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November 18, 2015 Palisades News Page 19<br />
Colson Fine Tunes Basketball Skills<br />
At an hour-long clinic with the Palsades<br />
High girls varsity basketball<br />
team on November 12, former college<br />
basketball coach Gary Colson’s emphasis<br />
was on fundamentals.<br />
“This is little stuff, but it’s important,” said<br />
Colson, who then put the girls through spin<br />
drills. “Every good player has a spin move.”<br />
Colson coached <strong>at</strong> Valdosta St<strong>at</strong>e University,<br />
Pepperdine University, University of<br />
New Mexico and Cal St<strong>at</strong>e Fresno, compiling<br />
a 563-385 (.594) record over 34 seasons<br />
between 1959 and 1995. In 2002, he joined<br />
the Memphis Grizzlies front office and<br />
worked with Jerry West.<br />
Now living in Santa Barbra, Colson has<br />
written two books, California Basketball<br />
and New Mexico Basketball—The System,<br />
covering fundamentals of the game.<br />
Colson showed Pali players the best way to<br />
do a pump fake and admonished, “Don’t do<br />
it too fast, it’s not going to fool anyone.” He<br />
also entertained the team with stories about<br />
famous players. There was an easy give-andtake<br />
between the coach and the girls.<br />
When he worked on passing, Colson said:<br />
“Show some style, it should be so straight<br />
you can hang clothes on it.” He asked the<br />
girls, “Why are the Warriors so good?” and<br />
then answered, “They’re one of the best<br />
passing teams in the NBA.”<br />
On free-throw shooting, he advoc<strong>at</strong>ed<br />
Gary Colson, who coached <strong>at</strong> Pepperdine University, University of New Mexico and Cal St<strong>at</strong>e Fresno, compiling a 563-385 record<br />
over 34 seasons, worked with the Palisades High School team.<br />
Photos: Luis F. Pazos (Cadet3Studios.com)<br />
the acronym RAT (routine, aim and trust).<br />
“All the gre<strong>at</strong> players have a routine—if you<br />
don’t have one, why don’t you?” He also<br />
urged players not to rush. “Erase hurry from<br />
your vocabulary.”<br />
When shooting, aim is about the rainbow.<br />
“Have you ever seen a fl<strong>at</strong> rainbow?<br />
No, it has an arc. Th<strong>at</strong>’s why Stephen Curry<br />
leads the league in three pointers.”<br />
Finally, he told them the most important<br />
thing about shooting is trust. “If you don’t<br />
trust your stroke, you’re not going to make<br />
it. You have to trust in yourself and believe<br />
in yourself.”<br />
Last year under Coach Torino Johnson,<br />
the Dolphins won the City Section Open<br />
Division championship. They lost (99-73)<br />
in the opening round of the St<strong>at</strong>e playoffs to<br />
M<strong>at</strong>er Dei, the number-one ranked team in<br />
the n<strong>at</strong>ion, which then lost to Chaminade.<br />
Johnson has been PaliHi’s coach for eight<br />
years and has a 154-104 record. He has<br />
twice been named L.A. City Section Coach<br />
of the Year and last year was selected as one<br />
of four high school coaches from across the<br />
n<strong>at</strong>ion to assist in the 2015 USA Basketball<br />
Woman’s U16 N<strong>at</strong>ional Team Trials.<br />
Most of his core players from last year’s<br />
championship team has returned and will<br />
have their first test during the 12th Annual<br />
Palisades Beach Invit<strong>at</strong>ional, held November<br />
23 to 28. Teams include West Torrance,<br />
Agoura, Oaks Christian and Chaminade,<br />
last year’s CIF Southern Section Open Division<br />
winner.<br />
—SUE PASCOE<br />
PALISADES PALISADES PONY PONY<br />
BASEBALL BASEBALL<br />
ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION<br />
2016 SEASON 2016 SEASON<br />
Happy Thanksgiving!<br />
From my family to yours,<br />
THANK YOU for your continued support.<br />
✰ Field of Dreams ✰<br />
Authentic Team Uniforms • Professional Umpires • Snack Stand<br />
This will be our 15th Season with “Pitching Machines” for Pinto Division —7 and 8 year olds.<br />
BOYS & GIRLS AGES 7-14 (Age as of April 30, 2016)<br />
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!<br />
ONLY <strong>at</strong> www.ppba.net<br />
Registr<strong>at</strong>ion Deadline: December 31, 2015<br />
Tryout & Evalu<strong>at</strong>ion D<strong>at</strong>es:<br />
S<strong>at</strong>urday, January 9 & Sunday, January 10<br />
At the Palisades Recre<strong>at</strong>ion Center “Field of Dreams”<br />
For Exact Tryout Times refer to our website: www.ppba.net<br />
For more info contact: ppba@earthlink.net<br />
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