(A)(S) Journal Entry #1 [Boy's Basketball Varsity]

It's  been roughly a month since basketball season started and our team has improved greatly since day one.  The team started off very rough, and disorganized during our scrimmages, our team had a lot of new faces this year and it was going to take time before we started playing smooth basketball. However, within the first week, we jumped right into learning new plays, and defenses, of which was very new to even some of us veterans to the team being so used to a sort of casual street basketball practices in the previous years. Our coaches told us to be like "sponges" and to absorb what they tell us, and I think we did just that. Two weeks later, we had our first unofficial game against the faculty where I would say we played quite well despite all the new basketball "knowledge" that we had to absorb within the previous week. As for my individual performance, I thought I had an "alright" game, I had some good looks and a couple of steals. However, I noticed that I had to work on my defensive awareness on the court because at times, I was lost when we quickly switched defensive strategies on the court.
The week after was followed by heavy conditioning, lots of wind sprints, air benches, and stations. Practice was more tiring, but I felt stronger and faster after each day. We almost won against a much older and bigger team, with the final score of 49-54. Our team in general played very well and I could clearly see us improving. However my individual performance in that game was quite poor. I felt like I was forcing my shots and wasn't as relaxed as I usually was. I felt really terrible after that game, and even the next few days, although I tried my best not to show in practice as I tried to look at my difficulty as a motivation to improve in the next game. Hopefully, I can perform better in the next game, and eventually deserve to be part of the starting line up again.

GOAL FOR THIS WEEK (in order of importance)
1) Defense, defense, defense!
2) Court awareness
3) Mid range jump shot
4) Drive and Dish

CAS Proposal Form 9 (Boy's Varsity Basketball)

Student’s Name	Armand Mendoza				Supervisor’s Name	Mr Tolentino
Year  11 12		Activity Name		Boys Varsity Basketball
Date(s) / Duration of Activity			January 2012 – March 2012

What is my past experience with this activity?

I’ve been in the varsity basketball team since grade 6, as a point guard. Last year, I was the team’s captain. I’ve been in the basketball ISAC team since grade 9 as well.

What new learning or skill do I hope to pick up or develop?

I hope to develop my court vision and my ability to keep calm under pressure situations. I also hope to become more aggressive to the hoop, as well as improve my mid-range/outside shooting in order to become a prolific point guard/shooting guard. I would also like to play the “2” position more often (SG) this year. I also hope to lessen my turnovers during the games.

How will this experience be different from that of the past?

This year will be different because of many reasons. First, we have a new coaching staff, so there it will take time for the team to get used to it. Second, this year’s ISAC competition is in Subic, so home court advantage will hopefully get us more prepared. Third, there are new faces on the team, so camaraderie/chemistry must develop between them and the old players in the team.

How am I going to know if I am making progress in achieving the goal/s I have set?

I will know that I am making progress if my teammates and I are improving after each game, and hopefully, our coaches will point out our weaknesses and strengths as we go through the season so that we may work on it, or maintain it. Ultimately, the team performance, as well as my individual performance in the ISAC tournament will be the factor in determining whether or not I have improved, or if I’ve reached my goals.

Goals  What is/are your goal/s for this activity? What do you hope to achieve?

My goals include building/maintaining good relationships with old and new teammates alike, on and off the court as well as improving my overall game by decreasing turnovers, improving my passing and shooting, and performing well under pressure.

Impact  Who will benefit from this activity? How?

The school will benefit from this activity, since we are hosting the ISAC tournament this year, hopefully increasing school spirit. The coaches and the players will also benefit from this activity, especially if the team will compete well. I will also benefit from this activity as I will have to be more responsible as the team’s senior, and will be my last shot with the team to play well in ISAC.

Timeline  Where, how often, and for how long will the activity take place? (specific dates whenever possible)

Monday to Thursday 4pm-5.30pm, Friday 4.30pm-6pm