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!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Winding down the first half
With just one game to play before Christmas - this Friday at Blackhawk Christian - we are nearly done with the first half of the regular season. To this point, we've done okay. We've played half of the Summit Athletic Conference and gone 2-2 so far. There is no shame in losing to either Snider or South Side, but it would have been nice to perform a bit better on the defensive end in those games. We scored plenty of points, but we didn't do what we needed to slow them down. In our seven wins, we were just better than the other team on that particular night and played well enough to prevail. No team in Class A plays a tougher schedule, so we're hoping that a season-long set of tough battles will help us when the tournament rolls around. That's been a winning philosophy in the past, and we hope it continues.
It's at this stage of the season that you begin to closely follow the teams that you are likely to see on the tournament trail. Some people may see that as an example of overconfidence. I prefer to think of it as preparation. If you are going to do well in the tournament, you first must believe that you are going to do well. The next logical step is to prepare each night in practice and through the collection of scouting reports and game tapes of potential opponents. Right now, there are probably 6-8 teams in Class A who are having impressive seasons. Some, like Oregon-Davis and Vincennes Rivet are familiar rivals who are once again playing well. Triton, Southern Wells, and Barr-Reeve are all undefeated at this stage. Some newer faces like Riverton Parke and Frontier have now appeared in the latest weekly poll. At the end of the day, the teams who are playing the best basketball in February will be the ones advancing through the tournament. We are trying to get better every night so we might be one of those teams. A lot can happen in the next 7-10 weeks. I hope we can be in the mix when that time comes.
It's at this stage of the season that you begin to closely follow the teams that you are likely to see on the tournament trail. Some people may see that as an example of overconfidence. I prefer to think of it as preparation. If you are going to do well in the tournament, you first must believe that you are going to do well. The next logical step is to prepare each night in practice and through the collection of scouting reports and game tapes of potential opponents. Right now, there are probably 6-8 teams in Class A who are having impressive seasons. Some, like Oregon-Davis and Vincennes Rivet are familiar rivals who are once again playing well. Triton, Southern Wells, and Barr-Reeve are all undefeated at this stage. Some newer faces like Riverton Parke and Frontier have now appeared in the latest weekly poll. At the end of the day, the teams who are playing the best basketball in February will be the ones advancing through the tournament. We are trying to get better every night so we might be one of those teams. A lot can happen in the next 7-10 weeks. I hope we can be in the mix when that time comes.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Road Warriors
Tonight, we head west to Huntington for our sixth consecutive game away from home. It's an unfortunate situation that emerged due to a new event at Snider and the shifting of the Whitko game to late January. Otherwise, we would have had at least one game in our own gym in the month of December. In any event, we'll make the 30-minute drive tonight to take on one of the state's most storied programs.
I did my student teaching at Huntington back in 1988 under the newly hired girls basketball coach, Fred Fields. I enjoyed sharing stories and perspectives with him as I had already logged three seasons as a coach on my dad's staff at Columbia City by then. in 1990, Huntington won the state championship. They won again in 1995, a remarkable feat considering that they did it with a completely different group of players. During my tenure at Columbia City, our two teams did battle a number of times, often in the deeper stages of the state tournament series. Fred is in the Hall of Fame now, joining my dad as one of the earliest inductees from the collection of girls basketball coaches in Indiana. He still checks in from time to time as we are making noise in the tournament and I appreciate the fact that he hasn't forgotten about me despite his notable coaching accomplishments.
Huntington looks a bit different these days. They still play a tough schedule, being one of the biggest schools in the entire state. However, they haven't been able to crack the win column yet this year. I know it's just a matter of time - I just hope it isn't tonight!
I did my student teaching at Huntington back in 1988 under the newly hired girls basketball coach, Fred Fields. I enjoyed sharing stories and perspectives with him as I had already logged three seasons as a coach on my dad's staff at Columbia City by then. in 1990, Huntington won the state championship. They won again in 1995, a remarkable feat considering that they did it with a completely different group of players. During my tenure at Columbia City, our two teams did battle a number of times, often in the deeper stages of the state tournament series. Fred is in the Hall of Fame now, joining my dad as one of the earliest inductees from the collection of girls basketball coaches in Indiana. He still checks in from time to time as we are making noise in the tournament and I appreciate the fact that he hasn't forgotten about me despite his notable coaching accomplishments.
Huntington looks a bit different these days. They still play a tough schedule, being one of the biggest schools in the entire state. However, they haven't been able to crack the win column yet this year. I know it's just a matter of time - I just hope it isn't tonight!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Traffic
on this blog has been ramping up significantly in recent days. Lots of hits from Twitter and LinkedIn, but also getting some visits from search engines as well. I guess I better continue to update it, though a shortage of time and some waning enthusiasm will make that difficult. The primary purpose of this site is not entertainment. I thought it would be interesting to some people to keep them informed about the progress of the girls basketball team as we move through the 2011-2012 season. For the time being - as long as traffic remains high - I will plan to continue on that course. Even though there are some people out there who experience schadenfreude when things don't go our way, I still like to believe that most people who follow our exploits are happy when our team wins.
At one point last year, we were 2-2 and nearly lost a couple others before Christmas (nipped Whitko by 6 and Wawasee by 6). Immediately after Christmas, we had to go double OT to beat Dwenger. But all those games came in a stretch where we won 20 in a row! The expectations for this year's team are much higher. So, even though we are 5-2 and playing the toughest schedule we've ever attempted, at times it feels like we're not getting the results we want. What will it take?
Obviously, a successful trip to Terre Haute would be required. But I'm here to tell you, it's not that easy. "Say it, do it" is not a strategy. We need to be able to mold a team from a group of individuals who are still trying to find their niche. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes sacrifice. It takes commitment. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. We've shown improvement, but we need to get better every night. There's a long road ahead, with lots of twists and turns. We'll see how well we can navigate it.
At one point last year, we were 2-2 and nearly lost a couple others before Christmas (nipped Whitko by 6 and Wawasee by 6). Immediately after Christmas, we had to go double OT to beat Dwenger. But all those games came in a stretch where we won 20 in a row! The expectations for this year's team are much higher. So, even though we are 5-2 and playing the toughest schedule we've ever attempted, at times it feels like we're not getting the results we want. What will it take?
Obviously, a successful trip to Terre Haute would be required. But I'm here to tell you, it's not that easy. "Say it, do it" is not a strategy. We need to be able to mold a team from a group of individuals who are still trying to find their niche. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes sacrifice. It takes commitment. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. We've shown improvement, but we need to get better every night. There's a long road ahead, with lots of twists and turns. We'll see how well we can navigate it.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Briefly
Lost at South Side. Played better than we did against Snider, but had a bad stretch in the third quarter that cost us. In our two losses, the third quarter has been the reason. I guess I need to do a better job at halftime. Some people question our conditioning, but we are rarely outplayed in the second or fourth quarters, times you would expect for that to show up. No, it's the third quarter, so maybe I need to take a look at our mental preparation and figure out why sometimes we aren't ready to play coming out of the break.
Wawasee Saturday was a pretty good day. Played man the entire game and seemed to get comfortable in the run and jump defense in the half court. Their ball handling was not very good, so it was easier to attack them. It was obvious that they were mentally and physically defeated by the end of the first half. We put four girls in double figures, but I was more interested in how we played defense. It was a step in the right direction.
We've got a couple days of prep for Huntington now. We're slowly adding sets as we go through the season, but I want to concentrate on doing a limited number of things very well. No sense in putting in 20 offensive sets and not being able to run any of them effectively. Once again, I am more interested in what we are doing at the defensive end. If we worked as hard at trying to keep people from scoring as we do to score ourselves, this team could be pretty good. Hopefully, we will see another solid defensive effort Thursday at Huntington.
Wawasee Saturday was a pretty good day. Played man the entire game and seemed to get comfortable in the run and jump defense in the half court. Their ball handling was not very good, so it was easier to attack them. It was obvious that they were mentally and physically defeated by the end of the first half. We put four girls in double figures, but I was more interested in how we played defense. It was a step in the right direction.
We've got a couple days of prep for Huntington now. We're slowly adding sets as we go through the season, but I want to concentrate on doing a limited number of things very well. No sense in putting in 20 offensive sets and not being able to run any of them effectively. Once again, I am more interested in what we are doing at the defensive end. If we worked as hard at trying to keep people from scoring as we do to score ourselves, this team could be pretty good. Hopefully, we will see another solid defensive effort Thursday at Huntington.
Monday, November 28, 2011
The path to Christmas break
With Thanksgiving (and Black Friday!) now past, we begin to set our sights toward Christmas. It's hard to believe that our regular season is already a quarter of the way done. By Christmas, it will be halfway over. That means we have five games in the next three weeks - a slow stretch when considering we will play ten games in January alone. So, what will the next few weeks bring us? Tough competition and a variety of playing styles, that's for sure. And, oh yes, they are all on the road...
First, a very difficult game at South Side. It's a loud place to play - weird acoustics - and South is determined each year to make us look as bad as possible. It annoys them when we actually win, like we did two years ago at their place. They got their revenge last year, beating us soundly. Our passing and catching was unbelievably bad. If we play that way this year, it will be another long night. They will press and attack all over the floor with great athleticism.
Saturday, we are at Wawasee. They have a terrific individual player named Knafel. After that, they lack experience and depth. They will play their trademark 3-2 defense everywhere. They press in it, drop back into it, and play it on out-of-bounds plays. It's what they do and we'll need to be able to find the seams and convert when we get the chance. It's our last scheduled game with them as they have indicated that they would like to look elsewhere for a game. That's disappointing, but not unprecedented. Since we've had some success the past few years, more and more teams are coming up with reasons to not play us. Whatever.
Next, we will continue our odyssey as we make the half-hour drive to Huntington. That's a new pickup on our schedule (thanks to Fremont dropping us...see above) and one we're excited about playing. They are an extremely physical team and are tough at home. They will try to beat us up and beat us down, so we'll need to be strong physically and mentally. I scouted them last week against Homestead and they had their opponents in complete disarray due to their style of play. It won't be easy, but that's the only way to get better!
After that, we coast into the break with weekend games with Bethany Christian and Blackhawk Christian. Bethany always plays us tough up there in Waterford Mills, so we need to guard against a letdown. They play a decent schedule, so they won't be intimidated just because it's Canterbury. Blackhawk is rebuilding with a new coach and a vastly different lineup. That game will be part of a boy-girl doubleheader, so that should be fun. They are our closest rivals. I hope we play well and head to the holiday break healthy and with some good performances under our belts. I'll talk a little bit more about each of these games moving forward.
First, a very difficult game at South Side. It's a loud place to play - weird acoustics - and South is determined each year to make us look as bad as possible. It annoys them when we actually win, like we did two years ago at their place. They got their revenge last year, beating us soundly. Our passing and catching was unbelievably bad. If we play that way this year, it will be another long night. They will press and attack all over the floor with great athleticism.
Saturday, we are at Wawasee. They have a terrific individual player named Knafel. After that, they lack experience and depth. They will play their trademark 3-2 defense everywhere. They press in it, drop back into it, and play it on out-of-bounds plays. It's what they do and we'll need to be able to find the seams and convert when we get the chance. It's our last scheduled game with them as they have indicated that they would like to look elsewhere for a game. That's disappointing, but not unprecedented. Since we've had some success the past few years, more and more teams are coming up with reasons to not play us. Whatever.
Next, we will continue our odyssey as we make the half-hour drive to Huntington. That's a new pickup on our schedule (thanks to Fremont dropping us...see above) and one we're excited about playing. They are an extremely physical team and are tough at home. They will try to beat us up and beat us down, so we'll need to be strong physically and mentally. I scouted them last week against Homestead and they had their opponents in complete disarray due to their style of play. It won't be easy, but that's the only way to get better!
After that, we coast into the break with weekend games with Bethany Christian and Blackhawk Christian. Bethany always plays us tough up there in Waterford Mills, so we need to guard against a letdown. They play a decent schedule, so they won't be intimidated just because it's Canterbury. Blackhawk is rebuilding with a new coach and a vastly different lineup. That game will be part of a boy-girl doubleheader, so that should be fun. They are our closest rivals. I hope we play well and head to the holiday break healthy and with some good performances under our belts. I'll talk a little bit more about each of these games moving forward.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A new experience
Playing this past Saturday in the Snider Classic, we got to face two local 4A teams in a single day. We always hope that we get a chance to play two games in one day later in February at the regional level of the state tournament. The event at Snider was a good chance to play some stiff competition and to measure where we are as individuals and as a team.
The morning win against Northrop was solid. The 67-49 final was a reflection of our play in the second half. After a fairly even opening half, we steadily distanced ourselves from Northrop. We employed a good game plan at the defensive end and felt good about the quality win. In the afternoon game, things didn't go as well against a Top 20 Snider team. Once again, our game plan was solid, as evidenced by the meager six points scored by their all-star post player Akilah Sims. Unfortunately, we didn't count on the career game from Western Michigan-bound Meredith Shipman. She hit nine three-pointers on her way to a 43-point day. And once we adjusted defensively in attempt to slow her down, the inside opened up for Sims and she exploded for 24 second-half points. Collectively, the two scored 73 of their team's 83 points. We scored 74 in what I felt was a pretty good offensive effort.
Could we have done some things differently? Yes. Was I second-guessed by some people for our defensive approach? Yes. If we played Snider again would we pursue a different strategy? Yes.
If we played exactly the same game today, would Snider have a player score 43? Probably not. If we could hold an all-star post player to six points in a half, would I be pleased? Absolutely. Is hindsight always 20-20? Of course it is.
We're still learning about each other and what we are capable of achieving. This group of girls has only played four games together. Everyone has grand ideas, but we still haven't been able to get everyone on the same page. Over time, and through a certain amount of adversity, we will craft a team that has the opportunity to be successful over the long haul. Until then, it's a patient process that we want to pursue, one that gives us our best chance to win and win regularly and win at the highest levels. We won't get a chance at Snider until next year, but when we do, we will be much more organized and prepared and ready to return the favor.
The morning win against Northrop was solid. The 67-49 final was a reflection of our play in the second half. After a fairly even opening half, we steadily distanced ourselves from Northrop. We employed a good game plan at the defensive end and felt good about the quality win. In the afternoon game, things didn't go as well against a Top 20 Snider team. Once again, our game plan was solid, as evidenced by the meager six points scored by their all-star post player Akilah Sims. Unfortunately, we didn't count on the career game from Western Michigan-bound Meredith Shipman. She hit nine three-pointers on her way to a 43-point day. And once we adjusted defensively in attempt to slow her down, the inside opened up for Sims and she exploded for 24 second-half points. Collectively, the two scored 73 of their team's 83 points. We scored 74 in what I felt was a pretty good offensive effort.
Could we have done some things differently? Yes. Was I second-guessed by some people for our defensive approach? Yes. If we played Snider again would we pursue a different strategy? Yes.
If we played exactly the same game today, would Snider have a player score 43? Probably not. If we could hold an all-star post player to six points in a half, would I be pleased? Absolutely. Is hindsight always 20-20? Of course it is.
We're still learning about each other and what we are capable of achieving. This group of girls has only played four games together. Everyone has grand ideas, but we still haven't been able to get everyone on the same page. Over time, and through a certain amount of adversity, we will craft a team that has the opportunity to be successful over the long haul. Until then, it's a patient process that we want to pursue, one that gives us our best chance to win and win regularly and win at the highest levels. We won't get a chance at Snider until next year, but when we do, we will be much more organized and prepared and ready to return the favor.
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