The final day in Belgium. Final full day in Europe. Gone. Over. Canada is directly in front of me now.
I look back and I wonder where the time went. It seems as though yesterday was the start of training camp and here we are weeks later with the trip almost over. Time has flown by.
This day started with our typical breakfast at 9:00. After breakfast the coaches headed out to the terrace to discuss and evaluate players. We need this to have our final meetings. We spent the next 2.5 hours talking and evaluating players and the overall experience. We also have to evaluate the process. So there is a lot of time today in meetings. By the time we were finished with the players and the program, we looked up and it was 12:30. Lunch time. I went in and skipped the fish but had a few potatoes and broccoli. There was a fantastic dessert though. Some kind of custard with something mixed in and they also had rice pudding. Fantastic.
After lunch we had a video session at 1:30. as difficult as it was to do, I gave this video session to Chantal. She doesn't have a lot of experience with chopping video the way I do so it was a good experience for her. She did a great job with it. We discussed some adjustments and headed out to get ready for the 2:30 departure for our 4:30 game. We got on the bus and it is us and Belgium with all of our staff members, it's hot outside and the bus driver says the AC is busted. DAMN. Well it was boiling in there and the heat put me to sleep almost right away. I woke up as we are pulling into the gym. Nice little catnap to get ready.
The gym is out in a beautiful little village and it is a fantastic little gym. We get in and the girls seemed a little flat. We addressed that quickly and tried to energize them for the warmup. We get to game time and we start playing with lots of energy. We are out working them and taking care of all the details we discussed. They are taking contested shots and missing them. We are the most patient we have been and are starting to score easier. We build a small lead and at the quarter break I encourage them to keep pushing and pressuring the ball. We get after them even tougher and force them to score just 4 points in the 2nd quarter. We are up 17 at half and could have been up over 20. Refs were a little tight on the travel calls so we were sitting at 17.
At half time we discuss a few things and I tell them not to protect the lead but to play harder. We come out a little tentative but manage to hold on for a while. We are still up after 3 quarters. In the 4th we are up 14. One of our girls drives to the rim and gets clobbered. No whistle. On the next play, they hit a 3 to cut it to 11. On the way back down one of my assistants takes a technical foul. I wasn't pleased about it. They hit the 2 free throws and then score when they get the ball back. All of the sudden our lead went from 14 to 7. That changed the complexion of the game. It was tight the rest of the way. We battled back and forth. In the last minute we went to the free throw line twice. Both times we hit 1 of 2 shots. Not enough to pad the lead. In between this, they hit a 3. We are up 2 and get fouled so we hit the first one to go up 58-55. We miss the 2nd one and they scramble down the floor and get a shot that looked good when it left her hands. Luckily it missed off the left side of the rim and the buzzer sounds for a 58-55 victory. Nice way to finish the trip and it felt great to get a win at the international level.
I guess I have made another accomplishment. Head coach of a national team and a win. WOOHOO
We take the hot box ride back to the hotel and I snooze a little bit more LOL. When we arrive, Supper is ready. Chicken skewers, potatoes and rice with curry sauce. YUMMY. As a treat the hotel brings out little chocolate "lava cakes". Baked fresh with real chocolate and whipped cream. GIDDDDDDYYYY UP. This chef just pulled the move of the week. Great finish.
After dinner the girls had a half hour meeting with Denise to discuss the future of the program and what is coming up in the next 4 years. That lasted until 9 and then we had our personal meetings. We went from 9 - 11:30 and then we had to call it a night. We have some other meetings we will cover tomorrow at the airport before we go. A few more things to wrap up before we go.
So this whole experience:
I can honestly say I really didn't know what to expect on this trip. I was a little apprehensive going into training camp and upon reflection, I would change some of the things I did but that is what this experience is all about - Development. For them and me. I wish we had more in our "toolbox" to help the kids with. Our offense needed work and it wasn't ideal for what we experienced. The defensive side needed more time as well but figuring out the balance is part of the mastery at this level.
The trip was a little eye opening for me and allowed me to evaluate what I need to do to become more prepared for this level. Overall it was a great experience. I really enjoyed the staff. I really enjoyed the players. It was great. I will take many notes and hopefully get another shot to try and do a better job.
It is now 12:15AM and we have to be at breakfast at 7:30 and on the bus at 8. Wakeup at 6:50. That is 1:50AM Cape Breton time. With all of my travel I will arrive just after midnight on Monday in Cape Breton. That is just short of 24 hours of travel. One of the joys of international basketball but I wouldn't trade it. I thank the game again for allowing me to experience the world of basketball and the world in general. So to all of you that have followed, thanks for joining. I hope this blog allowed you to see what we go through on trips like this and allowed you to experience things through my eyes. As I said before, this blog was started 5 years ago to allow my mom to follow me on my journeys around this world. I know she enjoyed it and I hope anyone else who has read it has enjoyed it as well. I must get going now as I have to pack my bags.
Dovidjenja to Montenegro and Au Revoir to Belgium. See you at the airport tomorrow Mom.
Thanks for following.
PS - I swear that I saw Archie Neil, Terrence and Molly McLaughlin here in Belgium. Those rascals are probably getting into big trouble.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 20
Day 20. Gone. Like a streak of lightning.
Started with a breakfast at 9:30 again. Standard breakfast like the last few days. Had a nice cup of "red berries" tea though and tried a jam I had never heard of before.
After breakfast I finished up the video for the afternoon and got ready for practice. We had a practice from 12-1:30. It was a good practice and we did more 5 on 5 competitive stuff than I would usually do but we need to work as much as possible. We felt pretty good afterwards.
We headed back to the hotel immediately after and went straight to lunch at 1:45. Lunch was a nice stir fry which tasted great. We also had the usual meats and cheeses and some great tiramisu for dessert.
After lunch I relaxed for a little in my room before our 4:15 video session. I used the session as a teaching tool and focused on some of the little details we needed to work on to try and get a win. It was a good session and the girls were able to see a lot of the little details.
Departure time was 6:30 for a 8pm start. The girls had a little snack at 5pm and then we hit the bus at 6:30. I felt good about our team during the warmup. We started the game very well and were controlling much of the action. We were up after 1 quarter and continued to play hard but had a few miscues in the 2nd half. We ended up leading by 6 at the break.
The break came at a bad time. We talked about a few adjustments but had a few lapses early and let them start on a 6-0 run to tie the score. We had to scrape and claw but we managed to be up after 3 and then worked hard to try and stay on top. We traded the lead back and forth and with under 30 seconds they have the ball. We would get it back with about 6 seconds if they scored and we were up by 2. 72-70. We played good defense and then one of their girls shoots a one footed 3 point shot from about 25 feet away with the shot clock expiring and she hits it. Down 73-72 with 6 seconds left. We call timeout and I draw up a play. We get the ball perfectly where we want it. Our guard passes and we miss the shot as the buzzer goes. We were disappointed but we had a shot to win it and that is what we wanted. Overall we played better in a lot of areas but we let their big players kick the crap out of us. They make great decisions and punished us. Now we have game 3 tomorrow to try and get it back. Hopefully we can make it happen. We have been so close and have been improving each game out. I want to see them have success. We will watch film and see what happens I guess.
When we left the gym it was after 10 and bright out. I stepped out of the bus at 10:22pm and I could read all the writing on my water bottle without the use of the streetlights. This is awesome but confusing at the same time. We get back to the hotel and it is supper time. Fish, potatoes and broccoli. I didn't feel like fish so I had potatoes and broccoli. Pretty quick meal.
I had talked to their assistant coach this afternoon and we arranged to chat after supper. Giddy up. I was in my glory here. I talked with him for at least an hour and then the head coach came. We spoke for about another hour and he blew my mind with some stuff. Bright and very sharing kind of guy. The two of them are awesome. The head coach left and went to bed and I spent the rest of the time with the assistant. About another hour and that is why I write this at 1:50 AM. It was an awesome chat though. I love sitting around talking hoops. Best part of my last few days LOL We will exchange info tomorrow and hopefully exchange some technical stuff through email. They seem very much into sharing ideas.
So the last full day of the trip is coming up tomorrow. 9AM breakfast, 12:30 lunch. 1:30 video. 2:30 departure (30 min drive tomorrow) and a 4:30 game. Lots left to be done. I will debrief the whole trip tomorrow.
Until then.........
Started with a breakfast at 9:30 again. Standard breakfast like the last few days. Had a nice cup of "red berries" tea though and tried a jam I had never heard of before.
After breakfast I finished up the video for the afternoon and got ready for practice. We had a practice from 12-1:30. It was a good practice and we did more 5 on 5 competitive stuff than I would usually do but we need to work as much as possible. We felt pretty good afterwards.
We headed back to the hotel immediately after and went straight to lunch at 1:45. Lunch was a nice stir fry which tasted great. We also had the usual meats and cheeses and some great tiramisu for dessert.
After lunch I relaxed for a little in my room before our 4:15 video session. I used the session as a teaching tool and focused on some of the little details we needed to work on to try and get a win. It was a good session and the girls were able to see a lot of the little details.
Departure time was 6:30 for a 8pm start. The girls had a little snack at 5pm and then we hit the bus at 6:30. I felt good about our team during the warmup. We started the game very well and were controlling much of the action. We were up after 1 quarter and continued to play hard but had a few miscues in the 2nd half. We ended up leading by 6 at the break.
The break came at a bad time. We talked about a few adjustments but had a few lapses early and let them start on a 6-0 run to tie the score. We had to scrape and claw but we managed to be up after 3 and then worked hard to try and stay on top. We traded the lead back and forth and with under 30 seconds they have the ball. We would get it back with about 6 seconds if they scored and we were up by 2. 72-70. We played good defense and then one of their girls shoots a one footed 3 point shot from about 25 feet away with the shot clock expiring and she hits it. Down 73-72 with 6 seconds left. We call timeout and I draw up a play. We get the ball perfectly where we want it. Our guard passes and we miss the shot as the buzzer goes. We were disappointed but we had a shot to win it and that is what we wanted. Overall we played better in a lot of areas but we let their big players kick the crap out of us. They make great decisions and punished us. Now we have game 3 tomorrow to try and get it back. Hopefully we can make it happen. We have been so close and have been improving each game out. I want to see them have success. We will watch film and see what happens I guess.
When we left the gym it was after 10 and bright out. I stepped out of the bus at 10:22pm and I could read all the writing on my water bottle without the use of the streetlights. This is awesome but confusing at the same time. We get back to the hotel and it is supper time. Fish, potatoes and broccoli. I didn't feel like fish so I had potatoes and broccoli. Pretty quick meal.
I had talked to their assistant coach this afternoon and we arranged to chat after supper. Giddy up. I was in my glory here. I talked with him for at least an hour and then the head coach came. We spoke for about another hour and he blew my mind with some stuff. Bright and very sharing kind of guy. The two of them are awesome. The head coach left and went to bed and I spent the rest of the time with the assistant. About another hour and that is why I write this at 1:50 AM. It was an awesome chat though. I love sitting around talking hoops. Best part of my last few days LOL We will exchange info tomorrow and hopefully exchange some technical stuff through email. They seem very much into sharing ideas.
So the last full day of the trip is coming up tomorrow. 9AM breakfast, 12:30 lunch. 1:30 video. 2:30 departure (30 min drive tomorrow) and a 4:30 game. Lots left to be done. I will debrief the whole trip tomorrow.
Until then.........
Friday, May 25, 2012
2012 DWNT Day 19
Well like the rest, Day 19 flew by.
Game day. Woke up ready to go. Wanted to play right away. Had breakfast first though. Same as before. Eggs, bacon, sausages (different today and much better) toast, OJ.
After breakfast we had a little bit of time so I put together the practice plan. we headed to the gym at 11:30 for a 12noon practice. We were told we could practice from 12-1:30 but that can never happen because the bus driver always says to be on the bus as soon as we end practice. So we had what I thought was a decent practice from 12-1:20 and then scrambled to the bus.
Lunch was at 1:45 so we ate as soon as we arrived. Today it was rice and curried chicken. Very tasty. Also some veggies, meats and cheese at every meal. They also had a tuna salad in a glass like a shot glass over a half a peach. Very interesting mix but very tasty. A nice custardy type dessert to finish the meal and we were off and running. Well not really. I went back to my room and laid down for a bit. This is the first day I have felt a bit tired so I had a quick 45 minute nap.
Woke up, showered up and we were ready for the 5:30 departure with game time at 7. The gym is a nice gym in a sport school/community centre. I wish there were more like this one back in Canada.
We meet before the game and talk about what we wish to emphasize. I thought the girls looked ready to go. Game starts and it is your typical feeling out process. Both teams trying to see what the other is doing. Belgium is average size with a few big girls but are very athletic across the board. We were executing well and took control of the game halfway through the quarter. We made a few miscues and ended up leading by around 5 after 1 quarter.
In the 2nd quarter we decided that we would become individuals and we started taking bad shots and making bad decisions. They started on a 6-0 run to start the 2nd quarter. We made a number of mistakes and were down but luckily not big at the half.
At halftime we discussed some adjustments and I pleaded with them to play team basketball. We were better in the 3rd and it was close at the quarter break. Sorry but I don't remember the score. 4th quarter they jumped on us a little bit and had it to 10 points. We cut it to 7 and then it hung around there for a few minutes. In the last few minutes we made our comeback. We got a few stops on defense and a few key steals and buckets to tie it at 66 with less than 30 sec. left. We turned it over and they would get the last shot. Their coach called timeout so I rolled the dice. We switched from man to man defense to zone and it flustered them a little. They turned it over and we called timeout. I drew up a play for man and discussed what we would do if it was zone. They were in a zone and we got the ball to one of our best players. We had a miscue and we turned it back over and they got a quick half court heave. 66-66. Overtime. Well not always in international basketball. They said the game was over because it was a friendly game. It might have been because there was a men's game right after us but not so sure. They are so nice to us here and we are playing two more time so we figured it was OK. I am fairly competitive though so I wanted to play on. So that was the game. I was pleased with efforts in some areas but not so pleased in others. More work to be done.
We had a few minutes to wait for the bus outside so we chatted about the game. I think the more we talked the more ticked off I became at the little things. This game is so reliant on details especially at this level. We need to really pay attention to the details tomorrow.
On the way back we could see the stadium lights across the street from our hotel. The place was very busy as Belgium was playing Montenegro. I am on the backside of the hotel and it almost sounds like a beehive outside and when crowd roars it sounds like a massive wave. Extremely loud. Would love to be over there at the game. This city is busy with lots of things going on. There was a professional bike race here when we arrived, this soccer game, there is a professional tennis tourney going on, a jazz marathon downtown for 3-4 days and Brusselicious is about to start which is a huge food festival.
Supper was immediately upon our return and it was potatoes and beef stroganoff. I had a little bit to eat and grabbed a yogurt and left. Didn't want to discuss the game anymore, just wanted to watch the film which is what I am about to do. This is my favourite part. Analyzing to try and defeat the other coach. Guess we will see what happens tomorrow.......
Game day. Woke up ready to go. Wanted to play right away. Had breakfast first though. Same as before. Eggs, bacon, sausages (different today and much better) toast, OJ.
After breakfast we had a little bit of time so I put together the practice plan. we headed to the gym at 11:30 for a 12noon practice. We were told we could practice from 12-1:30 but that can never happen because the bus driver always says to be on the bus as soon as we end practice. So we had what I thought was a decent practice from 12-1:20 and then scrambled to the bus.
Lunch was at 1:45 so we ate as soon as we arrived. Today it was rice and curried chicken. Very tasty. Also some veggies, meats and cheese at every meal. They also had a tuna salad in a glass like a shot glass over a half a peach. Very interesting mix but very tasty. A nice custardy type dessert to finish the meal and we were off and running. Well not really. I went back to my room and laid down for a bit. This is the first day I have felt a bit tired so I had a quick 45 minute nap.
Woke up, showered up and we were ready for the 5:30 departure with game time at 7. The gym is a nice gym in a sport school/community centre. I wish there were more like this one back in Canada.
We meet before the game and talk about what we wish to emphasize. I thought the girls looked ready to go. Game starts and it is your typical feeling out process. Both teams trying to see what the other is doing. Belgium is average size with a few big girls but are very athletic across the board. We were executing well and took control of the game halfway through the quarter. We made a few miscues and ended up leading by around 5 after 1 quarter.
In the 2nd quarter we decided that we would become individuals and we started taking bad shots and making bad decisions. They started on a 6-0 run to start the 2nd quarter. We made a number of mistakes and were down but luckily not big at the half.
At halftime we discussed some adjustments and I pleaded with them to play team basketball. We were better in the 3rd and it was close at the quarter break. Sorry but I don't remember the score. 4th quarter they jumped on us a little bit and had it to 10 points. We cut it to 7 and then it hung around there for a few minutes. In the last few minutes we made our comeback. We got a few stops on defense and a few key steals and buckets to tie it at 66 with less than 30 sec. left. We turned it over and they would get the last shot. Their coach called timeout so I rolled the dice. We switched from man to man defense to zone and it flustered them a little. They turned it over and we called timeout. I drew up a play for man and discussed what we would do if it was zone. They were in a zone and we got the ball to one of our best players. We had a miscue and we turned it back over and they got a quick half court heave. 66-66. Overtime. Well not always in international basketball. They said the game was over because it was a friendly game. It might have been because there was a men's game right after us but not so sure. They are so nice to us here and we are playing two more time so we figured it was OK. I am fairly competitive though so I wanted to play on. So that was the game. I was pleased with efforts in some areas but not so pleased in others. More work to be done.
We had a few minutes to wait for the bus outside so we chatted about the game. I think the more we talked the more ticked off I became at the little things. This game is so reliant on details especially at this level. We need to really pay attention to the details tomorrow.
On the way back we could see the stadium lights across the street from our hotel. The place was very busy as Belgium was playing Montenegro. I am on the backside of the hotel and it almost sounds like a beehive outside and when crowd roars it sounds like a massive wave. Extremely loud. Would love to be over there at the game. This city is busy with lots of things going on. There was a professional bike race here when we arrived, this soccer game, there is a professional tennis tourney going on, a jazz marathon downtown for 3-4 days and Brusselicious is about to start which is a huge food festival.
Supper was immediately upon our return and it was potatoes and beef stroganoff. I had a little bit to eat and grabbed a yogurt and left. Didn't want to discuss the game anymore, just wanted to watch the film which is what I am about to do. This is my favourite part. Analyzing to try and defeat the other coach. Guess we will see what happens tomorrow.......
Thursday, May 24, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 18
Here we go again. Another day flown by. Today was an off day so we were headed to downtown Brussels.
Started with a 9:30 AM breakfast. Bacon, Eggs, Sausage, Toast, OJ. What can be wrong there. Another good one. After breakfast we headed out to the front patio area to finish up 3 meetings with players. During the meetings the bus driver approached us about leaving. We had been scheduled for 11:30 and when we told him that his jaw dropped and he got upset. This was at 10:30. Apparently he was given the wrong information and had been there since 8:30. We scrambled and got everyone ready by 11 so we could at least help him out a bit. He could drive us down to town but could not pick us up.
So we head to downtown Brussels through some very nice neighbourhoods and eventually get dropped off. Not like Montenegro because we passed Pizza Hut, Subway and McDonald's along the way. The staff split from the girls around 12 with the direction to be back at 6pm. We headed off to see some sights. The downtown area of Brussels is very nice with lots to see and do. There are LOADS of little shops, museums, cafes and historical buildings. Also, the most famous stature in Belgium of the Pissing Man. A little statue that is a fountain but the little man looks like he is having a piss. Very funny and apparently he has more than 800 costumes. We walked around for a few hours and explored a beautiful city square. Absolutely takes you back in history. We eventually found St. Michael's Cathedral. WOW. The building was started in approximately 1255. It is huge and absolutely beautiful. Stone carvings, stained glass and the biggest pipe organ I have ever seen. Very nice place for reflection.
After the Cathedral we went to this wonderful park and walked through it. Very nice. It was around 2pm then so we decided to head for lunch. We all agreed that we wanted a busy outdoor cafe so we could people watch. Well we made a fantastic choice. Located on a very busy crossroads. All kinds of people and great atmosphere. So I tried to upload pics of what I had but the internet sucks here tonight and is too slow to upload. At our cafe I had some fantastic weiner schnitzel as my main course and then for dessert...drum roll please.....a BELGIAN WAFFLE. I said I was eating a Belgian waffle in Belgium so we all had one for dessert. Mine had whipped cream, chocolate sauce and pecans. I don't think I need to say anything else other than that it was fantastic. We sat around for about an hour afterward and then went for another short walk as we headed back to our destination for pickup. We stopped at a few shops and made our way back. Denise arrived today and her and Shawnee took a cab back to the hotel while Chantal and I took the girls back via the Metro. A tram car that goes underground and above ground. We got into the station and there was about a 30-40 minute delay somewhere on the line so we had to wait. Eventually we get on the right train and had to make one transfer. Walked into the hotel at exactly 7:30 pm for a 7:30 pm supper.
Supper was good. Chicken souvlaki, potatoes, rice, salad, different sliced meats. A pretty good meal to finish the day. After supper I had a team meeting to review a few things, show them some video and then give them some free leadership advice. We have talked about a lot of things but I took 15 minutes to go a little more in depth. It was a good session I think and then the girls headed off to bed. The coaches went and met with Denise for about an hour and then called it quits at 11pm.
So here I am at 12:20 wrapping up the day.
Tomorrow is a 9:30 breakfast followed by a 12-1:30 shootaround and then we play Game 1 vs. Belgium at 7pm. Should be an interesting game. They will be very tough. Need some rest for this one.
Until tomorrow.........
Started with a 9:30 AM breakfast. Bacon, Eggs, Sausage, Toast, OJ. What can be wrong there. Another good one. After breakfast we headed out to the front patio area to finish up 3 meetings with players. During the meetings the bus driver approached us about leaving. We had been scheduled for 11:30 and when we told him that his jaw dropped and he got upset. This was at 10:30. Apparently he was given the wrong information and had been there since 8:30. We scrambled and got everyone ready by 11 so we could at least help him out a bit. He could drive us down to town but could not pick us up.
So we head to downtown Brussels through some very nice neighbourhoods and eventually get dropped off. Not like Montenegro because we passed Pizza Hut, Subway and McDonald's along the way. The staff split from the girls around 12 with the direction to be back at 6pm. We headed off to see some sights. The downtown area of Brussels is very nice with lots to see and do. There are LOADS of little shops, museums, cafes and historical buildings. Also, the most famous stature in Belgium of the Pissing Man. A little statue that is a fountain but the little man looks like he is having a piss. Very funny and apparently he has more than 800 costumes. We walked around for a few hours and explored a beautiful city square. Absolutely takes you back in history. We eventually found St. Michael's Cathedral. WOW. The building was started in approximately 1255. It is huge and absolutely beautiful. Stone carvings, stained glass and the biggest pipe organ I have ever seen. Very nice place for reflection.
After the Cathedral we went to this wonderful park and walked through it. Very nice. It was around 2pm then so we decided to head for lunch. We all agreed that we wanted a busy outdoor cafe so we could people watch. Well we made a fantastic choice. Located on a very busy crossroads. All kinds of people and great atmosphere. So I tried to upload pics of what I had but the internet sucks here tonight and is too slow to upload. At our cafe I had some fantastic weiner schnitzel as my main course and then for dessert...drum roll please.....a BELGIAN WAFFLE. I said I was eating a Belgian waffle in Belgium so we all had one for dessert. Mine had whipped cream, chocolate sauce and pecans. I don't think I need to say anything else other than that it was fantastic. We sat around for about an hour afterward and then went for another short walk as we headed back to our destination for pickup. We stopped at a few shops and made our way back. Denise arrived today and her and Shawnee took a cab back to the hotel while Chantal and I took the girls back via the Metro. A tram car that goes underground and above ground. We got into the station and there was about a 30-40 minute delay somewhere on the line so we had to wait. Eventually we get on the right train and had to make one transfer. Walked into the hotel at exactly 7:30 pm for a 7:30 pm supper.
Supper was good. Chicken souvlaki, potatoes, rice, salad, different sliced meats. A pretty good meal to finish the day. After supper I had a team meeting to review a few things, show them some video and then give them some free leadership advice. We have talked about a lot of things but I took 15 minutes to go a little more in depth. It was a good session I think and then the girls headed off to bed. The coaches went and met with Denise for about an hour and then called it quits at 11pm.
So here I am at 12:20 wrapping up the day.
Tomorrow is a 9:30 breakfast followed by a 12-1:30 shootaround and then we play Game 1 vs. Belgium at 7pm. Should be an interesting game. They will be very tough. Need some rest for this one.
Until tomorrow.........
 |
| MMMM Belgian Waffles |
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 17
Another day, another hectic flown by kind of day.
Woke up this morning in another country. Welcome to Brussels. Had a 9AM breakfast and it was dandy. Bacon (incredible), sausage, eggs, meats, cheeses, toast (never thought I would love to see toast) and orange juice. Fresh, cold, beautiful orange juice. Throw in a "red berries" tea and it was a great start to the day.
We headed to the bus for our 11:30 practice. It was a short drive through a very pretty neighbourhood to get to our gym. Only problem was the bus driver took a wrong turn and ended up with us on a very narrow street and he couldn't turn at the end. We stopped while he figured it out and out of the house next to the bus comes this old lady who tore into him because the bus was on the street and they weren't allowed on her street. Interesting start to the basketball side of things. Since the gym was just down the road we got out and walked down the road. The facility is a nice facility and the coaches were ready to go. Too bad the players weren't ready. We had a stinker of a practice. Tried to speak to them about increasing their energy but it had little effect. We battled through and then discussed what we needed to do for the evening practice. We were a few minutes over time and one of the executives from the Belgian Basketball Federation noted that we were keeping the bus too long and we shouldn't be late. By the time we got back to the hotel we were a little late for supper and we were told that it shouldn't happen. I guess they like to be on time which is a good thing.
Lunch was just after 2pm. Great meal again. Big steaks cooked perfectly, potatoes, broccoli, pasta and sauce with a fruit/custard pie for dessert. DANDY. Topped it off with a caramel peach tea. After lunch we met for a bit and I went back to my room while some of the staff went for a walk. I wanted to catch up on some email and plan for the 2nd practice. Wanted to make sure we had a good one. I had about 1.5 hours of "me" time before our player meetings that started at 6pm. Met with 9 of the girls and they all went fairly smoothly. Had to cut the meetings off at 7:15 so we could hop on the bus for our next practice. We had to leave at 7:30 for an 8:30 practice because the gym was around 30 min away. It was a pretty drive into a very pretty town. Along the way we passed a farm with a bunch of big draft horses out in the field. My guess is they were Belgian horses. Pretty good guess huh?
Outside the gym, there were numerous clay tennis courts and a lot of people playing tennis. The basketball facility is in a big old building but the court is AWESOME. The whole facility had about 14-16 hoops with some set at mini-ball height. Great facility for that community.
We start practice and the girls are going pretty hard. They were really focused and working really hard. About one hour in stopped practice and asked them how they felt they were doing. They said they were feeling very good. I agreed and gave them one last shooting drill then cut off the rest of practice. They felt good about the reward from what I saw.
After the practice I began talking to a gentleman who is with the Belgian Basketball Federation and while he was very interesting, he kept me there forever. He loved to chat and I was fascinated to talk with him but we had to go. He said he would be at the games so hopefully we get to chat again. He was explaining their whole system. He also told me that in our games, one of their best players is an 18 year old who is 18 years old. 6'3" and named the best junior aged player in all of Europe last year. He said she is very good. Sounds like we will have our hands full. So we hop back on the bus and head back to Brussels. Along the way we look at the clock and realize that it is 10:10pm and still able to read outside without a light. The brightness is tricky as you tend to think it is around 8:30 or 9 when it gets dark and it is really 10:30. Tricky on the system.
Along the way the girls start pointing outside and wondering what was above the trees. Nope, not a UFO. It looked like little black tornadoes. It was actually MILLIONS of mosquitoes. In minutes the bus windshield was polluted with dead bugs. Very interesting to see. Glad we didn't stop though.
Made it back to the hotel for a late supper. Another home run. Started with fresh cucumber and then a dish that was YUMMY. It was cheese wrapped in prosciutto with tomatoes and herbs. Almost like a Caprese salad and tasted kind of like bruschetta. Fantastic. Throw in the chicken, green beans, broccoli and pasta. Great meal and finished off with a green apple yogurt. Never had it before and it was good.
So tomorrow is a day off. I really tried to pull off a day trip for the girls but I couldn't do it. I wanted to take them to Ypres and Flanders Field. I think it would be great for them to see the land where Canadians fought in WW1 and to see the actual fields that we were all taught about in school. I am sure it would have been an emotional trip so hopefully another time I will get back here to go.
We will head into the heart of Brussels tomorrow to sightsee, shop and sample some goods from the nearest boulangerie. I am envisioning a nice meal for lunch followed by a crepe or something loaded with chocolate. Might have to get a waffle as well. Sometimes it just sucks being a coach for Canada Basketball!!!!
So that is the plan. We will see how it goes. Until then...........
Woke up this morning in another country. Welcome to Brussels. Had a 9AM breakfast and it was dandy. Bacon (incredible), sausage, eggs, meats, cheeses, toast (never thought I would love to see toast) and orange juice. Fresh, cold, beautiful orange juice. Throw in a "red berries" tea and it was a great start to the day.
We headed to the bus for our 11:30 practice. It was a short drive through a very pretty neighbourhood to get to our gym. Only problem was the bus driver took a wrong turn and ended up with us on a very narrow street and he couldn't turn at the end. We stopped while he figured it out and out of the house next to the bus comes this old lady who tore into him because the bus was on the street and they weren't allowed on her street. Interesting start to the basketball side of things. Since the gym was just down the road we got out and walked down the road. The facility is a nice facility and the coaches were ready to go. Too bad the players weren't ready. We had a stinker of a practice. Tried to speak to them about increasing their energy but it had little effect. We battled through and then discussed what we needed to do for the evening practice. We were a few minutes over time and one of the executives from the Belgian Basketball Federation noted that we were keeping the bus too long and we shouldn't be late. By the time we got back to the hotel we were a little late for supper and we were told that it shouldn't happen. I guess they like to be on time which is a good thing.
Lunch was just after 2pm. Great meal again. Big steaks cooked perfectly, potatoes, broccoli, pasta and sauce with a fruit/custard pie for dessert. DANDY. Topped it off with a caramel peach tea. After lunch we met for a bit and I went back to my room while some of the staff went for a walk. I wanted to catch up on some email and plan for the 2nd practice. Wanted to make sure we had a good one. I had about 1.5 hours of "me" time before our player meetings that started at 6pm. Met with 9 of the girls and they all went fairly smoothly. Had to cut the meetings off at 7:15 so we could hop on the bus for our next practice. We had to leave at 7:30 for an 8:30 practice because the gym was around 30 min away. It was a pretty drive into a very pretty town. Along the way we passed a farm with a bunch of big draft horses out in the field. My guess is they were Belgian horses. Pretty good guess huh?
Outside the gym, there were numerous clay tennis courts and a lot of people playing tennis. The basketball facility is in a big old building but the court is AWESOME. The whole facility had about 14-16 hoops with some set at mini-ball height. Great facility for that community.
We start practice and the girls are going pretty hard. They were really focused and working really hard. About one hour in stopped practice and asked them how they felt they were doing. They said they were feeling very good. I agreed and gave them one last shooting drill then cut off the rest of practice. They felt good about the reward from what I saw.
After the practice I began talking to a gentleman who is with the Belgian Basketball Federation and while he was very interesting, he kept me there forever. He loved to chat and I was fascinated to talk with him but we had to go. He said he would be at the games so hopefully we get to chat again. He was explaining their whole system. He also told me that in our games, one of their best players is an 18 year old who is 18 years old. 6'3" and named the best junior aged player in all of Europe last year. He said she is very good. Sounds like we will have our hands full. So we hop back on the bus and head back to Brussels. Along the way we look at the clock and realize that it is 10:10pm and still able to read outside without a light. The brightness is tricky as you tend to think it is around 8:30 or 9 when it gets dark and it is really 10:30. Tricky on the system.
Along the way the girls start pointing outside and wondering what was above the trees. Nope, not a UFO. It looked like little black tornadoes. It was actually MILLIONS of mosquitoes. In minutes the bus windshield was polluted with dead bugs. Very interesting to see. Glad we didn't stop though.
Made it back to the hotel for a late supper. Another home run. Started with fresh cucumber and then a dish that was YUMMY. It was cheese wrapped in prosciutto with tomatoes and herbs. Almost like a Caprese salad and tasted kind of like bruschetta. Fantastic. Throw in the chicken, green beans, broccoli and pasta. Great meal and finished off with a green apple yogurt. Never had it before and it was good.
So tomorrow is a day off. I really tried to pull off a day trip for the girls but I couldn't do it. I wanted to take them to Ypres and Flanders Field. I think it would be great for them to see the land where Canadians fought in WW1 and to see the actual fields that we were all taught about in school. I am sure it would have been an emotional trip so hopefully another time I will get back here to go.
We will head into the heart of Brussels tomorrow to sightsee, shop and sample some goods from the nearest boulangerie. I am envisioning a nice meal for lunch followed by a crepe or something loaded with chocolate. Might have to get a waffle as well. Sometimes it just sucks being a coach for Canada Basketball!!!!
So that is the plan. We will see how it goes. Until then...........
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 16
Day 16. See ya. Flew by.
Got up this morning for a 7:30 breakfast with more meats and cheese with omelets. Not bad at first. Got worse as it went on.
So the last meal in Cetinje. Not great but not horrific.
We had practice at 9AM. It was not the best practice and I had to raise my voice when a few of them were clowning around instead of focusing on what needed to be done. It took every ounce of my energy not to drop an F Bomb. Didn't do it though :)
We were supposed to practice until 11AM but practice ended at 10:30 when the Montenegro team showed up and apparently had practice. We were abruptly asked to vacate the court so we did. Thanked them and went on our way. They treated us so well while we were there. No complaints at all.
I do think there ideas might be a little off but this is just my opinion. The team has not had a day off from practice since May 4 and will not have one until they play in their european qualifier sometime late next month.
After practice we headed back to the hotel to do some last minute packing. I had most of my stuff done so I went to the lobby and exchanged our video with one of the Montenegro coaches. Did a few last minute email checks and we boarded our bus to Podgorica. Did I mention it was an orange Mercedes Benz bus with orange seats. I loved it. Took us about 45 minutes to get to the airport through fog and rain. Airport was smooth though and we were on our way. Only difference here in Europe than at home is that people are always in a hurry at airports and on planes. Getting on or off they just push their way by. At the passport lines they just butt in front of you and grumble. Sometimes not the friendliest.
First flight was about 1hr15 min from Podgorica to Vienna. No problems there. Landed at 4:40 and our plane was boarding at 4:40. Jump on the bus because all airports over here pick you up on a bus on the tarmac. We are ready to leave and the flight attendant is running to the bus as the doors are closing. Forgot my IPad. Bonehead!!! Took the bus ride, Got to the customs line - JAMMED. So we waited our turn. They couldn't let us ahead. So we finally get through and run through the airport. Got some funny looks. Guess they thought Santa only used a sleigh! We arrive at the gate and it is an interesting setup. Each 2-3 gates has their own security gate. So we had to clear security again. Basically ran through, handed them a boarding pass and got on board. Nice to see you Vienna LOL.
Another uneventful flight into Brussels. Looked nice flying in and when we landed it was about a 25 minute walk to get our bags. I counted at least 4 moving sidewalks and 5 escalators. Crazy. Everyone got their bags though and we hit the bus. A very nice man from the Belgium Basketball Federation was there to meet us. He is helping with the details. After a long hot day of travel I went to the shower first. Refreshing. Then it was off to supper. MMMM. Great start. Hotel is nice and it had a buffet or fish (tasty), pork, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, bread, salad, fresh tomatoes and cucumber. Great tasting meal and it is a nice little environment.
After supper Shawnee, Chantal, Sarah and I headed out for a short walk. It is a really nice area and the temperature was fantastic. We walked down towards a park where there is a gigantic sci fi looking building. i will post a pic of it someday. We couldn't get in it because there is a professional tennis tournament going on and the big gala event was being held there. We will get back in a day or so.
We walked back to the hotel and sat outside to discuss practice for tomorrow and make notes for some meetings with the girls. We were outside taking notes in the daylight when we looked at our watches - 10PM. Amazing it was bright until after 10. Pretty neat.
We ended up going inside to finish them as it was getting a touch chilly. Finished the notes almost at 11 and then I headed up to my room. Needed to do some laundry by hand. The joys of traveling with no laundry. Nothing like wringing out wet underwear at 11:30pm to make you humble.
It is now almost 12:30 so time to hit the bed and tidy up my practice plan. 2 practices tomorrow. One at 11:30-1:30 and one from 7-9 pm. One will be intense and the other a lot of shooting and fundamentals. We have the day off the next day and then play Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It will be a sprint to the finish line of this trip and time will fly as it has already. Seems like yesterday we started training camp at humber.
Until tomorrow.....
Got up this morning for a 7:30 breakfast with more meats and cheese with omelets. Not bad at first. Got worse as it went on.
So the last meal in Cetinje. Not great but not horrific.
We had practice at 9AM. It was not the best practice and I had to raise my voice when a few of them were clowning around instead of focusing on what needed to be done. It took every ounce of my energy not to drop an F Bomb. Didn't do it though :)
We were supposed to practice until 11AM but practice ended at 10:30 when the Montenegro team showed up and apparently had practice. We were abruptly asked to vacate the court so we did. Thanked them and went on our way. They treated us so well while we were there. No complaints at all.
I do think there ideas might be a little off but this is just my opinion. The team has not had a day off from practice since May 4 and will not have one until they play in their european qualifier sometime late next month.
After practice we headed back to the hotel to do some last minute packing. I had most of my stuff done so I went to the lobby and exchanged our video with one of the Montenegro coaches. Did a few last minute email checks and we boarded our bus to Podgorica. Did I mention it was an orange Mercedes Benz bus with orange seats. I loved it. Took us about 45 minutes to get to the airport through fog and rain. Airport was smooth though and we were on our way. Only difference here in Europe than at home is that people are always in a hurry at airports and on planes. Getting on or off they just push their way by. At the passport lines they just butt in front of you and grumble. Sometimes not the friendliest.
First flight was about 1hr15 min from Podgorica to Vienna. No problems there. Landed at 4:40 and our plane was boarding at 4:40. Jump on the bus because all airports over here pick you up on a bus on the tarmac. We are ready to leave and the flight attendant is running to the bus as the doors are closing. Forgot my IPad. Bonehead!!! Took the bus ride, Got to the customs line - JAMMED. So we waited our turn. They couldn't let us ahead. So we finally get through and run through the airport. Got some funny looks. Guess they thought Santa only used a sleigh! We arrive at the gate and it is an interesting setup. Each 2-3 gates has their own security gate. So we had to clear security again. Basically ran through, handed them a boarding pass and got on board. Nice to see you Vienna LOL.
Another uneventful flight into Brussels. Looked nice flying in and when we landed it was about a 25 minute walk to get our bags. I counted at least 4 moving sidewalks and 5 escalators. Crazy. Everyone got their bags though and we hit the bus. A very nice man from the Belgium Basketball Federation was there to meet us. He is helping with the details. After a long hot day of travel I went to the shower first. Refreshing. Then it was off to supper. MMMM. Great start. Hotel is nice and it had a buffet or fish (tasty), pork, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, bread, salad, fresh tomatoes and cucumber. Great tasting meal and it is a nice little environment.
After supper Shawnee, Chantal, Sarah and I headed out for a short walk. It is a really nice area and the temperature was fantastic. We walked down towards a park where there is a gigantic sci fi looking building. i will post a pic of it someday. We couldn't get in it because there is a professional tennis tournament going on and the big gala event was being held there. We will get back in a day or so.
We walked back to the hotel and sat outside to discuss practice for tomorrow and make notes for some meetings with the girls. We were outside taking notes in the daylight when we looked at our watches - 10PM. Amazing it was bright until after 10. Pretty neat.
We ended up going inside to finish them as it was getting a touch chilly. Finished the notes almost at 11 and then I headed up to my room. Needed to do some laundry by hand. The joys of traveling with no laundry. Nothing like wringing out wet underwear at 11:30pm to make you humble.
It is now almost 12:30 so time to hit the bed and tidy up my practice plan. 2 practices tomorrow. One at 11:30-1:30 and one from 7-9 pm. One will be intense and the other a lot of shooting and fundamentals. We have the day off the next day and then play Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It will be a sprint to the finish line of this trip and time will fly as it has already. Seems like yesterday we started training camp at humber.
Until tomorrow.....
Monday, May 21, 2012
2012 DWNT Day 15
WOW. What a day we had for day 15. Incredible, Remarkable, Memorable. So many words could describe it.
Day started with a typical breakfast. No changes except I discovered that their yogurt mixed with a little honey becomes a fantastic treat.
After breakfast we got ready to head out for the day. It looked dark and dreary with possible rain but we wished that away.
We headed for the town of Budva not knowing what to expect. WOW is what I can say. We traveled through the mountains to get there and it was very pretty. One of the Montenegran players went with us because her dad lives in the town. She was very nice and we chatted about things with her the whole way. She has 7 years experience within their national team program and is only 21. That couldn't happen in our country.
As we get closer to the town she mentioned that she could help us with some ideas for the city. We were getting dropped off at 12 and picked up at 7 so we had time. Her father knew a guy who does boat charters and he would give us a tour for 10 Euros each. We jumped at it and began to head to the dock to meet him.
First of all, the town is very pretty with cafes everywhere. There is a beautiful marina and when we arrived everyone was so friendly. There were yachts lined up at the dock that would cost millions of dollars each. Very impressive. We didn't go on one of them but we stepped onto a nice little boat and away we went. We were supposed to go for 1 hour but he kept us for just under 2 hours. We toured around the coastline and checked out some resorts along the way. The water was crystal clear and blue. He took us back toward the harbour and we weren't sure if we were heading in. Instead of going back he pulled into an island and docked the boat. The island was small but BEAUTIFUL. Great foliage, the water was warm and there was even a little restaurant on it. This will give you an idea of what the island looked like and no it is not a mirror image.
Day started with a typical breakfast. No changes except I discovered that their yogurt mixed with a little honey becomes a fantastic treat.
After breakfast we got ready to head out for the day. It looked dark and dreary with possible rain but we wished that away.
We headed for the town of Budva not knowing what to expect. WOW is what I can say. We traveled through the mountains to get there and it was very pretty. One of the Montenegran players went with us because her dad lives in the town. She was very nice and we chatted about things with her the whole way. She has 7 years experience within their national team program and is only 21. That couldn't happen in our country.
As we get closer to the town she mentioned that she could help us with some ideas for the city. We were getting dropped off at 12 and picked up at 7 so we had time. Her father knew a guy who does boat charters and he would give us a tour for 10 Euros each. We jumped at it and began to head to the dock to meet him.
First of all, the town is very pretty with cafes everywhere. There is a beautiful marina and when we arrived everyone was so friendly. There were yachts lined up at the dock that would cost millions of dollars each. Very impressive. We didn't go on one of them but we stepped onto a nice little boat and away we went. We were supposed to go for 1 hour but he kept us for just under 2 hours. We toured around the coastline and checked out some resorts along the way. The water was crystal clear and blue. He took us back toward the harbour and we weren't sure if we were heading in. Instead of going back he pulled into an island and docked the boat. The island was small but BEAUTIFUL. Great foliage, the water was warm and there was even a little restaurant on it. This will give you an idea of what the island looked like and no it is not a mirror image.
 |
| Relaxing on the Adriatic Sea |
The girls had a great time on the island and took some awesome pics. We then headed back to shore. We thanked our awesome tour guide and began the 2nd leg of our journey. We all stopped at this fantastic little gelatto stand and had a treat. YUMMY. Afterwards, the girls went in one direction while the staff went in another. They missed out on the most awesome part as they missed "Old Town". This part of the town is a walled city and the walls have been there for more than 2000 years. The alleys are all cobblestone and they are narrow. There are shops, cafes and restaurants all over the place. It was like you were walking back in time minus the Nike Store. We stopped in a lot of little shops and sat at a cafe for a while which was great. We did a little shopping which was interesting. I tried to get a deal on something and the guy was being an ass. I went 20 feet and got what I wanted for the price I wanted from a young guy who had went to school for a year in Chicago. We had a great chat. As you walked through the town the sights were amazing and the smells were penomenal. From the pizza baking in the oven that was almost on the street to the fresh baked goods and crepes in the windows, it was like getting teased by the food gods.
We were able to get on top of the walls and walk around the city and it was an awesome view up there. Lots of good pics. We also went walking past old town on a trail that hugged very steep cliffs. The water was so clear. Not sure I have ever seen anything like it. We walked for about 4-5 minutes and came around a corner to an incredible beach. Just an awesome view. We journeyed back towards town and walked around some more and then made our way back toward our pick up point. It was just a fantastic day. Words can't express the things we saw or how the day unfolded. Just an incredibly relaxing day with a nice little sunburn as an extra.
The drive back was mostly sleep time for the girls but as coaches, we couldn't stop talking about how awesome the day was. Once again, I know it sounds corny, I reminded them that this is all because of a little brown ball that says inflate 7-9 lbs. As the old NBA commercials used to say, "I love this game".
So we made it back and had supper which started with a nice chicken soup. It was followed by roasted potatoes, zucchini and pork. Very tasty. A banana for dessert and we were all good.
Tomorrow we practice at 9AM so that means a 7:30 breakfast. We depart for Podgorica at 12 noon and fly to Brussels at 3pm. It has been a wonderful experience here in Montenegro minus the losses of course. The people have been great and things have went well. To the people of Montenegro I say Hvalla.
Next up is Brussels. Until then......
Sunday, May 20, 2012
2012 DWNT Day 14
Well it is midnight here in Montenegro. A full day whizzed by again.
Breakfast was at 9:30 and it was the same meats, cheeses, yogurt, bread, hot dogs, etc. I stuck with bread, ham and cheese today. I spread honey on the cheese (some people do it here) and it was very good. I was surprised.
After breakfast we had an 11AM practice. We were scheduled to depart at 10:50AM. When my watch hit 10:50 the doors closed and we left. Two players had to sprint through the streets of Cetinje to find the gym because they were late. They were benched for the first quarter and everyone else had to get in ahead of them before they could play. Not a big deal but I am assuming we will be earlier in the future. It only takes once to prove a point of discipline sometimes.
We start practice at 11 and we used the full 2 hours. We spent some time working on ball screen defense, transition defense, defense of various screens and some of our offensive adjustments. We went the whole 2 hours because we needed work. I turned up my intensity a little bit to help push them as well.
After practice we had lunch. Today it was tomatoes and cabbage with olives to start. Then we had a chicken breast with mashed potatoes and veggies. It was tasty and we finished up with a pastry that was filled and it was almost like a profiterole. Yum Yum Yum.
The girls had a little nap in the afternoon and I finished up the video. Our game was at 9 so the girls had a light snack at 5 and then we watched video at 5:30. I told them ahead of time to "put on their helmets" to watch this one. it wasn't pretty but we needed to see it. I showed them a lot of little details we missed and most of them were with regard to effort. I then talked to the girls about adjustments we had to make with most of it being on the effort side of things. I also told them that this was their "tryout". Every day they are showing us habits that we will put in our reports after the experience. Everyday they are trying out. They need to show us all the time that they want to be at the next level.
After the video I went and relaxed for a few minutes and made some notes on the game. We headed out at 7:45 for the 9pm game and everyone was ready for the bus at 7:40. I guess it worked :)
So we get to the game and we are slightly delayed by a handball championship that was just finishing. They changed the warmup each time. It wasn't an official warmup so we never knew if it was 20 minutes or not. There were a few fans at the game and right behind our bench there were guys smoking cigars and cigarettes. A lot of people smoke over here and they do it everywhere.
The game started and we were playing with much more energy. We still struggled to score which is a disease in our country but we defended hard. We were down 15-8 after 1 quarter but feeling much better about how we were playing.
The 2nd quarter we battled hard and they caught a few breaks. They made some timely baskets and went up 29-18 at the half. Not bad compared to where we were the day before. Playing hard but just couldn't score. Against a senior team like this, little mistakes add up quickly and we couldn't keep them from scoring timely hoops.
At half time we talked about the positives and how we had adjusted. We asked them to focus on transition defense and they did. We asked for effort and they gave it to us. We asked for better screen defense and it was better.
Our 3rd quarter was very solid and we limited them to very few easy looks. After 3 quarters we were down 43-33. We re-focused for the 4th and played hard. After 5 minutes we were closing in. With 3 minutes left we were down 6 and couldn't get it closer. Experience kicked in and then the pro versus amateur level was shown. We couldn't get key stops and they "outwomaned" us. They muscled us for rebounds and good offensive position and we couldn't stop them. I had to use 2 timeouts to get to this point and had one left. I had to use it with just under 2 minutes left when it was an 8 point game. They sealed it down the stretch for a 63-53 win. I was really proud of how hard the girls played.
We still have a long way to go and 3 games to get better. We focused on the process afterwards and where we are trying to get to. I think we could have some good games in Belgium.
We arrived back at the hotel for a late meal of pork, spinach, carrots, eggplant and zucchini. Very very tasty. The meal started with a FANTASTIC cheese pastry that was warm. A traditional food in the region and I think I could have eaten 10 of them. Finished it up with an apple and we were all good. So we are sitting around and a daughter of one of the Montenegro Basketball Federation officials comes in with their group for supper. My guess is she was about 11 or 12 and she came up to say hello. She spoke good english. She went back and sat at a table by herself nearby. I told the people at our table to watch her face closely. Of course, you can imagine what happened next. I show her a 50 cent euro coin. After a few manipulations it turns into a loonie and I put it in her hand. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, her face lit up and she said "How you do that?". I love those moments. The look on her face was priceless. If you have read my blog in other summers, you had to know this was coming :)
So now it is 12:30 and it is almost bed time. Might sleep in a little tomorrow. We have breakfast at 9:30 and then we are leaving at 11AM. We are heading to a tourist city named Budva on the Adriatic Sea. If it rains or snows I think it will be a good time. Everyone is really excited to go so it will be a great experience for the girls.
What a basketball life I lead.......
Breakfast was at 9:30 and it was the same meats, cheeses, yogurt, bread, hot dogs, etc. I stuck with bread, ham and cheese today. I spread honey on the cheese (some people do it here) and it was very good. I was surprised.
After breakfast we had an 11AM practice. We were scheduled to depart at 10:50AM. When my watch hit 10:50 the doors closed and we left. Two players had to sprint through the streets of Cetinje to find the gym because they were late. They were benched for the first quarter and everyone else had to get in ahead of them before they could play. Not a big deal but I am assuming we will be earlier in the future. It only takes once to prove a point of discipline sometimes.
We start practice at 11 and we used the full 2 hours. We spent some time working on ball screen defense, transition defense, defense of various screens and some of our offensive adjustments. We went the whole 2 hours because we needed work. I turned up my intensity a little bit to help push them as well.
After practice we had lunch. Today it was tomatoes and cabbage with olives to start. Then we had a chicken breast with mashed potatoes and veggies. It was tasty and we finished up with a pastry that was filled and it was almost like a profiterole. Yum Yum Yum.
The girls had a little nap in the afternoon and I finished up the video. Our game was at 9 so the girls had a light snack at 5 and then we watched video at 5:30. I told them ahead of time to "put on their helmets" to watch this one. it wasn't pretty but we needed to see it. I showed them a lot of little details we missed and most of them were with regard to effort. I then talked to the girls about adjustments we had to make with most of it being on the effort side of things. I also told them that this was their "tryout". Every day they are showing us habits that we will put in our reports after the experience. Everyday they are trying out. They need to show us all the time that they want to be at the next level.
After the video I went and relaxed for a few minutes and made some notes on the game. We headed out at 7:45 for the 9pm game and everyone was ready for the bus at 7:40. I guess it worked :)
So we get to the game and we are slightly delayed by a handball championship that was just finishing. They changed the warmup each time. It wasn't an official warmup so we never knew if it was 20 minutes or not. There were a few fans at the game and right behind our bench there were guys smoking cigars and cigarettes. A lot of people smoke over here and they do it everywhere.
The game started and we were playing with much more energy. We still struggled to score which is a disease in our country but we defended hard. We were down 15-8 after 1 quarter but feeling much better about how we were playing.
The 2nd quarter we battled hard and they caught a few breaks. They made some timely baskets and went up 29-18 at the half. Not bad compared to where we were the day before. Playing hard but just couldn't score. Against a senior team like this, little mistakes add up quickly and we couldn't keep them from scoring timely hoops.
At half time we talked about the positives and how we had adjusted. We asked them to focus on transition defense and they did. We asked for effort and they gave it to us. We asked for better screen defense and it was better.
Our 3rd quarter was very solid and we limited them to very few easy looks. After 3 quarters we were down 43-33. We re-focused for the 4th and played hard. After 5 minutes we were closing in. With 3 minutes left we were down 6 and couldn't get it closer. Experience kicked in and then the pro versus amateur level was shown. We couldn't get key stops and they "outwomaned" us. They muscled us for rebounds and good offensive position and we couldn't stop them. I had to use 2 timeouts to get to this point and had one left. I had to use it with just under 2 minutes left when it was an 8 point game. They sealed it down the stretch for a 63-53 win. I was really proud of how hard the girls played.
We still have a long way to go and 3 games to get better. We focused on the process afterwards and where we are trying to get to. I think we could have some good games in Belgium.
We arrived back at the hotel for a late meal of pork, spinach, carrots, eggplant and zucchini. Very very tasty. The meal started with a FANTASTIC cheese pastry that was warm. A traditional food in the region and I think I could have eaten 10 of them. Finished it up with an apple and we were all good. So we are sitting around and a daughter of one of the Montenegro Basketball Federation officials comes in with their group for supper. My guess is she was about 11 or 12 and she came up to say hello. She spoke good english. She went back and sat at a table by herself nearby. I told the people at our table to watch her face closely. Of course, you can imagine what happened next. I show her a 50 cent euro coin. After a few manipulations it turns into a loonie and I put it in her hand. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, her face lit up and she said "How you do that?". I love those moments. The look on her face was priceless. If you have read my blog in other summers, you had to know this was coming :)
So now it is 12:30 and it is almost bed time. Might sleep in a little tomorrow. We have breakfast at 9:30 and then we are leaving at 11AM. We are heading to a tourist city named Budva on the Adriatic Sea. If it rains or snows I think it will be a good time. Everyone is really excited to go so it will be a great experience for the girls.
What a basketball life I lead.......
Saturday, May 19, 2012
21012 DWNT Day 13
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| Staff before we depart for Europe - Shawnee, Me, Chantal |
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| View as we were coming into Cetinje |
Day 13 has blown by. Where is the time going.
Breakfast was at 9:30 but I was awake at 7:20. I grabbed a quick shower then came downstairs to check my email. After that i went for a walk around the area. A beautiful sunny day but just cool enough to call it crisp. It was quiet as I walked and the birds were singing. It was a beautiful setting. I went through the neighborhood a bit and then back through the park that is next to our hotel. It was so peaceful. I know it might sound corny but I stopped for a moment and thanked the game of basketball for giving me so much.
I made it back to the hotel at around 9:25 and headed for breakfast. It consisted of a wide variety of things. As I expected, when in Europe, we got hot dogs, sliced meats and cheeses. Some cheese was salty but most of it was very good. Same for the meats. We had break, omelets - Montenegro style which is slightly different than our style, yogurt, cereal, chocolate milk, etc. It was a bit different but it was a good breakfast.
After breakfast I went back to my room to get ready for our shooting practice. We almost left 2 players behind because I told them we should never be late. They arrived exactly at 11:50. Hopefully next time they arrive earlier. WE got to the gym and had to wait in the hall as the Montenegro team was finishing practice. Waiting in the hallway we noticed that a bit of Febreze would be a welcome addition. We hit the floor at 11 and started our warmup then got into some of out stuff for this evening. It was a relatively light session and the girls enjoyed the chance to just shoot for a bit.
When we came back to the hotel, Shawnee, Chantal, Sarah and I decided to walk up the street to sit at a little cafe. We all had a cafe latte and enjoyed the sights and some conversation. After a little while we headed back towards the hotel for lunch. Our meal today was nice. It started with a great soup. Chicken vegetable but the broth was thick. Almost like a cream soup but not quite. Next was the main course with pork, mashed potatoes, carrots and rice. Quite tasty. It was finished up with a cherry, custardy, meringue kind of cake. Only issue was with pineapple on top so I threw the pineapple away.
So I went to my room and made some notes for the game and tried to relax. Of course I got my times mixed up and I was dressed and ready to go at 5:45 for a 7 pm game. We played at 8 and weren't leaving until 6:45. Way to be raring to go Coach!
So we hit the bus at 6:45 and we were loose and ready. The girls were somewhat nervous perhaps but trying not to let it show. We get to the gym and there was hardly anyone around including the other team. They showed up at around 7:15 for an 8pm game. Turns out the coach has closed both games. They are playing in a European cup qualifier in a month or so and he didn't want to risk any scouts coming in. He didn't want us filming the game but we talked to him and told him we would exchange it with anyone. So we have a rustic gym, no fans (well a few locals) , no announcing of lineups and no gift exchange which is standard. Oh well let's play! oops forgot to mention the 4 young girls working the scorers table who were texting the whole time.
So we get started. We are playing quite well but a little too fast and we weren't scoring. They have a 30 year old point guard who plays in the Russian Pro League (one of the best in the world) and they have a 27 year old who plays in Russia and Spain. She is just over 6 feet tall and can do a lot of things like drain 3 point shots and score basically whenever she wants. So they build a bit of a lead and go up by about 12 after 1 quarter. The 2nd quarter we were a little bit better but they won the quarter and we go down by about 15 at half. Too many rushed shots and a lack of patience hurt us.
At half time we discussed some adjustments and we came out and played a bit better. We had some good spurts and eventually we cut the lead to 9. That was as close as we could get it. They went on a little run and we couldn't sustain our energy and they won by about 18. Overall, I wasn't too disappointed with things. It was our first game out and that is a big factor. The refs weren't the best but we let them shoot 24 foul shots and we let them score over 10 points off of their fast break. We need to tidy up our defense in a lot of areas. They were just SO SO good at understanding every angle and how to get the ball to their best players. Their PG did a phenomenal job of controlling the game and that makes a difference. So we will continue to build one day at a time and try to make sure that we are substantially better when the trip is over than when it began.
We came home around 10:15 and had to go to our late night supper. It was chicken soup, tomato and cabbage salad, pork stuffed with prosciutto and cheese, roasted potatoes and an apple for dessert.
So now I must jump into my next job of doing the film. It will be tedious but it must be done. We will practice tomorrow before we play so there is time to get better. Now it is off to film time.
Until then.....
So I went to my room and made some notes for the game and tried to relax. Of course I got my times mixed up and I was dressed and ready to go at 5:45 for a 7 pm game. We played at 8 and weren't leaving until 6:45. Way to be raring to go Coach!
So we hit the bus at 6:45 and we were loose and ready. The girls were somewhat nervous perhaps but trying not to let it show. We get to the gym and there was hardly anyone around including the other team. They showed up at around 7:15 for an 8pm game. Turns out the coach has closed both games. They are playing in a European cup qualifier in a month or so and he didn't want to risk any scouts coming in. He didn't want us filming the game but we talked to him and told him we would exchange it with anyone. So we have a rustic gym, no fans (well a few locals) , no announcing of lineups and no gift exchange which is standard. Oh well let's play! oops forgot to mention the 4 young girls working the scorers table who were texting the whole time.
So we get started. We are playing quite well but a little too fast and we weren't scoring. They have a 30 year old point guard who plays in the Russian Pro League (one of the best in the world) and they have a 27 year old who plays in Russia and Spain. She is just over 6 feet tall and can do a lot of things like drain 3 point shots and score basically whenever she wants. So they build a bit of a lead and go up by about 12 after 1 quarter. The 2nd quarter we were a little bit better but they won the quarter and we go down by about 15 at half. Too many rushed shots and a lack of patience hurt us.
At half time we discussed some adjustments and we came out and played a bit better. We had some good spurts and eventually we cut the lead to 9. That was as close as we could get it. They went on a little run and we couldn't sustain our energy and they won by about 18. Overall, I wasn't too disappointed with things. It was our first game out and that is a big factor. The refs weren't the best but we let them shoot 24 foul shots and we let them score over 10 points off of their fast break. We need to tidy up our defense in a lot of areas. They were just SO SO good at understanding every angle and how to get the ball to their best players. Their PG did a phenomenal job of controlling the game and that makes a difference. So we will continue to build one day at a time and try to make sure that we are substantially better when the trip is over than when it began.
We came home around 10:15 and had to go to our late night supper. It was chicken soup, tomato and cabbage salad, pork stuffed with prosciutto and cheese, roasted potatoes and an apple for dessert.
So now I must jump into my next job of doing the film. It will be tedious but it must be done. We will practice tomorrow before we play so there is time to get better. Now it is off to film time.
Until then.....
Friday, May 18, 2012
2012 DWNT Day 11 and 12
Well after a few delays and almost missed connections I sit here at 9pm (Montenegro time) and type this update on Day 11 and 12. I am EXHAUSTED so I will try to be quick. On Day 11 we got up and had breakfast at 9:30 and returned to the dorms for our 10:30 meeting. I handed out the jerseys to the girls. I did a slide show where I connected each one of the players to a former Olympian from Canada. It was a great ceremony and I think the girls enjoyed it. We then headed over as a team to have pictures taken.
After the ceremony and pics, we packed our bags and weighed them as we began our journey. First we had one last meal at 1:30 and it was very good with a bunch of Canada themed decorations. A nice touch for a sendoff. We made it to the airport around 3:15 or so and got checked in. There was a slight delay but we made it to Montreal for our first stop. Then another delay. Not fun. We knew our connections were going to be tight but now they would be really tight. The flight was uneventful but 7 hours is long. I set my watch ahead to Brussels time and I was able to trick my body a little bit. I got a little sleep which I needed and woke up in time to land in Brussels.
Because of the delays our connection was crazy. We were scheduled to depart at 10:15 and we arrived at 9:45. WE had to clear customs and get to our gate. Luckily we had a team of flight agents at the gate. They rallied us together and everyone started sprinting. First to customs to clear that and then running to our game. We made it which was good. Our next flight in Vienna was tight as well but we made that one. Frantic connections with no sitting around makes for a rushed day. So finally we get ready to land in Podgorica. Landing in Belgium was pretty. Lots of green and we could see the coastline. I could almost envision war ships and soldiers on the beaches. Weird to look down and know so much history happened below.
Landing in Montenegro was much different. It is a very mountainous region and the landscape is dotted with trees. Not heavy forest but rocky with trees. Looked like when you were in science class as a kid and the teacher put the metal filings on a paper and let you run a magnet underneath. Clumps of trees here and there. We landed and a representative of the Basketball federation meets us and gets us to our bus. We had a 45 min. bus ride to get here. The landscape is rugged with more brush type trees than tall trees that we would be used to. Very nice though.
We finally arrive in Cetinje. It is a very pretty small city. Our hotel is very nice and is in a nice area. The people here are very friendly as well. I met the coach of the Montenegro team when we got here and he is from Montenegro but speaks french. He coached for a pro team in France for many years. He commented on how young I was. Not sure how to take that. LOL
So we arrive at 3:15 with a practice scheduled for 4pm. They also have lunch scheduled for us at 3:30. Gonna be tight. I get to my room and decide to shower quickly. Trouble us all they had was cold water at the time. BRRRRR but it cleaned me and woke me up. So I scramble down to lunch. We wanted just snacks before practice. Turned out lunch was more than just snacks.
We had some great bread to start and then a salad of cabbage and tomatoes. The cabbage was good and the tomatoes were OUTSTANDING. After that we had a plate with 3 pieces of chicken, peas, corn and carrots. The chicken was great and the peas were awesome. It finished up with a kind of apple "something something" desert.
So we scramble out the door and head off to practice and arrive just before 5. The gym is interesting. That's the way I can describe it. I will try and post pics soon. So we get about 45 minutes of true practice time before we have to leave because there is a big Handball championship going on and they need to practice. However before I leave I take video of a warmup drill they are doing. What a fantastic drill for basketball as well. Always learning.
So we get back to the hotel around 6:15 and have until 8pm for dinner. The staff decided to walk around for a bit. What an awesome little city and great environment. I will try and post pics of our walk when I can. We walked for a while and came upon some music in a city square. Today is some sort of holiday and there were lots of people about. In the square was a full orchestra playing. We stopped to listen for a few minutes and I took some video of it. After this we walked around a bit and I found a few little shops I may explore in the next few days. We stopped at a sidewalk cafe and had a drink while we people watched. It was a great evening outside and it was a fun chat.
We headed back to the hotel for dinner and it was another spread. Started with the nice bread again and then we were served deep fried cheese. YUMMY. After that came a plate with 2 nice pieces of beef with rice and grilled eggplant and zucchini. Not sure what they did with the veggies but they tasted phenomenal. Finished up with an apple for dessert. Never been served a plain apple for dessert but it was tasty.
After a few hours sleep in 24 hours I am fairly tired and now need to get some rest. 9:30 breakfast tomorrow and then practice at 11. First game as a head coach at the international level at 7pm. Not nervous or excited yet but we will see how that is tomorrow.
There is more I could say but I need sleep...until tomorrow.....
After the ceremony and pics, we packed our bags and weighed them as we began our journey. First we had one last meal at 1:30 and it was very good with a bunch of Canada themed decorations. A nice touch for a sendoff. We made it to the airport around 3:15 or so and got checked in. There was a slight delay but we made it to Montreal for our first stop. Then another delay. Not fun. We knew our connections were going to be tight but now they would be really tight. The flight was uneventful but 7 hours is long. I set my watch ahead to Brussels time and I was able to trick my body a little bit. I got a little sleep which I needed and woke up in time to land in Brussels.
Because of the delays our connection was crazy. We were scheduled to depart at 10:15 and we arrived at 9:45. WE had to clear customs and get to our gate. Luckily we had a team of flight agents at the gate. They rallied us together and everyone started sprinting. First to customs to clear that and then running to our game. We made it which was good. Our next flight in Vienna was tight as well but we made that one. Frantic connections with no sitting around makes for a rushed day. So finally we get ready to land in Podgorica. Landing in Belgium was pretty. Lots of green and we could see the coastline. I could almost envision war ships and soldiers on the beaches. Weird to look down and know so much history happened below.
Landing in Montenegro was much different. It is a very mountainous region and the landscape is dotted with trees. Not heavy forest but rocky with trees. Looked like when you were in science class as a kid and the teacher put the metal filings on a paper and let you run a magnet underneath. Clumps of trees here and there. We landed and a representative of the Basketball federation meets us and gets us to our bus. We had a 45 min. bus ride to get here. The landscape is rugged with more brush type trees than tall trees that we would be used to. Very nice though.
We finally arrive in Cetinje. It is a very pretty small city. Our hotel is very nice and is in a nice area. The people here are very friendly as well. I met the coach of the Montenegro team when we got here and he is from Montenegro but speaks french. He coached for a pro team in France for many years. He commented on how young I was. Not sure how to take that. LOL
So we arrive at 3:15 with a practice scheduled for 4pm. They also have lunch scheduled for us at 3:30. Gonna be tight. I get to my room and decide to shower quickly. Trouble us all they had was cold water at the time. BRRRRR but it cleaned me and woke me up. So I scramble down to lunch. We wanted just snacks before practice. Turned out lunch was more than just snacks.
We had some great bread to start and then a salad of cabbage and tomatoes. The cabbage was good and the tomatoes were OUTSTANDING. After that we had a plate with 3 pieces of chicken, peas, corn and carrots. The chicken was great and the peas were awesome. It finished up with a kind of apple "something something" desert.
So we scramble out the door and head off to practice and arrive just before 5. The gym is interesting. That's the way I can describe it. I will try and post pics soon. So we get about 45 minutes of true practice time before we have to leave because there is a big Handball championship going on and they need to practice. However before I leave I take video of a warmup drill they are doing. What a fantastic drill for basketball as well. Always learning.
So we get back to the hotel around 6:15 and have until 8pm for dinner. The staff decided to walk around for a bit. What an awesome little city and great environment. I will try and post pics of our walk when I can. We walked for a while and came upon some music in a city square. Today is some sort of holiday and there were lots of people about. In the square was a full orchestra playing. We stopped to listen for a few minutes and I took some video of it. After this we walked around a bit and I found a few little shops I may explore in the next few days. We stopped at a sidewalk cafe and had a drink while we people watched. It was a great evening outside and it was a fun chat.
We headed back to the hotel for dinner and it was another spread. Started with the nice bread again and then we were served deep fried cheese. YUMMY. After that came a plate with 2 nice pieces of beef with rice and grilled eggplant and zucchini. Not sure what they did with the veggies but they tasted phenomenal. Finished up with an apple for dessert. Never been served a plain apple for dessert but it was tasty.
After a few hours sleep in 24 hours I am fairly tired and now need to get some rest. 9:30 breakfast tomorrow and then practice at 11. First game as a head coach at the international level at 7pm. Not nervous or excited yet but we will see how that is tomorrow.
There is more I could say but I need sleep...until tomorrow.....
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 10
So our last night here at Humber College. Day 10 whizzed by.
Started with breakfast at 7:30 and then we had a practice slated for 9AM. We did a little warm up and then tidied up a few details on some things, did a few breakdown drills and worked on some defense to start the practice. After this we did the rest of practice like a game. We warmed up hard then played two 10 minute quarters with a break in between. After that we left the gym for 10 min. Typical halftime. Then we came back and played 2 more quarters with a 2 minute break in between. A game simulation or as close as we could get to it.
We also filmed the whole thing so I could get them some feedback.
After practice we headed to lunch and then it was free time. I came back here and uploaded the video and worked on a project for tomorrow. Once the video was uploaded I took the computer with me to do some laundry. I broke down our game while my laundry going. I was able to get most of it done. I returned to my room and worked some more on my presentation for the girls. We had supper at 5:30 and it was OK.
Back to my room to prepare for our team meeting tonight. I went into the lounge area and watched a bit of the Celtics game before the meeting. Nice Win tonight.
I started our meeting by having our manager and trainer speak to the team about things for the trip. I spoke to them first about decorum and how we should represent ourselves. I then talked to them about distractions and other stresses that could cause our team chemistry to suffer. After this I watched the video with them and we were able to see the goods and bads. We could see that when we play with patience and don't rush things, we are much better. No shock there.
At the end of the meetings they were given a buddy assignment. 2 questions to ask and answer of their assigned buddy. 1. They could plan their last meal. What would it be? 2. If they could receive a small package from anyone who would it be from and what would be in it.
A neat little bonding thing we have been doing the whole time here.
Now I am trying to clean up my room and get ready to pack tomorrow. Lots of little details to take care of but we do have some time.
Tomorrow we get up for 930 breakfast, 10:15 meeting, 10:45ish for pics and then lunch at 1:30. We depart for the airport around 3 and fly out at 5pm.
Our flight takes us to Montreal, then Brussels, Belgium. A short layover and then on to Vienna, Austria and then Podgorica, Monenegro. We will be leaving Canada at 6pm (Cape Breton time) on Thursday and Arriving in Podgorica at roughly 8:25 AM (Cape Breton time) on Friday morning. So 2:25 PM in Podgorica. Not the longest travel but not the shortest. We have a little less than an hour bus ride once we land and then we practice in the evening. Basically shoot the ball a lot. Our physiologist recommended that we stay up to help our bodies adjust. What would be ideal is to sleep all the way to Brussels and then wake up on their time but that won't happen. Never does. one trick I have learned that helps a little is to set my watch to Brussels time as soon as I get on the plane. I will try and watch some movies or something to help pass the time.
Somebody asked me if I was excited for the trip and I said no. I think I am a little excited but not over the top. These trips can be tiring but I will be excited when I see the new surroundings and start to get ready for the games. It is different than excitement but I can't really explain it.
So now I must go and tidy up some things. lots left to be done. I will try and keep this blog going when I get there but we never know how the internet connections will be. If it works well I will be posting regularly. If not, I won't.
So I guess we will see what happens. Until then......
PS - I forgot to mention that if you go to the facebook page for Canada Basketball you can see a few little videos from our camp and a short soundbite from me. Look under the videos link.
Started with breakfast at 7:30 and then we had a practice slated for 9AM. We did a little warm up and then tidied up a few details on some things, did a few breakdown drills and worked on some defense to start the practice. After this we did the rest of practice like a game. We warmed up hard then played two 10 minute quarters with a break in between. After that we left the gym for 10 min. Typical halftime. Then we came back and played 2 more quarters with a 2 minute break in between. A game simulation or as close as we could get to it.
We also filmed the whole thing so I could get them some feedback.
After practice we headed to lunch and then it was free time. I came back here and uploaded the video and worked on a project for tomorrow. Once the video was uploaded I took the computer with me to do some laundry. I broke down our game while my laundry going. I was able to get most of it done. I returned to my room and worked some more on my presentation for the girls. We had supper at 5:30 and it was OK.
Back to my room to prepare for our team meeting tonight. I went into the lounge area and watched a bit of the Celtics game before the meeting. Nice Win tonight.
I started our meeting by having our manager and trainer speak to the team about things for the trip. I spoke to them first about decorum and how we should represent ourselves. I then talked to them about distractions and other stresses that could cause our team chemistry to suffer. After this I watched the video with them and we were able to see the goods and bads. We could see that when we play with patience and don't rush things, we are much better. No shock there.
At the end of the meetings they were given a buddy assignment. 2 questions to ask and answer of their assigned buddy. 1. They could plan their last meal. What would it be? 2. If they could receive a small package from anyone who would it be from and what would be in it.
A neat little bonding thing we have been doing the whole time here.
Now I am trying to clean up my room and get ready to pack tomorrow. Lots of little details to take care of but we do have some time.
Tomorrow we get up for 930 breakfast, 10:15 meeting, 10:45ish for pics and then lunch at 1:30. We depart for the airport around 3 and fly out at 5pm.
Our flight takes us to Montreal, then Brussels, Belgium. A short layover and then on to Vienna, Austria and then Podgorica, Monenegro. We will be leaving Canada at 6pm (Cape Breton time) on Thursday and Arriving in Podgorica at roughly 8:25 AM (Cape Breton time) on Friday morning. So 2:25 PM in Podgorica. Not the longest travel but not the shortest. We have a little less than an hour bus ride once we land and then we practice in the evening. Basically shoot the ball a lot. Our physiologist recommended that we stay up to help our bodies adjust. What would be ideal is to sleep all the way to Brussels and then wake up on their time but that won't happen. Never does. one trick I have learned that helps a little is to set my watch to Brussels time as soon as I get on the plane. I will try and watch some movies or something to help pass the time.
Somebody asked me if I was excited for the trip and I said no. I think I am a little excited but not over the top. These trips can be tiring but I will be excited when I see the new surroundings and start to get ready for the games. It is different than excitement but I can't really explain it.
So now I must go and tidy up some things. lots left to be done. I will try and keep this blog going when I get there but we never know how the internet connections will be. If it works well I will be posting regularly. If not, I won't.
So I guess we will see what happens. Until then......
PS - I forgot to mention that if you go to the facebook page for Canada Basketball you can see a few little videos from our camp and a short soundbite from me. Look under the videos link.
DWNT 2012 Day 9
Well Day 9 is almost in the books and I haven't been to Jackson yet. Someday I am going to Jackson to see if it is all that Johnny Cash said it was. When I am finished there I am going to Folsom Prison to see if I can find the boy named Sue.
Well enough of Johnny Cash. Can you tell I heard a song of his today????
Day 9 started with an early practice. 9:30 AM. It was a bit sluggish to start. I didn't say much to see if they would dig themselves out of the hole. They started to get out of it a bit but I did have to talk to them about how to manage their energy. The practice picked up and I was quite pleased with how it progressed. We got "up and down" a fair bit and it looked OK.
The things they are slowly starting to learn or have really improved upon:
1) We are a team and we need to play and behave like one. So far, so good. These young ladies are respectful and are working to become a tight group
2. When we slow down and read each other on the court, we can really be effective
3. When we pressure the ball and "get after it" , we are SMOTHERING. This is a Very Very good group of athletes. Hard part will be getting everyone on the court as much they may like.
Some things they haven't quite grasped yet or are struggling with
1. COMMUNICATION. They are a fairly quiet group on the court and we need to keep working on it. This is priority number one.
2. The concept of being "on the rope" on defense. In fairness to the girls, we haven't stressed defense as much as offense. It is still a work in progress.
3. Sometimes we get away from the offense, dribble too much and cut without a purpose. When we do that our offense looks like a train wreck.
So back to practice. We finished with some more 4 minute scrimmages where we get to work on time and score situations. Sometimes it is interesting to see that they don't know what they don't know. Better than average but at this level we need to be so much better.
After practice we had a cake to celebrate a birthday. The girls were excited because it was ice cream cake and it was a nice way to finish. After this we headed off to lunch. We had met as coaches and decided to shorten up some things so we gave them the night off tonight. We will also practice once tomorrow and then be off until we travel. Their bodies are sore and beaten up a little bit. They need some rest and with our travel and playing schedule we decided that they could get a break.
Some of the girls went to a mall, others went with parents and friends and some stayed here. I hung around for a bit and worked on a little presentation I am going to do for the girls before we leave. I then headed down the street to get some snacks for our trip to Europe. Most of the time the food has been good when I have traveled but you never know. It was so nice to be off campus and have time to myself. I walked every aisle of the store just to spend some more time away.
When I returned I worked on some video and then we headed off to supper. The meals have been good here at humber. No complaints. After supper I came back and worked on practice and some video stuff then Chantal stopped by and we talked about editing video and how to download things that will help her program. We had a great chat for about an hour. I just finished editing practice before I started writing this. So a full day but some relaxation in there as well.
I will do some more video before bed and then try to rest up for our last practice before leaving. We are having 1 practice in the AM and then a video session later in the evening. Time in the middle of the day for last minute laundry and packing. I will talk more about the trip tomorrow.
Until then......
Monday, May 14, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 8
Well there goes Day 8. Whizzed by.
Started with the standard 6:50 wakeup followed by breakfast then off to practice. We had a pretty good practice this morning. These girls pick up things quite quickly. We still won't have a lot of time to get everything in but we the girls have been exposed to new things and have developed. Practices have been very good but they get really good when we get into competitive stuff. I challenged them with some new things today and they responded. They compete hard (well almost all of them do. there is one that coasts a fair amount) and they love to play.
I was asked a question about the team so I will describe the process a little bit more. This is the development team for the future. A number of them are targeted for the senior team. We are playing 5 exhibition games however whenever you throw the ball up we get competitive. It is my job to make sure they get opportunities to develop. Practice has certainly provided that opportunity. The games will as well. However, do we go for wins only or development. That is the delicate balance that we must work with. I will certainly try to get everyone in the games but we will be trying to win as well. Part of the development is learning how to be part of the team when you are not starting or playing much. Most of these players are stars on their team and were highly recruited so this will be tough for them. This is where we will see if they have the right mindset to continue on as a member of the program. We are playing the senior women's team of Montenegro and Belgium. Our players are all in university. None are graduating. So I have players going into 4th year down to 1st year. Belgium I have no idea about but Montenegro almost made it to the Olympic qualifier. They should be good. We will definitely have our hands full.
So after practice in the A.M. we headed to lunch. Our new friend Shaun who is working with the catering described the chicken as a red curry chicken but said it wasn't spicy. Why do I trust people???? I might as well have eaten it on the toilet!!!! Nuff said about lunch.
We headed to our coaches meeting and discussed some things. As I said some phenomenal meetings. One of the hard things at the beginning is managing a staff of 2 head coaches who are trying to be assistants. One with a lot more experience than me and has been at the olympics. The other with back to back national championships. They bring a lot more credentials than me in a lot of ways. They have been an absolute pleasure to work with though. Fantastic. I have only had to step in and kind of be firm in the meetings once and that was today when a suggestion was made to make a change in the offense because the girls weren't getting a concept. I overruled it and said that we had to stick to it so they could learn how to play within a conceptual offense. There is not a ton of structure. Enough to get them through but they they still need to learn how to play. We hashed out some ideas and I went off to finish the plan.
The next practice was at 4:30 and I had it planned to end at 6pm or 6:15 at the latest. There was no contact and no running. We did a lot of drills to help our offense and then installed our zone offense. Very simple and they got it pretty quickly. Finished by 6:10 and then we headed to supper. It was a really good meal with nice pork tenderloin. Yum.
We had a meeting tonight at 8pm. I reviewed our offense on the white board so they could take notes and feel better. After that we talked about our team project and our personal dedications. I talked more about the connection we need at all levels of this experience. A connection to self, a connection to others in the group and a connection to their dreams. I have a BIG connection discussion to finish up before we leave. I think it will be a powerfully motivating session to get us set for the trip. To end our session I showed them a video that I made for last year's senior team. I wanted them to see what that level is like and I also wanted them to get a little pumped up for tomorrow. After the video ended we handed out our new Canada Basketball track suits. They are SWEET and the girls were pumped. With the video and suits the girls were able to forget some of the fatigue and pains that are starting to creep into our team as an intense camp slowly winds down.
So here I am now, the practice plan is finished for tomorrow although I will get up early and look at it for some possible changes. We practice tomorrow at 9:30 and then we have the rest of the day off. A chance to pick up last minute items for our travel. Stocking up on beef jerky, granola bars, trail mix, etc. just because you never know how things will be.
So I am off to catch about an hour of ME time before bed.
Until tomorrow......
Started with the standard 6:50 wakeup followed by breakfast then off to practice. We had a pretty good practice this morning. These girls pick up things quite quickly. We still won't have a lot of time to get everything in but we the girls have been exposed to new things and have developed. Practices have been very good but they get really good when we get into competitive stuff. I challenged them with some new things today and they responded. They compete hard (well almost all of them do. there is one that coasts a fair amount) and they love to play.
I was asked a question about the team so I will describe the process a little bit more. This is the development team for the future. A number of them are targeted for the senior team. We are playing 5 exhibition games however whenever you throw the ball up we get competitive. It is my job to make sure they get opportunities to develop. Practice has certainly provided that opportunity. The games will as well. However, do we go for wins only or development. That is the delicate balance that we must work with. I will certainly try to get everyone in the games but we will be trying to win as well. Part of the development is learning how to be part of the team when you are not starting or playing much. Most of these players are stars on their team and were highly recruited so this will be tough for them. This is where we will see if they have the right mindset to continue on as a member of the program. We are playing the senior women's team of Montenegro and Belgium. Our players are all in university. None are graduating. So I have players going into 4th year down to 1st year. Belgium I have no idea about but Montenegro almost made it to the Olympic qualifier. They should be good. We will definitely have our hands full.
So after practice in the A.M. we headed to lunch. Our new friend Shaun who is working with the catering described the chicken as a red curry chicken but said it wasn't spicy. Why do I trust people???? I might as well have eaten it on the toilet!!!! Nuff said about lunch.
We headed to our coaches meeting and discussed some things. As I said some phenomenal meetings. One of the hard things at the beginning is managing a staff of 2 head coaches who are trying to be assistants. One with a lot more experience than me and has been at the olympics. The other with back to back national championships. They bring a lot more credentials than me in a lot of ways. They have been an absolute pleasure to work with though. Fantastic. I have only had to step in and kind of be firm in the meetings once and that was today when a suggestion was made to make a change in the offense because the girls weren't getting a concept. I overruled it and said that we had to stick to it so they could learn how to play within a conceptual offense. There is not a ton of structure. Enough to get them through but they they still need to learn how to play. We hashed out some ideas and I went off to finish the plan.
The next practice was at 4:30 and I had it planned to end at 6pm or 6:15 at the latest. There was no contact and no running. We did a lot of drills to help our offense and then installed our zone offense. Very simple and they got it pretty quickly. Finished by 6:10 and then we headed to supper. It was a really good meal with nice pork tenderloin. Yum.
We had a meeting tonight at 8pm. I reviewed our offense on the white board so they could take notes and feel better. After that we talked about our team project and our personal dedications. I talked more about the connection we need at all levels of this experience. A connection to self, a connection to others in the group and a connection to their dreams. I have a BIG connection discussion to finish up before we leave. I think it will be a powerfully motivating session to get us set for the trip. To end our session I showed them a video that I made for last year's senior team. I wanted them to see what that level is like and I also wanted them to get a little pumped up for tomorrow. After the video ended we handed out our new Canada Basketball track suits. They are SWEET and the girls were pumped. With the video and suits the girls were able to forget some of the fatigue and pains that are starting to creep into our team as an intense camp slowly winds down.
So here I am now, the practice plan is finished for tomorrow although I will get up early and look at it for some possible changes. We practice tomorrow at 9:30 and then we have the rest of the day off. A chance to pick up last minute items for our travel. Stocking up on beef jerky, granola bars, trail mix, etc. just because you never know how things will be.
So I am off to catch about an hour of ME time before bed.
Until tomorrow......
DWNT 2012 Day 7
Day 7. Over. Finished. Expired. Time is flying by here at camp.
First thing about today is that it was Mother's Day. I hope the Mothers all over the world enjoyed it. You deserve more than a day in your honour. I called my mom to wish her a Happy Mother's day and to say I love you. She has been an inspiration to me EVERY day of my life but what she has taught me the past few years are lessons that you can't find in any book or seminar. It is the power of attitude and resiliency. The MVP of my life and she is why I write this blog every day. The rest of you just get to tag along for the ride. LOL
So on to Day 7.
We got a little bit of a sleep in for the girls but I got up at 7:45 to plan and get some things done. We had breakfast at 9 and then back to the dorm for 10:15. We had individual meetings with every player until around 11:30 and then I got to catch up on some planning. We headed off to lunch at 1pm and then back to the dorm for 2pm for guess what....yep..another meeting. This time it was from 2-3 pm with our physiologists. They explained the weight program to the girls and then Ed showed a video of one of his tricks. He competes in strong man contests so he has a video of him rolling up a frying pan. Yes, he grabs it and starts rolling it up like you would a piece of paper. Amazing!
The meeting ended at 3 and we had practice at 3:30 so it was off to the gym. We started practice with some breakdown drills and eventually built it up to a bunch of competitive stuff. We got a lot of full court work done and the girls and it was very good. We are starting to play better and understand that we can get better offensive efficiency if we move the ball and get it inside to our post players.
From a team perspective we have kind of been in limbo as some senior players may have been moved down and there was a chance we could get a late arrival. Today I confirmed, and announced to the girls, that this is our team. There will be no additions. We are on our way to Europe with the 12 that have battled hard and that is a good thing.
After this practice we came back for a quick coaches meeting to get on the same page with a few things and to get the plan set for tomorrow. We have 2 practices. One at 9AM and one at 4:30. We then have one on Tuesday and 2 on Wednesday before we depart for Europe. Not much time left and we are feeling the pinch now. Just not enough time to get everything done. However I think we have made strides and this is a development camp so it is very important that these players get exposed to lots of different things.
Later this evening I was able to take about 30-45 minutes for myself. It was a nice break. I have heard from people before how much fun it must be to go on "vacation" with these teams. If you look at tomorrow's schedule, we have breakfast at 7:30. Practice at 9 until 11:30. Lunch at 11:45. Coaches meeting at approximately 12:30 until about 1:30. 1:30 to 3:30 is practice planning for practice #2 and video analysis. 3:45 I will walk to the gym for a 4:30 practice. 430 to 7 is practice. 7:15 is supper and then we will have an 8:30 meeting for about 30 minutes. After this we will meet as coaches for about an hour so at around 10pm I get back to my room and plan for the next mornings practice.
So by the math in my head I will spend about 9.5 hours on court or in meetings. Not a big vacation!!!
However, traveling the world is nice.
I was thinking about this today and I am not sure if I have ever blogged this. On my walk to the gym I was thinking of the different places have been as a direct result of basketball. So here goes:
Canada: Every province but the territories
U.S. - 18 states - Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maryland, New York, D.C., Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Texas, Nevada, illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Jersey
Cuba, France, Serbia, Spain, Japan, China
Been a fun ride!!!!!
So before I depart I wanted to share one more thing. Jim Valvano was a famous coach who won a national championship at North Carolina State University back in the 80's. He had a huge personality and was loved by almost everyone in the coaching fraternity. His life was cut short by cancer but before he left this world he worked to inspire people. He has a famous speech from the ESPN Awards (watch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E) where he talked about not giving up. He also talked about 3 things you need to do to live a full life every day. He said that you have to laugh, spend some time in deep thought and have your emotions to tears. He said that this was a full day.
Today I laughed, I definitely spent some time in deep though and I had my emotions moved to tears.
If you go to the link below, you will see why. A dad returned home from Afghanistan. When he left, his son who has Cerebral Palsy couldn't walk. Watch the video and see what happens.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/marine-returning-home-greeted-6-old-son-learned-130055137.html
Try it tomorrow. Laugh, Spend some time in thought and have your emotions moved to tears. That would be a FULL DAY.
Until tomorrow
First thing about today is that it was Mother's Day. I hope the Mothers all over the world enjoyed it. You deserve more than a day in your honour. I called my mom to wish her a Happy Mother's day and to say I love you. She has been an inspiration to me EVERY day of my life but what she has taught me the past few years are lessons that you can't find in any book or seminar. It is the power of attitude and resiliency. The MVP of my life and she is why I write this blog every day. The rest of you just get to tag along for the ride. LOL
So on to Day 7.
We got a little bit of a sleep in for the girls but I got up at 7:45 to plan and get some things done. We had breakfast at 9 and then back to the dorm for 10:15. We had individual meetings with every player until around 11:30 and then I got to catch up on some planning. We headed off to lunch at 1pm and then back to the dorm for 2pm for guess what....yep..another meeting. This time it was from 2-3 pm with our physiologists. They explained the weight program to the girls and then Ed showed a video of one of his tricks. He competes in strong man contests so he has a video of him rolling up a frying pan. Yes, he grabs it and starts rolling it up like you would a piece of paper. Amazing!
The meeting ended at 3 and we had practice at 3:30 so it was off to the gym. We started practice with some breakdown drills and eventually built it up to a bunch of competitive stuff. We got a lot of full court work done and the girls and it was very good. We are starting to play better and understand that we can get better offensive efficiency if we move the ball and get it inside to our post players.
From a team perspective we have kind of been in limbo as some senior players may have been moved down and there was a chance we could get a late arrival. Today I confirmed, and announced to the girls, that this is our team. There will be no additions. We are on our way to Europe with the 12 that have battled hard and that is a good thing.
After this practice we came back for a quick coaches meeting to get on the same page with a few things and to get the plan set for tomorrow. We have 2 practices. One at 9AM and one at 4:30. We then have one on Tuesday and 2 on Wednesday before we depart for Europe. Not much time left and we are feeling the pinch now. Just not enough time to get everything done. However I think we have made strides and this is a development camp so it is very important that these players get exposed to lots of different things.
Later this evening I was able to take about 30-45 minutes for myself. It was a nice break. I have heard from people before how much fun it must be to go on "vacation" with these teams. If you look at tomorrow's schedule, we have breakfast at 7:30. Practice at 9 until 11:30. Lunch at 11:45. Coaches meeting at approximately 12:30 until about 1:30. 1:30 to 3:30 is practice planning for practice #2 and video analysis. 3:45 I will walk to the gym for a 4:30 practice. 430 to 7 is practice. 7:15 is supper and then we will have an 8:30 meeting for about 30 minutes. After this we will meet as coaches for about an hour so at around 10pm I get back to my room and plan for the next mornings practice.
So by the math in my head I will spend about 9.5 hours on court or in meetings. Not a big vacation!!!
However, traveling the world is nice.
I was thinking about this today and I am not sure if I have ever blogged this. On my walk to the gym I was thinking of the different places have been as a direct result of basketball. So here goes:
Canada: Every province but the territories
U.S. - 18 states - Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maryland, New York, D.C., Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Texas, Nevada, illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Jersey
Cuba, France, Serbia, Spain, Japan, China
Been a fun ride!!!!!
So before I depart I wanted to share one more thing. Jim Valvano was a famous coach who won a national championship at North Carolina State University back in the 80's. He had a huge personality and was loved by almost everyone in the coaching fraternity. His life was cut short by cancer but before he left this world he worked to inspire people. He has a famous speech from the ESPN Awards (watch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E) where he talked about not giving up. He also talked about 3 things you need to do to live a full life every day. He said that you have to laugh, spend some time in deep thought and have your emotions to tears. He said that this was a full day.
Today I laughed, I definitely spent some time in deep though and I had my emotions moved to tears.
If you go to the link below, you will see why. A dad returned home from Afghanistan. When he left, his son who has Cerebral Palsy couldn't walk. Watch the video and see what happens.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/marine-returning-home-greeted-6-old-son-learned-130055137.html
Try it tomorrow. Laugh, Spend some time in thought and have your emotions moved to tears. That would be a FULL DAY.
Until tomorrow
Sunday, May 13, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 6
Day 6 has almost said goodbye. A long but productive day.
Up a little later than usual due to the schedule of the gym. We had breakfast at 9:30 so I slept until 8:20. Woohoo a sleep in. Headed to breakfast which wasn't bad and then headed back to the gym for an 11AM practice.
Practice went quite well. We welcomed Miah Langlois to our group this morning as she returned from the senior camp. She immediately added to the practice and will help our team. The girls shared some info about their teammates as it was an assignment that I gave them the night before. We learned some interesting things and the girls found out they have a number of things in common.
The practice was quite competitive. The girls worked extremely hard. The turnover count went up a bit when we got tired but the girls tried to fight through the fatigue. I was really pleased with them. It was a good feeling leaving practice for sure. I have found that the last few days I have been loosening up a bit and more of my coaching style and personality are coming out. The girls seem to enjoy it which is good.
After practice we headed off to lunch and had some great discussions again. The meetings we have are outstanding. Mike is always great to chat with and he has some great feedback. We had a session with Ed today about recovery which was outstanding. He really helped the girls understand what it takes to get the proper recovery so you will get the most benefit out of training sessions. He gave them some great tips and I am definitely stealing them for the future.
We had a second practice scheduled at 5:30 and usually we ease up on them. Today I decided to push them a little bit harder to see how we would respond. The girls battled hard and really made some progress. They got tired near the end but again pushed through it. I was very pleased. One reason I was happy they worked hard was because we had special guests at camp. Basketball Ontario brought their entire under 15 group to the gym which was 2 full teams. Scary part was some of their girls were bigger than ours. I talked to them a bit and I took a break in practice to let the girls introduce themselves. The young kids loved it and I think it is good for our players to give back and help inspire these kids.
After practice we had another good meal and some fun conversation. It was really enjoyable to chat and get to know more about all of our staff members. I walked over to the dorms with Ed, our physiologist. He is a fantastic guy and very bright. I picked his brain for a little to get some great info.
We had a meeting scheduled for 9pm as I had a few administrative issues to clear up and I also talked about representing our country 24-7. There was some noise in the dorm last night and I needed to get that cleared up right away. The girls were apologetic and I don't think it will happen again.
I also talked about what it takes to be a team and that they are in control of where we go. We will guide them but they ultimately decide if we will be a tight unit or not.
Next I talked to them about our team and the theme I wanted for them this year. I gave them 2 assignments to have completed tomorrow as well. One was personal and the other was based on their new buddy for today. Slowly building the team and getting them to connect. Hopefully it will work. My goal is to get them inspired to play for Canada and commit to being a world class athlete. All of the things I have planned are part of the process. I guess we will wait and see what impact it has.
So now I am up late as usual planning tomorrows practice. We will have some quick individual meetings tomorrow and then a session with Ed regarding the commitment they will need to get to the international level. I have already viewed the presentation and I think the athletes will enjoy it. We have one practice tomorrow from 3:30 to 6. I will enjoy it as I will get some time to watch some film and not be crammed to put together practice.
But for now it is back to work and sleep.
Until tomorrow.....
Up a little later than usual due to the schedule of the gym. We had breakfast at 9:30 so I slept until 8:20. Woohoo a sleep in. Headed to breakfast which wasn't bad and then headed back to the gym for an 11AM practice.
Practice went quite well. We welcomed Miah Langlois to our group this morning as she returned from the senior camp. She immediately added to the practice and will help our team. The girls shared some info about their teammates as it was an assignment that I gave them the night before. We learned some interesting things and the girls found out they have a number of things in common.
The practice was quite competitive. The girls worked extremely hard. The turnover count went up a bit when we got tired but the girls tried to fight through the fatigue. I was really pleased with them. It was a good feeling leaving practice for sure. I have found that the last few days I have been loosening up a bit and more of my coaching style and personality are coming out. The girls seem to enjoy it which is good.
After practice we headed off to lunch and had some great discussions again. The meetings we have are outstanding. Mike is always great to chat with and he has some great feedback. We had a session with Ed today about recovery which was outstanding. He really helped the girls understand what it takes to get the proper recovery so you will get the most benefit out of training sessions. He gave them some great tips and I am definitely stealing them for the future.
We had a second practice scheduled at 5:30 and usually we ease up on them. Today I decided to push them a little bit harder to see how we would respond. The girls battled hard and really made some progress. They got tired near the end but again pushed through it. I was very pleased. One reason I was happy they worked hard was because we had special guests at camp. Basketball Ontario brought their entire under 15 group to the gym which was 2 full teams. Scary part was some of their girls were bigger than ours. I talked to them a bit and I took a break in practice to let the girls introduce themselves. The young kids loved it and I think it is good for our players to give back and help inspire these kids.
After practice we had another good meal and some fun conversation. It was really enjoyable to chat and get to know more about all of our staff members. I walked over to the dorms with Ed, our physiologist. He is a fantastic guy and very bright. I picked his brain for a little to get some great info.
We had a meeting scheduled for 9pm as I had a few administrative issues to clear up and I also talked about representing our country 24-7. There was some noise in the dorm last night and I needed to get that cleared up right away. The girls were apologetic and I don't think it will happen again.
I also talked about what it takes to be a team and that they are in control of where we go. We will guide them but they ultimately decide if we will be a tight unit or not.
Next I talked to them about our team and the theme I wanted for them this year. I gave them 2 assignments to have completed tomorrow as well. One was personal and the other was based on their new buddy for today. Slowly building the team and getting them to connect. Hopefully it will work. My goal is to get them inspired to play for Canada and commit to being a world class athlete. All of the things I have planned are part of the process. I guess we will wait and see what impact it has.
So now I am up late as usual planning tomorrows practice. We will have some quick individual meetings tomorrow and then a session with Ed regarding the commitment they will need to get to the international level. I have already viewed the presentation and I think the athletes will enjoy it. We have one practice tomorrow from 3:30 to 6. I will enjoy it as I will get some time to watch some film and not be crammed to put together practice.
But for now it is back to work and sleep.
Until tomorrow.....
Saturday, May 12, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 5
Where does the time go. Seems like yesterday I was recruiting in Waterloo getting ready for this camp. Here I am a week later and day 5 is complete.
We started with our early breakfast and then a 9AM practice. It was our only practice today as we gave them the 2nd one off. They, and we, needed the mental break.
Practice was pretty good today with good intensity. We still need to increase our defensive awareness and our pressure on the basketball but it hasn't been the main focus so that will come....hopefully. The biggest focus has been the new offense we are installing. Not only is it new to the players but it is brand new to me. Teaching new offense was a bit scary at first but it is all about playing smart basketball and this offense really helps simplify things for the players. I like the concepts we are teaching just wish we had a lot more time to teach it.
The girls competed quite hard though and I was pleased with the efforts. Our offense looked 1000 times better than yesterday morning so that was pleasing. We turned the ball over WAY TOO MUCH though. Gotta rectify that quickly.
After practice we headed over to lunch and had a great discussion regarding warming up to play basketball. The physiologists have some very interesting ideas that could help the warmup.
Once we returned from practice I wanted to have a meeting with the coaches to get some things worked out for the next "mini phase" of camp. We had a good meeting and Mike joined us with some feedback. These meetings sometimes go longer than we want but I get more out of them than going to a coaching clinic. They are very good and I enjoy them. We broke after about an hour and with the night off I knew what I needed to do....LAUNDRY. Definitely needed laundry done. I took my stuff with me and did some planning while the laundry did its' thing. I came back upstairs and nobody was here. It was a little after 5 and I thought we were heading off campus for supper. Turns out they all went to supper so I waited until they came back and Mike and I jumped in the van and headed to Jack Astor's. Great to get off campus and it was a fantastic burger that I had. Good food and great scenery...I mean waitresses :)
We came back and I tool some "me" time. About an hour of just picking away at a few things. It is amazing how much brain time and space a camp occupies. It is a lot of mental stress so the "step back" for an hour was good. After this, we had to get together for one final meeting for about an hour. We had to put some things together for our player meetings and of course we got off topic a bit and chatted about coaching but it was all good.
Back to my room around 11 to finish up practice # 1 for tomorrow and upload the video footage from practice. I assigned each player a "lunch mate" today. They had to sit with each other and discuss their families, interests and any other unique facts. They report this tomorrow before practice. It should be fun.
So the Europe trip is creeping closer. We need to get a lot done before then but for now I must rest.
If you hear about a tussle at the Judique Fire Hall, don't worry it's probably just Archie Neil, Terrence and their trouble making friend Molly McLaughlin. Stay away from them , they are TROUBLE.
Until tomorrow....
We started with our early breakfast and then a 9AM practice. It was our only practice today as we gave them the 2nd one off. They, and we, needed the mental break.
Practice was pretty good today with good intensity. We still need to increase our defensive awareness and our pressure on the basketball but it hasn't been the main focus so that will come....hopefully. The biggest focus has been the new offense we are installing. Not only is it new to the players but it is brand new to me. Teaching new offense was a bit scary at first but it is all about playing smart basketball and this offense really helps simplify things for the players. I like the concepts we are teaching just wish we had a lot more time to teach it.
The girls competed quite hard though and I was pleased with the efforts. Our offense looked 1000 times better than yesterday morning so that was pleasing. We turned the ball over WAY TOO MUCH though. Gotta rectify that quickly.
After practice we headed over to lunch and had a great discussion regarding warming up to play basketball. The physiologists have some very interesting ideas that could help the warmup.
Once we returned from practice I wanted to have a meeting with the coaches to get some things worked out for the next "mini phase" of camp. We had a good meeting and Mike joined us with some feedback. These meetings sometimes go longer than we want but I get more out of them than going to a coaching clinic. They are very good and I enjoy them. We broke after about an hour and with the night off I knew what I needed to do....LAUNDRY. Definitely needed laundry done. I took my stuff with me and did some planning while the laundry did its' thing. I came back upstairs and nobody was here. It was a little after 5 and I thought we were heading off campus for supper. Turns out they all went to supper so I waited until they came back and Mike and I jumped in the van and headed to Jack Astor's. Great to get off campus and it was a fantastic burger that I had. Good food and great scenery...I mean waitresses :)
We came back and I tool some "me" time. About an hour of just picking away at a few things. It is amazing how much brain time and space a camp occupies. It is a lot of mental stress so the "step back" for an hour was good. After this, we had to get together for one final meeting for about an hour. We had to put some things together for our player meetings and of course we got off topic a bit and chatted about coaching but it was all good.
Back to my room around 11 to finish up practice # 1 for tomorrow and upload the video footage from practice. I assigned each player a "lunch mate" today. They had to sit with each other and discuss their families, interests and any other unique facts. They report this tomorrow before practice. It should be fun.
So the Europe trip is creeping closer. We need to get a lot done before then but for now I must rest.
If you hear about a tussle at the Judique Fire Hall, don't worry it's probably just Archie Neil, Terrence and their trouble making friend Molly McLaughlin. Stay away from them , they are TROUBLE.
Until tomorrow....
Friday, May 11, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 4
Day 4 has come and gone. Flown by. These camps seemed to fly by before but now that I am in control of the planning, it is flying by even more quickly. There doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything in.
The day started with the same 6:50 wakeup and then off to breakfast. A little sketchy this morning but good enough to start the day. We headed off to our first practice for 9am. We had some help in the gym this morning with Mike MacKay being here as well as Andy Sparks who is our junior team coach and is also the coach at U of Ottawa.
The practice went ok this morning but I didn't get a good feel for it. There were a number of things that didn't sit well with me.
First off, I had to have a quick meeting this morning with a player about being more coachable. Her body language and approach to teammates is not very good so I chatted about it. She needs to work at it. As always, when you are trying to correct a behaviour I found i was focusing much more on her early and trying to make sure she was making corrections. It took away from my focus on the rest of the group. She ended up doing slightly better in the morning practice but reverted to some old behaviours in the evening so more discussions to be had. One mistake I made is that I didn't correct her hard enough in the evening to let her know that the behaviour was not acceptable. I need to get on top of that.
But back to the practice. Some of the pieces didn't seem to fit together and then I had a miscue with one of our coaches where I kind of put her on the spot and she wasn't prepared for it. I didn't realize I did it at the time but it made her very uncomfortable. I misinterpreted something and I wanted her to have a little more control of one aspect of the practice and I put her in a bad spot. I really felt bad about it and apologized afterward. It just wasn't a great practice.
After this we went to lunch and it was OK. When we finished we had to have a quick meeting with one of the girls who was leaving camp. We gave her some feedback and hopefully she will take it back to her own training.
We had a brief coaches meeting to prep for practice and then I planned out the 2nd one. I cut it to 1.5 hours of non contact work. Basically no defense. I wanted them to focus on fundamentals. It was a little better practice because we were able to do a lot of refining. It wasn't physically intense but very good. Mike was able to come on the court and help us out a lot which was great.
After practice we went to supper and then we had our first group meeting. I decided to have a meeting to discuss where I felt we were, clean up some administrative details and to tell them that tomorrow is only one practice. We will practice in the AM and then be off until the next day.
During the meeting I asked them to discuss their favourite moments from their national team experiences. There was some great sharing. I also asked them to share a unique talent they may have. There were a few musical people but Kayla stole the show. She is a very good ballon artist. She makes animals and other things and even made a set of wings.
Earlier in the day I asked Shawnee if she would mind speaking to the team. Each one of these girls has dreams of playing in the Olympics and Shawnee has been to the Olympics as a coach. I explained to the girls that a big part of being successful, in my eyes, is having a connection to the feelings that you wish to create. I wanted them to understand the feelings that Shawnee felt in 1996. POWERFUL would be the word I would use to describe her talk. Very emotional. Some girls were moved to tears and Shawnee had to stop a few times to compose herself. The pride for Canada and Canada Basketball was busting out of her. I thought it was perfect for these girls. What a tremendously motivating moment for our group.
After our meeting I had to go to a presentation by the sport specialists who are here with us. They wanted to get feedback on the presentation that they will be giving our girls on Sunday. It was fantastic and I think the girls will get some great ideas from it.
I excused myself early and came back to my room around 9:30. The other coaches arrived around 10 and we tossed around ideas until 11 then I planned out our practice for tomorrow.
Lots and lots of learning still being done. I have learned a lot more about conducting practices and I have learned more about the different levels of decisions that I get involved in as the head coach. So much learning going on that I have to work to stay focused and to not overwhelm myself. So far so good though.
So after all that babbling it is now 12:30 and I need to get up early.
Until tomorrow
The day started with the same 6:50 wakeup and then off to breakfast. A little sketchy this morning but good enough to start the day. We headed off to our first practice for 9am. We had some help in the gym this morning with Mike MacKay being here as well as Andy Sparks who is our junior team coach and is also the coach at U of Ottawa.
The practice went ok this morning but I didn't get a good feel for it. There were a number of things that didn't sit well with me.
First off, I had to have a quick meeting this morning with a player about being more coachable. Her body language and approach to teammates is not very good so I chatted about it. She needs to work at it. As always, when you are trying to correct a behaviour I found i was focusing much more on her early and trying to make sure she was making corrections. It took away from my focus on the rest of the group. She ended up doing slightly better in the morning practice but reverted to some old behaviours in the evening so more discussions to be had. One mistake I made is that I didn't correct her hard enough in the evening to let her know that the behaviour was not acceptable. I need to get on top of that.
But back to the practice. Some of the pieces didn't seem to fit together and then I had a miscue with one of our coaches where I kind of put her on the spot and she wasn't prepared for it. I didn't realize I did it at the time but it made her very uncomfortable. I misinterpreted something and I wanted her to have a little more control of one aspect of the practice and I put her in a bad spot. I really felt bad about it and apologized afterward. It just wasn't a great practice.
After this we went to lunch and it was OK. When we finished we had to have a quick meeting with one of the girls who was leaving camp. We gave her some feedback and hopefully she will take it back to her own training.
We had a brief coaches meeting to prep for practice and then I planned out the 2nd one. I cut it to 1.5 hours of non contact work. Basically no defense. I wanted them to focus on fundamentals. It was a little better practice because we were able to do a lot of refining. It wasn't physically intense but very good. Mike was able to come on the court and help us out a lot which was great.
After practice we went to supper and then we had our first group meeting. I decided to have a meeting to discuss where I felt we were, clean up some administrative details and to tell them that tomorrow is only one practice. We will practice in the AM and then be off until the next day.
During the meeting I asked them to discuss their favourite moments from their national team experiences. There was some great sharing. I also asked them to share a unique talent they may have. There were a few musical people but Kayla stole the show. She is a very good ballon artist. She makes animals and other things and even made a set of wings.
Earlier in the day I asked Shawnee if she would mind speaking to the team. Each one of these girls has dreams of playing in the Olympics and Shawnee has been to the Olympics as a coach. I explained to the girls that a big part of being successful, in my eyes, is having a connection to the feelings that you wish to create. I wanted them to understand the feelings that Shawnee felt in 1996. POWERFUL would be the word I would use to describe her talk. Very emotional. Some girls were moved to tears and Shawnee had to stop a few times to compose herself. The pride for Canada and Canada Basketball was busting out of her. I thought it was perfect for these girls. What a tremendously motivating moment for our group.
After our meeting I had to go to a presentation by the sport specialists who are here with us. They wanted to get feedback on the presentation that they will be giving our girls on Sunday. It was fantastic and I think the girls will get some great ideas from it.
I excused myself early and came back to my room around 9:30. The other coaches arrived around 10 and we tossed around ideas until 11 then I planned out our practice for tomorrow.
Lots and lots of learning still being done. I have learned a lot more about conducting practices and I have learned more about the different levels of decisions that I get involved in as the head coach. So much learning going on that I have to work to stay focused and to not overwhelm myself. So far so good though.
So after all that babbling it is now 12:30 and I need to get up early.
Until tomorrow
Thursday, May 10, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 3
Well Day 3 has come and gone. A full and busy day. Started with another 6:50 AM wakeup then off to breakfast at 7:30. Another decent breakfast and we used some of that time to review the practice that I planned for the morning. We made a minor adjustment and then we went back to get ready for practice.
Practice was an uptempo affair. We slowly built the intensity and then got up and down the court a little bit to try and compete. We began working on some fast break concepts and then some half court execution. It was good in some areas and bad in others. We turned the ball over too much and rushed a lot. We still have to develop our timing and pace of play but it was good for a first time trying to compete.
The girls worked very hard and are really trying to learn. They are a very nice bunch of ladies.
After practice we went directly to lunch under cloudy dark skies. A bit of rain was on the way. Lunch was good and we hung around afterward to discuss practice for the evening and prepare it. We took about an hour and had some good discussions. Our meetings are great, there is a lot of sharing and we seem to be on the same page. There is some great questioning going on which allows us to cut through the shit and figure out just what we need to do with the time we have. I am really enjoying our meetings. If we didn't have to practice we could meet for hours. Not sure what would be more fun, practicing or talking about the game. Both are a lot of fun.
Following our meeting I came back to residence and completed the plan and tweaked a few details. I tried to make a few recruiting calls but didn't reach anyone. I will have to try tomorrow. Still lots to be done.
I headed back to the gym at around 3:45 for a 4:30 practice. The skies were very dark and thunder was rolling. As I stepped into the building the rain started to hammer the campus. My timing was fantastic.
I took my ipad and wanted to work with Taryn on her shot release. I filmed it for her and she had never seen it before. I was a bit shocked by that. I will upload the film for her so she can use it in the future.
Practice was less intense from a running standpoint tonight. We did a lot of decision making and skill work with some half court execution. It was pretty good overall and once again the girls worked hard. I cut this practice down from 2.5 hours to 2. The girls are working hard and we need to manage their repetitions in practice, intensity level and length of practice. With only 12 girls we do not want to fatigue them to the point of nagging injuries.
Just before practice I met Ed who is another specialist that will work with Joanie to help our team this year. We had a meeting at 8:30 tonight with them and they discussed some of the work they will do over the next little bit. The girls will get tested in the weightroom and coached on technique. They will be evaluated in a lot of areas as well as have sessions regarding recovery, nutrition, how to train, how to travel and compete, etc.. I think the coolest thing for the girls is their dehydrations testing. EVERY DAY until we return from Belgium they will pee in a cup before breakfast and we can determine if they are properly hydrated. It is almost instant feedback and it is something they can control, which according to study, can affect your performance by as much as 5%. Often that can be the difference between a medal and no medal. So it was a cool session for sure.
Afterwards we met as coaches again for about an hour. The coaches thought practice was very good today and that they were planned well. They offered some great feedback and we worked on ideas for tomorrow's practice. I planned it out tonight but don't have a good feel for it. I will sleep on it and then talk with the coaches at breakfast. We'll see how it goes.
The other great thing tonight was the arrival of Mike MacKay. He is a guru in coaching in Canada and has provided me with a TON of guidance over my career. He is here to assist us with the camp and help with how we are planning things. I will enjoy his feedback.
Well now I am fading off so I need to end this. Lots of work to do tomorrow. Another 2 practices. One hard in the morning and a scaled back one in the evening.
So until tomorrow....it is off to Sandman city
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
DWNT 2012 Day 2
So here we are at the end of day 2. A busy day to say the least. Started with a 6:50 AM wakeup call, quick shower then off to breakfast. Nice to see Coach Harle join us this morning after flying in late last night. We had some good discussion at breakfast then headed back to the dorm before heading to the gym.
The first session this morning was one of physical testing. Joanie is a specialist who has been with Canada Basketball for a while and she came in to do the testing. First we did the beep test ( a running test that the kids hate) then we did different assessments. The goal was to identify different body issues the athletes may have that could cause injuries down the road. They are tested on a pile of things and will be given a report on what they need to work on. It was nice to listen to the girls talk about their training and ask questions about how to fix everything. I think this is a tremendous aspect of camp. The girls are monitored in different ways and given great feedback that they can take back into their personal training.
The testing took about 2hours and 15 minutes and then we headed over to lunch. A quick bite and we headed back to the dorm. I took a van down the street to a store to get some drinks and a few snacks. After I returned the coaches got together to discuss practice. I explained what I had planned and we made a few alterations and agreed upon what needed to be done to get started. The coaches meeting is a fundamental part of the success at this level. We need to be on the same page and bringing the same message to the athletes. We met for a while discussing many things and then we headed over to the gym.
I wasn't sure how I would be during the first practice. nervous? intimidated? Turns out it was none of the above. I was relaxed and ready to go. At 4:30 I blew the whistle, brought the girls in and talked about what an honour it was to coach them and I wanted them to understand what playing for their country meant. I then did a quick activity to emphasize the proper mindset and turned them over to the physiotherapist to begin their warmup.
After warmup we began with some shooting drills, a few decision making drills and then went into some competitive 1 on 1 drills. I did have to stop the practice once and remind them that we can't be world class if were going to be half assed. I guess it was what I would call an intensity adjustment. Can't seem to shake my old self sometimes. LOL. After this we did some offensive breakdowns and then introduced the basic offense. It is simple and they seemed to get it right away.
Overall I felt good about the practice. The girls worked hard and it was a good first practice. Lots and lots to work on but we established some things early and this should be good as continue to build.
After practice we went to supper. The meals are good and the people serving them are very friendly. After supper was our nightly coaches meeting. FANTASTIC is all I can say. Chantal and I are relatively young in this game while Shawnee has a lot of experience and has coached at the Olympics. Tons of experience. She was AWESOME in this meeting. Challenged ideas, offered feedback and really helped us get some things straight. After one meeting, I think she helped us get aligned in a great direction. Lots of talk between the three of us and we were able to get some things set for tomorrows practice. We also just talked hoops and how we coach. I always learn a ton at these camps and this will be no different. I was taking notes all day.
So now I have to get ready for bed. Tired and a long day ahead. one practice at 9am and one at 4:30. It is a lot of planning at this level. With some of the new info we follow, Practices are planned at a different level than at the university level although I feel that will change in the near future.
So that is Day 2....see you after Day 3
The first session this morning was one of physical testing. Joanie is a specialist who has been with Canada Basketball for a while and she came in to do the testing. First we did the beep test ( a running test that the kids hate) then we did different assessments. The goal was to identify different body issues the athletes may have that could cause injuries down the road. They are tested on a pile of things and will be given a report on what they need to work on. It was nice to listen to the girls talk about their training and ask questions about how to fix everything. I think this is a tremendous aspect of camp. The girls are monitored in different ways and given great feedback that they can take back into their personal training.
The testing took about 2hours and 15 minutes and then we headed over to lunch. A quick bite and we headed back to the dorm. I took a van down the street to a store to get some drinks and a few snacks. After I returned the coaches got together to discuss practice. I explained what I had planned and we made a few alterations and agreed upon what needed to be done to get started. The coaches meeting is a fundamental part of the success at this level. We need to be on the same page and bringing the same message to the athletes. We met for a while discussing many things and then we headed over to the gym.
I wasn't sure how I would be during the first practice. nervous? intimidated? Turns out it was none of the above. I was relaxed and ready to go. At 4:30 I blew the whistle, brought the girls in and talked about what an honour it was to coach them and I wanted them to understand what playing for their country meant. I then did a quick activity to emphasize the proper mindset and turned them over to the physiotherapist to begin their warmup.
After warmup we began with some shooting drills, a few decision making drills and then went into some competitive 1 on 1 drills. I did have to stop the practice once and remind them that we can't be world class if were going to be half assed. I guess it was what I would call an intensity adjustment. Can't seem to shake my old self sometimes. LOL. After this we did some offensive breakdowns and then introduced the basic offense. It is simple and they seemed to get it right away.
Overall I felt good about the practice. The girls worked hard and it was a good first practice. Lots and lots to work on but we established some things early and this should be good as continue to build.
After practice we went to supper. The meals are good and the people serving them are very friendly. After supper was our nightly coaches meeting. FANTASTIC is all I can say. Chantal and I are relatively young in this game while Shawnee has a lot of experience and has coached at the Olympics. Tons of experience. She was AWESOME in this meeting. Challenged ideas, offered feedback and really helped us get some things straight. After one meeting, I think she helped us get aligned in a great direction. Lots of talk between the three of us and we were able to get some things set for tomorrows practice. We also just talked hoops and how we coach. I always learn a ton at these camps and this will be no different. I was taking notes all day.
So now I have to get ready for bed. Tired and a long day ahead. one practice at 9am and one at 4:30. It is a lot of planning at this level. With some of the new info we follow, Practices are planned at a different level than at the university level although I feel that will change in the near future.
So that is Day 2....see you after Day 3
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