Tag: Katy Raptors

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Building the Foundation

by Coach Mike Van Hoozer

Whether it is building a house, a basketball team, or your life, you must have a solid foundation. For our 7th grade Katy Raptors team, we invested the month of March and part of April in practices to build the solid foundation based on sound offensive principles, a commitment to a tenacious defensive system, and an intense will to get better and compete every day.

This foundation paid off for us as we had a very successful beginning to our tournament season! We have played in the most competitive tournaments in Houston advancing to the Championship Tournament Bracket in each of our April tournaments. Our first tournament was a very competitive Houston Hoops “Off Da Hook” Tournament. There were over 30 teams in this tournament, and we made it to the quarterfinals losing to the eventual champion of the overall tournament.

Our 2nd tournament was the Pearland Classic, which also had over 30 teams in our age group. We went 2-0 in Pool Play and won our Pool to advance to the Championship Tournament Bracket. We advanced to the semifinals losing to the eventual champion of the  tournament, who is one of the top teams in the country. Our 3rd tournament in April was the Kingwood Classic. Again, we went 2-0 in Pool Play and lost a close game in the quarterfinals, after one of our key players could not play due to an injury.

We are so proud of our team and the resiliency they have shown to go out and play against any team and demonstrate the talent and the teamwork they possess. These guys have earned a ton of respect from other teams and their coaches as well as the people who watch us play! The recurring comments include that “they love the way we move the ball,” “we play basketball the way it was meant to be played,” and “we have a tenacious defense!” Our focus as coaches continues to be to help them develop individually and collectively and to develop them as leaders on and off the court.

 

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Trust The Process

By Coach Kevin Lopardo

As the head coach of the 4th grade Katy Raptors team, I have been extremely pleased with the development, growth, and focus of our players.  Each player has dedicated themselves to becoming a better overall player.  Physically, each player is unique and brings their own talents to the basketball floor.  Within our program, we stress the mental part of the game and how to maximize each player’s talent for the betterment of the team.  This buy-in attitude has created an atmosphere of togetherness and pride for our program.  Although each player is unique, it is the collective attitude of the Raptors which creates a winning culture.  

As our season began, many of our players had played together at some point before.  The continuity of the program took some time to come together as new players were introduced into our system.  After a month of practice, we were ready for tournament action.  Our first tournament was a learning curve for our players as it was their first experience with AAU basketball.  After the first game (in a loss), we immediately saw a difference in our players.  A renewed confidence and peace came over the team as they settled into the second game.  We won against a very good team serving as a springboard to our season.  We finished the day 1-2 ; however, the results of the games were less important than the experience.  After that weekend, our players knew they could compete with other programs.

As our tournament season progressed, we were a .500 program while improving every week.  As we invested in our players, their growth became limitless.  Heading into mid-May we won our first tournament of the season going 3-0 at an Alodia tournament.  Our players played two extremely hard fought games back-to-back.  The team needed all their mental toughness to gut out the final two games.  Our program took a major leap that day and our players belief within themselves and their teammates won the day.  This year has been a clear stepping stone for years to come.  For our first full experience, I could not have been more proud of each player.  I’m excited for the future and growth of these young men!