Viking Coach

Went home for lunch today and on the way one of my favorite talk radio host was talking Hoops!

Well, he wasn't really talking basketball but he did ask the following:

"Why would a person strive to be average?"

“A person who is average is either the best of the worst or the worst of the best."

I don't know if people do strive to be average in areas of their life. . . what I do believe is that there are areas of our lives that we accept being average and sometimes even below average. Most likely it is because we don't have the desire or the time to be more than just that. . . average. Besides, it would be really tough to be above average in all areas of life.

To have a successful team. . . a team that can compete at a high level. . . a team that is “above average”. . . you need to have players who place basketball on their list of activities that they are willing and eager to be better than average.

I don't believe you would find many girls in our program that would say they are okay with being average. I think all of them have dreams of being better than most. . . the most important element though is how "eager" they are to do what they need to do, to be more than just average.

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There are countless who would “LIKE” to achieve success.

There are many that are “WILLING” to work to achieve success.

But few are the people who are “EAGER” to achieve success.

- - - - - -

Right now I see players in are program that seem eager to be successful; Kelcey Lass, Steph Torkildson, Lexi Thorson, Michaela Gray, Ashley Morgan, Taylor Larson, Kristen Haugen, Mackenzie Strand, Erika Morgan are all examples of players that I really see as being eager to be their best. These are the girls that I see coming into the gym. These are the ones who seem to be more eager than others to achieve success and these are girls that seem to be really trying to get that "edge", that skill, that attitude that will make them better than the rest.

Let's face it. . .To be better than the rest, in almost all areas of life, you have to sacrifice. . . you have to put in the time. . . You have to really want to be good. . . You must be EAGER to ACT!

"Fun -vs- Rewarding"

This was written on one of the slides during a presentation at this year's clinic. The presenter went on to explain that being out for a sport may not always be "FUN" but it is "REWARDING".

I wish I could impress upon the girls in our school system how rewarding being out for sports can be. The time, effort and sacrifice at times can be a drain on a person and I know that competitive sports are not always fun. However, the benefits can really be great.

I struggled through my freshmen and sophomore years of football at Mahnomen High School. Getting pummeled by the huge offensive lines, that were the norm at my high school, was not a lot of fun. We had players that would almost rip you apart when they tackled you just because they could. The first two weeks of practice were as brutal of a physical and mental test that I have ever had. . . I would not classify this aspect of sports anywhere near FUN!

But, I can truthfully say that being a part of the football team was one the most "rewarding" things I did in my years at Mahnomen. It taught me to persevere. . . to not quit when there were excuses at every corner waiting for me to do so. I learned what it took to be great even if I wasn't that great of a football player. I learned what loyalty was and how even 20 year's later I can still list my close friends from those teams as people I would turn to in times of need.

Sports are so rewarding because it challenges you to go beyond your comfort zone. It gives you the opportunity to really see how hard you can work and how far you can go. Sports give you a chance to feel the thrill of success and just as important how to handle the disappointment of failure.

Too often you hear of kids quitting sports because “it isn’t fun”. This may be true. . . if it were all about fun we would probably see more games like the “AND ONE” tour on ESPN where showing your best individual moves is the most important goal or intramural games where playing is the most important aspect of the activity. However, organized sports ask a little bit more. They ask the athlete to look at their own character and they challenge the person to make it even stronger.

Fun –vs- Rewarding. . . I’ll take a double scoop of rewarding please!

Had to miss the girls' clinic this year so I am heading down to the cities with Coach Strand and Coach Ristvedt for the boys' clinic. Clinics are a lot of fun to attend as they really get you revved up for the season! This looks like it should be a good one and hopefully I will walk away with one or two things we can use to improve this upcoming season.

Here is a look at what we do. . .

DOUBLETREE PARK PLACE HOTEL
MBCA CLINIC ITINERARY

Friday, Oct. 27
7:30-9:00 Registration-Visit Exhibitors
8:45-9:00 General Announcements
9:00-9:50 James Jones; Yale University

Session 1: Team Defense w/drills
10:10-11:00 James Jones; Yale University

Session 2: Special Situations
11:15-12:00 Larry Davis; Cincinnati University

Session 1: "Swing Offense w/drills"
12:15-12:55 Larry Davis; Cincinnati University
Session 2: "Zone Defense"
1:00 - 2:30 MBCA AWARDS LUNCHEON

3:00 - 3:50 MSHSL Rules Interpretation

4:05 - 4:45 Section Meetings

Dinner Break

6:00 - 7:45 Matt Morgentahler, MSU-Mankato-Motion offense*
8:00 - 9:30 Barry Wohler, Hamline-Transition offense*
*w/ teams on court at the Hopkins High School

Saturday, Oct. 28
8:00-9:00 Registration/Coffee & Rolls
9:00-9:50 Dan Monson; University of Minnesota
10:00-10:50 Don Showalter; Mid-Prairie H.S. Wellman, IA
"Developing the Big Man"
11:00-11:50 Jerry Slykhuis, Cedar Falls, IA H.S.
"Attacking Zone Defense/Quick Hitters"
12:00-12:50 Greg Stemen; SW Minnesota State
12:55 MBCA/Exhibitor Prize Drawings

I hate it when I stress over things one day and the next day it changes into a situation where it is "all good"!

Nikki Wontor is out for 8th grade hoops and she had a fun time last night. I stopped in for the last half of practice to help out and she definitely will fit in well with the other four players who were there on Monday. We also had five of the other 8th graders at practice so it looks like we will be good-to-go as far as numbers.

One of the things that was explained to the girls who missed Monday's practice is the importance of being at all practices. "Commitment" and "dedication" are two big themes that we stress in this program. We also ask our players to work harder in hoops than they do in any other activity. These expectations might come to be substituted with the words "too much pressure" by some but I don't see how you can achieve success with out asking for these things.

I believe that there are athletes out there that want to be pushed. . . ones that are willing to risk failure in an attempt to achieve great success. I know that if I keep asking for only the best that one day soon there will be athletes who really buy into this philosophy and it will be at this point that the program will once again become highly successful.

No program can be successful with players who don't make the commitment to the sport.

The numbers for the seventh grade is staying strong. . . 10 players is really a pretty solid number as you have enough to play 5 on 5 in practice plus there is more playing time for each player in games.

However. . . I don't know what will happen with the 8th grade! At last night's practice there were only 4 players. . . thankfully these were the top four players from last week but you can't play with only four. Missing were the 6 "newbies". I don't know if they decided that basketball wasn't for them or if it was a fluke that all of them missed on the same day? Like I said in an earlier posting, these six girls don't know much about hoops and it would be a major task to try to get them up to speed at this point in their careers. Missing practices isn't a good start.

The other eighth grader(the one I told to think about coming back out for basketball during MEA) was a no show at last night's practice. . . Bummer! She did explain that she would probably go out as a 9th grader but I don't think she understands how missing one year really hurts your chances of success the next year. It would be like skipping Algebra and going into Advanced Algebra the next year. It can be done, but only with a ton of work.

BRIGHTER NOTE:
I think I talked Nikki Wontor into finally going out. She is an eighth grader and will give us a starting five. Nikki is a great kid and has solid skills so I hope she is there for tonight's practice. Plus, she has been out for hoops over the years and she knows how to play the game.

We may need to move some 7th graders up to 8th grade ball and then ask 6th graders to move up and play with the 7th graders. This would be a first for us but I know they do this in Ulen – Hitterdal.

POST SCRIPT:
I do wonder if I am doing something wrong. . . I really try hard to make girls' basketball a program that is not only competitive but also a program that girls would want to belong.

One of the bonuses of being a coach is having your kids fall in love with the game. Here are my boys, Casey and Ryan, getting a picture with Michigan States' Tom Izzo (head men's coach). This was taken at the boys' state tournament last March.

Over the years these two have really been supportive of my work as a head basketball coach.

Thanks boys!

Here it is. . . a frank and honest coaching frustration. . . today was the second day of practice for the junior high. Seventh grade numbers stayed steady at ten. However, the eighth grade lost a player today. Its hard for me to understand why. . . she is a very good athlete and would have been one of the top players on the team???!!! With this girl on the team we would have five solid players to work with and that would have been great. I’m still holding out hope for this young girl's return. I called her tonight and tried to encourage her to reconsider. . . and I also have talked to another 8th grader who has been in the program up until this year and encouraged her to come out. . . keep your fingers crossed!!!

Why such a concern:

1) What really hurts is that the 8th grade now consists of 4 players who played last year and have attended camps and elementary programs for a number of years (In other words, these four know how to play the game)

2) With the addition of 3 more 8th grade players, who joined the team on the second night, we now have 6 players who are attempting basketball for the first time. This means they don't understand the concepts of; double dribble, traveling, offense vs. defense, etc. . .

3) With 5 solid players you can put a team on the court that will be able to compete and run through plays. Having only four means that the offense stands a good chance of breaking down.

So, practice was very interesting tonight as I attempted to teach the flex offense to players who really don’t understand the difference between offense and defense. They worked hard, did their best and you have to give them credit for having the fiber to try something new but I sure wish they would have attended all the basketball camps that we have had over the years. (NOTE: money is never an issue with camps for our younger players. . . if you can’t pay we still invite them to play!)

First night of junior high basketball is under the belt. . . numbers???? They are okay but not great. The bonus of having less players participating is that the amount of playing time for these girls will be much greater than if we had 20 or so players coming out. Numbers should settle in at around 10 per team. The downside of the numbers. . . the impact of players dropping out over the years is much greater. This becomes a problem as they advance to C and B team play.

Like I noted in the last blog entry. . . I really feel that we have a solid core of players in each of these grades. Many of them have been coming to open gym on Tuesday and Friday mornings and on Sunday afternoons. In fact, Kristin Haugrud and Taylor Larson were in the gym at 7:00 A.M. this morning playing hoops with a couple of varsity players! This is the commitment that a coach loves to see.

The varsity players that were there. . . Kelcey Lass and Katie Mattern. Kelcey has really been putting in a lot of time this fall. . . not only has she been coming into the gym to work on her game, she is also attending a "speed and strength" work out over in Fargo this fall. I hope she has the all-conference season that she is capable of having. Having a solid year will reinforce the idea that hard work and dedication is the key to success on the court!

8th Graders:

Ashley Waller (Peter & Lisa)
Kristin Haugen (Dave & Martha)
Taylor Larson (Steve & Sherri)
Ashley Morgan (Kris Walker)
Shauna Mullikin (Janie & Dan)
Monica Murillo (Gabriel & Rosie)
Elizabeth Diaz (Martina)
Perla Diaz(Martin & Maria)

Nikki Wonter will most likely be joining this group!!!

7th Graders:

Paige Martinson (Alan)
Trudy Johnson (Paul & Carol)
Alysa Thorson (Brad & Kelly)
Erika Morgan (Kristine Walker)
Mackenzie Strand (Brad & Renae)
Valeria Mancilla (Miguel & Letica)
Lana Haarstick (Troy & Teresa)
Anna Skow-Anderson (Randy & Laurie)
Alexis Marty (Filicity & Tom)

Maria Johnson will also join this team - She is running varsity cross country

Tonight the basketball season begins as the 7th and 8th grade girls "lace them up". I hear numbers are going to be low for the 8th graders. This concerns me as we have been struggling with getting enough players to go out for hoops over the last two or three years.

This “low number trend” is not just a basketball thing. Low numbers have been plaguing a number of our sports here at PRHS. This year the volleyball team has only one senior on the roster, only one girl is competing on the soccer team and we will only have three senior girls on the basketball team.

Having only three seniors is not really a new thing for the program. Generally we are sitting at 3 to 5 seniors with three being more of the norm. What has really hurt us over the past couple of years is that the girls are dropping out of the program earlier than before and it is really hurting our ability to field solid C and B teams.

The Valkyries Dance Line has been a popular option for some of the girls and the dance line has definitely offered more competition to our numbers than the gymnastics team did in years past. However, I just think we are experiencing a period where the number of female athletes just seems to be low. A number of schools in our area are also victims of this trend which is evident by the number of schools that are not fielding C-teams.

This trend may soon end at PRHS as the seventh grade may once again produce solid numbers. Not only are the numbers good but also the potential for these young athletes to become really good players is very high. I like what I see in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Judging from the camps, clinics, programs, etc. . . that we hold for our younger players, the athletic ability of these girls seems to be above average. I am excited to see this group progress through the ranks. I am also hoping to see more of these players stick with the program for a longer period of time.

Ideally, I would encourage a player to play through there sophomore year before they make the decision to drop out of basketball. By this time they will have developed physically and will also have a solid grasp of their future in the program. They will be able to see what type of role they will play and then be able to look at the time commitment it would take to stick with the activity. So much can change from junior high to senior high that dropping out because of a perceived lack of basketball skills or playing time can really be the wrong decision. Between a players sophomore and junior year just seems to be the point at which the players and coaches know what can be expected.

One of the biggest struggles our program has faced the last two years is finding coaches.

Two years ago our school went through a reduction in force that really devastated the girls' coaching ranks. Lost were two long time assistants Rich Hills(b-team coach) and Michelle Grinstead(c-team coach). Not only were these two individuals solid coaches, they loved the game of hoops and were big reasons for the success that this program had over the years. To go along with this loss was the loss of Nicole Hills (8th grade coach), Rich's wife. Making this loss hurt all the more was the close friendship that had developed between us over the years.

Last year two former players stepped to the plate to help the program. Karissa "Mo" Evenson became our B-squad coach and Brenda Aas stepped in to be our c-team coach. These two young ladies did a nice job and it was fun to have them around. They were a connection to the past glories of the program and had a first hand understanding of how hard they worked to become good basketball players. Mo and Brenda, however, were only Sophomores in college and the only coaching experience they had was working with elementary students at camps and summer recreation. Last season was just as much of a growing experience for them as it was for the girls they coached.

This year a number of new teachers were added to the staff at the elementary and high school. Hiring basketball coaches was high on the “wish list” but unfortunately the two teachers that were seen as being great teacher/basketball coach candidates turned down the offer to teach at our school. This left the program once again searching for coaches.

Brenda Aas is unable to return this year as the demands of college started to eat up her free time. However, Karissa Evenson’s was able to set up her class schedule to accommodate being a coach again this year. Mo will return to the sidelines as my #1 assistant. Heidi Isaman will also return to her position as 7th grade coach and Nicole Sorenson, who is a new Title 1 teacher at the elementary, is scheduled to be the new 8th grade coach. Nicole will replace Sheri Obrien who stepped in as the 8th grade coach last year to help bridge the hole left by Nicole Hills. And finally it looks like we have found a C-team coach. Anna Peter, wife of John Peter, will be filling that spot. Anna played college basketball and seems really excited about the opportunity to coach hoops. . . Funny how things work out.

8th Grade - Coach Nicole Sorenson

10/31 - WCA - Home - Elementary Gym (4:30)
11/6 - Frazee - Home - Elementary Gym (4:30)
11/14 - Hawley - Away - Bus Leaves at 3:15 for 4:30 game
11/16 - Park Christian - Home - Elementary Gym (5:30)
11/21 - Barnesville - Away - Bus leaves at 3:30 for a 4:30 game
11/28 - Frazee - Away - Bus Leaves at 3:15 for 4:30 game
11/30 - LPA - Away - Bus leaves at 3:30 for a 4:30 game (@Audubon)
12/2 - HOL TOURNAMENT @ Ulen
12/5 - Breckenridge - Home - Elementary Gym (4:30)
12/12 - Barnesville - Home - Elementary Gym (4:30)
12/14 - Perham - Away - Bus leaves at 3:15 for a 4:30 game


7th Grade - Coach Heidi Isaman

10/31 - WCA - Home - Elementary Cafeteria (4:30)
11/6 - Frazee - Home - Elementary Cafeteria (4:30)
11/14 - Hawley - Home - Elementary Gym (4:30)
11/16 - Park Christian - Home - Elementary Gym (5:30)
11/21 - Barnesville - Away - Bus leaves at 3:30 for a 4:30 game
11/28 - Frazee - Away - Bus Leaves at 3:15 for 4:30 game
11/30 - LPA - Away - Bus leaves at 3:30 for a 4:30 game (@Audubon)
12/2 - HOL TOURNAMENT @ Hawley
12/5 - Breckenridge - Home - Elementary Cafeteria (4:30)
12/12 - Barnesville - Home - Elementary Cafeteria (4:30)
12/14 - Perham - Away - Bus leaves at 3:15 for a 4:30 game

West Central Area Hoops Booster’s Girls Basketball Scrimmage and Jamboree
November 18th starting at 10:00 AM.


A lunch will be served by the WCA Hoops Boosters Club for all the players after the full court
scrimmage is completed.

Participants:
WCA, MACCRAY, Foley, Pelican Rapids, Barnesville, Crookston, Ortonville, CGB

Schedule of Events:
9:00 a.m. - Doors will be open
9:30 a.m. - Coaches Informational meeting in Health Room
9:50 a.m. - Teams meet at half court
10:00 a.m. - Scrimmage starts

The half court scrimmages will be 15 min. each for off / def

10:00 Court 4 = CGB-Pelican Rapids
10:35 Court 1 = Foley-Pelican Rapids
11:10 Court 4 = Crookston-Pelican Rapids
11:45 Court 3 = Pelican Rapids-Barnesville
12:20 Court 2 = Ortonville-Pelican Rapids

12:55 Team Free Throw Contest
*Choose 5 players - Each player will get 2 Free Throws,
*Top Four teams will advance to shoot a 1 & 1,
*Top 2 teams will advance to the finals shooting 1 free throw.
Top Team will get a Cooler of power aide for the way home.

1:15 Three point contest - 3 players will be needed from each team, 1 shooter and 2 rebounders
1st Teams to compete Crookston, Foley, Pelican Rapids, Ulen-Hitterdal
2nd Group to compete WCA, CGB, MACCRAY, Barnesville

1:35 Full Court Scrimmages - 15 minute running time.
Court 1 Court 2
1:35 Maccray-Pelican Rapids Foley-Barnesville
1:50 Ortonville-Crookston WCA-CGB
2:05 Foley-CGB Pelican Rapids-WCA
2:20 Lunch for Four teams already playing two full court games.
2:20 Barnesville-Ortonville Maccray-Crookston
2:35 Lunch for 2nd Four Teams


Jamboree - Adults $2, Students $1

Dark Uni. Light Uni.
3:15 CGB vs. Pelican Rapids
4:00 Crookston vs. Barnesville
4:45 Ortonville vs. Maccray
5:30 WCA vs.. Foley

Here it is. . . the thoughts of a coach. . . my goal is to give you an inside look at some of the things that a coach thinks about as a season comes and goes and to keep you informed of the Pelican Rapids Viking girls' basketball team.

I will strive to keep it "real".

REOCCURING THOUGHTS

The Viking's 2005-06 campaign was a struggle in many areas: For the first time in my tenure we failed to win at least 15 games. The fact that the win total just barely escaped the shell of the "goose egg" really weighed heavy on my confidence as a coach.

There are few bright spots to fall back on when experiencing a "1 win" season but there are so many lessons to be learned if a person would step back and evaluate where the doer of deeds could have done better. There are many areas of last season that I wish I could change and I take a lot of the blame for the struggles we had off the court but I am not going to dwell on the past. The plan is to learn from what happened and work hard to improve the product we put on the court this year.

We did have a handful of girls who took advantage of the off-season work-outs that were offered to them this past summer. Hopefully, the girls are as eager as I am to become a better team this season.

Off-season work is such a huge key in today's sports world. Not only do you improve as a player but the harder you work the harder it is for you to give up! To have a successful program you need to have players that are willing to sacrifice and work hard.

Unfortunately, we still do not have the level of commitment to success that the boy's program is experiencing. We still do not have the players who are coming in, on their own, to work on their game. That level of desire to be the best is still lacking but I am not giving up hope that one day there will be a group of girls that goes for the gold!!!

Some of you may think that boys will always be willing to work harder than girls to achieve success but that is a sports' legend. A few years back we had groups of girls that just loved playing hoops. They ate it up. . . they were in the gym more than the boys and they were good.

As it is, I am happy with the small steps that are being made. . . Increasing that “eagerness” to be the best that they can be and developing that “love of the game” that makes practicing fun is constant challenge for me. . . As long as I am the head coach this will continue to be my number priority. . . it is the key for all success!