The NWAACC (Pacific Northwest) rankings came out last Thursday night and we are tied for the #1 spot with Columbia Basin College of Kennewick, Washington. I know that these rankings don't mean anything in terms of standings, playoffs, etc. and some say that being #1 only puts a bigger target on your back, but I must admit that I felt a small sense of satisfaction when I saw Umpqua at the top of the list. It means that we are headed in the right direction and that we are doing something right.
Less than four months ago we started the first day of school with players from 5 different states and we had 8 freshmen, 3 sophomores, only 1 survivor from last year and 1000 questions. Most had never met each other until school started. Would they work hard? Would they be coachable? Could we score? Rebound? Defend? What kind of teammates would everyone turn out to be?
Now, a few short months later, I can't help but smile when I think how close everyone has become, how hard everyone has worked, and how much we've progressed. Are we the most talented team in the NWAACC? No. Are we the fastest? No. Are we the biggest? No. Strongest? No. Quickest? No. Are we the most experienced? Definitely not. Then what are we?
We show up every day. We work hard. We expect the very best effort from each other. We work hard some more. We cheer, and laugh, and have even cried together. We are better together than we are individually. We are a team.
About Me
- Dave Stricklin
- Roseburg, Oregon
- Women's Basketball Coach Umpqua Community College
3 comments:
I am a parent of one of the girls on the Umpqua team. I appreciate this blog site so much as we live a couple of states away and miss quite a few games. This keeps us updated on the news and is always refreshing to read. I get on daily to see if Dave has said anything new. I appreciate how he is always possitive and complimenting. This group of girls is amazing, not only are they fun to watch play but they truly love eachother. I have never known a group of girls who get along so well that have to spend so much time together. I have enjoyed watching Dave coach (he is a very good coach)and also seeing the marked improvement in my daughter. Thank you Dave for this site and congratulations on the #1 ranking. Good luck and keep up the good work!!
Hi All I am Claudette T Jackson Cj for short and I am a former player of Dave's. I just want to say keep up the hard work. Dave has always been the type of coach one loves to hate. He puts the true meaning in hate practice but love to play once its game time. The greatest thing is being able to run the whole game without getting tierd. Dave had always put 100% effort into our teams success, which showed me the value of putting 100%into my life goals to achieve success. Miss you Dave and good luck with the rest of the season.
It is a great feeling to know that people think that you are at the top of the NWAACC but it still pisses me off that the years I was there have no championship banner hanging on the wall. Go and get it this year, it will still feel like I am one of the girls that helped win it. Keep blogging Dave it's fun to read!
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