The summer is wrapping up and so is my second summer basketball league on Wednesday nights. Tonight was the first round of the playoffs and my team (1-6) was a major underdog against the #2 seed (5-2). We battled but ultimately lost 67-45. I scored 15 points to lead the way but this season was very interesting.
I came off the spring season with two championship titles. The spring season was very draining and I was planning to be a coach / role player for my summer league teams. For my Friday league, the team had enough firepower where I played a little bit and focused on coaching.
My Wednesday team was a different story. I had a lot of veterans and I thought we could contend in the playoffs and maybe the championship. Alas, it never happened. Our team was a lot older and a few steps slower than other teams. We also had some inexperienced players and getting everyone to click proved to be a challenge.
If there was a mistake that was made, it was that I misread the capabilities of my team. I thought we needed to fast break more but in fact we needed to be opposite. Some of the newer guys just weren't used to playing at a fast pace and a slower pace was much better.
The other challenge was I was forced to be a true leader of the team. In most teams I've played more, I'm usually the spot up shooter. I don't need to worry about handling the ball or directing players on the court (unless I am the captain).
But with only two guys (including me) that could reliably handle the ball, I had to play point guard a lot and direct the team and the players. That meant I had to give up some of my scoring opportunities. Yet, at times, I would switch gears and play my usual shooting guard / small forward positions.
What I learned this season is that winning isn't everything. After winning two titles, it was humbling to go 1-6. However, my guys stayed positive and I think our team enjoyed playing despite our lack of wins.
The other lesson is I need to take charge when the situation warrants instead of being passive. It's funny that this happened this year. I noticed that I can be passive at times yet my personality has been slowly changing. I see it at work, officiating and now basketball. If things are not going the way I expect, I am taking charge a lot more.
So this season was a bit of a wash in terms of wins and losses. But it had some good lessons that will much more beneficial to me in the long run.
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