There are over 380,000 student-athletes that participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. All of these young men and women, whether participating in basketball or golf, Division I sports or Division III sports, or whether they have an undefeated season or don’t win a single game, are doing something very commendable. It is not easy to start a new life away from home and do well in school, never mind making the incredibly time-consuming commitment of playing a varsity sport in college. It is both mentally and physically draining.
This concept of the student-athlete is why I have not had much of an update about our season over the past week. At Vassar, there is no leniency for athletes in terms of their academics, nor should there be. We are receiving an incredible liberal arts education and it is our own decision to participate in a varsity sport; we are not bound to it by a scholarship or a contract. But that does not make it any easier to juggle our intense academic load with our respective sports.
We have not practiced since our game last Tuesday, a tough loss to an extremely impressive Western Connecticut team in which we held a lead for a lot of the first half, but were unable to sustain our efforts in the second half due to lack of numbers and foul trouble. Instead of practicing, athletes all over campus have become strictly students with long papers to turn in and cumulative finals to take over the last ten days. I have written three lengthy papers and taken four finals in this time period. A teammate of mine has written four papers and taken two finals, while another just refuses to add up all the work she has done over the last two weeks. Is the work undoable? Absolutely not. But this time of year in particular is a time where at Vassar, the ‘student’ in student-athlete must be the dominant force.
This is not to say we haven’t done anything physical over the last ten days -- we’ve been playing pickup with some of our male friends around campus as well as getting into the gym to shoot or lift (it works as a great study break). Now, as we all return home until we come back for practice on January 2nd and then have a two-week period of basketball without classes. We will be able to get the rest we need and then focus more on the ‘athlete’ part of student-athlete for a while.
What I’ve realized by playing basketball here is that at Vassar, I really do get the best of both worlds.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The Cat Is Out of the Bag
December 8
After four heartbreaking losses to open up the season, any one of which could have been a win, we decided not to let Saturday’s game against John Jay go down to the wire. Instead, we took control early, going up 27-11 at halftime before closing the deal for a 30-point win, 60-30. Our junior captain Emily Haeuser led us to victory with 22 points and nine boards, followed by freshman Brittany Parks with 15 points and my own season-high of 13. We also relied heavily on the defensive ability of Jenica Law and Sarah Warner to shut down John Jay’s top player and we received a great effort from freshman Kristyn Tempora on the boards (she had 10). Seven of the eight players who played were able to score, with Emilie Haft calmly sinking a pair of free throws midway through the second half for her first points of the season.
Apparently at some point during the game, after a nifty pass from Kristyn to House (Haeuser), Coach Ruppel, impressed with the assist, screamed, “It’s out of the bag!” This prompted Sarah ‘Swarner’ Warner to whisper to Kristyn during a foul shot “Hey! The cat’s out of the bag!” The phrase caught on in the locker room after the game, since not only was it a good joke during the game, but it symbolized our efforts on Saturday afternoon. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when I walked into the locker room today to see that one of teammates had drawn a cat and a paper bag on the whiteboard, with our new favorite slogan written above. The cat IS out of the bag, our first win is on the board, and it was a good one. But more importantly, we were able to really enjoy each other. Something as simple and silly as the phrase ‘the cat’s out of the bag’ was able to make us all laugh and start practice off on a good note, players and coaches alike.
We began practice watching film and scouting a very solid Western Connecticut State team, and acknowledged the fact that tomorrow’s game will be a challenge, but not one that we aren’t up for. The most any team can ask of themselves is to come and play as hard as they can for 40 minutes, and that is what our coaches want us to focus on heading into tomorrow night’s game. If we do that, we can really make a statement tomorrow night. After all, the cat IS out of the bag, right?
After four heartbreaking losses to open up the season, any one of which could have been a win, we decided not to let Saturday’s game against John Jay go down to the wire. Instead, we took control early, going up 27-11 at halftime before closing the deal for a 30-point win, 60-30. Our junior captain Emily Haeuser led us to victory with 22 points and nine boards, followed by freshman Brittany Parks with 15 points and my own season-high of 13. We also relied heavily on the defensive ability of Jenica Law and Sarah Warner to shut down John Jay’s top player and we received a great effort from freshman Kristyn Tempora on the boards (she had 10). Seven of the eight players who played were able to score, with Emilie Haft calmly sinking a pair of free throws midway through the second half for her first points of the season.
Apparently at some point during the game, after a nifty pass from Kristyn to House (Haeuser), Coach Ruppel, impressed with the assist, screamed, “It’s out of the bag!” This prompted Sarah ‘Swarner’ Warner to whisper to Kristyn during a foul shot “Hey! The cat’s out of the bag!” The phrase caught on in the locker room after the game, since not only was it a good joke during the game, but it symbolized our efforts on Saturday afternoon. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when I walked into the locker room today to see that one of teammates had drawn a cat and a paper bag on the whiteboard, with our new favorite slogan written above. The cat IS out of the bag, our first win is on the board, and it was a good one. But more importantly, we were able to really enjoy each other. Something as simple and silly as the phrase ‘the cat’s out of the bag’ was able to make us all laugh and start practice off on a good note, players and coaches alike.
We began practice watching film and scouting a very solid Western Connecticut State team, and acknowledged the fact that tomorrow’s game will be a challenge, but not one that we aren’t up for. The most any team can ask of themselves is to come and play as hard as they can for 40 minutes, and that is what our coaches want us to focus on heading into tomorrow night’s game. If we do that, we can really make a statement tomorrow night. After all, the cat IS out of the bag, right?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Inspiration From A Teammate
December 2
For the third time in our four games, we lost by four or less points, this time by a score of 51-47 at Keystone College in Scranton, Pennsylvania. There were many positives; we stayed even with them on the boards and only turned the ball over 14 times, yet we again had trouble getting the ball in the net, shooting just 28 percent on the evening, 20 percent from behind the arc.
Although frustrated with another close loss that could have been a win, the play of one of my teammates kept my spirits up after the game. Sarah Warner is a fellow sophomore on the team who joined our program just this year. Incredibly athletic, Sarah (“Swarner”, as we call her”) is a star on Vassar’s women’s lacrosse team, starting every game her freshman year and scoring the second-most goals on the team. I’ve always admired Swarner for coming into an environment where she is no longer the best player and isn’t playing a lot, but still comes everyday with a great attitude and ready to work hard.
Tonight, with starting small forward Brianna Brazell out with a sprained ankle and various players in foul trouble early, Swarner was one of a few who really stepped up to keep us in the game. Matched up against someone about five inches taller than her, she never gave up; her opponent had to work for every single shot or rebound she got. Swarner’s five points tonight were a career high, but her intensity and toughness were what really stood out.
The reason I focus on Swarner’s play tonight isn’t because the rest of the team didn’t play well. It’s because she did what most wouldn’t expect of her. She came into the game, with probably less than 10 minutes of college basketball under her belt, confident and willing to do whatever it took. She didn’t take one single second of the time she had on the court for granted, and I think that’s something my teammates and I can learn from.
Losing close games is tough. When you lose three games by a combined ten points, you often think, what exactly are we doing so wrong? But as a team, we have learned from these games and are ready to come out on the other end on Saturday when we host John Jay College. Personally, I think I’ll be focusing on the energy and effort that Swarner brought to the game tonight and no matter what, I’ll be sure not to take any of the time that I’m on the court for granted.
For the third time in our four games, we lost by four or less points, this time by a score of 51-47 at Keystone College in Scranton, Pennsylvania. There were many positives; we stayed even with them on the boards and only turned the ball over 14 times, yet we again had trouble getting the ball in the net, shooting just 28 percent on the evening, 20 percent from behind the arc.
Although frustrated with another close loss that could have been a win, the play of one of my teammates kept my spirits up after the game. Sarah Warner is a fellow sophomore on the team who joined our program just this year. Incredibly athletic, Sarah (“Swarner”, as we call her”) is a star on Vassar’s women’s lacrosse team, starting every game her freshman year and scoring the second-most goals on the team. I’ve always admired Swarner for coming into an environment where she is no longer the best player and isn’t playing a lot, but still comes everyday with a great attitude and ready to work hard.
Tonight, with starting small forward Brianna Brazell out with a sprained ankle and various players in foul trouble early, Swarner was one of a few who really stepped up to keep us in the game. Matched up against someone about five inches taller than her, she never gave up; her opponent had to work for every single shot or rebound she got. Swarner’s five points tonight were a career high, but her intensity and toughness were what really stood out.
The reason I focus on Swarner’s play tonight isn’t because the rest of the team didn’t play well. It’s because she did what most wouldn’t expect of her. She came into the game, with probably less than 10 minutes of college basketball under her belt, confident and willing to do whatever it took. She didn’t take one single second of the time she had on the court for granted, and I think that’s something my teammates and I can learn from.
Losing close games is tough. When you lose three games by a combined ten points, you often think, what exactly are we doing so wrong? But as a team, we have learned from these games and are ready to come out on the other end on Saturday when we host John Jay College. Personally, I think I’ll be focusing on the energy and effort that Swarner brought to the game tonight and no matter what, I’ll be sure not to take any of the time that I’m on the court for granted.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Back on Track
November 30
Heading into a four-day break after our frustrating loss last Sunday is not the ideal situation by any means. Having the ‘we should have’ and ‘we could have’ thoughts staying with you for four days in which you can’t get back on the court is tough.
But when we came back to practice on Friday night, it was clear that the time we had taken to be with our families or friends to celebrate the holiday did us a lot of good. Sometimes being able to step away from the game for a couple days helps clear your head and that is definitely what happened for us this past week. We needed to re-focus, and I think taking a few personal days definitely helped us to do that. We knew Friday’s practice was going to be tough, and we were right. We ran a lot, and then some. We struggled at times, especially at the end of the sprint workouts when we all had to make a timed sprint, but we were able to help each other push through it and get through the hardest part of practice.
Exhausted, we moved into drills in areas we needed to improve in, particularly rebounding. Through the end of practice and in both Saturday and Sunday’s practice, we focused on rebounding on both sides of the floor. We went through a lot of the technicality of boxing out, but also talked a lot about awareness. It is crucial for us to push through fatigue and maintain our awareness of our own role in rebounding. Defensively, we each need to find a body, box out, and grab the ball. Offensively, we need to have the mindset of always attacking the glass once our shot goes up. On Sunday, our ‘word of the day’ was relentless. We need to relentlessly attack the boards and pursue the ball, no matter what. The more we drill this into our minds, the more successful we will be. It was clear in today’s practice that over the past couple days we have already improved in this area. When we scrimmaged, the defensive team was always finding someone to box out, while the offensive team was consistently crashing the boards. Even when we were running through plays without defense, we maintained our relentlessness and continued to crash the boards hard, while still making sure we had someone back on defense.
Our legs were definitely weary in today’s practice after a couple days of hard workouts. But our desire to improve helped us through the weariness. Last weekend forced us to recognize our need for improvement on the boards. While it may have cost us games, the positive side is that we were able to learn from that weakness and work on it these past three days so that in the future we won’t lose games due to rebounding. Every team has its weak spots, but the important thing is to understand those weaknesses, re-focus, and work on them until they no longer exist. The combination of a short re-energizing break and our team’s desire to improve in weak areas led to a successful practice environment over the past few days; this can only help us when we get back in action on Tuesday night at Keystone College.
Heading into a four-day break after our frustrating loss last Sunday is not the ideal situation by any means. Having the ‘we should have’ and ‘we could have’ thoughts staying with you for four days in which you can’t get back on the court is tough.
But when we came back to practice on Friday night, it was clear that the time we had taken to be with our families or friends to celebrate the holiday did us a lot of good. Sometimes being able to step away from the game for a couple days helps clear your head and that is definitely what happened for us this past week. We needed to re-focus, and I think taking a few personal days definitely helped us to do that. We knew Friday’s practice was going to be tough, and we were right. We ran a lot, and then some. We struggled at times, especially at the end of the sprint workouts when we all had to make a timed sprint, but we were able to help each other push through it and get through the hardest part of practice.
Exhausted, we moved into drills in areas we needed to improve in, particularly rebounding. Through the end of practice and in both Saturday and Sunday’s practice, we focused on rebounding on both sides of the floor. We went through a lot of the technicality of boxing out, but also talked a lot about awareness. It is crucial for us to push through fatigue and maintain our awareness of our own role in rebounding. Defensively, we each need to find a body, box out, and grab the ball. Offensively, we need to have the mindset of always attacking the glass once our shot goes up. On Sunday, our ‘word of the day’ was relentless. We need to relentlessly attack the boards and pursue the ball, no matter what. The more we drill this into our minds, the more successful we will be. It was clear in today’s practice that over the past couple days we have already improved in this area. When we scrimmaged, the defensive team was always finding someone to box out, while the offensive team was consistently crashing the boards. Even when we were running through plays without defense, we maintained our relentlessness and continued to crash the boards hard, while still making sure we had someone back on defense.
Our legs were definitely weary in today’s practice after a couple days of hard workouts. But our desire to improve helped us through the weariness. Last weekend forced us to recognize our need for improvement on the boards. While it may have cost us games, the positive side is that we were able to learn from that weakness and work on it these past three days so that in the future we won’t lose games due to rebounding. Every team has its weak spots, but the important thing is to understand those weaknesses, re-focus, and work on them until they no longer exist. The combination of a short re-energizing break and our team’s desire to improve in weak areas led to a successful practice environment over the past few days; this can only help us when we get back in action on Tuesday night at Keystone College.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Shooting Woes
November 23
When you’re having an off day, you can’t afford to make many mistakes. If you’re not hitting shots, everything else you do must be done very well in order to stay in the game.
Today, in a 47-32 loss to a defensively-minded Mount Holyoke squad, we couldn’t hit a shot. Every team has its shooting woes, but ours unfortunately didn’t end at any point today. After coming out early and grabbing a 7-2 lead, we didn’t hit a shot for a very long stretch of time and managed just 11 first-half points.
Our inability to score wasn’t solely a case of poor shooting. Similar to Saturday’s game, we struggled to execute our plays, and therefore forced shots. When you get in a slump, you have to work your way out of it, and we in no way did that in the first 20 minutes of play.
The second half was definitely an improvement- our intensity was greater and we were much more efficient with the ball. Unfortunately, our shooting slump continued. Despite that, we still managed to hang in there and lost the second half by just two points. But we had dug ourselves a hole we couldn’t climb out of.
With over a week to go before our next game, it was disappointing to go into that stretch with a loss, particularly in a game we thought we should have won. There were some sequences, where our execution and patience was what we expect from ourselves. For us, it isn’t a matter of having the effort or the ability. It is a matter of keeping those consistent throughout a game instead of just showing up in spurts. We have the pieces, but we have to put them together in order to get the results we want. This isn’t an uncommon issue in teams as young as ours. We are definitely asking a lot of people who have never been in situations like this before. But the bottom line is that making excuses doesn’t get us the wins, so why make them? We must instead overcome the difficulties of being such a young team and surprise people with what we are capable of accomplishing.
When you’re having an off day, you can’t afford to make many mistakes. If you’re not hitting shots, everything else you do must be done very well in order to stay in the game.
Today, in a 47-32 loss to a defensively-minded Mount Holyoke squad, we couldn’t hit a shot. Every team has its shooting woes, but ours unfortunately didn’t end at any point today. After coming out early and grabbing a 7-2 lead, we didn’t hit a shot for a very long stretch of time and managed just 11 first-half points.
Our inability to score wasn’t solely a case of poor shooting. Similar to Saturday’s game, we struggled to execute our plays, and therefore forced shots. When you get in a slump, you have to work your way out of it, and we in no way did that in the first 20 minutes of play.
The second half was definitely an improvement- our intensity was greater and we were much more efficient with the ball. Unfortunately, our shooting slump continued. Despite that, we still managed to hang in there and lost the second half by just two points. But we had dug ourselves a hole we couldn’t climb out of.
With over a week to go before our next game, it was disappointing to go into that stretch with a loss, particularly in a game we thought we should have won. There were some sequences, where our execution and patience was what we expect from ourselves. For us, it isn’t a matter of having the effort or the ability. It is a matter of keeping those consistent throughout a game instead of just showing up in spurts. We have the pieces, but we have to put them together in order to get the results we want. This isn’t an uncommon issue in teams as young as ours. We are definitely asking a lot of people who have never been in situations like this before. But the bottom line is that making excuses doesn’t get us the wins, so why make them? We must instead overcome the difficulties of being such a young team and surprise people with what we are capable of accomplishing.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Seven Sisters: Round One
November 22
In our home-opener this afternoon, hosting the prestigious Seven Sister’s Tournament and squaring off against Wellesley in first-round play, we again came out on the wrong side of a very close, hard-fought game. After overcoming a seven-point deficit with under a minute and a half left in regulation to force overtime, we were edged out by the Blue, 65-61.
Again, our ability to stay in the game and never give up was incredible. A strong defense at the end of regulation along with an Emily Haeuser jumper and a Kristyn Tempora 3-ball put us down two with about fifteen seconds left and the ball. This gave us just enough time to get a good shot up, after which I was able to track down the rebound and lay the ball in just before time expired. While our junior captain Emily Haeuser again did everything she could to keep us in the game, nailing numerous shots in the overtime session, we couldn’t match the offensive prowess of Wellesley in the final few minutes, as our opponent didn’t miss a single shot in the five-minute overtime.
Emily, or “House” as we refer to her most of the time (if you’ve seen her play, you understand why), played truly incredible in today’s game and did everything possible to get us the win. She scored 20 points while hauling in 10 rebounds to go along with an impressive 5 blocked shots and 5 steals. Her leadership was outstanding and she certainly showed not only her ability as a basketball player, but also her ability to lead an extremely young team and keep them together in very intense and sometimes stressful situations. This is my second year playing with House and her improvement as a leader both on and off the floor is definitely noteworthy.
While we obviously lost the five-minute overtime and hence the game, we all agreed that we didn’t lose the game in those last five minutes, but actually in the first five. We failed to execute in the first half and instead forced shots while having bad rebounding position. We were able to stay in the game with a couple of threes at the end of the half from freshman Brittany Parks, who netted a career-high 16 points. We seemed complacent and somewhat lethargic, the exact opposite of how we wanted to start the game off.
But when we came alive and executed, we could not be stopped. We were able to run our offensive sets much more effectively in the second half and in doing that, were able to get into the paint and get some open looks on the perimeter. Our defense looked pretty solid as well, as we managed to contain their running game for the most part and force 30 Wellesley turnovers. It was the boards that killed us in the end though, as the Blue outrebounded us 53-36.
While we did many positive things in this game and got a lot of “you guys look great this year” after the game, that isn’t enough for us; we’re too competitive. We’ve lost two heartbreakers in a week that could have gone either way, and we all knew that we could have got the win today had we played a better first half. A difference between a good team and a great team is not settling for being ‘in’ games. Great teams don’t want to just hang around and keep the score close, they want the win. We’ve come so close to those wins over this week, we can practically taste it. In tomorrow’s game against Mount Holyoke at 2 o’clock, we’re not just looking to come close. We need to come out strong and play the entire game as if it were the last five minutes. Most importantly, we need to come out on top, no matter what it takes.
In our home-opener this afternoon, hosting the prestigious Seven Sister’s Tournament and squaring off against Wellesley in first-round play, we again came out on the wrong side of a very close, hard-fought game. After overcoming a seven-point deficit with under a minute and a half left in regulation to force overtime, we were edged out by the Blue, 65-61.
Again, our ability to stay in the game and never give up was incredible. A strong defense at the end of regulation along with an Emily Haeuser jumper and a Kristyn Tempora 3-ball put us down two with about fifteen seconds left and the ball. This gave us just enough time to get a good shot up, after which I was able to track down the rebound and lay the ball in just before time expired. While our junior captain Emily Haeuser again did everything she could to keep us in the game, nailing numerous shots in the overtime session, we couldn’t match the offensive prowess of Wellesley in the final few minutes, as our opponent didn’t miss a single shot in the five-minute overtime.
Emily, or “House” as we refer to her most of the time (if you’ve seen her play, you understand why), played truly incredible in today’s game and did everything possible to get us the win. She scored 20 points while hauling in 10 rebounds to go along with an impressive 5 blocked shots and 5 steals. Her leadership was outstanding and she certainly showed not only her ability as a basketball player, but also her ability to lead an extremely young team and keep them together in very intense and sometimes stressful situations. This is my second year playing with House and her improvement as a leader both on and off the floor is definitely noteworthy.
While we obviously lost the five-minute overtime and hence the game, we all agreed that we didn’t lose the game in those last five minutes, but actually in the first five. We failed to execute in the first half and instead forced shots while having bad rebounding position. We were able to stay in the game with a couple of threes at the end of the half from freshman Brittany Parks, who netted a career-high 16 points. We seemed complacent and somewhat lethargic, the exact opposite of how we wanted to start the game off.
But when we came alive and executed, we could not be stopped. We were able to run our offensive sets much more effectively in the second half and in doing that, were able to get into the paint and get some open looks on the perimeter. Our defense looked pretty solid as well, as we managed to contain their running game for the most part and force 30 Wellesley turnovers. It was the boards that killed us in the end though, as the Blue outrebounded us 53-36.
While we did many positive things in this game and got a lot of “you guys look great this year” after the game, that isn’t enough for us; we’re too competitive. We’ve lost two heartbreakers in a week that could have gone either way, and we all knew that we could have got the win today had we played a better first half. A difference between a good team and a great team is not settling for being ‘in’ games. Great teams don’t want to just hang around and keep the score close, they want the win. We’ve come so close to those wins over this week, we can practically taste it. In tomorrow’s game against Mount Holyoke at 2 o’clock, we’re not just looking to come close. We need to come out strong and play the entire game as if it were the last five minutes. Most importantly, we need to come out on top, no matter what it takes.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Win Within the Loss
November 18
We opened our season tonight at Brooklyn College with a thrilling game in which we played extremely hard, but came out on the wrong end, in a 78-76 loss.
It was hard to stay upset about the game because of how well we played. It was our first game, we played in a small, hostile gym against a team that boasted six transfer students who were incredibly athletic and could really shoot. As a small, young team that hasn’t played much together, we faced our fair share of difficult moments but when it looked like we were down for good, we always managed to climb back and stay in the game. We displayed a lot of heart and character, and despite coming out on the losing end of a game that could have gone either way, we definitely made it clear that we will play every minute of every game this season with a ‘never-die’ attitude.
We were again led by our frontcourt, with freshman Kristyn Tempora going off for 23 points, while our junior captain Emily Haeuser had 19 and grabbed 12 rebounds herself. Freshman Brittany Parks had 11 points as well, while Jenica Law had a great game shooting 5 for 9 from the field for 10 total points.
Turnovers plagued us, particularly in trying to break their hard-nosed full-court trap. The guards we played tonight were quicker than most I saw last year, and their ability to pressure the ball was impressive. Although we did have trouble breaking the press, when we did beat it we were able to execute and get an easy bucket out of it. We proved we can break a press, it is just matter of consistency, which will improve as the season goes on.
Naturally, we were all disappointed about losing the game. We’re competitive, we work hard and we wanted to show everyone how we’re turning this program around by winning our first game. But despite not coming home with the win, anyone who watched that game and had seen teams of years past would definitely agree that it’s an entirely different team dynamic. We come to play, we don’t back down, and we definitely don’t give up. I’ve always thought that the worst thing an athlete can experience is sitting on the bus after the game thinking about the things they wished they had done; how they wished they had played harder or hadn’t given up so easily when the game got rough. Not one person on this team could have said anything like that; we came to play and we left it all on the floor, what more can we ask of ourselves?
While a little sad about losing, I spent most of the ride home thinking about how much we are going to progress as a team as the season goes on. We have so much potential, and the more we play together and learn in practice, the better we’re going to get. If we combine that with our work ethic and ‘never give up’ attitude, we’ll be surprising some teams this year. We may have taken the loss tonight, but I’m confident that won’t always be the case.
One last thing about tonight- I really enjoyed playing basketball. I didn’t score a lot, and I made my share of mistakes, but it didn’t affect the excitement I felt. I appreciated playing and competing with my teammates, knowing that whatever happened we were in it together. We never got down on each other and whether someone played all forty minutes of the game or not even one minute, we always supported one another. To be a part of this team is a privilege and something I feel extremely grateful for.
We opened our season tonight at Brooklyn College with a thrilling game in which we played extremely hard, but came out on the wrong end, in a 78-76 loss.
It was hard to stay upset about the game because of how well we played. It was our first game, we played in a small, hostile gym against a team that boasted six transfer students who were incredibly athletic and could really shoot. As a small, young team that hasn’t played much together, we faced our fair share of difficult moments but when it looked like we were down for good, we always managed to climb back and stay in the game. We displayed a lot of heart and character, and despite coming out on the losing end of a game that could have gone either way, we definitely made it clear that we will play every minute of every game this season with a ‘never-die’ attitude.
We were again led by our frontcourt, with freshman Kristyn Tempora going off for 23 points, while our junior captain Emily Haeuser had 19 and grabbed 12 rebounds herself. Freshman Brittany Parks had 11 points as well, while Jenica Law had a great game shooting 5 for 9 from the field for 10 total points.
Turnovers plagued us, particularly in trying to break their hard-nosed full-court trap. The guards we played tonight were quicker than most I saw last year, and their ability to pressure the ball was impressive. Although we did have trouble breaking the press, when we did beat it we were able to execute and get an easy bucket out of it. We proved we can break a press, it is just matter of consistency, which will improve as the season goes on.
Naturally, we were all disappointed about losing the game. We’re competitive, we work hard and we wanted to show everyone how we’re turning this program around by winning our first game. But despite not coming home with the win, anyone who watched that game and had seen teams of years past would definitely agree that it’s an entirely different team dynamic. We come to play, we don’t back down, and we definitely don’t give up. I’ve always thought that the worst thing an athlete can experience is sitting on the bus after the game thinking about the things they wished they had done; how they wished they had played harder or hadn’t given up so easily when the game got rough. Not one person on this team could have said anything like that; we came to play and we left it all on the floor, what more can we ask of ourselves?
While a little sad about losing, I spent most of the ride home thinking about how much we are going to progress as a team as the season goes on. We have so much potential, and the more we play together and learn in practice, the better we’re going to get. If we combine that with our work ethic and ‘never give up’ attitude, we’ll be surprising some teams this year. We may have taken the loss tonight, but I’m confident that won’t always be the case.
One last thing about tonight- I really enjoyed playing basketball. I didn’t score a lot, and I made my share of mistakes, but it didn’t affect the excitement I felt. I appreciated playing and competing with my teammates, knowing that whatever happened we were in it together. We never got down on each other and whether someone played all forty minutes of the game or not even one minute, we always supported one another. To be a part of this team is a privilege and something I feel extremely grateful for.
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Excitement Builds
November 16
Four and a half weeks of preseason is a very long time, longer than the preseasons of most other sports. To practice for four and a half weeks without competing (outside of the two scrimmages we’ve had) is hard; it begins to feel monotonous and redundant.
But the bottom line is that the repetition is crucial. Four and a half weeks is necessary in order to prepare our bodies, improve our skill sets, and get used to playing with one another, never mind learning plays, offensive sets and defensive schemes. I have to admit that during preseason, it only got harder and harder to keep this mindset. But with our first official game of the season approaching fast, I’m very appreciative of all the time and effort we’ve put in thus far. Our last few practices have been intense and it is clear that our opening game is on everyone’s mind. While we attempt to treat practice like a game every single day, the fact that in just a few days we will actually be in a game situation makes this easier to do and it has definitely created a very special practice environment.
The overall excitement within the team to finally start playing has definitely improved our chemistry. Everyone is on the same page as far as preparing for Tuesday night’s game and what we need to do to win it. After a pretty tough, conditioning-oriented practice on Saturday morning, the majority of my team grabbed some food and came back to the gym to support our men’s team as they opened their season with a tight 65-62 win over Southern Vermont. One of my teammates and I joked before the game started about how absurd it was that we were so excited just to watch the game and cheer them on. But thinking back on how ‘into’ the game we were (I think we started every ‘DE-FENSE’ cheer there was), it really isn’t so absurd. These guys have been doing the same thing as us for the past month or so, and they were finally on the court starting their season. We not only can relate to what they’ve been through, but we also can understand the excitement of playing in the first real game of the season. In a lot of ways, I think I was envious that they were able to actually play on Saturday and the closest thing to playing in the game for me was supporting them. My excitement for our game was actually showing while I watched their game.
But Tuesday night at 7 o’clock at Brooklyn College, we won’t be watching. We’ll be competing, and it will mean something. If we’re this excited about practicing and watching games, imagine how we’re going to feel as we get ready to step on the court Tuesday night? I think excitement would be an understatement for that one.
Four and a half weeks of preseason is a very long time, longer than the preseasons of most other sports. To practice for four and a half weeks without competing (outside of the two scrimmages we’ve had) is hard; it begins to feel monotonous and redundant.
But the bottom line is that the repetition is crucial. Four and a half weeks is necessary in order to prepare our bodies, improve our skill sets, and get used to playing with one another, never mind learning plays, offensive sets and defensive schemes. I have to admit that during preseason, it only got harder and harder to keep this mindset. But with our first official game of the season approaching fast, I’m very appreciative of all the time and effort we’ve put in thus far. Our last few practices have been intense and it is clear that our opening game is on everyone’s mind. While we attempt to treat practice like a game every single day, the fact that in just a few days we will actually be in a game situation makes this easier to do and it has definitely created a very special practice environment.
The overall excitement within the team to finally start playing has definitely improved our chemistry. Everyone is on the same page as far as preparing for Tuesday night’s game and what we need to do to win it. After a pretty tough, conditioning-oriented practice on Saturday morning, the majority of my team grabbed some food and came back to the gym to support our men’s team as they opened their season with a tight 65-62 win over Southern Vermont. One of my teammates and I joked before the game started about how absurd it was that we were so excited just to watch the game and cheer them on. But thinking back on how ‘into’ the game we were (I think we started every ‘DE-FENSE’ cheer there was), it really isn’t so absurd. These guys have been doing the same thing as us for the past month or so, and they were finally on the court starting their season. We not only can relate to what they’ve been through, but we also can understand the excitement of playing in the first real game of the season. In a lot of ways, I think I was envious that they were able to actually play on Saturday and the closest thing to playing in the game for me was supporting them. My excitement for our game was actually showing while I watched their game.
But Tuesday night at 7 o’clock at Brooklyn College, we won’t be watching. We’ll be competing, and it will mean something. If we’re this excited about practicing and watching games, imagine how we’re going to feel as we get ready to step on the court Tuesday night? I think excitement would be an understatement for that one.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Final Pre-Season Scrimmage
November 12
It’s hard to explain the feeling of playing a college basketball game on your home floor. It’s an extremely unique experience. There isn’t a huge stadium of people watching and we don’t play in a big arena, but there’s something about the atmosphere that makes me feel like I’m about to play the biggest game of my career. There may not be as many people at our games as say, Tennessee’s or UConn’s, but the close relationships we have with those who come, and also those who are kind enough to help out with game duties, make the experience particularly special.
So when I walked on to the floor to start our scrimmage tonight against Bard College, I welcomed that feeling of playing at home for the first time this year. With this ‘homecoming’ energy, our goal was to come out strong, grab a quick lead, and put them away early. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go as we had hoped.
We were able to grab a lead, and although we led the majority of the game (along with an extra ten minute period tacked on at the end) by about 10-15 points, it rarely felt that way. There were definitely bright spots; freshman Brittany Parks had a solid, all-around game at the point guard position and again our frontcourt proved itself productive on the offensive end. Yet we were out of sync as a team; our communication lacked and our sense of urgency came only in spurts. It’s not that we didn’t play hard – I truly believe we all played hard, but it was a matter of playing together and playing with emotion. We didn’t do much of that tonight, and the most frustrating part about it is we didn’t have an answer as to why. It wasn’t one of the generic reasons teams struggle: the players cared more about their own statistics so they played individually or they just didn’t really care that day so they didn’t play with emotion or energy. Sometimes, there is no concrete reason. It was just a funk that we never managed to pull ourselves out of. But the important thing isn’t that it happened, because it happens to every team, it’s that we learn from it, and we come to practice tomorrow with the same energy, emotion, and enthusiasm for the game and for each other that we always have. We can’t replay the scrimmage tonight, but we can make sure that what held us back tonight doesn’t hold us back in our opening game next Tuesday at Brooklyn College.
To feel frustrated after a 15-point win may seem strange, but what it shows about this team is that we hold ourselves to a high standard and we won’t accept less than that from ourselves; we know we are better. Experiences like tonight test our ability to not make excuses for ourselves and just come out tomorrow and flat out do better. And we will.
It’s hard to explain the feeling of playing a college basketball game on your home floor. It’s an extremely unique experience. There isn’t a huge stadium of people watching and we don’t play in a big arena, but there’s something about the atmosphere that makes me feel like I’m about to play the biggest game of my career. There may not be as many people at our games as say, Tennessee’s or UConn’s, but the close relationships we have with those who come, and also those who are kind enough to help out with game duties, make the experience particularly special.
So when I walked on to the floor to start our scrimmage tonight against Bard College, I welcomed that feeling of playing at home for the first time this year. With this ‘homecoming’ energy, our goal was to come out strong, grab a quick lead, and put them away early. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go as we had hoped.
We were able to grab a lead, and although we led the majority of the game (along with an extra ten minute period tacked on at the end) by about 10-15 points, it rarely felt that way. There were definitely bright spots; freshman Brittany Parks had a solid, all-around game at the point guard position and again our frontcourt proved itself productive on the offensive end. Yet we were out of sync as a team; our communication lacked and our sense of urgency came only in spurts. It’s not that we didn’t play hard – I truly believe we all played hard, but it was a matter of playing together and playing with emotion. We didn’t do much of that tonight, and the most frustrating part about it is we didn’t have an answer as to why. It wasn’t one of the generic reasons teams struggle: the players cared more about their own statistics so they played individually or they just didn’t really care that day so they didn’t play with emotion or energy. Sometimes, there is no concrete reason. It was just a funk that we never managed to pull ourselves out of. But the important thing isn’t that it happened, because it happens to every team, it’s that we learn from it, and we come to practice tomorrow with the same energy, emotion, and enthusiasm for the game and for each other that we always have. We can’t replay the scrimmage tonight, but we can make sure that what held us back tonight doesn’t hold us back in our opening game next Tuesday at Brooklyn College.
To feel frustrated after a 15-point win may seem strange, but what it shows about this team is that we hold ourselves to a high standard and we won’t accept less than that from ourselves; we know we are better. Experiences like tonight test our ability to not make excuses for ourselves and just come out tomorrow and flat out do better. And we will.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Finally Back on the Court
November 7
We had our first scrimmage of the season tonight, at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut. I don’t think we could have been any more excited. We’ve practiced six days a week, three and a half weeks straight, including a week of double sessions; naturally we were pretty anxious to get into a game situation and put everything into perspective. Even though it was just a scrimmage, it was such a pivotal event for us because we had no clue what to expect. Were we in good enough shape to run the floor well? Have we played together long enough to be in sync with one another? Could we remember, never mind execute, our plays and sets? All sorts of questions linger before a team actually gets on the court in a game-like situation, but there was one thing we did not question: we were going to play as hard as we could.
That is exactly what we did as soon as we stepped on the floor, and we ended up notching an 82-46 win. My teammates and I were happily surprised with the scrimmage. We were in much better shape that we thought, we worked together well despite the fact that our season is just over three weeks old, and we played more poised and composed than one would expect of a young team like ours playing in such a “run and gun” offense. The game was very physical, with lots of fouls and pushing and shoving under the basket, but we held our own and made sure to stay relaxed in situations that often get teams flustered. We were led by an incredible frontcourt duo of returning Liberty League Honorable Mention forward Emily Haeuser and freshman Kristyn Tempora, who poured in 17 points in her college debut. But the win was truly a team effort with everyone contributing and playing their role.
What I found most impressive about the scrimmage tonight was the selflessness with which our entire team played with. Just about every team I’ve played on in my basketball career has had that one girl who cares more about getting her twenty points every night than making sure her team walks away with a win; the girl who puts herself in front of her team. Sometimes, that one girl can ruin the entire chemistry or dynamic of a team: no one wants to play with someone so selfish. But it was clear tonight that we were not dealing with that kind of problem in the least. We knew that we could best exploit the defense through our post play so everyone looked to get the ball inside whenever possible, and those playing on the blocks played like we needed them to. Nobody was trying to jack up their own stats or look like the game hero, even when the lead grew to more than 20 points. That kind of unselfishness often goes unnoticed, but it is instrumental in any team’s success, and it definitely will be a major part of ours.
As well as the scrimmage went, there were, naturally, things that we definitely need to work on. There are certain concepts of the game both offensively and defensively that we will need to focus on. But tonight we realized that we had the work ethic, the desire, and the unselfishness to be successful this year. Everything else will stem from that.
We had our first scrimmage of the season tonight, at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut. I don’t think we could have been any more excited. We’ve practiced six days a week, three and a half weeks straight, including a week of double sessions; naturally we were pretty anxious to get into a game situation and put everything into perspective. Even though it was just a scrimmage, it was such a pivotal event for us because we had no clue what to expect. Were we in good enough shape to run the floor well? Have we played together long enough to be in sync with one another? Could we remember, never mind execute, our plays and sets? All sorts of questions linger before a team actually gets on the court in a game-like situation, but there was one thing we did not question: we were going to play as hard as we could.
That is exactly what we did as soon as we stepped on the floor, and we ended up notching an 82-46 win. My teammates and I were happily surprised with the scrimmage. We were in much better shape that we thought, we worked together well despite the fact that our season is just over three weeks old, and we played more poised and composed than one would expect of a young team like ours playing in such a “run and gun” offense. The game was very physical, with lots of fouls and pushing and shoving under the basket, but we held our own and made sure to stay relaxed in situations that often get teams flustered. We were led by an incredible frontcourt duo of returning Liberty League Honorable Mention forward Emily Haeuser and freshman Kristyn Tempora, who poured in 17 points in her college debut. But the win was truly a team effort with everyone contributing and playing their role.
What I found most impressive about the scrimmage tonight was the selflessness with which our entire team played with. Just about every team I’ve played on in my basketball career has had that one girl who cares more about getting her twenty points every night than making sure her team walks away with a win; the girl who puts herself in front of her team. Sometimes, that one girl can ruin the entire chemistry or dynamic of a team: no one wants to play with someone so selfish. But it was clear tonight that we were not dealing with that kind of problem in the least. We knew that we could best exploit the defense through our post play so everyone looked to get the ball inside whenever possible, and those playing on the blocks played like we needed them to. Nobody was trying to jack up their own stats or look like the game hero, even when the lead grew to more than 20 points. That kind of unselfishness often goes unnoticed, but it is instrumental in any team’s success, and it definitely will be a major part of ours.
As well as the scrimmage went, there were, naturally, things that we definitely need to work on. There are certain concepts of the game both offensively and defensively that we will need to focus on. But tonight we realized that we had the work ethic, the desire, and the unselfishness to be successful this year. Everything else will stem from that.
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Value of Competition
November 3
To compete is defined as ‘to strive against another or others to attain a goal.’ Upon first hearing the word ‘compete’, people often think of an opponent, or a “win-lose” situation. Competing is something we do with our rivals or those challenging us for something we want. Competition in basketball at Vassar is the 20 to 25 games we play each season.
But what isn’t always clear is that in order to really ‘compete’ in those 20 to 25 games, we need to compete every day. If we want to win games, we must not only strive against the teams we play, we must strive against one another. The only way we get better is to push ourselves and to push each other.
This was one of the main things we discussed in the locker room over our past few practices. We had to push each other in practice if we were going to compete in the Liberty League, or in any game we play. If I play laid back defense against my point guard in a scrimmage, I’m not preparing her for the smothering kind of defense she will see when we begin the season. If our post players aren’t pushing and battling back and forth in practice, they are not getting each other ready for the unbelievably physical and tough post play they’ll see in games.
It was impressive how well our team, as a whole, responded to this idea. It is much easier to say to each other “hey, let’s really push each other every day in practice” than it is to keep the high level of energy and focus needed to compete with each other in a 30 minute scrimmage after an hour and a half of sprints, full-court drills, and 5 on 0 work. It is not easy, physically or mentally, to keep that competitive attitude through the entirety of a tough two-hour practice, six-days a week. After Friday afternoon’s practice, my teammates and I were discussing how tired we felt, when it didn’t seem like we ran anymore than we usually do. We realized that the exhaustion came from the effort we are giving to make one another better – it’s much harder than it might appear. But knowing that we’ve worked hard after each and every practice reassures me that we’re improving on a daily basis.
On Saturday before practice, my coached talked about ‘playing for a job.’ We define our roles on this team by coming to each practice, giving everything we’ve got, and showing what we can do. My teammates and I played very hard when we scrimmaged on Saturday after a long week of practice. We kept the level of competitiveness high throughout practice without letting up. I’m sure everyone was inspired to show the strengths that they had and how they can contribute on the court after talking about playing for a job. But more importantly, everyone knew that the best way that each of us can contribute is to compete against each other and make our teammates better. If we push ourselves every day, we will be more prepared to compete and win when it really counts. Knowing this, we’re prepared to compete with one another each and every day we play.
To compete is defined as ‘to strive against another or others to attain a goal.’ Upon first hearing the word ‘compete’, people often think of an opponent, or a “win-lose” situation. Competing is something we do with our rivals or those challenging us for something we want. Competition in basketball at Vassar is the 20 to 25 games we play each season.
But what isn’t always clear is that in order to really ‘compete’ in those 20 to 25 games, we need to compete every day. If we want to win games, we must not only strive against the teams we play, we must strive against one another. The only way we get better is to push ourselves and to push each other.
This was one of the main things we discussed in the locker room over our past few practices. We had to push each other in practice if we were going to compete in the Liberty League, or in any game we play. If I play laid back defense against my point guard in a scrimmage, I’m not preparing her for the smothering kind of defense she will see when we begin the season. If our post players aren’t pushing and battling back and forth in practice, they are not getting each other ready for the unbelievably physical and tough post play they’ll see in games.
It was impressive how well our team, as a whole, responded to this idea. It is much easier to say to each other “hey, let’s really push each other every day in practice” than it is to keep the high level of energy and focus needed to compete with each other in a 30 minute scrimmage after an hour and a half of sprints, full-court drills, and 5 on 0 work. It is not easy, physically or mentally, to keep that competitive attitude through the entirety of a tough two-hour practice, six-days a week. After Friday afternoon’s practice, my teammates and I were discussing how tired we felt, when it didn’t seem like we ran anymore than we usually do. We realized that the exhaustion came from the effort we are giving to make one another better – it’s much harder than it might appear. But knowing that we’ve worked hard after each and every practice reassures me that we’re improving on a daily basis.
On Saturday before practice, my coached talked about ‘playing for a job.’ We define our roles on this team by coming to each practice, giving everything we’ve got, and showing what we can do. My teammates and I played very hard when we scrimmaged on Saturday after a long week of practice. We kept the level of competitiveness high throughout practice without letting up. I’m sure everyone was inspired to show the strengths that they had and how they can contribute on the court after talking about playing for a job. But more importantly, everyone knew that the best way that each of us can contribute is to compete against each other and make our teammates better. If we push ourselves every day, we will be more prepared to compete and win when it really counts. Knowing this, we’re prepared to compete with one another each and every day we play.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Crazy What A Little Rest Can Do
October 27
My body has never been as happy with me as it was this past weekend. After four straight days of double sessions, my teammates and I were given the weekend off to rejuvenate and relax. It is fair to say that every single one of us needed it. Muscles were sore, legs were tired, and in general, we were just worn out. This was expected of course; we worked extremely hard over the week and it was clear that we had already improved immensely in the short time we had been practicing.
The best part about having the weekend off became apparent at the beginning of practice on Monday. It seemed weird at first, because now that it is no longer fall break, people are actually on campus and we are attending classes before practice again. But as soon as we started stretching and running, it was clear that the rest had definitely done us some good. We were moving a lot faster than we had been at the end of last week, and everyone seemed very excited to be back in the gym after the weekend off. General movements including sprinting, cutting, and defensive slides seemed like they took very little effort compared to last Friday’s practices. As a team, we looked fresh both mentally and physically, and that translated into a great practice, which is particularly crucial in the beginning of the week.
What a lot of programs don’t seem to value enough is exactly what my teammates and I experienced today in practice. Many see a weekend off as a day or two that we are not practicing or honing our skills or improving as a team. But in this case, having an extra day off allowed us to perform much better in practice. We got more out of practice than we would have had we practiced on Saturday, and that was because our bodies were given the rest that they were demanding from us.
We began practice with our usual sprints, passing and weaving drills. We then moved into 4 on 4 half court breakdown before beginning a half court shooting drill, stationary ball handling, and a full court dribbling drill that allowed us to practice our crossovers and other moves. We finished practice with about fifteen minutes of full court play and then our typical cool down. While we had definitely worked hard and had been conditioning during practice, it was clear that both physically and mentally, we felt much better than we had just a couple days ago. My teammates and I all knew exactly why that was. Sometimes, a little rest goes a long way.
My body has never been as happy with me as it was this past weekend. After four straight days of double sessions, my teammates and I were given the weekend off to rejuvenate and relax. It is fair to say that every single one of us needed it. Muscles were sore, legs were tired, and in general, we were just worn out. This was expected of course; we worked extremely hard over the week and it was clear that we had already improved immensely in the short time we had been practicing.
The best part about having the weekend off became apparent at the beginning of practice on Monday. It seemed weird at first, because now that it is no longer fall break, people are actually on campus and we are attending classes before practice again. But as soon as we started stretching and running, it was clear that the rest had definitely done us some good. We were moving a lot faster than we had been at the end of last week, and everyone seemed very excited to be back in the gym after the weekend off. General movements including sprinting, cutting, and defensive slides seemed like they took very little effort compared to last Friday’s practices. As a team, we looked fresh both mentally and physically, and that translated into a great practice, which is particularly crucial in the beginning of the week.
What a lot of programs don’t seem to value enough is exactly what my teammates and I experienced today in practice. Many see a weekend off as a day or two that we are not practicing or honing our skills or improving as a team. But in this case, having an extra day off allowed us to perform much better in practice. We got more out of practice than we would have had we practiced on Saturday, and that was because our bodies were given the rest that they were demanding from us.
We began practice with our usual sprints, passing and weaving drills. We then moved into 4 on 4 half court breakdown before beginning a half court shooting drill, stationary ball handling, and a full court dribbling drill that allowed us to practice our crossovers and other moves. We finished practice with about fifteen minutes of full court play and then our typical cool down. While we had definitely worked hard and had been conditioning during practice, it was clear that both physically and mentally, we felt much better than we had just a couple days ago. My teammates and I all knew exactly why that was. Sometimes, a little rest goes a long way.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Basketball: The Ultimate Rollercoaster
During our post-practice team talk last Friday, I shared with my teammates and coaches a metaphor that an old coach told me about in high school. The metaphor relates the game of basketball to a rollercoaster ride. Just as a rollercoaster has big climbs and big drops, basketball tends to have extremely great sequences followed by rather negative ones. We might go on a 10-0 run at the beginning of the game, and then see our opponent go on a 10-0 run just minutes later. It’s a game of ups and downs, just like a rollercoaster ride. After explaining this to my team, we all agreed that the comparison was definitely valid. Little did we know we would be living the rollercoaster ride just days later.
After single practices Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday night, we had our first of five straight days of double sessions on Tuesday. While almost the entire campus takes off for October break, we stay on campus to begin the most strenuous part of our season. This, of course, doesn’t sound very appealing, but what I realized today was that I actually enjoy this part of the season, as physically exhausting as it can be. To have an entire week to focus on getting into shape and preparing for the season is a great advantage. At the same time, we don’t have to worry about classes and we have more time to take care of our bodies and bond as a team. So while our fall break experience doesn’t seem so pleasant on the surface, I actually deeply appreciate the advantages the week gives us and so far, I have been enjoying the extra time.
So when we began our first of two sessions today at 10 o’clock, I had a really positive attitude. My legs were sore and I was definitely tired, but I was determined to not let that get in the way of practice. That mindset, however, got harder and harder to keep as practice moved along and I became more and more fatigued. We did our usual stretching and sprints to open practice, followed by full-court passing and weaving drills. We moved into 5 on 0, practicing our offensive transition sets and a simple motion offense. We then finished practice with a 4 on 4 half court shell drill and our usual cool down routine. But when we walked into the locker room after our two hour workout, the team, as a unit, didn’t feel good about the practice. We missed too many layups, we made too many mental mistakes, and we were not really competing with one another in the shell drill. We didn’t need our coach to tell us this; we saw it for ourselves. So when coach told us he thought we could do better, each one of us was already thinking the same thing. We told each other we needed to do better in our second session later in the day, and that is exactly what we did.
We came to our 6 o’clock practice ready to play basketball. We were focused, energetic, and most importantly, we pushed one another. We looked as if we were moving five times faster in our full court drills than we were in the morning session. We never stopped communicating and we were truly working to improve individually and as a team. We took the shell drill much more serious and were really competing with one another. The atmosphere was so more energetic than it had been earlier in the day, and that was definitely reflected in how we played. After practice, we all felt really good about how much better our effort was. When my coach asked us how we felt about the day as a whole, one of my teammates chimed in “ROLLERCOASTER!” We all laughed, but it was clear that we all knew she was right. Basketball is the ultimate rollercoaster, and we were just beginning our ride.
After single practices Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday night, we had our first of five straight days of double sessions on Tuesday. While almost the entire campus takes off for October break, we stay on campus to begin the most strenuous part of our season. This, of course, doesn’t sound very appealing, but what I realized today was that I actually enjoy this part of the season, as physically exhausting as it can be. To have an entire week to focus on getting into shape and preparing for the season is a great advantage. At the same time, we don’t have to worry about classes and we have more time to take care of our bodies and bond as a team. So while our fall break experience doesn’t seem so pleasant on the surface, I actually deeply appreciate the advantages the week gives us and so far, I have been enjoying the extra time.
So when we began our first of two sessions today at 10 o’clock, I had a really positive attitude. My legs were sore and I was definitely tired, but I was determined to not let that get in the way of practice. That mindset, however, got harder and harder to keep as practice moved along and I became more and more fatigued. We did our usual stretching and sprints to open practice, followed by full-court passing and weaving drills. We moved into 5 on 0, practicing our offensive transition sets and a simple motion offense. We then finished practice with a 4 on 4 half court shell drill and our usual cool down routine. But when we walked into the locker room after our two hour workout, the team, as a unit, didn’t feel good about the practice. We missed too many layups, we made too many mental mistakes, and we were not really competing with one another in the shell drill. We didn’t need our coach to tell us this; we saw it for ourselves. So when coach told us he thought we could do better, each one of us was already thinking the same thing. We told each other we needed to do better in our second session later in the day, and that is exactly what we did.
We came to our 6 o’clock practice ready to play basketball. We were focused, energetic, and most importantly, we pushed one another. We looked as if we were moving five times faster in our full court drills than we were in the morning session. We never stopped communicating and we were truly working to improve individually and as a team. We took the shell drill much more serious and were really competing with one another. The atmosphere was so more energetic than it had been earlier in the day, and that was definitely reflected in how we played. After practice, we all felt really good about how much better our effort was. When my coach asked us how we felt about the day as a whole, one of my teammates chimed in “ROLLERCOASTER!” We all laughed, but it was clear that we all knew she was right. Basketball is the ultimate rollercoaster, and we were just beginning our ride.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A Season for Change
October 15
Along with all of the other NCAA Division III basketball programs nationwide, Vassar women’s basketball begins its season every year on October 15th. This year, I realized, that is about the only thing that won’t be changing for my teammates and I. With Luke Ruppel, the new head coach, Summer Quesenberry, the new assistant coach as well as some new teammates, I found myself not knowing what to expect when 6 o’clock practice rolled around today.
But as soon as my teammates and I stepped onto the floor, I knew exactly what to expect. The positivity, competitiveness, and camaraderie that players and coaches alike brought to each drill really impressed me, and I instantly knew that this season was going to be a special one.
We began practice with a dynamic warm up and then moved into skill work. Ball handling was first, and we followed that with a 30 minute full court dribbling drill that required us to make a single move three times each way down the court, twice on each side, and there were six moves. With our roster being relatively small this year, there were no lines, so the drill was continuous. We were all beyond tired, especially in the second half of the drill, but we persevered by continuously cheering each other on to keep our mind off of our shortness of breath and sore legs. It was at this point when I realized what a great team dynamic we have, and this is just the first day of the actual season. The positive atmosphere continued into shooting drills, the defensive shell drill, and practice-ending sprints.
I walked back into the locker room with my teammates feeling very optimistic about the practice and the season ahead. As I walked in, I looked on the white board and saw the ‘quote of the day’ that will be posted before each practice. Today’s was from Jimmy Valvano: “Think of where you were, where you are now, and where you want to be.” We haven’t decided where we want to be as a team yet, but by the looks of the first practice of the 2008 season, the bar is going to be set high. Change for Vassar women’s basketball is definitely on the way, and I for one, am very excited about it.
Along with all of the other NCAA Division III basketball programs nationwide, Vassar women’s basketball begins its season every year on October 15th. This year, I realized, that is about the only thing that won’t be changing for my teammates and I. With Luke Ruppel, the new head coach, Summer Quesenberry, the new assistant coach as well as some new teammates, I found myself not knowing what to expect when 6 o’clock practice rolled around today.
But as soon as my teammates and I stepped onto the floor, I knew exactly what to expect. The positivity, competitiveness, and camaraderie that players and coaches alike brought to each drill really impressed me, and I instantly knew that this season was going to be a special one.
We began practice with a dynamic warm up and then moved into skill work. Ball handling was first, and we followed that with a 30 minute full court dribbling drill that required us to make a single move three times each way down the court, twice on each side, and there were six moves. With our roster being relatively small this year, there were no lines, so the drill was continuous. We were all beyond tired, especially in the second half of the drill, but we persevered by continuously cheering each other on to keep our mind off of our shortness of breath and sore legs. It was at this point when I realized what a great team dynamic we have, and this is just the first day of the actual season. The positive atmosphere continued into shooting drills, the defensive shell drill, and practice-ending sprints.
I walked back into the locker room with my teammates feeling very optimistic about the practice and the season ahead. As I walked in, I looked on the white board and saw the ‘quote of the day’ that will be posted before each practice. Today’s was from Jimmy Valvano: “Think of where you were, where you are now, and where you want to be.” We haven’t decided where we want to be as a team yet, but by the looks of the first practice of the 2008 season, the bar is going to be set high. Change for Vassar women’s basketball is definitely on the way, and I for one, am very excited about it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
