Game Log 2/16/2006: Season finale

Small schools tonight: not a lot of talent. The game had few fouls and not a lot of challenge, and I was evaluated (got a good one, I think). It was the same evaluator I had for an earlier game, and I was happy to see him (his evaluations are always insightful). He was happy to see me sit down an assistant coach, but he says I missed an egregious double dribble (I take him at his word, but I can't remember it to save my life).

What I'll remember most from this game was the way things worked with a senior. The home called our attention to a kid wearing a knee brace. He told us she'd blown out her MCL in the first game of the year and hadn't played since. To honor her on senior night, the coach said that she would be starting and only playing a minute or so. A little bit of a Nykeshia Sales deal. That's fine with us. The first time down the floor, she gets the ball in front of me. She takes a dribble in and shoots. Swish!

Problem: She walked first.

I called it. I felt like a first-class ass, but it was a walk, and I can't ignore that in a 0-0 game. I called it.

She left at the first whistle.

The game was actually quite close, which I didn't expect, but the home team took a double-digit lead with a few minutes left in the game. The coach put her back in there. She got the ball.

What followed...well, I stand by it.

She shot and missed...and although there was a very little contact (no way I call that under normal circumstances), I called the foul to get the kid on the line. It felt weird, since I called it late, and since I've never done anything like that before, but I felt it wasn't a bad thing to do, especially since I'd waved off the earlier hoop.

She missed both free throws.

Then, as she ran to the defensive end of the floor, she took a pretty good spill. Everyone in the joint gasped audibly. She popped up--no harm done--but the coach, probably scared his good intentions had hurt the student, yanked her from the game.

Anyway, a good day overall for me. And a good season, which I'll blog about over the weekend.

THINGS I DID WELL: Coach management
THINGS TO WORK ON: Game awareness, a couple of brain locks
NEXT: I may go to camp in August.