MIAC Predictions For The 2024-25 Season

 Hard to believe that it's time to dust off this blog and lay out my picks for another season that just got underway this last weekend.  Am still very much immersed in the ups and downs of both my LA Rams and UCLA Bruins this fall but another exciting season is underway and there's a lot of interesting storylines out there this year.  So let's have at it!  

Title Contenders:

1.  GAC

2.  Concordia

No big surprise here that the two big guns from the last two seasons find themselves in familiar roles once again.  And it's no big surprise that the Gusties are once again hands-down favorites to win the MIAC for a fourth straight year.  And the primary reason for that is that you essentially have all the primary pieces from the last few years that make this team fly as high as they do with three fifth-year seniors - willowy combo guard/forward Emma (not evil) Kniefel, guard Syd Hauger and strong forward Izzy (Izzy Izzy, you're making me dizzy) Quick.  Mix in senior point guard Kylie Baranick, senior combo forward/post Morgan Kelly and senior forward/post Rachel Kawiecki and it's easy to see why  hopes and expectations are high down in St. Peter - as they should be.  But the quality of players certainly doesn't end there as Head Coach Laurie Kelly has an abundance of youngsters ready to step up at any given moment and two that stand out to me are junior guard Bobbie Bruns and sophomore guard Kendyl Queensland.  It's just a talent-rich squad that has seemingly everything going for it.  At the same time, we saw how this last season ended for them in a wild and excruciatingly disappointing fashion and you have to wonder if the pressure sometimes to make up for all that with a deep run might be a bit too much at times.  Perhaps but when you look at GAC's early portion of their schedule, they're certainly not backing down from anyone.  They've already claimed two wins over WIAC teams from this last weekend (UW-La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire) and coming up Thursday night this week is another big test - at UW-Stout which made a deep run of its own in the Dance this last season.  Then the following week they'll hop across the St. Croix River to take on always-dangerous UW-River Falls.  So there's little question that GAC is taking full advantage of the openings offered with a revised conference schedule to strengthen that SOS and that's definitely a good thing.  And even if they come away with all that with just one dent, it won't be that big of a deal.  They'll be fine and until someone knocks them off in the MIAC Championship Game, they're obviously still the team to beat, IMHO. 

Concordia meanwhile got an invite to the Promised Land this last season and in her sixth season at the helm of the Cobber program, Head Coach Kim Wagers and her staff are looking to build on this accomplishment and develop a solid base.  True, Concordia lost two big pieces from last year's team to graduation that went 20-6 and lost in the 1st round of the Dance this last season - Emily Beseman and Maddie Guler - but they do have the nucleus from last year's team returning along with some exciting newcomers.  Leading the way for Concordia this time around will be senior forward/post Makayla Anderson who grew her game by leaps and bounds last season and what's scary is that she'll likely be even better this season.  And her primary helpers are pretty solid in senior guard Carlee Sieben, fellow senior guard Jordyn Kahler and fellow senior forward Greta Tollefson.  Then you have a ton of experience providing help on both ends of the floor in junior guards Molly Musland and Taylor Safranski along with junior guard Taya Jeffrey who transferred in from Jamestown.  But perhaps the most intriguing - and exciting - aspect of this team are the sophomores and freshmen that Wagers now has on the squad.  We saw this last season what an impact that sophomore forward Genevieve Gruba had on this team and I suspect that sophomore post Maci Wheeldon is gradually being groomed to eventually hold down the spot currently occupied by the aforementioned Anderson.  Sophomore guard Alexa Snesrud got some quality minutes last season as well.  But there's a lot of new names on this roster that I don't recognize off the top of my head but whoever they are, they've definitely got some good length.  Ironically, Concordia starts its season tonight with a trip to UM-Morris and follow that up with a very interesting home game on Friday night against Providence - Manitoba.  But the real test comes the following two weeks as the Cobbers take full advantage of the extra slots for non-conference games by visiting UW-Stout on 11-23, UW-River Falls on 11-26 and at UW-La Crosse on 11-30.  Assuming that the Cobbers get through the first two games with relatively easy wins (they should), I think they'll have to get through that Wisconsin slate getting two out of three (which ain't bad) only because we've seen that it's taken the Cobbers a while before they hit their stride the last two seasons and when you consider the fact that their first two MIAC games are at Bethel and at GAC, they'll have little margin for error.

Circling Around The 3 & 4 Spots:

3.  St. Kate's

4.  Bethel

5.  Hamline

6.  CSB

What a season it was for Head Coach Don Mulhern and his St. Kate's Wildcats as they finished with the best record in program history last season by going 19-8 overall and 13-6 in conference play and making it to the semifinals in the MIAC Playoffs where they finally fell to Concordia.  The 'Cats did lose a big piece of last year's team to graduation in Karis Zezza but the other key pieces for this team are back.  The Wildcats will most likely lean heavily on the three-point prowess of senior forward Greta Schimnowski who can drain them from anywhere.  Helping her out will be lanky junior forward Emme Golembiewski who will undoubtedly be a force on the boards this season.  Then you've got a solid backcourt with senior guard Rachel Randleman who is arguably the glue on this team and junior Kaylee Miron inherits the point guard spot.  But the real exciting piece on Mulhern's squad is (now) sophomore Hattie Fox who made quite a splash on the MIAC Women's Basketball front last season and is poised to do even bigger things this time around.  Junior guard Maddie Young and sophomore forward Lily Peper will be important pieces coming off the bench and I would suspect that senior guard Maddy Manger will play a much more prominent role in the rotation off the bench as well with her experience.  The Wildcats dropped a pair of games this last weekend out in the Motherland (Redlands and Chapman) but have a huge non-conference game coming up Saturday 11-16 when they host UW-River Falls.  I like the Wildcats chances of getting that third playoff spot again this year but they have to stay relatively healthy in the process and they have to know that the competition will be just as tough (if not tougher) this time around.

Looking to make up for the last few years of disappointments is Bethel and Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer's team appears primed to make amends.  The Royals will be led by fifth-year senior guard Anna Garfield and she'll have plenty of help from senior combo guard/forward Elly Schmitz.  Junior forward Alli Born and sophomore forward Emily Erickson provide much-needed length down low but the real interesting addition to this team is fifth-year senior Lydia Hay who transferred in from CSB.  Sophomore guard Macey Littlefield and junior combo guard/forward Rosalie Penke should provide major contributions off the bench.  Bethel grabbed a pair of dubs this last weekend beating Greenville and then Westminster; a good start out of the gate for the Royals.  They take a trip down to UW-La Crosse on Friday where you'd have to think that they'll be tested much more.  Just from judging what they have this time around, Bethel should be good enough to at least get the fourth spot but also know and understand that given how the last few seasons have gone for the Royals, they also have the most to prove in my mind.

Down the road on Snelling Avenue are those always-tricky Hamline Pipers and Head Coach Josh Hersch is looking to take yet another step upward in an ultra-competitive MIAC.  We all know that the Pipers lost two big pieces from last year's team in Michaela Stamer and all-world Lydia Lecher.  This time around, the Pipers will lean heavily on senior point guard Kate Trachsel and junior guard Camille Cummings who can torch opponents from three-point land.  Junior combo guard/forward Sophie Stork is solid on both ends of the floor and sophomore combo guard/forward Anna Rynkiewich appears to be a pretty good up and comer for Hersch and his staff.  We all know that Hamline's bread and butter is the up-tempo style and Hersch has the players who love to play that kind of game.  What we don't know is if Hamline can make meaningful strides on defense and if they can find some consistency as well.  Those two items seem to be what's been holding Hamline back from taking that proverbial next step and we saw that Hamline split a pair of games this last weekend.  Still, there's just way too much talent here to discount this team too much and if they can get some things to go their way on the road, they could be right in the thick of things.

It seems as if you can always count on CSB being a major player in the MIAC Playoff race and this year's team is certainly no exception.  Head Coach Mike Durbin has another very talented - but young - roster.  Durbin and his staff will be counting heavily on senior guard Sophia Jonas to lead the way this season; especially now since fellow senior forward Morgan Chmielewski went down with an unfortunate ACL injury in an open gym practice early this fall.  And when you consider that the Bennies lost three players to graduation - Carla Meyer, Morgan Ebel and Lydia Hay (now at Bethel), it only exacerbates the season-ending injury that Chmielewski suffered.  Still, it's not all gloom and doom up in St. Joe as Durbin and his staff still have solid options with senior combo guard/forward Olivia Boily and junior guard Megan Morgan rounding out what should still be a pretty solid starting lineup.  The big challenge for Durbin and his staff will be developing the younger talent that he has and hoping that they can make solid contributions sooner rather than later.  The Bennies had to settle for a split this last weekend; drubbing UM-Morris but then dropping a tough decision to UW-River Falls.  Whether or not that will tell a tale of how this season will go for CSB is unclear at the moment but it at least underscores the importance of Durbin and his staff developing the younger players on his squad.

Lurking Right Behind:

7.  Carleton

8.  St. Scholastica

After having to unfortunately cancel last year's season, Head Coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen and her Carleton Knights are back in full force this time around.  I guess you could say that the Knights are easily the biggest mystery team in the MIAC.  You've got three seniors (guard Nayeli Williams, guard Selma Vangstein and forward Bella Thomas) three juniors and a bunch of sophomores and freshmen.  And I don't think anyone is expecting the earth, moon and the stars to come with this team just yet.  But if there's one thing we know about Carleton teams coached by Metcalf-Filzen, they always play tough and they rarely beat themselves and can be your worst nightmare on any given night.  

The team to keep your eye on this season just may be St. Scholastica.  The Saints didn't lose anyone to graduation last year and, after a rough first year in MIAC play, they improved to 10-14 overall and 7-13 in conference play last season and they may be ready to take another step forward this time around.  The Saints will be led by junior guard Lexi Imdieke and sophomore combo guard/forward Hope Carlson should take her game a step further this season.  Again, the big challenge for Head Coach Jason Schmitz will be developing the younger talent on this team and hoping that the benefits will come sooner rather than later.  While I don't think this team is quite ready to be a prime time player in the MIAC Playoff race just yet, that's certainly not to say that they can't be somewhere down the road.  

Bringing Up The Rear:

9.  Macalester

10.  Augsburg

11.  St. Olaf

12.  SMU

Macalester is still a little tough to figure out.  There's a part of me that thinks that maybe they should be higher but I just don't know so I'm taking the safe route here.  In any event, Head Coach Katie Kollar has been hitting the recruiting trail hard and has a pretty solid roster in her pocket that features senior combo guard/forward Peyton Starks and fellow senior guards Jessica Sabbagh and Nicole Norton.  The Scots are a lot like Carleton in many respects because they play smart and they don't beat themselves but whether or not they can make a significant jump in the MIAC standings has thus far proven to be a bridge too far.  

Mallie Doucette takes over the reigns at Augsburg and the cupboard there certainly isn't bare by any stretch.  Doucette will rely on fifth-year senior Katie Manecke for not only leadership but scoring and defense as well.  The Auggies should also get significant contributions from junior guard Wakinyela Bear, fellow junior guard Melanie Delestrez and fellow junior forward Amira LaDuke for scoring punch.  Junior post Emma Kranz out of Iowa Lakes Community College will be a welcome addition for Doucette and her staff to patrol the area down low. 

There's also a new sheriff on the west side of Northfield these days as well with Megan Lueck assuming command at St. Olaf.  Lueck and her staff do have a nice senior class to lead the Oles this season:  guard Ziling Zhen, combo guard/forward Paige Yagodinski, guard Sarah Tangen and forward Sophia Kormann.  What we don't know a lot about are the young ones on this team and that ultimately will be the challenge for Lueck and her staff this season - providing reliable depth off the bench.  

Not to be outdone, there's also been a leadership change down in Winona as Courtney Shelton assumes the reigns at SMU.  Save for senior guard Maggie Newhouse and senior forward Alyssa Coleman, the Cardinals will be very young this season and SMU fans have to be patient with Shelton as she tries to grow the tree.  

So there you have it.  I'm definitely looking forward to another season and I know you all are too!  As always, feel free to fire away with thoughts.    

CSB Practice 10-17-24

 Made my way up US Highway 10 and the BNSF Staples Sub mainline on this sunny but windy and dusty day to St. Cloud and over to nearby St. Joseph to the campus of CSB to take in this early season practice by the Bennies.  I got there in plenty of time into the parking lot on the east side of Claire Lynch Hall and started walking toward the building when, lo and behold, I happened to catch up with one of the CSB players; senior Morgan Chmielewski who was wearing a black cast on her left leg and when I asked what happened, she didn't hesitate to give me the bad news - ACL - that she suffered on the first open gym earlier this semester and had the surgery a mere four weeks ago.  There's nothing worse than seeing an athlete have to suffer an injury and especially one like this as the road to recovery is frustrating and long.  Nonetheless, I had a very nice conversation with her as we walked into Claire Lynch and made our way downstairs where we eventually caught up with CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin who half-jokingly asked me if I had any miracle cures for Ms. Chmielewski's unfortunate ACL injury setback.  I had to reply in the negative but sure wish that I did.  

The first order of the day was a team meeting in the team room downstairs that Durbin and his staff graciously invited me to sit in.  After Durbin went over a few details for the team with regards to faculty letters and other details, Assistant Coach Rick Canton then made a presentation on the difference between working hard and competing and it was really interesting to watch and listen to.  As someone who played tennis competitively for a long time (my body can vouch for that, thank you), I had to learn the difference and I had to learn mental toughness as well and it was something that took me a while to really learn and understand because when I was in high school and playing a lot of tournaments, I really had issues with mental toughness and I really had to work on it and it wasn't until I was an adult that I finally started making strides with that but it was still something that I had to work on constantly.  It's the same deal for basketball players in college too because when you walk into a hostile environment, you've got to learn how to handle pressure situations against a tough opponent and inevitably, you're going to run into those situations.  And it's something that you're going to have to work on constantly.  Props to Coach Canton on that solid presentation.  

Once the team hits the floor, Durbin and the coaching staff has the team go through various warm-up and stretching drill to get ready for this evening's practice.  Former CSB standout and now Assistant Coach Alison Kendall leads the squad through their first important drill of the day as each player has two basketballs.  The first objective is to bounce both balls low but hard as you work across the floor.  It then gets modified to bouncing the ball higher as you work across the floor.  But Kendall is far from finished from challenging the squad as the next part of the drill has each player working across the court while bouncing each ball alternately.  Then, to complicate things further, Kendall has each player keep the alternate bounce and then switch each ball to the other hand.  Then, Kendall has each player bounce the ball alternately working across the floor and then bounce one of the balls behind their back.  Trust me when I tell you, it's not as easy as one might think.  

Next, Durbin has the team split into two groups on each side of the court where he has both groups work on a 5-on-0 "shell" drill to simulate proper offensive movement in the half court and setting proper screens.

The next drill is entitled "Mid-range Off D-Man (tempo)".  Here, Durbin has two dummy-like plastic poles (can't remember the exact name of them) with outstretch hands on them on each end of the floor.  You then have players coming off the side of the arc and they get fed a ball and they have to make a move around these dummy defensive poles and make a requisite number of lay-ups, mid-range jumpbers and then three-point shots.

Next is "Warrior 33-Corner 3".  Here, you have players coming off the side of the arc and they get fed a ball and then players have to make a requisite number of lay-ups, jumpers from the elbow/free throw line area and then three-point shots.

Next is an odd kind of drill called "3 vs 3 Pass To Corner/Close/Slot Drive".  It's odd because it initially looks like a 3-on-0 "shell" drill from the center court line but once the top player passes the ball to a teammate, she then has to immediately go over and defend her and it becomes a 2-on-1 drill.  Durbin has the team split into two groups for this.  

Next, Coach Canton brings the defensive aspect to center stage.  As the team is once again split into two groups, you have two players on each side of the basket and a defender comes off the baseline to defend.  Canton modifies this drill where players have to dribble the entire length of the floor with a defender on them.  With the team still in two groups, Canton also has each group do a 3-on-3 drill to work on defense around the perimeter area and proper switching.  A bit later, Canton switches this up to make it a 4-on-4 drill that makes things a bit more complicated.

Assistant Coach Steve Howe-Veenstra talks to the team about the jump-stop aspect and the three options a player has on the jump-stop:  (1) shoot (2) pass and (3) fake.

Then Coach Canton has the team do a full-court 5-on-0 "shell" drill to work on proper movement and passing in transition opportunities.  A bit later, he makes it a full-court 5-on-5 situation to see if the team is practicing what he's preaching.  

A bit later, Durbin has the team do some 5-on-5 half-court work in hopes of find-tuning a few things such as screening.  Then Durbin returns to the full-court 5-on-5 to see what things look like after the fine-tuning.  

Finally, to wrap up this evening, Durbin has the team gather around cetner court for a talk before calling it a night but several players stick around afterward to do some free-throw shooting.  

Outtakes:  As one can tell by looking at the CSB roster, this is an incredibly young roster with only two seniors - Chmielewski and Sophie Jonas.  And with Chmielewski out for the season with the ACL injury, that's a huge loss.  And that's not even talking about trying to replace three great seniors from last year's team who have now graduated - Carla Meyer, Morgan Ebel and Lydia Hay.  Still, with Jonas, fellow senior Olivia Boily and junior Megan Morgan, the Bennies still have an array of weapons and I have to figure that they'll ultimately be one of the four teams circling around like a buzzard with their eye on the 3rd place slot behind the first two teams (and we know who they are).  The big question then obviously is how quickly Durbin and his staff can bring the young ones along.  And Durbin certainly has some good ones.  Talking to him and his staff after practice, he sang praises about freshman Alyssa Sadlovsky out of Pierz whom he think will do big things..........You look at the schedule and you see either opportunity or a lawn full of thistles.  They start things off at home with UM-Morris out of the UMAC on Saturday 11-9 and then face UW-River Falls out of the WIAC the next day on Sunday 11-10.  On Wednesday 11-20, the Bennies travel to UW-Eau Claire out of the WIAC and then on Thanksgiving weekend, CSB makes a trip down the CPKC River Sub mainline down to La Crosse, WI where they'll take on Simpson out of the ARC on Saturday 11-30 and then face off against host UW-La Crosse the next day on Sunday 12-1.  Then the Bennies delve into MIAC play; hosting St. Olaf on 12-4 and Carleton on 12-7 before a return trip down the River to Winona to take on SMU - all three games winnable on paper anyway.  In mid-December, CSB will pack their summer gear and sunshades and sunblock and head to Puerto Rico where they'll face Caltech out of the SCIAC on 12-16 and then John Carroll out of the OAC on 12-17 before getting into the meat of MIAC play after the first of the year.  So obviously it will be important for CSB to take care of business where they're supposed to to avoid getting behind the proverbial 8-ball come early January.  

St. Kate's Practice 10-16-24

 Made my way over to the St Paul side of town on this pleasant October afternoon to take in one of the opening practices of the St. Kate's team.  I arrived at Butler Center shortly after 3:00 PM which gave me some time to catch up with Head Coach Don Mulhern who was in his office along with sophomore sensation Hattie Fox who played a huge role as a freshman last season in helping the Wildcats to there best record so far in program history at 19-8.  After some good conversation, I then headed upstairs to the Butler Center Gymnasium where players were already getting a good shoot-around in preparation for today's practice.  I also was able to catch up with Assistant Coach Geno Bullard who was upstairs as well.

After Bullard leads the team through various stretching and warm-up exercises to prepare for this practice, Mulhern has the team split into groups of three where each group does a 5-on-0 "shell" drill to simulate correct movement on offense and to set screens properly.

The next drill Mulhern has his team do is an interesting one entitled "1 2 Mabel Boston" (don't ask this former competitive tennis player what that means because I have NO clue).  Here, you have two offensive players at each elbow area and two more at the low ends.  Then you have a player inbounding the ball.  The idea here seems to be to have the two players down low come up and set screens for the two players on the elbow areas.  Mulhern again has his team split into three groups to do this and adds variations to the drill as necessary.  Things get somewhat more complicated when Mulhern adds five defenders to make this whole thing a bit more realistic.  

The next drill Mulhern has his team do is one that I've seen and heard of before - "Kentucky Shooting".  Best put, it's a pressure shooting drill and Mulhern has the team split into two groups.  Here, three players do a variety of lay-ups to start with and have to make a requisite number of them before they can move onto the next level which is short/medium-range jumpers from the elbow or free throw line areas.  Then, after a requisite number of shots are made from that area, then players graduate to three-point land where things obviously become a bit tougher.  

The next drill is called "Perimeter Post Breakdown" where the team is split into two groups and is a 4-on-4 half-court drill.  The idea here seems to be to force the ball out to the perimeter and deny the entry pass to the post player(s) down low.

Next, Mulhern again has the team split into two groups to do some 3-on-3 work with the emphasis appearing to be defensive pressure and correct switching.  A bit later with the team still in two groups, Coach Bullard has one group work on various dribbling drills and then they work on lay-ups as Bullard has one of those big pads to simulate contact by a defensive player down low.  Assistant Coach Paul Richie meanwhile has the other group work on post play and he, too, uses one of those big pads to simulate contact from a defensive player down low.

After Mulhern has the team do some 4-on-4 work with the emphasis being applying full- and half-court pressure, the next big drill is call the "Run & Jump Box & Diamond Drill".  This is a 5-on-5 situation with the defense near the center court area while the offensive players are closer to the basket.  In this drill, Mulhern throws the ball off the board for the (new) offensive team to rebound and head downcourt where they'll face the defensive players.  The goal here is to have the defensive team initiate half-court pressure and make things difficult for the offensive team to get set up in their half-court offense.  

Before this day is through, Mulhern has the team in a 5-on-5 half-court situation to work on some of the fine points they were working on earlier and put those into action.  At the end, Mulhern has the team at center court for one last talk before they call it a day.

Outtakes:  When I had some time to speak with Mulhern alone, I asked him how he felt about this upcoming season and he said, "We're fired up!"  And they should be considering the fact that the Wildcats are coming off their best season in program history with 19 wins and a third place finish in the MIAC regular season standings.  True, they lose last year's starting point guard and vocal lead Karis Zezza to graduation and I was surprised not to see Sydney Elliott on the team for her senior season.  However, the rest of the pieces from last year's team are back and healthy and seemingly ready-to-go.  The 'Cats will be led by lanky senior forward Greta Schimnowski who can unleash terror from behind the arc and also provide a lot of rebounding help.  Another player with a lot of length is junior Emme Golembiewski who really started coming into her own last season and is poised for a big year this season.  Senior Rachel Randleman is a very versatile player on both ends of the floor and arguably is the "glue" that holds this team together.  Junior Kaylee Miron looks to be the heir apparent at the coveted point guard position vacated by Zezza's graduation.  Don't let her 5'6" size fool you.  She's one of the toughest and grittiest players in the MIAC.  Then, of course, there's last year's freshman sensation - now sophomore - Fox who brings so much to the table and is so coachable per Mulhern.  And she's only going to be better this year.  Mulhern also seems pleased with his depth and that'll be important for the 'Cats this season if they hope to take that proverbial next step forward........The Wildcats schedule this season is an interesting one as they venture out west to the Motherland (aka California) to take on two SCIAC teams:  Redlands for the season opener on 11-8 and then Chapman the next day (11-9) in Orange County.  The next weekend, St. Kate's is back home in the comfy confines of Butler Center taking on UW-River Falls out of the WIAC on Saturday 11-16 and a few days later on 11-20, Martin Luther out of the UMAC will pay a visit.  Then on Saturday 11-23, the Wildcats will venture to the frigid shores of Gitche Gumee to take on Mulhern's old employer, UW-Superior.  Three MIAC games next (at Bethel, at SMU and hosting St. Olaf).  Right after the Christmas break, the 'Cats will pay a visit to Storm Lake, IA to take on Buena Vista out of the ARC and then hurry back home for a New Year's Eve afternoon tilt with UM-Morris out of the UMAC.  It'll be important for St. Kate's to come out of this early stretch with as few nicks as possible as their first two conference games after the first of the year are - gulp - GAC at home and then Concordia up in Moorhead.      

Anoka-Ramsey Practice 10-15-24

 Made my way up to Coon Rapids yesterday afternoon to a place I hadn't been to in a while - Anoka-Ramsey Community College - to cover the Anoka-Ramsey team's practice on this sunny but cool October afternoon.  I was able to catch up with Head Coach Samantha Doucette shortly upon my arrival and she's very excited and upbeat about the new season ahead.  The Golden Rams actually have some in-game experience already as they participated in the ICCAC JUCO Jam back in my home state of Iowa earlier this month where the team went 1-2.  Though far from being a barometer for how the team will perform this season, it gave Doucette a bit more vision as to where her squad is at and what they need to work on and improve.

After the team does various stretching and movement exercises to get themselves loosened up and ready to go on this Tuesday afternoon, Doucette has the team at the baseline for the first drill of the day where you have groups of three players come out and they have to make a requisite number of easy lay-ups in order to progress to the next level which is knocking down short/medium-range jumpers from near the elbow area.  After the requisite number is met there, the drill then transitions out behind the arc to knock down a requisite number of three-point shots which is obviously a bit more challenging.

Next, Doucette has the team split into groups of two players where one player works on a variety of jump shots while their partner rebounds for them and after a bit, the roles reverse.  Doucette goes by each basket; carefully watching her players' techniques with their shooting and offering encouragement and advice.  

On the next drill, Doucette has her squad near the center court line for a 2-on-2 drill where the emphasis is defensive pressure in full- and half-court pressure situations.  After a bit, Doucette changes up this drill whereby the players start at the baseline in a 1-on-1 situation to the half-court line to simulate pressure defense and some of the correct tactics to use.  

Then it's time for the team to work on their free throw shooting as Doucette has the team split up into groups of two again where each player has to make a requisite number of free throws.  

Next, Doucette has the squad to a 5-on-0 full-court "shell" drill where the emphasis is moving correctly in a transition situation.  After a bit, Doucette modifies things to make this more challenging by making it a real 5-on-5 situation to see if the offensive squad can execute what the were practicing a bit ago.  

Then, Doucette has the team doing a 5-on-5 half-court drill in hopes of doing some fine-tuning with both the offensive and defensive sides.  Doucette has to stop the drill on a number of occasions to point out flaws with the defense as she sees too much standing around.  In the first part of this drill, Doucette is experimenting with her 2-3 "match-up" zone defense to make sure her defensive players are moving correctly with the ball movement as they should be in any half-court situation.  Doucette also changes it up a bit by having her defense in man-to-man to oversee movement and switching.  Just judging how many times Doucette has to temporarily stop things during this whole drill seems to point out that there's a lot of work to be done here over the course of the next several weeks.  

Next, Doucette wants to try and put it all together in a full-court 5-on-5 situation and it becomes clear after a bit to this observer that the team still has a lot of work to do on both ends of the floor.  Specifically, the two things I saw - jacking up a few ill-advised three-pointers and a lack of defensive intensity - indicates that there's work to be done here.  But you also see flashes of potential when you see the athleticism and speed that this team has.  It's just a matter of harnessing it properly.  Shortly before 6:00 PM, Doucette and the team gather near the center court area for one last little pep talk before wrapping things up for the day.

Outtakes:  First, as I mentioned a bit ago, you definitely see the speed and athleticism that this team has and the potential that goes along with that.  Keep in mind, too, that Doucette still has a couple of players involved in fall sports (volleyball and soccer) that should be with the team in about 3 weeks or so that will provide depth and stability once the season gets fully underway.  A couple of items that Doucette and her new assistant are working on is (1) developing better team chemistry given some of the new players in the program this season and (2) working carefully but in a determined manner in getting her squad in top shape when they delve into the meat of this new season.  Doucette and I talked a bit about how difficult the transition can be for some players coming from high school basketball to college basketball as the game is simply faster and more physical at the next level and there's that inevitable adjustment period for the new players coming into a new situation that's never easy.  So that has to be factored in........Two players on this Anoka-Ramsey team definitely caught my attention during my visit:  Sophomore combo forward/post Jordan McMahon from St. Louis Park and sophomore guard Sydney Hazuga out of Eau Claire, WI.  Doucette will undoubtedly be counting on McMahon to patrol the area down low in the paint and one can definitely see her being a very versatile player at either the #4 or #5 spot and a rebounding machine as well.  Hazuga may very well turn out to be the three-point threat that Doucette needs in her offensive attack.  Her technique is very solid and you can tell she also has great touch in her short/medium-range jumpers as well.........You have to figure that Anoka-Ramsey will at least be one of the primary contenders for MCC honors this season in addition to RCTC (Rochester).  Again, for the Golden Rams, it's going to come down to how quickly they can put things together on both sides of the floor and develop that consistency that's needed to be a top team.  The tools are there for them to do that.   

Another Season Is Upon Us!

 Well, here we are as another October 15 is now here with a brand new 2024-25 season; always a great time.  And, with me being on vacation this week, I'm planning on visiting three practices and will provide a full report of each visit and am definitely looking forward to it.

Here we go!     

MIAC Coaching Changes Update

 Am a bit late with this as I was on vacation this last week but wanted to update everyone on the two recent coaching hires that have recently taken place on the MIAC Women's Basketball front.

Augsburg filled the vacancy left by Ted Riverso's retirement by snagging Mallie Doucette who had most recently been an assistant over at DII Concordia St Paul from 2022-24.  Before that, Doucette had stints at both UW-Eau Claire and Minnetonka HS and had played collegiately at St. Cloud St so it does seem like a reasonably solid hire by AD Jeff Swenson.  

St. Olaf meanwhile settled on a new coach as Interim AD (and former HC) Kelly Mahlum selected Megan Lueck who comes to Northfield after a six-year stint as an assistant at D1 South Dakota St.  Lueck also had previous stints at both Florida St and Mercer and had a solid playing career at UM-Duluth so this also looks to be a pretty solid "get" as well for the Oles in going forward.  

Like Courtney Shelton who came to SMU back in late April, both Doucette and Lueck face something of an uphill task in getting their programs back to relevancy status in a conference like the MIAC that - for right now anyway- is dominated by both GAC and Concordia with two or three other teams right below them so all three will have their work cut out for them when it comes to not only recruiting but getting players who will "fit" their respective systems which hopefully translates into a competitive product in a very competitive conference.  At the same time, these hires all appear to be very good as they bring a certain degree of youth and enthusiasm that can breathe fresh air and energy into programs that desperately need it.  Time is the ultimate teller, of course, but all three need a certain amount of time to "plant the seed" and let their respective trees grow. 

As always, please feel free to fire away with thoughts......    

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-24-24

 Here are the results of the games I was able to cover on the last night of the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:

6:15 PM Games

UW-Stout - 86

Leaky Roof - 35

Lions Black - 61

Retired Athletes - 50

7:15 PM Games

UW-Stout - 65

CSB - 49

Lions Gold - 54

Court Crashers - 51

UNW Eagles - 76

Luther - 65

Sara's Shooters - 58

KATZ - 38

8:15 PM Games

Lady Hustlers - 84

Free Agents - 77

The Mix Ups - 78

Currey Crew - 65

Arden Hills - 45

Anoka-Ramsey - 31

The HAMster Balls - 87

Guards Of The Galaxy - 46

Only two games in the 6:15 PM slot and the contest over on Court 1 between the Leaky Roof team and the UW-Stout team wasn't much of a contest at all as the latter came out with both barrels blazing from the opening tip-off as the UW-Stout team took a 5-0 lead at the 8:41 mark of the opening period and that would quickly grow to 12-0 by the 6:25 mark of the first period and they would hold this lead near the midway point.  A 12-1 blitz down the stretch had them up 24-1 by the end of the first period.  Things would only get worse once the second period got underway with the UW-Stout team up 26-1 at the 8:25 mark of the second period and by the midway point, the UW-Stout team was sitting on a 35-3 lead.  By the halftime break, the UW-Stout team's lead ballooned to 42-6.  By the 6:35 mark of the third period, the UW-Stout team's lead bulged to 46-6 before the Leaky Roof team finally found a little bit of offense to get into double digits down 55-11 with 3:15 left but things had long since been academic with the UW-Stout team rolling along with a 67-19 lead by the end of the third period.  By the 7:10 mark of the 4th period, the UW-Stout team had things in cruise control with a 70-21 advantage as the waltzed to an easy victory.......A much tighter contest was ensuing over on Court 2 between the Lions Black team and the Retired Athletes team.  This contest would be leveled at two a piece at the 9:35 mark of the opening period and a "3" by Meghan DuBois (Concordia St Paul '22) had the Retired Athletes team up 5-2 by the 8:50 mark of the first period and they would at least maintain this three-point edge up 9-6 near the midway point.  The Retired Athletes team would then embark on a 5-0 push that suddenly had them up 14-6 with 4:35 left after former UST and Park Center standout McKenna DuBois connected with a pretty lay-up.  The Lions Black team would quickly respond with a 6-0 run that had them down just 14-10 with 2:10 left and down by a single possession at 14-12 by the end of the first period.  The Lions Black team would carry this newfound momentum once the second period got underway, getting the game tied at 17-all by the 7:50 mark of the second period and then assuming a 19-17 lead by the 6:10 mark.  A 6-0 push by the Lions Black team would get that leade to 23-17 with 2:25 left and then a three-point bomb by senior-to-be Kylie Baranick pushed the lead to 28-17 with 1:05 left.  By the halftime break, the Lions Black team had unleashed a 16-0 blitz that had them up 33-17.  But the Lions Black team was far from finished as they went on a 9-0 run once the third period got underway that appeared to make this look like a rout with a 42-17 advantage by the 6:20 mark of the third period and they would hold this lead near the midway point.  The Retired Athletes team finally broke out of their extended slumber on a "3" by McKenna DuBois but the Lions Black team still had a sizable cushion up 42-27 although this lead would be trimmed a bit by the end of the third period at 43-30.  The Lions Black team would still hold a 45-30 advantage by the 8:15 mark of the fourth period but the Retired Athletes team finally got a ray of hope as former Park Center/Concordia St Paul/Sioux Falls standout Danielle Schaub buried a "3" at the 6:15 mark of the fourth period that cut into this deficit although the Lions Black team would still be holding onto a 49-36 at the midway point.  Undaunted, the Retired Athletes team kept plugging away as another three-point bomb by McKenna DuBois got the deficit down to ten at 49-39 with 3:40 left in regulation and they would crawl back to within single digit range down 51-42 with 3:09 left in regulation.  Alarmed, the Lions Black team would get their lead back to double digits at 56-42 with 2:20 left in regulation before the Retired Athletes team would make one last gasp - cutting the deficit down to eight at 58-50 with 1:12 left but the comeback attempt would prove to be a bridge too far as the Lions Black team held on for the tough win.

A much busier time in the 7:15 PM slot with four games going on.  On Court 1, the UW-Stout team; doing double-duty on this night, had a considerably tougher opponent to take on this time around as they faced off against the CSB team.  The CSB team would get off to a good start in this one; grabbing an 8-5 lead by the 7:45 mark of the 1st period but that didn't seem to faze the UW-Stout team as they would roar back to assume an 18-13 lead with 3:25 left in the first period although the CSB team would hang tough; getting back to within a single possession down 18-15 with 3:00 left.  Still, the UW-Stout team was able to re-establish the five-point edge at 23-18 by the end of the first period.  The UW-Stout team would then get a firmer grip on this game with a 27-20 lead by the 8:20 mark of the second period and grow the lead to nine at 32-23 with 3:05 left in the second period and by the halftime break, the UW-Stout team had assumed a double digit advantage at 40-28.  The UW-Stout team would up the lead to 42-28 by the 6:40 mark of the third period but the CSB team refused to go away as they would mount a comeback that would eventually have them back to within single-digit range down 45-38 with 1:10 left in the third period.  By the end of the third period, the outcome of this one appeared to be up in the air with the UW-Stout team up only by six at 47-41.  There was still hope for the CSB team down just 50-43 by the 8:30 mark of the fourth period but then the UW-Stout team but a 10-2 run by the UW-Stout team cleared up any doubts on this one as they would hold a 60-45 lead with 2:50 left in regulation and would claim their second dub on this night.......A very good game was ensuing over on Court 2 between the Lions Gold team and the Court Crashers team and this one would be leveled at six a piece by the 7:45 mark of the opening period and by the midway point of the first period, the Lions Gold team would be clinging to a 9-8 advantage.  This one would stay neck-and-neck and by the end of the first period, the Court Crashers team had turned the tables to hold a 15-14 edge.  This game would be knotted again at 19-all by the 8:00 mark of the second period and the Court Crashers team would be hanging on to a 23-21 lead by the midway point of the second period.  The Lions Gold team would then find some magic and go on the first significant push that had them up 29-24 with 1:15 left and a 4-0 push grew the lead to nine at 33-24 by the halftime break.  The Lions Gold team would grow this lead to 38-27 by the 8:05 mark of the third period but an 8-0 run by the Court Crashers team narrowed this lead to only 38-35 near the midway point of the third period.  The Lions Gold team would get a bit more breathing room with a 43-39 lead with 3:05 left but the Court Crashers team would embark on another push that suddenly had them up 46-45 by the end of the third period.  The Court Crashers team would grow their lead to 51-47 by the 7:45 mark of the fourth period but that lead would be narrowed up a bit at 51-48 near the midway point of the fourth period.  With 3:45 left in regulation, the Lions Black team had cut the deficit down to a scant point at 51-50 and the Court Crashers team would be nursing this same lead with just 1:30 left.  The Lions Gold team would save the best for last as they assumed a 52-51 lead with :35 left in regulation and added another score for insurance as they claimed an exciting victory.......Another good game was taking place on Court 3 between the Luther team and the UNW Eagles team and this one would be knotted up at two a piece by the 7:42 mark of the opening period.  The UNW Eagles team would hold a 7-6 edge near the midway point of the first period but the Luther team would come back down the stretch and they would hold a 24-22 advantage by the end of the first period.  The Luther team would be holding a 27-24 lead by the 8:15 mark of the second period and they would get the lead to four at 35-31 near the midway point of the second period.  But the UNW Eagles team did not falter and they would gradually come back down the stretch and hold a 40-39 lead by the halftime break.  The UNW Eagles team would be holding a 44-41 advantage at the 7:20 mark of the third period and things were still very tight by the midway point of the third period with the UNW Eagles team trying to hang on with a 49-47 lead.  It was here, however, where the UNW Eagles team found a burst of energy and went on a 12-3 run to assume a 61-50 lead with 3:00 left and they would grow this lead to 63-50 by the end of the third period.  The Luther team was unable to rekindle the earlier magic it had in this contest as the UNW Eagles team had a 67-54 lead near the midway point of the fourth period and although the Luther team would make one last gambit to try and get into this thing down the stretch, the deficit was too much to overcome as the UNW Eagles team got the win on this night.......An intriguing contest was taking place over on Court 4 between the Sara's Shooters team and the KATZ team that was coming off a big win on Tuesday night.  The Sara's Shooters team would grab a 2-0 advantage at the 9:10 mark of the opening period and this game would be leveled at four a piece near the midway point of the first period.  This game would still be tied at 11-all with 1:10 left and fittingly this game would be deadlocked at 13 a piece by the end of the first period.  The Sara's Shooters team would get the upper hand once the second period got underway and they would hold a 23-18 advantage near the midway point of the second period but the KATZ team was staying within striking distance; down 25-22 with 1:20 left in the second period and down only 28-24 by the halftime break.  The Sara's Shooters team would still be hanging on to this 28-24 advantage by the 8:40 mark of the third period and with 4:05 left in the third period, things still appeared to be very much in doubt with the Sara's Shooters team clinging to a 31-29 advantage.  With 3:35 left, this game was leveled again at 31 and even though the Sara's Shooters team would hold a 34-31 advantage by the end of the third period, this one definitely looked to be up for grabs.  But the KATZ team appeared to run out of gas once the fourth period got underway as the Sara's Shooters team got their lead to five at 41-36 by the 6:40 mark of the fourth period and would grow that lead to 43-36 near the midway point of the fourth period.  The Sara's Shooters team managed to cruise down the stretch for the relatively easy win.

On Court 1 in the 8:15 PM slot, two alumni/mixed teams were going at it as the Lady Hustlers team was taking on the Free Agents team.  This one would be nip-and-tuck as well from the get-go with the Free Agents team holding an 11-10 edge near the midway point of the opening period and would be up 16-12 by the end of the first period.  The Lady Hustlers team would crawl back to within single-digit range down 16-14 by the 8:10 mark of the second period and would stay close and with 3:30 left in the second period, this game would be tied at 24-all.  By the halftime break, the Free Agents team would be holding on to an uncertain 32-30 lead.  Things seemed even more uncertain as the Lady Hustlers team assumed a 44-40 advantage near the midway point of the third period and the Lady Hustlers team would at least hold the upper hand down the stretch as they owned a 56-54 lead.  The Lady Hustlers team still had things going its way near the midway point of the fourth period with a 70-68 lead but the Free Agents team would soon get this gamed knotted again at 70 a piece with 4:25 left in regulation.  But the Lady Hustlers team would not break down the stretch as they earned the tough win on this night.......A strange game meanwhile would be ensuing over on Court 2 between The Mix Ups team and the Currey Crew and although The Mix Ups team would hold a 2-0 advantage by the 9:25 mark of the opening period, things would soon go south for this team as the Currey Crew used its namesake three-point shooting prowess to hold a 19-12 lead near the midway point of the first period.  The Currey Crew team would grow this lead to 24-16 with 2:00 left and would be up 27-20 by the end of the first period.  The Currey Crew team would see its lead shrink to just four at 27-23 by the 8:20 mark of the second period but they would have a bit more breathing room up 36-29 near the midway point of the second period and they would own a 39-33 advantage with 3:30 left.  The Currey Crew team would get on another push down the stretch and by the halftime break, the Currey Crew team was in very good shape up 48-37.  The Currey Crew team would still be holding a 48-40 lead by the 8:40 mark of the third period but some craziness (or stupidity depending upon your point of view) would soon set in as one of the players on The Mix Ups team; who had been having a back-and-forth with the game officials, decided to take a page from my book during my competitive tennis-playing days and unleashed a barrage of expletives that promptly got her tossed.  Luckily for The Mix Ups team, the game continued and this incident somehow gave The Mix Ups team new life as they would go on a big run that would have them up 57-53 with 3:19 left in the third period.  And The Mix Ups team was far from finished as they would embark on an 8-0 push to own a 65-53 lead by the end of the third period.  The Currey Crew team was unable to recover once the fourth period got underway with The Mix Ups team holding a 69-53 advantage at the 7:10 mark of the fourth period.  By the midway point of the fourth period, The Mix Ups team was cruising up 72-57 and was able to coast the rest of the way for the wild, weird win.......Things were somewhat more calm over on Court 3 in this time slot as the Anoka-Ramsey team was taking on the Arden Hills team.  Although defense would take center stage early on with the Arden Hills team owning a 2-0 edge at the 9:05 mark of the opening period and a 5-0 lead near the midway point of the first period, the Arden Hills team was able to find its groove and opened up a 13-6 advantage with 1:05 left and they would hold this lead by the end of the first period.  The Arden Hills team would be up 18-10 by the 7:20 mark of the second period and hold an 18-12 lead near the midway point of the second period.  The Arden Hills team would be holding form with a 21-14 advantage with 1:30 left and by the halftime break, the Arden Hills team had established a ten-point cushion up 24-14.  The Arden Hills team would grow this lead to 31-14 by the 7:55 mark of the third period and double-up its opponent at 36-18 with 3:25 left in the third period and would own a 40-23 lead by the end of the third period.  The struggles for the Anoka-Ramsey team would continue once the fourth period got underway with the Arden Hills team up 42-27 near the midway point of the fourth period and they would have things in cruise control the rest of the way for the win.......Over on Court 4, the Guards Of The Galaxy team was trying to match wits with The HAMster Balls team but the latter would assume control of this contest early on as The HAMster Balls team would own an 11-6 advantage at the 6:10 mark of the opening period and by the end of the first period, The HAMster Balls team had a ten-point cushion at 24-14.  Things would continue to go south for the Guards Of The Galaxy team as The HAMster Balls team got its lead to 36-20 by the 6:10 mark of the second period and by the halftime break, The HAMster Balls team owned a cozy 43-24 advantage.  Not much would change once the fourth period got underway with The HAMster Balls team owning a 45-27 lead at the 8:15 mark of the third period and got the lead to twenty at 47-27 at the 7:25 mark.  The HAMster Balls lead ballooned to 61-34 with 2:25 left and although the Guards Of The Galaxy team did get a bit of a spark on a pretty lay-up by Marisa Gustafson (GAC '21) a short time later, they were still on the wrong end of a 66-38 score at the end of the third period.  The HAMster Balls team would continue to pour it on once the fourth period got underway as they upped the lead to 70-44 by the 7:10 mark of the fourth period as they romped to an easy win.

Just want to give a shout out to Bruce Smith of the Midtown YWCA for putting together another great and fun Summer League and to all the officials and players who helped make it happen.  Great job everyone!