Tolar Lady Rattlers’ goal of “C” average is A+

SANTO — If you are a Tolar High School Lady Rattler playing for head girls coach Michel Hall, he's expecting you to make "C's" when it comes to playing for him because he believes that's the way to make "A's" in Tolar's basketball program.

"We always talk about character, commitment and consistency," Hall said Saturday. "We came into this tournament (Santo) looking for good competitive minutes. We wanted to play to our identity and standards as we prepare for district play. You know the gauntlet of district play starts next week."

The Santo tournament was a gauntlet, too, as the Lady Rattlers (14-3) found out in their first-round game against San Saba on Thursday, when scoring lapses and turnovers led to a 52-18 first-round loss.

"We knew coming into this tournament that it was going to be a tough weekend and that we were going to have to learn a lot about ourselves," Hall said.

In his third year at Tolar, Hall has been going through his process of building a basketball program. The word "process" is a coaching term that goes hand in hand with terms like "culture” and statements about "getting players to buy in."

It might sound basic or even trite, but there is a "process" to the process.

"We try every day to be a selfless team regardless of the result on the scoreboard. We have a certain standard of how we want to play offensively and defensively, Hall said. "I think the chase for that is what we are always after. We are always trying to chase perfection. I know that we won't be perfect, but that's the goal each game,"

There are 16 girls in the high school program, and that number includes one manager and only five players on the junior varsity. The Lady Rattlers are tough all the way down the roster, with the JV recently winning an overtime game with only four players.

There are lots of parts to put together to make Hall's process work, and leadership is needed to make it happen. Players like Haylee Burt and Baili Deaver (a Hardin-Simmons University commitment) are essential.

"Everybody knows that they have to do their job. We have some good senior leadership in Baili Deaver and Haylee Burt," Hall said. "We have similar standards and expectations for everybody. They need to do their job and fill their role. I think that we have seen when we do that, we can do some really good things.

Those good things include the ability to get back into the win column after a tough loss, as Tolar did with a 37-24 win over Cross Plains in the second round at Santo, Friday. Deaver netted 17 points in the contest, and freshman Senne Imel came up with seven. Tolar was a blanket on defense, allowing just three third-quarter points and 10 overall in the second half. On Saturday, Tolar finished on a high note with a 39-30 win over Archer City.

"This tournament was all about team effort. We all showed up. We were a little off the first game against San Saba, the shots were not falling, and we let that affect us. But we regrouped and had a good team effort to end Thursday night on a good note," Hall said. "We have done an excellent job of collecting ourselves throughout the season and getting ourselves back on track."

Getting back on track means going back to the basics of the process.

"Our process is being more focused on the work that you put in every day versus the result you are trying to achieve.  Everybody wants to win, so it is easy to say our goal is to win. Our goal is to be a little bit better every day than the day we were before, or the game before," Hall said. "We don't spend a whole lot of time worrying about who we are playing, or what they do per se — obviously, we do look into it, but we focus on who we are, and we go out and put our best foot forward."

More than anything, the process is about overseeing what you can control as a player.

"We think we give ourselves a chance every night, so part of our process (is) a lot of self-assessment, a lot of self-focus because at the end of the day that is — what we can control. What anybody else does or their effort doesn't matter because we can control ours, we can control our discipline, so that has really been the driving force of our process," Hall said.

Hall credits his father, Todd, for instilling a strong work ethic and discipline in his son, not just in sports but in life. It has led to Hall's wanting to compete at a high level regardless of the outcome on the scoreboard.

"I have a bad habit of never being satisfied, so I am constantly watching the game and always asking what I can do better for our girls to set them up for success because, at the end of the day, I'm not the one playing. What I do is for them and our program so they can be successful both now and hopefully when (it) matters," Hall said.

Russell@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066 ext. 231