2009 - 2010 Travel Season

"Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We."

Coach Phil Jackson

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."

Elk River Tournament

Someone made the comment that sometimes a defeat feels like a victory.  

The girls played 5 halves of very good basketball after almost a month layoff since our last tournament.   Unfortunately it was that lone half that probably kept us out of the championship game.

We opened against a Blaine team that couldn't match our size nor speed.  After finishing under running time we felt very confident we could match up against Elk River the next morning.  

Not sure why ... maybe it was the zone defense ... maybe it was a team of tired girls ... but we struggled in our first half of the game.    Combining a 1 of 18 from the field and 1 of 7 from the line performance along with poor rebounding, we found ourselves down 21-4 at half time.    We adjusted, handled their press, and started to make shots.   A 42% average from the field in the second half allowed us to match ER score for score, but we just couldn't overcome the huge half time deficit.  But a strong finish that showed that these girls will NOT quit, no matter the score.

For 3rd place we faced one of the top 5  8A teams in the state in Andover.   A quick, well shooting team that was upset the night before in a game with Coon Rapids.   They were hungry for a win.   We came out strong and held a lead through the first 5 minutes of the game.  Then Andover went on a 6-0 scoring spree and we found ourselves down by 5 at half time.  In the end Andover came away with 3rd place, but our team found that we CAN compete with the best of the best (ER is also ranked in the top 15 of 8A teams).

Congratulations to Liz who won the 8A girls 3 point shooting contest!!!!   Liz outshot the 5 other girls with 9 of 20 3 point shots!!!

A nice weekend and we look forward to seeing ER again in our opening game at STMA.

Rogers Tournament

2nd Place!

An GREAT weekend of ball in Rogers.   The girls worked hard in practice this past week as we worked on ball handling, our fast break transition game and inbound plays.    We faced three very good teams; two which are in the top 15 8A teams in the state.   We opened with a very well played game against Maple Grove; staying point to point with them through 3/4 of the game. In the end the difference was their ability to make free throws in the clutch.

In our second game we faced a familiar foe in Brainerd.   We transitioned the floor well and our size allowed us to control the game from start to finish.  

We entered Sunday's bracket playing the top team from the opposite pool; a very talented team that had not allowed more than 25 points to an opponent all weekend.

Against Cottage Grove we came out and played well against their 2-3 and 1-2-2 zone defenses and really stepped up when they would fall into a man-to-man game.   The girls played their best game to date and rivaled the best games I've seen from these girls.   We rebounded and handled the ball extremely well, played great defense to shut down their two primary shooters, and for the first time this year played a complete game AS A TEAM.   We took the game to overtime, then sudden death; where we won the tip and sank a quick shot to end the game!

Our late game was a repeat against Maple Grove.  They really didn't show us anything we didn't see the night before, but we had difficulty in moving the ball against their 1-3-1 zone and full court trap.    But even with the loss, the weekend as a whole was a HUGE success.

The most important outcome of this weekend was that we are finally starting to see the TEAM come together for the first time.   The girls learned we are accountable for our own successes and failures.   No outside influence is going to determine whether we do well or not.   The season's results will be determined by the effort and commitment shown in practice and on the court.  And besides ... what kind of team would blame someone else for their results anyway?  "Sabotage"???  Jeess ... grow up.

If we can maintain our focus on TEAM; we'll have a very successful season and send the girls on to the high school program well prepared for the expectations of 9th grade ball.

Tournament Schedule

* Team Paid Tournaments

"The key is not the "will to win" . . . everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important."

Coach Bobby Knight

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle

Sun Tzu

Irondale Tournament

(0-3)

A good, challenging first tournament of the travel season.   We saw a team that will be a challenge if we see them again, a team we we'll have a great chance to beat if we see them again, and a team we should handle much better and beat down the road.   Probably one of the most challenging opening weekends I've had in many years of travel ball.   

I went into the weekend hoping to be competitive and would take any wins we could muster.   But my expectations increased as I watched how well we played and adjusted to Coon Rapids during the first 20 minutes of the game.  It was a sensational game by everyone and one that we'll do much better as we get our court legs under us and can sustain that intensity for an entire game. 

My expectation is that we have a chance to win every game we play.   Our chances increased a bit this weekend after seeing the potential we showed in moments of each of the three games.

Our offense is still in the basic stages.  But even at that we are putting points on the boards against solid defenses.  With time we'll add pieces to our offense to better handle pressure and take advantage of our opponents weaknesses.   

So overall a very good weekend.   Although we came out of the tournament without a win, there were alot of positives I took away.  

St. Cloud Tournament

(1-3)

Although the girls played hard, a chance to win at least two games against opponents we should match up against well was lost due to too many unforced turnovers and a general breakdown of fundamentals in several close games.   We have a great couple of matchups this weekend in the Rogers tournament.

"Confidence shared is better than confidence only in yourself."

                                                                                      Coach K

"Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding."

Coach Jim Valvano

Team Rules

• Practices begin and end at our posted times.  Girls are expected to arrive at the gym with enough time to put on shoes and be ready to go.

• Players will arrive at least 30 minutes before each game.

• Arriving late to practice or a game affects the entire team.   Playing time will be limited for those who cannot make the team schedule.

• All players will wear a WHITE t-shirt to every practice (the t-shirts ordered for fall league can be used as practice shirts). 

• All players should have a second set of court shoes that are not worn outside of the gym.

• Court time is MY time.  I expect nothing less than 100% of the girls attention and focus during our practices. 

• At games I expect the girls to hear and "feel" their parents support.   10 families spread out in a large gym diminishes that presence.

• Any questions or concerns about the team, your daughter or anything else having to do with the team will be directed to me and only me.   Your daughter should only hear your support of her play; hearing your thoughts about what you perceive to be problems is only a distraction to your daughter and the team.

• Also, parents are welcome to watch practices.