The last week has been forever life changing. One minute, my wife and I are going in for a routine baby appointment (6 days over our scheduled due date), the next, we welcomed our first child, Rayna Lyn Thibodeau, to the world. Thoughts of joy and excitement swarmed over me, as well as, happiness that both my wife and child are healthy. I have been preparing myself for parenthood for some time, but to experience the real thing is a feeling that is indescribable with words. Parenthood is a privilege. I was guided by two great parents, Mark and Terri, and I completely intend to share the same values of respect, loyalty, responsibility, thankfulness, and love with my child. I intend to be there every step of the way in her life and look forward to someday introducing her to the game of basketball. How does this change my approach to my career? It doesn't! Family and Faith are always my first priorities...no matter what. Could this affect my ability to be the most successful coach I can be? My "job" is to be there when my wife and daughter need me and I will do the same when my team needs me. That also will never change. Lastly, I am honored to take on this challenge and with my wife by my side, I will grow and learn in becoming the best father I can be. God Bless! The end of the basketball season is a tough time and I go through a lot of reflection about the team and my role in its outcome. After a couple of weeks away from the game, we get back on the court for my favorite time of the entire calendar, the off-season. As a coach at the NAIA Division II level, we are recruiting players with college potential. It is our role as a coach to build them into All-Conference players and people. Our off-season is broken into three parts; spring, summer, and fall. Our guys are currently completing week 5 of our 8 week strength program and using me throughout the week for individual skill development sessions. We spend this time of year focusing on the fundmentals of the game; ball handling, passing, shooting, and defending. It is fun to challenge our players to try things different to see if it's something they feel they can add to their games over the summer and fall. It is ok to get away from the X's and O's of offensive and defensive philosophy to really emphasize the "little things." Everyone loves the competition that the seasons brings (me included), but the results during the season are won during the off-season. Keep working on your game and results will come next winter! |
AuthorThe purpose of this Blog is to share thoughts and insights from Coach Ryan Thibodeau and the Archives
January 2015
Categories |