Tournament Banquet

The NWAACC held a banquet tonight for all the teams that wil be playing in the championship tournament - 16 women's teams and 16 men's teams - plus coaches, sponsors, athletic directors, VIP's, etc. It was held in a huge banquet room adjacent to the Toyota Center and the room was packed. It was fun to see all the athletes dressed up and even more fun watching the dressed up athletes checking out the other dressed up athletes!! I might be a little biased but I thought our girls were the best looking team at the banquet!!! As a coach I sometimes forget (or at least try to) that these girls have lives outside of basketball. Seeing them all in dresses and wearing makeup made them seem so much older and they all carried themselves with great confidance. Each one of the girls represented themselves and UCC very well. Their parents would have been proud of them tonight!!

This Season's Last Practice

Today was kind of a bittersweet day for me as it was our last practice of the season. Sure, we'll have a couple walk throughs and shoot arounds at the NWAACC Tournament but they won't be anywhere near the length and intensity of our normal practices. As our current players and alumni already know, we have a series of drills that we run at the beginning of most practices, and even as those drills were in progress, I kept thinking to myself that this would be the very last time that I would watch the sophomores work on those skills.

I don't know why we've never done it, but I really wish that we had videotaped the first practice of the year. It would be so much fun to watch it now and to see how much everyone has improved in just a few short months. I remember that practice like it was yesterday. . .there was so much nervous energy as most of the girls had absolutely no idea what to expect. I had to stop and explain every single drill in complete detail because we just didn't have enough sophomores to demonstrate. Linda and I were immediately impressed at how unselfish they were even from the very beginning. Afterwards, Cassie Scheffelmaier walked off the court and told us that she had never gone through a practice like that before. I'm sure looking back, that day looks pretty easy to Cassie and the other freshmen now.

It would be even more fun to go back and watch a tape of the sophomore's first practice. Sam, Denay, and Marissa are completely different players now with more and better skills than any ever imagined that they would have. Coaching is kind of like watching your kids grow because when you see them every day you don't always notice the daily, subtle changes. But then when you go back and look at a tape of them taken a year or two earlier, the differences are obvious and often staggering.

While many things changed over the course of the season as everyone grew and developed, some things stayed the same. Back on the first day of practice, Kayla Haines was so excited to play that she had goose bumps all over her arms. Today, on the last day of practice, Kayla Haines was so excited to play that she had goose bumps all over her arms. . . . .

I wish today was the first practice again instead of the last. . . . . .

Umpqua 99 SWOCC 77; Preparing For NWAACC Tournament

We finished out the NWAACC Southern Region last Wednesday with a 99-77 win at Southwestern Oregon, which is one of the toughest plays in the NWAACC to play. The bleachers are only about six rows deep and the teams sit on the bottom row of the bleachers instead of in chairs. Their student "fans" are the most obnoxious in the league and the SWOCC administration has a "students will be students" attitude. Where else does the official school mascot (in this case a raccoon in a basketball uniform) routinely flip off and swear at the opponents leading scorer every time a basket is made just to try and keep up with the rest of the fans? Walk or stand on the opposite sideline to take the ball out of bounds and expect to have someone slap your butt or the back of your calves. I'm really shocked that more fights don't break out there! You can read about the game here: http://www.oregonnews.com/article/20080221/SPORTS/337693305/-1/SPORTS

The last several days has been crazy to say the least. The girls have been trying to work ahead in all their classses since it is extremely probable that they will miss four straight days of school. The NWAACC Championship banquet is a dress up event and so takes some advance preparation from all of us who have spent the majority of the last five months in sweats. There are 16 teams in the tournament and so we have been gathering up and watching all the videotape we can of possible opponents. Take 13 people multiplied by enough clothes, socks, and underwear for 6 days in addition to game uniforms, a box full of game videotapes and dvds, a vcr, a dvd player, and several lap tops and backpacks full of homework and you have an idea what the inside of our team van is going to look like!!

Our first round game is scheduled for 10pm next Thursday and so we have been practicing at 10pm to get ready. If you didn't look at the clock you'd never know it's that late - practice has looked the same way it does every day at noon. We haven't really changed anything in our practice routine instead choosing to continue to get better at the things we have done all year. We did a pretty good job in our preseason tournaments preparing for teams and making adjustments on the run and we are hopefully optimistic that we can continue that trend in Kennewick.

The local newspaper ran a short article on Denay Martin a couple days ago and is planning on a tournament preview on Wednesday or Thursday. Here's the link to the article: http://www.oregonnews.com/article/20080222/SPORTS/559484634/-1/SPORTS

Principal Cynthia Richardson

While recruiting potential players over the years I have watched games and been on high school campuses throughout Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, and Nevada. I have met parents, coaches, athletic directors, fans, mascots, and other assorted characters, but last night I met someone who really, really impressed me - McKay High School Principal Cynthia Richardson.

Almost immediately after five of us (Dee, Miranda, Cassie, Jeff and I) walked into the gym we were greeted by a very friendly lady dressed in a nice warm up outfit and a McKay Womens Basketball t-shirt who shook my hand and welcomed me to the game. As we talked for several minutes, every student that walked by received some type of recognition from Ms. Richardson. She called them all by name, asked them about classes or homework and then gave them a smile and a high five. Ms. Richardson introduced a couple of them to me and then added "This one has a great future ahead of her." I couldn't help but believe her and noticed how each student walked away a little taller and with a little more confidance.

As soon as the game was over Ms. Richardson came back up into the bleachers and asked if we had heard the good news - West Salem HS had lost their game and McKay was the league champions. There wasn't a parent or athlete in the gym who was more excited than she was. Then she noticed my son Jeff standing close by and rushed to introduce herself. "I understand you go to college close by," she said. "I live right over here (gave directions) and if you ever want a home cooked meal, you're always welcome to drop by!" We all felt that we had a friend for life.

As we all walked through the parking lot back to our cars, we talked about how much fun we had at the game, and how impressed we were by everyone at McKay. The conversation drifted towards the leader at McKay, Principal Cynthia Richardson and I couldn't help but notice that we were all walking a little taller and with a little more confidance.

I'm Tired!

I hate to admit it, but I'm tired! There's really nothing I can do about it because it's just that time of year and there are only so many hours in the day. Today was President's Day and school was closed so when I pulled into the PE parking lot at 10:30am mine was the only car in sight. When I finally left the same parking lot at 10:10 pm mine was the only car in sight. During those nearly 12 hours I watched videotape, prepared for practice, practiced, watched more tape, sent out 25 emails, and then watched tape of possible playoff opponents. At about 6:00pm Linda and Taylor came to the office with dinner and after eating at my desk, I updated the web page and then Linda and I made recruiting phone calls for three hours while Taylor played on the floor and in the hallway. Holiday or not, it was just a typical Monday. . .

Tommorow night I'm going to a high school game in Eugene. Wednesday night we play in Coos Bay and then on Thursday night I'm going to a high school game just south of Portland. On Friday I'm going to a high school playoff game in Glendale and then on Saturday morning I have Southern Region meetings in Albany before continuing on to Longview, WA to watch Lower Columbia and South Puget Sound play. (We will probably play the loser of that game in the first round of the playoffs.) It's going to be the middle of the night before I get back home. It's a good thing gas is so cheap!! Throw in practice every day, more videotape, more emails, more recruiting calls and spending time promoting our sophomores and you have a good idea how I spend my time. I get tired just writing about it!! So why do I do it?

Because the girls and I all understand our roles. Since I expect, even demand, their very best effort, they have every right to expect my very best effort. We all have high expectations of each other and we don't want to let each other down. When I am tired and don't want to do it for myself, I do it for them. And I like to think that when they are tired and don't want to do it for themselves, then they do it for me and for each other. Stephen Covey once wrote that "Private victories precede public victories." The private victories are tiring but the public victories are awesome!!!!

Sophomores

Last night's game against LBCC was the last home game for our three sophomores and I thought about that for hours leading up to the game. I thought about the first time I met each one of them, how much they have grown as basketball players and as people, and how they have impacted not only our team but me personally as well.

Denay Martin initially recruited us harder than we recruited her. At 5'3" Denay was an average high school basketball player but a possible D1 caliber softball player. She told me that she was better skilled at softball but she loved basketball and wanted to come play for us, even if it meant quitting softball so she could stay in the gym all spring and work on her game. Like a lot of people, I focused on Denay's height and underestimated the size of her heart, and for awhile I even tried persuading her not to come play for us and stick with softball. Fortunately for all of us, I wasn't very convincing! A few months later, Denay was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and her doctor was forced to remove one of her ovaries. Her first day back in the gym, she stepped up and took a violent charge directly on top of her recent scar and we all cringed on the outside but couldn't help but smile on the inside. A little more than a year later, Denay tore her ACL, underwent another surgery, got another scar, put basketball on hold once again and rehabbed. Her scar still hurts everytime she takes a charge and her knee gets sore after tough, physical games and practices but she still goes hard every single day and is the best point guard in the region. Denay might only be 5'3" but when I look at her I see a giant!!

Marissa Towry played on a high school team that just got hammered night in and night out. I think you could count the number of wins she could celebrate over four years on one hand. But when we watched her play she was oblivious to the scoreboard. Regardless of the score and regardless of the mistakes or incompetancies of her teammates, Marissa just played hard and did her job. I was impressed with how much she must love to play the game because even though she had to know that her team was going to take a beating she competed every single possession. Wanting to expand her game, Marissa spent the offseason working on her range and shooting thousands of three pointers, a shot that her high school coach would not let her shoot. I wish her high school could've been there when Marissa hit five threes in our second game this season or when her three pointer sealed the win against LBCC last month. There's probably no one on our team who now appreciates and enjoys winning as much as Marissa does.

Samantha Russell I could write pages and pages about Sam - in fact, I already have - this is about the third draft because I want it to be exactly right. Sam came from a very, very, small high school and when she first started playing at UCC she was a little overmatched but we've had very few players over the years who have improved as much as she has. It certainly didn't happen overnight but Sam got into great shape and turned herself into a legitimate college basketball player. Then last February, Sam injured her knee during one of our games. But to make things worse, the injury was misdiagnosed as a dislocated knee cap at first, and it wasn't until early last summer that we all learned it was a torn ACL instead. Surgery would mean missing the season and so Sam has played all year on a torn ACL. It hurts her every single day but she never complains, talks about it, or feels sorry for herself. She plays and runs and battles as hard as she can each and every time she steps on the court even though she knows that she might not play much come game time. What I'm always going to remember about Sam is not the points she's scored or the rebounds she's grabbed. (Although it's going to be tough to forget the three pointer she attempted against Mt. Hood or the one that she made at PCC!) I'm going to remember playing "name that tune" in the team van, telling her action jokes, watching her face as she plays throught he pain, and getting her honest opinion about what is best for our team, even if it meant not playing in games as muchas (that's not a typo - Sam is proudly Hispanic) she wanted to. Sam would rather win than play and I can't think of a higher complimant that I could ever give to a player.

I love and appreciate each one of these sophomores and I'm glad we've been able to go through this journey together. I'm going to miss them a lot more than they realize.

Oh yeah, by the way - we won the game last night 100-88.

Goals

I need to update UCC's "News from the Nest" and so here is last month's Dave's Diary entry:

New team. New challenges. New year. Same goals.

When I first started coaching I sat down and made a list of goals to use as a guide as I started my career. I thought that if I could accomplish these goals, then the wins and other successes would take care of themselves. It’s extremely reassuring to know that several years (and several championships) later, my list of goals is basically still the same now as it was then: I want to get ourselves in a position where we can compete for the Championship. I want to help our players be better college players than they were high school players. I want to help find scholarships for our players who want to move on to four year universities. (Close to 100 so far.) I want to treat and support our players the same way I want my kids’ coaches to treat and support them. I want our players to know that no matter how hard they work and no matter how much time they put in, they won’t work as hard or put in as much time as I do. I want to find talented, hard working, student athletes with a desire to win a lot of games, and then adopt those athletes into our basketball family. I want to make a difference.

Umpqua 69 Mt. Hood 68

While the game is in progress, being on the winning end of a 30 point blowout is a lot more fun and a lot less stressful than being in a one point nailbiter, but in the long run it's usually not as productive. When the score is lopsided, both players and coaches alike have a tendency to either ignore or gloss over "minor" mistakes and instead take on the attitude of "We blew them out so we must have done everything right!"

After gut wrenching nail biters, every possession is scrutinized in hopes of discovering those weak areas that need to be strengthened. Every decision, whether it is made on the bench or on the court, is analyzed to determine whether or not it was the correct decision for that particular situation. It is a time consuming, painstaking, and often times painful process. But it is during this process that growth and improvement are born.

The first time we played MHCC we jumped out to a 17-1 lead to start the game and then literally cruised to a 30 point fun and stress free win. Last night the two teams went back and forth for the entire 40 minutes until we found ourselves behind by one point with 6.1 seconds left and the ball out at half court. As we gathered around a small whiteboard during a timeout to draw up the next play, the girls confidantly assured each other that we were going to win the game because we work on this kind of stuff all the time in practice. They were right. Two passes and exactly six seconds later. Miranda Holenstein scored right before the buzzer sounded and we won the game.

In the standings the blowout and the nailbiter look exactly the same but they are not. With the playoffs right around the corner, winning a close game like this helps prepare us for future battles, while at the same time increases our confidance and brings to light some areas that we need to improve. A win like this can help us get a few more when it really counts.

Umpqua 101 Portland 64

One of the things that is really hard about this time of year is that we don't usually get to enjoy the wins very long. Almost as soon as one game ends we start preparing for the next one. Saturday was a little different. After winning our game and scoring over 100 points for the fifth time this season, we watched half of the UCC men's game, ate a great dinner at Sweet Tomatoes, and then stopped off at a new Chuck E. Cheese's for a few friendly competitions and a lot of laughs. We got home late from Portland but it was fun. I wonder how many times Bobby Knight or Phil Jackson has taken their teams to Chuck E. Cheese's after a win?

The game itself was fun too. Everybody scored including five in double figures. Dee Tupai had 11 points and 10 rebounds in only 10 minutes of playing time. Denay Martin passed out 10 assists. Marji Maxfield and Jacque Anderson both played a lot of minutes and were very productive. Samantha Russell made her first career three pointer even though she suffered a "freaky" injury on Friday that resulted in severe bruising on both sides of her neck.

Here's the link to The News Review article: http://www.oregonnews.com/article/20080203/SPORTS/652679312

Well, back to work - we've got a couple more big games this week!

Umpqua 98 Southwestern Oregon 61

We shook up the starting lineup a little bit last night and everyone responded very well. Different lineups not only give opponents different looks but also seem to generate their own energy. We started the game with a spark and it carried throughout the whole game. Everyone played. (Except Kayla Haines, who was nursing a sprained ankle) Everyone scored. We scored 98 points even though our two leading scorers only had five points between them. It was a fun night!

Remember a couple weeks ago when I wrote that Deanna Tupai had been working hard and that her chance was coming? Well, in the last three games combined she has scored 80 points, including a 35 point performance last night against Southwestern Oregon. But what's really impressive to me is that she scored the 35 points on 16-19 shooting, with the vast majority of her shots coming from back to the basket post moves.

Here's a link to the article in The News Review: http://www.oregonnews.com/article/20080131/SPORTS/947643801