Looking For The Go-To Player

Usually the first scrimmage game is ugly and our initial attempt at playing was not an exception to that rule at all. With only seven players returning and eight freshmen, we are experiencing some concept issues such as playing together. It is always challenging to mold players into a team but now with our youth and inexperience, it is double the challenge.

We have high school players coming in not knowing exactly what their role is, trying to discover what they can and can't do at the collegiate level. Beyond that we lost our top four scorers to graduation so our underclass players are trying to figure out who is going to step up and become the go-to player. At this point, the coaches don't have any answers. We have to wait and see who has the guts, the heart, the talent and the I.Q. to get it done.

This is probably the first time in several years I don't know who our go-to player is. I've got some ideas on who it could be but I'm waiting for that player to show me who she is. A player has to want to score and has to believe in herself. Confidence cannot come from the outside; it has to come from the inside. It might take a few games for somebody to step up. I can remember a few years ago when it took Lindsey Kentner a few games into the season to decide she could score. Heck, it took her two years to decide that when we knew it the first day she walked into the gym. When she finally decided that she was it, she became MVP of the conference.

Do we have another Lindsey Kentner lurking in our midst? I know nobody else will be exactly like her, and we will never have another Jihan Williams, Courtney Thomas, Lisa Lee, or Rachel Pike either. We could have another great player. In fact I'm certain we have several on the court right now. They just don't own that awareness yet.

I am hoping as we push them somebody will emerge as a great player or maybe several players will begin to get that feeling of accomplishment, of the inner knowing they are amazing. I am patiently waiting for greatness to emerge but I hope with my not so gentle prodding, it will be soon.

We have much to learn as a group. On the sideline as a coaching group, we couldn't even tell the team how to adjust in the scrimmage. The problem is with our youth they don't know that they don't know. So if we tell them the other team is running something which we as coaches know how to defend, but our players have no idea of what it really is we can't make adjustments. All we can do is to continue to coach, to continue to teach, to tell them little by little what they need to do. I know we will get there eventually and I truly believe in our talent but it may take a little time.

In the meantime as we are waiting for the go-to player to evolve and for others to find their strengths, we will just have to keep teaching, to continue to push and to keep believing.

PLAY HARD. PLAY TOGETHER.