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.