The End of the Line

MBA's freshman basketball season came to an ignominious but not unexpected end Monday night in a first round tournament loss to JPII, a team they defeated last week.  Three wins on the season and a whole lot of losses.  Most of the games weren't even close.  A season much like last season and, for sure, a season to forget.

This group of boys simply doesn't play basketball well together.  Yes, they're limited size-wise and athletically, too, but in the last two seasons they haven't played well as a team.  

Other teams jumped on them in the first quarter, and first half, all season long, which means they were rarely ready to play at tipoff.  Every game, it was the same thing, and yesterday was no different, with MBA quickly falling behind in the first quarter and trailing by 15 at the half, 20 - 35.

What was the most disturbing and frustrating yesterday to me, as a parent, was the lack of effort on defense and on the boards.  I saw players lose their man at the top of the key, then turn and watch as he drove unimpeded to the basket.  I saw a player turn the ball over in the front court in the second half, when MBA was trying to rally, then loaf up court behind the play as a JPII player converted the turnover into a layup at the other end of the court.    

The lack of effort and lack of toughness was dispiriting.

MBA lost almost every 50-50 ball all game long.  I saw one of our post players fail to block a kid out - on a damn free throw - and give up a layup.  

On offense, turnover after turnover after turnover.  It amazes me that kids that ostensibly play so much basketball appear to know so little about how to actually play basketball.  Team basketball.  Situational basketball.    

The one bright spot was that, again the team rallied late and actually cut JPII's lead to five points late in the third quarter.  They had the ball and only a 3-pointer that rimmed out prevented them from cutting the lead to two points.  JPII pulled away in the fourth quarter, though, and was the better team - last night, anyway - and won, 51 - 64.

I want to be clear as I close - these are good boys.  Good students, good citizens, and smart academically.  I thoroughly enjoyed my limited interactions with every one of them.  Great parents, too.  For some reason or reasons, though, this group of boys doesn't fit together to form a cohesive basketball team.  This was a bit of a lost season for all of them, I think, and maybe, in the end, they were ready for it to be over.