"Attitudes are contagious! Is yours worth catching?"
-
Roy Williams
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of Attitude on life.
Attitude is more important than facts.
It is more important than past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company . . . a team . . . a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the Attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past . . . we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our Attitude . . .
I think life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And it is with you . . . we are in charge of our Attitude."
1. Play Hard give everything you have every second out on the basketball floor – practice or game.
2. Play Smart play and perform within the team’s offense/defense and its own physical limitations; then you are playing smart.
3. Play Together –We, not I. Understand that individual accolades come easier when team accolades come first.
4. Have Fun Basketball is just a game, it's supposed to be fun, and we can have fun while we are busy playing hard, smart, and together.
Practice as you Play

Playing time is something that is earned. It is not the coaches’ obligation at any level to spread out playing time equally. Coaches will reward effort, ability, and desire with playing time.
Training rules and discipline expectations are an important part of a successful education based basketball program. The lessons learned have immediate as well as long lasting value. We expect total dedication for our school, and basketball program, to succeed by behaviors as listed below.
1. Academics & school attendance must be the first priority of all players. Keep in mind: Basketball is a privilege that was given based on how you do in school and at home.
2. Be on time whenever time is involved.
3. When you step on the basketball floor, THINK AND TALK BASKETBALL. (No cell phones at practice or during games)
4. Represent our program positively whether on the court, in the classroom, in the community or
ONLINE (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc…)
5. Be "UP"" for practice. We must be ready to play whenever we step on the court.
6. Hustle wherever you go in practice. ALWAYS. This becomes a habit, as does a lack of hustle.
7. Listen at all times - you will not want to make the same mistake someone else did.
8. When the whistle is blown, everything stops.
9. If you are late for practice, see your coach before you begin with a note from your teacher.
10. If you miss practice, let your coach know before you are gone if possible.
11. Do not leave the practice floor unless we know about it.
12. No profanity allowed at any time - on or off the floor.
13. No "showmanship" at any time. "Give yourself up for the team."
14. Do not interfere with the practices of other sports. Stay off the floor completely until they are finished.
15. The use of the locker room: No horseplay - we do not need injuries. No tape, towels, garbage, or other equipment on the floor - Home or Away.
16. See the trainer on all injuries before you go to the doctor. Keep coach informed.
17. Proper equipment is to be worn at all practices - reversible jerseys - basketball shorts, no jewelry, etc.
18. Positive Mental Attitude - we are in this together.
• mistakes are part of the game - show no needless emotion and know you will get the job done next time.
19. If you do not understand, ask why it is being done, do not assume that it is wrong.
20. Proper pregame preparation - locker room atmosphere, no junk food before your game
 Arrival time means fully dressed, taped and on the floor.

1 st unexcused late arrival: A player who is late will run 1 opportunity for every minute she is late at the end of practice.

2 nd unexcused late arrival: Player will be held out of at least 1 quarter of next game, plus run 1
 opportunity for every minute late at the end of practice.
3 rd unexcused late arrival: A player will not play in the subsequent game.
Definition of an Excused Late Arrival=Letting your coach know beforehand on a valid reason, note from a teacher, or having a family emergency.


Players who have unexcused absences during the school day are not eligible to participate in


 practice, or game, on that day.
1 st unexcused absence from practice will result in a one game suspension.
2 nd unexcused absence from practice will result in a two game suspension.
3 rd unexcused absence from practice will result in suspension from the team.
The coaching has rarely failed to excuse players for legitimate reasons.
SEE YOUR COACH IN
ADVANCE!
We expect our players & parents on all our teams to conduct themselves in manner that projects an outstanding image of themselves, our program, and our school. This happens most when we are on the road. We do not anticipate discipline problems when we travel.
Occasionally, our JV/C squad request the opportunity to go home with their parents after their game.
We encourage everyone to stay and be fans for the varsity game, but this can't always happen. On away games, they may leave only if they have filled out the Transportation Exception for Athletic
Travel form at the athletic office and have written notification with their coach.
All passengers will understand and abide by the following:
1. Do not distract or bother the bus driver.
2. Passengers should not:

Leave their seat while the bus is in motion.

Make unnecessary noise.

Tamper with any bus equipment.

Damage the bus in anyway.

Bring food or beverages on the bus.

Leave debris on the bus.

Place any part of your body outside the bus window.

Toss items outside the window.

Make inappropriate remarks or gestures to people outside or inside the bus.
Failure to follow these basic rules may result in removal from the bus as soon as is safely possible and further disciplinary action.
The following are the requirements of receiving an athletic letter:
1. Player must have a valid ASB card
2. Player must be a varsity player.
3. Player must play in at least half of the quarters in a season. a. If a person does not meet half the quarters in a season requirement but is close due to special circumstances (injury, etc…), or has special circumstances on how they benefited the team (senior, playoff team), the head coach will come up with other related items to earn quarters. Some options, but not excluded to these: Grades in school, attitude in school, community service items, helping the team with other functions (examples: stats, or helping with other equipment).

Your role as a parent of a Washougal basketball player is that of support and positive reinforcement.
Winning is an attitude. That positive attitude must be consistently put into the player's mind. We will do the best we can while we are with your daughter and we ask that you do the best you can the rest of the time. We as coaches realize we will make mistakes. There will be times you may not agree with something that we did or are trying to do. When you discuss this with your daughter, keep the tone positive. Remember, winning is an attitude, and we must do everything we can to keep everything positive.
We ask that you communicate with your daughter. If you do not understand something that is going on, ask your daughter. In the program, not only are we trying to produce good basketball players, but also, more importantly, we are trying to produce good people in the community. Communication is a vital skill in life. Your daughter must learn to communicate for themselves at some point in time in their life. We would like to facilitate this growth. We will communicate with them that if they have a problem, they need to talk to the coaches. If they share a problem with you dealing with basketball, make sure they know it is alright to talk to a coach first. We as a basketball staff will not communicate with a parent about a player until we have first had a conversation with the player. If further discussion were necessary, we would be more than happy to talk to you (Do not interrupt practice or games for this). A discussion with your daughter's primary coach will precede a discussion with the head coach. The first part of that discussion will be a recap of your conversation with your daughter and our conversation with your daughter. Generally, a face-to-face conversation is preferred rather than the phone. Since we will be talking about your daughter, it will be preferred that your daughter be involved in the conversation.
1 st Level: Player talks with their coach
2 nd Level: Player & Parent talks with coach
3 rd Level: Player & Parent talks with their coach & head coach (if necessary)
4 th Level: Player/Parent meets with coach & Athletic Director
We ask that you follow these steps. We feel that this process will best help us maintain a positive attitude amongst the players and the program.
As soon as we know, we will notify as many of you as possible. We will start by word of mouth and email, but you can also direct yourself to the WHS Sports Calendar (located on the left handside, under the Daily Bulletin of the WHS Sports website): http://www.washougal.k12.wa.us/whs/athletics_activities/athleticsprogram.htm
You can also check the Lady Panther Website: http://pantheracademy.com/Team.html
, also found under the Washougal High Athletic page, under
Women’s basketball on the left hand side.

1. BE COMMITTED TO YOUR ACADEMICS
– Participation in athletics is an earned privilege. Go to class every day. Be on time. Take good notes. Do all extra work possible.
2. BE COMMITTED TO HAVING CLASS - Treat teachers, trainers, support staff and all the people you meet with respect. Treat other people the way you want to be treated. Moody people are rude. Remember to smile, to say please, thank you, yes sir, and yes ma'am, and give people the benefit of the doubt.
3. BE COMMITTED TO DO THE RIGHT THING -We have plenty of school rules . . . know them.
Realize if you just try to do the right thing you will be OK. Try to do the right thing and you are as close to perfect as any person can be.
4. BE COMMITTED TO THE PROGRAM - We realize that our players are in a fish bowl at
Washougal High School. Our program provides many opportunities yet bring many responsibilities. We must be committed to build a tradition for our program.
5. BE COMMITTED TO HARD WORK - Our program is built on the concept that hard work pays off.
We believe that we work harder than anyone else . . . and because of that we will be more prepared to win. There is a reason we can be the best . . . we work hard at it.
6. BE COMMITTED TO BECOMING A SMART PLAYER - We believe we work smarter than anyone else . . . We must develop players who understand the game. Our players must be good listeners and learn by watching. We must make good decisions; we must play with poise. We prepare mentally for practice and games.
7. BE COMMITTED TO OUR TEAM ATTITUDE CONCEPT - We must have players who believe in our team concept. Our program is built on the concept that the team program is bigger than any one player . . . We need unselfish players.
8. COMMIT YOURSELF TO A WINNING ATTITUDE - Our players must be committed to winning but understand we don't measure our success by winning alone. Each time we play we evaluate ourselves on reaching our potential. The test for our team is to play against the game not just our opponent. We never quit.
9. BELIEVE IN OUR SYSTEM - Commit yourself to our philosophy, to our system of play. Learn your role . . . then accept yours and do it the best you can.
10. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF - Play with confidence . . . think positive . . . realize that you are a great player. Don't get down when you play poorly . . . be a leader. Lead by example.
11. BELIEVE IN YOUR TEAMMATES - Communicate with each other . . . help each other.
Encourage each other and support each other. Be a friend. We understand that we are all different — be tolerant of teammates and others.
12. BELIEVE IN YOUR COACHES - Know that your coaches are trying to make you better people and players. Ask questions . . . don't whine and complain. Learn to take tough coaching. You must believe that the coaches are doing what they think is right for the team and you.

As a Participant in The WHS Girls Basketball Program:
I have read the above policy and understand the expectations of the program. I also understand the commitment I am making to my teammates, coaches, school, and community. I understand that participating in WHS Girls Basketball is a privilege, not my right, and with this privilege comes certain responsibilities that I am willing to take on. I will conduct myself as described in this guide (WHS Girls Basketball Guide) and the WHS Athletic Handbook.
Student/Athlete Name: ___________________________________ Signature: _________________________________
Date Signed: ______________________________________________
As a Parent of a Participant in the WHS Girls Basketball Program:
I have read the above WHS Girls Basketball Guide and understand the expectations of the program on my daughter. I understand the commitment that my daughter is making and will facilitate, as much as I can, that commitment. I understand that participating in WHS Girls Basketball is a privilege, not my daughter’s right, and understand the responsibilities she is taking on. I understand the rules and consequences as described above. I understand I have an important, supportive role to my daughter and teammates.
Parent/Guardian Name: _________________________________ Signature:__________________________________
Date Signed: _____________________________________________