29-3 But I Wish We Were Just Starting

I'm not real sure where to begin. At the NWAACC Championship Tournament we played very well against Bellevue, Lower Columbia, and Clackamas while capturing wins number 27, 28, and 29 but it was an entirely different story in our game against Skagit Valley. I don't want to go into great detail because it still hurts to even think about it, but it's safe to say that a six minute scoring draught undoubtedly cost us a shot at win number 30 and a perfect ending to an already awesome season. On the positive side, I guess it says a lot about our overall program when we can finish 29-3 and still be somewhat disappointed!!

Miranda Holenstein sent me a text telling me that she started crying after it suddenly occurred to her that there was no practice today. She said that the things in practice that she thought she "hated" the most are really the things that she already misses the most. It just seems like we should all be together preparing for the next game but instead we just mentally and physically wandered around. For the first time in weeks I didn't watch game tape today.

I do get to watch some of our players get after it one more time this season: Kristi Fallin, Cassie Scheffelmaier, Miranda Holenstein, TiTi Takai, and Cassandra Tiggett have all been selected to play in the NWAACC Sophomore All Star Game next Sunday at Pierce College in Lakewood, WA. Only once before have five players from the same school made the All Star team and coincidently that was our 2000 Umpqua team. This year our players and the other Southern Region All Stars will take on a team from the Northern Region.

The above picture was taken at the NWAACC championship banquet. I might be a little biased but I thought our girls were the classiest looking team there! Good looking, sharp dressers, and the ability to score 90 points a game. . .what more could we ask for? (Except to win just one more game!)

"Wendy" Takai

Generally speaking we're all tired this time of year. So much so that players and coaches alike seemingly drag themselves out of bed, throw on some sweats (hopefully they are semi clean but not always a pre-requisite) and head to school. Fashion and appearance are rarely huge priorities! So when Titi Takai took the time to fix her hair and showed up to school in pigtails we all took notice and couldn't help but clown on her a little bit. My first thought was she looked like Pippi Longstocking and Mykie started calling her Pocohontas. But the funniest response came from Cassandra, who is always hungry and so immediately nicknamed her Wendy after the hamburger icon. Knowing Cassandra like we do, we're all convinced that every time she looked at Titi throughout the rest of practice, she started craving a Triple Bacononator with Biggie Fries and a Frosty!

Christmas Break

The last week has been so hectic and crazy that it just wouldn't be fair to call it a vacation or even a break!! It started at the Chemeketa tournament in Salem where we played extremely well and beat both Treasure Valley (110-65) and Seattle (113-72) and then had the opportunity to play Chemeketa. Once again that didn't work out when Chemeketa couldn't guarantee that the weather wouldn't keep their players from making it back to the gym.

So instead of playing another game, all the girls scattered for various destinations and Linda and I drove back to Roseburg by ourselves. Most of the girls made it home without a problem but not all of them. Mykie ended up spending a day and a half in the Portland airport before she could finally get a flight out to LA; Cassie had to take a 12 hour detour driving to Idaho because I-84 was completely closed; and Titi's standby flight to Hawaii was first redirected to Utah where she remained for the next four days.

Kristi sent me a text Christmas morning asking if I would open the gym again for her after everything slowed down. (We worked out a couple days ago.) So at 7:30pm nine year old Taylor and I picked up Kristi and headed to UCC. As I was driving I couldn't help but making up my own version of "The Night Before Christmas."

"Twas the night we call Christmas and all through the Northwest; not many players were shooting; only the best. . . ."

After we shot for an hour, Kristi kind of put her around Taylor and said, "Now you're a day ahead of every other fourth grader you'll play against." Not only was it a very wise statement but it also gave us great insight into Kristi's thinking. I couldn't help but wonder how many times Kristi has walked out of the gym after working out by herself and thought, "Now I'm one day ahead of everyone else!" Probably too many to count.

(Mykie just called from a pay phone at the Portland airport to tell me that she made it back safely. She is going to meet Titi, who is on a flight now, in an hour and then Cassie will meet up with both of them on her way back from Idaho and drive them to Roseburg. It's always a proud and happy time for "dads" when they see their "kids" looking out for each other!)

Alumni Game & Dinner

Other than playing for a championship the Alumni game is the most fun game of the year! We've had some pretty good teams over the years and so our alumni are pretty good and even though don't play everyday they are still as competitive as ever. Fortunately for our won-loss record, the alumni just aren't in as good as shape as our current players. Last night the scored was tied at 50 with about 15:00 to go in the game before conditioning became a factor and our current team started to pull away. It was hard resisting the urge to coach both teams. At one point, alum Katie Stephens, who drove up from Chico, CA to play in the game, had the ball on the wing in front of our bench and was being pressured while trying to find someone open. I watched the official counting out five seconds and instinctivily told Katie to "take a dribble" so the count would start over. It was fun to watch Micaela (Williams) Leinonen switch players so she could "D-up" Kristi Fallin after Kristi hit her eighth 3 of the game. (Micalea holds the UCC record of 10 3's in a game) And I couldn't help but smile after Mykiea Russell stripped Krissy Scoggin (2000 NWAACC Champion, 4th all time scorer at UCC, and mother of 3) and layed the ball in and then the two of them high fived on the way back down the court.

After the game most of us went out to eat (picture above), told war stories and took turns holding Becci (Randall) Beneau's baby daughter. My daughter Taylor asked for a dollar to play in the arcade and as soon as I opened my wallet Cassie Scheffelmaier and Kristi asked if they too could have dollars to play in the arcade. Titi Takai and Kirsten Strawn teamed up to set the arcade basketball shooting record while the cheers from teammates, alumni, and kids drowned out most casual conversations. It was a great time and ended way too soon for me.

After everyone else left, Craig Scoggin, Tim Randall and I stood around and talked about the impact that UCC basketball has had on their families and the community in general. Eventually we all left and as I drove home I thought back on the entire night and kept thinking to myself "That's why I coach."

First Day of Classes & Conditioning

There's always something special about the first day of school and today was no different. I couldn't sleep last night, much like I couldn't sleep the night before I started kindergarten and then again when I was getting ready to start high school. The morning was hectic with players in and out of the office checking on class schedules, asking about tutors, and even counting down the days until summer vacation.

Soon 11am rolled around and everyone headed into the gym and all seemed right with the world. Many ran harder and longer than they really wanted too but the time went by quickly (at least for me!) and before anybody could say "Running really sucks!" we were all in the weight room.

Most impressive performance of the day went to Titi Takai. We could see that she was struggling with the running a little bit but we're all too used to seeing players struggle during the first day so nothing was said and Titi just kept plugging away. It wasn't until we got into the weight room and Titi took off her shoes and socks did we see the problem - the worse first day blisters we've seen in a long, long time. There was one on each foot and so every single step had to be more than painful. Titi never complained, never gave any indication how much pain she must have been in and most importantly, never quit running. Titi Takai is mentally tough!!

It was a great first day. . .and I can't wait for tomorrow!!