KateD118

[Coach Mac 🏀 @BballCoachMac]

If you put external blame (the officials, other players, court conditions) on a loss, all you’re doing is teaching your players to make excuses.

[KateD118 @KateD118]

@FeehanAthletics Thanks! Sounds like an exciting game, thanks for the updates

[KateD118 @KateD118]

@FeehanAthletics Is there a (legit) livestream link to the game?

[William Payne @TweetsbyCoachP]

One of the reasons youth sports has become so complicated is because everyone involved is often chasing a different definition of success.

One parent wants college recruiting to be the primary focus. Another wants their child to enjoy the experience and make friends. Another wants championships. Another wants equal playing time. Another believes development matters more than wins. Another believes if you’re paying thousands of dollars, your child should be on the field or court.

None of those perspectives are necessarily or inherently wrong. They’re just different.

The challenge is that one coach, one team, and one season cannot satisfy all of them at the same time.

Parents are also navigating an increasingly confusing landscape. Travel teams, private trainers, recruiting services, showcases, camps, social media influencers, former players, college coaches, and other parents all offer advice. Often that advice directly contradicts itself.

One person says play multiple sports. Another says specialize early.

One person says development matters most. Another says exposure matters most.

One person says find the best coach. Another says find the team that will give your child the most playing time.

One person says your child needs more reps. Another says your child needs more rest.

One person says the child should attend prom and not miss life events. Another says team commitments should come before all else.

For families investing significant amounts of time and money, it can become incredibly difficult to know who to trust.

The coaching side is just as complicated.

Most coaches are not showing up every day trying to hold players back, target families, or play favorites. Most genuinely care about their athletes and want them to succeed. But coaches are often forced to make decisions where there are no perfect answers.

Should they prioritize winning or development?

Should they play the senior who has earned it or the younger player with a higher ceiling?

Should they focus on the best interests of one athlete or the best interests of the team?

Should they reward effort, production, leadership, potential, experience, or loyalty?

Every decision creates a winner and a loser in someone’s eyes.

A coach sees the entire roster. A parent sees their child.

Neither perspective is inherently wrong, but they naturally create conflict.

The reality is that parents often judge a season through the lens of their child’s experience, while coaches are forced to evaluate it through the lens of the entire team. Those viewpoints frequently collide.

Add in the emotional investment, financial commitment, social media comparisons, recruiting pressure, and the fact that every child develops at a different pace, and it becomes easy to see why frustration exists.

Youth sports isn’t difficult because people don’t care.

It’s difficult because everyone cares deeply.

Parents care about their children.

Coaches care about their teams.

Athletes care about their opportunities.

And when passionate people are pursuing different goals, disagreements are inevitable.

The best environments aren’t the ones where everyone always agrees. They’re the ones where expectations are clear, communication is honest, trust is built over time, and everyone remembers that there are many different paths to success in sports and in life.

[Coach DeMarco, EdD @Coach_DeMarco]

Congrats to the #GetBetterEveryDay Player of the Game in the @ZeroGravityBB National Finals Championship, Grace Dhooge! She killed it at both ends of the floor & locked down our opponents best player to get us the W.

She did not give up a single basket!
#Pressure #ZGPOTG

[Middlesex Magic @MiddlesexMagic]

16u Brewer @HoopGroupAL into the Elite 8 behind 42 points from Weymouth 2028 Jack Ryan and St Sebs 2029 Connor Larnard! #MagicFamily ⚪️⚫️🔵

[KateD118 @KateD118]

@Merrlll_PE Had a block rocker for years that was awesome, then moved on to a monster that was very disappointing and did not last very long, now waiting on a new JBL on wheels

[Zero Gravity New England @zg_newengland]

Get Better Everyday are crowned Girls 8th Grade champs at Throwdown for the Throne! Big-time performance 👑🔥 #ZGThrone @coach_demarco

[Zero Gravity New England @zg_newengland]

👑 # ZGPOTGs 👑
Kamryn Flannery and Grace Dhooge showed OUT for Team Get Better Everyday 🔥
From hustle plays to clutch moments, these two set the tone and never let up. Impact on both ends of the floor, leadership, and straight-up grit
#ZGThrone

[Coach DeMarco, EdD @Coach_DeMarco]

Our #GetBetterEveryDay 8th graders are ready for their first @zg_newengland game of the spring!

[KateD118 @KateD118]

@CoachFazzi It is messing with you

[Mike Holloway II @LuckyLefty_5]

The day referees officiate girls as BASKETBALL PLAYERs and not girls, we will have more exciting games!

Don’t let this message go over your head !

[Emily Paschall @EmilyAPaschall]

Words I heard recently that stuck with me:

“Culture is the vibe we set and the standard we practice.”

Not the posters on the wall.
Not just what we say.

It’s the actions we repeat every single day.

[Justin Gominsky @GoGoGominsky22]

Parents, one thing I can promise you about youth sports:

You will blink…
and your son or daughter will be graduating.

The years move faster than you think.

Along the way, remember your role.

Your job is to support, not to drive the engine.

The best athletes learn to self drive.
Motivation has to come from within.

Parents who create the environment of support give their athletes the best chance to grow.

Help your athlete develop the right mindset as well.

Do not let their identity become tied to the game.

That does not mean we do not want fierce competitors.

The best athletes hate losing more than they love winning.

But their worth is never defined by the scoreboard.

And when it comes to choosing teams and programs, remember something important.

Care less about which team your player makes.

Care more about whether they are:

Developing the right way.
Playing for coaches who truly care about them.
Part of a program with a proven track record of success.

The right environment will shape your athlete far more than the name of the team they make.

Because when the experience is over, what will matter most is not the trophies.

It is the person your son or daughter became along the way.

[Coach DeMarco, EdD @Coach_DeMarco]

No surprise that these 3 won the 8th Grade A (top) division travel championship today! Congrats to @KateD118 & @LeaFlanns for leading this group the past 5 yrs!

Cannot wait to get them back together for the #GetBetterEveryDay spring AAU season!

Congrats to Kam, Lily and Grace!

[Jon Beck @CoachJonBeck]

Parents: Stop:

Coaching from the stands
Yelling at refs
Lecturing your kids after games
Talking about teammates
Telling your kids to ignore coaching
Playing the blame game
Making failure unacceptable

You don’t need to coach. Be supportive. Offer encouragement & just love them!

[Coach Mac 🏀 @BballCoachMac]

"It's not about any one person.

You've got to get over yourself and realize that it takes a group to get this thing done"

- Gregg Popovich

[KateD118 @KateD118]

@CrawfordLeshon Thanks for coming coach & team! Appreciate the support 🐾

[Coach Crawford @CrawfordLeshon]

Wildcats got to watch the future Class of 2030 pull out a 49-44 2OT win to remain undefeated. Great job girls!

[Coach DeMarco, EdD @Coach_DeMarco]

Grace, Lily, and Kam rocking the #GetBetterEveryDay backpacks before heading in for win 5 (A division) on the season!

No surprise this 8th grade group is off to a 5-0 start for Coach @KateD118 and @LeaFlanns! Can't wait for spring AAU, but until then, keep the WINS coming!