Graceketball

In a 3-2 zone you must pressure the ball with on-ball perimeter defense. This means closing out on the pass, going over screens, trapping the corners and ball denial, post players should be denying the post entry pass (fronting or 3/4 in the post). Defensive rotation is critical as it is in all zone defenses. This can be a fun defense to play that confuses offenses and leads to steals and breaks. It does put pressure on your post players and can expose the corners. Basic Rotations and Positions of the 3-2 (1-2-2) zone Starting Positions    Ball on wing: Defender 3 comes out to guard the ball. Defender 1 drops down to the high post area.    Ball in corner: Defender 5 goes out to guard the ball. Defender 4 slides over to defend the low post. Defender 2 drops down to either defend the opposite low block or the wing if a skip pass is thrown. Defender 1 defends the high post area. Defender 3 can either sink in to stop penetration or apply pressure b...

Ha ha! Jay gets introduced as Orlando Asst Coach on the jumbo-tron.

Congratulations to the absolutely amazing Jason Hernandez on being named to the the position of Assistant Coach of the Orlando Magic! Jay has trained GraceAnne and countless others in the finer points of the game. He's also given so, so, so much more knowledge than basketball. Basketball really is a reflection or a microcosm of life and that's really what Jay teaches in my opinion. It's how you go about your business, how you treat others, how you view yourself, focus, drive, attention to detail. Happy to see someone of integrity, someone that I admire, and who's values I share, being rewarded for all the incredibly hard work he's put in. More big things down the road for Jay! True leaders don't ask others to follow, they simply behave in a way that others admire and want to emulate. That's Jay.

Pics of the girls at Rupp Arena (Thanks Dellree!)

Blue Chip Summer Grand Finale in Lancaster PA last weekend. Girls played well. Won more than they lost and had fun. Team is getting better every time they play. Portledge gym is now open every tues and thurs 2-5pm.... Dropping Grace there today, picking her up and straight out to Baldwin Park for Lion's practice.

Grace has been playing for Lions in a Queens league sponsored by Noah's Arc Foundation at the Long Island City YMCA. She's also playing in a league at Kennedy Memorial Park in Hempstead. Both leagues are a step down from the AAU circuit but still a lot of fun and a good learning experience. Practicing at Baldwin Park. Nice being outdoors and reading a book while the girls put in work. Team has definitely found its core. Things are starting to click and there is a lot more focus and intensity.

Couple pics from Rose this year...

Lion's, Vanessa, GraceAnne, Dominique, Sabrina, Theresa, Rhona Had a wonderful weekend in Hampton Va a few weeks back. Boo Williams runs a great tournament. Got to see some old friends, hang out with the Lion's team and parents, and play some good basketball against top level competition. GraceAnne and Carrie Moore GraceAnne and Jenna Brown GraceAnne and Maya Dodson

Grace went down to Run 4 The Roses with her Lion's Teammates over the weekend. First time her mother and I have sent her to one of these tournaments on her own. 13 hour car ride, nice hotel, early first game so they got themselves off to a bit of a rough start. Sounded like the team had fun although they did play some very tough competition and got blown out in 2 of their 5 games. All good, hopefully they come back hungry!

Portledge looks like they made a really nice hire for the AD position. Looking forward to GraceAnne working very hard for her school this season. From the City College site... 2012-2013 Women's Basketball Coaching Staff  COACHES EXPAND Jackee Meadow Director of Athletics / Women's Basketball Head Coach Jackee Meadow took over as the Director of Athletics at the City College of New York in November of 2006, and has served as head coach of the women's basketball team since February 2012. Meadow’s passion, competitive nature, and her vision are all essential qualities that have bolstered her remarkable career.  Her knowledge of the City University of New York Athletic Conference is insurmountable as she nears her second decade of coaching in the conference. As the Athletic Director at City College, Meadow has instituted a “One Team, One Dream” mantra, which quickly became a philosophy amongst the 250+ student-athletes across 17 athletics teams....

GraceAnne's buddy Grace Stone got another fed title over the weekend! This time LuHi beat Ossining to take home the AA title. last year it was the A title. LuHi had to get past a very good Francis Lewis team on Friday night in the semis. GraceAnne's Lions teammate Dominique Williams had eight points, seven rebounds and six steals for Francis Lewis in the loss but received Most Outstanding Player honors for her effort. GO DOM! Stone has had a nice run with LuHi the last two years and still just an eighth grader. Big things in future for Grace Stone!

Portledge wins 5th IPPSAL title, 43-37 Story Comments Image  (1) Share Share Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size Portledge wins 5th IPPSAL title, 43-37 Pictured from left: Juliet Koufakis, Haya Sheeline, Allaire Gahagan, Diana Lee,Taylor Stevens, Morgan Follett, Shelby Lewis,Tamara Simpson, Emmanuelle Egodigwe, Shaina Farahmandpour, Emma Guggenheimer, Grace Anne Woods, kneeling: E Gahagan, Caroline Kriegstein. Posted:  Thursday, March 13, 2014 12:15 pm 0 comments Portledge School girl’s carsity basketball team culminated its successful 2014 season by winning the Independent Private and Parochial Schools Athletic League title by defeating the Waldorf School of Garden City, 43-37.   This is the fifth consecutive year Portledge School has claimed this title and the last, as next year Portledge will move on to the Private School Athletic Association League. ...

Portledge varsity basketball season is over. After winning the IPPSAL (Independent Private and Parochial Schools Athletic League... hmmm.) championship the Panthers lost to Hackley in the semi finals of the NYSAISAA class C Tournament. (That's the New York State Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association... yeah...). GraceAnne had a good year and a fun time. Scored about 150 pts which is pretty good for a freshman. I think they ended up 18-3. More importantly she got to play with Tamara Simpson and see how she handles her business. She was sad when it ended, mom and dad were too because it seemed like she was just starting to play her best basketball. Basketball never stops. Game tonight in the NYCity Housing League at Williamsburg Brooklyn Community Center with her Lions teammates. Grace enrolled in an after school weight training program at Portledge. See if she can get all diesel. Portledge Overall: 18-3 | Conference: 10-1 GraceAnne Woods 2013-14 game sta...