"A day late, and a dollar short"
From the beginning our TEAM has continued to discuss the importance of understanding this season will be an evolving process. WE came up short as a collective group last night falling to Dawson CC 81-74. Initially the offense was clicking on all cylinders, which simply means the ball was going through the net. Defensively we struggled to identify primary shooters early on resulting in Dawson successfully completing 11-30 3FG attempts (37%). It would be easy to blame our guys for not executing strategies at times, but I needed to do a better job of changing our approach. Going into the week the coaching staff determined zone defense is our best TEAM philosophy because it forces our guys to constantly move, and creates a little chaos. Stubbornly WE stayed with zone defense too long at moments believing eventually WE would tie up loose ends. Needless to say the Head Coach Don Mast did an excellent job of attacking our zone with effective schemes.
There are a few statistical categories our TEAM understand we must win in order to have a chance at the end of the game: Rebounds, Free Throws, Turnovers, Def FG %. As a TEAM we were not successful in winning these areas of emphasis. On the glass we did not play physical enough against larger opponents. WE did not get to the FT line as often as we should because we settled for jump shot rather than rim attacks. As a TEAM we turned the ball over 16 times, which is not acceptable but will continue to improve as we learn to anticipate each others decisions during intense moments. Finally DEF FG%, we held DCC to 45% from the field. This statistic is completely misleading due to the fact we gave their offense too many second chance opportunities. If WE did a better job as a TEAM by gang rebounding the outcome may have likely been different.
Overall I was extremely happy with our TEAM battling back from an 18 point deficit to make it a 5 point game with less than 2 minutes to play. WE showed character during moments of adversity. Better decisions could've been made down the stretch from the coaching staff, and players but that is why we practice. It is tough to prepare as a player or a coach for every situation you will face this early in the year. Several game situations surfaced that have not been discussed and I thought our guys did a relatively good job of executing strategies out of time-outs. If we understand the room this group of student-athletes have to grow and the coaching staff cultivates confidence day by day, we have an opportunity to be a difficult match-up come February.
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Jayden McMillin - 26 points/10 reb/39 min. Did an excellent job of staying within our offense all night. Defensively was asked to guard bigger and stronger opponents. Continues to sacrifice for the betterment of the group.
Kristoff Walker - 22 points/ 2 reb./ 2 asst. Came out of the tip energizing the TEAM and the crowd with exceptional offensive plays. As a freshman he gets caught up in the moment at times. Will continue to mature as an offensive players, but can really get going when he defends with his athleticisim.
