Basketball (Boys)

What does it take to be a Firebird Basketball Player?

Being a basketball player does not merely imply wearing a uniform and being a member of the squad. There are many areas to think about if you want to be a winner, not only in basketball, but in life itself. The importance of the following qualities, necessary for every great player, cannot be impressed upon you enough.

All participation forms and an up-to-date sports physical can be filled out through Final Forms after July 1. All forms must be completed prior to first day of open gym and tryouts. 

Final Forms

A Message from Coach Thompson

In the end - the responsibility for the final product rests with me. As they say, "The buck stops here". I can tell you the day I post the lists is one of the worst days of the year for me. There will be those that are not happy with the final list. As a father of four, my own children have experienced success and setbacks, finding a way to console them as it relates to the latter is the hard part.

There is no magical formula for handling this situation; hopefully the guidelines below can provide some insight.

I always ask for a 24 hour buffer before players contact me as to why they were not selected. I am always happy to meet with or talk to any player first about the process and the reasoning for the non-selection. I ask that Players try to handle this process first (great life lesson) and IF a PARENT would like to discuss the process or reasoning I will also talk to them.

While it is an honor to make the school team, it isn't always fun practicing hard every day and not playing. Some athletes would much rather play more and practice less. If this Is their desire please let the coaches aware of this rather than have a less than desirable season.

For athletes that do not make the cut, Michael Lewis is the seventh and eighth-grade flight coordinator for Lakota Thunderbirds. He is looking for high caliber players that do not make our cut. His goal is to place these players in a very competitive environment on and off the court. Once we are done with our team selections, we will provide Coach Lewis with Information to contact them for their tryout. His contact information is below.

Coach Michael Lewis
coach.lewis0776@gmall.com
Lakota Thunderbirds  
7th-8th Flight Coordinator
7th-12th Grade Boys Asst. Coordinator
 

Nod to the Coach

When your coach tells you how he wants you to do something,  if you understand what he is telling you, nod to him. This seems like an obvious thing and hardly a tip for a good basketball player yet very often it gives the coach a good feeling about telling you.

You may think a small thing like nodding is not necessary, that it is enough to look your coach in the eye while he is talking and take in the information. But it is not enough. Nodding to your coach  will give him that little bit of extra satisfaction that will urge him to do his best - he's only human, too - and to keep helping and working with you.

This should apply not only to the times that the coach is talking directly to you, but also to the times when he is specifically  correcting another player.  Get in the habit of listening whenever  your coach is talking and nodding when you understand. Your nod does not have to be some grand gesture. Just a slight tilt of recognition and eye contact that says, "I've got it, Coach."

It makes sense to make it enjoyable for your coach to work with you. Your success is intricately tied to his opinion of you and the confidence he has in you. A little nod when he speaks goes a long way toward establishing the kind of player-coach relationship that leads to winning basketball.