Hard Knox!

You have to take weather seriously when it is powerful enough to close Route 80, Iowa's main travel artery east to west. Even with my northeasterner's numbness to cold and snow, it was clear that traveling to Knox College for our third conference game was out of the question. Our game has been postponed to a more balmy mid-February date.

We finished our first-semester schedule with Wartburg College at home on December 12th. With a very tough 2-3 trapping zone, Wartburg took us out of our rhythme and our game-plan. We forced too many quick shots out of the trap and were unable to stop the dribble penetration. Although it was not the note we wanted to end on before the holidays, it provided us with many lessons to learn and ponder under the twinkling holiday lights.

Two things I am excited to return to Grinnell with and focus on is our abilty to read defenses and find the holes and the scoring opportunities. We need to do a better job of penetrating the gaps in zones and rotating the ball to find open shooters on the weak sides. Reading defenses takes time and poise and the ability to use the majority of the clock to find the best shot, not simply the first shot. Secondly I am excited to review and strengthen our fundamentals of man-to-man defense. We need to work on our help positioning and rotation. These two points of emphasis will prove invaluable as we head into the second part of our season and the ever important games during our January break.

Check out the Pioneers as we open up the New Year with Coe College on January 2nd. Until then, happy holiday wishes from the Grinnell Women's Basketball Program!