North Dump South!

After taking a much needed summer break I found myself busier than ever. Last weekend not only was I helping my close friend Richard Scantlebury coach the HSC team to the Summer League final, but last Saturday night I received a phone call asking me to coach the Women’s North team as they took on the South in the warm-up game at Crystal Palace.

Looking at our team sheet before the game began I had my reservations, as the team looked light compared to our Southern opponents. Names from the South included the likes of Commonwealth Bronze Medallist Rosalee Mason and previous MVP Michelle Brown.

The North had a little family feel to it, as there were three sets of siblings on our team. The Leedhams Jen and Jo, the Naylor sisters Helen and Sarah; plus the Sterling twins Naomi and Crystal, who's names I had trouble getting correct even though they don't look at all similar!! The Northern Girls didn’t let the other team phase them – my girls came out strong, throwing in some deep 3’s and running our opposition to death. We did squander the big lead but we managed to overturn a 10-point deficit going into the 4th quarter and we came out eventual winners by a margin of 7-points. On top of that it was the first time the North had won in a while!

Coaching the girls game is a fundamental pleasure; missing are egos and the concentration level was that much higher, as they seem to be able to run plays without deviating from the X’s and O’s. Maybe if the men’s game were the same I’d still have a coaching job? Well maybe not!