Crestmoor Elementary's 2nd- and 3rd-Grade Basketball Team: Loud On the Court

Each week, San Bruno Patch features an athlete or sports team that shows promise in their sport. This week, contributor Daniel Beckman catches up with John Leday, coach of the second- and third-grade basketball team.

San Bruno Patch: How do you get your team motivated to play?

John Leday: Hmm, motivation, motivation. I'm the loud sort so I like to talk a lot. I like to be loud with everything I do, and I try to teach them to be loud on the court. I like to be encouraging and try to get everybody to score and give everybody fair playing time and tell everybody that they can win and do whatever they put their mind to.

Patch: Take me through a day of practice for your team.

JL: We start off with lay ups, then we stretch and then we go over defense—ours is 2-3 zone. After that, we go over offense and finish with a scrimmage for the last 15 to 20 minutes, and every other day we run drills to get better at our fundamentals. At a second- and third-grade level, I think that's key.

Patch: What role does sportsmanship play in your team and how do you put it into practice?

JL: It greatly plays a role. I always teach my kids to be respectful on the court, be respectful off the court, and in the game not to complain to the ref. I always tell them to play hard, thank everyone and be gracious with what ever call you get.

Patch: With March Madness coming up, do you have any predictions?

JL: Duke all the way. It's Duke all the way.