Christmas Break

I gave my final exams yesterday and got them graded today, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. It means that Christmas break can officially begin and the time that I so often spend with the children of others can now be dedicated solely to my own. That's nice.

We won last Friday at Blackhawk and played a very good third quarter after a sluggish first half. It was particularly gratifying to have no fewer than seven former players in the building to witness the latest version of Canterbury girls basketball. It really is special when the former players take the time to come out and see us play. I hope they were impressed by what they saw.

With the win, we finished the first half of the season at 8 wins and 2 losses. That's not bad, considering we played the toughest schedule that any of my teams has ever faced. Only two of those games were contested against schools our own size; everything else came against bigger schools, many with rich histories of success in girls basketball. In the same day, we took on Northrop and Snider, two schools who brought home state championship trophies in the 1980s playing under Hall of Fame coaches. In fact, we've played half of the SAC schools in Fort Wayne already this year. We went on the road to Wawasee, home of Shana Zolman, arguably the best high school girls basketball player in Indiana history. We went to Huntington and won in a gym that the 1990 and 1995 state champions, also led by a HOF coach, called home.

I wonder sometimes how those schools view us. We won three class A state championships in 2008-2010, so Canterbury has a legacy as well. I know it's a little uncomfortable because no one wants to lose to a small school such as ours. Still, we do have some history and this year's team is certainly talented enough that other teams must play well to beat us. From my point of view, I don't think there is shame in losing to Canterbury. But, as I said, I don't know how others feel about it.

We now take a few days off for some well-earned R&R. The girls had final exams this week and with Christmas coming up and no games until early January, we have moved out of the gym for awhile. My hope is that once we get back, it will be with a new vigor and enthusiasm, one that will help carry us through the long difficult stretch known as January. We'll have to do some extra conditioning and review the offenses and defenses that we have in place. I've been able to let my head clear a bit, allowing me to begin envisioning the things that we need to concentrate on once we return. A couple new offensive sets, a full-court press, and some new out-of-bounds plays are on the to-do list. But they will have to wait for now. This is family time, and we don't have enough of it as it is. Cassie is only home until the 27th, so she and the boys are the top priorities for the next several days.

To everyone who checks in periodically to see what's on my mind, here you go...have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and blessed New Year!