Anoka-Ramsey Jamboree - 1:00 P.M. Scrimmage - St. Cloud Tech vs Minnesota West 10-19-19

The last scrimmage I took in on this day was in the 1:00 P.M. slot between St. Cloud Tech and Minnesota West.  In the first 10-minute stanza, St. Cloud Tech got off to a good start with a 4-0 lead that was fueled by a three-point bomb and another "3" would have St. Cloud Tech up 7-6 a bit later.  Minnesota West, however, would show a bit more steadiness and would retake the lead and hold a 17-12 advantage at the end of the first 10-minute stanza.  St Cloud Tech managed to cut the deficit to three points at 19-16 at the 5:30 mark in the second 10-minute stanza and a little more than a minute later, St. Cloud Tech managed to get this one tied up at 21 a piece with 4:12 left.  Things would stay tight down the stretch and St. Cloud Tech had a crack to get the lead late but was unable to convert so things stayed tied at 26 a piece at the end of the second 10-minute stanza.

In the third 10-minute stanza, Minnesota West wasted little time in building up a lead thanks to two early three-point bombs for a quick 6-0 lead and they would build that lead to 12-0 by the 6:20 mark before St. Cloud Tech could finally get on the board.  But Minnesota West did not let up on the gas pedal and built their lead to 17-2 with 4:30 left and led comfortably at 24-8 at the end of the third 10-minute stanza.  St. Cloud Tech finally found some semblance of offense in the fourth 10-minute stanza and had the Minnesota West lead down to 25-18 with 4:00 left but that's as close as they would get as Minnesota West got insurance points down the stretch to take this second 20-minute scrimmage by a 31-18 count.     

Anoka-Ramsey Jamboree - 12:01 P.M. Scrimmage - Minnesota West vs Riverland 10-19-19

In the noontime slot I decided to take in the scrimmage featuring Minnesota West and Riverland.  In the first 10-minute stanza, pressure defense allowed Minnesota West to jump out to a quick 4-0 lead but Riverland would eventually respond with two quick three-point bombs to assume a 6-4 advantage with 3:32 left.  But Minnesota West would recover and get the lead back and hold a 12-8 advantage by the end of the first stanza.  Minnesota West would increase this lead to 19-10 in the second 10-minute stanza at the 6:00 mark and some torrid three-point shooting allowed them to take this first 20-minute battle comfortably.

In the third 10-minute stanza, Minnesota West looked to jump out big again with some more three-point shooting but this time around Riverland responded and would grab a 6-5 lead near the midway point of the third stanza.  Things would be tight down the stretch of this third stanza but a late lay-up by Minnesota West had them up 16-15 by the end of the third stanza.  Riverland would strike first with a three-point bomb in the early moments of the fourth 10-minute stanza and by the 7:00 mark, things were looking good for Riverland as they held a 22-18 lead.  But that lead would slowly but surely shrink down to a scant point at 26-25 with 2:30 left and a three-point dagger by Minnesota West put them in the lead to stay as they took this second 20-minute spree 28-25. 

Anoka-Ramsey Jamboree - 11:00 A.M. Scrimmage - Rainy River vs Iowa Lakes 10-19-19

The next scrimmage I covered in the 11:00 A.M. slot was the one between Rainy River and Iowa Lakes.  In this one, scoring would come at a premium in the first 10-minute stanza with Rainy River holding a 5-4 advantage at the end.  Once the second 10-minute stanza got it going, Iowa Lakes finally started showing some life on offense and held an 8-5 lead at the 8:23 mark.  One three-point bomb shortly thereafter helped Iowa Lakes get their lead to 13-5 with 1:23 left and Rainy River; despite several opportunities down the stretch, could not muster any offensive answers at all and Iowa Lakes would end this second stanza up 13-5.

Rainy River got off to a much better start in the third 10-minute stanza with a nice three-point play capped off by an "and one".  Iowa Lakes on the other hand, struggled offensively which allowed Rainy River to cut the deficit down to four point at 15-11 by the end of the third stanza.  But some of the mistakes that cost Rainy River in the second stanza started rearing their ugly head again in the fourth 10-minute stanza as Iowa Lakes upped their lead to 18-12 by the 5:00 mark and would take this one at the end by a final score of 24-16. 

Anoka-Ramsey Jamboree - 10:00 A.M. Scrimmage - Iowa Lakes vs Anoka-Ramsey 10-19-19

Iowa Lakes held a 10-7 advantage after the first 10-minute stanza as Iowa Lakes took advantage of their size on the front line along with Anoka-Ramsey's impatience on the offensive end at the beginning.  In the second 10-minute stanza, Iowa Lake started strong and got their lead to 14-8 before Anoka-Ramsey stiffened up defensively and went on a 6-0 push to get the game tied at 14 a piece with 6:00 left.  Things would stay tight down the stretch but a late "3" by Iowa Lakes helped give them a 20-15 lead when the second 10-minute stanza concluded.

In the third 10-minute stanza, Anoka-Ramsey; despite jacking up a few ill-advised three-point shot attempts, looked more energized on both ends of the floor and held a 12-6 lead with 3:35 left and would hold a 12-7 lead at the end of the third stanza.  Despite a solid start by Anoka-Ramsey in the fourth 10-minute stanza, Iowa Lakes would manage to get on a run and get things tied at 17-all at the 5:15 mark and would take a 19-17 lead a bit later.  Anoka-Ramsey, however, would come right back with back-to-back three point bombs - one by freshman guard Bonita Franco and another one by freshman forward Kiley Paggen (off the glass no less) - which helped the Golden Rams to be up 25-19 when the fourth stanza concluded.   

St. Kate's Practice 10-18-19

Ran over to the St Paul side of town on this Thursday afternoon to catch one of the early practices of Head Coach Don Mulhern's St. Kate's team.  I arrived shortly after 4:00 P.M. on this sunny, pleasant day; early enough to spend some time with both Mulhern and Assistant Coach Tim Kjar as well as fellow Assistant Coach Trent Davis as well.  The team was already warming up with shots when Mulhern got this practice going at 4:30 P.M.

Mulhern starts this practice by having the team do a variety of stretching and movement exercises to prepare for the tasks ahead on this late afternoon.  After a short team talk, Mulhern has the team work on a variety of passes; including bounce passes that would make former Iowa Head Coach Tom Davis proud.

After another short team talk, Mulhern has the team split into groups of three players at each basket where they do a 2-on-1 drill to incorporate some of these passing skills they worked on previously.

Next, Mulhern has the squad do what is essentially a full-court drill where you have two players on each baseline feed players coming off the sideline.  One player completes a lay-up, another player does a short- or mid-range jumper and the third player shoots a "3".  Mulhern also has the team do a round of full-court sprints afterward as well.

Next, Mulhern has the team do a 3-on-2 full-court drill but with different defenders on each end.  After that, Mulhern has the team an interesting full-court drill.  On the initial trip down, it's essentially a 5-on-0 "shell" drill with Assistant Coach Davis as a lone "defender" with a pad on the post player.  But on the return trip back, the five offensive players are met by five defenders where they play it out.

Next, Mulhern has the team do a 5-on-0 "shell" drill with the squad split into three different groups to work on spacing and movement in addition to setting proper screens.  A bit later, Davis has the team split into six different groups of 3/4 players where they work on jump shots with a defender on them.

Next, Mulhern has his team do a 5-on-5 half-court drill where the emphasis now shifts to defense and how to react to ball movement and switching properly after screens.

The next drill has Mulhern setting out four cones on the three-point arc with players in line near each cone and the player has to move over to the next cone where they get a ball fed to them for a jump shot.  One line at the baseline has a player come out and they get fed a ball near the free throw line for a jumper.  It's a bit of a complicated drill but fun to watch.

Next, Mulhern has the team do a 5-on-0 half-court drill and the team is split into three groups for this.  Again, Mulhern is trying to emphasize proper movement and spacing.  A bit later, Mulhern has the team together and does a 5-on-5 half-court drill that emphasizes zone defense and how to properly move with the ball.

Then Mulhern has to team conduct a 1-on-1 full-court drill to emphasize toughness and allowing the team to push each other which is important in the early part of the season.  A bit later, Mulhern modifies this drill to make it a 2-on-2 situation.

Lastly, Mulhern has the team do some 5-on-5 full-court work to try and put some of the earlier work together to see how it all works.  Needless to say, nothing is perfect in October and there'll be plenty to work on in the coming weeks but it's easy to see there's a lot of potential.  At the end, Mulhern has the team at center court for a final talk and invites your's truly to come up and join which is incredibly cool to do.


Outtakes:  The first thing that struck me when I took a long look at this team is that Mulhern finally now has some size on the Wildcat frontline; something they've desperately needed for a long time to compliment their solid backcourt.  The other encouraging sign is that junior guard Brooke Torvik is now back and healthy after the ACL injury she suffered last year and she looks very solid right now......The energy at the practice was through the roof and you can just tell that this group is hungry and wants very much to take the next step.  The early part of the schedule for the Wildcats is something of a mixed bag.  They start off with an exhibition game across town at Concordia St Paul on 11-4 and then head out to Redlands, CA to take on two SCIAC teams the first weekend in November - Chapman on Friday 11-8 and then host Redlands the next day on Saturday 11-9.  The following weekend, the Wildcats have a date with UMAC opponent Northwestern at Butler Center.  Where it gets dicey for the 'Cats is that their first three MIAC opponents are all playoff teams from last season - hosting UST on Saturday 11-23 as well as Augsburg three days later on Tuesday 11-26 and then a week later it's a trip down the mighty Mississippi and the Canadian Pacific River Sub mainline to Winona to take on a very good SMU team.  The Wildcats then make a trip down to Northfield to take on a tricky St. Olaf team on Monday 12-9 and then two days later host yet another MIAC title contender - Bethel - on Wednesday 12-11.  Additionally, the Wildcats will host a non-conference game against WIAC opponent UW-Eau Claire on Saturday 12-14 before laying off for the holiday break.       



     

Augsburg Practice 10-16-19

Made my way over to the campus of Augsburg University and Si Melby Hall on this Wednesday evening to take in one of the early season practices for Augsburg.  I arrived early and was able to get in to see Head Coach Ted Riverso and Assistant Coach Jackie Voigt in Riverso's office and talk about how things came to an unexpected and sudden halt last year when they were snubbed by the NCAA Tournament Committee and what to expect this season.  Both Riverso and Voigt were optimistic about the coming season - and rightfully so with pretty much everybody back from last year.

With the team assembled in the gym, Riverso has the squad start out with some different lay-up drills to keep those skills sharp.  After that, Voigt has the squad do a variety of stretching/movement exercises to prepare for the tasks ahead on this night.  After that is completed, Voigt has the squad broken down into six different groups where they work on "close-outs" for a bit to hone their defensive skills. 

Next, the team is split into two groups to do some one-on-one work.  The group led by Voigt works primarily on post-type situations down low with an emphasis on denying the pass to the post.  The group led by Riverso meanwhile works on perimeter play and breaking down the defense.  After a few minutes, these group trade places to hone their skills on each end.

Next, the team is back together as one group and Voigt conducts a 4-on-4 half-court drill and the emphasis here appears to be on setting proper screens on offense and also proper rotation on defense after the screens are set.  A bit later, Voigt modifies this drill that turns it into a full-court, fast-break situation which is something this Auggie team excels at.

Next, Riverso has the team work on free throws for a few minutes and then it's time for the squad to get on the line for a wonderful round of sprints.  Then a player gets to the line to shoot a free throw.  If she misses, another round of sprints ensue. 

Then Riverso has his squad do a full-court 5-on-0 "shell" drill that appears to work on fast-break situations.  Afterward, Riverso has the team work on some individual shooting followed by some more sprint work. 

After a well-deserved water break, Riverso then has the team do an interesting 3-on-2 half-court drill that looks like a full-court drill with two different defenders on each end.  After the drill, Riverso has the team shoot some more free throws followed by a complimentary round of sprints as well.

Then, Riverso and Voigt has the team in two different lines on one side of the court.  Two players on each line act as offensive players with one player setting a screen and the other player finishing with a lay-up, a jump shot and later, a "3".  After another well-deserved water break, Riverso then has the squad perform a 5-on-0 "shell" drill to work on half-court offensive sets.

Finally, it's time for the squad to do some anticipated 5-on-5 half-court work to try and put some of the previous drill's skills into action to see how everything works.  While certainly nothing is perfect in October, it's obvious this squad has a lot of talent.  After that, the squad does some more sprint work to finish off the evening.


Outtakes:  There's no doubt that things ended on a sour note for this squad last season when they were snubbed by the NCAA Tournament Committee and I got the sense that this coaching staff and particularly the seniors this season - Tamira McLemore, Ari Jones, K'aezha Wubben, Aiza Wilson, Camryn Speese and Abby Jordan have some unfinished business to take care of......Speaking of Jordan, she suffered an ACL injury last season but is on the last lap of recovery and was able to participate in a few activities on this night.  She told me that she hopes to be ready to go by the first part of December.......Speese was in civies on this night but Riverso told me that she should be back in action sometime this next week.......I think the only thing that changes for the Auggies this season is that they'll wear a larger target on their back this season by being one of the favorites to win the MIAC as opposed to last year when they were coming off a year where they missed the playoffs......After an exhibition game at Concordia St. Paul on October 29, the Auggies immediate early season schedule isn't that taxing although a trip up to the Twin Ports to take on UW-Superior on 11-11 is in the offing.  The real interesting test for this squad will be a trip out to the Pacific Northwest where they'll face two different NWC teams over the Thanksgiving Holiday - Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA on 11-30 and then Lewis & Clark in Portland, OR the next day on 12-1.  Interestingly, they'll make the run over to Schoenecker Arena on 12-11 to take on UST before laying off for the holiday break.                     

Anoka-Ramsey Practice - Monday 10-14-19

Ventured up to Coon Rapids on this sunny but cool Monday afternoon to take in an early afternoon practice of Head Coach David DeWitt's team.  I arrived early and soon ran into DeWitt and got settled into the Anoka-Ramsey gymnasium for the 2:00 P.M. practice. 

After a short talk, the team splits into two groups.  One group works on inbounds plays that centers on setting proper screens and getting lay-ups off of those screens while DeWitt goes over some things with the other group.  A bit later, DeWitt has the team together working on plays off of inbounds passes on a 5-on-5 situation.  DeWitt often stops the action to point out errors or fine-tune what his team is doing. 

Next, after the team works on some individual shooting drills that focuses mainly on three-point shots with three players at each basket, DeWitt has the whole team together and has one group in a line where one player acts as a player driving to the basket and then kicks the ball out to a player from another line along the baseline for the three-point finish.  The three-point shooting line gradually works around the arc and it's obvious that this team has some very good three-point shooters. 

Next, the team does a three-person weave from the half-court line and then that morphs into a short-passing drill.  Then, DeWitt has the team do a 5-on-0 full-court "shell" drill to work on offensive movement in the half-court with the shot clock being utilized.  The goal here is to emphasize good ball movement and proper spacing with players moving where they're supposed to be moving and setting screens as well. 

Next is an interesting 3-on-2 full-court drill where the three players on offense work in a fast-break situation where the goal is to break down the two defenders in the half-court.  DeWitt then changes things up and has the team do a 5-on-5 half-court drill where the team works on some 2-3 zone defense.  As you can imagine, DeWitt often stops the action to point out some of the flaws his team is guilty of on the defensive end.  Then, it's time for some full-court 5-on-5 action in hopes of putting everything together - the way DeWitt wants to see it.  However, again the action is stopped on several occasions with DeWitt pointing out the various flaws and how to correct those flaws.  Sprints are in the offing afterward. 

Next is a half-court 5-on-5 drill but with different defenders on each end with two different players coming out at mid-court on defense.  It gives the team an opportunity to work with different groups of players and that'll be important once the actual season gets underway.  Then DeWitt has the team do another 5-on-0 "shell" drill to work on some more offensive sets in the half-court and DeWitt has the team split into two groups for this with Assistant Coach Jessica Pelzel handling the other group. 

Then DeWitt has the team do some more full-court 5-on-5 full-court work in hopes of putting some of the previous work into a game-like situation.  Nothing is ever perfect - especially this time of the year - and DeWitt has to stop the action from time to time to point out more flaws and errors. 

The last two items of this afternoon's practice focuses on some more shooting.  First, DeWitt has the team split up into two groups and the two groups compete against each other with three-point shots to see how many they can make within a five minute setting.  The result is very, very close between the two groups.  To finish things off, DeWitt has the team shoot free throws with sprints in the offing for missed free throws.


Outtakes:  The first two things that struck me when I got to see this team in action were that (1) DeWitt has some good numbers with 15 players on the floor on this day (17 players listed on the roster right now) and (2) unlike some of the previous seasons, DeWitt has a nice mixture of size and athleticism as well and it's easy to see that this group, if it can stay healthy, can do some big things this season and another trip to the National Tournament is certainly in reach for this program.  I was especially impressed with lanky sophomore Abby Howe (Blaine) and freshman Shawna Yackel (Champlin Park).........Typically, DeWitt's teams often start a bit slow coming out of the gate but by the first of the year, they've got his system down well and are able to execute it pretty well......DeWitt wasn't able to say who might challenge his squad in the 24-team MCAC but I would expect strong challenges from RCTC and possibly Western Technical College (La Crosse, WI) as well.   

A New Season Is Almost Upon Us - And Other Thoughts

Well, here were are again - just a few short days before practice begins for many DIII (and DII) schools.  Yes, it is a very exciting time of the year and I plan on being out and about checking out some of the practices of the various teams around town and trying to get a feel for how things may shake out this year.  It's always fun!

I did want to offer up some more thoughts on the UST kerfuechle.  As you likely know by now, the Tommies were recently extended an invitation to join the Summit League and make the jump from DIII to D1; pending an approval/waiver from the NCAA.  I'll be right front up honest with you:  I don't like this......I would have much preferred that UST stay within the DIII spectrum with a move to the WIAC or ARC or, failing that, remain a DIII independent.  I think that, a move to D1 is a substantial jump that, despite their great facilities, may be a bit more than they're prepared to chew.  The dominance that UST has enjoyed in several sports (including women's basketball) will most likely end should the waiver be approved by the NCAA.  Now, if it's something that UST genuinely wants to do given the situation they were put in, then hey, more power to 'em I guess.  I just think they acted a bit prematurely here and maybe didn't do the homework that they thought they did.  We'll see.

As for the MIAC, things have changed drastically for them now with UST as a lame-duck member.  I still do not like what the administrations of some schools did with this issue; much less how it was handled by the conference.  I guess it's easy to cry over spilled milk but now the MIAC must look ahead and move forward and assess the damage that's been done.  They've now lost a charter member that -whether they like it or not - brought a helluva lot of prestige to the conference.  That prestige and recognition will soon be gone and I really don't see any other member school programs ready to step up to the plate to try and bring it back in any sport.  I just don't.  What's more is that, with UST about to be gone, the MIAC likely has little choice but to try and entice another school (or schools) to jump ship and join the conference to fill the void that they created with this mess.  And whether that's Northwestern, St. Scholastica, Bethany Lutheran or someone else, it still will never fill the void that will be left once UST is gone. 

In any event, I look forward to the practices I hope to attend this week and will give reports.