I started off this new season with a trek over to the St. Paul side of town to take in the very first practice of the season at St. Kate's. I was anxious to get back to St. Kate's because I wanted very much to meet their new head coach, Sean Pinkerton who was hired earlier in the year and subsequently took over the reigns from former head coach Gary Rufsvold when he decided to step down from the position late this last summer. Pinkerton previously was the head coach at Morrisville State College and also was an assistant at both New York-Canton and Heidelberg before that so St. Kate's definitely has someone who has solid experience. Pinkerton's assistant coach this year is Zack Vogelsberg who has previously been an assistant at both SMU and Bethel so he has someone who knows and understands the "ins and outs" of the MIAC well.
I got there early enough to get myself situated and get introduced to Pinkerton who was an incredibly gracious host. I was disappointed, though, when I was looking around at the squad getting warmed up and did not see two faces that I would normally have expected to be there - Jule Muegge who was a standout as a freshman last season and Adele Simerson-Wallfred who is a senior this season. Muegge, as I later found out, has decided to concentrate on track and field which is something I did not count on and, for Pinkerton especially, is a huge void considering the potential that Muegge possesses. Simerson-Wallfred's absence is a disappointment as well being that she is a senior and I think it's something she'll regret down the road.
In any event, it was intriguing to watch this team get going. One of the more interesting aspects of Pinkerton's approach in practice is how he gets the team to the center of the court when he yells "circle!". The player (or players) who are late in getting to the circle on the center of the court automatically have to do five push-ups. Not taxing by any means but it stresses team unity and togetherness. The team spends the first few minutes doing a variety of flexing/stretching/light running drills to get fully loosend up. Afterwards, Pinkerton has the group doing a whole gamet of drills that includes the following:
(1) First, a 3-on-2 halfcourt drill is done that actually utilizes the whole floor and it would appear that the main emphasis on this one is to defend agains transition opportunities.
(2) Next is a drill whereby the players use the glass for rebounds and they then get the ball on the way back down for an easy kiss off the glass and into the basket. Not as easy as it looks. Pinkerton has the team do some sprints afterward.
(3) Next is a 3-man weave that is finished with layups. Pinkerton is not entirely happy with the team's performance in this drill and has them do some more sprints before resuming this drill.
(4) A 4-on-4 half-court drill is done that emphasizes ball movement plus defense and positioning. This drill is then modified where the offense then attacks the basket; i.e., doing perimeter work THEN attacking the rim.
(5) The next drill has three players going down the court with one finishing with a layup. Then, going the other way it turns into a 2-on-1 transition drill where a long pass is used to simulate a fast-break opportunity.
(6) The next drill is a shooting drill where one group of players are lined up to shoot along the baseline while the other group is positioned along the perimeter to shoot from the elbow. The drill is continually modified whereby each group keeps moving into different shooting positions.
(7) The next drill involves two groups; one on each end of the floor dribbling between chairs and finishing with a layup. This drill is then modified whereby the chairs are moved from the right side of the court to the left side of the court
(8) The next drill is interesting as it employs using mini-basketball that are actually heavier than regulation balls. Two balls are used and players are positioned in various places on the half-court. The emphasis here is precise passing and movement. The drill is modified as overhead passing and chest passing is used. Not as easy at it looks.
(9) The next drill has two players who go down the floor together after taking a rebound off the glass. After one player finishes with a layup then then go back the other way with way to finish off with a rebound as well. But this is not as easy as it would appear as this drill is modified that allows for the second to get points as well.
10. The last two drills involve both hal-court and full court to emphasize quickness and precise passing.
Lastly, sprints are done after each FT attempt. Pinkerton tells the team "You'd better be sure to make FTs this year.
After practice finally concludes, I am invited Pinkerton's office to discuss the team and the MIAC. Pinkerton readily acknowledges that he has an uphill struggle but it doesn't seem to faze him at all. When asked what must be done to bring the team along and keep improving, Pinkerton says he lists three short-term goal (1) defense, (2) taking care of the ball/winning the turnover margin, and (3) rebounding. Pinkerton then rattles off where St. Kate's needs the most improvement - (his knowledge of St. Kate's and national numbers is stunning) and also relates how he made major improvement at his previous head coaching spot. The Wildcats may not win a lot of games this year but St. Kate's has an awfully good head coach who knows how to get things done.
Los Angeles Rams
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Another Season Is Upon Us!!
Well, here we go again....Just a little less than an hour away from the official October 15 start time for practices for DII & DIII teams. And, just like last year, I'll be at some different practices this week to check things out (am still trying to line some things up as well). I realize you can only take so much from the opening practices but I'm really more interested to see who's back and who's new as well. And it helps that I'm on vacation this week (YEE HAAAH!).
First off, I want to apologize for not doing a very good job over the last few months as far as reporting stuff is concerned. Of course, I was at the Mid-Town YWCA Summer League reporting the results of games I was able to catch but had really hoped to finalize some things from this last season; i.e., the Minnesota Girls HS Tournament and the All Star game in April. Unfortunately, being busy with the tennis kept from doing what I wanted to do so I hope to rectify that this time around (will keep mum on this for now but I have some plans to avoid this mess the next time).
On a much more positive note, I'm excited that I'm going to be adding both audio and pictures to my blog as well. This has been a long time coming, IMHO, and I'm hopeful that this will add another area of intrigue to my efforts. Things are still in the crawling stage with this but, thanks to my good friend Tony Geer I've got some exciting things planned. I will also be helping out with the webcasts at Bethel games again this year which I enjoy immensely.
So yeah, I'm ready. Actually, I was already at the University of Minnesota's pre-season press conference featuring both Head Coach Pam Borton and sophomore standout point guard Rachel Banham (I realize that they're D1 of course but I try to cover what aspects of womens hoops that I can). The jury is still kind of out on this group and, although the returners will be a year older, there's a lot of new blood coming in as well to add to the mix. Oh, and don't forget that the WNBA Finals got underway tonight as well with Indiana pulling off an improbable 76-70 win on the road to take a 1-0 series lead. Hopefully, the Lynx can regroup and get this turned around (an I think they will.).
Buckle up - here we go!
First off, I want to apologize for not doing a very good job over the last few months as far as reporting stuff is concerned. Of course, I was at the Mid-Town YWCA Summer League reporting the results of games I was able to catch but had really hoped to finalize some things from this last season; i.e., the Minnesota Girls HS Tournament and the All Star game in April. Unfortunately, being busy with the tennis kept from doing what I wanted to do so I hope to rectify that this time around (will keep mum on this for now but I have some plans to avoid this mess the next time).
On a much more positive note, I'm excited that I'm going to be adding both audio and pictures to my blog as well. This has been a long time coming, IMHO, and I'm hopeful that this will add another area of intrigue to my efforts. Things are still in the crawling stage with this but, thanks to my good friend Tony Geer I've got some exciting things planned. I will also be helping out with the webcasts at Bethel games again this year which I enjoy immensely.
So yeah, I'm ready. Actually, I was already at the University of Minnesota's pre-season press conference featuring both Head Coach Pam Borton and sophomore standout point guard Rachel Banham (I realize that they're D1 of course but I try to cover what aspects of womens hoops that I can). The jury is still kind of out on this group and, although the returners will be a year older, there's a lot of new blood coming in as well to add to the mix. Oh, and don't forget that the WNBA Finals got underway tonight as well with Indiana pulling off an improbable 76-70 win on the road to take a 1-0 series lead. Hopefully, the Lynx can regroup and get this turned around (an I think they will.).
Buckle up - here we go!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Playoff Action For Wednesday 8-8-12
6:00 P.M. Semifinals
Winona St. 53
The Graduates 41
UST 50
Husky Nation 48
7:00 P.M. Consolation & Championship
Consolation Game
The Graduates 43
Husky Nation 42
Championship Game
UST 44
Winona St. 43
As you can tell by judging from the scores, some excellent, excellent fun games to take in tonight. The semifinal game between St. Thomas and St. Cloud State was a back and forth affair with the Tommies having to hold on for dear life coming down the stretch. The Huskies had chances and simply couldn't hit the big bucket when they most needed it. The consolation and championship games were just as good if not better. The Graduates, after dropping their semifinal to Winona State, surprised the St. Cloud State squad as they were in control for most of the contest. But the Huskies made a late charge only to fall just short - again. The Graduates were an intriguing group this year led by the likes of former Hamline players Stephanie Robinson, Steph Rice and Nikki Klinck along with former Bethel standout (and reigning MIAC MVP) Taylor Sheley. I like this St. Cloud State team as well and I think they have some good things ahead of them. In the Championship game, the Tommies got off to a quick start and appeared to be in control of things as the second half got underway. But the Warriors made their comeback bid and got neck and neck with the Tommies coming down the stretch. But, just like St. Cloud State, they couldn't find the big bucket when they most needed it in the closing seconds as the Tommies took home the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League championship.
Winona St. 53
The Graduates 41
UST 50
Husky Nation 48
7:00 P.M. Consolation & Championship
Consolation Game
The Graduates 43
Husky Nation 42
Championship Game
UST 44
Winona St. 43
As you can tell by judging from the scores, some excellent, excellent fun games to take in tonight. The semifinal game between St. Thomas and St. Cloud State was a back and forth affair with the Tommies having to hold on for dear life coming down the stretch. The Huskies had chances and simply couldn't hit the big bucket when they most needed it. The consolation and championship games were just as good if not better. The Graduates, after dropping their semifinal to Winona State, surprised the St. Cloud State squad as they were in control for most of the contest. But the Huskies made a late charge only to fall just short - again. The Graduates were an intriguing group this year led by the likes of former Hamline players Stephanie Robinson, Steph Rice and Nikki Klinck along with former Bethel standout (and reigning MIAC MVP) Taylor Sheley. I like this St. Cloud State team as well and I think they have some good things ahead of them. In the Championship game, the Tommies got off to a quick start and appeared to be in control of things as the second half got underway. But the Warriors made their comeback bid and got neck and neck with the Tommies coming down the stretch. But, just like St. Cloud State, they couldn't find the big bucket when they most needed it in the closing seconds as the Tommies took home the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League championship.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Midtown YWCA Womens College Summer League Playoff Results For Wednesday 8-1-12
Here are the results for the playoff games I was able to catch last night at the Midtown YWCA Womens College Summer League:
5:00 P.M. Games
UST 48
MSU Mavericks 21
Old Tymers 59
Hamline 56
5:55 P.M. Games
Jimmies 47
ARCC Alumni 42
Husky Nation 57
St. Olaf 30
6:50 P.M. Games
CSB 39
UW-River Falls Red 38
The Graduates 55
Macalester 43
7:45 P.M. Games
Winona St. 54
Sweet Sensation 46
Concordia St. Paul 64
ARCC Black 29
The game of the night (at least from the ones I was able to catch) easily was the one in the 6:50 P.M. slot between St. Bens and the UW-River Falls Red team. This was a tight game throughout and it LOOKED as if the UW-River Falls team had the deal sealed but a Falcon player missed the back end of a 1 and 1 FT situation to give the Blazer team one more chance. CSB's Tish Alexander, seemingly trapped in the corner and in duress, threw up a prayer with scant seconds left on the clock to hit nothing but net and gave the Blazers an improbable 39-38 victory. It was, well, WOW! In the 5:00 P.M. slot, the Old Tymers team had to make a late run to stave off defeat at the hands of a scrappy Hamline team in order to move on. UST, St. Cloud State, and Concordia St. Paul made quick work of their opponents in the games I was able to catch.
So, the 8:40 P.M. games had intriguing match-ups between UST and the Old Tymers in one game and the Jimmies vs Husky Nation in the other. The 9:35 P.M. games looked to be beauts as well featuring CSB vs the Graduates and Winona St. against Concordia St. Paul in the other. If anyone reading this knows the results of any of these games, please let me know. I'll be over at Midtown next week for the semifinals and Championship/Consolation games.
5:00 P.M. Games
UST 48
MSU Mavericks 21
Old Tymers 59
Hamline 56
5:55 P.M. Games
Jimmies 47
ARCC Alumni 42
Husky Nation 57
St. Olaf 30
6:50 P.M. Games
CSB 39
UW-River Falls Red 38
The Graduates 55
Macalester 43
7:45 P.M. Games
Winona St. 54
Sweet Sensation 46
Concordia St. Paul 64
ARCC Black 29
The game of the night (at least from the ones I was able to catch) easily was the one in the 6:50 P.M. slot between St. Bens and the UW-River Falls Red team. This was a tight game throughout and it LOOKED as if the UW-River Falls team had the deal sealed but a Falcon player missed the back end of a 1 and 1 FT situation to give the Blazer team one more chance. CSB's Tish Alexander, seemingly trapped in the corner and in duress, threw up a prayer with scant seconds left on the clock to hit nothing but net and gave the Blazers an improbable 39-38 victory. It was, well, WOW! In the 5:00 P.M. slot, the Old Tymers team had to make a late run to stave off defeat at the hands of a scrappy Hamline team in order to move on. UST, St. Cloud State, and Concordia St. Paul made quick work of their opponents in the games I was able to catch.
So, the 8:40 P.M. games had intriguing match-ups between UST and the Old Tymers in one game and the Jimmies vs Husky Nation in the other. The 9:35 P.M. games looked to be beauts as well featuring CSB vs the Graduates and Winona St. against Concordia St. Paul in the other. If anyone reading this knows the results of any of these games, please let me know. I'll be over at Midtown next week for the semifinals and Championship/Consolation games.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Opening Round Playoff Results For Wednesday 7-25-12
Here are the results of the opening round playoff games I was able to catch last night at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:
5:00 P.M. Games
GAC Black 39
St. Kate's 28
Bethany Lutheran 44
Augsburg #2 38
5:55 P.M. Games
GAC Gold 49
Northwestern 31
UW-River Falls Black 42
Augsburg #1 36
6:50 P.M. Games
The Graduates 51
GAC Black 36
Winona St. 55
Bethany Lutheran 38
7:45 P.M. Games
UST 69
GAC Gold 28
ARCC Alumni 41
UW-River Falls Black 39
Game of the night (at least from the ones I was able to catch) was easily the tilt between Anoka-Ramsey Alumni and the UW-River Falls Black team. The ARCC Alumni appeared to be in control until the UWRF Black team made a late run and, in fact, had a chance to tie the game with scant seconds left before a key steal was made by Tamarra Shorter of the ARCC Alumni team. UST looked as strong as ever in pounding the GAC Gold team which had upset the Tommies a mere week ago. Wish I could have stayed for the games in both the 8:40 and 9:35 slots; am interested to find out who won the 9:35 game between St. Olaf and St. Mary's so if anyone was there that's reading this please let me know.
Will be over there again, of course, for the games on 8-1.
5:00 P.M. Games
GAC Black 39
St. Kate's 28
Bethany Lutheran 44
Augsburg #2 38
5:55 P.M. Games
GAC Gold 49
Northwestern 31
UW-River Falls Black 42
Augsburg #1 36
6:50 P.M. Games
The Graduates 51
GAC Black 36
Winona St. 55
Bethany Lutheran 38
7:45 P.M. Games
UST 69
GAC Gold 28
ARCC Alumni 41
UW-River Falls Black 39
Game of the night (at least from the ones I was able to catch) was easily the tilt between Anoka-Ramsey Alumni and the UW-River Falls Black team. The ARCC Alumni appeared to be in control until the UWRF Black team made a late run and, in fact, had a chance to tie the game with scant seconds left before a key steal was made by Tamarra Shorter of the ARCC Alumni team. UST looked as strong as ever in pounding the GAC Gold team which had upset the Tommies a mere week ago. Wish I could have stayed for the games in both the 8:40 and 9:35 slots; am interested to find out who won the 9:35 game between St. Olaf and St. Mary's so if anyone was there that's reading this please let me know.
Will be over there again, of course, for the games on 8-1.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-18-12
Here are the results of the games I was able to catch tonight at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:
5:00 P.M. Games
Husky Nation 49
Augsburg #2 33
UST 55
SMU 32
5:55 P.M. Games
Augsburg #1 34
St. Olaf 30
Concordia St. Paul 60
MSU Mavericks 43
6:50 P.M. Games
Sweet Sensation 58
Winona St. 54 OT
GAC Gold 42
UST 38
7:45 P.M. Games
ARCC Gold 39
St. Kate's 26
Macalester 50
Northwestern 35
The Graduates 46
UW-Superior 43 OT
8:40 P.M. Games
Bethany Lutheran 35
UW-Superior 31
9:35 P.M. Games
ARCC Alumni 45
UW-River Falls Black 36
Jimmies 53
GAC Black 26
Macalester 49
St. Kate's 41
Was only able to get one of the scores of the three 8:40 P.M. games as I had gone out for a quick bite to eat with current St. Kate's Head Coach and former St. Kate's coach Tim Kjar. Had a GREAT time catching up with Tim!
Some VERY good games tonight....The Sweet Sensation team had to stave off a determined Winona State group in a game that was close from start to finish. Another very good one to watch tonight was The Graduates (which features the likes of Taylor Sheley formerly of Bethel and former Hamline standouts Stephanie Rice and Nikki Klink just to name a few) which had to use an extra session as well to hold off a scrappy UW-Superior team. It was a double-heartbreak for the Yellowjackets later on as they also a tough one to Bethany in the 8:40 slot. The GAC Gold team got a big boost in confidence as they knocked off their conference rivals from UST in the 6:50 slot. I also had the pleasure tonight of meeting new GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly who is very excited to be back in the MIAC again.
5:00 P.M. Games
Husky Nation 49
Augsburg #2 33
UST 55
SMU 32
5:55 P.M. Games
Augsburg #1 34
St. Olaf 30
Concordia St. Paul 60
MSU Mavericks 43
6:50 P.M. Games
Sweet Sensation 58
Winona St. 54 OT
GAC Gold 42
UST 38
7:45 P.M. Games
ARCC Gold 39
St. Kate's 26
Macalester 50
Northwestern 35
The Graduates 46
UW-Superior 43 OT
8:40 P.M. Games
Bethany Lutheran 35
UW-Superior 31
9:35 P.M. Games
ARCC Alumni 45
UW-River Falls Black 36
Jimmies 53
GAC Black 26
Macalester 49
St. Kate's 41
Was only able to get one of the scores of the three 8:40 P.M. games as I had gone out for a quick bite to eat with current St. Kate's Head Coach and former St. Kate's coach Tim Kjar. Had a GREAT time catching up with Tim!
Some VERY good games tonight....The Sweet Sensation team had to stave off a determined Winona State group in a game that was close from start to finish. Another very good one to watch tonight was The Graduates (which features the likes of Taylor Sheley formerly of Bethel and former Hamline standouts Stephanie Rice and Nikki Klink just to name a few) which had to use an extra session as well to hold off a scrappy UW-Superior team. It was a double-heartbreak for the Yellowjackets later on as they also a tough one to Bethany in the 8:40 slot. The GAC Gold team got a big boost in confidence as they knocked off their conference rivals from UST in the 6:50 slot. I also had the pleasure tonight of meeting new GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly who is very excited to be back in the MIAC again.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-11-12
Here are the results of the games I was able to catch last night at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:
5:00 P.M. Games
The Graduates 41
Hamline 33
Carleton Train 60
CSB 45
5:55 P.M. Games
ARCC Alumni 37
Bethany Lutheran 29
Macalester 38
Northwestern 26
6:50 P.M. Games
Sweet Sensation 61
Augsburg #2 27
Old Tymers 45
Macalester 28
7:45 P.M. Games
Anoka Ramsey Black 38
UW-River Falls Black 36
Husky Nation 73
Augsburg #1 24
MSU Mavericks 44
Winona State 41 OT
Best games of the night were by far and away the two 7:45 games. The UW-River Falls Black team JUST missed sending their games against the ARCC Black team into overtime as a layup with scant time left on the clock refused to drop. The Minnesota State Mavericks did, however, go to an extra session against their rivals from Winona State which appeared to be in control of this contest but the Mavericks did what they had to do down the stretch to get the "W". IMHO, the best team in this summer league is the Old Tymers which is comprised of former Minnesota State Mankato players (includes the Johnson sisters Heather and Stacie among others) that has been running roughshod so far over other teams. Left midway through the 8:40 games - the Jimmies had a small lead on Concordia St. Paul and UST was in command of their game against the GAC Black team. The GAC Gold and SMU teams were in a tight one when I left.
5:00 P.M. Games
The Graduates 41
Hamline 33
Carleton Train 60
CSB 45
5:55 P.M. Games
ARCC Alumni 37
Bethany Lutheran 29
Macalester 38
Northwestern 26
6:50 P.M. Games
Sweet Sensation 61
Augsburg #2 27
Old Tymers 45
Macalester 28
7:45 P.M. Games
Anoka Ramsey Black 38
UW-River Falls Black 36
Husky Nation 73
Augsburg #1 24
MSU Mavericks 44
Winona State 41 OT
Best games of the night were by far and away the two 7:45 games. The UW-River Falls Black team JUST missed sending their games against the ARCC Black team into overtime as a layup with scant time left on the clock refused to drop. The Minnesota State Mavericks did, however, go to an extra session against their rivals from Winona State which appeared to be in control of this contest but the Mavericks did what they had to do down the stretch to get the "W". IMHO, the best team in this summer league is the Old Tymers which is comprised of former Minnesota State Mankato players (includes the Johnson sisters Heather and Stacie among others) that has been running roughshod so far over other teams. Left midway through the 8:40 games - the Jimmies had a small lead on Concordia St. Paul and UST was in command of their game against the GAC Black team. The GAC Gold and SMU teams were in a tight one when I left.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)