(left-hand side of Active Reader)

(right-hand side = Vocab definitions, synonyms, prompts)

A Whole New Ballgame

By, Brendan O’Shaughnessy

The first day of freshman basketball tryouts, I learned that coaching girls is different. I was demonstrating the correct way to set a cross screen. I positioned my legs shoulder-width apart and crossed my hands—fists clenched—over my groin to protect myself from the injury that all men fear. I paused, confused, understanding from the girls’ bewildered looks that something was wrong. The other coach, a 15-year veteran of coaching girls, recognized my rookie mistake and bailed me out. He raised his arms and covered his chest, and I knew that I had entered alien territory.

I had coached boys’ basketball for six years before circumstances in the athletic department forced me to switch to “the other side.” I looked forward to the challenge in the same way that I had anticipated the move

from teaching at an all-boys’ school to a coed institution five years before. At the very least, I figured, I would be more likely to get cookies at Christmas and a gift at the awards banquet. Baiting a feminist friend, I told her that I was excited about the change because I could be more relaxed, less intense, and besides, I wouldn’t get any technicals. I just assumed girls didn’t take their basketball as seriously as boys. The insinuation hit its mark. She scolded me, saying that girls were just as eager to win and play well as boys. She also suggested I read Madeleine Blais’s In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle, a book about a girls team’s basketball season.

From the book and from my teaching experience, I began the season with certain expectations about coaching girls. I would need to be more encouraging, less critical. Most boys need a little tearing down before they can be rebuilt on a more solid fundamentals base. Boys want to be Allen Iverson and inherently assume they know more than their old-school coach, who watched “Hoosiers” one too many times. Girls, whose experience of playground games and watching the all-stars is often limited, do not start with as many bad habits. I expected they would be more coachable. They wouldn’t need their inflated athletic egos broken down, but rather built from the ground up.

Smugly thinking I was prepared, I got a rude awakening with my screen-setting gaffe that first day. Imagine my incredulous stare when a girl trying out, in an attempt to explain why she had thrown up and had to sit out of wind sprints, told me she hadn’t run since gym class—the year before. I was also surprised—and relieved—that we did not have to cut, since only 20 girls stuck out the trials for the two teams. With boys, two or three times as many students usually came out for the teams as could be taken.

cross screen (noun): A move in basketball in which a player on offense blocks a defensive player so that another offensive player can move the ball by shooting, dribbling, or passing.; synonyms: pick, block; prompts: unknown term

clenched (adjective): Describes things that have been closed tightly together.; synonym: tightened; prompts: unknown word

groin (noun): The area of the body where the legs meet.; synonym: private area; prompts: unknown word

bewildered (adjective): Describes people who are confused.; synonym: perplexed; prompts: unknown word

veteran (noun): A person with a great deal of experience.; synonym: expert; prompts: unknown word

rookie (adjective): Describes someone with little experience.; synonym: newbie; prompts: unknown word

bailed me out (verb): To help someone out of a difficult situation.; synonym: assisted; prompts: unknown colloquialism

circumstances (plural noun): Situations or events outside of one’s control.; synonym: conditions; prompts: unknown word

the other side (idiom): Represents one of two possible views or groups with which someone is not currently a member; in this case, the author is talking about moving from working with one gender (boys) to the other (girls); synonyms: opposition, rival; prompts: unknown colloquialism

anticipated (verb): To look forward to some future event or situation.; synonym: awaited; prompts: unknown word

coed (adjective): Describes a place that includes boys and girls (“coed” is short for “coeducational”).; synonym: mixed-gender; prompts: unknown word

awards banquet (noun): A dinner in which people receive prizes for their accomplishments.; synonym: award ceremony; prompts: unknown term

baiting (verb): To draw someone into an argument.; synonym: provoking; prompts: unknown word

feminist (adjective): Describes a person who identifies with a social movement that advocates the rights of women in society.; synonym: women’s rights activist; prompts: unknown word

technicals (plural noun): Penalties in a basketball game resulting from improper behavior on the part of a coach or player (short for “technical fouls”).; synonyms: “T’s,” techs; prompts: unknown colloquialism

insinuation (noun): The act of indirectly saying something negative.; synonyms: imply, hint; prompts: unknown word

fundamentals (plural noun): The most basic parts of an activity that must be mastered.; synonyms: basics, basic skills; prompts: unknown word

Allen Iverson (proper noun): A former professional basketball player known for his shooting accuracy, short stature, and rebellious ways.; synonym: n/a; prompts: unknown proper noun

inherently (adverb): Describes an action rooted in a person’s basic nature.; synonym: naturally; prompts: unknown word

old-school (idiom): Old-fashioned ways of doing things.; synonym: traditional; prompts: unknown colloquialism

all-stars (plural noun): The best of many outstanding performers.; synonyms: a-list, elite; prompts: unknown term

inflated (adjective): Describes something that has become too big; blown-up.; synonyms: excessive, exaggerated; prompts: unknown word

smugly (adverb): Describes an action performed in a self-satisfied, proud manner.; synonym: arrogantly; prompts: unknown word

rude awakening (idiom): A moment in which a person discovers an uncomfortable truth.; synonyms: moment of clarity, epiphany; prompts: unknown colloquialism

screen-setting (adjective): Describes something done in the process of blocking a defensive player in basketball.; synonyms: blocking, picking; prompts: unknown term

gaffe (noun): A socially embarrassing error.; synonyms: blunder, mistake; prompts: unknown word

incredulous (adjective): Describes a state of being unable to believe.; synonyms: skeptical, doubtful; prompts: unknown word

trying out (phrasal verb): To show one’s talent (in sports, drama, music, etc.) to other people in order to gain a spot on a team or in a performance.; synonym: auditioning; prompts: unknown idiom

wind sprints (plural noun): Training drills intended to increase breathing ability and speed in which athletes run quickly from one mark or line to another.; synonyms: shuttle sprints, speed drills; prompts: unknown term

stuck out (phrasal verb): To continue in a difficult situation.; synonyms: endured, persisted; prompts: unknown colloquialism

trials (plural noun): Try outs for a sport where people show their skill in order to gain a spot on a team.; synonym: audition; prompts: unknown term

(left-hand side of Active Reader)

(right-hand side = Vocab definitions, synonyms, prompts)

I immediately noted differences in the early practices. Girls’ attention to directions was far superior to the boys, most of whom found it physically impossible not to be distracted by any movement anywhere in the gym. Whereas the boys generally either went deadpan or shot me the evil “how dare you” death stare when I corrected their play, the girls often sincerely apologized for any mistake. My stereotypically gawky center, when told not to leave her feet on defense, said, “I know. I’m sorry. I’m terrible.” Embarrassed, I tripped out a halting reassurance. I tried to build up her confidence by calling her “the rebound machine,” but she just thought I was goofy.

Strangest of all, they actually wanted to talk to me and the other coach, something teenage boys found equivalent to having their nose hairs, if they had any, individually plucked out in front of an audience of teenage girls. The girls came running up before practice to tell us about their classes, about who said what at lunch, about who had spilled perfume on her uniform. Uncomfortable after years of boys slinking away into corners, I usually responded, “Stretch out.”

Before the first game, I realized that some of their silliness was simply due to their age, not their sex. In the pregame huddle, the other coach said we needed to play hard or go home with a big L. One of the girls asked if everyone would have to take the “L” home instead of the bus if we lost. During the game, one player attempted to high-five a referee after making a shot. But it was more than their tender age. While I was giving a post-game speech, one player interrupted and said, “Those are the coolest sweatpants. They zip all the way down.”

When my grandfather died, the whole team signed a condolence card with individual attempts to comfort me. Another time, returning from a late game, when the bus broke down on the highway in 15-degree weather, one player cut the tension with, “Coach, want a chocolate-chip cookie? I made them.”

I began to observe that the team split into two groups: the hard, aggressive players and the softer, nice players. One side had girls who would steal a ball from their teammates in order to shoot. The other side had girls who apologized to their defenders if they scored. Some would crash the boards and clear out space with vicious elbows, and others would avoid any chance of injury or even breaking a sweat. The aggressive group rolled their eyes at the limp-wristed run of one girl they called “the dancer” or “Basketball Barbie.” The timid girls rolled their eyes and called our best shooter a “ball hog.”

superior (adjective): Describes something of higher rank or quality.; synonyms: better, preferable; prompts: unknown word

deadpan (adjective): Describes something that is without emotion.; synonyms: serious, expressionless; prompts: unknown word

stereotypically (adverb): Describes an attitude in which characteristics are believed to be common to all members of a group.; synonyms: conventionally, typically; prompts: unknown word

gawky (adjective): Describes someone who appears nervous and awkward.; synonyms: clumsy, graceless; prompts: unknown word

center (noun): In basketball, a player positioned closest to the basket to score goals on offense and block goals on defense.; synonyms: five, post, “C”; prompts: unknown term

leave her feet (idiom): To weaken one’s position in basketball by moving one’s feet off the ground.; synonym: jump; prompts: unknown colloquialism

tripped out (phrasal verb): To awkwardly put words together.; synonyms: sputter, stammer; prompts: unknown colloquialism

halting (adjective): Describes something done slowly, with frequent, uncertain pauses.; synonyms: labored, awkward; prompts: unknown word

reassurance (noun): A statement meant to give someone confidence or comfort.; synonym: consolation; prompts: unknown word

rebound (noun): In basketball, the act of retrieving a missed shot at the goal.; synonym: board; prompts: unknown term

goofy (adjective): Describes someone acting in a foolish way.; synonym: silly; prompts: unknown word

equivalent (adjective): Having the same qualities as something else.; synonyms: equal, the same as; prompts: unknown word

plucked out (phrasal verb): To remove things (like hair or feathers) with forceful pulling.; synonym: snatch; prompts: unknown colloquialism

slinking away into corners (idiom): To move quietly away without drawing attention to one’s self.; synonym: retreating; prompts: unknown colloquialism

stretch out (phrasal verb): To extend one’s muscles and tendons in preparation for athletic activity.; synonyms: limber up, loosen up; prompts: unknown colloquialism

huddle (noun): A gathering of teammates in a close circle for an informal talk.; synonyms: bunch, conference; prompts: unknown word

big L (noun): An informal expression for a loss in a sporting event.; synonyms: defeat, failure; prompts: unknown term

take the “L” (verb phrase): Short for “take the elevated train” (a form of mass transportation).; synonym: ride the subway; prompts: unknown colloquialism

high-five (idiom): To slap the palm of one’s hand against the palm of another person’s hand in celebration.; synonym: n/a; prompts: unknown colloquialism

referee (noun): An official who enforces the rules of a sporting event.; synonyms: ref, official; prompts: unknown word

shot (noun): In basketball, an attempt at throwing the ball into the basket (the goal).; synonym: attempt; prompts: unknown word

tender age (idiom): A young age.; synonym: youth; prompts: unknown colloquialism

post-game speech (noun): An address from a coach to a team of players after a sporting event.; synonym: debriefing; prompts: unknown term

sweatpants (noun): Soft, casual pants designed for exercise.; synonyms: sweats, warm-up pants; prompts: unknown word

condolence (noun): Describes something that offers sympathy to someone who has experienced a loss. In this case, the noun is used as an adjective to describe the type of comfort being offered, a card.; synonym: consolation; prompts: unknown word

tension (noun): A feeling of nervousness or fear.; synonyms: pressure, anxiety; prompts: unknown word

steal a ball (verb phrase): In basketball, to forcibly take the ball from another player during a game.; synonym: steal; prompts: unknown colloquialism

shoot (verb): In basketball, to throw the ball toward the hoop (the goal).; synonym: attempt to score; prompts: unknown word

defenders (plural noun): In basketball, players who guard the hoop (the goal) against the team trying to score.; synonym: defensive players; prompts: unknown term

crash the boards (verb phrase): In basketball, to catch a ball that has rebounded off of the backboard after an unsuccessful goal attempt.; synonym: rebound; prompts: unknown colloquialism

clear out space (verb phrase): In basketball, to make room for oneself by causing others to move, often done with arms and elbows.; synonym: gain position; prompts: unknown colloquialism

vicious (adjective): Describes something that is forcefully violent.; synonyms: savage, ferocious; prompts: unknown word

breaking a sweat (idiom): The act of perspiring.; synonym: sweating; prompts: unknown colloquialism

limp-wristed run (noun phrase): An unenthusiastic way of running. In this case, the author uses this phrase to indicate that the girl is running with her hands hanging loosely from the wrist. In other cases, this phrase can be used in a derogatory way.; synonym: half-hearted run; prompts: unknown colloquialism

shooter (noun): In basketball, a player who attempts to score by throwing the ball at and hopefully into the hoop (the goal).; synonym: scorer; prompts: unknown term

ball hog (noun): A player who selfishly controls the movement and shooting of the ball.; synonym: selfish player; prompts: unknown colloquialism

(left-hand side of Active Reader)

(right-hand side = Vocab definitions, synonyms, prompts)

After six wins and a growing gulf between the cliques, we experienced our first loss. Actually, we got blown out by 35 points. We could barely get the ball down the court. A coach learns all he needs to know about his team by how they react to a loss. My team began to motivate each other in practice.

They started to pull for each other. Best of all, the gap between the groups of player types began to slowly close. In time, we were a single unit again.

And I was swept up in the intensity of their effort. I don’t know exactly when it began, but it was cemented when I was called for a technical foul in a Christmas tournament game. Whereas boys’ freshman coaches tend to be overly passionate, like myself, sporting buzz cuts and angry demeanors, girls’ coaches usually were more welcoming. One informed us that her name was Poppy, offered our team bagels and Gatorade, and said, “We’re all about fun here.” It was all I could do to refrain from saying, “We’re all about kicking your butt.”

Fast forward to the conference championship game, where we faced the same team that had blown us out by 35 earlier in the season. Since then, this powerhouse had won every game, none by fewer than 20 points. Not intimidated this time, our girls played them even for a quarter. When the opponent went on a second-quarter run, I impolitely objected to an over-the-back foul and was hit with another technical. Shocked, I realized that I had been given more technicals in a single season of coaching girls that I ever had as a boys’ coach. My feminist friend would be proud. The team responded. The collective jaw of the bench dropped to the hardwood when “Basketball Barbie” hit a shot, slapped the floor and yelled, “C’mon, girls, let’s play some defense.” I couldn’t have been more pleased if it had been my own daughter.

No, it didn’t lead to a win, but we never gave up either, clawing to a nine-point loss and the bittersweet distinction of holding that team to their narrowest margin of victory all season. Even in defeat, the girls had come a long way in their separate challenges. Some had overcome a natural timidity by learning to play aggressively, and others had learned to trust their team. My Lesson? New depths to the same game I’ve always loved.

gulf (noun): A set of differences between groups of people.; synonyms: split, rift; prompts: unknown word

cliques (plural noun): Groups of people who keep to themselves and aren’t friendly with other groups of people.; synonyms: circle, group; prompts: unknown word

blown out (verb): To lose a sporting event by many points.; synonyms: humiliated, thrashed; prompts: unknown colloquialism

get the ball down the court (verb phrase): In basketball, to move the ball from one goal area to the other goal area; synonym: advance the ball; prompts: unknown colloquialism

motivate (verb): To give someone a reason to do something.; synonym: inspire; prompts: unknown word

pull (verb): To offer support.; synonyms: root, support; prompts: unknown word

single unit (noun): A united group.; synonym: team; prompts: unknown phrase

swept up (phrasal verb): To be pulled into something.; synonym: carried away; prompts: unknown phrase

intensity (noun): The strength and force of something.; synonym: forcefulness; prompts: unknown word

cemented (verb): To become strengthened and made more permanent.; synonyms: solidified, reinforced; prompts: unknown word

technical foul (noun): A penalty in a basketball game resulting from improper behavior on the part of a coach or player.; synonyms: “T,” tech, technicals; prompts: unknown term

tournament (noun): In sports, a series of games among several teams ending with one team being declared the winner.; synonyms: competition, tourney, meet; prompts: unknown word

buzz cuts (plural noun): Very short haircuts.; synonym: crew cuts; prompts: unknown term

demeanors (plural noun): People's appearances and behaviors.; synonyms: manners, temperaments; prompts: unknown word

refrain (verb): To stop oneself from doing something.; synonyms: abstain, hold back; prompts: unknown word

kicking your butt (phrasal verb): An informal or slang term meaning to defeat someone thoroughly.; synonym: humiliate; prompts: unknown colloquialism

conference championship game (noun): A sporting event that determines the best team among a group of teams that compete against one another regularly (a conference).; synonyms: n/a; prompts: unknown term

powerhouse (noun): Someone or something with great power and excellence.; synonym: dynamo; prompts: unknown word

intimidated (adjective): Describes someone who is scared or terrified.; synonyms: frightened, afraid; prompts: unknown word

played them even (idiom): To keep pace with another team in a sporting event; synonyms: paced, matched; prompts: unknown colloquialism

quarter (noun): In basketball, a period of the game representing one-fourth of the playing time.; synonym: period; prompts: unknown term

opponent (noun): The team or person one competes against in a sporting event.; synonym: rival; prompts: unknown word

second-quarter run (noun): In basketball, a high-scoring second period.; synonym: second-period rally; prompts: unknown colloquialism

impolitely (adverb): Describes an action done in a rude or inconsiderate manner.; synonyms: rudely; prompts: unknown word

objected (verb): To strongly disagree.; synonyms: opposed, complained; prompts: unknown word

season (noun): In sports, a period of time in which games are played.; synonym: n/a; prompts: unknown term

collective (adjective): Describes a situation in which individual members of a group share a common characteristic.; synonyms: mutual, shared; prompts: unknown word

hardwood (noun): The floor of a basketball court.; synonym: court; prompts: unknown term

defense (noun): In a sporting event, the act of stopping another team from scoring.; synonym: ”D”; prompts: unknown term

clawing (verb): To fight relentlessly for something difficult to attain.; synonyms: scratching, fighting; prompts: unknown word

bittersweet (adjective): Both sad and happy.; synonym: n/a; prompts: unknown word

distinction (noun): A quality that sets something apart from other things.; synonyms: characteristic, difference; prompts: unknown word

narrowest (adjective): By the smallest or fewest points.; synonyms: slimmest, tightest, closest; prompts: unknown word

margin of victory (noun phrase): In a sporting event, the difference between the score of the winning team and the score of the losing team.; synonyms: point spread, difference; prompts: unknown colloquialism

defeat (noun): The act of losing a contest.; synonyms: loss, upset; prompts: unknown word

timidity (noun): A lack of confidence or bravery.; synonyms: fearfulness, anxiety; prompts: unknown