Wisconsin Weekend

This past weekend our program took a tremendous step forward in terms of our ability to execute under pressure. Coming from an early first half deficit of 17-3, the Pioneers fought back to hold off a Lawrence victory Friday night (would have been their first of the year). Stemming from a series of defensive stops, we put ourselves in the position to win the game on a last second shot. Our only senior, Jodi Watkins pulled off a step-back 3 to steal the victory! It was thrilling to see the fight in our players and our ability to focus through the last seconds of the game, never quitting, and never faltering in our belief.

I spoke with the team in the locker room before the game about belief and how my mother had said that the recent inauguration had really excited her and impassioned her in numerous ways. I spoke about Obama-style belief and the necessity to believe in oneself in the face of tremendous hurdles. We have been using Obama in numerous ways within our program, noting his presence on campus last fall, and his strong connection to the game of basketball. His message about personal responsibility is one we often speak of when talking about defense and fighting on each possession. His unwavering belief in our country and for the future is one we can draw from as our season continues and our challenges grow within the conference.

Our excellent play continued on Saturday as we faced Carroll University, an talented opponent we faced not a week earlier. Drawing from Friday night we entered the game full of confidence and a solid belief that we could put up a better fight than we did in our first meeting against the Orange and Black. The players did just that. Coming out on fire we out hustled and out shot Carroll until we owned a 21-9 lead in the middle of the first half. As we all know, though, that basketball is a game of runs, and Carroll had theirs as well. Taking the lead before the first stanza ended Carroll showed composure and depth against our pressure and offensive onslaught. The second half we continued to fight, but was unable to claw our way back into the fray. We ended up finishing 16 points back, which is a tremendous improvement from our first Carroll encounter. Although losing is never desirable, I was immensely impressed with the team this weekend.

We will continue to work on our defensive aggressiveness and our execution of our press. Additionally, we need to improve on individual scoring skills and our ability to read offensive opportunities. Finally, our focus this week will be to build on the confidence we gained this past weekend and to extend the reach of our belief in ourselves on an individual level and also as a team. We face two great opponents this week at home, and I look forward to a great fight from the Pioneers.

Light the torch.