Was up at Anoka-Ramsey's Tuesday afternoon practice to catch a glimpse of the team to see how they're coming along so far. Actually, just going in the building was an eye-opener in itself as they've done considerable renovation of the facilites there. They have a brand-new fieldhouse/practice facility (which the team utilized on this day) along with a totally new lobby area and a VERY nice new weight room/workout area which is still not done yet. The main gym is slated to get new bleachers as well so when all is said and done, it's safe to say that Anoka-Ramsey will have state of the art facilities which is what you would expect for a program that has had the success that Anoka-Ramsey has had over the last several years.
After getting acquainted with the team, head coach David DeWitt held a pre-practice team meeting in one of the conference rooms upstairs (very nice new facility as well). Here, Coach DeWitt outlined some of the guidelines for his team to follow - both on AND off the court - and it's no surprise that Anoka-Ramsey has had continued success with DeWitt leading the way. Some of the points that stand out include:
(1) Never lie, cheat or steal.
(2) Don't whine, complain or make excuses.
A. Excuses are for losers.
B. Winners find way to be successful!
C. No matter how bad things may appear to be, somebody else has it worse.
(3) Communication is the key!
A. You must be able to communicate well with your teammates.
(4) Defense is the key - and our identity!
A. It is the hallmark of what we do.
B. In the early part of the year, it should be ahead of the offense.
C. Anticipation is critical to playing great defense.
D. Secure the defensive rebound!
(5) You play to be the best!
(6) Crash the boards!
A. It's a mentality that MUST be learned.
After that great pep talk, it was then time to head back down the stairs and into the new fieldhouse/practice facility as the team was able to spend 10-15 minutes getting loosened up and hitting some shots before Coach DeWitt assembled them for drills. The first few drills emphasized setting screens properly and position work as well. The focus then shifted to passing and this consisted of the time-tested weave, fundamental passing, SST (start stop turn) plus the 3-line push as well. It was during this time that Coach DeWitt had to admonish his team; particularly his post players to "PLAY HARD!" The reason for this was because assistant coach David Alto had the task of using a pad to bump against post players coming down the floor preparing to post up and Coach DeWitt; not happy with performance of his post players, told them "You'd better make him take two steps back when you post up!"
The second half of practice focused on the trademark of Anoka-Ramsey success - defense. The drills done here were labled as 4/4/4, cover down, "imaginary" defense, 4 on 2 - ballside/helpside, and then some 5 on 5 - both "shell" and live. Coach DeWitt is simply passionate when it comes to defense and he stresses some of the little things that help a player be the best defender she can possibly be. He stresses that you have to be able to sprint to the area where the ball is - not simply shuffle over. "Keep your hands up" is another phrase that was heard more than once.
Outtakes - Coach DeWitt has some very good incoming freshmen coming into this group; most notably Kelli Schramm who hails from Mounds View HS. She played one year at UW-Eau Claire before sitting out last season so that is a fantastic "get" for this program. I can visualize her playing either the "3" or "4" spot (she's that versatile) but she can post up as well. The other one that caught my eye is Park Center standout Nicole Schaub who played an integral role (along with her younger sister Hannah who is now a sophomore at Park Center) in the Pirates run to the Section Finals the last two seasons. Schaub is a pure shooter who can terrorize opponents if left open on the perimeter. It will be interesting to watch these two along with the other newcomers mesh with the returnees. Speaking of returnees, you would normally have to think that Anoka-Ramsey was primed for an easy repeat trip back to the National Tournament - that is until sophomore standout Maria Loughlin went down with a knee injury early in the fall that drastically changed the dynamics of this talented squad. From what I can tell, Coach DeWitt is not even close as far as settling on someone to inherit the coveted PG spot although he may have an idea in the back of his mind. Last year I said that a return trip to the National Tournament was probably "a bridge too far" considering all the great players he had lost from the National Championship team. Well, I was obviously wrong on that one although they had to survive a big scare in the Region Tournament. The thing about this year's squad is that it (in many ways) mirrors last year's team: They are not big by any stretch but they make up for that with unbelievable quickness and athleticism. The think tank here would have to surmise that, without question, they'll be one of the top two teams in the MCC. Beyond that, when it comes to the Region Tournament, my guess is that they'll have a harder row to hoe and their margin for error will be that much smaller. When I asked Coach DeWitt about all this he replied, "All I care about is my team being the very best they can be. Whether that includes Nationals or not I don't know."
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