For the past six weeks I have been coaching the high school girls basketball team at AIS/D. I had never worked with girls before athletically but I was getting an itch to get involved in competitive basketball. I also knew many of the players and was pretty sure it would be an enjoyable experience. Indeed, I have had a great time, and will be sad when the season ends this weekend after our A team travels to Nepal to compete in the annual South Asian International School Association (SAISA) tournament.
Athletics in a SAISA school are run differently than back in the states, to say the least. Each season is about six weeks long (about half of a typical US sport season) and ends with a SAISA wide tournament. The only other games that these athletes can get are friendlies against local teams and the local tournament that pits AIS/D against schools in Dhaka and sometimes a school or two from Chittagong. In total, most teams will play about 10-12 games all season.
The head coach of the girls b-ball team is an Art teacher named Krista who really knows the game well. She is probably the main reason I decided to fill a sudden vacancy in the coaching ranks. I hadn't really had an opportunity to coach the boys because the activities coordinator had (sort of) filled the positions before I was even hired. Working with Krista has been great because she isn't possessive of practices and has let me lead plenty of drills and introduce the three-quarter-court press that we run. Although my role was more of A-team assistant during the season, much of what decides who goes to SAISA is based on who has put in the most time helping the program. Considering that this will be my one season coaching, I am disappointed but see why I'm not going to Kathmandu (the school only sends two coaches). Because of this, I spent the last weekend coaching our B team in the local tournament, where they finished last the previous year.
Happily, we managed seventh out of ten this year, going 2-3 and winning our last game (a barn burner at 14-12!). It was an exhausting experience because I tried to help out as much as possible with the varsity, and coaching many of these girls through their first formal competition was taxing but certainly rewarding. My most difficult task was not teaching "X's and O's" or plays, but teaching them to play as hard as they could. At my school athletics is often not the intense endeavor it can be elsewhere around the world. I'm happy to say that by the last game girls were flying around the court covering for each other on defense, embracing the spirit of hustle and team work that makes for strong defense. We shut out the other team, Chittagong Grammar, in the fourth quarter to propel us to an emotional victory. We had been tossed around by more skilled and experienced girls throughout the tournament, but won this one against a bigger team and I couldn't have been more proud of them. Many of them officially got the basketball bug, and when I reminded them after our season ended that 5 seniors would be leaving the current SAISA team next year a few of their eyes lit up.
So now I am working with the A-team full time trying to get them ready for SAISA this weekend. Today we scrimmaged for the whole practice, taking breaks when we were exhausted to shoot free-throws while tired. I wish I could see them take the court in Nepal and put all of their hard work on display. Last year they finished fourth at the local tournament and last at SAISA. This year we cruised through the local tournament, winning every game by double digits (the final was 36-22). They have improved dramatically this season, especially with respect to their confidence. Girls who didn't realize they could throw the ball that far are spotting up for jump shots and others who were afraid to handle the ball now call for it when they are open. When Krista and I met as the season was starting, we were on the same page: goal number one is teaching how to compete. I think we've achieved this goal to the best of our ability.
Teaching girls has been an extremely enjoyable experience. I haven't had one ego battle, never had to seriously discipline them for not trying to do what I ask. Perhaps the real challenge has been realizing that I can't overwhelm them too much with directives. While constant barking can keep boys on task and help them push themselves, most of these girls seem to respond to calmer discourse (although I am pretty vocal during sprints to make sure they are truly running at full speed, something I never thought I would have to teach). My motto has been "find the good and praise it at the top of your lungs so everyone knows."
I had never really considered becoming a girls basketball coach, but I could definitely see myself working with either boys or girls down the road. Especially if I ended up with a group as respectful and willing as these young ladies have been. Nothing makes a coach happier than to hear "can I stick around and shoot a little bit after practice"... well, unless you have a life, which I barely have here. I certainly wouldn't say there are too many places I'd rather be around here than teaching basketball to receptive players.
The point guard of our team is a particularly hard working athlete, and I've been spending extra care and attention in my efforts to mold her into a truly dangerous player. Today in scrimmage she was pushing the ball, making good decisions in transition and I could see her developing into a more vocal floor leader. She's only a junior and by far our best player so hopefully she'll continue to work on the things I've taught her and keep expanding her game after I'm gone.
One thing is for certain, I'll be looking to get into coaching as soon as is possible in the states (depending on what my full time job is!).
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