Confessions of a System Newbie, Entry #2

I am truly blessed to have so many successful coaches who have made themselves so easily accessible and are willingly to openly discuss THE SYSTEM. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of interacting with Coach Holmes, Coach McCanna or Master Smith (The guy is amazing.), they are gentlemen in every sense of the word. Their players are better for it, too. What they do involves more than basketball. Not to sound corny, but they are making this world a better place.

Now, I coach high school girls--teenagers. I love them to death. I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world. That being said, please allow me to explain what THE SYSTEM has done in a very short time.

My first season, which was this school year, was riddled with drama, arguments, back-biting, etc. The program had been down for many years. It was longing for leadership and a vision. Without going into details, many of which are not unique to many teams, please believe me when I say that it was rough. We eventually persevered, but there were some difficult times. I think all of the players learned some very valuable life lessons. Many of them, however, I wish that the girls did not have to learn in a basketball context on my watch.

The Lady Scots are set to begin summer league play on Wednesday night, and there is no drama on our team. Of course, I am scared out of my mind. But, I am the only one that appears to be. Parents and players are thoroughly excited and optimistic. I am told that the program has not had this kind of enthusiasm in many years. Much of that can be attributed to the leadership and vision that THE SYSTEM has given us.

Coach Belf--I could read that guy talk for hours--talked about this, too, in his recent post. What Coach Belf mentioned regarding his players' joy in running THE SYSTEM is incredibly rewarding. I can attest to this truism. I've had many parents come to me expressing how excited their daughters are about playing within THE SYSTEM. So, the rewards are...well...very rewarding.

THE SYSTEM appears to have alleviated many issues with our squad. I don't anticipate that it's a temporary fix, either. Players are focused on basketball and are truly collaborating on what they hope to become a successful endeavor. Coach Arsenault has discussed the infusion of joy and excitement that THE SYSTEM created when he was inventing it in the 90s. There are many reasons for this enthusiasm, but I believe part of it has to do with THE SYSTEM providing every player with a more concrete role and allowing each of them to focus on her strengths more successfully. Playing time is no longer an issue for our girls. They all play. It's also easier to hide players' weaknesses in THE SYSTEM than it is in traditional quarter-court basketball.

That said, I am still anxious as the Lady Scots prepare to embark on our summer journey. We have a lot of work to do over the summer. Some of the girls are still following their shots, something that is forbidden within THE SYSTEM. However, girls are beginning to consistently think "DEEP" and rotate to the top of the key so that our offensive rebounders can feed them for a second attempt...40% of the time, our goal in THE FORMULA TO SUCCESS. We still aren't crashing the boards with the ferocity that I'd like. We'll get there in time. So many old habits to break.

Still have a long ways to go, however. And, my nerves will continue to make their presence known as well. But whatever the challenge, WE ARE UNITED!

See you next time...

- Zack Delmont, Head Coach of the Rim of the World Fighting Lady Scots of Lake Arrowhead, California