Red Team mid-season review

Any time you move up a division, it's not going to be an easy task. But so far, the 8th grade Red Team seems to be handling it well.

"The patience and skill level has been set at a new bar in this division," said head coach James Chiu. "None of these teams should be underestimated."

There are no easy games, and as easily as this team could be (4-0), they could be winless too, if things don't fall in the right place.

Remember in two of their wins, they erased double-digit deficits because of slow starts, something that improved in their last game, a win on Saturday.

"It's more of a mental preparation," said assistant coach Patty Fung.  "Everyone has to come together as a team, ready to play, ready to work hard, ready to be aggressive as well as patient from the start. Some players have to shake of their butterflies and be under control."

They got a nice breakout game from Jeremy on Saturday when Miles was off, and it's key for any team to have an entire team step up at different times.

Every player on the team contributes and there isn't a give the ball to one player so he can score, even though it may seem like Miles is the go to guy. The offense really doesn't run through Miles, as most of his points come from put backs on the offensive end.

When they can move the ball in a half court, it opens up shots for Justin, Jeremy and Michael Ng, all pretty good shooters. When teams have to defend those outside shots, it opens up the middle for Miles to roam.

And that has been their formula to success as Miles has set two career highs so far this season, one at 24, and most recently 33.

"He works so hard and constantly pushes himself," said assistant coach Vinette Ly. "He demonstrates great sportsmanship and motivates his teammates to do better"

His free-throws which were problematic at the beginning of the year have come around, as he was once missing short on many of his shots.

The addition of the two DeMarillac players, David and Mark, have also been vital, as David was one of the main reasons they were able to win their game last Saturday, getting to several loose balls before anyone else.

"David jumped straight into the mix of things contributing with his energy and aggressiveness," James said. "He has the ability to contribute to the success of this team and I hope he continues to give us that same effort as we enter the second half of the season."

Mark is quick defensively but is still getting used to playing in games. He has only played in 4 organized basketball games.

"He still looks lost sometimes when he is on the court, but he has continued to improve every game, getting more accustomed to his teammates and the pace that we play," James said. "He has been a solid player on defense being quick and doing a solid job of staying in front and putting pressure on the ball handlers. With some more practice he can develop to contribute more on both sides of the court."

The difference between winning and losing could come down to a bad pass, a turnover, or something very small. So for the Red Team to be as close to perfectionists will be needed.

They cannot afford to have the lazy passes or the mental breakdowns like they had last game, when they allowed another team to run the same exact play against them, time after time.

At (3-1), playoffs will be a distinct possibility if they can rattle off some victories down the stretch. But one thing's for sure, it's going to be a very exciting and nerve-racking time for everyone.

"We're only halfway through the season and each game has shed light on a lot of positives and negatives in each individuals skills," James said. "If they continue to work hard and focus on the little things in practice I will be expecting a lot more good things to come"