Winter Hoops Fest

Big Weekend of Hoops at SCH Acadmey

Lawerenceville vs New Media Charter at 4:45 PM
SCH Boys vs Strawberry Mansion at 8:15 PM

All Games in Kingsley Gymnasium

Practice cancelled 12/10

Be safe, stay warm!

Winter Hoops Fest

Thanks to all who helped support our Middle School Leg of the SCH Winter Hoops Fest.

A schedule update... No JV Game on Weds at Peddie.

Varsity will play at the scheduled 5:30PM Time.

Make it a great week!
- Coach Chadwin

Give Thanks

Point to your teammate after a great pass, give knucks to the guy who rotated on D, and pick-up your buddy who took the charge.  Just some of the ways we should be saying "Thank you" each day on the court.  Have a terrific week and THANK YOU for your support of SCH Basketball.  Please remember to check this site for schedule updates.

Many Thanks,
Coach Chadwin

Approach to practice

Below is a terrific post from Coach Bob Walsh at Road Island College. Regardless of the level, preparing for practice is essential to getting the most out of a practice.

Mentally Ready For Practice -
One of the biggest adjustments I see for freshman in college basketball has to do with their approach to practice. Our practices are intense, they move fast and there is not a lot of down time. We explain things quickly and expect our guys to pick them up and be able to execute when we go live. They are competitive and require a lot of focus and effort. We expect to get better every day - as a team, and as individuals. Our practices establish who we are as a team. A lot goes into them and we expect to get a lot out of them. They are something you need to be mentally prepared for.

 I find that most freshman aren't used to the intensity and competitiveness of a college practice. They are used to showing up in the gym after school at around 3:30 and playing basketball in an environment where their talent is good enough. They aren't used to a practice they need to mentally prepare for. They just show up, play basketball and go home. Few high school practices I have seen are as intense as most college practices, and that's not a knock on high school coaches. The commitment isn't at the same level in high school. There generally isn't a lot of mental investment. It's hard to get through a college practice if you aren't mentally prepared. I can spot the guys who aren't mentally ready pretty quickly in practice, and it's usually the young guys.

 College practices can involve a lot and there is a necessity to get better each day. And there are structural differences between college and high school practices. College practices tend to be longer. There is more film work and weightlifting involved. The season is longer, with practices starting earlier. When college basketballs season starts on October 15th most high schools are still at least a month away from starting - maybe even longer. There is a greater investment involved with playing college basketball. So learning to be mentally prepared for practice is a major adjustment freshmen in college have to make. It is a lot more than just showing up at the gym and being a good basketball player. They have to understand that it's going to be more intense and more is going to be demanded out of them. And it won't be enough to just be talented anymore. If you are going make it as a college player you have to mentally prepare yourself every day. It's one of the biggest adjustments college freshmen have to make.

Start of a new season!

Practice officially begins this Friday the 15th at 4:30PM. We will comeback for two practices on Saturday as well. Please do not hesitate to contact the coaching staff with any questions regarding the start of practice. #GoDevils

Take on off-season training the right way

As the members of our program participate in spring sports or other activities around campus, we know that they are still thinking about continuous improvement on the basketball court.

It takes discipline and focus to get better in the spring and summer.   Checkout this info from Alan Stein (www.strongerteam.com) on 8 common mistakes of off-season workouts:

• Players who get caught up in the latest fads. While there are a ton of valuable tools you can use to get stronger and more powerful, you don't need any goofy shoes or gizmos and gadgets to get better. You need to intensely and progressively work the muscles of your entire body through every plane of movement and angle of motion. This can be done with a combination of "old school" exercises (bench press, pull-ups, deadlifts, etc.) as well as some "new wave" concepts (medicine balls, bands, TRX trainer, etc.). However, if you spend your entire workout standing on one foot on a BOSU ball, you are missing the boat!
• Players who pay little attention to proper footwork and technique. Your footwork is critical in shooting as well as in your agility training. Proper landing, planting and cutting is important for injury prevention as well as maximum athletic efficiency on the court. Don't reinforce bad habits when you are training.
• Players who follow a strength and conditioning program because it comes from a famous player, coach or team. Following their program does not guarantee your success. Just because you are following last year's NCAA championship team's program doesn't mean you will automatically get results. It's not what you do; it's how you do it! Effort, consistency and progression are the key to success for any training program.
• Players who follow a program not specific to their needs. Strength and conditioning for basketball players is a means to an end, not an end itself. You are not a bodybuilder, football player, marathon runner, Powerlifter or Olympic lifter; so don't train like one! Certainly there are valuable exercises and concepts from each of those sports, but you need to follow a program specific to you as a basketball player. Are the weights you are lifting appropriate? Are you working the right movement patterns (defensive slides, jumping, back pedaling, etc.)? Are you working within appropriate work/rest ratios?
• Players who train too much. This is a very common mistake, especially with plyometrics. Basketball is already very plyometric in nature. There's no need to over do it, especially if you are playing AAU. If you played in five games over the weekend, you don't need to do box jumps on Monday. Not getting enough rest in between workouts is another problem. You don't need to lift every day of the week to make progress.
• Players who have poor nutritional habits. This is a very common theme for a lot of players; from high school to the NBA. I will make this simple. Eat like a bird, look like a bird. Eat like crap, play like crap.
• Players who just lift weights and don't work on their skills enough. No matter how fit or strong you are if you can't shoot, pass, or handle the ball you will never be a good player! Ball handling and shooting are only improved through task-specific repetition. Thousands and thousands of repetitions at game speed!
• Players who make workouts too long. Short, intense workouts will get the job done. And don't allow yourself to have a bad workout because you "feel tired" or just "don't feel like working out." If you only work hard on the days you feel like it, nothing will ever get done! Commit yourself to excellence every workout. One day at a time. Over the entire offseason your progress will be amazing.