The District Club 15U with Roger Garfield

 

 

 

Guila Lipscomb: Tell us about your coaching experience 

Coach Garfield: I grew up in Metro Detroit, where I was lucky to have two terrific coaches — Jamey Petree and Dave Guinane — who taught me about shooting, footwork, ball handling, and work ethic. By the time I got to college, they asked me to help them train young players around Southeast Michigan. It was a great opportunity — and gave me an itch to coach that I soon realized I could never scratch enough.

I moved to the DC area in 2009 and started coaching with Cardozo Senior HS shortly thereafter. I was lucky to coach there as an assistant with Chris Flegler, now an assistant at Livingston (N.C.) College and one of my best friends. I learned a lot from him — as well as from our players, hungry to work and be taught. From Cardozo, I moved to Georgetown Prep in 2010, where I joined Herb Krusen’s staff. I was so lucky to meet Coach Krusen when I did; he has become my No. 1 mentor in the game of basketball. He is the hardest worker I know. He took me under his wing and really showed me by example what it takes to be a great player — and a devoted coach. I am so grateful to him for allowing me to play a small role in helping build that program. I also learned from great coaches there like Kelvin Johnson, Larry Gray, and George Wolfe.

Since 2011, I have also been the head coach at Mater Dei School and been fortunate to coach some outstanding players in eighth grade, including Anthony Cowan, Reggie Gardner, Reese Mona, Michael Myers, Xavier Johnson, Xavier Lipscomb, and Hunter Dickinson. Another hard worker — Bill Gerrish — is my assistant coach. I have learned so much from him about consistency and passion.

I feel incredibly fortunate to live and coach in this area, where there is such a strong culture of teaching the game and working hard at honing skills — from a young age. The primary reason so many good players come out of this area is their work ethic. It’s one of the first things I noticed moving here seven years ago. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the players and coaches who long ago established that culture here in the DC area.

 

Guila Lipscomb: And what led you to take a coaching position with the District?  

Coach Garfield: Not too long ago, I met Devin Williams — who runs the DBC organization with Walter Booth. Devin has coached with USA Basketball; is an assistant for Steve Turner at Gonzaga College HS; and is a respected coach and a wonderful teacher of the game. Kids respect him. I respect him. When he invited me to join the program this year as the 15U coach, I was flattered. He and Walter and the other great coaches across the four District Basketball Club age groups are building something special, and I feel lucky to be a small part of it.

Guila Lipscomb: How would you describe your coaching style? 

Coach Garfield: I try to mix positivity with intensity — while never forgetting this is supposed to be fun. The older I get, I’m sure the more skeptical about certain things I become. But I try to keep the energy positive.

On a team basis, we like to emphasize ball movement and shot selection on O, player movement on D, and always ALWAYS rebounding. Individually, we focus on shooting, ball handling, footwork, passing, and finishing.

Guila Lipscomb: Describe your ideal player? 

Coach Garfield: I grew up watching the Fab Five, and I was a bigger point guard. So my ideal player is a Jalen Rose-type with a Kevin Garnett intensity. Jalen was as smooth as anyone — and an effective, team-first leader. If he could have had more of a killer mentality — like, say, KG’s — then he could’ve been an all-time great.

Guila Lipscomb: What would you like your team to gain from the AAU experience. 

Coach Garfield: We want all of our guys to leave this spring/summer experience with enough confidence and added toughness to go be major contributors for their high school teams. For that to happen, our team and the individual parts of the team need to get a little better every day. While that is cliche, it really is the biggest key to success in this game — embracing the process of improving. We will continue to practice regularly and play events every couple weekends. We hope the team can keep valuing the importance of practice and then be eager to go out on the weekends and relish the chance to show how much they’ve improved.

College ball is the ultimate destination, we hope, for all these guys. But it’s a long ways away. We hope they can develop good habits, value team basketball, and love the game more at the end of the summer than they did at the start of the spring. If kids love the game and learn how to work hard and smart, then they will have a chance to play at the next level.

Guila Lipscomb: I know it is early in the season but what has your team accomplished so  far? 

Coach Garfield: We have played in three events. The highlight so far was winning Big Shots DC April 17. We won some close games that weekend and really started to trust one another more.

In our other two events, we have lost a few close games against good teams from around the country. This weekend in Pittsburgh, we lost our first game in double overtime. We were encouraged by the way the boys bounced back from that loss to make the most of the weekend. We won the following morning, and we had a lot of fun off the court getting to know one another better.

Guila Lipscomb: What are your  AAU plans for the spring/summer? 

Coach Garfield: We play six more events:

May 7-8: Super Showcase (Bowie, MD)

May 20-22: Southern Jam Fest (Hampton, VA)

May 27-29: Memorial Takeover (District Heights, MD)

July 9-10: Summer Showdown (Philadelphia)

July 15-17: Summer Takeover (District Height, MD)

July 23-24: Summer Final (King of Prussia, PA)

 

Guila Lipscomb: What do you feel separates the District from other AAU organizations? 

Coach Garfield: Devin and Walter put a lot of emphasis on defense and on practice. They also try to solidify the rosters of their four teams early in the season so this isn’t a leap-frog culture; instead, it’s four teams with guys who develop chemistry and care for one another by the end of the season. I can’t speak for other organizations, but I know that the District Basketball Club feels like a family. All the coaches support all the other coaches. All the age groups watch the other age groups play out at these events when the times allow. Part of that is the result of Devin and Walter being good communicators. I also think it’s because they love the game, they have found people who love the game to coach in their program, and that love is infectious throughout the organization.

Guila Lipscomb: What are some of the things you believe younger players need to focus upon more to become better players? 

Coach Garfield: Young players don’t shoot enough. So often, winning comes down to which teams shoot the best. I learned that from Coach Krusen, who has his teams shoot for long stretches of practice every day. If you can’t shoot, you can’t win when competing at a high level. So much obviously goes into winning and losing, but if young players don’t learn how to shoot consistently — and if they aren’t encouraged to shoot every day to hone the skill — then they’ll reach a point when they’re older where it’s almost too little, too late.

Another area young players can focus on more is rebounding. Good rebounders find a way into lineups. And so much of rebounding is about a desire to go up and get the basketball with two hands. Kids who value that at a young age and care about rebounding will find themselves on winning teams.

Guila Lipscomb: When is your next tournament? 

Coach Garfield: May 7-8 — the Super Showcase in Bowie.

Guila Lipscomb: Who are some of your players we should watch out for? 

Coach Garfield: All 10 of our guys could end up being special. But freshman year is such a critical time for cementing good habits and devoting time to the game. Not everyone has put it together yet. Here are four to watch:

Anthony Bowman (6’5, 185) is a versatile guy with a high motor. Guard/forward. Tough. A good passer. Works hard at his game. Playing at Fork Union currently. He was named MVP of our Big Shots event, averaging 12 ppg and 7 rpg.

Garrett Kirkland (6’0, 165) played varsity for Good Counsel this year and should have a shot at contributing majorly as a sophomore. Combo guard. Great pull-up jumper. Improving outside shot. Very strong with the ball.

Cameron Brown (6’1, 160) won a state championship with Eleanor Roosevelt this year. He will be asked to do a lot more as a sophomore. A shooting guard/small forward, he does everything for us. Good rebounder. Shifty finisher. Nice mid-range shooter. Smart defender.

Miles Gally (6’8, 170) is very raw, having only played for about three years. But he loves the game, works hard at it, is devoted to putting on good weight, and is a terrific shooter for his height. Developing as a rebounder/shot-blocker. Above-average feet and hands. Good passer out of the post. Attends Richard Montgomery HS.

Guila Lipscomb: Do you think todays AAU players have a good balance of training and game play or do you think there is an imbalance? 

Coach Garfield: I think the AAU culture gets a bad rap. There are more terrific coaches in the world of spring/summer basketball than people realize. But I do think there is an imbalance between individuals developing skills and individuals playing games. While players of all ages need to get out and challenge themselves against good competition, they don’t need to be playing 100+ games a year. They should train for 2-3 weeks, play an event with three games or so, and then get their butts back in the gym. What is far more important for young players than playing games, in my opinion, is finding capable coaches who can introduce skills and work ethic — and then honing those skills as much as possible. If fewer games are played, then the competitive itch will be greater when individuals inevitably take the floor. The best players I have been around work out a lot, but they’re more than workout all-stars. They’re guys who get psyched for every game they play in because it matters to them whether they win or lose. Most guys who play 100+ games a year just don’t get up for every game. It’s too hard.