Liz took advantage of an opportunity after the game last night and met one of her favorite college players, Abbey Waner. 

FSU ROADIE

As if being able to watch #4 Duke take on #18 FSU wasn't enough, the game matched the only unbeaten teams in the ACC against each other and it went into overtime after being tied 68-68 at the end of regulation.

Great game...great time!

"A word to the wise isn't neccessary...

it's the ones who never seem to get it right that need the advice."

- Bill Cosby

LOOKING FOR THE BEST SHOT - NOT THE FIRST OPEN SHOT

Came across a good article this morning on why Tennessee’s mens’ team, after taking an average of more than 22 three-pointers in its first 15 games of the season,is only averaging 11 in its last four games.

This article asks, "Why didn't Coach Pearl pull the plug on the 3-ball a few weeks earlier, instead of letting the Vols continue firing away and failing?"

"They had to learn for themselves," Pearl said.  "When we shoot too many 3 balls – not making the percentages we were (in the past) – it leads to transitions (for the opponent)."

Long shots = long rebounds and long rebounds = fast-break opportunities. 

"Not only do we not shoot the 3-ball as well [as in the past], we don't get back as well.  The more you shoot it, the more you miss it, the more they (opponents) run on fast break oppotunities.

We have put a greater premium on shot selection.  It's something that, if I'd done it a month ago, we would've had a revolt on our hands because the players would feel like they were handcuffed offensively.  Now they feel like, 'OK, I've got to turn down the 3-shot to get a better shot because this is how we can win.'"

I am a firm beleiver that shot selection is the the number one factor in determining whether a team wins or loses.

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TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE PLAN

Keep Katie in your prayers for the next few weeks. Between tough decisions and even tougher transitions, she’s seeking answers that will make sense.  

Although we do not always fully understand why God directs our path the way He does, we can be sure that everything that happens in the life of a Christian, must first pass before His throne for approval.  

Don’t get caught up trying to interpret whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, instead rely on the knowledge that it is all part of His plan and purpose for our lives.

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WHY ROUTINES ARE IMPORTANT

Saw where Sports Illustrated polled 190 NBA players, asking them to name the best pure shooter they'd ever seen.

Boston Celtic’s Ray Allen topped the list, earning more than a quarter of the votes.  Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Jason Kapono, and Peja round out the top five.

According to this column in the Boston Globe, Allen's shooting skills can be traced back to when he was a kid:

"The routine doesn't change much.  That is the nature of a routine.  Ray Allen will shoot in an empty gym.  Got to make 10 threes from this spot.  Got to make five midrange jumpers from this spot.  In between, go to the line and make five.

It goes back to when he was an 8-year-old kid in England. Allen's parents were ballers and when they gave up the floor to little Ray, he'd pledge to make five straight lefty layups, then five straight righty layups.  They couldn't leave 'til he did it."

Does this sound familiar?  How many of you remember back when you had to make a FT, a lay up and a 3-pointer before leaving the gym?

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BEING THE "HUNTED" INSTEAD OF THE HUNTER

Good story out of Orlando where Stan Van Gundy's team has "been good regardless of where they have played, going 17-4 at home and 17-6 on the road.  

They have smashed teams from the rugged Western Conference going 18-4 with first-ever season sweeps of both the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs."

But, as the saying goes, with victory comes responsibility.

"It's been an adjustment for us because before when we felt like we were the underdogs, we were out there trying to prove a point versus the really good teams," said [Rashard] Lewis, who hit four 3-pointers to add to his NBA-leading total of 129.  "Now that we're an elite team, other teams are looking at us thinking they can make a statement by beating us. It's taught us that we have to come ready to play every night."

Orloando Magic center Dwight Howard said the team has learned from past lessons:

"We must stay humble and not get satisfied," said Howard.  "I remember a couple of years ago we were the No. 1 team for a while, but we got lazy in practice and things went down from there.  We've learned our lesson.  To stay successful, we have to stay humble, positive and level-headed.  We understand all of this stuff can be taken away at any time."

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GRACE GAME NOTES

We finally broke the first-half curse last night at Grace.  For years, Grace has been one of the more difficult places for the Lady Lions to score, especially in the first-half of games.  After watching last night’s game, it’s not hard to figure out why…some ‘hometown cookin’ often prevents us from playing our game.

Although the refs called what was arguably the tightest game I think I’ve seen called in a very long time, we were finally able to break the 22 point first-half curse.  We ended the first-half with 28 points.  The down side was that Hannah and Olivia had 3 fouls each and Rachel who RARELY picks up two fouls in a game, had 2 at the end of the first-half.

One of the keys to winning any game, regardless of the level of competition is being able to “control the controllables.”  Meaning we must not get caught up worrying about the things we cannot control, but instead focus on the things that we ARE ABLE to control.  Although we cannot control the referees….we CAN control how we play to minimize their calls.

If they are calling fouls for reaching (or even looking at the ball as they were last night), we must play smart and adjust our game accordingly.  If they are calling quick fouls for reaching…then we MUST minimize our reaches.  It takes self-discipline and it took a few of us far too long to finally understand the way the refs were calling the game.

GAME NOTES

 I’m not sure what Grace’s defensive game plan was going into the game, but they sure loved running the “Box & 1”.  They ran it on Haley, Rebecca and Chelsea.

 Third game in a row with less than 16 TO’s!!!

TEAM STATS

Points Scored:  62

Points Allowed:  33

Rebounds:  36 (18 off/18 def)

Assists:  13

Steals:  16

TO’s:  14

2FG = 40.9% (18 of 44)

3FG   = 28.5% (4 of 14)

FT = 51.8% (14 of 27)

Haley

Mins:  18

Points:  16

Rebs:  5 (3/2)

Asst:  2

Stls:  3

TO:  4

2FG:  45.5% (5/11)

3FG:  0% (0/2)

FT:  85.7% (6/7)

Chelsea

Mins:  19

Points:  14

Rebs:  5 (3/2)

Asst:  2

Stls:  4

TO:  1

2FG:  75% (3/4)

3FG:  50% (2/4)

FT:  40% (2/5)

Heather

Mins:  20

Points:  5

Rebs:  5 (3/2)

Asst:  1

Stls:  1

TO:  0

2FG:  33.3% (1/3)

3FG:  0

FT:  50% (3/6)

Rachel

Mins:  24

Points:  9

Rebs:  7 (1/6)

Asst:  4

Stls:  2

Blocks:  1

TO:  1

2FG:  33.3% (4/12)

3FG:  0

FT:  50% (1/2)

Hannah

Mins:  21

Points:  12

Rebs:  3 (2/1)

Asst:  0

Stls:  4

TO:  0

2FG:  50% (4/8)

3FG:  33.3% (1/3)

FT:  50% (1/2)

Olivia

Mins:  20

Points:  6

Rebs:  4 (2/2)

Asst:  1

Stls:  0

Charge:  1

TO:  4

2FG:  25% (1/4)

3FG:  50% (1/2)

FT:  20% (1/5)

Hilliary

Mins:  10

Points:  0

Rebs:  2 (1/1)

Asst:  0

Stls:  1

TO:  2

2FG:  0

3FG:  0

FT:  0

Julie

Mins:  7

Points:  0

Rebs:  1 (1/0)

Asst:  0

Stls:  0

TO:  1

2FG:  0

3FG:  0 (0/1)

FT:  0

Rebecca

Mins:  9

Points:  0

Rebs:  1 (1/0)

Asst:  1

Stls:  1

TO:  1

2FG:  0 (0/1)

3FG:  0 (0/2)

FT:  0

Chrystal

Mins:  12

Points:  0

Rebs:  3 (1/2)

Asst:  2

Stls:  0

TO:  0

2FG:  0 (0/1)

3FG:  0

FT:  0

Blocks:  2

THE ADVANTAGE OF DISCIPLINE

"Nothing is more harmful to the service, than the neglect of discipline. For that discipline, more than numbers, gives one army superiority over another."

- General George Washington

COVENANT COACH FIRED

Just as expected, the coach behind last week’s 100-0 girl's basketball game was fired yesterday.

LINK

Public opinion agrees with the decision.

LINK

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C4 DRILL IMPROVES YOUR PASSING SKILLS

Although most players work on some type of fundamental passing drill during practice, coaches rarely implement drills that actually mimic game-like situations.  

One of the most important reasons to make drills ‘game-like’ is to prepare players for the real thing.  Our goal in the C4 Drill is to improve your passing skills by applying good ball pressure on the passer.  To get better, it will take time and plenty of repetitions under game-like conditions.

You can also improve some of your other skills with game-like passing drills.

Poorly skilled players do not pivot well or pass well.  However, if no ball pressure is ever applied to these players they will never grow beyond being average passers (at best) because they are not forced to use their pivoting and passing skills.

There is also a defensive benefit from game-like passing drills.  Without ball pressure on the passer, it doesn’t give the other other four defenders time to get into proper help or deny position.  One of the foundations of of good team defensive play is being in proper position, but without good ball pressure the opportunity to attain good position may be lost.

Ball Pressure forces the passer to:

 Pivot away from the pressure and thus give time for help defenders to recover.

 Put the ball on the floor.

 Move the ball from high to low, low to high or side to side to create a new passing lane.

 Sweep the ball low to create space.

 Pass with their weak hand.

 Pass to a perimeter player as opposed to an interior player.

All of these actions by the passer will allow time for the ‘off the ball’ defenders to get into position to take away passing lanes, stop cuts, help on penetration and destroy proper timing necessary for successful offensive play. 

 

Regardless of the defense we play, players must still apply ball pressure if we are going to be successful against the best teams.  The goal is not necessarily steals or turnovers, but instead to contain and prevent penetration, either by pass or dribble, give time for teammates to get into proper position, and slow the timing of the offense. 

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Playing Without Passion Disrespects The Game

Good story in yesterday's NY Times about Pat Summitt's "coaching tree."

According to the article, "45 Lady Volunteers, about a third of the players who have passed through her program, have become coaches."

Carla McGhee, who played for Coach Summitt and is now a member of the coaching staff at South Carolina, sees things now that she didn't see when she was a player:

"As a player, I couldn’t see why Pat would get so upset about a lack of effort, why she would say it was disrespecting the game. Now when I see a lack of effort, something about it just grates my nerves, and before I know it, I blow my top."

Coach Summitt talks about the need to play with passion:

"I think every time you play the game, you should play the game with great passion if you're competitive, if you love the game,'' Summitt said.  "You don't disrespect the game.  If you don't play hard, what are you bringing, what are you saying?"

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BE OFFENSIVE. BE VERY OFFENSIVE.

Our subconscious mind greatly affects our thoughts and our performance.  The power of the mind is the primary mechanism to reach that peak performance.  By training the subconscious mind, we prime ourselves for peak performance.

 Be eager, not tense.

 Be self-confident, not conceited.

 Think positively, even in adversity.

 Feel secure in yourself and your team.

 Feel joyful and free.

 Think offensively, even when defending.

 Have an inner conviction of your goal.

 

Try to think “offensively” even when defending.  To think offensively - a fight reaction - is to dare to take risks, venture to keep motivation high and keep your goal in mind.’  

In many ways, this is what we mean when we talk about an aggressive player or team.  It is not that the aggressive player is more physical than other players – though that is often the case – but that she takes the initiative.  In a sense, she makes plays happen rather than waiting for someone else to make the play.  She dares to take risks.

Play Offensively.

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Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.

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MakeYour 'Today' Better Than Your 'Yesterday'

The real contest is always between what you've done and what you're capable of doing.  You measure yourself against yourself and nobody else.

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YOU ARE AT THE FORK IN THE ROAD

There comes a time in every player’s career where a part of their game reaches a plateau of sorts; and they never really progress beyond that point.  Game stats from season to season tell the story.  However, not all players are content to remain on that plateau.  Are you?

When a coach tells you what you have to do to become a better shooter, ball handler or just an overall better player, do you get mad at the coach or blame yourself?  If you get mad at the coach, you’ll never get better as a player.  If you get mad at yourself, you will get better.

When you demand a lot of yourself, my experience has been that you get more in-return.  If you settle for less, (content to remain on the plateau) you get that, too.  Self-esteem, confidence and improvement come from accomplishment, not the other way around.  The more you demand of yourself, the more you’ll give (and get) and the stronger the sense of satisfaction.

A wise player understands that.

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HOMECOMING

Another Homecoming…another Homecoming Queen from the Basketball Team.  Congratulations Chelsea!!!

Homecoming games always make me nervous, especially when I promise to let the seniors leave at halftime.  But several of the girls decided to hang around a little longer to help finish off Emmanuel.  Rachel, Olivia, Hilliary, Hannah D, Julie, Heather, Chrystal, Rebecca, and two very willing, but also very undersized middle school ballers finished off Emmanuel without the slightest problem. 

Thanks to Lea and Jess for loaning out their 3’s! (jerseys)

TEAM STATS:

Points Allowed:  64

Points Allowed:  37

Rebs:  42 (22 off/20 def)

Assists:  10

Steals:  23

TO’s:  15

Fouls:  20

2FG= 30.5% (18/59)

3FG=45.5% (5/11)

FT=54.2% (13/24)

Haley

Pts:  15

Rebs:  6 (2 off/4 def)

Asst:  2

Stls:  2

TO:  0

2FG:  75% (6/8)

3FG:  0% (0/3)

FT:  50% (3/6)

Chelsea

Pts:  3

Rebs:  7 (2/5)

Asst: 0

Stls:  2

TO: 3

2FG:  25% (1/4)

3FG:  0% (0/1)

FT:  50% (1/2)

Heather 

Pts:  4

Rebs:  10 (8/2)

Asst:  2

Stls:  2

TO:  2

2FG:  0% (0/8)

3FG:  0

FT:  50% (4/8)

Rachel

Pts:  9

Rebs:  12 (6/6)

Asst:  1

Stls:  5

TO:  1

2FG:  26.6% (4/15)

3FG:  0

FT:  100% (1/1)

Olivia

Pts:  0

Rebs:  2 (1/1)

Asst:  1

Stls:  4

TO:  2

2FG:  0% (0/3)

3FG:  0

FT:  0

Hannah

Pts:  21

Rebs:  3 (3/0)

Asst:  2

Stls:  4

TO:  2

2FG:  35.3% (6/17)

3FG: 100% (2/2)

FT:  50% (3/6)

Rebecca

Pts:  9

Rebs:  2 (0/2)

Asst:  1

Stls:  0

TO:  2

2FG:  0% (0/1)

3FG:  60% (3/5)

FT:  0

Hilliary

Pts:  2

Rebs:  0

Asst:  0

Stls:  2

TO:  2

2FG:  50% (1/2)

3FG:  0

FT:  0

Julie

Pts:  0

Rebs:  0

Asst:  1

Stls:  1

TO:  1

2FG:  0

3FG:  0

FT:  0

Chrystal

Pts:  1

Rebs:  0

Asst:  0

Stls:  1

TO:  0

2FG:  0 % (0/1)

3FG:  0

FT:  50% (1/2)

PREDICTING THE FUTURE?

It’s not very often that Team Managers hear a roar of approval from the crowd, but last night’s game was an exception. With an extremely nervous coach watching two young 6th graders take the floor against our arch-rival (and earnestly praying for no injuries), I couldn’t help but feel like we were getting a quick glimpse into the not to distant future of Lady Lion basketball.

There were two plays during the second half that absolutely ignited the capacity crowd. The first was on Maddy’s first touch of the game when she calmly drilled a wide-open jumper. And the second was with less than 10 seconds left on the clock, Hannah stripped the ball from an Emmanuel player and pushed it up the floor, passing to Maddy at the basket for a lay up that just beat the buzzer.

Maddy finished the game 2 of 4 for 4 points and Hannah had 3 steals and 1 assist.

Not a bad first game.

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OUCH!

Thanks to Mr. Robertson for this one!

A SOON TO BE EX-COACH?

Came across an interesting article this morning about a girl's basketball team in Texas, (coincidentially Covenant Christian) that is taking some major heat over a recent game.

There is a fine line between beating a team and humiliating a team.  There have been times where we have really pushed the limit and may have probably crossed that line.  This season's game against Central quickly comes to mind.

Our full court M2M pressure is one of our strengths, but we have to know when to use it and when to back off a little.  I found myself staring at the scoreboard the other night against Rutherford and realized that we had a 27 point lead and we were still pressing.  That's crossing the line.  I also think that is the reason Bozeman refuses to play us.  Even after sending their coach an email apology the following day, she didn't bother to respond back.

There is a school of thought in coaching that says:  "This is not youth league basketball.  If you don't know what your teams weaknesses are or what you should work on in your next practice, then your opponent will likely help you identify it."  Although there is a certain amount of truth in that, we need to know when to squeeze tight and when to loosen the grip.

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SHARE THE VISION

Came across an excerpt from "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy and thought I'd pass it on.

"The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it.  VISION will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to achieve excellence.  Only VISION allows us to transform dreams of greatness into the reality of achievement through human action. VISION has no boundaries and knows no limits.  Our VISION is what we become in life.

If we get caught up in chasing what the world defines as success, we can use our time and talent to do some great things.  We might even become famous. But in the end, what will it mean?

What will people remember us for?  Are other people’s lives better because we lived?  Did we make a difference?  Did we use to the fullest the gifts and abilities God gave us?  Did we give our best effort, and did we do it for the right reasons?

God’s definition of success is really one of significance - the significant difference our lives can make in the lives of others.  This significance doesn’t show up in win-loss records, long resumes, or the trophies gathering dust on our mantels.  It’s found in the hearts and lives of those we’ve come across who are in some way better because of the way we lived."

A good leader gets people to follow her because they want to, not because she makes them.

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Do you care more about playing or winning?

Good quote today in the NY Times from Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith on how he evaluates players:

“Their character is huge for me.  Does he care about winning, or does he care about playing?  Because at the end of the day, the players get paid whether they win or lose the game.”

Everybody wants to play, but how many players are willing to do the extra little things that help a team win?

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MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS

It is almost impossible to build a successful team without developing knowledgeable players.

The game is not played in black and white - it's played in shades of gray.  What gray means, is that you as a player, have to make decisions on every play, both offensively and defensively. Your goal is to make the right decisions.

What does making the right decision mean?

For basketball, it means doing the right thing at the right time.  It means you have to be able to recognize a high percentage shot versus a low percentage shot.  It means recognizing when to shoot and when to pass.  It means having the self-discipline to defensively contain your man rather than go for the steal and get beat or even worse, pick up an unnecessary foul.

It is no coincidence that the team that makes the fewest mistakes is usually the team that has the most self-discipline, concentration, and focus – which in-turn leads to making the right decisions.

4:13

CAREER ADVICE FROM BON QUI QUI

Just as an update, and as a subtle motivational nudge for any record chasers, there are only three regular season games left before the Regional tournament.  We will get at least two games in the Regional and then two games at the Final Four (one of them being the championship game…of course!).  That leaves a total of seven games remaining before we leave for Nationals.  

At Nationals we hope to get four games out of the trip, but we will get at least three.  That leaves 10 games remaining to leave your mark on the season and the Covenant All-Time Career List.

As of this morning, this is where a few of you are ranked on the All-Time List. The number in parentheses is your average per game this season.  Multiply your average by the number of games remaining (10) and you see that you can potentially move up the list quite a bit.

ALL-TIME POINTS

2nd  1,214

3rd  1,037 Haley (13.6 x 10 games = 136 extra)

4th  604

5th  540 Jess (8.4 x 10 gms = 84 extra)

6th  517 Chelsea (6.8 x 10 gms = 68 extra)

7th  444 Heather (5.0 x 10 gms = 50 extra)

ALL-TIME REBOUNDS

3rd  536

4th  455 Haley (6.5 x 10 gms = 65 extra)

5th  410 Chelsea (5.3 x 10 gms = 53 extra)

6th  408 Heather (5.4 x 10 gms = 54 extra)

7th  323 Rachel (5.8 x 10 gms = 58 extra)

ALL-TIME ASSISTS

1st  390

2nd  216 Haley (3.3 x 10 gms = 33 extra)

3rd  194 Chelsea (2.2 x 10 gms = 22 extra)

8th  125

9th  99 Olivia (1.7 x 10 gms = 17 extra)

10th  67 Jess (0.8 x 10 gms = 8 extra)

ALL-TIME STEALS

1st  395

2nd  321 Chelsea (4.0 x 10 gms = 40 extra)

3rd  318

4th  304 Haley (3.1 x 10 gms = 31 extra)

8th  130

9th  126 Hannah (3.4 x 10 gms = 34 extra)

10th  119 Olivia (2.0 x 10 gms = 20 extra)

Keep in mind, with doormats Emmanuel, Grace and Wewa remaining, the potential exists for you to be able to SERIOUSLY pad those stats.

"Have it your way....but don't go crazy!"

- Bon Qui Qui

Which translated means to go for it, but don't let your chase for a record interfere with the over all team goal or game plan.  Otherwise...I'll have to call SECURITY!!!!

By the way...she does look an awful lot like Heather doesn't she? ;^)

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