UST Practice 10-24-16

Had to battle some heavy traffic on I-94 on Monday afternoon to make my way over to Schoenecker Arena on the campus of UST to take in the Monday evening practice session.  Was running just a bit late but managed to get into the Arena (thanks to senior guard Gabby Zehrer letting me in) as the Tommies were in the midst of various stretching and warm-up exercises.  Head Coach Ruth Sinn came over a short time later to say hello and hand me a practice itinerary and it wasn't long before Sinn had her squad hard at it in this fast-paced practice.

The theme that Sinn and her coaching staff have for this season is "Own The Moment" and the Tommies appear ready to do just that.  One of the first items that Sinn has her team perform is lane slides and this is one of the lesser known techniques that helps make the Tommies so incredibly tough on defense.  Another defensive drill that Sinn has her team work on is short and long closeouts in an effort to perfect those defensive techniques.  "We gave up too many '3's' " Sinn says and I have to wonder if she was referring to that NCAA Sweet Sixteen game at home last March against Wartburg where the Knights shot the lights out from behind the arc enroute to an upset win over UST that brought an abrupt end to the Tommies fantastic 2015-16 season.

An interesting drill is performed next called "Bradley Passing".  Here, the team is lined up along the lanes and they work on a variety of passes and the goal here appears to be to make as many accurate passes within a specified time frame.  The team next works on triangle passing and here the team gets into groups of three to work on ball movement and passing and Sinn wants the players to use a pivot move to gain an advantage.

Another interesting drill performed during this practice is "One More 'Schape' Shooting".  Here, the team gets into four groups.  One player does a lay-up and then passes the ball to a coach assisting the group.  Another player on the wing gets the ball and the player who made the lay-up has to defend her in a one-on-one situation.

Sinn has the team work on some more closeout drills and free throws as well and then it's time for a drill called "1 vs 1 - Hit & Get Blockout".  In this drill, an errant shot is put up and the sole defender has to block out a would-be offensive player and get the rebound.  The team yells "shot" when the ball is put up and then "chest" when the defender has grabbed the rebound.

Next is "3-Line Blockout".  This is basically a 3-on-3 drill with a twist.  Here, one of the coaches throws the ball to one of the players out on the wing who puts up an immediate shot with the emphasis on blocking out.

The next drill Sinn has some of her squad work on is "3 Player, 2-Ball Shooting"; a continuous shooting drill while Assistant Coach Brian Silk has the post players work on positioning and boxing out.  In the next drill session, Sinn has her guards work on transition breakdown while Silk and Assistant Coach A. C. Clouthier work with the posts and forwards on a variety of items.  Then Sinn seeks to put some of the concepts worked on to a test in 5-on-5 full-court work.  To wind up the evening, the team does some half-court work where the guards work on getting good passes into the post along with some 4-on-4 half-court work as well as free throws.

Outtakes:  Former Orono Head Coach Ellen Wiese comes aboard on Sinn's staff and her knowledge and experience is another asset to this loaded UST program.....Losing a great player and leader like Katie Stone to graduation is a big loss, of course, but the Tommies have three solid seniors ready to take on the leadership roles and it was easy to see that Paige Gernes, Kaitlin Langer and Zehrer will excel in this area......I asked Sinn afterward if that Wartburg loss still weighs heavily on her and the team's mind and she responded in the affirmative and added that "We're hungry."  Sinn is also high on her newcomers to the team saying that they're "long and athletic" and it was easy to see that in practice.  The Tommies will scrimmage against Southwest Minnesota State at home next week Wednesday and open the season with some challenging games - first at the McDaniel College Tip-Off Tournament on November 18-19 and will host WIAC perennial powerhouse UW-Stevens Point on November 27 before delving into MIAC play.  Additionally, the Tommies will play at the Bluffton Holiday Tournament right before the end of the year where they'll first take on another national powerhouse, Hope, on December 29.....Sinn was quick to acknowledge that they expect a strong challenge from GAC for MIAC honors but, IMHO, it will take a Herculean effort for anyone to dethrone the Tommies.          

Carleton Practice 10-20-16

I headed down to Northfield on Thursday afternoon to take in Carleton's practice that began at 5:30 that evening.  I got to West Gym in plenty of time and met Head Coach Cassie Kosiba in her office as she was enjoying a salad for something of an impromptu meal to hold her over for the early evening.  I was able to make myself comfortable on the sofa in her office and we talked about her squad and the upcoming season.  Kosiba exuded a quiet confidence in her team's ability to take the next step - and hopefully avoid the injury bugaboo that plagued the team last season.  There was a part of me that waxed a bit nostalgic as well as I brought up the glory years of Carleton Women's Basketball from 2001 to 2008 that saw the program win five MIAC Championship Games and snare three regular season titles as well.  Kosiba remembers those days well and she hopes to bring those glory days back to West Gym but she knows the road ahead will not be easy.

While the volleyball team is finishing up things on the gym floor, Assistant Chris Dahled is watching the squad mill around the upper level of West Gym; doing some various stretching and flexing exercised to get loosened up for the evening's practice session.  Dahled and I talk about the squad and the upcoming season and, he too, is enthusiastic about the squad and its chances this season. Eventually I'm able to take a set at a table on the upper deck of the arena while the squad and Kosiba and Dahled get onto the gym floor and ready themselves for the practice session.

One point that Kosiba wants to get across to her team in their pre-practice pep talk is to "celebrate each other's success"; whether it's a good pass or a defensive play or a clutch shot with high-fives and the like.  But the team is a close-knit group and they know what to do.  The first drill of the evening is "Transition Buildup".  In this drill, a free throw is shot and then it's a 2-on-1 situation going the other way.  After a basket is made, it then becomes a 3-on-2 drill the other way back and it gradually expands to 4-on-3 to 5-on-4 and then finally 5-on-5.  Both Kosiba and Dahled have to stop the drill from time to time to point out flaws that need to be corrected.

Next, shooting is worked on in a drill called "Motion Cuts/Shots".  Here, you have a player at the top of the key and players at each wing.  The top player throws the ball to one of the wing players and the other wing player has to simulate a screen that allows the top player to get into the lane with the pass and score.  Kosiba and Dahled also alter the drill so that the top player has to hit a shot from the wing area as well.

Offense becomes the next area of focus and this is where Kosiba and Dahled work on the motion offense.  Kosiba takes time to explain to her team how the motion offense should work; showing them how they should be moving and filling the spots on the floor and to be "shot ready" on every catch.

Fast break and transition which is Carleton's bread and butter is worked on next.  This is essentially a 5-on-0 "shell" drill that begins off of a defensive rebound.  Kosiba is a big believer in up-tempo play and being able to make this work effectively will be critical for the Knights.

After a well, deserved water break, the team works for a bit on rebounding and boxing out; something that is crucial for any basketball team.  Then, Kosiba has the team in two lines to work on finishing shots.  Both inside hand and reverse lay-ups are done in addition to shots in the middle of the lane.

Next is a drill called "Cyclone Closeouts" and, being an Iowa grad and a die-hard UCLA guy, I wish the Bruins and the Hawkeyes could get a bit more love when it comes to drill names.  In any event, here you have three lines of players - one along each sideline and another group in the middle. Dahled throws a ball to one of the sideline players and the middle line players then have to go over and defend the player on that sideline.  Each line gets a chance to be a defender in this drill.

After Kosiba has the team do some 4-on-4 half-court work to work on and analyze the defensive aspect a bit more, the last drill of this evening's practice is aptly called "Chaos".  Here, you have five shooters and five reboundersand the goal for each shooter is to make as many shots as possible within a specified time frame and the shooters have to rotate positions as well.  Afterward, Kosiba has the team gather round for a closing pep talk, hammering home the point of good communication between each player and the coaches and, once again, to celebrate each other's success.  The team is in a good mood and both Kosiba and Dahled seem pleased with the evening's practice and they call it a night.

Outtakes:  Being that so many of the players come from out of state, you might initially think that team chemistry could be an issue.  But these players seem to mesh very well both on and off the court and Kosiba was bubbling with enthusiasm on her newcomers......Junior forward Anne Hamilton who played her high school basketball at Minnetonka will have a big part in helping make this Carleton team go with her versatile play.  A couple of other players who stood out, IMHO, are junior guard Sarah Paller of Brooklyn, New York and sophomore forward Cece Leone of Fairfax, Virginia.....The first three non-conference games to open the season are challenging.  They host WIAC perennial powerhouse UW-River Falls in their opener on 11-15 and then head out to California over the Thanksgiving holiday to take on both Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer in the David Wells Classic before delving into MIAC play.  They also take on UMAC powerhouse Northwestern on 12-14 and play two more WIAC teams before the end of the year - UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout - with both of those games at Wisconsin Dells......Injuries plagued the Knights last season and they have to stay healthy this time around if they hope to have a shot at that sixth playoff spot.            

Anoka-Ramsey Practice 10-19-16

Was up in Coon Rapids on Wednesday afternoon to take in Anoka-Ramsey's practice.  Today was picture day for the squad and Head Coach David DeWitt had the squad dress into their uniforms to have the team picture taken.  After that, the squad got back into their practice gear and headed up to the conference room upstairs for an impromptu team meeting.  DeWitt asks the players questions from a John Wooden book and also reads a story from the book for the team to ponder and what it means to them.  De Witt also has the squad review some film from their scrimmage against Gogebic in the previous weekend's jamboree and points out flaws and deficiencies that need to be corrected. One of the points DeWitt hammers home with his team is being an "energy giver" as opposed to being an "energy taker".  DeWitt closes the team meeting by saying, "Your job is to get better today."  After a brief conference among DeWitt and Assistants Dave Alto and Jessica Pelzel that I'm lucky enough to sit in on, we head down to the auxiliary gym for the afternoon's practice.

DeWitt starts the day's practice with some passing drills and then has the team do a 3-on-0 full-court drill to work on the "high-low" aspect on the offensive end.  Then the team does a 3-on-0 full-court transition drill but there can only be one dribble in the process.  It's not an easy drill to perform and although the team does get better with it as it progresses, it's still not up to DeWitt's standards and the team gets to do "walking push-ups" for their subpar performance.

Next, the team does a similar drill but this time each player has to finish with a basket.  The last transition player has to make a lay-up and the other two players shoot jump shots.  Again, however, the drill does not live up to DeWitt's expectations and the team gets to run lines afterward.

The emphasis of the practice then turns to an Anoka-Ramsey staple - defense - and DeWitt and his staff have the team do a 3-on-3 half-court drill called "close outs".  The idea here is for the defenders to try and prevent the offensive players having an easy catch of the ball; something that didn't always happen in the scrimmage from the previous weekend.  Preventing a drive into the lane is another sore spot for DeWitt from the previous weekend as well.  "We do not give up a drive into the lane!" he exclaims.

Next, DeWitt runs basically the same drill but this time it's a 5-on-5 situation and here things get really intense.  DeWitt abhors turnovers on offense.  "We do NOT turn the ball over.....If you turn the ball over, you are out of the game" he says.

Jump shots are the next thing to be worked on and the Golden Rams do an interesting drill that has Alto and Volunteer Assistant (and former player) Olivia Antilla at the top and the players at the corner baselines to shoot jumpers.  Not enough shots are made here and a displeased DeWitt has the team run lines again.

The last drill of the day is a free throw drill whereby two players work in tandem.  The shooter starts at the baseline and runs out to the half-court line and then back to the free throw line to shoot the free throw.  If the shooter makes the free throw, she gets to shoot a second but if she misses, she has to run to the opposite baseline and then back to the free throw line to try it again.  Shooting accurate freebies is not as easy as it looks from the stands; particularly right after you've done running.

Outtakes:  DeWitt has another talented, athletic and speedy team at his disposal and while there's some kinks to work out initially, this squad will be fine in the long run.  Sophomore guard Rashonna Thomas really helps make this team go and she's definitely a player to keep your eye on......Size could be a bit of concern with freshman Kendell Martin being the only player 6'0" or better but Anoka-Ramsey seemingly always finds ways to work around the size issue.....Rochester Technical and Community College could prove to be a strong challenger to Anoka-Ramsey in the MCCC but there's every reason to think that Anoka-Ramsey could find itself back in the national tournament come March......The ARCC Classic on November 11/12 has the Golden Rams going up against Madison College and a rematch with Gogebic Community College the following day.  A home game with Milwaukee Area Technical College follows on 11-17 and then the Golden Rams head out to Yuma, Arizona over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend to take on both Cochise College and Arizona Western College before delving into MCCC play.                

St. Kate's Practice 10-17-16

My first stop to start out the 2016-17 season was over on the St. Paul side of town at St. Kate's and, as always, was treated to a warm and hospitable greeting by Head Coach Sean Pinkerton and his assistants Tim Kjar and Tim Peper.  I was particularly anxious to watch some of the new players on the team and how they would mesh with the returning veterans.

After visiting with Pinkerton in his office, we headed upstairs to the arena where the players were doing various stretching and running exercises to ready themselves for the evening's practice session. After gathering the squad together to go over the evenings objectives and goals, the first drill of the evening was "Iowa State Layups" and, being an Iowa grad and a die-hard UCLA fan, I couldn't help but jest with Pinkerton beforehand if he had any drills up his sleeve that might incorporate a Bruin or a Hawkeye flavor.  In any event, this drill has one player who throws a baseball pass to a mid-court player who then feeds a third palyer running in transition to complete the lay-up.  The goal here is to make 24 lay-ups in a two minute time period.

The next drill Pinkerton has his team in is called "Star Passing" and this drill has two ball in play with players in five lines in a star-like formation.  The whole drill itself is very fast-paced and you have to be precise and crisp with your passes to your teammates to keep the drill fluid and fast-paced.

Two more lay-up drills are performed upon Pinkerton's instructions.  One drill; termed "Canton Layups", has three lines of players at mid-court to work on a three-person transition opportunity and thirteen lay-ups need to be made on each side.  The other drill is called two-line lay-ups whereby one player makes a short shot off the glass then bounces the ball high off the glass for the player on the other side of the basket to finish with a short shot off the glass and the process is repeated.  This drill is not as easy as it looks and, the amount of easy shots missed during this drill does not please Pinkerton and a set of sprints were in the offing for the squad after this drill.

Next is the "Princeton Drill".  This begins as a 2-on-1 drill but on the defensive rebound it turns into a 3-on-2 drill and on the defensive rebound at the other basket it then morphs into a 4-on-3 drill; all representing transition opportunities for a team that prides itself on being up-tempo.

Next is 3-line rebounding where groups of players are located at the top of the key and at the corners of the baseline.  It's really a drill where the player with the ball has to battle two defenders down low.

Next is a point guard transition drill that gives the designated point guard a chance to survey the floor coming down in transition and junior twin sisters Audra and Meg Clark excel in this setting.

The next drill Pinkerton has his squad do is called the "Villanova Drill" and, for an Iowa grad like myself who remembers all too well what the eventual national champ Wildcats did to the Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament this last March, I'm intrigued at what this drill is like.  While Ryan Arcidiacono did not make a guest appearance for this drill, the Wildcat players were able to run it just fine.  Here, you have two offensive players out on the perimeter and one defender coming off the baseline along with one other defender out on the perimeter.  The real emphasis of the drill is for one of the offensive players to set a screen and force the defensive players to switch.

Pinkerton then switches the theme to defense and does some 3-on-3 drill to work on defensive switching.  The team also does some 4-on-4 "helper" drills to emphasize defensive help.

One of the most basic elements of basketball - shooting the ball - is the next point of emphasis.  One odd-looking drill; a one-and-run before you shoot" drill is performed.  The idea here is to be accurate with your shots after you run.  This drill is done with free throws first and then jump shots are incorporated and, trust me, it's not as easy as it looks.

After the team is split into two groups to work on bounce passes for lay-ups, a 3-on-0 drill is done where the emphasis is moving with the ball and getting open for a good jump shot.

Assistant Coach Tim Peper then has the squad do two different drills.  One drill is a half-court 5-on-5 drill and to close out the evening, Peper has the team do a drill called "Diamond Up And Down"; a 5-on-0 drill that he has the team run through to get an idea of positioning and movement.  As Peper explained to me afterward, it's a drill he was able to pick up this last summer while watching a practice and it's a tough one to do in a game situation with the shot clock.  Pinkerton has the team gather up for one last quick meeting before calling it a night.

Outtakes:  Although some of the newbies on the team are a little rough around the edges so to speak, there's a ton of potential that the new players bring and they'll be battling to get minutes coming off the bench.  The squad will be anchored by seniors Mari Lee and Kennedy Jennings along with Clark sister backcourt duo and senior Alexis Garcia will undoubtedly play a big role as well both on the court and with leadership.  Pinkerton was quick to admit, however, that the loss of Shauna Horsch to graduation will leave a huge hole to fill.  The early schedule for the team is challenging to say the least; starting off at UW-Eau Claire on 11-15 before heading off to the Big Apple for the NYU Tip-Off Tournament where they'll face both UMass-Boston and Baruch.  They come back to the friendly confines of Butler Center where they'll face a very good UW-Stout team on 11-27 before delving into MIAC play against CSB on 11-30.  The big challenge for the Wildcats, as I see it, will be staying healthy and avoiding that annual January swoon that, so far anyway, has kept them on the outside looking in come playoff time.  Assuming they can overcome these two obstacles, there's certainly reason to think that they can be solidly in contention for that sixth playoff spot if not better.    

Here We Go - A New Season Is Upon Us!

Hard to believe it's mid-October already and another season has begun.  But, like many of you, I've been ready for a while and, considering the subpar seasons that my LA Rams and UCLA Bruins are both currently enduring, it couldn't come soon enough.  I'll be out there covering some of the early practices; getting an idea of how each team is preparing for the new season.  And, I'll be offering up my predictions for the upcoming season as well.

It's a great time of the year, isn't it?  :)