Is the goal of a 9 year old team to win? Winning matters. And it should matter. It's way more fun than losing. But if you are up to 10 goals by "winning" using one way of playing - why not try to teach the kids something new?
I've coached youth basketball. 5th graders. Mixed abilities, but most of them playing organized basketball for the 1st time. We had a stud player on our team. And a taller player on our team. I could have said "Get the ball to the stud. Only she shoots. And the tall player - I'll just teach her to box out and grab rebounds. The other 3 players - you just get out of the way."
And on defense - I could have taught a zone. Everyone keep their feet inside the paint and keep your hands up -- Because most 5th graders don't have a range past about 10 feet.
We probably would have only given up a basket or 2 per game by playing this way. And scored a ton.
We played against several teams that did exactly what I mention above.
I ONLY teach man-to-man defense at this age.
And on offense - We dind't try to do any super complex plays. Because the kids could barely dribble or shoot. We spent time in practice on layups and shooting.
We taught a simple pick and roll to beat a man-to-man defense. And a simple drive and kick-it to beat a zone.
We had 2 inbound plays with simple names.
We wound up with 7 wins and 3 losses this year for a 2nd place finish. Every kid but one scored several baskets (Girl who didn't score has a mild disability. We tried like heck to get her a basket). Team that finished ahead of us had a 5th grade girl who was nearly 6 feet tall. She scored most of the points the 2 times that we played them. I'm not sure if she ever dribbled the ball. We gave them their only loss the 1st time that we played them.
At the younger ages it's more about learning than winning. Not sure anyone learns from a 22-0 shutout.
I've coached youth basketball. 5th graders. Mixed abilities, but most of them playing organized basketball for the 1st time. We had a stud player on our team. And a taller player on our team. I could have said "Get the ball to the stud. Only she shoots. And the tall player - I'll just teach her to box out and grab rebounds. The other 3 players - you just get out of the way."
And on defense - I could have taught a zone. Everyone keep their feet inside the paint and keep your hands up -- Because most 5th graders don't have a range past about 10 feet.
We probably would have only given up a basket or 2 per game by playing this way. And scored a ton.
We played against several teams that did exactly what I mention above.
I ONLY teach man-to-man defense at this age.
And on offense - We dind't try to do any super complex plays. Because the kids could barely dribble or shoot. We spent time in practice on layups and shooting.
We taught a simple pick and roll to beat a man-to-man defense. And a simple drive and kick-it to beat a zone.
We had 2 inbound plays with simple names.
We wound up with 7 wins and 3 losses this year for a 2nd place finish. Every kid but one scored several baskets (Girl who didn't score has a mild disability. We tried like heck to get her a basket). Team that finished ahead of us had a 5th grade girl who was nearly 6 feet tall. She scored most of the points the 2 times that we played them. I'm not sure if she ever dribbled the ball. We gave them their only loss the 1st time that we played them.
At the younger ages it's more about learning than winning. Not sure anyone learns from a 22-0 shutout.