It's the middle of summer and I finally decided to bring back the blog. I've obviously been pretty absent due to lack of creative ideas. I learned that there were some issues with my blog throughout the season and a few people weren't happy about it. It certainly made me question whether I should have the blog or not. With everything there will be a few detractors and I'm not going to stop because of them.
Now off to different things that I haven't talked about yet.
Penn State
I had a good conversation with my girlfriend yesterday regarding the Penn State and JoePa craziness that is happening right. The biggest question is, should PSU football get the 'death penalty?' I argue no, because there were no NCAA violations for the NCAA to come down on the school. Now, if the school decided to take away football for a few years because of this monster that did awful things to little children then that is their prerogative. If PSU took away football not only wouldn't the school survive but State College would have a tough time surviving as well.
Towns like State College, Tuscaloosa (AL), Auburn (AL), Lincoln (NE), and numerous others are completely structured based off their college football teams. In Lincoln, a six lane highway is just off the football stadium to help ease traffic for the seven Saturday's they have home games. It just goes to show you how powerful coaches and programs can be at certain schools. You would definitely think that institutions would make some changes based on what happened at PSU but $$$ talks and even college presidents will overlook things in order to make more money.
AAU
I've gone off on a couple of issues with AAU recently and this story is no different.
4 Teams Banned from Evaluation Period
If you read the article, which you should, it talks about four AAU teams that ties to an agent. This is the first time the NCAA has cracked down on that. Now, the punishments for this is absolutely embarrassing, and not for the AAU teams. In about a half hour, one of those teams, Florida Rams, will be playing on CBS College Sports for the Championship of The Adidas Invitational in Indy. They won't be the Florida Rams but "Florida Elite" with essentially the same team. They have different uniforms and a different name but the same team.
NCAA told the AAU teams that needed to disassociate themselves with the person in contact with the agent, so they did. Now, they are back playing. The New England Playaz are off to Europe, so they don't care. The Florida Rams changed their name to Florida Elite and are good. Not sure about Worldwide Renegades, they don't seem to have very many "high-level" guys so no one cares. And SEBL All-Stars just have to disassociate themselves from their coach and they are good. So, one team gets punished and that's the Worldwide Renegades (at least to my knowledge). What a joke.
These agents are all over the place and many have more access to the kids than any college coach does. Many of these kids "verbally" agree to sign with that agent in high school. Then, all of a sudden their family has some nicer things and the kid has a new chain, some nice new fitted hats, etc. It's too bad, because some agents do it the right way and this idiot gives them a bad name.
Dream Team Debate
As most sports fans know, Kobe Bryant said that this year's National Team could beat the Dream Team. He retracted his statement and said that they could beat them but probably not in a seven game series. Scottie Pippen went back and said that his team would win by 25 or so. MJ, Magic, and Bird all laughed off the comments by Kobe. If I were them, I would too.
It's always tough to compare era because as we've seen guys become bigger, faster, stronger, and more athletic them their predecessors. You look at guys like Lebron and Russell Westbrook as guys that are on another level athletically than even the guys playing now just like MJ and Clyde Drexler were then. I'll give a matchup comparison by position
Point Guard
Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Russell Westbrook vs. Magic Johnson and John Stockson.
The new blood is obviously more athletic and younger in their careers. Magic and Stockton are two of the best PGs to ever live. Stockton is the reason why both Paul and Williams are good at the being in the pick and roll. The Dream Teamers changed the way the game was played.
Decision: Slight Edge 2012 because of athleticism
Shooting Guard
Kobe Bryant and James Harden vs. Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler
Kobe is definitely one of the best players in NBA history but it's a no contest competing against two of the all time greats at the position. Both Kobe and MJ are "killers" and would do anything to win but MJ gets the nod and Clyde is much better than Harden especially at this point in his career.
Decision: 1992 and it's not close
Small Forward
Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Lebron James vs. Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, and Larry Bird
Too athletic freaks vs. some crafty vets. This makes this a tough matchup for the Dream Teamers. Pippen could cover Durant or LBJ but certainly not both. Bird wasn't much near his peak at this point in his career.
Decision: 2012, too athleticism and length. Bird in his prime makes this different
Power Foward
Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love vs. Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and Christian Laettner
I could probably switch Melo and Bron out at this one but we'll go with what they will probably play in the Olympics. Barkley is a prototype for "team jerk" and he didn't care. He wanted gold. Malone was a monster as well. Love is a great player and rebounder but they aren't hanging with these guys.
Decision: 1992, not close
Center
Tyson Chandler and Anthony Davis vs. Patrick Ewing and David Robinson
This isn't even an argument. Ewing and Robinson were both at the peak of their careers and zero percent chance of the 2012 guys hanging with them.
Decision: 1992
So the argument is done, Dream Team wins. Too many guys at their peak w/MJ, Clyde, Stockton Mullin, Pippen, Sir Charles, The Mailman, Ewing, and The Admiral. I can say that CP3, Deron Williams, LBJ, Melo, and KLove are at the peak. You can argue that Westbrook and Durant are at their peaks but I think they'll get better. If you put Dwight Howard on the 2012 team is changes things but their is too much depth and firepower at the power forward and center positions.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
All MIAC Teams
The MIAC released their All Conference teams yesterday. Looks like my picks were picking close to spot on. Looks like they added Tyler Grey from Gustavus and Will DeBerg from St. Thomas to the team to add a whopping 17 guys to the All Conference team.
The All Defensive team added Stu Neville from St. Olaf which was a surprise to me. The All Freshmen Team was led by Hamline's own Dior Ford and included Sterling Nielson from St. Olaf, Shane McSparron from Carleton, Evan Pederson from St. Mary's, and Conner Nord from St. Thomas.
Our own Levi Wenrich was named Honorable Mention All Conference as well.
MIAC All Conference Teams
The All Defensive team added Stu Neville from St. Olaf which was a surprise to me. The All Freshmen Team was led by Hamline's own Dior Ford and included Sterling Nielson from St. Olaf, Shane McSparron from Carleton, Evan Pederson from St. Mary's, and Conner Nord from St. Thomas.
Our own Levi Wenrich was named Honorable Mention All Conference as well.
MIAC All Conference Teams
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Season in Review
Well, here it comes. I was hoping to write this post a couple of weeks from now. Obviously, I'm not. It still stings a bit talking about it. That's the way it goes when you don't take care of business when you need to.
Going into the year, I thought we would be a playoff team with the ability to finish in the upper third of the conference. I figured we would be above .500 overall and finish anywhere from 11-9 to 13-7 in conference. I thought we had a veteran group that knew what we expected out of them on top of having a very talented incoming class. It was the first time that we've had a group of juniors and seniors that had been through the rigors of the MIAC play a bunch of times. It was the first time that we could say that since our staff has been at Hamline.
The season got off to a decent start as we beat Northwestern in a game that they dominated the tempo. We looked really good at points and then really bad. It was clearly a sign to come. The next four games were a disaster as we dug ourselves huge holes and couldn't quite dig ourselves out of them. There were flashes of being a really good team and then we would go off on our own little tangent that would cost us games. We were having too many ups and downs and not enough playing steady.
We got going again after our St. Thomas game. We looked like a whole new team. We were playing hard and really getting after it. It was refreshing to watch. It was a different team than what we had over the previous five games. We did make some changes with our lineup as well and I'm sure that made some difference.
Right after the Christmas break we headed out to San Diego for our "California Trip." It was a great trip for us as we got to see a bunch of California as well as bonding time for our kids. Looking back on it now, we should've played another game. Seven days is too long to be in a place while only playing one game. For many of us (players and coaches) it seemed like more of a vacation than a "business" trip. It clearly cost us when we played Chapman. They were we ready and we were back to playing bad basketball. It was a frustrating ending to an overall good trip.
Once we got back, we had a few practices and it seemed like every other game we decided to play hard. It was frustrating for everyone involved. We'd try some different things in practice to get them going and it would work for a few days and then we would got back to not competing and not playing hard. Just an up and down stretch for everyone involved.
Before the second half of the conference season started. Nelson and I sat down in the office and figured that 11 wins would get a team into the playoffs. It looked like a good number considering where everyone in the league stood at the moment. We went into that stretch with high expectations. We were battling the top three teams in the conference for a chance to move up in the rankings and potentially become a top seed for the conference playoffs. Something that hasn't been done here in a LONG time. We faltered in each one of these games. Even with those games, we were still looking pretty for the playoffs.
We split with a couple of teams that I thought we should've swept. We got swept by St. John's on a buzzer beater in Collegeville (Andy Burns hit another buzzer beater against Augsburg last night in the playoffs). It seemed like we had a bunch of games that were just out of our reach. Games were close and we weren't getting to where we needed to be. We understood that teams would try and slow the tempo down against us. We would have to win a game in the 50s and 60s. That's how playoff games are won. Grind out possessions and making big plays. We just didn't do that.
The last three games of the season we as important as they come for us. We had Bethel, St. Mary's, and Macalester. Bethel finally had a full arsenal of players back and royally (get it) kicked our tails. We looked like we didn't want to be there. They definitely have a talented group proven by their Clubber Lane performance against St. Olaf last night (beat them by 19). We didn't come to play and it showed. Next, we had St. Mary's down in Winona. We looked flat in the first few minutes and then we hit a barrage of 3's to take the lead. We looked flat again after that. We finally took control in the second half for a must win. Finally, we took on Macalester on their Senior Night. They came out ready to play and we looked like we took a three hour road trip to get there. We were down by as many as ten in the 2nd half. All of a sudden, everything clicked. We looked like the team we were expecting all year. Our guys had a ton of energy, we were getting steals. We played as hard as we had all year in those closing ten minutes. We pulled out another must win game.
After the game, as we were walking to the locker room we found out that both St. John's and Bethel won and we were out. Tough pill to swallow after a really solid performance. We told our guys and that was it. We ended with a "W."
Like with any season you are going to issues like injuries, disciplinary issues, guys not happy with playing time, and everything else in between. We certainly had all of those and then some. We didn't exactly handle adversity or success well this year. That's a sign of an average basketball team and that is what we finished at, just above average.
On a positive note, we finished 13-12 for our third straight winning season. Something that hasn't been done in 26 years at Hamline. We are still moving in the right direction in a minor hiccup this year. We lose three seniors that meant a lot to our program and have 12 guys returning to a team that I believe will have high expectations.
Hopefully, everyone in our program understands that we need to get better in every aspect of the game. We need to be better coaches. We need to bring in better players. We need our guys to be more committed to working on their strengths and weaknesses. We need our guys to make a commitment to the weight room and conditioning all spring and summer. It has to be an overall program improvement for us to make the jump we want to.
Going into the year, I thought we would be a playoff team with the ability to finish in the upper third of the conference. I figured we would be above .500 overall and finish anywhere from 11-9 to 13-7 in conference. I thought we had a veteran group that knew what we expected out of them on top of having a very talented incoming class. It was the first time that we've had a group of juniors and seniors that had been through the rigors of the MIAC play a bunch of times. It was the first time that we could say that since our staff has been at Hamline.
The season got off to a decent start as we beat Northwestern in a game that they dominated the tempo. We looked really good at points and then really bad. It was clearly a sign to come. The next four games were a disaster as we dug ourselves huge holes and couldn't quite dig ourselves out of them. There were flashes of being a really good team and then we would go off on our own little tangent that would cost us games. We were having too many ups and downs and not enough playing steady.
We got going again after our St. Thomas game. We looked like a whole new team. We were playing hard and really getting after it. It was refreshing to watch. It was a different team than what we had over the previous five games. We did make some changes with our lineup as well and I'm sure that made some difference.
Right after the Christmas break we headed out to San Diego for our "California Trip." It was a great trip for us as we got to see a bunch of California as well as bonding time for our kids. Looking back on it now, we should've played another game. Seven days is too long to be in a place while only playing one game. For many of us (players and coaches) it seemed like more of a vacation than a "business" trip. It clearly cost us when we played Chapman. They were we ready and we were back to playing bad basketball. It was a frustrating ending to an overall good trip.
Once we got back, we had a few practices and it seemed like every other game we decided to play hard. It was frustrating for everyone involved. We'd try some different things in practice to get them going and it would work for a few days and then we would got back to not competing and not playing hard. Just an up and down stretch for everyone involved.
Before the second half of the conference season started. Nelson and I sat down in the office and figured that 11 wins would get a team into the playoffs. It looked like a good number considering where everyone in the league stood at the moment. We went into that stretch with high expectations. We were battling the top three teams in the conference for a chance to move up in the rankings and potentially become a top seed for the conference playoffs. Something that hasn't been done here in a LONG time. We faltered in each one of these games. Even with those games, we were still looking pretty for the playoffs.
We split with a couple of teams that I thought we should've swept. We got swept by St. John's on a buzzer beater in Collegeville (Andy Burns hit another buzzer beater against Augsburg last night in the playoffs). It seemed like we had a bunch of games that were just out of our reach. Games were close and we weren't getting to where we needed to be. We understood that teams would try and slow the tempo down against us. We would have to win a game in the 50s and 60s. That's how playoff games are won. Grind out possessions and making big plays. We just didn't do that.
The last three games of the season we as important as they come for us. We had Bethel, St. Mary's, and Macalester. Bethel finally had a full arsenal of players back and royally (get it) kicked our tails. We looked like we didn't want to be there. They definitely have a talented group proven by their Clubber Lane performance against St. Olaf last night (beat them by 19). We didn't come to play and it showed. Next, we had St. Mary's down in Winona. We looked flat in the first few minutes and then we hit a barrage of 3's to take the lead. We looked flat again after that. We finally took control in the second half for a must win. Finally, we took on Macalester on their Senior Night. They came out ready to play and we looked like we took a three hour road trip to get there. We were down by as many as ten in the 2nd half. All of a sudden, everything clicked. We looked like the team we were expecting all year. Our guys had a ton of energy, we were getting steals. We played as hard as we had all year in those closing ten minutes. We pulled out another must win game.
After the game, as we were walking to the locker room we found out that both St. John's and Bethel won and we were out. Tough pill to swallow after a really solid performance. We told our guys and that was it. We ended with a "W."
Like with any season you are going to issues like injuries, disciplinary issues, guys not happy with playing time, and everything else in between. We certainly had all of those and then some. We didn't exactly handle adversity or success well this year. That's a sign of an average basketball team and that is what we finished at, just above average.
On a positive note, we finished 13-12 for our third straight winning season. Something that hasn't been done in 26 years at Hamline. We are still moving in the right direction in a minor hiccup this year. We lose three seniors that meant a lot to our program and have 12 guys returning to a team that I believe will have high expectations.
Hopefully, everyone in our program understands that we need to get better in every aspect of the game. We need to be better coaches. We need to bring in better players. We need our guys to be more committed to working on their strengths and weaknesses. We need our guys to make a commitment to the weight room and conditioning all spring and summer. It has to be an overall program improvement for us to make the jump we want to.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
My All Conference Picks
Before I do a season in review I'm going to give out my All Conference Picks. I'll do a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd team as well as Player and Freshmen of the Year along with my All-Defensive Team. The MIAC has an All-Conference Team consisting of 15 players as well as an Honorable Mention selection(s) that could be just as many.
1st All Coach Hop Team
Seth Anderson, Gustavus
Stu Neville, St. Olaf
Taylor Hall, Bethel
Pierce Peters, Macalester
Andy Grzesiak-Grimm, Augsburg
2nd All Coach Hop Team
Mike Campbell, Hamline
Aaron Barmore, St. John's
Tyler Schmidt, Augsburg
Bobby Fong, St. Olaf
John Nance, St. Thomas
3rd All Coach Hop Team
Caleb Rosenow, Carleton
Michael Burfiend, St. Mary's
Tommy Sawatzke, Carleton
Andy Burns, St. John's
Daniel Baah, Bethel
I'm sure I've missed someone and probably hurt their feelings, oh well.
Player of the Year: Seth Anderson, Gustavus
Frosh of the Year: Dior Ford, Hamline
All-Defensive Team
John Nance, St. Thomas
Brett Sorenson, Augsburg
Mike Campbell, Hamline
Andy Grzesiak-Grimm, Augsburg
Pierce Peters, Macalester
Paul Blacklock, Gustavus
I put six on there, sue me.
I might have my Piper tinted glasses on for a few of these picks but I don't see how they aren't accurate. By the way, I haven't seen any ballots or even know who is nominated for the these teams. This is strictly based off of my opinion and don't necessarily go with the views of the Men's Basketball Program at Hamline University (well not really) or Hamline University.
1st All Coach Hop Team
Seth Anderson, Gustavus
Stu Neville, St. Olaf
Taylor Hall, Bethel
Pierce Peters, Macalester
Andy Grzesiak-Grimm, Augsburg
2nd All Coach Hop Team
Mike Campbell, Hamline
Aaron Barmore, St. John's
Tyler Schmidt, Augsburg
Bobby Fong, St. Olaf
John Nance, St. Thomas
3rd All Coach Hop Team
Caleb Rosenow, Carleton
Michael Burfiend, St. Mary's
Tommy Sawatzke, Carleton
Andy Burns, St. John's
Daniel Baah, Bethel
I'm sure I've missed someone and probably hurt their feelings, oh well.
Player of the Year: Seth Anderson, Gustavus
Frosh of the Year: Dior Ford, Hamline
All-Defensive Team
John Nance, St. Thomas
Brett Sorenson, Augsburg
Mike Campbell, Hamline
Andy Grzesiak-Grimm, Augsburg
Pierce Peters, Macalester
Paul Blacklock, Gustavus
I put six on there, sue me.
I might have my Piper tinted glasses on for a few of these picks but I don't see how they aren't accurate. By the way, I haven't seen any ballots or even know who is nominated for the these teams. This is strictly based off of my opinion and don't necessarily go with the views of the Men's Basketball Program at Hamline University (well not really) or Hamline University.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Macalester 2/18/12
Yesterday afternoon we took on the Scots of Macalester for their Senior Day. They only one senior and honored our seniors as well, which was a really classy move. This was a game that we needed a victory to propel us into the playoffs. We also needed a Bethel or St Johns loss. Bethel played at first place Gustavus while SJU played at home vs Concordia. The schedule looked to be in our favor.
The game started about as bad as it could. We couldn't score and our pressure did nothing for us. We put a lot of our "second unit" in they got us going with, I believe, a 15-0 run. It seemed like we seized control of the game. Things don't always go the way they seem. MAC came back, making a bunch of jumpers and beating us to basically all loose balls, flat out beating us.
Watching that last 10 minutes of the first half was super disappointing. This was our last chance to get even get into the playoffs and we were just letting it get away from us without a fight. It's pretty frustrating at this point. As coaches we try to put our players in the best situation to succeed. We can preach effort but we can't teach it. The bench teaches that but our guys haven't responded to that as well. We were down eight at the half and it didn't look good.
We knew coming in that MAC always plays hard and they will compete until the final whistle. Their record doesn't indicate where they were at. I know it's tough to look at their record and think they bad but they can compete with anyone in the conference. That has been proven throughout the whole year.
We came out okay in the second half but still couldn't get into their lead as much as we would like. They were still getting some easy baskets as a result of our pressure and lack of defensive intensity. We were down by ten with a little more than ten minutes to play. We looked like we were on our last half of the season.
All of a sudden, something clicked. Our guys had an intensity level that I hadn't seen all year. We had a ton of energy and we getting easy baskets at an alarming rate. We finally took the lead but MAC hung right here with us. We started really attacking the offensive boards as getting to the free throw line. That's exactly what we needed to do but we weren't exactly on fire from the line and it kept them in the game. We got some much needed stops in the last couple of minutes and pulled away for the victory. I believe the final score was 65-58.
The last 13 or so minutes of the game was about as intense as we've ever had at Hamline. It was an impressive performance by our guys. We shot 37% from the floor for the game, 25% from treyland, and 67% from the charity stripe and still won on the road. It was a grind it out type game and we pulled away late. Exactly how it's supposed to be.
After the win, we found out that both Bethel and SJU won their respective games and our season was over. What a high to an extreme low. It was really tough to tell the guys that our season was over especially after a win.
To finish the year 13-12 and 11-9 in the conference and not get in the playoffs is heartbreaking. It's really tough but we put ourselves in that situation by not taking of business when we were supposed to. A harsh reality for sure but we can't all of a sudden make the playoffs. We have to move on and get ready to for next season.
I want to thank our seniors Matt Farb, Mike Campbell, Brandon Rieg, and Levi Wenrich for their contributions to our program over the past several years. They have changed the attitude and expectations for the program for many years to come. Brandon and Levi have been here my all four years and I really appreciate what they've done. Their careers didn't end the way we would've liked but we did end with a "W."
I will have a season in review over the next couple of days.
The game started about as bad as it could. We couldn't score and our pressure did nothing for us. We put a lot of our "second unit" in they got us going with, I believe, a 15-0 run. It seemed like we seized control of the game. Things don't always go the way they seem. MAC came back, making a bunch of jumpers and beating us to basically all loose balls, flat out beating us.
Watching that last 10 minutes of the first half was super disappointing. This was our last chance to get even get into the playoffs and we were just letting it get away from us without a fight. It's pretty frustrating at this point. As coaches we try to put our players in the best situation to succeed. We can preach effort but we can't teach it. The bench teaches that but our guys haven't responded to that as well. We were down eight at the half and it didn't look good.
We knew coming in that MAC always plays hard and they will compete until the final whistle. Their record doesn't indicate where they were at. I know it's tough to look at their record and think they bad but they can compete with anyone in the conference. That has been proven throughout the whole year.
We came out okay in the second half but still couldn't get into their lead as much as we would like. They were still getting some easy baskets as a result of our pressure and lack of defensive intensity. We were down by ten with a little more than ten minutes to play. We looked like we were on our last half of the season.
All of a sudden, something clicked. Our guys had an intensity level that I hadn't seen all year. We had a ton of energy and we getting easy baskets at an alarming rate. We finally took the lead but MAC hung right here with us. We started really attacking the offensive boards as getting to the free throw line. That's exactly what we needed to do but we weren't exactly on fire from the line and it kept them in the game. We got some much needed stops in the last couple of minutes and pulled away for the victory. I believe the final score was 65-58.
The last 13 or so minutes of the game was about as intense as we've ever had at Hamline. It was an impressive performance by our guys. We shot 37% from the floor for the game, 25% from treyland, and 67% from the charity stripe and still won on the road. It was a grind it out type game and we pulled away late. Exactly how it's supposed to be.
After the win, we found out that both Bethel and SJU won their respective games and our season was over. What a high to an extreme low. It was really tough to tell the guys that our season was over especially after a win.
To finish the year 13-12 and 11-9 in the conference and not get in the playoffs is heartbreaking. It's really tough but we put ourselves in that situation by not taking of business when we were supposed to. A harsh reality for sure but we can't all of a sudden make the playoffs. We have to move on and get ready to for next season.
I want to thank our seniors Matt Farb, Mike Campbell, Brandon Rieg, and Levi Wenrich for their contributions to our program over the past several years. They have changed the attitude and expectations for the program for many years to come. Brandon and Levi have been here my all four years and I really appreciate what they've done. Their careers didn't end the way we would've liked but we did end with a "W."
I will have a season in review over the next couple of days.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
St Marys 2/15/12
Tonight we traveled down to Winona to take on the Cardinals of St Mary's. We have always had a tough time in their gym for whatever reason. It's a two hour trip from St Paul and tend to get off the bus with no fire lit under our rearends.
The game was about as ragged as it could be to start. We looked flat and we really stagnant against their zone. We weren't getting to proper spots and we were forcing early threes which was exactly what we talked about not doing. All of a sudden we got some energy from our bench as we got a couple of and one's. Tw momentum was swinging our way and we looked to be in control. We hit a 3 with about 42 seconds left in the first half clock. We got a stop, took an early 3 and then gave a 3 at the buzzer. We were up 9 before the Cardinal 3. Halftime score, 30-24.
We got off to a great start in the 2nd half as we got a couple of layups in transition and we were rolling like Daunte Culpepper (you are welcome Vikings' fans). We got the lead to as many as 27 and we ended up winning 72-51.
It was a great win for us and a much needed one. We played with much better effort than we have over the past couple of games. We outrebounded them, had less turnovers, and shot a higher percentage from the floor. We'll take it.
From my understanding Bethel lost to St Thomas and St Johns beat Macalester. We will need to win on Saturday and one of those two teams will need to lose as well. Bethel is at Gustavus and St Johns is at home vs. Concordia. We have a chance and we better make the most of it.
The game was about as ragged as it could be to start. We looked flat and we really stagnant against their zone. We weren't getting to proper spots and we were forcing early threes which was exactly what we talked about not doing. All of a sudden we got some energy from our bench as we got a couple of and one's. Tw momentum was swinging our way and we looked to be in control. We hit a 3 with about 42 seconds left in the first half clock. We got a stop, took an early 3 and then gave a 3 at the buzzer. We were up 9 before the Cardinal 3. Halftime score, 30-24.
We got off to a great start in the 2nd half as we got a couple of layups in transition and we were rolling like Daunte Culpepper (you are welcome Vikings' fans). We got the lead to as many as 27 and we ended up winning 72-51.
It was a great win for us and a much needed one. We played with much better effort than we have over the past couple of games. We outrebounded them, had less turnovers, and shot a higher percentage from the floor. We'll take it.
From my understanding Bethel lost to St Thomas and St Johns beat Macalester. We will need to win on Saturday and one of those two teams will need to lose as well. Bethel is at Gustavus and St Johns is at home vs. Concordia. We have a chance and we better make the most of it.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Bethel 2/11/12
As my kindergarten teacher Mrs. Hough use to say, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Bethel kicked our tail, they deserve all the credit.
We now need either St Johns or Bethel to go at least 1-2 this week for us to get into the playoffs. SJU lost to Gustavus yesterday and Bethel beat St Marys. SJU has Macalester tomorrow and Concordia on Saturday. Bethel has St Thomas and Gustavus. So, as as Harry told Lloyd in 'Dumb and Dumber,' "So you're saying there's a chance." We have to win tomorrow and Saturday.
We now need either St Johns or Bethel to go at least 1-2 this week for us to get into the playoffs. SJU lost to Gustavus yesterday and Bethel beat St Marys. SJU has Macalester tomorrow and Concordia on Saturday. Bethel has St Thomas and Gustavus. So, as as Harry told Lloyd in 'Dumb and Dumber,' "So you're saying there's a chance." We have to win tomorrow and Saturday.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Carleton 2/8/12
Last night we took on the Carls from Carleton in a huge matchup. They came into the game riding a three game winning streak, while we were on a four game losing streak. We were hoping for both streaks to end. They had been riding high with the play of Scott Thiesen, who had been averaging close to 20 points per game during their streak. He's a tough player, on top of shooting the ball from 3 at a very high percentage over the past six or seven games. We had to keep him in check. It certainly doesn't help that their big man, Caleb Rosenow, kicked our tail when we played them in Northfield with about 25 points and 13 boards. Plus, it was a must win to keep our position for the playoffs.
The game started out decent for us as we were applying pretty good pressure in the first couple of minutes. Then, all of a sudden we forgot how to apply pressure. Our guard covering the ball was doing a decent job but everyone else was having conversations with their man on the other end. The Carls made us pay as Michael Grinnell got loose for 9 first half points and Shane McSparron had 11. Not exactly how best effort to start. We finally got things going with a couple of steals that led to easy baskets (ding, ding, ding). I thought we had a couple of opportunities to really push our lead but we could never extend it. Halftime score, 35-34 in favor of the PipeShow.
The second half was really tight and our lead never got over six points. Carleton made some plays and never backed down. Our guys definitely played with some urgency. We were patient for the most part on offense and knocked down some clock on a few possessions to get some easy scores. We did have a scare with about 5 minutes to go as Carleton got an easy basket to get them to two, followed by a steal and had a wide open 3 to give them the lead. It didn't go down, we got the board and scored on the next possession. That really deflated their sails. Final score, 68-62 in favor of us.
We definitely did some good things defensively again, forcing them into 21 turnovers. I think that is a lot considering the amount of possessions that have during the game. They tend to slow things down and really execute their offense. We outrebounded them by one and also held them to 1-12 shooting from 3. That is something we have to do again vs. Bethel tomorrow afternoon.
Like I said above, we play Bethel at 3pm on Saturday for our Senior Night. We will be honoring Brandon Rieg, Levi Wenrich, Mike Campbell, and student assistant Matt Farb. It should be a good day and hopefully will allow us to clinch a playoff spot with a win.
The game started out decent for us as we were applying pretty good pressure in the first couple of minutes. Then, all of a sudden we forgot how to apply pressure. Our guard covering the ball was doing a decent job but everyone else was having conversations with their man on the other end. The Carls made us pay as Michael Grinnell got loose for 9 first half points and Shane McSparron had 11. Not exactly how best effort to start. We finally got things going with a couple of steals that led to easy baskets (ding, ding, ding). I thought we had a couple of opportunities to really push our lead but we could never extend it. Halftime score, 35-34 in favor of the PipeShow.
The second half was really tight and our lead never got over six points. Carleton made some plays and never backed down. Our guys definitely played with some urgency. We were patient for the most part on offense and knocked down some clock on a few possessions to get some easy scores. We did have a scare with about 5 minutes to go as Carleton got an easy basket to get them to two, followed by a steal and had a wide open 3 to give them the lead. It didn't go down, we got the board and scored on the next possession. That really deflated their sails. Final score, 68-62 in favor of us.
We definitely did some good things defensively again, forcing them into 21 turnovers. I think that is a lot considering the amount of possessions that have during the game. They tend to slow things down and really execute their offense. We outrebounded them by one and also held them to 1-12 shooting from 3. That is something we have to do again vs. Bethel tomorrow afternoon.
Like I said above, we play Bethel at 3pm on Saturday for our Senior Night. We will be honoring Brandon Rieg, Levi Wenrich, Mike Campbell, and student assistant Matt Farb. It should be a good day and hopefully will allow us to clinch a playoff spot with a win.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
St Johns 2/4/12
This afternoon we took on the Johnnies from St Johns in another big matchup for us. They are coming off a season sweep of St Thomas. It's the first time that has happened in a long time. So, we catch them for a second time right after their big wins against their rivals.
We went with a different lineup today to try and get some spark. Levi, Tyler, Mike still started but we went with Victor and Jordan as both of them have provided us with a lot of energy over the past couple of games. With that said, we got off to a good start and kept that momentum going for most of the half. We still had a couple of lapses that cost us but overall our effort was were it needed to be to win the game. We were up 29-28 at the half. We forced them into 14 turnovers and tied in the rebounding battle. We only shot 38% from the floor and was 0-6 from 3. We were happy to be ahead.
We definitely came out with some energy in the second half with some easy layups in transition. SJU calls a timeout, hits a 3. We take a bad shot, they get a layup. We take another bad one, they hit a jumper. We turn it over, they hit a 3. We miss a layup, they score a layup. 10-0 run for the Johnnies. That part of the game was like watching a train wreck. We did battle back and actually took the lead for a short time. SJU answered and got their lead up to as many as six. We once again battled back and tied the ball game for the twelfth time with ten seconds to go.
They called a timeout and couldn't do anything with it and got a second chance after throwing the ball off of one of our guys. We elected not to a take timeout. They threw the ball into their senior leader, Andy Burns, and he shot faked and knocked a jumper at the buzzer. 69-67 in favor of the Johnnies.
Really tough loss for us. I thought we played better but still had a bunch of defensive lapses that SJU made us pay for. We got a lot of contributions for different people and I thought we played hard, something I couldn't say over the past couple of games.
We have Carleton on Wednesday and then Bethel on Saturday. Both teams are right behind us in the standings as we are hanging on (barely) to the final playoff spot
We went with a different lineup today to try and get some spark. Levi, Tyler, Mike still started but we went with Victor and Jordan as both of them have provided us with a lot of energy over the past couple of games. With that said, we got off to a good start and kept that momentum going for most of the half. We still had a couple of lapses that cost us but overall our effort was were it needed to be to win the game. We were up 29-28 at the half. We forced them into 14 turnovers and tied in the rebounding battle. We only shot 38% from the floor and was 0-6 from 3. We were happy to be ahead.
We definitely came out with some energy in the second half with some easy layups in transition. SJU calls a timeout, hits a 3. We take a bad shot, they get a layup. We take another bad one, they hit a jumper. We turn it over, they hit a 3. We miss a layup, they score a layup. 10-0 run for the Johnnies. That part of the game was like watching a train wreck. We did battle back and actually took the lead for a short time. SJU answered and got their lead up to as many as six. We once again battled back and tied the ball game for the twelfth time with ten seconds to go.
They called a timeout and couldn't do anything with it and got a second chance after throwing the ball off of one of our guys. We elected not to a take timeout. They threw the ball into their senior leader, Andy Burns, and he shot faked and knocked a jumper at the buzzer. 69-67 in favor of the Johnnies.
Really tough loss for us. I thought we played better but still had a bunch of defensive lapses that SJU made us pay for. We got a lot of contributions for different people and I thought we played hard, something I couldn't say over the past couple of games.
We have Carleton on Wednesday and then Bethel on Saturday. Both teams are right behind us in the standings as we are hanging on (barely) to the final playoff spot
Augsburg 2/1/12
On Wednesday night we took on the Auggies from Augsburg in a crucial MIAC matchup. Due to a scheduling snafu we played them for the second time in ten days. They are always a tough matchup because they run about 759 different sets. Much different than us.
We got off to a decent start but with the way we were playing it was obvious that we couldn't sustain the unorganized chaos that our guys decided to play like. We definitely want chaos but not with the unorganized defense, the one pass 3's, and the bull in a china shop drives on the first catch. Augsburg proceeded to go on a 16-0 run near the end of the first half that really put us in a hole.
Second half started much the same as everything we talked about at halftime went right out the window. We dug ourselves an even bigger whole and then once again battled back like we have many times this year. We didn't quite make it back and ended up losing 99-91.
I am convinced at this point of the season that our guys are afraid of success. We have played well for stretches in games as well as a series of games but never consistently. The guys do what we tell them to do for a while and then all of a sudden they revert back to the way they want to play. It's very disappointing to say the least.
We have 5 games left in the regular season. We could have more in the playoffs. It's a very tight race for the final couple of spots. We are making changes today to the lineup and hopefully that will light a fire under some guys' behinds. If it doesn't we will go with someone else.
We got off to a decent start but with the way we were playing it was obvious that we couldn't sustain the unorganized chaos that our guys decided to play like. We definitely want chaos but not with the unorganized defense, the one pass 3's, and the bull in a china shop drives on the first catch. Augsburg proceeded to go on a 16-0 run near the end of the first half that really put us in a hole.
Second half started much the same as everything we talked about at halftime went right out the window. We dug ourselves an even bigger whole and then once again battled back like we have many times this year. We didn't quite make it back and ended up losing 99-91.
I am convinced at this point of the season that our guys are afraid of success. We have played well for stretches in games as well as a series of games but never consistently. The guys do what we tell them to do for a while and then all of a sudden they revert back to the way they want to play. It's very disappointing to say the least.
We have 5 games left in the regular season. We could have more in the playoffs. It's a very tight race for the final couple of spots. We are making changes today to the lineup and hopefully that will light a fire under some guys' behinds. If it doesn't we will go with someone else.
Monday, January 30, 2012
St Olaf 1/30/12
Another embarrassing performance today. Not sure what else we need to do to get our guys going.
The sad thing about tonight is that we lost by less than double digits.
I want to commend Francis Bungue, Jordan Sayers, and Kohner Urias for their effort and performance tonight. They gave us a huge spark in the first half. We should've went back to them. A bad decision on our part.
The sad thing about tonight is that we lost by less than double digits.
I want to commend Francis Bungue, Jordan Sayers, and Kohner Urias for their effort and performance tonight. They gave us a huge spark in the first half. We should've went back to them. A bad decision on our part.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
St. Thomas 1/25/12
Last night we played against the Tommies at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
We flat out didn't compete enough to win. We lost our composure a few times and it hurt us. We had several chances to get to where we want to be and didn't convert, just like ACC teams have to deal with playing Duke at their place. You almost have to be perfect to win that game. We weren't.
It could be because we aren't ready to win that game. Hopefully, in three weeks we will be. We have to get better and play smarter. Whenever we made a mistake, the Dookies converted. That's a sign of a good team. We aren't quite there yet. We have to learn from our mistakes and get better.
Our guys have to have some type of learning curve to get better. How many times do us as coaches have to say "sprint the wing, get reversals, be athletic on the weak side, BOX OUT!" We preach it in practice, in games, and while watching film. Hopefully the light bulb will finally go on for our guys.
We have Saturday off from games. Nelson and myself will be heading back to NY for a reunion of the 28-3 team that I was on and he coached. We made the "Elite 8" that year. It should be a great time to get back and see all of former teammates aka my family.
We flat out didn't compete enough to win. We lost our composure a few times and it hurt us. We had several chances to get to where we want to be and didn't convert, just like ACC teams have to deal with playing Duke at their place. You almost have to be perfect to win that game. We weren't.
It could be because we aren't ready to win that game. Hopefully, in three weeks we will be. We have to get better and play smarter. Whenever we made a mistake, the Dookies converted. That's a sign of a good team. We aren't quite there yet. We have to learn from our mistakes and get better.
Our guys have to have some type of learning curve to get better. How many times do us as coaches have to say "sprint the wing, get reversals, be athletic on the weak side, BOX OUT!" We preach it in practice, in games, and while watching film. Hopefully the light bulb will finally go on for our guys.
We have Saturday off from games. Nelson and myself will be heading back to NY for a reunion of the 28-3 team that I was on and he coached. We made the "Elite 8" that year. It should be a great time to get back and see all of former teammates aka my family.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Augsburg 1/23/12
Two nights ago we took on the Auggies from Augsburg at Si Melby Hall on their campus. The rest of the league had a day off (we made a scheduling change) and a few coaches from St. Thomas, Bethel, and St. Olaf were there. There was also an appearance by former Augsburg great, Devean George. Going into the game, the Auggies were 8-2 in the conference and playing really well. They have two bigs that have given every team fits. On top of that, they have one of the streakiest scorers in the league in Tyler Schmidt, who might be the smallest (weight wise) double figure scorer in the country (I'm guessing).
The game started with a turnover by both teams and it was smooth sailing from there (just kidding). Both teams went back and forth, it was mostly our guards vs. their bigs. Grimm and Polta were grabbing offensive boards at a high rate. We were "boxing them out" but not getting them out of the paint. That's much better than we did at Gustavus. We really got into them pressure wise and forced a bunch of turnovers, getting our lead to as many as 13 in the first stanza. Augsburg battled back with some good guard play of their own led by Andy Seidlitz (10 points) as the halftime score read, 35-31 in favor of the Hammies.
We did a really good job defensively on a few of our assignments in the first half. Tyler Schmidt, their 2nd leading scorer, didn't take a shot in the first half. We were all over him. Which is exactly how we wanted it to be. The problem was Seidlitz had 10 and Grimm finished with 15 in the first. All on layups or free throws.
We really got going in the second half. We increased our pressure and really got the game to our liking. The tempo was fast and they were wearing down. We got the lead to as many as 15 on a couple of occasions but the Auggies didn't go away. The last four minutes was interesting. We were all of sudden on our heals. They started to get a little momentum, as Schmidt started to get hot. They got it to within three a few times and then Dior slammed the door with an emphatic dunk in transition. We ended up winning 83-77.
We had four guys in double figures throughout the night. We had a pretty balanced effort on all ends. I thought for the first 36 minutes of the game, we had an intensity level that he haven't had all end. In those type of situations, I would love to see our guys step on their throats (I know, I know, violence isn't the answer. Not literally, but figuratively). Augsburg is a good team and didn't quit but we need to finish them (I was going to put in a Mortal Kombat "finish him" but, it's a little to violent for some of the readership) off.
Congrats to Andy Grzesiak-Grimm on his 1,000 career points. I honestly had no idea why they stopped the game but I found out afterward that he got his 1,000 point.
We have St. Thomas tonight at their castle over off Cleveland and Grand. I've never watched games from their webcast but I've had issues before with it (that's probably why) but I'll post those a little later.
The game started with a turnover by both teams and it was smooth sailing from there (just kidding). Both teams went back and forth, it was mostly our guards vs. their bigs. Grimm and Polta were grabbing offensive boards at a high rate. We were "boxing them out" but not getting them out of the paint. That's much better than we did at Gustavus. We really got into them pressure wise and forced a bunch of turnovers, getting our lead to as many as 13 in the first stanza. Augsburg battled back with some good guard play of their own led by Andy Seidlitz (10 points) as the halftime score read, 35-31 in favor of the Hammies.
We did a really good job defensively on a few of our assignments in the first half. Tyler Schmidt, their 2nd leading scorer, didn't take a shot in the first half. We were all over him. Which is exactly how we wanted it to be. The problem was Seidlitz had 10 and Grimm finished with 15 in the first. All on layups or free throws.
We really got going in the second half. We increased our pressure and really got the game to our liking. The tempo was fast and they were wearing down. We got the lead to as many as 15 on a couple of occasions but the Auggies didn't go away. The last four minutes was interesting. We were all of sudden on our heals. They started to get a little momentum, as Schmidt started to get hot. They got it to within three a few times and then Dior slammed the door with an emphatic dunk in transition. We ended up winning 83-77.
We had four guys in double figures throughout the night. We had a pretty balanced effort on all ends. I thought for the first 36 minutes of the game, we had an intensity level that he haven't had all end. In those type of situations, I would love to see our guys step on their throats (I know, I know, violence isn't the answer. Not literally, but figuratively). Augsburg is a good team and didn't quit but we need to finish them (I was going to put in a Mortal Kombat "finish him" but, it's a little to violent for some of the readership) off.
Congrats to Andy Grzesiak-Grimm on his 1,000 career points. I honestly had no idea why they stopped the game but I found out afterward that he got his 1,000 point.
We have St. Thomas tonight at their castle over off Cleveland and Grand. I've never watched games from their webcast but I've had issues before with it (that's probably why) but I'll post those a little later.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Macalester 1/21/12
Yesterday afternoon we took on the Mackies aka the Scots from Macalester. Though, their record doesn't indicate it, they are a scary team. They one of the best, if not the best overall player in conference in Pierce Peters as well as a couple of guys that haven't put up the numbers they did last season. So, you never know what you will get. They beat a full strength Carleton team and were up 31-12 to Gustavus earlier last week. Their coach, Tim Whittle does a great job with their kids. They guys play hard and they execute their stuff making any game with them a dangerous one.
The game started off back and forth as both teams were locked together at 17. The pace was very fast and they were getting some easy shots. I wasn't exactly happy with our effort but I hoping we would be able to wear them down a little over the course of the game. We were getting really good looks, as in layups, and just not finishing them. In different situations, those type of misses are the difference in the game. We can't just expect to walk all over teams. Concentrate on the easy ones. We gradually pulled away in the first as the halftime score was 40-27. 21 of those 40 points were off turnovers. That's a great stat for us.
The second half started as the first half ended. We really stepped on the throttle and got them out of their rhythm. We extended the lead to as many as 39 points in the second half. We emtpied the bench and got a lot of guys minutes, which is always important, especially with two huge games on Monday and Wednesday. Final score, 91-56 in favor of the Pipeshow.
The guys really got out in transition and did some good things defensively. We still have to do a better job rebounding the ball. Not so much of getting to the ball, but get a body on guys (which we did a little) but getting guys out of the paint. We are giving up position too easily. We were outrebounded again, this time by seven. One most days, that isn't good enough but we forced them into 27 turnovers, which is right where we want to be. We will have to do a better job on the boards against Augsburg and St. Thomas.
The game started off back and forth as both teams were locked together at 17. The pace was very fast and they were getting some easy shots. I wasn't exactly happy with our effort but I hoping we would be able to wear them down a little over the course of the game. We were getting really good looks, as in layups, and just not finishing them. In different situations, those type of misses are the difference in the game. We can't just expect to walk all over teams. Concentrate on the easy ones. We gradually pulled away in the first as the halftime score was 40-27. 21 of those 40 points were off turnovers. That's a great stat for us.
The second half started as the first half ended. We really stepped on the throttle and got them out of their rhythm. We extended the lead to as many as 39 points in the second half. We emtpied the bench and got a lot of guys minutes, which is always important, especially with two huge games on Monday and Wednesday. Final score, 91-56 in favor of the Pipeshow.
The guys really got out in transition and did some good things defensively. We still have to do a better job rebounding the ball. Not so much of getting to the ball, but get a body on guys (which we did a little) but getting guys out of the paint. We are giving up position too easily. We were outrebounded again, this time by seven. One most days, that isn't good enough but we forced them into 27 turnovers, which is right where we want to be. We will have to do a better job on the boards against Augsburg and St. Thomas.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Gustavus 1/18/12
We are on our way back from St Peter after we took on the Gusties. I honestly think they are the best team in the conference. They have 7 seniors that play minutes for them. As we all know, experience wins a lot in the MIAC.
The game got off to an awful start for us. We looked flat from the tip. Then we got a spark ad leveled the score. We all of a sudden had some energy and looked fresh. We were putting the ball in the basket as just about every opportunity and getting stops here and there. The half didn't end how we would've liked with an and one off an offensive rebound. Halftime score 47-45 Gusties. Game was at our pace, so that was good.
The second half was awful. Flat out terrible we had no energy. They beat us to every loose ball and made us pay for every mistake we made, which seemed like a lot. We a few bursts of scoring but could never manage to get multiple stops to get us back in the game. Final score, 105-79 in favor of
the Gusties.
All the credit in the world goes to them. The conference's leading scorer Seth Anderson had 36 in an array of pump fakes, pull-ups, and free throws. We couldn't stop him at all, obviously. He scores going to his right 95% of
the time and we just let him go that way every time. He was impressive. Paul Blacklock had a great game as well. He had 11 points and 11 boards, 7 of which were offensive. I think they scored on every offensive board they had.
On Saturday we take on the Scots from Macalester at our place in a doubleheader.
I would imagine that this blog is a little short and blunt but they kicked our rear ends. We didn't deserve to win. They were better and played way harder than we did and that usually means a "W."
The game got off to an awful start for us. We looked flat from the tip. Then we got a spark ad leveled the score. We all of a sudden had some energy and looked fresh. We were putting the ball in the basket as just about every opportunity and getting stops here and there. The half didn't end how we would've liked with an and one off an offensive rebound. Halftime score 47-45 Gusties. Game was at our pace, so that was good.
The second half was awful. Flat out terrible we had no energy. They beat us to every loose ball and made us pay for every mistake we made, which seemed like a lot. We a few bursts of scoring but could never manage to get multiple stops to get us back in the game. Final score, 105-79 in favor of
the Gusties.
All the credit in the world goes to them. The conference's leading scorer Seth Anderson had 36 in an array of pump fakes, pull-ups, and free throws. We couldn't stop him at all, obviously. He scores going to his right 95% of
the time and we just let him go that way every time. He was impressive. Paul Blacklock had a great game as well. He had 11 points and 11 boards, 7 of which were offensive. I think they scored on every offensive board they had.
On Saturday we take on the Scots from Macalester at our place in a doubleheader.
I would imagine that this blog is a little short and blunt but they kicked our rear ends. We didn't deserve to win. They were better and played way harder than we did and that usually means a "W."
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
St. Mary's 1/16/12
Last night we took on the Saints/Marys/Cardinals from St. Mary's. They came into the game with a three point win vs. Bethel as well as having the conference's 2nd leading scorer in Jr. Michael Burfiend. He has scored over in half of SMU's (not the one in Texas) games. They are a dangerous team because when their shooters get hot they can beat anyone.
The game started off really well for us as we able to apply our pressure and get a couple of turnovers and layups real quickly. We started to get a little lazy thinking that we would get a "W" just based off of us having a Hamline on our jersey, but that's never the case. They got it within six at one point and we went on another mini-run that gave us a 42-26 halftime lead. Not exactly a stellar half for us as we once again didn't follow the scouting report on a few guys.
The second half started a little slow and then we got going while getting some easy penetration. After our "second" unit came in, Victor Easter had two straight layups in the halfcourt and put us up by 21. After that point, it was pretty much a back and forth matchup as the lead got to as many as 25 and it finished at 19 as we won 80-61.
Overall, I thought we played an ok game. We played really well in spurts but like how it's been lately, the opposing team had some spurts as well. We have to be able to shorten their spurts and try to get a bunch of little 6-0 or 10-3 runs in each half to separate ourselves. We were disappointing from beyond the arc as we shot 1-15 from downtown. We obviously have to get better than that if we want to get at the end of the season and that's an NCAA Tournament berth (notice I didn't say MIAC Championship, though that would be nice as well).
We were led by four players in double figures and really spread the wealth well last night. I am really looking forward to the challenge of playing at Gustavus tomorrow night. It should be a barnburner.
The game started off really well for us as we able to apply our pressure and get a couple of turnovers and layups real quickly. We started to get a little lazy thinking that we would get a "W" just based off of us having a Hamline on our jersey, but that's never the case. They got it within six at one point and we went on another mini-run that gave us a 42-26 halftime lead. Not exactly a stellar half for us as we once again didn't follow the scouting report on a few guys.
The second half started a little slow and then we got going while getting some easy penetration. After our "second" unit came in, Victor Easter had two straight layups in the halfcourt and put us up by 21. After that point, it was pretty much a back and forth matchup as the lead got to as many as 25 and it finished at 19 as we won 80-61.
Overall, I thought we played an ok game. We played really well in spurts but like how it's been lately, the opposing team had some spurts as well. We have to be able to shorten their spurts and try to get a bunch of little 6-0 or 10-3 runs in each half to separate ourselves. We were disappointing from beyond the arc as we shot 1-15 from downtown. We obviously have to get better than that if we want to get at the end of the season and that's an NCAA Tournament berth (notice I didn't say MIAC Championship, though that would be nice as well).
We were led by four players in double figures and really spread the wealth well last night. I am really looking forward to the challenge of playing at Gustavus tomorrow night. It should be a barnburner.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Bethel 1/14/12
This afternoon we took on the Navyies from Bethel aka the Royals. They had just lost to our next opponent St Mary's on Wednesday. Bethel has been hit by the injury bug a lot this year as many guys have missed numerous games. I don't think they have had the same starting lineup in multiple games this year. They are definitely dangerous though. They have a bunch of high volume scorers they can be tough to contain. A lot like St Olaf when healthy.
We got off to a decent start and it looked like the game would be tailor made to our tempo. Both teams weren't exactly playing stellar defense (surprise, surprise). We seemed to have the game in control but then we took a bunch of bad shots along with a couple of turnovers. Bethel ended taking a five point lead with about two minutes to go in the half. Then...all of a sudden we clicked. Guys were all over the place ad we ended up taking a five point lead into halftime.
The second half started much like how the first half ended. We took a 14 point lead and had the Navyies in their heels. As quickly as we attacked them, they came right back led by Taylor Hall. He was pretty dominant in the second half as we couldn't contain him. Bethel got as close as 4 late but we held on for the victory, barely.
I am honestly not sure if the final stats were right or not because they weren't close as halftime. I left as soon as the game was over to head to the airport to get to my grandfather's funeral services tomorrow and Monday.
My flight gets back around 630pm on Monday so I'll arrive just before the game. I know some people have noticed but this is what I have been doing to honor my grandfather over the past couple if games.
We got off to a decent start and it looked like the game would be tailor made to our tempo. Both teams weren't exactly playing stellar defense (surprise, surprise). We seemed to have the game in control but then we took a bunch of bad shots along with a couple of turnovers. Bethel ended taking a five point lead with about two minutes to go in the half. Then...all of a sudden we clicked. Guys were all over the place ad we ended up taking a five point lead into halftime.
The second half started much like how the first half ended. We took a 14 point lead and had the Navyies in their heels. As quickly as we attacked them, they came right back led by Taylor Hall. He was pretty dominant in the second half as we couldn't contain him. Bethel got as close as 4 late but we held on for the victory, barely.
I am honestly not sure if the final stats were right or not because they weren't close as halftime. I left as soon as the game was over to head to the airport to get to my grandfather's funeral services tomorrow and Monday.
My flight gets back around 630pm on Monday so I'll arrive just before the game. I know some people have noticed but this is what I have been doing to honor my grandfather over the past couple if games.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Concordia 1/11/12
Last night we took on the Cobbers from Concordia in an unusual mid-week doubleheader with the women. We got going after the Lady Cobbers took down the Lady Pipers. The Cobbers only traveled with ten guys and three coaches which is much less than they have at home (especially the coaches). Aaron Lindhal also traveled with them. He went down with a knee injury against us when we played up there and had surgery last Thursday. I hope him the best in his recovery.
The game didn't exactly start how we wanted to as the Fighting Cordies (we'll go with nicknames similar to other schools) got off to a 7-0 start. They got a few layups in transition and looked to be on their game. Ebo Nana-Kweson got off to great start and we had no answer for him. We went on a 10-0 run ourselves to take the lead. There was a TON of action in the first half as neither team decided to play much defense. Every time I thought we would extend our lead a little, they had an answer. Ebo and Dewon McKenzie combined for 30 points in the first half as we were tied 47-47 in a big time defensive struggle.
The second half got off to a great start for the Hammies (that's us) as we went on an 8-0 run and got the lead to as many as 14 with about 13 minutes to go. I thought we had them on the ropes but to their credit, they battled and made big shot after big shot. After the mid way point of the second half, it seemed like who ever would get a stop would get the win. We seemed to be in control but we were always on edge as the Cordies made a punch of tough shots.
Last in the game, we seemed to be in a little bit of a panic mode. It was almost as if we were playing like we were behind. Instead, we were up six and taking shots early in the shot clock. A little frustrating to say the least. On our last possession, we were in a little bit of a scramble mode and Dior ended up hitting a 3 to basically clinch the game as we were up 3 at that point. It definitely gave us a sigh of relief on the bench.
Final score: Hammies 89 - Cordies 83. We held them to 55% shooting from the floor (that's sarcasm). They outrebounded us by five. We ended up with five less turnovers and made five more free throws. We ended up with five guys in double figures and two more with 8. We'll take the win.
One another note, we had our own knee injury last night as Christian Taber went down. He was playing really well and was giving us a great spark off the bench. Prognosis on the knee = not good.
We take on Bethel on Saturday at their place. I believe they have live video and stats and I'll have a link on Friday or Saturday.
The game didn't exactly start how we wanted to as the Fighting Cordies (we'll go with nicknames similar to other schools) got off to a 7-0 start. They got a few layups in transition and looked to be on their game. Ebo Nana-Kweson got off to great start and we had no answer for him. We went on a 10-0 run ourselves to take the lead. There was a TON of action in the first half as neither team decided to play much defense. Every time I thought we would extend our lead a little, they had an answer. Ebo and Dewon McKenzie combined for 30 points in the first half as we were tied 47-47 in a big time defensive struggle.
The second half got off to a great start for the Hammies (that's us) as we went on an 8-0 run and got the lead to as many as 14 with about 13 minutes to go. I thought we had them on the ropes but to their credit, they battled and made big shot after big shot. After the mid way point of the second half, it seemed like who ever would get a stop would get the win. We seemed to be in control but we were always on edge as the Cordies made a punch of tough shots.
Last in the game, we seemed to be in a little bit of a panic mode. It was almost as if we were playing like we were behind. Instead, we were up six and taking shots early in the shot clock. A little frustrating to say the least. On our last possession, we were in a little bit of a scramble mode and Dior ended up hitting a 3 to basically clinch the game as we were up 3 at that point. It definitely gave us a sigh of relief on the bench.
Final score: Hammies 89 - Cordies 83. We held them to 55% shooting from the floor (that's sarcasm). They outrebounded us by five. We ended up with five less turnovers and made five more free throws. We ended up with five guys in double figures and two more with 8. We'll take the win.
One another note, we had our own knee injury last night as Christian Taber went down. He was playing really well and was giving us a great spark off the bench. Prognosis on the knee = not good.
We take on Bethel on Saturday at their place. I believe they have live video and stats and I'll have a link on Friday or Saturday.
Monday, January 9, 2012
St. John's 1/7/12
On Saturday afternoon we took on the Johnnies at Hutton Arena before a pro-St. John's crowd. They had been one of, if not the hottest team in the conference going into the game. They beat St. Thomas up in Collegeville last week and it clearly gave them some big time momentum going into the second half of the MIAC schedule.
I won't go into the game much besides the fact of being extremely disappointed in our effort throughout the first half. The beginning of the second half was much better then we hit a dry spell and couldn't really get back into the game. Missed a bunch of assignments that cost us dearly. We have to be able to carry over the things we preach in practice to games. We didn't do that and it cost us the game.
So far, we've been as up and down as you can. We just don't know what we are going to get from our guys on a daily basis. Problem is, we will have to fix these issues on the fly because there isn't much time to get the ship righted (I don't even know if that's a word) with the brunt of our MIAC schedule coming up.
It was a pretty crappy Saturday for me personally as we lost, the Lions lost, and I lost my grandfather (obviously, this is much more important and the other two aren't even close). I will be honoring him throughout the rest of the season with something that you will have to see for yourself whether it be in person or on the webcast.
I won't go into the game much besides the fact of being extremely disappointed in our effort throughout the first half. The beginning of the second half was much better then we hit a dry spell and couldn't really get back into the game. Missed a bunch of assignments that cost us dearly. We have to be able to carry over the things we preach in practice to games. We didn't do that and it cost us the game.
So far, we've been as up and down as you can. We just don't know what we are going to get from our guys on a daily basis. Problem is, we will have to fix these issues on the fly because there isn't much time to get the ship righted (I don't even know if that's a word) with the brunt of our MIAC schedule coming up.
It was a pretty crappy Saturday for me personally as we lost, the Lions lost, and I lost my grandfather (obviously, this is much more important and the other two aren't even close). I will be honoring him throughout the rest of the season with something that you will have to see for yourself whether it be in person or on the webcast.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
vs. Carleton 1/4/12
Last night we took on the Carleton Knights (I'll live with that nickname) in their West Gym. The West Gym has been a house of horrors for us over the years. We have never really shot the ball there and didn't help that Carleton has had some really good players coming through those doors in Jeremy Sutherland and Seth Jonker. Definitely excited not to see those guys anymore. They still have some very good players and are very dangerous. Going into last night's game they hadn't shot the ball well and that was definitely scary.
One of the first couple of possessions into the game one of the better players, Taylor Hanson, went down in what seemed like a serious knee injury. You never want to see someone go down with an injury especially one that is a great kid, like Taylor is. From my perspective, which can be a little fuzzy, it looked like he just landed on it wrong and it was a "non-contact" injury. I hope he is doing ok.
We didn't exactly light the world on fire from the get-go but as the half progressed we started to create some turnovers and get some easy baskets, which always gets us going. Victor Easter led the charge with a bunch of steals and I think he even had a career high in points in the first half all off of Carleton's turnovers. We had another little burst with our starters back that got our lead into double digits and then we dropped the hammer. Sam Gullickson, who hadn't shot the ball well all year (1-18 from 3) hit four straight 3's and we never really looked back. We were up 51-36 at the half while shooting 68% from the floor and 8-13 from 3. First time since the Crookston exhibition game that we've shot lights out.
The second half was more of a back and forth game as we extended the lead to as many as 23 and I don't think they got closer than 15. The guys played with a lot of energy and it looked like the Knights wore down quite a bit as their legs weren't exactly into their shots. It's not easy to play over 35 minutes in a game with the way that we pressured last night. We ended up defeating the Knights 92-72.
As for the end of the game. We told our players not to shoot as the shot clock and game clock had a 0.7 differential and there is no need to shoot when we were up as many as we were. Well, we shot and it went in. Not exactly the way we wanted to finish the game. We told them not to shoot and our one guy didn't listen. It happened and we apologized to the Carleton coaches afterward.
I want to thank our women's hockey coach, Steve Debus, for coming to the game last night. He came with his kids and even one of his kids really liked it. Although, Coach Debus said, "He'll never play basketball."
One of the first couple of possessions into the game one of the better players, Taylor Hanson, went down in what seemed like a serious knee injury. You never want to see someone go down with an injury especially one that is a great kid, like Taylor is. From my perspective, which can be a little fuzzy, it looked like he just landed on it wrong and it was a "non-contact" injury. I hope he is doing ok.
We didn't exactly light the world on fire from the get-go but as the half progressed we started to create some turnovers and get some easy baskets, which always gets us going. Victor Easter led the charge with a bunch of steals and I think he even had a career high in points in the first half all off of Carleton's turnovers. We had another little burst with our starters back that got our lead into double digits and then we dropped the hammer. Sam Gullickson, who hadn't shot the ball well all year (1-18 from 3) hit four straight 3's and we never really looked back. We were up 51-36 at the half while shooting 68% from the floor and 8-13 from 3. First time since the Crookston exhibition game that we've shot lights out.
The second half was more of a back and forth game as we extended the lead to as many as 23 and I don't think they got closer than 15. The guys played with a lot of energy and it looked like the Knights wore down quite a bit as their legs weren't exactly into their shots. It's not easy to play over 35 minutes in a game with the way that we pressured last night. We ended up defeating the Knights 92-72.
As for the end of the game. We told our players not to shoot as the shot clock and game clock had a 0.7 differential and there is no need to shoot when we were up as many as we were. Well, we shot and it went in. Not exactly the way we wanted to finish the game. We told them not to shoot and our one guy didn't listen. It happened and we apologized to the Carleton coaches afterward.
I want to thank our women's hockey coach, Steve Debus, for coming to the game last night. He came with his kids and even one of his kids really liked it. Although, Coach Debus said, "He'll never play basketball."
Monday, January 2, 2012
California Trip - Day 6 - Gameday vs. Chapman
We headed over to Chapman a little early for our 1pm Pacific time start and the Chapman women's team was just finishing their shoot-around. This is game is the main reason for us to come out to California, as it is a last homecoming for our senior California natives Levi Wenrich and Brandon Rieg. It could also be the last time we get out there for Noah Aguirre's career. All three players had numerous friends and family there. Making it a pseudo home game for us like it was during the Cal Lutheran Tournament a few years back.
The game was back and forth right from the get go. We weren't exactly lighting the world on fire but we made a couple of tough shots. Then it went downhill from there. We started pressing for whatever reason, we looked shell-shocked and didn't come close to playing to our capabilities. We didn't bring the energy that we have had previously and Chapman clearly took advantage of it. They led by as many as 18 in the first and we battled back a little and got it within ten at the half.
The second half started as we missed two layups and pretty good look from a pull-up jumper. Not exactly the way we wanted to start. Chapman's lead built up pretty steadily throughout the half and I believe got up to as many as 20. The last five or six minutes of the game, our guys started to play a little harder, starting making shots, and then also getting stops. We got it within eight with a couple of minutes to play and then missed a layup on the next possession to get it within six. They scored and that was all she wrote.
We ended up losing 79-65. Their four's and five's shot a combined 20-25 from the floor, as we were extremely lazy in defending the post. I really want to say that a few of our guys played really well but I didn't think that was the case. It was a tough loss in my opinion.
People can use many different excuses for us not winning that game but I'm not having any of it. We hadn't practiced in almost two weeks. It was our first game back from the break and Chapman's second. Winning the game isn't the main reason we came out to California. We changed our lineup to get our California guys in the starting lineup. That's what I heard from people regarding our play. In reality, we didn't come to play and they did. Hopefully, it's a learning lesson to our guys that they will have to work harder over the break to stay in reasonable shape in order to come right back and play a quality team.
We do play another quality team on Wednesday at Carleton. The Knights take on Macalester tonight in their first game back from break. Game time is 7:30pm Central Time. I believe they have a live video feed and I'll post that in the near future.
Happy New Year to all and I hope the new year brings an even better year than 2011.
The game was back and forth right from the get go. We weren't exactly lighting the world on fire but we made a couple of tough shots. Then it went downhill from there. We started pressing for whatever reason, we looked shell-shocked and didn't come close to playing to our capabilities. We didn't bring the energy that we have had previously and Chapman clearly took advantage of it. They led by as many as 18 in the first and we battled back a little and got it within ten at the half.
The second half started as we missed two layups and pretty good look from a pull-up jumper. Not exactly the way we wanted to start. Chapman's lead built up pretty steadily throughout the half and I believe got up to as many as 20. The last five or six minutes of the game, our guys started to play a little harder, starting making shots, and then also getting stops. We got it within eight with a couple of minutes to play and then missed a layup on the next possession to get it within six. They scored and that was all she wrote.
We ended up losing 79-65. Their four's and five's shot a combined 20-25 from the floor, as we were extremely lazy in defending the post. I really want to say that a few of our guys played really well but I didn't think that was the case. It was a tough loss in my opinion.
People can use many different excuses for us not winning that game but I'm not having any of it. We hadn't practiced in almost two weeks. It was our first game back from the break and Chapman's second. Winning the game isn't the main reason we came out to California. We changed our lineup to get our California guys in the starting lineup. That's what I heard from people regarding our play. In reality, we didn't come to play and they did. Hopefully, it's a learning lesson to our guys that they will have to work harder over the break to stay in reasonable shape in order to come right back and play a quality team.
We do play another quality team on Wednesday at Carleton. The Knights take on Macalester tonight in their first game back from break. Game time is 7:30pm Central Time. I believe they have a live video feed and I'll post that in the near future.
Happy New Year to all and I hope the new year brings an even better year than 2011.
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