As we stood around the center circle for our regular pre-practice team huddle, I could sense the player's weariness. They have come to workouts all year with a good attitude and a willingness to learn, but it was clear that they were drained after last night's astounding come-from-behind second half performance.
As we broke the huddle, I quietly said to Michelle, "Hopefully you won't think this is too 'off the wall' right now, but what would you think of shooting some free throws and giving them the rest of the day off?"
She looked at me with a smile and said, "I was thinking exactly the same thing... let's do it."
So, she called them back together, spoke for a few minutes about what we'll need to do to attack Wheaton on Saturday, and then announced, "Shoot 25 free throws, and then go home. Have a nice day!"
From the players response, you would have thought they'd won the lottery! But this time of the season is when they need extra days off the most. The last time we played Wheaton, we were completely worn out, and it showed in our lopsided loss, one in which we were obviously a step behind all night.
We won't make that mistake again. Less is more.
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