Day 20

Wow. Day 20 is over. The journey's light is darkening. Canada is even closer on the horizon now. I can't believe that time has flown by so quickly.

Today was an early start with some breakfast and then a film session. Nothing flashy about the meal this morning except that I tried a few things that I know tasted different and I am not sure exactly what it was. 

We took the short drive to practice after the film session. What an impressive facility. The city we are in , Jinyuan (northwest of Shanghai) is known as a basketball town. Definitely the best facility of the 3 we played in. It has about 6000 seats and the only sport played there is basketball. The locker room for us had big leather chairs for each player and a fancy desk for the coach to sit behind. 

After practice we had a team meal which was good. I had a very different cream of mushroom soup than I am used to. There were also pig's feet and fish heads on the menu. Never touched them today but the rest of the food was tremendous and the service is great.

Next up was a coaches walking tour of the local area. Jinyuan is a very nice place. We were told upon arrival that the locals very rarely see westerners so we could expect some people to stare at us as we went out. WOW were they right. It was like we were celebrities. Every little shop we went into the people came to see us. We went into one little shop where the cutest little girl was with her mother who owned the store. She knew the word hello and that was pretty much it but she smiled at us the whole time. There are few things that bridge the gap between cultures like basketball and magic so away I went. I showed her a coin and made it disappear a few times and then I changed it into a Loonie which I gave to her to keep. She was impressed and was very happy to have the coin. When I left she waved goodbye and had the biggest smile in the world. Happiness on the face of a child. The things you can get for a simple dollar.

So off we went to the local "mall". Very interesting layouts here with plenty of stuff to buy. Of course as we walked people stared at us, waved at us and came out of their shops to see us. As we entered the mall, we had many onlookers. We stopped at a little booth and gathered a crowd of onlookers. We then went into the grocery store to check out some stuff. We stopped to look at something and one of the young employees knew a little English so she tried to explain things to us. Within 2 minutes there were about 4 other employees around looking at us. The people here are very very nice and they were fascinated by us. Like I said the other day, it really makes you think about what happens when "foreigners" come to our area. 

So after the mall we had to meet as coaches to prepare for individual meetings. We had to have them tonight after the game. It is a policy of Canada Basketball to have exit meetings with the players to discuss areas for improvement as well as how the experience was for the players. A good idea.

Game time was set for 7:30. After losing by 45 I wasn't sure what to expect. China seemed loose in the warmup but I got the feeling they were a little too loose. We came out and battled hard. Halfway through the first quarter we were down 3. They went on a small run to finish the quarter up by 8. The biggest lead they had in the 2nd quarter was by 9 and we ended the half down by 5. We made some adjustments at half and battled them hard in the 3rd. We took the lead 3 minutes into the quarter and then it seesawed back and forth until a small run in the last 3 minutes allowed them to go up by 7. The 4th quarter was a battle and we cut into their lead and were down 4 with 39 seconds to play. We had to foul in the last 15 seconds and we ended up losing 75-69. I was really proud of the way the girls battled tonight. They gave the estimated 4000 fans a good show. It was the first game that we played really well together.

So now the experience on the court with Canada Basketball is over. It was tremendously eye opening. I have learned a LOT and figured out what I need to know to make us better at our school and what it takes to help a player reach this level. Hopefully some day I make it back to this level but you never know what will happen.

It is now a little after 1 AM as I type this and I am tired but excited to get home. It has been a long experience. Tomorrow we have to be on the bus by 5:45AM and then hit the road to Zhengzhou which will be over 2 hours. A 1.5 hour flight to Shanghai is next followed by a bus ride across the city to the International airport and then a 14 hour flight home. We did the math today for our trip tomorrow. If you factor in the bus rides, flights and waiting in airports it is approximately 26 hours of travel. Throw in a 12 hour time change for good measure. I won't know which way is up when I get home. 

So now I decide whether to sleep or not. Who knows. The trip will be long and time for plenty of sleep. 

Hopefully this blog has been a little entertaining and has allowed whoever is reading it to follow my travels. I will have many more stories when I get home.

Thanks for tagging along.

The final leg of the journey is underway

Coach

DaY 19

Day 19 is over. A long day of travel just completed.

We had an early wakeup and then on the bus for 6:30AM. Brown bag breakfast of yogurt (which we don't eat), a cucumber and cheese sandwich , banana and water. Thank god for pop tarts brought from home.

1.5 hour bus ride from Zhangjiagang to SHanghai was pretty uneventful. Rules of the road are almost nonexistent here though. You see some interesting things on the road. We took a flight from Shanghai to Zhengzhou which was an hour and a half and then had a 2.5 hour bus ride through some of the most boring terrain ever. It was nice and lush and green but boring. The people here waste no space. Every bit of available space is used to grow something.

We arrived here in Jinyuan and it is much smaller than the other cities. Haven't had a chance to explore yet but we might tomorrow. Soon after we arrived tonight we had our first team meal here. It was quite good. I was a bit concerned because of the size of the city but they did a good job. Nothing too crazy and they even had "sweet fried potatoes". French fries with candy sprinkles! I tried egg and corn soup which was very good and sampled a number of local dishes. The most impressive thing I saw was a chef take a ball of flour and within 30 seconds had long pasta noodles in his hand like vermicelli and they made fresh soup with them for the players. It was impressive. The room was also decorated in an Olympic style with an incredible watermelon carving of one of the Olympic mascots. Needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. 

After supper the coaches watched video of our last game and tried to find some positives to work on for tomorrow's game. There were some but we have our hands full getting ready for the game. They will be looking to smash us again as their final tuneup so it may not be pretty. We'll put together a game plan and go to work though. We gotta play the game so we might as well compete and give them whatever we can.

So now I am off to prep some video for the athletes and try to get some rest. We have a full day tomorrow and then the trip from hell the next day. About 3.5 hours on a bus and 16 on a plane. Can't wait for all that fun. 

Canada is on the horizon and the journey is almost complete. Many stories to tell.

Coach

Day 18

Well what an interesting day 18 on this trip.

Began with an early breakfast with some very interesting breakfast choices on the menu including beer. Guess it is common here, I am not sure. I didn't venture too far into the culinary world this morning.

We had a video session after the breakfast and the team seemed flat so that had me worried right away. We finished the video session and went to practice which was even flatter than the video session. Of course that could have been because we lost our best athlete and one of our better players to a freak escalator accident that cost her 7 stitches in the heel. She didn't play tonight and may be done for the trip. Spirits seemed down so I think that was an omen.

After lunch, which consisted of some interesting fish dishes and something called "hanging pig parts" and chicken feet, the staff headed out to explore Zhangjiagang. What an impressive city this is. Very clean and very friendly. I must say that this trip to China has opened my eyes and today was even more of an eye opener. We were stared at everywhere we went and people stopped us and snickered and pointed. I understand that the people are very nice here and that they are only doing it because we are so different than what they see on a daily basis. Like I said before, I am a giant  here and people have stopped me to put their hands out across my shoulders and a number of them have pointed at my feet and snickered or they try to ask how big. It really brings a realization to me of how people must feel that come to our area and see how we react to them. Hopefully they don't feel that any looks are done out of disrespect. I certainly hope I remember how it feels to be different and that I can try and treat people a little different when I meet them especially the students around our university. I really understand some of their actions after this trip.

So back to the shopping in the afternoon. We found a pedestrian mall that was jammed with people and it was quite fun to go into all the little shops. It is almost westernized but not quite. Our manager found a neat little side street and we went into a DVD shop she found last night. Typical small DVD shop with rows and rows of DVD's for sale. However when we walked in they recognized her and welcomed here. Then they opened up the wall and led us to a backroom that had EVERYTHING in it. New movies, old movies, blueray, full seasons of TV shows, you name it they had it and very very cheap. What an interesting experience to say the least.

We made our way back to prepare for the game. We headed to the gym and it was a little less crowded that our previous game with perhaps 2500-3000 fans in the gym. It was broadcast to tens of million viewers across China though. Very cool. Once again I got a tremendous chill as I sang the national anthem when it was played. So that was the highlight of the game. Period . End of Discussion. China came out and in 3 possessions had us down 9-0 and we were reeling. They put a big old fashioned boot in our ass. Down 24 at half and lost 100-55. They were IMPRESSIVE. They move the ball well and played better defense than any of these kids have ever seen. The funny part is that 2 of the girls got really pissed after the game because the coaches and the other players didn't seem pissed off enough. They felt that we should be within 20 points of China. We are the development team. Our senior team wouldn't be within 30 of this group on a good day. China eased up at points during the game and they didn't have their 6'3" point guard who avg. about 18 points per game in the lineup. This team has been training twice a day for 6 months and we have been practicing for 2 weeks. I guess I should be more frustrated or angry according to these players but I understand what a good team looks like and they could be top 5 or maybe top 3 at the Olympics. One highlight of the night though was getting to meet Michelle Timms, the assistant coach for China. She is a world legend and one of the all time greats. She treated us very well and we had a great chat.

After the game we came back and had dinner. Whole fish, fish heads, goose, pig parts, all kinds of interesting stuff. Again, not so adventurous. Stayed relatively light and called it a night.

So tomorrow we have a bus ride of about 1.5 hours then a flight to another city and a long bus ride to Jiyuan for our last game. It will be a tiring day but we get to see more of the country so that will be fun. I am off to pack and prep the video for breakdown.

The journey continues

Coach

Day 17

Day 17 just about in the books. A full day to say the least.

An early breakfast and we were on the road. About an hour to drive to Zhangjiagang this morning. The bus ride was nice and quick due to our escort. As we left the hotel today in Jiangyin today we were hit with the heat and humidity as well as some people taking pictures and watching us get on the bus (last night we signed autographs and took pictures after the game so that was kind of cool). We had a police escort all the way to our new city. All the intersections were stopped and a car that tried to cut in front of our bus was directed to pull over immediately. We never waited for a red light anywhere along the way. Nice when you can just drive straight through. 

Zhangjiagang is a very nice city and the people are incredible. We pulled into our hotel and there were a number of people there to take care of our bags and welcome us. This hotel is PHENOMENAL. Top shelf all the way. The people here are so helpful and kind. 

After a quick meeting we went to our first meal here. I was kind of wondering how the change of food would be. It was different. Very flavorful but different. Some of the things on the menu at lunch were duck and goose with particular pieces still attached, squid and fish with some heads in the dish. Like I said, it was interesting but still very good. We ate with the refs from last night's game as they are reffing the whole tour I understand. They helped us with some of the descriptions of the food however their English wasn't so good. One of the refs does a very good "1,2,3..CANADA" rendition.

After our meal we ventured out into the streets to explore the city. We discovered a typical Chinese marketplace. Very cool, very interesting and very hot. Many vendors selling just about everything. I was with our manager who speaks some Chinese but we weren't the best at bartering. One of our girls was tremendous and came away with some great "deals". We haggled a bit and it was fun to get the reaction of some of the shopkeepers. Even without the language, a vendor would write something down and we would write something else down and haggle away. The people were intrigued to see us and a number of them followed us around and kept looking us up and down. All very friendly just very interested. This market was definitely a highlight of the trip so far.

Practice was next on the agenda after the market. Very impressive sports complex in this city however the arena looks a little dated. When we entered the building, they hadn't had the air conditioning on. Our team doctor had an instrument with him for measuring temperature and humidity. It was 29 degrees inside with 63% humidity. Talking made you sweat. Our practice plan was modified but the girls did work hard to try and get ready for tomorrow. Hopefully they picked up enough to play a little better.

After practice we came back for supper. Another interesting culinary adventure. They had many items of western type food but many different things. When I saw the sign "Bird of Peace" I was wondering if it was what I thought it was. Yes it was and surprisingly Dove does not taste so bad. Kind of like duck. 

So tonight it is back to more video breakdown to get ready for a video session tomorrow. Today the coaches watched some video and Hemen , our team doctor, joined us to see what we see when we watch it. He learned some things and perhaps a few new swear words. 

Tomorrow is an early breakfast followed by shootaround. A meal then video then the game. It should be another interesting day. Home looms closer every day.

The journey continues

Coach

Day 16

Day 16 is in the books. What a day.

Woke up for an early breakfast with some western food available. It was ok. We then had a video session and off to the stadium for practice. Another police escort today. It is fun to watch.

After practice we grabbed lunch and then I went for a walk with our team manager. We walked to some different spots in the city and found some unique shops. The temperature during our walk was approximately 46 degrees. It is warm here.

We came back to the hotel to prep for the game and get ready to hit the bus at 6pm. We exited the hotel and their were people waiting to see us and the police had another escort waiting. It is cool to see all of the officers along the way stopping traffic to let us go. We feel almost like we are big time. 

At the arena the people were very nice and about 4000 people came to see the game including a small contingent from Canada waving the Canadian flag. Watching the Chinese team warm up was a sight. Their coach is one of the best in the world and their conditioning coach came and introduced himself to me. He worked with the Sacramento Kings and came to China to help them get ready. They are investing a lot into this Olympics. There were 13 TV cameras shooting the event, more than an NBA game. They were doing a practice run for the Olympics with overhead cameras and the whole nine yards. Very cool except for the fact that the TV guy who was shooting in our time out huddles didn't understand the game and was getting between Coach Marquis and the players.

The Chinese players are big and skilled. Their starting post player, Nan Chen, is one of the best in the world. She is about 6'7" with long limbs and moves really well. They also have another big girl inside who takes up space well.

The game featured a bit of an opening ceremony where gifts were exchanged and the teams were announced. When they finished our team they played the National Anthem. That was a moment that I will never forget as long as I live. What an unbelievable feeling that was. To represent your country and hear that anthem was amazing.

The game was much better than we anticipated. We ended up losing 96-70 but thought it could have been much worse. They are talented and are tuned up for the Olympics. We played hard in spurts and were nowhere near physical enough. They dominated us in one stretch for a 17-0 run that pretty much settled the game. When we played hard at both ends we hung with them. The key a this level is the little things. You need to screen harder, run harder, attack the basket harder and basically play TOUGH. Our posts need to play tougher in the next game and we need to play harder overall. The execution of the details is a must. China just displayed some awesome basketball at times that shows that they have been together for a while.

Tomorrow is an early wakeup and an 8am breakfast followed by an hour long bus ride to Zhangjiagang to get ready for game 2 of the trip. Hopefully it will be a better effort than tonight.

A nice side note about tonight's game were the fans. There is no home court advantage. they cheered for both teams and were very nice to us. They beat on their thunder sticks and some brought drums. There was non stop noise in the arena. They came down to the court after the game to get some autographs and take some pictures. It is fun to interact with the different people here. They are so nice and friendly.

So off I go to pack my bag and watch the video. Lots of work to be done and then some sleep. Last night I went to bed just before midnight and was wide awake at 4:30AM so hopefully I will get some rest tonight.

The Journey Continues

Coach

Day 15???

Day 15 ( I believe) is over. I can't access my blog but I think I can update it. Certain sites are blocked here such as facebook.

Today started with an early breakfast with some western food and some local food. After breakfast we went to the stadium for a workout. Leaving the hotel was impressive. There were people watching us as we left and the police had the street blocked off in front of the hotel when we got out there. We had a police escort along the way with the traffic being stopped so we could get through. The facility is an impressive stadium with just basketball lines on the court. It was hot and humid in the gym but we practiced for almost 2 hours to get the legs going on the players. As it went on, they got better and better. The people there were very nice and were scurrying about getting the facility ready for tomorrow's game. During the early part of practice, a little dog scurried to courtside, sniffed a bit, turned around and left. Also during the workout some workers sat courtside for a cigarette. Very interesting.

Lunch time was another culinary adventure. The squid with vegetables was a once in a lifetime adventure and I am not so fond of eel either but there are plenty of choices and the people are treating us very well. The highlight of the lunch was a tapioca type pudding with different fruit in it. It was sitting in coconut milk and did not have the consistency of real pudding. More like a soup.

This afternoon was probably our only free time during the trip so we went to a local shopping district in Jiangyin. The girls enjoyed and some found a "back alley" spot where they got some deals. I didn't find anything enticing as most of it was the same as we can get in Canada and only marginally cheaper. It was funny in one store as two younger ladies who were quite short followed me and kept stopping and looking at me from head to toe. They giggled and came back with a very large shoe for me to try on. I am pretty much a giant here (and I mean tall Derrick) so I do get a few different looks. It is fun and the people are really nice. 

Supper tonight featured some lamb and some local beef. There was fresh squid on the grill but that was not for me. I tried some different veggies and some different fish and then found the best dessert I have had in a long time. Honey Melon Pudding with a sweet green sauce on it. WOW.

After supper , our staff and our guide did a walk in another part of the city. Very nice, very hot and very busy. It feels very safe though so we don't mind. A cool shower afterwards and I will now try and find something on HBO to watch.

One thing I forgot to mention about our drive up from Shanghai yesterday was the very interesting choice of music. We listened to christmas carols the whole way. It was the driver's choice!

So we play tomorrow at 7:30 pm local time. The game is webcast at  http://www.myp2p.eu/competition.php2?competitionid=&part=sports&discipline=basketball. 

I am not sure if there is any particular software needed but it is online. They are expecting a big crowd.

So hopefully this blog is getting through. There are some restrictions here. I will have many more stories when I get back. Tomorrow starts with an early breakfast and then a shootaround and a video session. Off to rest.

The journey continues.

Coach

Day 14

Where am I? What time is it? What day is it? Which way is up? Why do I feel like I was just involved in a 12 round title bout? On Mr. Dressup, why could we hear Casey's voice while his lips didn't move yet Finnegan's lips moved but we couldn't hear him?

All critical questions that must be answered. 

THis leg of the journey started at 8:30 am (canadian time) on Tuesday and it is now Wednesday night at 9pm in Jiangyin China.

The flight was long long long but went fairly well. Hard to sleep but I did manage a bit. Trip was going smooth until a young child in the same row as me began crying uncontrollably. The mother couldn't get him to stop until a man with a french accent from a few rows back came and volunteered his assistance. He turned the baby over and did some sort of massaging on his lower back and within 30 seconds the baby was completely quiet. Very impressive.

We landed in Shanghai and the first thing that hit us was the heat. Very warm with HIGH humidity. We made a very interesting drive for 3 hours after we arrived. The scenery was interesting with many different types of housing and neighborhoods. Some of it made me think of how good we have it in Canada.

The driving itself was interesting as there are many big trucks moving in and out of traffic. I dozed off along the drive for a while and woke up just as we were getting to Jiangyin. We drove by the coliseum where we will play and it looks impressive. The city looked very nice coming in and we arrived at our hotel. It is very nice with a welcome for us on the marquee at the front of the hotel. Everyone is extremely nice and helpful here. We arrived at 6:45 pm with our first meal scheduled for 7:00pm. We quickly made our way to our rooms and then off to our meal. It was an interesting culinary experience. I didn't ask a lot of questions but I know I ate some things that I have never experienced before. I also ate something that was incredibly spicy and I have had heartburn ever since. 

After the meal a group of us decided to walk around the city a bit. It was very hot and humid but the walk was nice. Your senses get bombarded by the sights, sounds and smells in the area. MAny little shops and restaurants around our hotel. There are also some very impressive park areas which I will try and check out in the daylight tomorrow. We certainly stood out as we all had the same shirts on and were clearly noticeable. It was fun walking behind Krysten Boogaard on our team who is 6'5" tall. People stop and look at her, some snickered and some wanted their picture taken with her. All in all a very interesting walk. Tomorrow I hope to take some pictures to display when I get back home.

The kids seem to be in good spirits but I am sure fatigue may hit them tomorrow. We have breakfast at 8:30 am and then practice at 10AM I believe. We will take the afternoon off to rest and get ready for game 1 on Friday. That will be an interesting experience..

Now I am off to finish our video for tomorrow and then get some sleep.

The journey continues

Coach

Day 13

Day 13 is in the books.

Early wakeup this morning followed by our final practice in Canada. It was a decent practice focusing on offensive execution. We have not been able to spend a huge amount of time on defense so we could struggle a bit over there. 

After practice we grabbed a quick lunch and then headed out for some healthy snacks for the trip. I picked up some granola bars, peanut butter, bagels, nuts and other assorted snacks. This was highly recommended by our experienced staff members as you never know what to expect when we get there. 

After the shopping it was time for laundry and packing. We are allowed one bag under 20 kg. so it is creative to say the least. Trying to squeeze everything in has been tricky. 

Tonight some of the coaches went out for a nice meal overlooking the lake here in Barrie. A nice atmosphere and good conversation. It was nice to get off campus and get to know the other coaches on a different level. 

Tomorrow starts with a 7:30 am breakfast and an 8:30 departure for the airport. In total , our time traveling will be about 20 hours. Can't wait for this fun!!!  

Looking at the camp and the players that were here, we have a bit of a tough road ahead to make it to the elite level in the world but I truly think we can get there. There is some talent coming through the ranks and there is some young talent on the senior team. It will take some work and some lucky breaks but there are some great people working with these players and leading the program. The problem is , due to a number of circumstances, we can only train for a short time each year. We need better funding to move up a level but in order to get better funding we need to have a better team. Kind of a catch 22. The other issue is that after these players leave the national team camp they go to many different programs where many play for coaches who will not spend enough time developing the players.

Another thing that I think is needed is more education for coaches across the country regarding the international style of play and skills that are needed. The grassroots coaches are the ones that really make the impact on the early skill development. I think this can be done but it will take some work.

So now we are off to China tomorrow. I am a little excited but disappointed that the gym time is over. I love our practices and then watching and interacting with the other coaches. Tomorrow opens a whole new world for me, international basketball which has been one of my goals.  I am a little bit excited and little bit scared of what may lie ahead. 

As I said, hopefully the interesting tidbits in the blog pick up with the travel in China. I am not sure about the internet access while I am in China so I am not sure when I will get to post again. Basically one of the main reasons I started this blog was so my mom ( who doesn't use email yet) could follow my travels. I'll let you know when I get there mom, don't worry!

So China awaits. I'll have some stories to tell for sure.

The journey continues

Coach

Day 12

Day 12 in the books and it was a busy day.

Started with an early breakfast and a practice this morning. The practice wasn't the most uptempo practice but again there is that question of how tired we want to make the athletes as we prepare for this trip. I will explain the trip later and you will see what I mean.

We are still awaiting one of our guards to come back but that won't happen until China. The doctor has her on a daily treatment schedule and says she'll be ready for China. That will be a good thing. Our starting PG will have to tough out the trip with her ankle issue as it can't get any better or any worse by playing. So we are a little shorthanded but everyone should be ready to go. The problem is that we aren't exceptionally deep and they are big and deep. They are expecting our best team but our people have told them that this is a development team and we have been hampered by injuries to our current roster as well as to the possible players who could be here. I think we will struggle in a big way to put points on the board. 

After practice I watched some of the junior team. Nice to see Justine Colley and Abby Duinker from Nova Scotia make the squad that will head to Argentina to try and qualify for the junior world championships. Once the practice was complete, the senior coaches took 30 minutes out of the day to get off campus and head to Starbucks. A good change of pace. 

This evening at 5:30 we played the juniors in a controlled scrimmage with no score being kept. We played somewhat sloppy in parts and didn't run our offense well. Our defense did improve but we must try and get better before we challenge the Chinese. 

This evening we were given our schedule and some directions for the trip. We can only take one bag and it must be less than 20 kg due to the restrictions on the flight within China. So we must spread out our gear and then Canada Basketball is going to weigh each bag before we go. Bizarre but they don't want to incur any extra costs on the trip. 

I know this will be a bit long but I am going to give a brief (as possible) run down on the schedule so people will know what we are going to experience. Our schedule is pretty much down to the minute although that may change drastically once we are in China. There is very little free time to experience the culture or sights but we'll survive. So here goes.

(by the way, the time change is 11 hours from N.S. time and I won't include everything on our itinerary here)

July 15 - Depart Toronto - 14 hour flight and arrive in Shanghai at 3:20 on July 16th. From the plane we go to the bus for our 3 hour drive to the hotel in Jiangyin. With the 3 hours in the airport prior to departure that is 20 hours of travel. We will be hosted to a dinner at 7pm on the 16th.

July 17

7:30 AM breakfast

practice scheduled at 10-12 and 4:30-6:30 - we will only use one time

12:30 hosted lunch

7:30pm  hosted dinner

July 18

Early breakfast followed by a technical meeting

10:30 -12:00 Game Day shootaround

1:45 team meeting

4pm light meal

7pm opening ceremony (doing this in every city)

7:30 Game

9:45 Press COnference

10 pm - Dinner

July 19

8 am breakfast

9:30 departure 1 hour bus ride to Zhangjiagang

2:30pm meal

4:00pm practice

6pm dinner

July 20

7Am breakfast

10:30-12noon practice

12:30 lunch

1:45pm team meeting

4:30 light meal

7:00pm opening ceremony

7:30 Game 

9:45 Press Conference

10:00 pm Dinner

July 21

6:30 AM Breakfast

7:45AM 1 hour drive from Zhanhjiagang to shanghai

11:30 1 hour and 45 minute flight from Shanghai to Zhengzhou

1:30 2.5 hours bus ride from Zhengzhou to Jiyuan

4pm Arrive in Jiyuan

5pm  Hosted Dinner

July 22 

7:30 Breakfast

11:00 Am Practice

12:15 hosted lunch

1:45 team meeting

4:45 pm light meal

7:00pm opening ceremonies

7:30 game

9:45pm press conference

10:00 pm hosted dinner

July 23

6AM Take out breakfast

3 hour bus ride to Zhengzhou

10:30 1.5 hour flight to shanghai 

5:10 pm 14 hour flight from Shanghai to Toronto

So as you can see, it will be hectic and it will probably be the most mentally demanding thing I have ever done. So I must go and get some rest. We have our final practice tomorrow at 10AM followed by some laundry and some last minute shopping. This journey is just getting revved up. Too bad my favorite part (the practices) are coming to an end. I can't wait to hit the 40 plus degree heat!!! 

The journey continues.

Coach

Day 11

Day 11 - Over

Not much of a day to report. We took the day off from practice today to give the team some rest. After breakfast we had individual meetings with the players to discuss their individual goals for the upcoming trip. The only major concern they have is regarding the food over there. They are concerned with being able to fuel their bodies appropriately. They are also concerned with the length of the flight. Guess we can't change that part but we'll make the best of the food situation.

After the meetings we had a quick lunch then went as a team to watch the movie Hancock with Will Smith and Charlize Theron. The movie wasn't bad but had some questionable twists. Ms. Theron clearly rescued the film during these parts. :)

We came back to campus and had a team meal then went to watch some of the junior team practice. There is some talent here but not a ton of great athletes and the ones who are good athletes don't shoot well or have good ball handling skills. Many of them have a lot to do to get to the next level of the national teams. It is good to watch the practices though as the coaches are very good and fun to watch.

Tomorrow we practice at 10Am and then have a video session in the afternoon. At 5:30pm we play the junior national team in a scrimmage. We need another tuneup before we leave. I just hope it goes as well as our last scrimmage. 

That's pretty much it for my day. I did forget to mention that as I write this it is currently 10:30AM on Sunday morning and the temperature is listed as 31 and feels like 43. It is supposed to be a little higher than that when we arrive later in the week. Can't wait for that sweat box. 

Lastly , while I know these blogs may seem as boring as sitting through a class by Allan Fraser or Derrick Hayes, I am sure they will pick up when we hit China. Had to get one shot in there guys!

The journey continues

Coach 

Day 10

Well Day 10 is in the books. This is flying by way too fast.

Today was a full day. Early breakfast followed by a practice. The practice was pretty good. Fairly good intensity and good attention to detail. I keep getting the urge to suggest we go harder but then I realize that we have been together for 10 days and have a gut wrenching trip coming up. We will need to conserve some energy for the trip but still push the girls to improve. It is a fine line.

This afternoon we had a film session and discussed plans for our scrimmage tonight. The organization of things hasn't been the best here with changes in the schedule popping up at a moment's notice. Our staff has decided to let them all roll off our backs as China can be much of the same according to our head coach Linda Marquis. Today was no different as our video session got cut a bit short as our conference room was apparently double booked by (get the irony in this) Scarborough Chinese Association. Were they planted there as a distraction? Who really knows? 

So after our video session we headed over to the gym to scrimmage. Game time set for 5pm. Of course the local coach had a miscue and told some of his players it was later so they didn't show up until 5:40. The coaches looked at each other and simply said "China!" Finally the guys were warmed up and ready to go. A few HS players, a few georgian college players and one entering his 2nd year at Concordia U. Needless to say I wasn't expecting a stellar performance. Fooled again. The girls played hard and well. They executed on offense and shot the ball well. The defense was very solid from where we were 5 days ago. We defeated the guys 71-68. Hopefully we maintain the energy and execution in China.

Afterwards I stayed to watch some of the junior girls tryout camp. Many of these kids are entering their final year of high school so they are recruitable for next year. Not much chance due to the string of NCAA coaches in the gym to watch them plus the other obstacles in the way but I had to watch anyway.

Tomorrow we have a day off from practice. The girls need the rest and we have some injuries to rehab. Our injured guard will be back for the China games and not before. Our starting PG needs to get some rest for her damaged ankle as well. We will have a team breakfast then  have some individual meetings for goal setting before the trip. In  the afternoon we are going to a movie as a team. In the evening we will have a team meal and let the girls crash in bed early. We will practice twice on Sunday or practice once and scrimmage. That is yet to be determined. We will practice once on Monday and then prepare to depart.

An interesting side note for today was the article we were given about the food in China. One of the delicacies that is very popular as the Olympics approach is skewered Roasted Scorpions. Grubs and Insect Larvae are also very popular. MMMMM Can't wait to get the Roasted Scorpion combo with the Biggie Size Grubs and a large June Bug Shake. This sounds like it could be a culinary adventure but you know I gotta try some of the crazy shit they eat. 

We have also been told how cheap things are over there and how "Gucci" bags sell for about 15 dollars. Can't wait to see this movie!!!

So guess what I am off to do now? Yep, more video. Gonna prep tonight's scrimmage for the girls to watch maybe tomorrow night or the next morning. The job never ends. 

The journey continues

Coach

Day 9

Wow. Day 9 is in the books already. Time is flying by far too fast.

Today started with an early breakfast as we prepared to scrimmage for the first time. The Ontario under 15 boys team was driving through on their way to a tourney and wanted to play us so we said sure. The scrimm was scheduled for 11:00 AM but of course 3 of our players showed up around 10:30 after we told them to be there much earlier. Needless to say, anyone who knows how I treat lateness knows that I was far from impressed. We started the game sloppy and pretty much stayed that way for most of it. We played very robotic and didn't play basketball. We tried to execute everything to completion and never saw the scoring opportunities that were present. Our defense was shitty to say the least and we ended up getting tagged by 37. Credit to this U-15 team though as they were exceptionally athletic and had one player about 6'8". Their best player looked like he was about 22. I was checking to see if his last name was Almonte (for those who don't know, Danny Almonte played in the little league world series when he was 15 or 16 or something like that). The body this kid had was better than some on our men's team at CBU. But we shouldn't have been as bad as we were.

To top it off, our 2nd steadiest ballhandler busted her ankle and our starting point guard is now out with an ankle situation. Not looking like fun for next week but that is why we have practice.

Tomorrow we are up for an 8 am breakfast followed by practice at 9:30. We will watch video in the early afternoon and then play a local boys club team at 5pm tomorrow evening. We are separating the coaching duties as we go and I will be taking care of the defense for the majority of the trip. Problem is , we have so much offensive stuff to work on we barely get time for defense in practice. We'll have to squeeze some in somewhere. After tomorrow we will have 3 practices and 1 scrimmage to get ready to compete with China.

Today was a day of pretty deep thought for me. While I have to stay focused on this journey my mind never wanders far from my own team. While most schools have the luxury of having their recruiting finished months ago, we don't have that. (perhaps one of the most stressful points of my position). We have a number of obstacles that prevent us from finishing this task early so we are still awaiting word for some players and it is the middle of July. My guess is that CBU is probably in the top 3 or 4 hardest places to recruit to and when you do catch a break often there are internal obstacles that jump in your way but that is another story. It is not overly comforting to not know who will be on the court in a month and a half.  I also wonder if we are preparing hard enough to battle next year. A number of teams have improved in the offseason and will be tougher but I wonder if we are ready to go. I guess that always happens at this time of year. My worry is that complacency has set in and we are prepared to slide back to mediocrity. I know many people say that this level of basketball works in cycles and that you can't be good forever. I think they are full of shit. Those who think like that don't win. I want to win every second we are on the court and winning doesn't mean on the scoreboard but also the lessons that hard work and competition teaches them. I know we have some great kids that will work but during summer is when I worry that the heat and the distractions of the beach or good times may cause them to lose focus. I guess it goes back to my favorite summer time question "There comes a time when winter will ask what summer did". I guess that's enough of my rant about the summer but my heart lies in a certain place and I can't shake it :)

Lastly, after this experience, I hope that our athletes are very thankful and grateful for everything they have. Hearing about the 3 teams sharing shoes was tough the other day but last night there were even more stories of other national teams in other countries who don't have enough money to feed their athletes or provide them with proper training. Stories of coaches and players being fired or assaulted for bad performances exist as well. Man this stuff really opens your eyes to how well we have it in Canada for the most part. We may not have as much as some but we certainly have more than most.

Wow what a pile of ranting for today. As always , there is more video to watch. Time to head off to videoland and get ready for tomorrow.

The journey continues.

Day 8

Well Day 8 is in the books.

We started today with a team meeting regarding our goals and our trip to China. The team was fairly excited and ready to go but a few are still down because they didn't make the first 12. For the most part though we are ready to go. Not on the court, but off it. The Chinese trip will be an adventure for sure. The other 2 staff members that have been there are trying to get people ready for it. The "little things" they are mentioning are having to squat over a hole in some places to go to the bathroom and having to place the used toilet paper in a basket beside the hole. Other "little" things like people spitting all over the place, being very loud when they eat, a foul stench that hangs in some places and being served a plate full of pigeon heads. Sounds very fun. The other things we talked about was taking certain food with us to be prepared for the differences. Linda, our head coach, also mentioned the mental stresses and that sometimes players have broken down and cried and didn't know why due to the changes in their stress level and body clock.

We finally got our schedule today. We fly on the 15th for 14 hours and arrive on the 16th. We play on the 18th in Jiyuan in Henan Province. On the 20th we play in Jiangyin in the Jiangyu province. On the 22nd we play in Zhangjiagang. The hotels look nice according to their websites so we should be OK with the accommodations. The food and travel should be interesting to say the least. We fly back on the 23rd into Toronto and I return to Cape Breton on the 24th. 

The girls will be excited for this trip but after practice I am not sure it will be very much fun on the court. We have 11 players and 3 of them seem a tad out of place. Another 5 days of practice will help with this. We certainly have some talent but against a team that is expected to possibly win an Olympic medal, we will be in deep.  We will not have a great deal of size against their front line and our weakest position may be at point guard so it will be an adventure. 

Tomorrow we play a boys team at 11AM and then practice in the evening. We will also play a boys team in a few days and then the Junior Women's National team the day before we go. We need the experience to get our kids to gel. 

This evening we had a nice break as a local coach named Ralph May invited us to his house. HE has been watching training camp all week so he invited us to meet his family and have a beverage or two. The coaches had some wine and a beer or two while we dined on some incredible dessert that Ralph's wife made. A nice connection to our program is that Ralph coached and coached with Lindsey Smith.

So now that the team has been picked and the details are coming together we are getting ready. Tomorrow starts early with breakfast at 7:30 and our staff will meet at around 8am and I will watch the senior practice at 9am.  After our scrimmage I will get to work breaking down the video so we can find ways to improve.

The journey continues

Coach

Day 7

Well Day 7 is over and it was an eventful day.

We started the day with a workout at 10 am. The point guards went first, working on individual skills for 45 min. The perimeter players came in next for 45 min. followed by the "4's and 5's". The sessions went very well and I picked up a lot of new ideas for our own players. 

During the session we were hit with a nasty thunder and lightning storm with very heavy rain. I thought it might break the heat but it is still quite warm and humid here.

In the afternoon I met with our coaching staff to discuss our practices and plans as we break into our development team. The head coach is Linda Marquis from Laval and the other assistant is Jacqueline Lavallee, a former national team player who is an assistant at the university of Saskatchewan. Linda is keeping us organized and giving us a lot of "say" into how things will go. I am really looking forward to gaining more knowledge from both of them.

We practiced tonight at 5pm and it was a little tight. The players seemed to be concerned with the meetings we would be having after practice. The coaching staff had met to discuss the team breakdown and the players would find out their fate after practice. While the practice was still quite competitive it lacked the same intensity as earlier in the week. Following practice we sent the players back to the residence and they had scheduled meetings with the coaches. Basically they came to the lobby at their appointed time and either myself or Mike MacNeil from the Senior team would take them to a meeting room. If they came with me they were on the development team with us. This was not the easiest thing to do as we knew that almost everyone had a hope of being with the senior group and basically we were kind of squashing their summer dreams. A number of them were happy to have the opportunity while a few were upset that they were coming with us. I stood by the fact that you get to represent the country and work on your game. I don't know why you wouldn't want to do that at any level. 

So I will give you a rundown of the roster we will be taking to China in 1 week.

Our perimeter players are:

Vanessa Kabongo, a 5'10" guard entering her 2nd year at the University of Delaware

Tara Watts, a 5'9" guard entering her 3rd year at Rice University

Caitlyn Burke, a 5'7" guard entering her 2nd year at the University of Nebraska

Kadie Riverin, a 5'9" grad from Rice University

Amy Ogiden, a 5'9" guard entering her 2nd year at the University of Winnipeg

Kendel Ross, a 6'1" small forward entering her 3rd year at the University of Dayton

Our forwards are:

Marie Michelle Genois, a 6'2" forward entering her 3rd year at Universite de Laval

Miranda Ayim, a 6'3" forward entering her third year at Pepperdine University

Melissa Dalembert, a 6'3" post entering her 2nd year at the University of South Florida

Natalie Doma, a 6'3" post recently graduated from Idaho State University

Krysten Boogaard, a 6'5" post entering her 2nd year at the University of Kansas

This team is young and has some international experience so the trip to China won't be totally new but we are in deep as the Chinese team is very talented and should finish in the top 5 in the upcoming Olympics. Our goal is to compete hard on every possession, focus on offensive execution and stop them from getting easy baskets in transition. WE will build on this for the next week of practice. 

Tomorrow we have a meeting at 11Am to discuss our team rules, goals and expectations. We will also discuss the trip overseas. Following the meeting I get to have my final injection of antibodies before we travel. Just about sick of needles at this point. Our first practice as a team begins at 5pm so hopefully the players are focused and ready to build for our trip. We will practice twice a day and play 2 scrimmages before we head off to China in a week.

Hopefully these blog postings will get more exciting as the team unfolds and we head overseas. 

It is now time for sleep. 

The journey continues

Coach 

Day 6

Well Day 6 is in the books.

This morning we gave the team a break from practice. They are banged up and have pushed hard so we decided to give them some time off. We did a core workout and a lot of stretching then we watched some video. I have been having practice filmed so I can break it down for the staff and players to watch.

The fun part of the day was finishing up the distribution of our gear. We received a large travel bag, a coaches bag and a backpack. 4 golf shirts, 4 t-shirts, a long sleeve dri-fit shirt, practice shirt,a hat, a hooded sweatshirt, 4 pairs of shorts , about 8-10 pairs of socks, a track suit, 1 pair of running shoes, 1 pair of cross trainers and a pair of flip flops. All  from Nike so I am not sure what my boss will say when I go back to working at an adidas school. The gear is nice though!!!

A special treat for supper tonight as we dined on lemon dill salmon with a garlic mashed potato and fresh veggies. The food has been decent here so far I must say but I never expected salmon although last night it was BBQ ribs so not too bad.

We practiced at 5pm and went at it pretty hard. We were down to 21 bodies tonight as Kelsey Adrian, a perimeter player from Cal Berkeley, is nursing tendinitis while Melissa Dalembert (sister of Samuel) who plays at the University of South Florida is nursing an upper arm injury. Looks like a deep bruise right now but very swollen and limited in her range of movement. Hopefully these players won't be out for long. 

The girls battled extremely hard and showed some really solid signs of improvement. Tomorrow night will be tough as that is when we break into 2 teams and possibly shatter the summertime dreams of a few who may think they are in the top 12. Hard to do but it must be done and for the most part things have really shaken down in the practices so most people won't be surprised. The group we will be taking to China will be a bit younger and less experienced than the Chinese team. Their team has been together for the past 4 years and has practiced almost year round while playing about 20 games a year. Earlier this year they defeated some great teams and they have a 6'7" player who will give us some trouble I am sure. The schedule also sees us travel around China to 3 different cities with one being a 2 hour flight away from Shanghai. The details are just filtering in so when I receive them I will pass them along. We play 3 games in 6 days with a lot of travel so it is not going to be fun. The experienced coaches are telling me that this trip will be one of the most hellish they have ever been on. I told them that from the perception they have given me, I am pretty much expecting Beelzebub to meet us at the airport!!! 

Tomorrow we have 2 practices with one being more individualized in the morning. We will have the point guards come in by themselves, then the shooting guards and small forwards and then the power forwards and posts. We will do a core workout and stretch and then practice again in the evening.

The following day we break up and start practicing with our own groups. That will certainly be interesting as we try to build our team for China. 

My biggest coaching observation of the day is how thankful these players are when they receive feedback. They want constant feedback but whenever you pull them aside and show them something they ALWAYS say thank you. I am not sure how many times over my 9 years at CBU that I have heard those words on a regular basis from the players. I assume that we all take each other for granted so I guess we need to work on building a better appreciation within the program. Both an appreciation of the players by the staff and vice versa. The one thing I would like to show all of our athletes at CBU is how thankful these players are. They received their Nike Gear and thanked all the staff, they clean up after themselves and thank all of the people around residence and the campus pub where we eat our meals. It irks me that we provide a pair of shoes or a track suit or a shirt for our athletes and often they comment about it and complain. This certainly doesn't stand for everyone in our women's basketball program but I think I have to do a better job of making sure we are respectful and thankful for everything we receive as varsity athletes. We get treated very very well by the university yet many deem that certain things are owed to them. Entitlement??? That's a crock of shit in my eyes. The goal in my eyes is to represent yourself and our university in a top notch manner, appreciate the experience and leave a better person than you were when you came in.

But that's enough of my rant for today. I have to break down some more film of the practice today and get ready for tomorrow. 

The journey continues.

Coach

Day 5

Well Day 5 is oficially over. 

The day started with an early  morning breakfast followed by practice. The practice went OK. We are still rushing everywhere on offense but the defense is getting better. The girls are working very hard and trying to impress the coaching staff. Their bodies are breaking down but there are very few complaints if any at all. 

In practice 1 we did a lot of shooting and fundamental footwork followed by a number of defensive drills focused on defending different screens. We then worked on the press break and had some full court games.

As we broke for lunch, I retreated to my room to break down the video of the morning practice. I prepped it for the coaches to watch and then review with the players.

Practice number two started out fairly competitive but the intensity waned as the practice wore on. Coach MacNeil had me step in and do a very quick exercise focusing on the mentality of the players and they seemed to become enerized for the remainder of the practice. It was a competitive practice as we continued to build our offense. We are showing very little patience so far. We'll work on more of that tomorrow.

My biggest observation tonight was one that has been a pet peeve of mine for a very long time. Too many players in this country play with a total lack of vision. They don't handle the ball with their eyes up and they don't have their eyes up when they attack the rim. It is no different here. A lot of the players are very talented yet drop their heads a lot which gets them into trouble. In fact one of the best players was called for a charge after a great move. Unfortunately she put her head down and barreled over a defender. Some players miss shots and get frustrated yet they never have the rim in their field of vision for a very long time. It is something I stress with all players and I will continue to do so.

Tomorrow we have a light workout in the AM followed by a video session and a core training session. In the evening we have a full practice with a focus on offensive execution.

Now it's off to bed for some well needed rest.

The journey continues

Coach

Day 4

Well Day 4 is in the books here in Barrie. We eliminated one of our two practices today to let the athletes rest so the day began with a 10 am breakfast followed by a core strength program  and stretching. Lots of neat ideas in this session. Core strength, and overall strength, is so important at this level.

Practice started today at 4:30 but we were down a body. One of the players chose to leave for personal reasons so we are down to 23 in camp. I won't comment on the reasons for her decision but I know if it was me, I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to represent Canada on the court.  Some athletes have said they have other things more important than that and that irks me. Today I read an article by men's national team head coach where he stated after a loss to New Zealand that "it's not about your country". I know he meant that you have to have personal pride and not get embarrassed on the court. However I think it IS about our country. When you represent the country you play with pride and passion and feel privileged that you get to do it. Too many people take things for granted. The coaches here have been around the world and told a story today about visiting the country of Niger. Three local teams practiced in the gym and after each practice they took off their sneakers and left them on the court for the next team. Can you imagine asking a North American player to think about that? It would be an international crisis. 

Having said that, I think the group we have remaining here truly GET IT and are committed to giving everything they have to help develop a national identity for Canada Basketball. Hopefully they prove me right.

The practice today also showed me the mental capacity that some of these experienced, professional athletes. The veterans pick up things so quickly and are able to be advanced through skills at a MUCH quicker level than I am used to at our level. Interesting to see how things are planned and what actually can be planned when you have a team full of experienced, elite athletes.

After practice today Coach MacNeil asked me how I was enjoying it so far. Of Course I told her it was an incredible experience and it has been thus far. As many of you can imagine, I am asking questions and throwing around ideas like crazy.  This is like heaven. Most people like the beach, I like the gym with good coaches to talk to. I also told her that the openness the staff has shown to a "rookie" like me has been impressive. They ask questions, seek ideas and opinions and have let me lead pieces of practice. It has been challenging and very rewarding. Perhaps the most challenging part of the practices has been the details. Allison and Mike are incredibly detailed. I don't have the picture of the program in my head that they do nor am I overly familiar with the offensive system they have so that leads to a few gaps with my attention to detail. They do look at the game at a much higher level though so it is a great opportunity for me to grow in that regard and see how things are done at the highest level of basketball in the female basketball world. 

So now we forge ahead towards China. My task now is to put together a scouting report for our games as we play a team that in the past 5 months has knocked off perennial international contenders Spain and Australia and also defeated the U.S.

They are feeling that they can get a medal at the Beijing Olympics and we are taking our development team. I am trying to think back to what it was like coaching in my first year. It could resemble that!!!

Time to watch some video of our opponents and get ready for another day of practices.

The journey continues

Coach

Day 3

Well day three is over. A very intense day on the court and and some tension in the air as "cut day" was upon us. 

The players were  a little sore and stiff during the morning session but loosened up and had a tough practice. They competed hard and pushed each other. With spots on the line they were playing hard. The nice thing was that everyone was sore and beaten up but nobody complained. Quite refreshing to deal with that mentality. During the practice we lost a player to an ankle injury so had our numbers cut to 28 meaning that we had to cut 4 players by the end of the day.

After lunch we came back for practice number 2 and it was quite intense and the group showed signs of improving and grasping of the concepts that were being thrown at them quickly. What really stands out quickly in a tryout like this is the impact that experience, strength and skill work has at this level. Many of the top athletes are big and STRONG. However as former Princeton coach Pete Carrill stated "The smart take from the strong". The best player here in my eyes by far is Teresa Gabriele. She is about 5'7" at best but incredibly skilled and incredibly smart. She knows how to play at a number of different speeds and can create opportunities for everyone. She handles pressure and plays with poise. Her experience and intelligence allows her to dominate the court.

Some of the best players here also have a mindset to TRAIN. This is missing in so many young players. They think they know what it takes to get to a level like this but they have no idea. I know as coaches we often say that players in high school have no idea how hard they must work to get to the university level. Well to get to the international level is many times harder. You have to be in INCREDIBLE condition plus have skills, be tenacious and highly competitive. 

After our cuts tonight, unfortunately Kelsey will not be moving forward. She was in the mix right down to the wire but was lacking in some areas. She knows this and will work hard to make herself better because she is really determined to make herself an elite player. I told her afterwards that I was VERY VERY proud of her performance but perhaps that wasn't even enough. She was incredibly positive each day, played hard and really worked at every part of the practice. She made an impact on the coaches and hopefully her work ethic takes another step and she gets another chance. One of the big reasons that I am very proud of her is the fact that she tried out in the first place. So many young players, especially in our region, don't think at the elite level. They would have the mindset that they shouldn't try because they'll only get cut or that they are not good enough. Kelsey believed in herself and her hard work and represented CBU very well. She is the only player in my memory from CBU that was in the national talent pool. If she brings the mentality from this camp to the court next year she will be TOUGH. As you can tell, I just love the fact that she believes in what she is doing. She has grown SO much in the past year or two.

Tomorrow is a half day off as we do some meetings and core strength workouts in the morning and then practice in the evening. The competition will rise again as we have narrowed it down to 24 players with the 2 teams of 12 TBD - to be determined!

I'll report more in the coming days as training camp continues. China is about 10 days away so lots and lots and lots and lots of work to be done.

The journey continues

Coach

Day Two

Well Day two is over and it was a great day of basketball. The level of athleticism packaged with size here is impressive. The first practice was a bit sluggish because of some nerves but it settled down and got better. Tonight's practice was much , much better from an intensity standpoint as well as a technical skill demonstration standpoint. The players competed harder and started to show that the skills we worked on in the first practice were transferring to the evening. 

From a coaching standpoint there were some adjustments for me but it went well. Our coaches are very detailed and have high expectations. I enjoy the intensity and the attention to detail. I certainly picked up a great number of things today and I feel I will be bringing many new ideas back to our program next year. I am also very impressed with the openness of all of the staff here. All ideas are accepted and encouraged with a distinct focus on where basketball is going in this country. 

We have had some tremendous discussions regarding technical aspects as well as team selection. I have enjoyed these meetings a lot. As I told many people, the practices and discussions are what I will enjoy more than traveling and playing.

With regards to Kelsey, she had a pretty solid day and didn't look out of place. I have been very proud of her composure and the amount of positive energy she has brought to the practices. Again, I have removed any bias from the selection process and her fate is in her hands. I do not want any opportunity for people to say received special consideration because of me. 

We are receiving our travel plans for China this week so I will pass them along. I do know that all 3 games will not be in shanghai. We will play in 3 different cities so it will be a tiring schedule but nothing we can't handle. Hey, we are representing our country. How can you be negative about that. I know walking into that gym today with Canada Basketball on my chest was a moment I will remember. I am sure it will be even better when we play a game with Canada on the uniform. As I said before, I have always wanted to win championships and will drive for that every day of my involvement at CBU but I have always dreamed of listening to our nationl anthem being played and representing Canada at the international level.

We have 2 practices tomorrow and then cut it to 24 players for the 2 teams we will be having. A big day of evaluation and selection ahead. It's time to head to bed.

Be back tomorrow as the Journey continues.

Coach

Day One

Hi Folks

I have decided to try and start a daily update on this journey so people back home can follow along.

My day started at 4:30 AM to get ready for the 6:15 flight. The flight was no problem except for the cranky lady beside me from Halifax - Toronto who complained about everything from the lights to the service to the tv's. She bitched about everything.

Arrived in Toronto at 9AM and got to the Canada Basketball offices around 10. I hung out there for a while and then headed to the nearby Chapters to buy more books :)

I left the office around 2 to head to pick up some coaches and head to York for the open tryout. 

The tryout had about 25 players from across the country and had a varying level of skills. CBU was represented by Kelsey Hodgson. She had a good tryout and was very energetic. She has made the next round of tryouts and I am very proud of that. She has worked very hard and has earned a second look with the senior women's team.

I chose to remove a lot of my input into the decision regarding her as I didn't want to bias the selection. She earned her way and now has a bigger task ahead of her to crack the senior women's squad. Regardless of what happens she will gain a tremendous amount over the next two days. 

Tomorrow starts what I have been waiting for, PRACTICE. I have been wanting to get into this level of basketball for a long while and tomorrow another goal is checked off the list. There are some very high level athletes and coaches here so it should be a tremendous experience. 

I will update as much as I can over the course of the next 3 weeks. Now it is a little after 11 and I am exhausted. Off to bed with an 8AM wakeup then two 3 hour practices.

Coach McKenzie