Last week Bryant scored 40 points against the Detroit Piston in the Lakers 106-93 victory.  Bryant’s 40 point game was his 100th of his carreer and putting him in the group of three players with of over 100. Wilt Chamberlin had 271, and Micheal Jordan recorder 173.  That’s pretty good company to be in and get Kobe Bryant our halfman of the week award.

I know I have been lagging…not for lack of things to say but I guess more-so lack of motivation. I’ve been working on somethings for school/work but no excuses. I straight up lag right now. Last night we didn’t watch the American Music Awards because something WAY more important was on…Dexter. It was the best one yet for real so if you aren’t watching “Dex,” (as I like to call it) you are a crack head. I mean you must be weighing out the options, crack or Dexter?? You’re making the wrong choice. Capeesh? Any who, I saw some highlights of the AMA’s from last night and all I can say is, really?? I don’t know this Adam Lambert (no relation to Stephanie) guy is but I did see the video where he FULLY macked down his keyboard player and simulated a little “bump and grind” session and that NBC censored it. That is total bullshit. How many damn times to I have to see two girls kiss on TV? Chicks rub themselves all over, lick their fingers in a “I want to do this to your member” type of way, and even make out with one another. Now it’s two guys and what? I can’t see that? There is some imaginary line that NBC refuses to cross and that we as AMERICANS have to be unwillingly censored? Come on, there is a bitch wearing a bikini in every advertisement from burgers to cars, I mean every reality show consists of ho’s in a hot tub so why not let the guys have their fun?  It would seem to be NBC thinks lesbians are ok in a “pushing the envelope” kind of way buy not gays dudes are no bueno? What is wrong with people?? I’m actually out of words. I don’t get it. You know, let’s just get into the shit that NBC did in fact show at the AMA’s…look’s like I am happy I didn’t watch it.

PS- “Dick Clark Productions” keeps pulling this video (sounds like somebody is a little “ass sore” over the video) so if it has been removed I suggest you try to find it. I never saw a J-Lo budget bootie bounce quite like that…. or wear a bedazzled “granny panty” inspired pair of shorts. 

  Although the Toronto Raptors are 4 -6 in their last 10 games, and have fallen as low as 11th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, they are fortunate that every team surrounded them in those same standings have also been suffering from some inconsistant play.  With a single win tonight in Indiana, Toronto can reclaim the 8th spot. 

  Although Indiana has been struggling to find the bottom of the net recently, they figure to work their problems out on Toronto’s porous D.  At 97 possesions per game ( The Raptors average 92.6), Indiana plays at the second fastest pace of any team in the NBA, so the rested Raptors have their work cut out for them in this upcoming track meet.  Indiana to this point has been very ineffecient offensively, but if they are allowed to get out in transition, they can put up lot’s of points quickly.

Keys to Success

-  Transition D.  Even though Toronto is a poor defensive team, Indiana is a poor offensive team when forced to play half-court basketball.

- Rebounding.  Indiana loves to shoot quick shots, and deep shots.  The rebounds are going to come early in the shot clock, and there are going to be a lot of  long rebounds.  Calderon/Derozan/Turk have to help tracking the long rebounds.

-Bargnani.  With Granger starting at PF, Bargnani has to stay out of foul trouble, and will have to play his best D of the young season to stay in front of his man.  If Bargnani get’s the oppurtunity to be covered by either Murphy, or Hibbert, then he has to make Indiana pay from outside.

  If the Raptors finish the season at their current pace of 116.7 points allowed per 100 possesions, not only with they qualify as the worst defensive team of year, or decade, but the worst of all-time.  Here are a look at the 3 worst teams in NBA history in terms of defensive rating:

1990-1991 Denver Nuggets: 114.7
1992-1991 Dallas Mavericks: 114.7
2008-2009 Sacramento Kings: 114.7
2005-2006 Seattle Supersonics: 114.4
1989-1990 Orlando Magic: 114.3

  As you can plainly see, the Raptors can make significant improvements to their D, and still capture the record for worst defensive ever.

 It’s difficult to actually pin point the problem though, when the team is obviously showing effort.  Toronto’s 114.7 points scored per game is one of the more efficient offences that have ever been played. 

1986-1987 Los Angeles Lakers: 115.6
1991-1992 Chicago Bulls: 115.5
1987-1988 Boston Celtics: 115.4
1995-1996 Chicago Bulls: 115.2
1994-1995 Orlando Magic: 115.1

 The Raptors have a chance to score as many points per possesion as some of the greatest teams in history… but they are doing it while letting their oppenents play more efficient than the greatest teams ever put together.  The question is, if the Raptors set the record for worst defence of all-time..?  Would also setting the record for best offence of all-time even result in a trip to the play-offs?   If you have the #1 Offence and #30 defence, can you ever get past .500?

Today I was listening to the NBA Today podcast on iTunes and NBA analyst Ric Bucher had a VERY interesting argument for the Kobe-LeBron debate, and it’s quite simple.

Bucher stated that Pau Gasol’s return and the Lakers’ subsequent success has overshadowed the fact that Kobe is using his post-up game to supplement his perimeter play, which Bucher thinks is a result of Kobe’s dwindling athleticism.

However, Kobe at this point may be better than he was last year.

Kobe is roughly averaging 30 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists a game. He’s shooting 47.4% from the field, which will be a career high if he maintains his shooting stroke (pretty likely since Gasol’s return and Bynum’s continued development should allow for better shot selection).

Anyhow, Bucher’s point was that Kobe has a sophisticated post-up game, which allows him to basically pick how he is going to attack his defender. What impresses Bucher, though, is that Kobe does this at roughly 6′5” (or 6′6”) 210 lbs. while LeBron has NO post-up game despite his 6′8” 265 lbs. body. And, yes, LeBron is at least 260 lbs., if not more, and I think he’s probably grown from the 6′8” stature he had when he came into the league SEVEN years ago.

Bucher added that people can’t use LeBron’s age as an excuse for his unrefined post game because he essentially is referred to as the best or second-best player in the NBA and the pre-eminent star of the league should have no holes in his game.

My assessment:

Kobe is an All-NBA player on both ends of the court, a better jump shooter, post-up player, free-throw shooter, ball handler.

LeBron is a better finisher, passer, and rebounder (which should be taken with a grain of salt because LeBron = Karl Malone in a guards body).

And to be perfectly clear, Kobe’s advantages of LeBron are glaring whereas LeBron’s only distinct advantage to me is as a rebounder (which is largely due to his size, position and the lack of dominant rebounders on his team).

Kobe. Kobe. Kobe. Kobe.

One for each ring. (And screw Shaq, who never made the Finals without an All-NBA SG on his squad. See: Penny Hardaway, Dwyane Wade, and Kobe Bryant.)

Done.

More Free winners! It will be a busy weekend , LOTS of BIG time games this weekend- its one of the BEST weekends to bet football- last year I cashed a bunch–and this week I already bet one game wher the linemaker made a mistake..in fact SEVERAL big money bettors like me jumped on this line Monday..before they moved the number…Also More BIG $ bets in Basketball- so far this season HOOPS bets are 39-14-2 ATS.. and if your not on the list yet, then get on it before it fills up.

Still room on the Basketball list for “09/10,- if u get on in before Nov 30, you get the  rest OF DEC Football bets I make FREE. Including the EARLY big money bets I make for T-day weekend…

FREE picks,  18-8-2 since Aug 1, and 55-24-2 since June 1. Get free picks on the radio shows or podcasts I do this week , or  follow me on Twitter.  However IF you are  SERIOUS bettor and want the best bets- CALL me – yes on the phone or email  at MyFootballJesus@Yahoo.com, if overseas

With about fifteen games in the books now, I have updated my by-possession numbers for every NBA team.

Despite its weak schedule, the numbers still look good for Portland. The Trailblazers are scoring exactly as many points per possession as their opponents have given up (on average) this season, which basically means they have an average offense. However, on the defensive side, Portland is second only to Boston in terms of least points allowed per possession. While the Blazers’ schedule has been pretty lame, the offenses they have played against are still scoring at the league average clip, preserving the significance of that defensive stat. In fact, the Blazers are also second in the league behind those Celtics for best point differential, thanks mostly to their tough defense.

So often we hear announcers talk about the pace of the game, as in, “The Blazers need to keep the score in the 90s to beat this Golden State team.”  I’m curious this season as to whether or not the pace of the game (meaning total number of possessions) matters all that much in the outcome. So far it seems that slower paced teams are able to also defend more efficiently. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell whether it’s because good defensive teams tend to be slower teams, or conversely, because slower paced teams are able to play better defense.

In Portland’s case, 12 of its 15 games have been played at a slow pace.* The Blazers are 8-4 in these slower games, 1-0 in medium games, and 1-1 in fast-paced games, so they haven’t played enough games at a faster pace to make any claims about their ability to adjust various teams. Portland did look pretty damn awful playing the fast-paced Warriors the other night, and in their two fast-paced games combined, the Blazers are shooting just  42.5% from the floor and turning the ball over as though it were smothered with Sex Panther Cologne (24.5 average/game). As the season progresses, the Blazers should play a few more fast-paced games so we can really see if it hurts them.

Taking a look at the rest of the league, the fastest teams by possession go, one through five, Golden State, New York, Indiana, Denver, and the LA Lakers. The slowest, ordered 30-26, are Detroit, Portland, Charlotte, Boston, and Miami.

The most efficient offensive teams are Phoenix, Toronto, Atlanta, Denver, and San Antonio. The least efficient are New Jersey, Minnesota, Charlotte, Chicago, Washington.

And finally, the most efficient defensive teams are Boston, Portland, Charlotte, Milwaukee, and Oklahoma City. The least efficient are Toronto, New Orleans, Memphis, Sacramento, and Golden State.

One final note: it’s interesting that the top two defensive teams, Portland and Boston, have some of the league’s best shot blocking combinations. Oden and Przybilla have combined for nearly 4 blocks a game, while Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett erase three shots every game. Interior defense is definitely more than just blocking shots. But the fact that the Blazers and Celts are first and fourth, respectively, in opponents’ field goal percentage suggests there is definitely something to having some shot blockers down low.

*The average possessions per game this season is 99. All teams/games that average 99 +/- 2 possessions are considered medium paced teams/games. Obviously the fast and slow paced teams/games are those that fall outside the range of 97-101.

Could a national championship be found among the waves of wheat along the Lawrence horizon? Oh, pity the poor Kansas Jayhawks basketball fan, right? Few other programs can begin a season with their fans thinking anything less than a “Final Four” appearance will be a disappointment. It would be easy to let expectations get in the way of the unmatched fun of a college basketball season. And this year, the Jayhawks potential is frighteningly high, so prepare yourselves Rock Chalk nation, because this year will be no different for head coach Bill Self and his team on the hardwood inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Coming off a rebuilding year where Kansas was a couple of shots and breaks away from advancing to the NCAA tournament’s “Elite Eight,” the Jayhawks are ranked #1 through week 2 of the season, are loaded with talent in 2009, and ready for action. In addition to having whom some would name the nation’s best coach (to be explained below), the Jayhawks have pre-season All-Americans in point guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich, not to mention a one-and-done shooting guard named after a saint (Xavier Henry), a set of twins who add up to a really good player (Markieff and Marcus Morris), plus a supporting cast that will effectively be running the show in Lawrence in a year or two. What does that get you? You guessed it, high expectations. Unfortunately, with that, comes an inordinate amount of scrutiny. Here it goes:

Collins reports paunchy; cramps against Memphis.
This happens every year. It’s no biggie, but it would still be nice to see him a little more committed to the team by simply laying off the junk food and staying out of Gates, Zarda’s, and Arthur Bryants.

Kansas athletic director Lou Perkins had to chew some butts after the basketball and football teams got frisky.
This had the potential to be a big distraction, but the KU football team doesn’t have much to talk about these days, so fans can probably consider it a dead issue.

Chemistry isn’t easy.
Collins and Aldrich have it in spades, but Xavier is a question mark. Henry’s prepared to work on offense and defense, but is he ready to do what it takes when it comes to putting the team’s success first in a big game? The answer is probably. No matter what, as with any freshman phenom in their first year at a big name program, this has the potential to set the team back a few games.

The guiding light is Self.
This statement, along with the perspective that Self is the best basketball coach in the country, is arrogant. Despite his success, few Big 12 or nationwide readers would trade their beloved coach for Self’s services. For Texas fans, perhaps you’re blinded by your burnt orange vision. That’s a sad perspective for all those believers, actually. Take a step back, compare resumes, recruiting, total wins, game management and pure “X’s and O’s” savvy, and Self is and will remain the best coach in college basketball.

With a “Phog” of questions hanging around the Fieldhouse, Self has done a good job preparing for a deep run in March with several non-conference tests. The early season match-up with unranked Memphis was a test, and the Jayhawks barely passed. The team travels to Los Angeles in early December to play Pac-10 foe UCLA, and while it is a road test, the Jayhawks should be able to handle the Bruins in an off-year for Ben Howland’s squad. After that, the Jayhawks play host to California, Michigan and Tennessee, three teams currently ranked in the top 25. All of these are great tests, and (as much as any fan would hate to admit it) hopefully KU will lose one, just to keep ‘em hungry.

As for the Big 12 Conference schedule, the biggest challenges will come by way of #17 oklahoma and at #3 Texas. Sure, other conference games could include drama, and Kansas may simply forget to show up against teams like Iowa State (forward Craig Brackins is a beast; don’t forget about this kid), but those two South division foes offer the biggest threat on the Jayhawks conference slate – let’s take a look.

Kansas Jayhawks v. oklahoma sooners
In this author’s opinion, the KU/ou game should be a dandy. oklahoma sophomore guard Willie Warren and Collins went at it last year, trading deep three’s and consistently lighting each up other throughout the second half. In the end, Collins and KU won the battle, but you better believe this is a big game for Warren’s ego – not to mention the fact that he’s on the pre-season Naismath Award watch list and has something to prove.

Kansas Jayhawks v. Texas Longhorns
And that brings us to the Texas game, probably the biggest game of the regular season for both teams – and it’s saved for March, as always, when the conference’s regular-season title will be on the line. As any good Jayhawk would say, “forget the Longhorns.” Chew on that, ‘Horns fans, while KU reads the paper.

Here’s to the beginning of what should be an outstanding season of college basketball season, especially in Lawrence. Rock Chalk.

Thanks to Pay Heeder for contributing his Kansas basketball preview for EyesOfTX. Personally, EyesOfTX hopes he’s wrong about Texas, although that could mean the end of a friendship.

Nike put together a few of these commercials during March Madness last year, but this one was my favorite, for obvious reasons.  Hamilton, HAMILTON!

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Fight The Good Fight

– Sergie717

For anybody familiar with his 5,000 word columns on espn, that Bill Simmons’ The Book of Basketball clocked it at damn near 700 pages is not any sort of surprise.  In its hardcover form, lugging it on my commute represented legitimate weight lifting.  It also made me look smarter, like a PhD candidate or something.  Of course, I probably needed to take the cover flap off to obscure what I was reading.  But I digress.  The book is Bill Simmons’ take on the history of the NBA.  He has opined in his columns that basketball is his favorite sport and the Celtics, his first love.  Sometimes I wondered if his columns were just homerism, and on the football and baseball angles, they certainly were.  However, his knowledge and passion for basketball is real – the sheer amount of research that went into this book is incredible.

As for the quality of the book itself?  Well, the above paragraph probably describes the book quite nicely – it is packed to the gills with information, rantings and his passion – it is also very very long.  For instance, his section on the 96 best players of all time ends up taking nearly half the book’s length.  The book is full of lists – the best teams of all time, his all-this, all-that, Simmons’ recapping of the entirety of the history of the NBA and how eras fundamentally differ.  The individual sections are a mixture of new information, but they also contain a decent amount of material from his columns that seem reworked.  Of course, I have a disorder that compelled to read all of these columns, so I know them – but that’s me not having a life.  But I try to be objective.  Simmons’ voice, to the unfamiliar, is as pop culture-littered as Chuck Klosterman, without necessarily the verbal flair.  Klosterman is an outsider to life’s rich pageant – Simmons is in the fray.  Whether that makes a great writer, I am not sure, but it makes a sure voice with authority and perspective – an essential for the good essayist.  Indeed, some of the chapters are brilliant.  In particular, his painstakingly detailed breakdown of Russell vs Chamberlain was an eye opener and provided a more educated assessment than any I have encountered.

Also interesting his his introduction of “The Secret”, the inspiration for his book.  Simmons advances that there is a specific trait to winning in a team setting, that is tangible and true.  He tries to define it – frames it as a “force” of sorts.  The sort of trait that forces athletes to simply not be able to properly articulate to media types or fans.  Indeed anybody on a good team understands it, that ubuntu sort of magic.  But then he pooh poohs statistical analysis in defending his secret analysis, although indeed the work done in that end is getting at the same questions he is – but using data instead of anecdotal evidence.  Fortunately, he acknowledges some of this in footnotes – copious and a comic device here.  Ultimately the book is not precisely a page turner – but it plays well as a kind of super-almanac.  The sections are all engaging and interesting – though it does not beg to be read in order as I did.  But it is a good book to have in the collection, no doubt.

CDR leads the Nets in scoring.

Chris Douglas-Roberts: I love guys with two last names. The second-year stud who was a teammate of Derrick Rose at Memphis has come into his own depsite playing for the woeful Nets. He is currently averaging over 18 points and 5 rebounds per game while leading the Nets in scoring. At 6′7” Douglas-Roberts is an above average perimeter defender and getting better.

Luis Scola: The 6′9 import  from Argentina made a little name for himself last year during the Rockets series with the Lakers. But this year he has taken it to a new level averaging a double-double (15 point and 10 rebounds). A scrappy defender, Scola has that ability to get under the skin of opponenets and do ‘dirt.’

Jason Thompson: In his second year removed from uknown Rider University, this power foward is making strides for the Sacremento Kings starting in every game this year. While we hear little of west coast teams other the Lakeshow, Thompson has an impressive 14.5 point and 9.5 rebound per game average. The Kings are +20 when he’s on the court.

Russell Westbrook: Oklahoma City does have a team, the Thunder. He will soon be a household name; Westbrook has been a star since last year coming out of UCLA. His points and assists are up from his rookie year and he fills up stat sheets: 16.4 points, 7.1 assists, and 5 rebounds per game as a 6′3” guard.

Is Marc better than Pau?

Marc Gasol:

While his brother gets all the ’pub’ in L.A., dare I say Marc in Memphis is as good? Known as a good back to the basket and help-side defender, Marc is having a career year with 15 points and 11 boards a game. He is shooting over 60% while leading the team in blocks and ranks second in steals.

Kevin Martin: This kid has been on the rise over the past two seasons, and if you haven’t heard of him, you should. Despite only playing in five games this year, the 6′7” skinny guard (a career 17 point per game scorer) is averaging 30 points per game and shooting 44% from the arc. He is a scoring phenom.

Granger is the modern day Scottie Pippen.

Danny Granger: Another player that you should know about. Probably the most known on this list, Granger is the Pacer’s do-it-all guy. Having a career year with 24 ppg and just under 7 rpg, the versatile 6′8” forward is a modern day Scottie Pippen and fills up the offensive and defensive stat sheet.

Brook Lopez: I hated this guy in college, but the big man out of Stanford is one of the only good things happening for the New Jersey Nets. In a league with no centers, Lopez is developing into a guy who can score in the post and defend the basket. He’s getting 17 and 9 while blocking 2.7 shots per game.

Ryan Anderson: By no means a star, Anderson has added another piece to the 2009 Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic.  Hedo Turkoglu departed for Toronto, but the 6′11” sharp shooting Anderson will be a key to Orlando’s success. A spot starter averaging 13 ppg and 4 rpg in his second year, Anderson can stretch the defense giving Dwight Howard room to operate and an option to pass out of double teams.

Tyreke Evans:This kid is turning out to be a personal favorite of mine. The rookie who took over for Derrick Rose after leaving Memphis is another young talent in Sacremento. His physically imposing 6′6” 220 lb frame makes him a tough match up for any NBA guard. Evans is getting 18, 4.5 and 4.5 in his first 11 games with the Kings and should challenge Brandon Jennings for rookie of the year. Still developing, Evans has a tremendous upside offensively and has shown good insticts on the defensive end.

New York area sports have triumphed in the past few years- the Giants and Eli Manning represent the city well in the NFL, and won a Super Bowl in 2007; the Yankees won the World Series this past season, and the Rangers and New Jersey Devils have boasted successful ice hockey teams.
The praise for NY sports stops when you talk about the NBA.
The Big Apple is represented by the Knicks and the (New Jersey) Nets. The Knicks are 3-18 with many woes and close games. The Nets have a zero in the win column and are still seeking their first win after 13 losses.
Going into Saturday’s game, the Nets probably felt confident. They were playing a (then) 2-17 team and their most valuable player, Devin Harris, would be returning from a sidelining groin injury.
Despite playing a good game, Harris wasn’t the star of the game.
No, that title belongs to Knicks guard Nate Robinson.
With his team up 98-91 and milliseconds remaining in the game, Robinson made a buzzer shot. In the oppo-Nets (haha, get it?) basket. Despite the fact it didn’t count, Robinson’s teammates seemed disgusted, and it was obvious Knicks’ coach Mike D’Antoni was. D’Antoni chewed Robinson apart once he got to the bench, however, Robinson played in the Celtics/Knicks game.

Maybe this is why so many hoops fans favor NCAA basketball over the NBA? Superfluous attitude, arrogance and a whole lot of nerve were displayed with the shot. You don’t see that kind of stuff in college hoops.
Perhaps the frat-boy is more mature than the professional basketball player.

(what if the AJ XX came out in these colors?)

• This stuff with the NCAA and the Sidney family is getting old. The NCAA is a morally bankrupt organization which applies rules inconsistently. The Sidney family played this game better than you. Let him play.
• Anthony Dixon should win the Connerly Trophy. He is the best college football player in the state of Mississippi.
• You should always say what you mean and mean what you say.
• The Lady Bulldogs thumped an ACC power and are getting a little national press.
• Really? Beating Memphis, Northern Arizona, and the Louisiana School of Gumbo gets you a New Year’s Day bowl bid. Heck yeah, we’re haters!

We have a couple of extra special pieces this week to set the stage for the game. Yes, we are biased. We are Bulldogs, do do not expect an impartial representation of Ole Miss. If you want unbiased information, pick up a copy of your local newspaper.

Normally you watch your system for a few games to see if it works.  But I’m just jumping in and using it, so here it goes.

There weren’t any games I could as they were tonight so I decided to use a teaser which the system did accept. Keep in mind that while I’m sharing my SU and O/U picks, the spread is the only thing my system tells me about so that is what I’m actually betting on.

4pt teaser:

CHI vs POR; POR -3, o-184

MIN vs LAC; LAC -1.5, o-191.5

I like both of those picks. The system also called the Bucks covering their +9 point spread against San Antonio, and I normally would take that but with Redd and Bogut out I’m just not comfortable with making that call. 9 points is a lot and I really think the Spurs are overrated here, but with two of their stars out and Redd expecting to return shortly, I could see the Bucks tanking this one.

EDIT: MFW AGREED TO OUR POST WE NOW OWN WALRUS AND MFW IS GIVEN ICICLE BACK, MFW IS IN THE TOP 10, RPF IS THE BEST MEDIUM ARMY NOW.

First RPF Accomplishment

Miroos’ Comment

Ok look. We obviously have to come to an agreement. Swearing at each other won’t get us anywhere. Neither will arguing about who won. So I suggest that we give you Walrus and we keep Icicle. But at least we got back into the CP Warfare spirit. Nice battles, it was fun – even the arguing. So yeah, I agree with Ads. Let’s see what Sergie says now…

Sergie’s Comment

I agree, this was good battle. But I think since you didn’t give us Yeti with Walrus, but only Walrus, then we will have 1 more thing before we agree. You either declare RPF as the best medium army, and become close allies or fight again and see who earns it, and probably have more arguments again. -.-

If you choose the first option, the RPF will announce you as the 2nd best medium army due to sportsmanship and active, reasonable leaders. We will also present an “close-brother allie treaty” which will make RPF and MFW a brother army, also making RPF help MFW at any battle they wish us to attend. If RPF is in trouble, MFW also could help if they have time. Sounds like a good deal unless you want the same thing over again with Option 2.

Fight The Good Fight,

– Sergie717

I hate playing and practicing on Mondays.  The girls usually don’t come in with the right mind-set and it takes a few extra sprints to get them going.  Today we had a half day of school so they really weren’t ready to go early.

We had to do a few extra sprints and some extra drills, but we still accomplished our objectives.  I don’t understand why we don’t listen to everything that said when the coaches speak.  We explained why a girl scores with :21 seconds left because we didn’t box out and the very next play we do the same thing, but a different girl does the same thing.  Its one of the most frustrating parts of coaching, getting everyone to understand that when you’re talking to one player you’re talking to them all.

Tomorrow we will our first “test.”  A scrimmage against a very athletic team and a very good point guard.  We’ll do it without our staring point guard, but I think its good that we need others to step up this early in the season.  It gives everyone a chance to prove themselves and build some self-esteem.  We need everyone to contribute every night we play and a scrimmage is no different.

We’ll have some line-ups on the floor that won’t be there during the regular season I think, but we need to see which line-ups work and which ones don’t.  I also put some different personalities together because they have to learn how to play with everyone.  They need to know what makes each other angry and what makes them play better.  The best way for them to figure this out is to do it during games and game like situations in practice.  We have some new players and some gaps between some players, so this will give us an opportunity to bridge those gaps and work with each other.

Tomorrow is the day we have our first exam!  Every day in practice is just a review session, getting prepared for our quiz.  Our quizzes are our games and tomorrow is a great quiz for us to take!  We don’t keep score, so we have nothing to worry about as far as who wins or loses, but we must give the effort that tomorrow is the last game we’ll play.  If we can come out with that effort in a scrimmage without some key players, then we’ll be stepping out in the right direction.

“Do the best you can with what you got, that’s being successful.”