Anyway just wanted to share this with you guys.

Frankie's Express!!

Congratulations on your season though and getting things turned around! I'm a little old but if you guys don't do drug testing or keep track of birth certificates, I'd be more than willing to be your starting 5. I could give you about 50ppg (I'm a team player), 85rpg, 0.2apg (again, I'm very big on ball movement), 124spg and 355bpg. Say the word and we can get this thing done! lol.

Andrew wrote:Why oh why is a 7-9 year old league drafting kids

Don't know the full details of how it works as I came on late. I am pretty sure that the kids don't know what round or pick they are drafted though. They go through like a pre draft clinic type thing and then they are told what team they are assigned to.

VCoug wrote:Congrats! That's really cool man!

Thanks!!

newyorknewyork wrote:Did it for the first time, and I have to say it was one of the funner experiences I have had. My friend asked me to help him out coaching at our Boys & Girls club 7-9 yr olds, he coaches since his step son is on the team. Neither of us had any experience coaching basketball before. They asked him to make an expansion team since there were so many kids. We were the only team that wasn't able to draft kids for our team. The other teams basically gave us the kids they didn't want. We also ended up with 2 six yr olds(Only team in the league) since there siblings were on the team and it was more convenient for the parents. We started 0-4 with some heart breaking losses, but then rallied to go 5-1 the rest of the way finishing 5-5. We took on the best team in the league (who were undefeated) the game before our last. We took the lead by 1 point with 30 seconds left after trailing 7 pts half way into the 4th. We ended up giving the game away to give us that 1 loss(5-1), but it was a great game. Next yr we will be able to draft some players to our team (3rd pick). Having kids follow your game plan and seeing it executed, as well as watching first yr kids develop into better players by years end, the feeling is amazing. I highly recommend it everyone if you have the patience lol.

Anyway just wanted to share this with you guys.

Frankie's Express!!

my congrats to you. you are doing a good thing. good karma!

Kids made progress and had fun. Thats all that counted.

I used to coach young kids. It was a trip. My team looked a lot like yours!!

I had one kid who thought because he was black, had some jordans, that he was "Like Mike"! His parents were great and told me to bench him cuz he was delusional. He'd start fights with other kids on OUR team during the game if they did not pass him the ball when he wanted. He never scored and got real mad when I benched him. I wanted all kids to play equal!

I had a girl who was taller than anyone in the league but she was too scared to beat a boy! By the end of the season her self esteem was up there and she did great! My son was the pt guard because he understood "double dribble" rule before anyone else.

I did it two years. First was like yours and they were "Mutts". The next year we came in second in the league finishing to a hand picked very ambitious squad. We got killed in the championship down by 20 pts until I went "Seven seconds or less", basically I told the kids I'd sub them out every minute but we go crazy. We could not press until the last two minutes but we picked them up at the half court line. I never taught them to trap (really can't teach team defense a that age) but had my son just follow the ball and "gang up" on who ever had it. We lost by only 4 and our kids were so happy you'd have thought we won the game! They stood up the team with the good uni's, shorts and sneakers!!! Their coach was like "what are they celebrating?" and I snapped back, " my kids felt like they did something today and are happy!!"

My son passion was never basketball but ice hockey. At 13 he was a top 100 player in the country, by 14 choices had to be made and moving up north to a prep school to play seemed extreme to him. He told me "its what I love to do but its not who I am". WE had a lot of fun together traveling and he played into his first two years of college. He's graduating this spring.

Andrew wrote:Why oh why is a 7-9 year old league drafting kids

You should see our Little League Baseball teams. We have Instructional, Minors and Majors. You tryout to get drafted. Basically a big combine type event done in 2-3 days. My son was drafted as an 8 year old to play in the minors. Minors age group is suppose to be 9-12 with special exceptions for 8 year olds that can play. Majors are strictly for 9-12 only and if you get drafted in the Majors then that team owns your rights until you age out. He was drafted last year as a 9 year old in the majors so the team owns his rights for 4 years. Now that is crazy. If I don't like the team or coach, I would need to appeal and talk to my sons player rep.

EDIT: Major league teams can also call up kids from the minors if they have space for the playoffs.

I don't coach basketball but I teach another sport so I can relate. It's fun to see the kids learn the basics and improve.

newyorknewyork wrote:Did it for the first time, and I have to say it was one of the funner experiences I have had.

I got an email saying they couldnt start the season because they needed coaches, so I immediatly emailed the league and said I would run my son's team.

It was great. Im totally hooked. The kids played great and they all got better. We had a winning record but most of all the games were fun for all. My biggest accomplishment was I had 2-3 kids who couldnt reach the rim when they shot, but I had those kids playing defense, setting pics, chasing loose balls and they were in the thick of it and I think of the least skilled kids had the most fun and really improved.

Its a blast. Im hooked. Im coaching his baseball team this spring also now.

Andrew: Most leagues hold some kind of draft if for no reason than to balance the teams. There are great gaps in skill, size and athleticism at this age (mine were ages 9-11).