What an unreal experiences. It's pretty crazy to think back to my freshman year. And, although I wasn't the best HS ultimate player, I had experience, but was cut from the A-team. I worked my way through the ranks of the B-team and finally got to play at Nationals. The hard work paid off.
I don't really know what to say after the fact. I'm not going to recap because it would just take way too long. There's a lot of guys I could thank, so I'm going to try that:
Wes - coach last year and gave me some good words/advice before this weekend
Rob and Banyas - giving me a chance to play a high level tournament last summer (CUT), which paved the way for a big confidence boost heading into the fall
Weasel, Josh and Vatz - coaching this past year and giving me the opportunity to find my role on this team
Nick - coached me on Impulse, then got to coach with him last summer. In my opinion, he's the smartest ultimate person I know and gets a lot of respect from me.
My teammates (brothers) - for getting to play with them, learn with them, have fun with them and win with them
Brody - sticking with the team, following the team, giving advice at nationals and taking great pictures
TallE - right there after every point at nationals, handing out water on the line
Henry - helping with financial costs and giving the biggest support for Pitt ultimate I've ever seen
The other alumni
The B team
I know I'm probably missing some people. And I'll update that list if/when I think of more.
It was just a great experience and fun to earn a spot not only on the team, but - for the most part - a starter as well.
Now there's a lot for me to think about. I graduated, but I'm having a hard time finding a job. An internship I thought I would get went to the other guy because he had a master's degree and I only had a bachelor's. Times are tough and the possibility of grad school looks more appealing each day.
But for now, I just need to unwind, rest and recover. I'm pretty beat.
Showing posts with label Players. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Players. Show all posts
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Regionals recaps
So this past weekend I got to do something I've never done before. I've been playing ultimate since my junior year of high school. I've played college ultimate for the past three years, but this past weekend was something special. After three years on the B-team, and captaining last year, I finally made my way to the A-team and got to play at Regionals.I don't this often say things like this — well, OK, sometimes — but I played pretty damn well. I'm not sure how to describe it, but for me, there is something that clicks in my head whenever the competition picks up. I turn my game, my focus and my play way up. I love the bigger (note: not biggest) stage. I can't help that I love the attention that not only I'm getting, but that the team gets. It gets me super fired up and ready to win.
And after this weekend, I now get my shot at the biggest stage in college ultimate: Nationals. Damn, I'm so ready for this.
I'm going to post a lot more this final month, mostly because it'll keep me motivated and focused.
For now, Regionals recaps. It's the best that I can remember because like I said after Stanford or some tournament, it's hard to recap whenever you play a lot. The points and games at times can seem jumbled together. But here goes:
Saturday
PREQUARTERFINALS: NYU (Pitt wins 15-5): ESPN was all over this game, as it marked the first time Clay and his former team would do battle this season. But in all seriousness, it was never a really close game and we pretty much took over from the start. I played a good game, here, skying some dude for a goal line catch. I also had — the team will tell you at least — probably my first layout grab, for a score at that, all spring. Not sure why it happened but there's a little joke that goes something like "Jay? Yeah. He can't layout." Whatever. Pitt wins pre-quarters or whatever you want to call it. Next.
QUARTERFINALS: Carleton University (Pitt wins 15-5): Much of the same as the first game. Carleton was fresh off a really long universe point game against Georgetown, so they were tired. They have some 7 foot guy on their team but they didn't utilize him very well and we were able to shut him down. Game was easy and the biggest threat came whenever we were up 14-4 or something like that and that 7 foot dude starts something with Isaac and/or Plunkett. Next thing I know Bob goes running over and by the time I turn around (the fight happened on the sideline and I was walking to the line to start the point) Bob's in a headlock. Honestly, I don't know all the details and it seems pretty stupid after the fact, but it was kinda crazy at the time. Things settle down and we trade points and Pitt wins quarterfinals. Next.
SEMIFINALS: Penn (Pitt wins 15-5): As was the case with NYU and Carleton, nothing special going on this game. Penn just finished a long universe point game against Delaware and didn't get any rest in between games. We controlled the game and Penn was never a threat. I eventually rolled my ankle pretty bad late in the game. It swelled up and I was done for the day. Fortunately for me, this was our last game. Finals in the AM. Pitt takes semifinals. Next.
Sunday
FINALS: Cornell (Pitt loses 15-11): So here it was. The game everybody on the team wanted. Call it a rematch. Call it another game. Call it a revenge game. Whatever you want to call it, there we were matched up against Cornell in the finals. For the first time in Pitt's history, a lot of guys felt we were the group to finally get over that hump and take down Cornell, and in the process, take the Metro East Region. Everybody was geared up for this game. It might have had something do with watching ESPN's 30 for 30 The U the night before. As for me, ankle was good to go. I was feeling good and the team was pumped. Regardless, the game started out poorly for us. The O wasn't clicking and D couldn't get enough breaks to turn the game around. That was tough. I think we went down 3-0 and never really got and closer in the first half as we headed to the break trailing 8-5. The second half we were able to claw our way back, getting really close at 11-9 or 11-10, but failing to capitalize after getting the turnovers. Cornell eventually hits the gas and we fall 15-11. Cornell takes finals and the Region. Damn.
The hardest part about this loss is how close we were multiple times to getting over the hump and winning that game. There were so many times when we we would force some crap throw/huck/dump at stall 9/10 and the wind would take the disc flying into the air and some taller Cornell guy would come down with it. We didn't get any breaks and that was so frustrating for me, personally. I had a hard time believing that we played such good D for 10 seconds, only to have crap like that get caught and hurt us.
Personally, I played pretty well. I shutdown my guy most of the game and rarely got beat. Nothing flashy, but that's not my game. I was just more concerned that our team couldn't pull out the win. The W is more important than anything I do.
After the game, a lot of the guys just walked around or laid down. Headbands and hats over their eyes and faces. It was a really tough, emotional loss. We all thought we would win this game. Expectations were very high and we didn't deliver. But if you don't think will get us motivated for nationals, you're crazy. This team has rebounded from losses throughout the season. We'll be ready.
BACKDOOR FINALS: George Washington (Pitt wins 15-11): Pissed after our loss to Cornell, we're fired up to just take a nice little dump on GW and head to Nationals for the sixth consecutive year. And we did come out hard and the game was never in danger, but it was closer because we were still bummed and thinking about the last game. Don't get me wrong, GW was a good team. Otherwise, they wouldn't be there. But we were still thinking back to finals. We might not admit that, but that's the fact. We won this game because we were the better team, but we really should've beat GW by a lot more. Whatever. We're going to Nationals. Nice.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The Stanford Invite: Followup
I've always enjoyed playing defense. I like it because it's like getting to play two points in one. Your main objective is to essentially destroy an offense and the rub it their face by scoring on them. It's a great feeling to know that you're (the defense) the reason why a team is losing, why they can't win and why they won't come back. You control the game and the tempo. It's how we're running things on the team right now and it's so important.
The team thrives on the defense. This isn't to say anything against our offense because they're the 7 most skilled and best ultimate players on the our team, but our defense is what fuels Pitt ultimate. We want nothing more than to start a game on D and absolutely crush any hope our opponent has by getting the first break. It gets the D pumped up and the O as well so they can come on the field and score if need be. If we get a few breaks early, it takes the pressure off our O (and our D, really). Defense is such a huge momentum shift, a game changer.
This was shown in our games at Stanford. When we won, especially against teams like CUT and Wisco, our defense was energized and fired up. And our losses, like Cal, our defense wasn't.
For me, I played pretty much every D point last weekend, save one here and there because we wanted some height on the field for a zone. It was exhausting, but I thought I was playing well. But then I started looking back on the tournament and I realized that I had like one layout D. That got to me because, and Henry Thorne has told me since I was in high school, I thought I was more of a playmaker on D. But I didn't do any of that last weekend. I was no Eddie, who had just some unreal layout Ds, or Colin, who had some great skies.
But I started thinking some more and I realized that, despite playing nearly every D point, I didn't have any showtime Ds because that's not my style anymore. I don't know when it happened, but I can remember starting to change my approach on D during Wilmington 8s. I started guarding more handlers. I started learning more of how a handler works, the thrown and run, and began working on stopping that. This tournament was the first one that really felt like my workouts and strength and conditioning paid off (I'm working out about 5 days a week, including practice). I think that helped me on D, guarding handlers and going step for step with them. I also really worked on my marking and felt like I was very prepared at knowing when to kill a dump throw or force a turnover.
I got beat up line only once or twice, including for a goal against Colorado in semifinals that really pissed me off, but I played fairly strong and consistent throughout the tournament. I might not make the highlight reel, but if I can shut down my handler, cause a turnover or a bad huck, I'll take that any day.
Centex in 7.
The team thrives on the defense. This isn't to say anything against our offense because they're the 7 most skilled and best ultimate players on the our team, but our defense is what fuels Pitt ultimate. We want nothing more than to start a game on D and absolutely crush any hope our opponent has by getting the first break. It gets the D pumped up and the O as well so they can come on the field and score if need be. If we get a few breaks early, it takes the pressure off our O (and our D, really). Defense is such a huge momentum shift, a game changer.
This was shown in our games at Stanford. When we won, especially against teams like CUT and Wisco, our defense was energized and fired up. And our losses, like Cal, our defense wasn't.
For me, I played pretty much every D point last weekend, save one here and there because we wanted some height on the field for a zone. It was exhausting, but I thought I was playing well. But then I started looking back on the tournament and I realized that I had like one layout D. That got to me because, and Henry Thorne has told me since I was in high school, I thought I was more of a playmaker on D. But I didn't do any of that last weekend. I was no Eddie, who had just some unreal layout Ds, or Colin, who had some great skies.
But I started thinking some more and I realized that, despite playing nearly every D point, I didn't have any showtime Ds because that's not my style anymore. I don't know when it happened, but I can remember starting to change my approach on D during Wilmington 8s. I started guarding more handlers. I started learning more of how a handler works, the thrown and run, and began working on stopping that. This tournament was the first one that really felt like my workouts and strength and conditioning paid off (I'm working out about 5 days a week, including practice). I think that helped me on D, guarding handlers and going step for step with them. I also really worked on my marking and felt like I was very prepared at knowing when to kill a dump throw or force a turnover.
I got beat up line only once or twice, including for a goal against Colorado in semifinals that really pissed me off, but I played fairly strong and consistent throughout the tournament. I might not make the highlight reel, but if I can shut down my handler, cause a turnover or a bad huck, I'll take that any day.
Centex in 7.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Queen City Tune Up 2010
So that happened. Tough weekend. Still trying to piece together how we could've finished 9th. 9th. Let that sink in. We were seeded 1st. We finished 9th. Jeeze.
Eddie put together a few thoughts on how we struggled:
And I think all of this comes down one central reason for our problems this weekend.
The last thing to happen to us as a team was a little thing called Wilmington 8s. It was our premier tournament of the fall season and we won it. We beat everybody there. We went 8-0. We beat Florida. We beat Cornell - twice. Whether we said so aloud or not, we thought we were the best. We were the team to beat.
QCTU? Where's the competition? We've got that.
And you know what? We were probably right about that. We were among the top teams. We didn't say anything on RSD, but that didn't stop people and other teams hyping us up. We might not have said anything, but we read it. We knew it was out there. We saw the Coaches and Captains 25 poll and saw the first place votes. We saw us in the top 5, the top 3.
We saw people hate on us because we were good, not because of how we play. Jealousy hit other teams and overconfidence hit the Pitt team.
In all of that, we traveled to North Carolina expecting to win it all. And not that a team should never expect to win it because you want that winning mentality. We never really took a team seriously. We were excited, we were pumped and we were ready to roll over teams. But we never thought any of them would give us a challenge.
And whenever a team did that...we didn't know what to do. We weren't mentally prepared as Eddie put it. We weren't mentally tough as Josh has said.
Look at the Michigan State game. We didn't know what was happening. We tried to make a big play every time to get us back into the game, instead of working hard, grinding and scoring the Pitt way.
It sucks that we are where we are right now, but we put ourselves in this position. We became a team over the weekend, even in losing, and we'll work as a team. We'll put this behind us and look to the future.
Eyes on the prize, one tournament at a time. Getting ready for Stanford.
Eddie put together a few thoughts on how we struggled:
1.) We are younger than I expected.I'd agree with this, it's just unfortunate that we didn't realize this until this weekend. Even then, not until the Delaware game on Sunday.
2.) Our roster losses have been more impactful than I expected.
3.) Our defense is soft.
4.) Our mental game is soft.
5.) Our offense is soft.
And I think all of this comes down one central reason for our problems this weekend.
The last thing to happen to us as a team was a little thing called Wilmington 8s. It was our premier tournament of the fall season and we won it. We beat everybody there. We went 8-0. We beat Florida. We beat Cornell - twice. Whether we said so aloud or not, we thought we were the best. We were the team to beat.
QCTU? Where's the competition? We've got that.
And you know what? We were probably right about that. We were among the top teams. We didn't say anything on RSD, but that didn't stop people and other teams hyping us up. We might not have said anything, but we read it. We knew it was out there. We saw the Coaches and Captains 25 poll and saw the first place votes. We saw us in the top 5, the top 3.
We saw people hate on us because we were good, not because of how we play. Jealousy hit other teams and overconfidence hit the Pitt team.
In all of that, we traveled to North Carolina expecting to win it all. And not that a team should never expect to win it because you want that winning mentality. We never really took a team seriously. We were excited, we were pumped and we were ready to roll over teams. But we never thought any of them would give us a challenge.
And whenever a team did that...we didn't know what to do. We weren't mentally prepared as Eddie put it. We weren't mentally tough as Josh has said.
Look at the Michigan State game. We didn't know what was happening. We tried to make a big play every time to get us back into the game, instead of working hard, grinding and scoring the Pitt way.
It sucks that we are where we are right now, but we put ourselves in this position. We became a team over the weekend, even in losing, and we'll work as a team. We'll put this behind us and look to the future.
Eyes on the prize, one tournament at a time. Getting ready for Stanford.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Remembering why we're here
Last night, after a pretty intense practice that saw quite a few guys fail to finish the last sets of our 300-yard suicides (to the 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 and back each time) for one reason or another (I'm not getting into that), Josh brought the team together and told us one thing:
What happened last night set off quite a few talks from players on the team (there's a BBoard post based off what Josh said and Eddie talked a little about it as well).
Josh wants us to be the best conditioned team this year at nationals, that's a goal that's been said time over time with the A-team. And while I'm sure they've tried their hardest at accomplishing that goal, this team is different.
Josh knows it. Geoff knows it. We all know it.
Which is why we also need to be the most mentally tough team. We can't afford to take our mind off what we want because we need to be focused to get there. Whether it's practice, track workouts, scrimmages or tournaments, we all need to be mentally tough enough to handle any situation that we're given.
This is turning into a rambling, but I just wanted to say what I thought and get this out there because it's true. Gotta stay focused.
And part of that mental toughness will come with working hard at and away from practice, as evidence by Geoff's frustration and short talk with the guys who were on the sidelines of the sprints. We're working our asses off to get well-conditioned, which will pay even bigger dividends whenever we remember that. That's part of being mentally tough.
Don't forget why we're doing what we're doing.It's important that we don't get so caught up in working hard, getting stuck in a routine, that we forgot what we decided our team goal was a few months back. It doesn't even need to be said because anybody who's anybody reading this knows what we want this season.
What happened last night set off quite a few talks from players on the team (there's a BBoard post based off what Josh said and Eddie talked a little about it as well).
Josh wants us to be the best conditioned team this year at nationals, that's a goal that's been said time over time with the A-team. And while I'm sure they've tried their hardest at accomplishing that goal, this team is different.
Josh knows it. Geoff knows it. We all know it.
Which is why we also need to be the most mentally tough team. We can't afford to take our mind off what we want because we need to be focused to get there. Whether it's practice, track workouts, scrimmages or tournaments, we all need to be mentally tough enough to handle any situation that we're given.
This is turning into a rambling, but I just wanted to say what I thought and get this out there because it's true. Gotta stay focused.
And part of that mental toughness will come with working hard at and away from practice, as evidence by Geoff's frustration and short talk with the guys who were on the sidelines of the sprints. We're working our asses off to get well-conditioned, which will pay even bigger dividends whenever we remember that. That's part of being mentally tough.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Gearing up for the spring season
Three weeks from now I want to be in a van — maybe even myself driving it — back from North Carolina with a tournament win. It would this team's second of the season and second in a row after winning Wilmington 8s back in November.
That tournament? Queen City.
And there's absolutely no reason why this won't happen. The teams, pools or schedule haven't been announced but that doesn't matter. It's just Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, etc. I think this is the mentality for the team right now. The last tournament we played, we won - and we beat some great teams to do it.
We haven't slowed down since then, either. A lot of guys, especially the younger and newer players have been putting in some ridiculous hours at the track and gym working on getting stronger for the season. It's showed, too, because a lot of these guys are starting to breakout as good players on this team.
Eddie has a good post on his blog about a few of the players. And I agree with what he's said. It's great to watch guys just come to their own on this team. Everybody is really starting to figure out there role. All of this and we've only had a few practices that've allowed us to use a full field for scrimmages.
For me, the last few weeks have been all about pushing others to work hard. I'm doing that through pushing myself to work harder. Two guys on the team came up to me after winter break and said the only thing that got them to go on runs or head to the gym was seeing what I posted on the "Hard Work" thread on our BBoard. I know that there are more people working out than are posting on that thread - and they're not posting for different reasons - but I think a post on that thread does a lot more good than harm, especially if your workouts are detailed enough that others can work off it.
Over the last few weeks, too, I've really started to find a great workout group. Ari, Eddie and I are lucky enough to be within relatively the same weight lifting group and we all have the same free time for about 3 days a week. That's a huge plus because Eddie is probably the hardest working guy on this team. And Ari's helping me and himself get right up there with him.
Eddie's great when it comes to lifting. Ari's come up with some great plyometric workouts and both Ari and I have been pacing track workouts. It's a good situation we've got going on right now - for all three of us - and I can't wait to get on the field and show it.
After we come back from QCTU with our first tournament win of the spring season, we'll head to Stanford for what's becoming known as a big revenge tournament. That's all I've got to say about that for now. I'll let Pitt's hard work and on-field performance do the talking.
That tournament? Queen City.
And there's absolutely no reason why this won't happen. The teams, pools or schedule haven't been announced but that doesn't matter. It's just Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, etc. I think this is the mentality for the team right now. The last tournament we played, we won - and we beat some great teams to do it.
We haven't slowed down since then, either. A lot of guys, especially the younger and newer players have been putting in some ridiculous hours at the track and gym working on getting stronger for the season. It's showed, too, because a lot of these guys are starting to breakout as good players on this team.
Eddie has a good post on his blog about a few of the players. And I agree with what he's said. It's great to watch guys just come to their own on this team. Everybody is really starting to figure out there role. All of this and we've only had a few practices that've allowed us to use a full field for scrimmages.
For me, the last few weeks have been all about pushing others to work hard. I'm doing that through pushing myself to work harder. Two guys on the team came up to me after winter break and said the only thing that got them to go on runs or head to the gym was seeing what I posted on the "Hard Work" thread on our BBoard. I know that there are more people working out than are posting on that thread - and they're not posting for different reasons - but I think a post on that thread does a lot more good than harm, especially if your workouts are detailed enough that others can work off it.
Over the last few weeks, too, I've really started to find a great workout group. Ari, Eddie and I are lucky enough to be within relatively the same weight lifting group and we all have the same free time for about 3 days a week. That's a huge plus because Eddie is probably the hardest working guy on this team. And Ari's helping me and himself get right up there with him.
Eddie's great when it comes to lifting. Ari's come up with some great plyometric workouts and both Ari and I have been pacing track workouts. It's a good situation we've got going on right now - for all three of us - and I can't wait to get on the field and show it.
After we come back from QCTU with our first tournament win of the spring season, we'll head to Stanford for what's becoming known as a big revenge tournament. That's all I've got to say about that for now. I'll let Pitt's hard work and on-field performance do the talking.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
TRUC Week 1 Recap
Due to the crazy Pittsburgh weather in the spring, we had to move the South camp to Saturday morning (10 a.m.) and bump the games back to 12 p.m. It wasn't that bad, but it may have affected the way the South guys played in the games. Regardless, the South camp was pretty much identical to the North camp with a couple slight exceptions to the 30-30 warmup and 5-man drill.
We have roughly 60 guys from both camps, one of our highest numbers for anything Impulse related. It's good to see so many youths coming out to get better at Ultimate. This is going to do so much for Impulse, PHUL and Pittsburgh Ultimate. It's great.
As for the games this past weekend, North was pretty much in control. Not only are they the larger group, but they are the more skilled group. The difference between the two camps is pretty noticeable, too. Like I said, the North camp (North Hills, Hampton, Pine-Richland) are skilled. They play the game the way they want (and because they can). They're typically more athletic and sometimes see the camp as holding them back. On the other side, the South camp (Lebo, Allderdice, USC) are more strategic. They listen to what the coaches say and adapt much quicker than the North guys. They're here to improve their game because they may not be the most skilled players.
Of course, there are player exceptions in both camps, but that's how I see.
North won both games, 15-4 and 15-9. In the game I was coaching, the South guys were down 8-3 at half, but mounted a comeback after getting back to basics.
Afterward, the coaches had an early talk about potential guys we'd like to see on Impulse. A lot of guys who maybe don't think they have a shot are on the list. One reason: potential. As long as those guys want to keep getting better, they will. And hopefully they'll be on Impulse.
We have roughly 60 guys from both camps, one of our highest numbers for anything Impulse related. It's good to see so many youths coming out to get better at Ultimate. This is going to do so much for Impulse, PHUL and Pittsburgh Ultimate. It's great.
As for the games this past weekend, North was pretty much in control. Not only are they the larger group, but they are the more skilled group. The difference between the two camps is pretty noticeable, too. Like I said, the North camp (North Hills, Hampton, Pine-Richland) are skilled. They play the game the way they want (and because they can). They're typically more athletic and sometimes see the camp as holding them back. On the other side, the South camp (Lebo, Allderdice, USC) are more strategic. They listen to what the coaches say and adapt much quicker than the North guys. They're here to improve their game because they may not be the most skilled players.
Of course, there are player exceptions in both camps, but that's how I see.
North won both games, 15-4 and 15-9. In the game I was coaching, the South guys were down 8-3 at half, but mounted a comeback after getting back to basics.
Afterward, the coaches had an early talk about potential guys we'd like to see on Impulse. A lot of guys who maybe don't think they have a shot are on the list. One reason: potential. As long as those guys want to keep getting better, they will. And hopefully they'll be on Impulse.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Back in Black (and Blue)
I had one of these back in my freshman year, but got rid of it after the season. I should have kept it, but whatever. I figured I should have one of these chronicle what's going on with Pittsburgh's B-team as we fight for a spot at Regionals in 2009.
It's my first time having any serious leadership on a team. I've never coached before and never did much captaining, but things are looking good so far. From what I can tell, some of the vets are already impressed with practice turnout compared to last year. We are routinely getting close to 20 guys, if not more, out every Tuesday and Thursday. And even when the weather takes a turn for the worse, they still show up.
That's dedication. That's what this team needs to go somewhere in the spring.
A lot of the reasoning behind the increased commitment has to be because how the team is now organized. We have to two solid captains in myself and Trevor, who are handling practices and taking control of O and D lines. Asher is the unsung hero by organizing the money, tournaments and the like. There is a core of 5 or 6 guys who are assuming secondary leadership roles by helping out the rookies and throwing in input during team huddles and outside of practice. It's a good flow we have going now. It's just another part of what's going to make this team good.
As for the rookies, what can I say? Every one of them has made every effort to come to practice and are making huge strides in their game. Those who were cut from the A-team are dominating and showing why they'll be back in the running next season. The rest of the rookies are progressing nicely. I can already pick out 4 or 5 guys who, if they continue to practice and get better, will put up a fight for the A-team next year.
A lot of the vets have improved and are going to be instrumental in how this team finishes. They've all gotten better and have that never-give-up attitude.
As whole, it's making my job tough to figure out who will be the starting seven come gametime. And believe me, that's a good problem. Assuming a few more people who were off this semester come back in the spring and another 1 or 2 get cut from the A-team, we're going to have a solid B-team with the possibility of having to cut people off from attending a tournament.
Anyways, 3 months into my junior year and captain of the B-team, I have to say that I'm pleased with where we are. Very pleased.
It's my first time having any serious leadership on a team. I've never coached before and never did much captaining, but things are looking good so far. From what I can tell, some of the vets are already impressed with practice turnout compared to last year. We are routinely getting close to 20 guys, if not more, out every Tuesday and Thursday. And even when the weather takes a turn for the worse, they still show up.
That's dedication. That's what this team needs to go somewhere in the spring.
A lot of the reasoning behind the increased commitment has to be because how the team is now organized. We have to two solid captains in myself and Trevor, who are handling practices and taking control of O and D lines. Asher is the unsung hero by organizing the money, tournaments and the like. There is a core of 5 or 6 guys who are assuming secondary leadership roles by helping out the rookies and throwing in input during team huddles and outside of practice. It's a good flow we have going now. It's just another part of what's going to make this team good.
As for the rookies, what can I say? Every one of them has made every effort to come to practice and are making huge strides in their game. Those who were cut from the A-team are dominating and showing why they'll be back in the running next season. The rest of the rookies are progressing nicely. I can already pick out 4 or 5 guys who, if they continue to practice and get better, will put up a fight for the A-team next year.
A lot of the vets have improved and are going to be instrumental in how this team finishes. They've all gotten better and have that never-give-up attitude.
As whole, it's making my job tough to figure out who will be the starting seven come gametime. And believe me, that's a good problem. Assuming a few more people who were off this semester come back in the spring and another 1 or 2 get cut from the A-team, we're going to have a solid B-team with the possibility of having to cut people off from attending a tournament.
Anyways, 3 months into my junior year and captain of the B-team, I have to say that I'm pleased with where we are. Very pleased.
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