A seven-game Saturday
 

I'll be helping out my alma mater's basketball camp next Saturday, seven games in total (starting at 9:40 a.m., finishing at 10:15 p.m.). High school girls of varying ages/abilities, 18-minute halves running time (stop time last minute of first half, last 2 minutes of second half), sudden-death OT.

Generally, 40-minute breaks between games, with one 3-hour break between sessions. The last game is listed as "quick hitters." We'll see exactly what the entails.

I think I'll stay away from plyometrics the day before. :D

I've been at team camps where "special situations", team versus team, were a part of things. We'd be scheduled for an hour on a court, two teams, with 3 or 4 situations to play twice each, like "Team A down by 1 point, 45 seconds left, shooting a one-and-one" (to then be repeated with Team B in that situation), or "Team A down by 3 points, 10 seconds left, frontcourt sideline inbounds". Lots of breaks or "timeouts" to prepare strategy for each different situation. If that's what you have, it should be fun and useful for you and your partner.

Seven games in one day is too much for me anymore - wouldn't matter how much time between em. Legs just too tired at the end to give it my all. Five is my absolute limit.

AAU I don't do anymore than 3. In camps, even with breaks in between, by the end of my 3rd game I'm shot.

You would've loved the Big East women's camp until the format was changed a few years ago: 8 stop-time games with 18-minute halves over 2½ days (3/3/2). I learned to lie to my feet to tell them they didn't really hurt :)

MTD, Jr., and I are officiating a girls' H.S. team shootout tomorrow. Games are scheduled every 45 minutes. Mark and I are scheduled to officiate ten games in a row with a third official. I will do the first two and Mark will do the second two and so forth and he and I will split the last two. That means five games each for Mark and I and $100 each for us ($20 per game, :D). I just hope the gym's AC is running.

MTD, Sr.

Schaeffer City
 

There isn't enough beer in the world to recover from a seven-game, middle-of-summer, No-AC, No-ventilation AAUFest.

Fortunately, it's not AAU. It's a girls' basketball camp at the university's rec center.

I actually haven't worked any basketball games (only soccer) in about three months, and I've been focusing my exercise on P90X, so I'm eager to see how that results on the court. Oh, I'll have access to a hot tub between sessions. We'll see if that invigorates or sedates.

Sounds like one of the camps I've been to in Northwestern part of PA. It was a good college camp. I remember doing those special situations and they have helped me during the season in close games as how to pregame those situations and getting different perspective of things.

Good shoes and dry socks
 

I find that it really helps if I change my socks every game or two and my shoes. I did 10 games on Saturday. Two 20-minute halves, running clock until the last 2 minutes of the 2nd half. I did 6 then a 2 hour break and then 4 more. My legs felt great - having good shoes makes all the difference in the world. And by good shoes I mean Reebok Zigs. My Nike Air Monarchs and my other (can't think of the name) Reeboks all feel like wooden clogs when compared to my Zigs.

Look sharp, bainsey, I'll be there spectating :)

Could you do so for games 1 or 2, rather than 6 or 7? :D

Your introduction is now mandatory, y'know.

Yes sir, I will limit my spectating and all I will say is "Hello."

Yup. Did 6 once. 5 is the limit.

This weekend I'm working NC State's camp.

9 games each on Fri and Sat. Probably 5 on Sunday. Split up into three 3-game sessions. They feed us lunch and dinner between the sessions.

Piece of cake. I do it every year. Carolina's (Hatchell's camp) too. Not bad money either.

Sorry I missed you, bainsey. My daughter got injured the night before camp so we didn't make the trip. Hope camp went well for you.

Not as sorry as I am to hear that. I hope she recovers well and soon.

Overall, things went well. Zero problems with the kids; very minimal BS from the coaches. It was interesting that the university had us fill out W-4s for payment. One of my partners wondered aloud if getting on payroll allows us tuition discounts.

Just a couple of little notables...

Game 3: I had an easy PC foul right in front of the offensive team's bench. Our mechanic is to get the fist up, PAUSE, then give the signal (hand behind the head). The coach first asked me if I knew or if was I thinking, and three seconds later, told his player she was out of control! (So, I guess he knew.)

Game 5: Team A is up 7 points in the last minute, with the ball. A's coach calls a 30-second time-out. Okay, interesting timing for hat. Suddenly, I notice UMaine's head coach take over the Team A bench, and ask me where the throw-in was. I point to the spot, about five feet from the division line, opposite side. He asks to move it to the free-throw line extended.

My brain's first thought was, great, here's another guy I have to explain that rule doesn't exist.... oh, wait, I'm at a camp. "No problem, coach."

The 30-second time out became 90 easily. Again, it's a camp, and these girls are learning from a Division I coach. Let's see what happens.

I bounce to ball to A-1 for the throw-in, B-2 is guarding, and B-2 immediately steals the throw-in and goes the other way. All that set-up for that!

However, after I take position on the opposite end line, my partner, the new trail, calls a five-second violation on B-3, table-side near the division line.

"Run the play again!" the head coach immediately yells. Sure, why not? I go back to the free throw-line extended, opposite side: Lob throw-in, tall center catches it in the lane, and makes the easy lay-in, a good last-second play learned.

At the buzzer, my partner let B-3 know she didn't dribble it for five seconds; he was looking for a way to run that play again.

"Oh," says B-3. "Okay, cool."