Mid-season fatigue hits every player in a different way. But you can get through it. (John Fisken photo)
It’s the most difficult time of the season.
Illness and fatigue can have just as much impact on a high school basketball team as the opponents they face, and coach’s have to find a way to get their players to battle through.
The Coupeville girls, despite playing their most brutal schedule in years (10 of 12 games have been on the road, with the next two also away from Whidbey), are soaring in the standings.
The Wolves are sitting at 9-3 overall, 4-0 in Olympic League play, winners of five straight and ranked #13 among 1A teams in the state’s new RPI system.
As he prepares for the week ahead (a non-conference tilt at North Mason Tuesday and a first-place showdown at Port Townsend Friday), CHS hoops guru David King swings by the Coaches Corner to offer some thoughts on making it through the rough patches.
Over the years we have seen this happen to players every year. Hitting the Fatigue Wall around the first or second week of Jan.
It’s usually incoming freshman who aren’t used to the longer high school season, but it can happen to returning players also.
With late practices, the travel, sickness, family commitments during the winter break along with finals, that wall at some point looms large.
As players they need to recognize this and figure out a way to overcome the fatigue and knock that wall down.
That means rest, eating correct, taking care of yourself.
It also takes mental toughness.
The players that have this are usually the ones that scale the wall or crash right through it.
Coupeville Sports 