A Special Team

After our seventh practice in four days, I cannot predict the success of this team, but I can predict they will always give 100%. I am fascinated by the way they constantly put their bodies in jeopardy, diving into the chairs, the scorer's table and each other, wanting the ball so badly they will sacrifice their bodies just to grab it. They don't have to be coerced to take charges; they love taking them. It is an honor to be on the floor and to get their jersey dirty. What is amazing is it is not just one or two players doing this; it is the team.

I'm surprised by their capacity to train hard and then come back three hours later to train hard again. This is a group of players who possess a passion, a love for hustle, a determination that oozes out of their pores. They may not do the drills right or execute the technique the way I want it, but I find it so hard to get mad at them when they are doing it with every ounce of energy they possess.

This team doesn't take the criticism or discipline personally. They recognize it for what it is--the coaches' determination to make them the best they can be. If they are a second late and the team runs, they don't look at each other cross-eyed and curse; they encourage one another to get it done.

The first time we introduce a drill, I can barely stand watching it. We appear so disheveled, so out of sorts, all kind of body parts where they shouldn't be, and yet a day later when we do it again, they seem to have miraculously discovered the formula for running the drill correctly. I'm not certain how they achieve this overnight and want to ask them, but I'm afraid I'll mess up whatever they are doing.

After only six weeks of working with this group of players, I think they are special. I'm not talking necessarily about talent but about their emotional maturity, their willingness to be coached and their never-say-die attitude. They possess something which makes me want to be a better coach, which drives me to work harder to make them better. I think this is the greatest compliment a group of players can have--that they make their coaches want to be better.

PLAY HARD. PLAY TOGETHER.

Surviving The First Real Practice

The first day of official practices is coming closer and with this comes a different coaching staff. For the first six weeks, we are patient in teaching, slowing down our instruction, repeating ourselves often, showing compassion for those who struggle in the learning process. We want the best environment for learning where the players can feel comfortable.

All of that changes as soon as we step on the court for our first real training session. For the freshmen, it is as if the coaches have changed personality, as if some alien has taken over our bodies. It is written in their faces, the way their eyes widen the first time they are yelled at and in the way their cheeks fall and their mouths stay frozen in astonishment.

I would love to be a fly on the wall listening to their rendition of their first practice experience. I'm certain they are all thinking I spent the entire practice yelling at them. At least they have upper class players to tell them all will be well. The juniors and sophomores are living proof of survival, of making it through the intensity, the demands, and the insanity of having to pay attention to every small detail.

A freshman might wonder why it is essential to do something exactly as the coaches preach but an upper class player gets it. She knows why there is such a push to make the little things perfect. She understands how one small detail like jumping to the ball on defense creates so many defensive stops. She gets how that one little detail stops a cutter to the basket, allows her to help and recover on a penetration, gets her through the screen on a back screen, and helps her hedge on a down screen.

The biggest thing the freshmen have to adjust to is not the running in practice but the mental drain of having to listen and to do all the little things. Before coming to the University of Charleston, the idea of having to talk on offense was unimaginable. Now they have call to call out everything they do: call out the person's name they are passing to, call out their screens, call out their pops and dives, call out the cut off a screen. Every freshmen usually only knows one cut off a screen and I allow them to yell "curl" for about a week before I take that away from them, and the moment I ask them to use a different read like straight, slip, fade, dive, their world falls apart.

It is the thinking that does them in. Most of them arrive believing they know basketball but as soon as we start teaching, they think they missed Basketball 101 and skipped to the advanced class. It probably doesn't help that I have rules for everything. What are the rules to be a great offensive rebounder? Number one--go for the rebound on every shot. Number two--think rebounding angles. Number three--get around a box out. What are the rules for a cutter? Number one--set your player up. Number two--wait for the screen. Number three--go off shoulder to shoulder. Number four--read your defender. Number five--call your cut. There are others. Many others. Past players could probably recite all of them. They are scripted in their brains and 20 years from now they would be able to write them down verbatim.

But for the freshmen, all of this sounds something like we are speaking in tongues. The language is new and seems weird on their lips. The court looks the same but all the rules have changed. I know it is a tough experience and their egos suffer from the constant reminder they are failing in some area, but they will get tougher and learn and eventually be thankful for the knowledge gained.

PLAY HARD. PLAY TOGETHER.

An Easy Week For The Weary

My parents taught me to work--that you couldn't get anywhere in life without working harder than the next person. We were a family who thought a weekend off meant going to the farm, cutting hay, fixing fence, and burning brush. Relaxation was kin to sin and so I never really learned how to simply sit and enjoy the moment as a youngster. I knew if I wanted to be successful I had to work while my opponent was resting.

I gave some personal background to assist you in understanding how challenging it is for me to provide the team with an active rest week. This is a week where we continue to train but we change the methods of our training. Instead of running timed sprint sets, we play games like Ultimate Frisbee, Gator Ball (an adapted form of soccer where you can use your hands), Hungarian Dodge Ball, Czechoslovakian Dodge Ball, and Russian Tag.

All of the games are running games involving strategies to win where I can legally watch under NCAA rules how players perform under pressure scenarios. We can determine if they grasp such concepts as ball pressure, spacing, screening, cutting and passing. We can also quickly analyze whether or not they are smart, how quickly they grasp tactics, and how competitive they are.

One of the things I love to do is to make horrible officiating calls to watch for negative reactions. I simply make up rules to the games as we go along, trying to bait a player to get angry. Whenever I am successful, I stop the game and the team runs sprints. This is meant to assist them with the idea we cannot control the officials and to focus instead on their reactions which are controllable. We believe yelling at the officials or showing anger or disbelief at a call not only angers the officials but it gives power to the opponents. Opponents can gain momentum when they feel the disruption in our belief system. We allow ourselves to be victims when we give our power away to the officials.

Active rest week is also meant to provide a mental break, to allow the players to recover from the intense work we've been doing, and to add the feeling of fun back into training. While it is true I enjoy watching them battle through timed sprint sets, I'm not so certain they feel the enjoyment as much as I do. I do know this, though, they love it when the sprints are over and feel as if they have achieved something remarkable, which they have.

This team is special and I know I say that every year, and it is because I believe it every year, but this team--there is something amazing about them. I think it is their energy; it is like they are bound together in a team energy which flows in and out of each one of them gaining power with every practice. I like the feel of being around them.

Last week was a good recovery week and now we are back to getting tougher and becoming stronger.

PLAY HARD. PLAY TOGETHER.

Journaling--The Way to Self-Awareness

Each week we spend a few minutes on a self-awareness question with the intent of helping our players know more about who they are. We believe you cannot change who you are if you are not first aware of your characteristics. Last week we asked them a three part series of questions.
1. Define mental toughness.
2. List the three players who you believe possess the best mental toughness on the team.
3. Rate your mental toughness on a scale from 1-5 with 1 being the lowest and five being the
highest and then explain why you gave yourself that ranking.

The definitions were right on target:
"Accepting Criticism and learning from it."
"Limiting negative reactions and thinking in a positive way."
"The ability to keep working hard even when things are not going your way."
"Digging deeper when you think you can't push any more."
"Staying strong in the mind no matter what obstacles you face."

Even though I loved their definitions and found them for the most part to be right on target, what I loved even more was their honesty in their self-ratings. We went around the room with each player explaining her rating. In settings like this, some players would be intimidated, not wanting to share their high rankings for fear of being considered conceited or on the opposite end of the spectrum, sharing a low ranking which might show incompetence.

These players, however, spoke without fear of judgment which proved to the coaching staff two important points--the team has already evolved to the place of unconditional acceptance and our players are willing to be vulnerable in front of one another. Many great things can be accomplished with a group of people who can accept each other for who they are but at the same time be willing to push each other to expand to a different level.

This is a team with a high level of mental toughness. It is evident in their timed sprints, when I am demanding they run faster, and instead of faltering, of feeling they cannot possibly do what I demand, they encourage one each other to get it done.

One of the best moments on the court came last week when we were running 1-80-1's which are a series of sprints building up to eight and going back down. This was after our 15 minutes of defensive slides. I was at the point where I was ready to provide them with an incentive for meeting the times when I offered to reduce the sprints sets if everybody made it. When a couple of people failed, I heard a player yell, "You have to keep running hard even if we didn't make it. It is not about the sprint sets; it is about getting better. Keep running hard."

Because she yelled that, I offered another incentive. This time they all made it.

PLAY HARD. PLAY TOGETHER.

The Eagles at Work Giving Back

I like the idea of community service, of giving back to people, of the gift of assisting others, and of the knowledge goodness exists in the world when you take a moment to look. We ask our players every year to donate some of their time to those around them. It is also keeping with the mission of the University of Charleston which is to prepare each student for a life time of productive work, enlightened living and community service.

The past weekend our players split up into two groups to assist with the American Heart Walk and the Capitol City Challenge. At the heart walk, Chrissy, Tianni, Lauren, LeAnne, Nichole, and Frenchy performed two ball dribbling and passing drills up on stage as entertainment and as part of the official warm-up. At the end of their exhibition, they walked around and gave their basketballs to some of the children in the audience. They also tried their skills at Zumba with Chrissy showing off her extraordinary dance steps.

By the way, if you wish to catch more of the Eagles dancing Zumba, you can catch it on the University of Charleston women's basketball facebook page.

The other group of players assisted with the Capitol City Challenge pulling kayaks out of the Kanawha River and loading them onto trucks. Apparently this group of players met some Golden Eagle fans who told them and I quote, "Your coach is really intense." Quite frankly, the freshmen have no idea what intense means yet.

This is only part of the good we hope to give back to the Charleston community this year. It is my wish that our players learn to give as part of the cycle of life, because I believe good comes to those who give goodness out.

PLAY HARD. PLAY TOGETHER.

Rebuilding or Moving Forward?

There are going to be many conference coaches and fans who will think this is a rebuilding year. After all, we graduated six seniors who together in their career totaled 4,891 points, 2,544 rebounds, 1,318 assists, 238 blocks and 591 steals. Last year they represented 77% of the points scored, 60% of the rebounds grabbed and 64% of the passes which resulted in baskets. On paper it appears to be a daunting task to fill their shoes.

But paper does not have passion, heart nor hustle. It is a flimsy piece of dissected wood, unfeeling, an inanimate object which statisticians make important. I'm looking at a group of people who are flesh and blood, who in my earliest impressions make me thrilled I am their coach.

What is it that thrills me? Walking into an individual practice and seeing players already on the floor working on their ball handling, not waiting for us to enter, just getting it done on their own. Seeing players on the court as I walk up the stairs to my office working on changing their footwork for shooting. Witnessing incredible improvement from one practice to the next. Hearing Frenchy apologize to the team for not running hard enough in the sprints when last season she would have thrown me the evil eye and an attitude. Watching as Chrissy steps up in a leadership role, becoming louder and more importantly showing some emotion.

The freshmen are young. It is true. There is no way to take their inexperience out of them but with this group, I really don't think it matters. I am certain they will make up for their lack of experience with passion. When we are coaching, they hang onto every word as if the word itself will make them better. They listen and then they apply what we tell them. It is a wonderful process to observe.

Sometimes with a group of people you can simply feel their power. Their energy transcends the building and grows into a feeling so amazing it pours out of them and through the gym doors. I'm not certain where the year will take us and what our record will look like at the end, but I do know this--it is going to be a very special year.

PLAY HARD. PLAY TOGETHER.

What A Year Can Do

I am always amazed at the growth of a player in a single year. I am reminded of this as we bring in ten, yes count them all, ten freshmen. When the rookies arrive, their faces are so pure, the innocence of living under their parents' protection still keeping their eyes and chins soft. They come with a lack of awareness and understanding of what it takes to be a Golden Eagle, thinking they had trained hard in high school and believing they know all about the sport of basketball.

In a few short weeks, they will change. Their bodies will begin to harden, the cut in their biceps and triceps will sharpen, their calves will form a split in the back of their legs, and their abs will crack and carve into the much desired washboard look.

Their minds will change as we teach them the Golden Eagle way. When they grab their shorts to bend over catching their breaths, they will be taught we never bend over here--we never show weakness. When they are running timed sprints and they fall over, fatigue, the air in their lungs depleted, they might initially think we are cruel as we tell to get up and run again. When they quit because they got away with it in high school, and now when they quit, they discover the team runs for their lack of desire. When they hang their heads over a missed shot or a mistake and suddenly find their coaches more angry at the reaction than the mistake. These are the things that start changing their faces.

I can see the growth in our sophomores after only a year and in our juniors after two years. They exude confidence and assurance, an awareness they have survived "boot camp" before and know they can survive it again.

Chrissy is confident, talking louder, leading, secure in her knowledge. The other lone junior, Tianni is communicating well with the coaches, leading by example and showing improvement in her offensive skills. Tiffany came back in incredible cardiovascular shape and believes she can run forever. Erika trimmed down, gained muscle and is more at ease with her relationships with teammates. Lauren has learned tolerance and patience, curbing her honesty to include compassion. Marilene has learned to allow her true inner self to shine more, and LeAnne gained 24 pounds of muscle, two tons of confidence and calmer footwork.

I see the potential in all of them even when they fail, even when they make a mistake and we must discipline, even when they believe they can't. I see them for who they can be--who they really are if they just reach deep enough. This is our job--to make them reach deeply.

PLAY HARD. PLAY TOGETHER.