34-26 Win vs. Hopkins….

Boys,

I thought that for the first game of the season…a win is a win…is a win…is a win. Job well done in that respect.

Now, as was mentioned in the post-game team room, we can (and will) get a heck of a lot better--handling full court pressure, attacking a zone defense, eliminating face cuts, rebounding positioning and tenacity, etc.

We'll get back to the drawing board tomorrow and keep working!

Check out the "game recaps" link below and to the left if/when interested for further game details!

Congratulations...

…to Chase Hagen and Keaton Mudd for their recent team captain selections as decided by their peers!

See the post below regarding "captain-like" characteristics that the team brainstormed the other night at our team meeting. And as I mentioned, it's great as a coach to see a LOT of individuals receive votes based on the criteria.

Continue to lead us in the right direction, you two…as well as the rest of us!

News, Thoughts, and Upcoming Schedule

Hello, all! I hope this weekend has been an overall therapeutic one?? Hang in there, and please let me (and/or the rest of the Hamilton basketball staff) know if you need anything at all!

First, here goes with the upcoming weekly schedule:

**Monday: practice 3-5 (MS East gym)

**Tuesday: no practice/no game…Mr. Hoppe's funeral/home Varsity game in the evening.

**Wednesday: home game vs. Allegan (4 PM) in MS West gym…more details to come.

**Thursday: home game vs. Hopkins (5 PM) in HS…more details to come.

**Friday: practice 3-5

Note: Our canceled team dinner is tentatively planned for next Monday, Dec. 16…same time/details…per Team McMahon's permission.

Next, take a look at the list of "team goals" to the left. The guys brainstormed and voted on these meaningful, measurable goals in our team meeting this past Friday.

Also, speaking of the team meeting, the guys also brainstormed fitting "descriptors" of what a TEAM CAPTAIN should have as part of his human skill set. Ideas like "takes charge", "has respect of others", "composed", "supportive", "personable on/off the court", "positive communicator", etc. were all brought up. As I review the anonymous nominations the guys made on paper, I'm very pleased to see that the clear majority of our 13 players at least received one captain vote! That's great news in my book. A lot of guys showcase some natural, positive leadership skills! Keep that up, everyone. And if you're lacking in any one department, make that a personal goal of yours to step it p. Oh, and captain results will be revealed in person tomorrow :)

Finally, keep in mind and continue to put into practice our team theme of TOUGHNESS (charges/loose balls)!

Take care, all! Let's get the game schedule portion of our season off to a positive start…while also focusing on the truly important things in life like loving and respecting each other!

Schedule for This Upcoming Week

Hi again, everyone. Please take note of the below schedule for this upcoming week, and please pay attention to a few minor changes.

**Monday: practice 3-5 PM (instead of 5-7 PM as previously stated)…receive uniforms...ORDER FORMS DUE!!

**Tuesday: practice 5-7 PM (Middle School East gym)

**Wednesday: practice 3-5 PM…team pictures at a time yet to be determined.

**Thursday: practice 5-7 PM

**Friday: practice 3-5 PM…team meeting from 4 to 5 PM in my classroom.

Note: stay tuned for further details coming soon regarding our first team dinner on Monday, Dec. 9 at the McMahon household!

Team "theme" for this week: TOUGHNESS.    Stay tuned for further information, and congrats again to Chase Hagen for his nomination/win as the best "communicator" thus far!

Scrimmage vs. H.C.

Hey, all.

Regarding the AM scrimmages vs. H.C. today, I thought it was a solid overall "official" start for us. Obviously, we can and WILL get better from here on out, but it would be foolish to overreact (that's the word I was looking for today while talking to you guys! haha) this early in the season.

After 9 10-minute quarters played today vs. the Maroons, we went 4-3-2 overall. Not bad, but again, we'll be much better in the long run.

Things to especially focus on after today's performance: transition defense, keeping attackers out of the middle in our half court defensive sets, and actual "motion" on our Motion…among other concepts.

See you all on Monday at 3 PM (the practice time has been changed from 5 PM to 3 PM!) ready to WORK and GET BETTER!

This Week

All recovered from the all-nighter, everyone? Ready to get back to work?! Ready to kill it in the classroom for finals??!! Go get 'em.

Here goes with the schedule for this upcoming week:

**Monday: practice 3-515 PM

**Tuesday: practice 5-715 PM

**Wednesday: NO SCHOOL…practice 1015 AM-1230 PM

**Thursday: NO SCHOOL/NO PRACTICE…HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOURS!

**Friday: NO SCHOOL…practice 3-5 PM

**Saturday: Scrimmage vs. Holland Christian (@Hamilton) 9-11 AM…more details later.

Reminder: be focusing on our first team theme--COMMUNICATION--each and every day! How can we all continue to get better with this life skill??

An Official "Welcome"!

Greetings, everyone!

I'd like to officially welcome all of you to the Freshmen Boys Basketball Family. Simply put, we should all be very excited for the positive direction this program is headed. And the best part is this: you players (and parents) represent the bright basketball future that WILL come to pass here in Hamilton! This season, i'm proud to be a small, positive cog in the machine that is Hamilton Boys Basketball.

Please read/review this site as often as possible as I put a lot of work into various features all in the name of "positive communication"--our first weekly TEAM THEME of the season.

I look forward to individual player, team, and coaching progress in all facets of life each and every day from here on out.

And again--WELCOME!!