Suggestions for Preparing for State Championship Games

Having had to prepare for some state championship games during my coaching career, here are some suggestions that worked for me.

Seeing that we won every state game we were in except one and we lost that game by one point on a foul shot made with one second to go and on a foul called on one of my players 83 feet away from the opponents basket after the ball had gone out of bounds and the clock had stopped. THis foul should have been not called and the game should have gone to overtime.

However, that is water of the damn but it is  an example of what can happen in any basketball game.

Coaches, This should have been written on Sunday, but I forgot, but if you think these ideas are worthwhile print this off your computer for next year, you never know, yoiu might want it.

Now back to preparing for a state game.

You are going to have either 4 or 5 practice days depending if your state game is on Friday or Saturday.

In order of importance.

1. Teams should Have a team meeting at your home on Sunday afternoon. Celebration is over for winning an Eastern Maine Crown Go over tapes of your game and opponents tapes for state game.

2, Teams should Practice at the site of the championship game if you are the visiting team on Monday as this should be mainly to get used of the floor and the shooting background. (If you are playing at the CCCC in Portland make sure that you practice on a college size floor for both teams all week. That extra 10 feet up and own each time is 20 feet and it is a factor on game fatigue.

3. Extremly important…Teams should bring in some of your former players, match them up as to the individuals on the opponents by size and ability. Have them wear white or dark T-shirts (you have them made up on Monday all you will need is 7-8 shirts.with the players on the other teams numbers and give those t-shirts to your former players for doing this for you. Scrimmage with them using the opponents offense and defenses, out-of-bounds plays etc.

4. Teams should Have your former players play more physical if you are an Eastern Team as Western Maine Play is usually more physical in State Play especially if you are playing in Western Maine in A or B.

5. Don’t be satisfied with the feeling of well if we lose the state game we still have the Eastern or Western maie Championship tpo fall back on. Many times this happens.You have to remembe rhow many high school teams there were when the basketball season started about 136 and in your clas and there are only 2 teams still playing. Remmber how lucky you are, think of all the players that have played high school basketball over all the years there has been tournaments since in the early 1920’s that have never even played in a state championship game.

We used all these things and I know it was a fgactor in us winning those state games.

Good luck.

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