Given that 94Fifty is in the skill measurement and development business, and pretty much all of our time is spent trying to find new ways to measure skill, it is rare that we find a person or program that can impress us with how skill development information is gathered and analyzed.   We have found a new standard in Servite High School.

Servite, located near Irvine, California, is an all-boys school of 800 that is known for its strong sports programs.  It is a member of the Trinity League, which is home to traditional national powers such as Mater Dei High School, Santa Margarita, and Orange Lutheran, and is considered one of the most formidable high school leagues in the country.  The Servite basketball program is led by Coach Tim Kelly who is in his third year of the program.

Now, full disclosure – Coach Kelly has a unique situation at Servite in that he was hired as a full-time basketball coach.  He has no teaching responsibilities and can and does spend his days thinking about how to make his program and his players better.   With that said, he still sets a standard that is impressive in its scope, mission, and what we think will ultimately be reflected in the win column.

After testing his entire varsity program a couple of weeks ago, I spoke to Coach Kelly about what he does and he was kind enough to share the details of his approach to developing skill with his program.  His initial premise is pretty straightforward, something we hear from many coaches across the country.

“I want to communicate to my players that there is more to the game than just scoring,” says Kelly.  “I want all of my players to take all parts of the game seriously.”

It’s what he does to communicate that belief to his players that impresses us.   To create that focus on the game, he implements what he calls the Winners Board, which he credits to Coach Eric Bridgeland from Whitman College in the great state of Washington. The Winners Board provides a highly visible scoreboard of statistics gleaned from watching film of every practice and every session.    They convert events that they track into what they call Winners Points, which are then posted in the locker room.

“I have a very capable staff that I trust to help me watch practice and game film, and as a group we make sure we provide stats on all parts of the game” Continued Kelly, “We track things like defensive intensity (sprinting to spots or help side), heart (by watching how hard they complete running drills), rebounds, hustle plays, and many other elements of the game.  We weight and score each element and post those scores on the Winners Board every week.   It provides a great way for my players to see that they are expected to play hard on every play.  Our goal is to make our kids accountable for their own progress while at the same time building character for them to be great leaders and great men after they leave our program.”

Needless to say, this is an extremely abbreviated description of the extent that Servite uses measurements and goals to build their program.   What impresses us is the diligence that he and his staff approach skill development in addition to their belief that what gets measured, gets improved.

Obviously, the 94Fifty system adds yet another valuable tool for Coach Kelly to build his programs.  Our ability to measure things that could never be measured can fit right into his program or any program that believes in visible, measureable improvement.    In the end, however, it takes more than just numbers and goals.  It takes the commitment from the Coach to let each player know that he or she is serious about measuring improvement and improving skill. When that happens, we generally find successful programs.

When we meet coaches that have as much enthusiasm and passion for the game as we found at Servite, we believe it is our duty to fulfill our mission as a Company to bring those examples to light.  Congrats to Coach Kelly on building such an impressive system and good luck to the Friars in 2009.  We look forward to seeing the results of all of the hard work from the players and the coaching staff.