Memo
TO:
2015 Dayton Flight Parents
FROM:
Coach Mark Velasco (mvelasco@embarqmail.com) (937 475 2124 Cell)
DATE:
February 19, 2015
Re:
Dayton Flight 2015 Priorities
WELCOME TO THE 2015 DAYTON FLIGHT TEAM!
It is hard to believe that the third year of the Dayton Flight is underway. I consider it a privilege
that you have entrusted your daughter’s AAU Basketball season to the Dayton Flight. This Memo is to set
expectations and convey as much information as I can. Please share with your daughters as you see fit.
1.
Priorities. I believe the decisions we make as a Team need to be driven from a set of
priorities. Here are our priorities for the 2015 Dayton Flight which the Coaching Staff will use to make
decisions for the Team and each Team Member.
Priority #1 – Player Development.
development:
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“Player Development” means 3 specific areas of
Skill – ball handling, shooting technique, footwork, finishing at the basket, etc. We will
devote about 40% of our practice time to skill development. Note, we shifted this priority
from 50% this year because as we face higher and higher levels of competition, we believe
Team concepts will be more important. Also, as your daughter approaches high school, we
want to be sure she is accustomed to team concepts.
Basketball IQ – Young players need to learn the game and we hope to continue to teach
them the game (e.g., how to handle a double team, when to go back door, when to pump fake,
when to pull up, when to step through, when to change speeds, etc.) – In short, how to apply
the skills they learn
Team IQ – How the game works as a team. Learning roles, plays, game flow, how to move
away from the ball, how to screen away from the ball, different types of screens, etc.
A few words on this topic . . . I view this season as a part of a long-term player development
effort, of which we are now a small part. Metro, school ball, individual workouts, individual lessons, also
factor into player development. I want your daughter to GET BETTER, and get closer to her goals for
basketball (whether that’s WNBA, playing in Europe, Division 1 collegiate play, other collegiate play,
high school varsity, or just being good and schooling her brothers . . .). I firmly believe versatile, all
round players, are what we are trying to develop at Flight. I point to #24 at UD, Andrea Hoover,
she currently leads her team in minutes, made baskets, free throw attempts and percentage, 3
pointers made and percentage, assists, and is second in rebounds (at 5’9”). Oh yes, points scored
and points average too. I believe Andrea’s fundamentals (Priority #1 – Player Development) are
why she is so good (her FT% is 89.5% and 3PT% is 48.4%). Hence, you will see us trying to push
Dayton Flight Parents
Dayton Flight 2015 Priorities
February 19, 2014
your daughter to be versatile and get better at ALL ASPECTS OF THE GAME. You may see “bigs”
shooting 3’s and working on ball handling, you may see “littles” learning post moves, you may see
traditional multi-purpose guards learning how to do everything. The point is that these priorities will help
your daughter long term by turning her into a complete player.
Priority #2 – Have a Great Basketball Experience. You know by now how this basketball team
was formed – primarily from a number of our daughters bonding together. I want your daughter to have a
great basketball experience. That means that we will work hard toward our priorities and goals, but it
also means that we will have fun. Your daughters are 12-13 years old – they have plenty of time to win
championships, get collegiate offers, get on ESPN, etc. Of course there will be times where part of the
experience is learning (and sometimes learning can’t happen well with too much giggling or messing
around), and part of the learning experience will be coaching and correction. Also, I recognize that
everyone on the team will generally have more fun WHEN WE WIN. Winning and attempting to win
will be done in the context of our priorities.
Priority #3 – Compete Well Against Great Competition. I believe that playing against better
competition makes players better. My goal is to compete well and be well prepared to play elite teams.
I’d like to play teams that push us, where we have to play our best to win. Jim Westbeld has a great
quote, “I’d rather lose by 10, than win by 40.”
After watching Andrea Hoover develop all kinds of game and “guy-like” moves from playing
against her brothers and other guys, I am convinced that a small dose of stronger, more athletic guys is a
good idea for playing good competition. I also notice that virtually every women’s’ college program
plays against MEN practice players. You’ll notice my Sophomore Centerville JV son Adam and my
Senior SVA Varsity son Alec as a practice players. They can simulate about any girl player at this age
(big, medium, point).
2.
Playing Time. Given the priorities I listed above, in general, during pool play the
“starting 5” will play a little more than our bench. However, because I believe player development and
the “experience” of basketball is more important than winning at all costs, you will find that during pool
play in tournaments that the minutes for the Team will be more equal (with the starters playing a little
more). When we play in elimination play, particularly in the big tournaments, such as the
Shamrock, Blizzard, AAU State Tournament (Ohio District Championship), GBA Nationals, and
AAU Nationals, we will coach more like a high school coaches, playing players to win the game. We
don’t anticipate sitting players for extended periods of time, but, it is unlikely that we will rotate
players based on time only. When we play in a championship game, we will try to win by playing
the players playing the best. Many AAU Tournaments have 7 minute quarters, so with the intensity
and speed we will be playing with, I think players will be fine with their time on the floor and be ready to
come out . . .
While we will try to play the girls as much as possible consistent with our priorities, one
basketball lesson to learn will be that PLAYING TIME IS EARNED, NOT A RIGHT. I want your
daughter to learn that hard work and performance will be rewarded. We will base playing time (deciding
starters, who plays a little more than others, who plays during crunch time, etc.), generally, in order of
importance, using these factors:

The Coaching Staff’s impression of which Team member gives us the best chance to win /
those that give the most effort during games. We expect that all players will play EVERY
POINT, EVERY PLAY, EVERY POSSESSION -- AS HARD AS THEY CAN.
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Dayton Flight Parents
Dayton Flight 2015 Priorities
February 19, 2014

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Performance during previous games
Performance and effort during practice
Attendance and promptness at practice
The reality of the situation (i.e., the “bench” plays more when the games are not close – the
“bench” plays less when the game is close)
Communicating with Coaches/Problems. The protocol for problems is:


Please talk to the Head Coach directly about the problem. The Head Coach will consult with
the Coaching Staff and try to work through the problem with you.
If the Coaching Staff can’t resolve it, we will escalate the problem to the Basketball Club
Officers – Shannon Velasco, Don Keller, and Tony Greene for their help in resolving the
problem. If the issue involves anyone of our daughters, I’ll ask a neutral parent(s) to
substitute.
PLEASE DO NOT LOOK FOR PROBLEM RESOLUTION IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING
GAMES. Please understand that emotions are probably running high and the Coaching Staff may need
some time to unwind from the competition – Athletes and Parents may also need some time to reflect if
the problem arose during a game.
We always welcome your phone calls, E-mails, and texts.
3.
Coaching. Please let your athlete play with only one set of coaching instructions.
Preferably, this will come solely from the Coaching Staff! Parents are more than welcome to cheer and
encourage during the games – PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE leave the coaching to us. I often find that
the Team’s priorities for your daughter may not line up perfectly with your priorities for her – receiving
conflicting instructions is difficult for the 12-13 year old athlete. Parents are welcome to coach all they
want in the car on the way home!
That said, I recognize that may of our parents are also highly qualified coaches. We welcome
your thoughts and opinions about your daughter’s development and the Team . . . just communicate it to
us so we’re on the same page when giving instruction to your daughter and she has one set of coaching
instructions.
Finally, please be mindful that these are 12-13 year olds and not professional or collegiate
athletes. Support your daughters and everyone else’s daughters; please avoid correcting or
criticizing our players. They need as much positive input as possible.
Summary. I think this is going to be a great year and I thank you and your daughters for
stepping out and playing with the Dayton Flight. We consider it a privilege to coach your daughter and
be part of her (and your family’s) basketball journey.
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