I started off this new season with a trek over to the St. Paul side of town to take in the very first practice of the season at St. Kate's. I was anxious to get back to St. Kate's because I wanted very much to meet their new head coach, Sean Pinkerton who was hired earlier in the year and subsequently took over the reigns from former head coach Gary Rufsvold when he decided to step down from the position late this last summer. Pinkerton previously was the head coach at Morrisville State College and also was an assistant at both New York-Canton and Heidelberg before that so St. Kate's definitely has someone who has solid experience. Pinkerton's assistant coach this year is Zack Vogelsberg who has previously been an assistant at both SMU and Bethel so he has someone who knows and understands the "ins and outs" of the MIAC well.
I got there early enough to get myself situated and get introduced to Pinkerton who was an incredibly gracious host. I was disappointed, though, when I was looking around at the squad getting warmed up and did not see two faces that I would normally have expected to be there - Jule Muegge who was a standout as a freshman last season and Adele Simerson-Wallfred who is a senior this season. Muegge, as I later found out, has decided to concentrate on track and field which is something I did not count on and, for Pinkerton especially, is a huge void considering the potential that Muegge possesses. Simerson-Wallfred's absence is a disappointment as well being that she is a senior and I think it's something she'll regret down the road.
In any event, it was intriguing to watch this team get going. One of the more interesting aspects of Pinkerton's approach in practice is how he gets the team to the center of the court when he yells "circle!". The player (or players) who are late in getting to the circle on the center of the court automatically have to do five push-ups. Not taxing by any means but it stresses team unity and togetherness. The team spends the first few minutes doing a variety of flexing/stretching/light running drills to get fully loosend up. Afterwards, Pinkerton has the group doing a whole gamet of drills that includes the following:
(1) First, a 3-on-2 halfcourt drill is done that actually utilizes the whole floor and it would appear that the main emphasis on this one is to defend agains transition opportunities.
(2) Next is a drill whereby the players use the glass for rebounds and they then get the ball on the way back down for an easy kiss off the glass and into the basket. Not as easy as it looks. Pinkerton has the team do some sprints afterward.
(3) Next is a 3-man weave that is finished with layups. Pinkerton is not entirely happy with the team's performance in this drill and has them do some more sprints before resuming this drill.
(4) A 4-on-4 half-court drill is done that emphasizes ball movement plus defense and positioning. This drill is then modified where the offense then attacks the basket; i.e., doing perimeter work THEN attacking the rim.
(5) The next drill has three players going down the court with one finishing with a layup. Then, going the other way it turns into a 2-on-1 transition drill where a long pass is used to simulate a fast-break opportunity.
(6) The next drill is a shooting drill where one group of players are lined up to shoot along the baseline while the other group is positioned along the perimeter to shoot from the elbow. The drill is continually modified whereby each group keeps moving into different shooting positions.
(7) The next drill involves two groups; one on each end of the floor dribbling between chairs and finishing with a layup. This drill is then modified whereby the chairs are moved from the right side of the court to the left side of the court
(8) The next drill is interesting as it employs using mini-basketball that are actually heavier than regulation balls. Two balls are used and players are positioned in various places on the half-court. The emphasis here is precise passing and movement. The drill is modified as overhead passing and chest passing is used. Not as easy at it looks.
(9) The next drill has two players who go down the floor together after taking a rebound off the glass. After one player finishes with a layup then then go back the other way with way to finish off with a rebound as well. But this is not as easy as it would appear as this drill is modified that allows for the second to get points as well.
10. The last two drills involve both hal-court and full court to emphasize quickness and precise passing.
Lastly, sprints are done after each FT attempt. Pinkerton tells the team "You'd better be sure to make FTs this year.
After practice finally concludes, I am invited Pinkerton's office to discuss the team and the MIAC. Pinkerton readily acknowledges that he has an uphill struggle but it doesn't seem to faze him at all. When asked what must be done to bring the team along and keep improving, Pinkerton says he lists three short-term goal (1) defense, (2) taking care of the ball/winning the turnover margin, and (3) rebounding. Pinkerton then rattles off where St. Kate's needs the most improvement - (his knowledge of St. Kate's and national numbers is stunning) and also relates how he made major improvement at his previous head coaching spot. The Wildcats may not win a lot of games this year but St. Kate's has an awfully good head coach who knows how to get things done.
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