for a players-only meeting, returned to lead an uninspired practice. Our players had lost heart. They were losing their school, they were losing their season, and they were losing each other. There was no motivation. So, we made a switch. We put a sophomore point guard (who began the year as a swing player with the JV) into the starting lineup and moved our PG to the off guard position. They shared pg duties. We also abandoned the full court man-to-man and began playing a halfcourt man. More importantly, we tried to convince them that their season was the way to have Summit remembered. If they finish successfully, their school will not be forgotten. As the season wore on, we began to play much better. We were in close contests, and 1-7 turned to 7-12. The improvement, however was noticeable. To make the district playoffs, we would have to beat a team we lost to by 25, and the team that knocked us out of the playoffs the year before by 21 pts. We would also need Rainier Christian (who had beaten us twice) to lose to Kings West (who had 1 league win on the season). We were prepared for senior night to be the final game in Summit history. Our kids were not. I cannot begin to describe to you the size of the hearts on our team as we began to play on senior night. The night before our 'final game', Rainier Christian lost to Kings West. There was hope, then something clicked, and we beat Seattle Lutheran by 18. Our players played with the passion of that senior night the rest of the way. Our players took out Life Christian by 16 to make the district tournament. I spent most of my time calling coaches of common opponents, writing scouting reports and teaching our opponents offenses to our JV team. They picked the sets up immediately. Every player in our program was committed, confident, and energized. they had become the team we dreamed they'd develop into.

We then beat Quilcene (again, revenge from the previous year) as our senior guard, Kesean Prince, who sacrificed his role as our pg (and finally began sleeping) exploded for 21 in a 20 point win. We lost to Seattle Lutheran, but had made the bi-district tournament as the lowest seed. Our record was now 10-13.

Our first bi-district tournament game was at Darrington. Darrington hadn't lost a game at home all season and won their conference. Our kids executed the game plan perfectly, and we won by 4. Our Sophomore PG Ray Alvarez hit 2 FTs to ice the win. Then, we rode the lockdown defense of Robert Saunders to beat Mt. Vernon Christian by 12, earning Summit's first State Tournament birth since 1996. Summit had never won the bi-district tournament. The championship game would be played in two days. Our record was 12-13.

After two days of prepping for La Conner's low post motion offense, we took the court ready to play. We didn't have a player over 6'1 and they had a good balance of shooters and bigs. We fell behind by 12 points in the second half, but another JV swing player, Jason Castoriano shut down their post, and we began to crawl back into the game. La Conner missed some free throws, and Kesean Prince threw a bullet pass to Jake Roos who layed it in as time expired to send the game to overtime. Jake hit the biggest shot of his life (so far) on his 18th birthday. In overtime, we fell behind by 5 and again crawled back. With 4 seconds remaining, and down by one, Ray Alvarez took a transition jump shot to try to win the game. The shot was blocked and bounced out of bounds. Senior Captain (and 5'10 post) Terrell Shegog sacrificed his body diving out of bounds to save the ball under our basket. He scooped it in mid air and fired it to Jake Roos, who scored with 1.7 seconds remaining. La Conner threw their inbounds pass out of bounds and Summit had won our school's first district championship. They had done it while going for more than 10 assists and less than 10 turnovers for the game. That meant Coach Gahan and I had to coach the first state tournament game barefoot with all of our nails painted pink. Being men of our words, we did. Our record was 13-13.

The Summit Invaders had easily the worst record of all the teams in the state tournament. Our kids fought, but eventually lost in the first round of the State Tournament by 3 to the champion of the SW Washington league. Even though we didn't win the entire tournament, these kids showed heart, determination, resilience, and a willingness to sacrifice for their teammates that I've yet to see since. I thought I knew why I wanted to coach when I began. This team cemented it for me. The school did close, and we lost our jobs, which is why I ended up coming down to Westwind Prep. While I've learned a lot down here, I don't think I will ever learn the valuable lessons that I did that year at Summit. My only regret about that season is that I did not yet have the knowledge or contacts to help place these students into college. That Summit team only had two players who played basketball the next season. They were not overly talented, but no one could match their heart. They are the epitome of a team and a family. This is a group of kids that had been tossed aside, neglected, and thrown away, and they came together and achieved a common goal. Many of those who remember Summit, will do so because of these kids.I am thankful to each player and to Coach Gahan for allowing me to be a part of such a special season.

This team is why I coach basketball. I'm not down here (at Westwind Prep) to become a college coach or a prep school head coach. I'm here because of the kids at Summit. I am in my third year in the youth basketball 'business.' To be honest, I don't like it. There are too many bad people infesting youth basketball. This is why I am a high school coach. At the high school level, you find basketball at its purest form. It is reletively untainted by those looking to profit off of kids. The coaches are relatively genuine, and the spirit of competition is alive and well. The kids are playing for the love of the game, and the coaches are teachers of the essential skills of life.

For more information, follow me on twitter @coachdesautels

What To Look For In A Prep School

Prep Schools come in all sorts of shapes and forms. When choosing the correct prep school for you, please consider all options, then narrow down your list. This is an important decision, because you are looking for the school that will give you the best opportunity to 1. Qualify, 2. Improve, and 3. Get Recruited. The goal for those that go to a prep schools is to recieve a full scholarship to a 4 year college. Do your homework and ask around. Is it possible at this school?

1. When it comes to qualifying, get in contact with the school's principal, coaches, and counselor. Find out if they know NCAA rules and regulations regarding qualification. See if they can put together a tentative schedule that will give you the classes you need to qualify as soon as possible. If they can't, cross the school off your list. Prep schools should have employees at multiple positions that understand NCAA guidelines. If the key people don't know the rules, how can you trust them to help you out? There also needs to be a connection between the school and the basketball program. You need to be at a place where everyone including teachers and coaches are all on the same page. If your 'prep school' contracts you out to other schools, run for the hills, because your best interest is not at the heart of that program.

2. Look at the track record of the coach(es) you will be playing for. How many players have they developed? Call a couple of players who ended up at multiple levels of college athletics, and see if they believe the coaches helped them get better. Don't only call the major successes, call the last couple of players on the bench as well to get a more well rounded idea of what it is like at that school. Have your parents call a couple of parents as well about the school to see if they were satisfied with what went on. If all checks  out, keep that school on your list.

3. Finally, you should check to see if you will have opportunities to be recruited by coaches all over the country. How well do the school's coaches promote their players? What is the school's placement rate for student-athletes moving on to 4 year schools? It should be around 90% or higher, or that school should drop off your list as well. Find out how many players went to a JUCO after their prep year. If there are many, then there is a chance you will waste your time at that prep as well. Finally, call some people who have been around basketball for a while, and ask about the reputation of the school and the coach. If a coach at the school you are considering playing at has a very negative reputation, remember that there is usually a reason for all reputations. People get reputations for a reason. They usually earn them. If the coach or school has a overwhelmingly negative reputation, cross that school off of your list as well. You need to be around people who care about you and your future first and foremost. Make sure your school of choice is surrounded with those types of people. Stay away from the users who only use you to promote their program or school. Those people don't care about you at all. They only care about the image you bring to them and their program.

My best suggestion is to consider multiple schools, and make a ranking grid with your parents. Rate each school based on the three above categories. Go with the one that grades out the highest. Good luck with your search!

For more information, follow me on twitter @coachdesautels

Basketball Players vs Athletes That Play Basketball

There are two types of people that you often see on the floor in basketball. The first, are the 'athletes that play basketball.' These athletes are those that impress with their physical skills, jumping ability, and quickness. The second are those we call 'basketball players.' The players have a thorough understanding of the game, a strong will and desire to do whatever it takes to win games, and the physical and mental toughness to follow through with their intentions on the court. More often than not, the athletes waste their talent as they rely on their natural ability to carry them. Basketball players often overachieve. This is due to an inherent desire to do anything to win, coupled with the realization that they lack some physical gifts that their competitors have. They realize they need to work harder to even the playing field and overachieve by surpassing the athletes with their toughness and determination.

Every coach loves having basketball players on their team. Basketball players are often internally motivated, and have great leadership skills. Basketball players may not always be the best players on a team, but they are the guys that are willing to do whatever it takes to win a game. Basketball players are the guys you see diving on the floor for every loose ball while the 'athletes' are the ones standing and watching. Basketball players are willing to sacrifice their bodies for their teams by stepping in and taking a charge. Athletes that play basketball are often the ones out of control, jumping off of one foot, and being called for the charge. Basketball players are the ones who live in the gym and the weight room in order to get everything they can out of their bodies while athletes that play basketball sit at home playing 2k and talking about which team they will be playing for. The teams that overachieve have basketball players as their leaders and best players. The teams that underachieve follow the lead of their athletes that play basketball. Basketball players are described by words and phrases like toughness, finisher, glue-guy, does everything, rebounder, efficient, and winner. All of these things help their team and coaches win games. While some coaches recruit based on potential, the ones that often keep their jobs, recruit based on production and ability. As a result, most coaches are looking for basketball players who are also great athletes.

Athletes that play basketball are termed as such because they have yet to develop a work ethic and mindset that is required to become a basketball player. Basketball Players are termed as such because they have those traits. They fully understand the game, and have enough skill to be successful at it. Being called a basketball player is a compliment. Being called an athlete that plays basketball is not.

Athletes that play basketball often have specific terminology that describes their ability, but avoids their skill. If you hear words like potential, natural ability, developing, or upside then beware, an athlete that plays basketball is often being described. Potential and upside mean that you look like you could be good at the game one day. However, the work to be good has not been put in. What are the assurances that it will be? What have you done to turn your potential into skill? Natural ability means that you are physically gifted in at least one aspect of the game. This is a good thing, however what have you done to develop that talent? Developing means that you are getting better, but no one knows how good you will be.

Athletes that play basketball also hear the phrases above the rim, next level body/frame, and shooter. Take a look beyond what these phrases say, but see what they leave out. Playing above the rim means that you can jump, and sometimes dunk the ball. What does it say about getting rebounds or finishing shots? Nothing. Having a great frame means that if you hit the weights, you'd fill out well and be able to physically withstand a season at the next level. What does a great frame say about your ability to defend, rebound or put the ball in the hoop? Nothing. Being a shooter means you take a lot of three point shots. What does it say about your ability to make those shots? Nothing. Chances are, you're a shooter because you make a few per game. But how many shots did it take you? What does being a shooter say about your ability to contribute in other aspects of the game? Nothing. Coaches are looking for a shot maker, not a shooter. Hopefully you're catching on, athletes who play basketball have skill that does little more than look good. If you're chasing a scholarship, looking good won't get you anything. That 'potential' needs to show signs of being realized. That 'talent' must be developed, not 'developing.' The way to realize potential and develop natural ability is by putting in consistent, hard work. That work must be focused and disciplined. If you do not work the right way, then all you will be developing are bad habits. Practice makes permanent, not perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.

Remember, while having natural ability and potential is nice, it can only take you so far. It is more important to have a worker's mindset and the ability to follow through on your desire to win. Nobody cares how quick your first step is if you can't finish at the rim. Nobody cares that you play above the rim if you can't hang onto the ball. Nobody cares how good your frame or how long your arms are if you can't come down with a rebound or hold your position in the post. If college coaches disregard those facts and recruit you anyways, chances are they are either giving you one chance before sending you out of the program since they have a roster full of basketball players to fall back on, or they'll be getting fired before you step on campus. In basketball today, there are fewer and fewer 'basketball players.' Those that make it at the next level are usually those rare athletes who are also basketball players. They are those that at some point stopped telling themselves they were great, but developed their ability. Its time to step back and realistically take a look at how you are described. Are you a basketball player or an athlete that plays basketball? Then, separate yourself from those like you. Work to become a basketball player.

For more information, follow me on twitter @coachdesautels

Online Courses and the NCAA

I have seen this coming from the NCAA for some time now, but in August 2011, the NCAA put into effect a bylaw with some very interesting language regarding online courses. This bylaw can be best described this way: The NCAA is saying: Take an online course at your own risk. Pasted in below is the basic transcription which can be found in an article in the Post Gazette which was written in August. Take a look.

"This month, the NCAA initiated a new policy -- approved in January -- outlining how to determine if "nontraditional" courses meet NCAA standards. The new policy applies to courses completed after Aug. 1.
To be eligible to participate in Division I sports in the first year of college, the NCAA requires students to complete 16 core courses in high school, including four years of English, three years of math and two years of science, among others.
Under the new policy, the NCAA states that nontraditional courses must meet these conditions:
• Course meets all requirements for a core course.
• The instructor and student have ongoing access and regular interaction with one another, including the teacher helping the student.
• The student's exams, papers and assignments are available for evaluation and validation.
• The student's work is evaluated in keeping with the high school's academic policies.
• The course must be completed in a defined period.
• Any student could take the course, not just athletes.
• The course appears on the high school transcript."

I want to draw your attention to one section that specifically makes life difficult for those trying to become eligible through online courses.

"• The instructor and student have ongoing access and regular interaction with one another, including the teacher helping the student."

Please tell me how one can prove that an online teacher has helped the student. The best I can think of is a situation where the student would have to save a series of emails between him/her and the instructor. This would be necessary to attempt to show whether teacher has been helpful at all. Then, you're leaving it in the NCAA's hands to determine if that teacher was indeed 'helping' the student. 'Access' and 'interaction' are also ambiguous words. Access could be through email, but is interaction? How can you prove the teacher and student have been 'working together?' The article goes on to state: "Software-based credit recovery courses are highly individualized and may be customized for each student," Ms. Royer said. "Because of this customization, the courses must be reviewed to determine whether they meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements."

Remember this, the NCAA has been trying to get rid of 'fake' schools and online classes for a long time. This type of vague wording gives them the opportunity to deny online courses without facing a messy lawsuit from the school claiming that it is in fact legitimate. So in a way, the NCAA is saying you may take these classes at your own risk, but they're going to deny it.

This is important because a lot of basketball academies place their students in online courses. A local prep (not Westwind) that was around for only one year did that. I later got a call from one of their students hoping to transfer to our school since their courses were not approved. Another west coast basketball academy may be doing that as well, as they have their students enrolled in a charter school with an online campus.

I have said for a long time, to be skeptical and thorough when deciding between staying at your local high school, moving to a prep school, or attending a basketball academy. It all depends on what your priority is. If your priority is qualifying, then you need to stay away from anything that suggests online courses. Honestly, if you plan to play in college, it doesn't matter how good at the sport you are in terms of qualifying. If you don't qualify, then you're off to a JUCO for two years before you can play for an NCAA institution. So remember, if you're thinking about attending a prep, and they tell you they place their students in online courses, then move in the other direction.

For more information, follow me on twitter @coachdesautels

Source used: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10242/1083635-298.stm#ixzz1aQxQTsyE

The Different Levels of Interest

As the fall signing period approaches, the 2012 class is going through a variety of emotions. Some are secure as they have taken the visits they want, have decided or are deciding soon on a school, and are gearing up to finish their final prep season with the recruiting process behind them. Others are scheduling tentative visits, and should be discussing options with their families. More still, are holding out hope that their final prep year will be outstanding enough to earn them a late offer. Its obvious which position everyone would like to be in. However, with proper planning and a serious dose of reality and perspective, any talented player can put themselves into that first group.

First of all, it is important to know what true interest is. If a college offers a scholarship, then obviously they're interested. That is a no brainer. If coaches come down to your school to see you, or if you recieve a phone call from the head coach and/or multiple calls from an assistant, then that is real interest. If you are recieving letters, then sorry. That is not interest. Student-athletes too often list interested schools as being those they've recieved a standard letter of interest form from. What they don't know is that most schools have coaches or graduate students that stuff envelopes and send those out just in case a student-athlete makes a big leap forward. If they become interested, they will call.

Too often, athletes see letters as true interest. This impression often results in players holding out for the D-1 dream when they're actually the 4th or 5th option for some teams. Come spring, they are trapped in a desperation mode, looking for any open offers because the D-1 offers never came. At this point, most of the D-2 and NAIA schools have picked up most of their commitments as well. This leaves a large number of athletes searching for a small number of open spots. This is a situation that favors the schools, not the athletes and lands many players in JUCO or simply in the workforce.

To stop this from happening to you, you need to cover your bases and remember the following advice: The right school is the one that wants you. If you are recieving calls and invitations from D-2 schools while letters from the D-1s by the beginning of your final prep year, its time to put away your pride and seriously consider those D-2s. Otherwise, the D2s will go to their second or third options and you will be left with nothing. Remember, a full scholarship is a full, which means you have the opportunity to get your college paid for. Cast your pride away and do not waste that opportunity.

For more information, follow me on twitter @coachdesautels