All About Dowling Freshman Basketball - Expository Essay
Have you ever wanted to know more about the Dowling Catholic Basketball program? Would you like an inside view on how the tryout process works? If you make the cut, what does the season look like? Many think the coaches are rough. Others don't know what to expect. Any questions you may have about the experience can be answered right here.
Tryouts for the freshman team last four nights in November. You will meet Coach O’Hare and Coach Hetherton. Typically, more than thirty students try out for Freshman Basketball. There are two teams you have a chance at making, the A team and the B team. During tryouts, you go through many drills, and you scrimmage for at least twenty minutes each day. The coaches evaluate your skills, work ethic, attitude, and involvement. There are also open gym sessions, prior to tryouts, where you scrimmage the whole time. The scrimmages are open to all age levels of basketball players. There are about eight open gyms scheduled during the summer, and that is the time to improve your skills. After tryouts, the coaches select twenty-four freshman to play on the A and B teams. The coaches then take the remaining players into the locker room after tryouts. They inform them that they didn’t make the team, but encourage them to keep working hard to improve their skills and to consider trying out next year.
There are practices almost everyday from the beginning of December to the middle of February. Practices are usually at 6:00 PM, but sometimes they can be held at 6:00 AM. The coaches decide the teams after the first few practices. These teams are not permanent as players can move between teams during the season. Everyone has to be ready to practice fifteen minutes before the start time. If you are late, you have to run a last gasp for every minute you are late. A last gasp is four down and backs with dribbling patterns. During practice, you work on your skills in drills and scrimmage usually at the end of practice. With Coach O‘Hare, you do a lot of conditioning during practice. Some players can get sick, because they are so exhausted. You have to be in shape to be able to play for Coach O’Hare. He will run you hard.
For both the A and B teams, there are games at least once a week. Most of the games are on weekdays with the exception of possibly playing on Saturday. Playing basketball at Dowling is a huge time commitment. You have to find time to do homework and focus on your faith. To play basketball at Dowling, you must also be a team player. You have to be more about “we” than about “me.” The A team went 21-0, and the B team went 15-3 last season. At the end of the season, there is a team banquet. You get to celebrate a great season! Coach O’Hare expects a lot out of you and can be intimidating, but if you do everything he wants from you, he will love you! You have to work harder than you have ever worked before, and you have to be a team player. Through Freshman Basketball, you can also build many lasting relationships with others. It was a great experience for me, and one I will always cherish and remember.
