James Hargest College 1st V – 2018 South Island Secondary Schools Tournament
Venture Southland Business Innovation Incubator Coaching Initiative
In 2018, as part of my involvement in the Venture Southland Business Innovation Incubator, I served as the Head Coach for the James Hargest College 1st V Basketball Team. This was a developmental year, with the team featuring no Year 13 (senior) players and a roster built around:
• 2 Year 12s
• 7 Year 11s
• 1 Year 10
Despite being one of the youngest and least experienced teams in the competition, the squad displayed remarkable resilience and tactical discipline, ultimately outperforming their pre-tournament seeding.
South Island Secondary Schools Tournament Performance
• Entered as one of the lowest-seeded teams but finished 17th overall, exceeding expectations.
• Competed against older, more experienced teams, demonstrating growth, adaptability, and execution beyond their years.
• Missed Nationals qualification, with only the top four teams advancing, but showed significant progress throughout the competition.
The team’s ability to outperform expectations was a testament to their commitment to development, disciplined execution, and a high-level approach to competition.
Key Coaching Contributions & Impact
1. Competitive Preparation & Skill Development
• Implemented structured training programs emphasizing fundamentals, in-game adaptability, and high-IQ basketball concepts.
• Developed technical precision, ensuring the team could compete against physically stronger opponents.
• Focused on team cohesion and execution, ensuring every player understood their role and responsibilities.
2. Leadership Development in a Young Squad
• Empowered the Year 12 players to take on leadership roles, helping to guide a young roster through a high-level competition.
• Established a culture of accountability, teamwork, and resilience, setting the foundation for future success.
3. Mental Toughness & Tournament Experience
• Trained players to remain composed under pressure, reinforcing confidence and strategic execution.
• Built a winning mindset, where adversity was seen as an opportunity for growth rather than a barrier to success.
4. Strategic Growth & Long-Term Impact
• The 17th-place finish, exceeding expectations, demonstrated measurable progress.
• The team’s experience in 2018 provided the foundation for future dominance.
Legacy: The Path to a Championship
The true impact of the 2018 season was not just in that tournament—it was in what came next.
• The seven Year 11 players from 2018 became Year 13 leaders two years later.
• In their final year, they defeated SBHS in the championship final, marking a historic victory for James Hargest College.
• However, their new coach attempted to introduce a new system, implementing different plays and strategies.
• The team collectively voted against the change, demanding to run the same system I had implemented two years prior—a testament to the effectiveness, clarity, and trust they had in the system we built together.
Their championship win, using the same plays and principles from 2018, validated not just the technical elements of the system but the deep belief the players had in its effectiveness.
Reflection
Coaching the James Hargest College 1st V in 2018 reinforced my core coaching philosophy:
Short-term results are secondary to long-term development.
• The team’s ability to exceed expectations in 2018 proved that strategy, preparation, and mindset could overcome physical and experience disadvantages.
• Their future championship victory in Year 13, running the same plays and principles, was the ultimate validation of this approach.
• The players’ trust and insistence on keeping the system in place highlighted that effective coaching isn’t just about strategy—it’s about building belief, discipline, and cohesion that transcends individual seasons.
While the 2018 season ended in 17th place, the real victory came years later, when this same group stood as champions—on the foundation we built together.