Thursday, March 25, 2010

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

End of an era...

Dear girls,

Over the past four years, we have really seen the Hamilton Lady Broncs program excel and become one of excellence and tradition…the highlight being our appearance in last year’s state championship game. During this four year period, our teams won a combined fifty games and competed with class and character in every contest. I feel our teams have done a superb job in representing our school and the community of Hamilton. It has been an absolute privilege to be your coach.

Unfortunately, I will have to watch future Lady Broncs from the stands and not from the bench. I have decided to step down as head coach. I will have both a son and daughter in high school over the next five years and another daughter playing college basketball. I’m going to be pulled in too many directions and will be unable to devote the kind of time necessary to help next year's team be their best and support my four kids in their activities. In short, I need the freedom to be a better dad.

I have coached basketball at some level for the past 22 years…stepping away from a program and students I love is very difficult. Perhaps the most difficult part is the loss of potential relationships I could have with future players. I do want to stay involved somehow, but I simply need to concentrate on being a good parent, husband and teacher right now. This decision is a tough one for me and may be tough for some to understand, but I know it’s the right thing to do.

Coaching high school basketball is a tough job, tougher than most realize. It is my part time job that consumes me on a full time basis. That being said, being a coach is also one of the most rewarding positions one can hold. I was truly blessed by players, parents and fans these past four years and hope to one day return in some capacity to help the program continue its winning ways.

I look forward to supporting next year’s version of the Lady Broncs. I have no doubt they will carry on our core covenants of Sportsmanship, Tradition, Unity and Competitiveness. Go Broncs!

Sincerely,

Coach Albert


P.S. I want to especially thank Coach Faris for his unwavering support and wisdom over the past four years. I have never worked with a finer assistant or a better man. If he chooses to apply for the head coaching position, I know our players will be blessed and our program will be in excellent hands.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The best of days...the worst of days.

Last Saturday, February 27, 2010 was like the title suggests, the best of days the worst of days. No, nothing tragic or serious happened. However, the 2010 Lady Broncs' season ended with a heartbreaking loss to Dillon. I was sure proud of my girls. We battled back from 10 down at the start of the 4th to take a one point lead with a minute left. Unfortunately, we were unable to make free throws to secure the win. Our kids had a solid tournament but were again plagued by shooting woes. We missed at least 8 lay ups against Frenchtown on Thursday and despite a solid shooting performance from Cookie on Saturday, or team percentage was still less than 25%.

If I could point to a couple of skills we missed most from previous seasons it was our ability to shoot the basketball, make free throws and last year's team really had a "feel" for the game. That being said, this year's team could have taught previous teams a thing or two about taking charges and offensive rebounding. Boy was I proud of our effort in these categories over the weekend. We took 9 charges between the two games and out rebounded both opponents.

Sorry it didn't work out ladies, but again I was very proud of your effort and progress this season. I had fun and enjoyed coaching you. As most of you know, there are no guarantees in basketball or life. I was bummed for us last week but it could have been worse. We could have been like Livingston, ranked #1 in the state only to lose Saturday night and Monday night by a combined 2 points and have our season end in extreme disappointment. Thank you. It was a very successful season in many ways!

Saturday was also one of the best days for our family...especially for our new Bobcat family. The Lady Cats defeated the Lady Griz in Dahlberg Arena for the first time since 1977! Ashley played 16 of the first 20 minutes as Sarah was in foul trouble and held her own in front of what might be considered her home town...at least it was her parents' home town:) Sarah dominated the second half and Katie Bussey was amazing hitting two clutch threes in the last 2 minutes to secure the win. Katie was 6-10 on threes...now that's what I call a shooter! (I wonder how many hours Katie has put in to become that type of shooter?)

Good luck this week Lady Cats and good luck in the Big Sky Tournament. Unfortunately the Lady Broncs won't be participating in the State A Tournament here in Hamilton, but now I'll be able to watch Ashley and the Cats make a run at getting into the NCAA Tournament...WOW!

Coach Albert

P.S. Saturday also marked the 42nd birthday of my best friend Carla. Happy Birthday Sweetie!