First of all, I would like to thank the family's of student-athletes, community members, and of course our fellow students who came to support Men's and Women's basketball over the weekend. With both Ladyjacks and Lumberjacks going 2-0, it is safe to say the Thom Classic was once again a successful experience. This season competitions at "The Woodshed" are limited as we only play 10 games at home, meaning it is crucial WE protect home court and your support is vital to our success.
As far as our TEAM play over the weekend is concerned... WE definitely have work to do as our final product will be an evolving process through the month of February. With a new coaching staff and philosophy as well as a different group of student-athletes it is going to take time for all of us to be on the same page, but I do believe we are at least reading the same book. Out work your opponent, be disciplined on both ends, and be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the group are 3 categories WE believe allow us to compete on a nightly basis. Execution was not as sharp as any coach would like it to be but game by game WE will develop a better understanding of X's and O's. Our philosophy is that we do not want to draw up better plays, but develop better basketball players.
Several categories stood out as major positives in two competitions. WE won the battle of the boards by being a combined +33 translating into a TEAM effort rebounding. WE shot 52 Free Throws over the weekend which tells me we are being aggressive by attacking the rim. WE forced 39 Turnovers as well as attempted to take 15 charges (6 we received), as a coaching staff these two statistics allow us to believe we are committing to TEAM defense. On the other hand our guys are aware we did not supply enough shot pressure, because both teams seemed to be open too often at the 3 point line. Unforced turnovers plagued our offense both games as we need to learn to simply pass and catch better. Finally, learning to play without the ball in our hand and make quicker decisions offensively. Too often we were caught standing and watching the action. The most important part of the weekend is the fact all errors are correctable as long as we can identify the problem, acknowledge our mistakes, and be humble enough to accept coaching. The coaching staff is excited to get into the gym on Monday and begin to "sharpen up".
A few player who stood out over the weekend:
Ben Veith
Came off the bench to bring energy that could not be matched. His work ethic was uncommon and refreshing. In 55 total min. Ben had 14 Reb. (9 offensive), 8/13 from the field, 3 steals, and defended within our TEAM concepts constantly.
Billy Engel
Freshman from Cooperstown recorded his 1st double-double against Canadian Mennonite University as he had 18 points and 11 reb along with 7 assists nearly completing at triple-double.
Jayden McMillin
Returning Sophmore. Had slow night the 1st game vs. Winnipeg, but bounced back with 34 points and 9 reb. against CMU as he was tremendous attacking the rim on the offensive end.
Kristoff Walker
Freshman from New Orleans. Began his college career with 22 points and 6 steals against Winnipeg as he was simply difficult to guard the entire game. Game 2 against CMU the ball did not fall as we would like but he still manage to gather 8 reb and 5 assists.
Several other players contributed in a big way as many guys had moments. For us to be successful we truly need contributions across the board as we start to understand and embrace our roles.
The Jacks are back in action this coming weekend in Lake Region during a 3-day classic. It will be a great test for us as the competition will be raised.
Get Jacked Up!
