Blessings in a Backpack

Today was our annual team service project, packing food for the Blessings in a Backpack program at South Wayne Elementary School. After a slow start (who could have predicted dead batteries in BOTH of our mini-bus vehicles?), we made it to the school and had a good experience, talking and laughing while we stuffed over 200 bags with food designed to take the edge off of the hunger so many of those students experience over the weekends. It is simultaneously sad, yet heartening, when we consider what we're doing and why we're doing it. In a perfect world, no child would ever go hungry.

Because of the initial delay, we only had about 45 minutes of practice time left once we returned to school. The upside of having only 13 players is that we can get a lot more reps in over a shorter period of time. The downside is obvious - we're going to struggle to field both a varsity and a JV squad most nights. Two or three players makes the difference between everyone playing a lot vs. a good number of our younger kids suffering from a lack of playing time. I am very disappointed that we have not been able to sustain the typical 18-20 players we normally have. I guess there are lots of reasons why it's happening, but I don't think I buy most of them. The bottom line is that we have 13 kids who are playing hard and improving every night. The girls who have chosen to not play are providing more time for personal attention for the girls who are. We're going to serve them as well as we can, and I think the level of improvement we'll see this year will be very apparent.

Our practice time has been maximized by the addition of The Gun 8000. It's a computerized rebounding/passing machine that allows our shooters to get off dozens of shots in a short period of time without the typical rebounding/chasing that we've done in the past. Thanks to the generous support of Dr. Steve Hatch, we've got a new weapon in our practice arsenal. Some of our kids even stay after practice just to get a few more shots. It's pretty cool, and we really appreciate how useful it has been.

The jamboree is next Tuesday. We're looking forward to matching up against someone else, although I'm not sure how prepared we will be. This year will see a lot of teaching and (hopefully) learning. Our goal, as it always is, will be to have our team ready for a good tournament run. If we stay healthy, we will be fine.

October 13 update

I enjoyed a wonderful weekend with Cassie down at Ave Maria. I got a chance to watch her play in the Blue-Gold intrasquad game, and she was terrific. She hit her first five three-point shots and finished with a team-high 21 points on the day. It's funny - she never hit that many threes in a high school game and she never scored 20+ until the second half of her senior year. Then, she goes out and does it in her very first competitive situation. The rest of the weekend was great as well - dinner at PF Chang's, a round of golf at Panther Run, some grocery shopping, and several hours spent just talking and catching up. Good times...

Practice begins here in a little over a week. The soccer girls are done now, vanquished by a good Homestead team and some bad officiating. But, they gave a tremendous effort and have nothing to regret - they did their best, and that's all we ever ask. Becky and Madison will be our captains for the upcoming season, and they held that role on the soccer pitch as well. I know they will do a great job in that role.

We're eager to get started. I really believe most of our opponents will anticipate an easier game against us this year. Perhaps, but I think there is an equally likely chance that they may be surprised by the team we put on the floor. As I always preach, nothing really matters until February, and our plan is to be playing great basketball at that time. It's a long season, but we have enough veterans who understand how to manage the expectations and let their enthusiasm build as the tournament approaches. In any event, it should be interesting.

Ave Maria update

I've had a couple extended conversations with Cassie in the past few days and things are going very well for her. Classes are challenging, but she benefits from the great preparation that Canterbury provides. There is a strong support structure in place, and she is already exploring the opportunities. She enjoys her roommate, Erin, and the other members of her basketball team. Today (Labor Day) was her first official practice, and, by her account, it went well. The 3 spot is up for grabs with the transfer of last year's starter, so she's got her sights set on earning some significant playing time at her natural position, the wing. The weather is good - she went to the beach a couple days ago - but she is going to miss the beautiful weather as summer fades to fall. I will be going down to visit her on Parent's Weekend in early October - the team will have an open scrimmage that weekend - and I can't wait to give her a big hug. Skype and cell phones are nice, but there's nothing like being there.

Moving on

The next few days are going to be difficult around the Kreiger house. Slowly, clothes are being packed and checklists are being finalized. We will be delivering Colten to IU and then hopping a flight to Florida to do the same for Cassie at Ave Maria. I'm excited for them to get on with this part of their lives, but at the cost of being bittersweet for me. This will be the first year in eight that I will not have one of my kids at the high school with me every day. Colten has adjusted to college life with a fair degree of success. Cassie is really starting to feel the nerves associated with leaving the comfort of home and family, and I hurt for her. I know she will be fine and will have a great experience, meet lots of new friends, get a great education, and continue her playing career under the tutelage of an excellent coach. Still, just as I tear up at every wedding reception's father-daughter dance, I'm going to struggle mightily with letting my baby girl spread her wings and move into the next major phase of her life.

I know this is supposed to be my basketball blog, but basketball has been an incredibly powerful bond between Cassie and me. It will be strange to go to practice or fill out a lineup card that does not include my favorite #22. I pray that Cassie, Tabby, Paigey, and Molly can all make the adjustment successfully to college. I also hope that some of their experiences as Lady Cavaliers may someday come in handy as they wrestle with the inevitable hurdles that they will be asked to clear in life. They are prepared, they have paid their dues. Indeed, it is time to move on.

Canterbury's "new" Coach Kreiger

Word is slowly beginning to leak out about the newest addition to my coaching staff at Canterbury - my pop, Wayne Kreiger. I cut my coaching teeth on his staff at Columbia City for 14 years before coming to Canterbury, and now he has resigned his position there to come join me and the Lady Cavaliers.

After 33 seasons and 520 wins with the Columbia City girls' program, the Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer is headed our way to assume the position of Director of Basketball for the Canterbury girls' program. It's an exciting time, and we intend to make the most of this coaching reunion.

For more details on his career, check the Columbia City Post and Mail

Summer time...

and the livin' is easy. Or something like that.

Summer league has gone pretty well despite the radical changes that have occurred with our lineup. For so long, Tab, Cassie, and Paigey held it down for us along with Becky and Madison. This summer, we've had Madison part of the time and that's been it. The other girls are getting a chance to step up and begin to understand what it's going to take to continue the high level of play that has been established over the past couple years. It's definitely a different mix, but I think we're going to have some fun!

Tournament time!

Abbreviated version -

Heritage (Senior Night) tore me up. I did okay holding it together, but the reality that this senior class (and more specifically, Cassie) has now played their final home game hit me like a ton of bricks. We played well against a Heritage team that has really struggled this year.

Bluffton - I wanted Cassie to get her 1000th point before the tournament started, but she didn't feel good and wasn't able to finish a few shots that are normally automatic. Maybe I should have told her how close she was, but who knows if it would have mattered. Anyway, she's at 999 for her career. I think she's got at least one more point in her. The team played pretty well again. Tab had a good night and Bailey put up her biggest scoring numbers yet. Bluffton, too, was down, so I just wanted to get off the floor in one piece. We did.

Now, we look ahead to the tournament. We drew Elkhart Christian, a team we have not seen this year. They were young last year, mostly sophomores, and we handled them 68-30 in the sectional. They are probably the second best team in the sectional, so they should at least be competitive. The one foe we haven't been able to handle this week is the weather! Snow has kept us from starting the tournament on time and the girls are like caged animals - they want to get out and play!! Judging from the blue skies and diminished winds, it looks like we may finally get our chance. Barring any other delays, we will go Friday, Saturday, and a Monday championship. The quest for #3 begins at Hamilton tomorrow night!