- Menahga Lady Braves Basketball
- Program Outline
“The best way to predict the future is to go out and create it”
In order to develop and maintain a solid basketball program we must have continuity from the bottom to the top (K-12). Your efforts, cooperation, and input go a long way in determining the current and future success of OUR program and will enable the girls to enjoy basketball through continuity and a high level of confidence and comfort through repetition of skills and fundamentals. The Defensive and Offensive Philosophies of our high school team will be taught to the youth teams. These skills will be broken down to the basic fundamentals for the lower grades then built on each consecutive year. This will prepare the girls for basketball at the varsity level. It will also give our program a significant advantage over our opponents.
Sportsmanship is as much a fundamental of the game as dribbling and shooting. Teaching sportsmanship starts and ends with the coaching staff and parents.
Our goal is to have a minimum of 10 girls out per grade. We will provide opportunities for all students to play basketball in grades K-12.
GRADE LEVEL FOCUS
K-2
We will practice on Saturdays only for 4 weeks. They will focus on having fun, and developing proper dribbling and passing skills. We will also begin developing proper shooting form at lowered baskets and begin teaching the basic rules of the game and working on court awareness. We will end the season by performing during a JV halftime.
Grade 3
We will try to practice at least one night during the week, and also on Saturday mornings. We will continue to focus on having fun and developing fundamentals. Developing proper shooting form will be highly stressed this year. We will also work on proper defensive alignment and work on help side defense. We will play in two tournaments throughout the winter.
Grade 4
We will try to practice at least one night during the week, and also on Saturday mornings. We will work on fundamentals, rules of the game, fun, positive reinforcement, and basic offensive and defensive philosophies. Proper shooting form will continue to be highly stressed. We will play in three tournaments throughout the winter.
Grade 5
We will try to practice two nights a week, and also on Saturday mornings. We will continue to focus on fundamentals, positive reinforcement, basic offensive and defensive philosophies, team first attitude, working hard while having fun, and an overall understanding of the game. Shooting form will continue to be highly stressed. We will play in four tournaments throughout the winter.
Grade 6
We will try to practice two nights a week, and also on Saturday mornings. We will continue to work on fundamentals, positive reinforcement, offensive and defensive philosophies, understanding of the game, strong work ethic on the floor, team first attitude, working hard while having fun, and players begin learning from their mistakes. Shooting form and skill development will continue to be highly stressed.
Junior High
All players will have a six week season with approximately 15 games. We will focus on advanced drills that provide opportunities to master fundamentals. We will also focus on positive reinforcement with constructive criticism. Offense and defense philosophies will mirror the varsity level. Coaches will stress intensity and hustle. Players will learn from their mistakes and make appropriate adjustments, players will work on makings can make quick-smart decisions and work on developing an “attack” mentality. Players should begin to understand their roles as well as the roles of each teammate.
C - Team
This is where players will start to focus on certain positions on the floor. Zone defense will be introduced for the first time. There will be a huge focus of understanding defensive assignments and being where they need to be on the court. Help side defense also needs to be understood here along with basic trapping principals. A full range of defenses and offenses will be taught at this level. These girls will be pushed and the full concept of what it takes to become a varsity basketball player needs to be understood.
Junior Varsity (JV)
This team will be the next step up from C-Team in terms of commitment and work. This team is extremely crucial in order to groom the athletes and prepare them for the varsity level. Offense and Defensive strategies will mirror the varsity.
Varsity
This team will consist of up to 15 players (or less if we don’t have 15 ready). A member of this team should be considered a huge honor as it is a lot of work. A full commitment is required or the jersey will be taken away. Winning and improving are stressed here. There will be a lot of competition for a spot on this team.