Lesson 2 Reflection

1. Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I am most proud of how comfortable I was able to present. I'm usually a little bit nervous or uneasy when it comes to long presentations but it was fairly easy for me discuss my answer support it with all the research I've done. 

2. Questions to Consider
       a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

       AE        P          AP       CR       NC

       b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

I feel I deserve a P- because I did meet all the requirements to receive a P, however, I didn't mention my mentorship until a little close to the end. I feel like my presentation had lots of evidence of research that supported my answer and I was able to convince or rather persuade the audience into thinking that my answer was the best possible answer.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

I think what worked in my presentation were the brief demonstrations I did. For example, the low stance that is crucial for defense, the head swivel while playing help defense, and the closing out move. I feel like it gave the audience a little bit more understanding. Also the photos I used helped me get points across quicker and easier.

4.  (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

I almost forgot to mention my mentorship and I sort of left it out until the near end. I also mentioned one of my peers presentation more than I should have. And I feel like I could have done a better job explaining the connection between my presentation and activity.

5. Finding Value
What do you think your answer #2 is going to be? 

I don't know exactly what it will be yet but I was thinking something having to do with getting open on the offense. Something close to like moving without the ball and putting yourself in a position where you can succeed.

Independent Component

Literal

(a) I, Diego Delgado, affirm that I have completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.

(b) Coach Juan Hernandez, YMCA youth basketball coach

(c) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtPSdf9O4rJOdEF0SDdsU0tJVDNFbWUzRF9lSkRacFE&usp=docslist_api

(d) I completed a whole season of playing and practicing on a YMCA basketball team.

Interpretive

During my independent component, my coach didn't really have us work much on cardio. However, I believe cardio is very important because having endurance means you can continue to work hard while your opponents get tired. The picture above is a picture of me running in the fourth and final quarter. The fourth quarter is where fatigue is the highest. It is important to continue to play hard in the fourth quarter to not let the other team catch up, try your best for your team to catch up, or stay in the lead. At the time, I was in the cross country elective which helped me stay in shape and run fast. This was actually what I presented on for my ten minute presentation.

Free throws are easy points. Like the name says, they are free. Basically when a player gets fouled, they get to shoot with no one blocking them. That's why it is important to practice your free throw shooting. When I started my independent component, I was only making about fifty percent of my free throws.Which is pretty low. By the end of this component, I was making around seventy percent of my free throws. Free throws can determine weather you win or lose a game. That's why it is so important to make all of them. Making free throws might be my next answer to my essential question.

In this picture, you can see me playing offense in the low post. As you can see, there is much contact in the low post. That's why it is important to have good footwork. Good footwork means you are able to trick your opponent by being quick on your feet and making your move before they have a chance to realize what happened. Footwork is very important in basketball. Not just on offense but also on defense. I will actually be going over it's significance during my 30 minute presentation.

Here is a picture of me shooting. This picture is a great example of the importance of elevation during a shot. As you can see, I am at a much higher elevation than my opponent. That means nobody is blocking me and I have a clear shot to the basket. That means the chances of you making it are much higher. Which in turn means your chances of winning are much higher. Elevation could possibly be an answer to my essential question.

Here is just another photo of me shooting some free throws after I got fouled.

And here you can see me trying to get open. This is called moving without the ball and plays a big role in the game. The reason why it's so important is because when you move without the ball and try to get open, you have a much higher chance of getting into an open spot. That means you have created the potential to score without ever holding the ball in your hands. Which means your chances of winning go up. Moving without the ball is another potential answer to my essential question since it is so effective and really the only way to make yourself useful.

Applied

This component helped me understand the foundation of my topic better by creating a real world situation where I can learn from my mistakes and from other individuals to make myself a better player and gain experience and knowledge of my topic. For example, when I first started my independent component, I was really out of shape. This highly affected me because in basketball you can't slack off if you want to win. This helped me get a better understanding of the importance of physical fitness in this sport. Also, my coached focused on defense more than anything else during practice. I started doing research on defense for my research checks and I am now using defense for my first answer. Just actually playing the sport and learning first hand is a lot more helpful than reading alone, I think.

Mentorship

I have finally started on my mentorship. I started about two weeks ago. I've been taking notes and following my mentor around and asking him questions. His teaching methods are unusual to me, like the top photo, but they work. 

Third Interview Questions

1. How can a basketball player best maximize his team's chances of winning the championship?
2. What skills can a person work to improve their ability to work with others on their team and why?
3. What separates a good player from a great player?
4. What factors determine weather you win or lose a game?
5. How can an individual player make their team better or more competitive?
6. Which is more important, offense or defense?
7. What should a good team or coach expect from each of it's players?
8. What is the best way for a player to improve their game?
9. How do you train teams to communicate on the court?  What makes this method most effective?
10. What is most important to win a basketball game?

Mentorship Check

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?

I am currently doing my mentorship at WEBB high school.

2.   Who is your contact?

Coach Jason Parks. The high school basketball coach for WEBB high school.

3.   How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?   

I currently have zero hours of mentorship because the basketball league started in late November and I was not given clearance to enter the private school until a week or so before Winter break. And this past week I was not able to make it. But, they practice every day after school from five to seven and sometimes a little later and they have games I will be attending every weekend so I should be able to acquire hours fairly quickly

4.   Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

N/A

5.   Email your house teacher the name of your contact and their phone number confirming who they should call to verify it.  

Senior Project, The Holiday

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you over the break with your senior project?
Unfortunately, I was not able to work on my mentorship because the high school where I'm doing it also had two weeks of vacation. However, I did play a lot of basketball for the independent component. I have completed the thirty hours that are required. I also did a few research checks.

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why? What was the source of what you learned?
The most important thing I learned from what I did was that encouraging your team even a little can go a long way. For example, if your team mate gets a steal, or a block, or rebound and you go over to congratulate them and get them hyped about what they did, it'll boost their confidence, which leads to an increase in their performance. I noticed this when I was playing in a tournament and my coach told me to do that. I did my best to increase morale, but we still lost. But, the games were always very close even though our opponents had an overall better team. 

3.  If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?
I would first like to talk to my mentor because as a coach, he knows what it takes to get the championships and that's basically what my EQ is about. But I would also like to talk to the coaches up at Cal Poly or other high school or colleges. Particularly college coaches since those are the most elite before the NBA.

Independent Post: December

I have recently started working on my mentorship. The high school's basketball league barely started near the end of November and the approval process to be allowed on the school's campus took over a week. I've only managed to log a few mentorship hours because the school's students are on vacation. But I should be able to work on my mentorship hours every day once they return. Also, I have almost completed the thirty hours of the independent component.