Split… TEAM… PEI Men’s Basketball League

A weekend split here at home with UNB leaves us alive, but needing two big wins at MUN this weekend. I thought we played pretty well Friday night. We established ourselves early, holding a lead at the end of the first quarter for only the third time in our 13 regular season games. We went on a nice run with a couple of minutes remaining in the third quarter that bridged the fourth, and that enabled us to pull away for the 92-77 victory. We were not able to sustain our momentum into Saturday's game, and found ourselves down early again. It is very difficult in basketball to always be playing from behind. Aside from being a negative confidence wise, it really puts pressure on a team. UNB played very well, and they deserve full credit for their victory.

I have been a member on teams for the better part of 45 years now. I have been fortunate enough to have played on and coached championship level teams in basketball, baseball, softball, football, and even hockey (Pee Wee Provincial Champs!). I have had a number of great coaches as a player, and a number of great players as a coach. I am an avid reader of sports psychology, and particularly enjoy reading books written by or about famous coaches. I have a number of great friends that are currently coaches or former players of mine. I truly believe that basketball is the greatest of team sports! Every team member must be on the same page, and everyone must put the goals of the team first. The TEAM is always, and must be, the first responsibility for everyone involved.

There are so many great quotes/slogans about teams. One of the first things I did here at UPEI was post a number of these all over our locker room. I constantly talk to our players about the importance of putting the team first. Every decision that I have made as a coach, I tried to do it in the best interests of the team. It is very important for young people to understand that personal gains can not come at the expense of what is best for the team. It is very important for young people to understand that selfishness, poor body language, sooking, etc, is not in any way conducive to being a good teammate and can not be tolerated within the team structure. One of the things that makes me very happy is seeing some of my former teammates from my playing days. When the talk turns to the "old days", the thing that always makes me the proudest is when these men tell me that I was a great teammate! I have prided myself throughout my career on always putting the team first, and will continue to do so in all aspects of my life as a coach. TEAM – Together Everyone Achieves More!

The PEI Men's Basketball League semi-finals tip-off here Tuesday night. The first tilt goes at 8:00pm, and features the #1 seeded Vets vs. #4 Blue Man Group, while the second game features #2 Green Machine against #3 Raiders. The winners of these two semis will meet in a best of three final! GO PANTHERS GO!