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.
Monday, January 30, 2012
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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