Well the basketball season has come and ended. For those of you that didn't know I have been coaching since November and just recently finished last Thursday (March 5). I was an assisstant coach for the varsity team at the high school and then the head coach for the 8th grade girls at the middle school I teach at. The varsity girls finished the season 3rd in the league and for the second year in a row made it to the North Coast Section, which is equivalent to playoffs in Idaho. They do things a 
little different out here in California. Anyways the girl's lost their first round game to a tough Alameda team but it was one hell of a game.
During this same time I was managing a 8th grade team. We started out strong and ended our regular season 7-1 and ended up with a first round bye. In the championship game we were facing the same team that gave us our only defeat of the 
season. It was a big game for the girls and for me as well considering that not many of the girls have ever played in a championship game. In the history of Washington Manor Middle School (WMMS) athletics no other team has made it to the championship game besides the softball team, so we were trying to make history that night. It started out pretty rough but the girls kept fighting and at half time we were only down by 10 points. However in the 3rd quarter, Creekside went on a splurge and outscored by quite a bit. At the end of the 3rd quarter we 
were probably down by 22 points. I told the girls that there was nothing else I could do but they needed to play basketball and the 4th quarter is the time to do it. The girls never gave up and kept fighting for every loose ball and for every rebound. The 4th quarter was too late for the girls to play and they ended up losing by 9 points. It was pretty emotional for all of us but I can't complain about how they played or the heart that they showed. Overall we had a great season and ended up being 8-2. I built some great relationships with the students outside of class and it so rewarding to see what kind of difference you can make in an athlete's life.
season. It was a big game for the girls and for me as well considering that not many of the girls have ever played in a championship game. In the history of Washington Manor Middle School (WMMS) athletics no other team has made it to the championship game besides the softball team, so we were trying to make history that night. It started out pretty rough but the girls kept fighting and at half time we were only down by 10 points. However in the 3rd quarter, Creekside went on a splurge and outscored by quite a bit. At the end of the 3rd quarter we 
were probably down by 22 points. I told the girls that there was nothing else I could do but they needed to play basketball and the 4th quarter is the time to do it. The girls never gave up and kept fighting for every loose ball and for every rebound. The 4th quarter was too late for the girls to play and they ended up losing by 9 points. It was pretty emotional for all of us but I can't complain about how they played or the heart that they showed. Overall we had a great season and ended up being 8-2. I built some great relationships with the students outside of class and it so rewarding to see what kind of difference you can make in an athlete's life. 
