Marble Falls boys basketball coaches encouraged by league play
CAPTION: Tidus Willie (left) and Brenton Liscum do forward rolls as part of mat drill training during Marble Falls Forge ’24, the program’s summer strength and conditioning. Mat drills help athletes get up faster after being knocked down. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team finished the Georgetown League June 18-19, and the Mustangs pleased new head coach John Berkman.
Not because of the number of wins but because of the number of participants and how they had to learn to play with new faces.
“Different guys are on vacation, they’re working,” Berkman said. “You’re getting the opportunity for a lot of different kids to play who haven’t played during the season. Everybody who showed up is getting to play.”
The opportunity to improve didn’t stop after the games concluded. Berkman, who attended and observed each league game, kept notes of what he saw – the plays he liked and where the Mustangs can get better. When the team met up the next day at 7 a.m. for sport-specific work, Berkman shared his notes and then told the Mustangs what do to in order to counter what the opposition was doing.
Coaches also had the Mustangs go through drills that forced them to get better in the areas opponents exposed them. What Berkman liked about that is the willingness of his players to be uncomfortable and to be coached for a better chance at success.
“What can we work on? What should we work on?” he said. “From week one to week four, I saw a great progression of things.”
One key emphasis is the Mustangs haven’t shown a lot of Berkman’s playbook. He is more interested in seeing their court chemistry and how they’re developing rapport with one another. Are they reacting to what the opponent is doing naturally? If in the half court the defense overplays, do the Mustangs automatically know to run a backdoor play to get an open layup? If the path to the basket is cut off, do they know which teammate to kick the ball out to for a spot-up shot?
“I’m looking at our decision making and how we play the game,” the coach said. “We were able to compete. In a four-week program, we’ve grown up.”
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