Rejection is ....

More Than A Blocked Shot!

There are a number of ideas that coaches use against a team with a dominant shot blocker. If the team with the shot blocker plays man, the opponent may try to engage the shot blocker by involving him/her in high ball screens to pull him/her away from the basket. Some teams will use a 5 out type of offense to again try to pull the shot blocker away from the basket. These two ideas will not significantly impact the game, if the player being guarded by the shot blocker, cannot make outside shots. If the shot blocker is part of the zone you are facing, it makes attacking him more of an issue. We like to screen the interior of zones when we could. If the shot blocker is playing one of the defensive forward positions in a 2-3 zone or one of the baseline positions in a 1-2-2 zone the old adage in zone offense of attacking the big on the baseline and rebounding against the smaller defender may have some merit.

Everyone "eats" a Spaulding once in a while!

Shot blockers can greatly impact a game simply by being on the floor and not even actively blocking a shot. Unfortunately, you will be interacting with players and others on your staff and in your school who are trying to deal with a different form of rejection. Studies seem to suggest the younger a person experiences relational rejection the greater the impact. I am certainly not a certified counselor or psychologist, but I have seen it in my own family and certainly in the lives of some of my players, the impact of what I would refer to as relational rejection. You are going to coach players who have been rejected by family members. We may think being

rejected by a girl friend or boy friend is not a "big deal." But it is to them. Especially if there has been a pattern of rejection in their lives. I believe "bullying" is so devastating to most young people because the person doing the bullying is in essence telling the person they are attacking you are worthless and flawed. Therefore you deserve to be rejected!

Sometimes it may be difficult but one of the most important things a coach can do is make sure each person on the team knows they are valued. I tried to recognize and talk to each player as they came on the floor for practice.

I tried to find something besides basketball to talk with players about. Some

players I gave nicknames to and tried to joke with. I asked them questions about school and sometimes teased them about something to lighten the mood and to make them feel valued. I certainly made mistakes in this area but I believe if we pay attention we can find opportunities to communicate with all of our players their value goes beyond their basketball skills.

I believe someone once said that your students may not remember what you taught them BUT they will remember how you made them feel.