Pregame Meeting

[rainmaker]

Nu1 -- I've been working my way up, and have just finished my first varsity season. My experience has been that our game will be as good as our pre-game. If the pre-game is non-existent, your game could have a lot of problems. At the lower levels, it's just not always practical to have a lengthy, detailed pre-game. But what I try to do is connect with my partner. Ask, listen, talk, listen, respond, listen. The topics need to be things that YOU need to cover, and that your PARTNER needs to cover. Even if you've only got three minutes, you can connect if you are assertive and personable. If necessary, say, "Let's get together at the first time-out and talk about a couple more things." If you know your partner is weak in certain areas, try to cover them. If you know YOU are weak in certain areas, try to cover them. In my opinion, the most important thing you can do in the pre-game is develop a working relationship with your partner, based on who you are and how you work, and who your partner is and how she or he works.