This is one of the many quotes from Coach Borelli. I think we all kept this in the back of our minds going into the Fairchester Championship game Friday night. Let me tell you, even though we ended up winning by 20 points, it certainly didn't feel like it. Masters, NY played us to the very end like they were only down by 1 point. Every second of the game was intense and filled with emotions from both teams.
Coming off the devastating lose from Christian Heritage in the CISAC tournament, we had to somehow forget about it and move on because we have had two more tournaments to play. This comes to show that winning isn't everything, and the best lessons come from tough losses. In the regular season, we beat Christian Heritage by 41 points; it was one of our best wins collectively as a team. Obviously, Christian Heritage would come back with a vengeance, but I think we were shocked by their overall play the second time around. They basically just outplayed us, plan and simple. We won't get that game back, but what we took from the loss led us to believe that we would capture the Fairchester Championship.
In the opening round, we played Holy Child. We beat them, and then played King in the second round. King always poses a threat on every team they play because they do not become complacent when they are losing. They are known for cutting down large deficits in a matter of just a couple of minutes. We were able to come out victorious and had one day to prepare for Masters on Friday.
Friday came and our juices were pumping. Before the game, we all were just hanging out in the locker room. Usually what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room, but I'll let you know that we dance to numerous songs before game time. Everyone is singing; everyone is just having a really good time. Then 5 minutes before we have to go shoot around on the court, we turn the music off and get focused.
So it was the tip-off of the Fairchester Championship; I won it and we were off to the races. Masters played a mixture of a triangle-and-two and a box-and-one throughout the majority of the game. This left openings for other girls on the team to get their offensive games going and that is just what they did. Our defense was a little questionable at times because we kept letting their guards penetrate wide open seams to the basket. Fortunately, they missed a bunch of lay-ups otherwise there were times they could have taken the lead. But we stayed aggressive and tried to battle with them on the boards. I think we had a double digit lead on them, but it was dwindling. I was forced to take a seat with about 9:00 minutes to go in the second half with 4 fouls. The girls stayed in it and tried not to let the large crowd affect them. I always feel like I let my girls down when I get into foul trouble, whether they are good call or bad calls, I am going to be on the bench. Although I worry, they seem to do just fine without me.
Down the stretch in the last couple minutes of the game, Krystina Reynolds, Rachel Plotke, and Kelsey McCray came up big for us. Bianca Tomassini kept battling underneath trying to get her hand on every rebound. And the I have to credit Jaime Charles and Ariana Martone for coming off the bench and producing hard-working minutes. It was impressive.
As I dribbled out the last seconds of the basketball game, I could not contain my smile. All my years on the varsity level and we always came up short in the Fairchester Tournament, but not this year! There were many factors that went into that win.
Although most of us are on a "championship high", we have to tuck away this memory and shift our focus to the New England Tournament. This is what I live for. to be back-to-back New England Champions would be a dream come true.
Thank you to Coach Borelli for coaching us to our first ever Fairchester title. You are the greatest! "It's not what we do...it's how we do it!"
www.nhregister.com
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Big Wins Lead To Big Expectations
I apologize for my absence from the blogging scene, but I have been so caught up in the hype of the season. Hamden Hall is playing their best basketball right now, and it is finally time to put the icing on the cake. Our record stands at 18-2. We are Fairchester League Regular Season Champions, as well as CISAC Regular League Champions. What a long way we have come!
I know you all expected me to write a blog about the Hopkins game, but I decided not to. i do want to give a little re-cap from my end of the spectrum. It was just another game on our regular season schedule. We proved to be the hardest working team just like in our previous wins. There was a lot of attention surrounding the game. All that went out the window the moment I stepped into the tip-off circle. My nerves were gone and we were ready to bring it to them. That is just what we did, and there is nothing else you can really say about it. The score can speak for itself, but most importantly the effort and hard work that my team left on the court was the greatest. Everyone came out 110% to get the job done. As young as my team is, they handled the rivalry like veterans. Although she is just a sophmore, Krystina Reynolds has a high basketball IQ and plays relentlessly every possession. She has experienced this rivalry for a while now, and knows to be poised under pressure. Her hustle plays occur from the opening tip to the last seconds of the game. Then, we have the "big frosh" Rachel Plotke, who came out playing like it was her senior night (lol). She played great defense on one of Hopkins other guards and on the offensive end, just shred the Hopkins defense, including nailing a one-handed hook three from at least three feet behind the line with the shot clock winding down. If you weren't there to see it, I feel so bad for you. As if that wasn't enough, she was no longer was 5'3 anymore, she rose to 6'2 to swat someone's shot, making the crowd go wild. Now that's what you call rivalry basketball. And to complete the fantastic young-ins in the starting five, there is the one, the only Bianca Tomassini. Bianca probably has the hardest role on the team. She has to constantly battle with girls down-low that may be bigger, stronger, and taller than her. But yet, this girl always seems to find a way to bring down the rebound and sprint the other end of the court for the fast break. Another reason why she has the hardest role on the team is because she has to handle my lightning speed passes. Usually I am able to find her on the low block or short corner when I am penetrating the lane. She has gotten so good at catching the ball and scoring that my assists have went up, and I am so proud. Ladies and gentleman, she is only in the eighth grade!
After the game, in the team huddle, as I tried to hold back tears, I simply had to give the biggest thanks to my teammates. That was an incredible team win, and a win like that assures me that we will be able to compete with all teams in the playoffs. I am so excited for what is to come. We battled extremely hard in our last regular season game. GFA was a really good opponent. One of the best we played all year. I don't remember much from the game because in warm-ups I suffered a head injury, but from what my teammates told me it was a great win on their home court.
Now today marks the start of the CISAC tournament. We will face teams we have already played during the regular season, but we have to go into it like we have never played them before. It is a new day, and a new game. Coach Borelli has prepared us for this moment ever since our first pre-season workout. My team and I do not want to let her down. This is a time where we take the goals we have made in the beginning of the year and make them come truth. Once again, they are not just words on paper. I am so pumped. The party has just begun.
www.nhregister.com
I know you all expected me to write a blog about the Hopkins game, but I decided not to. i do want to give a little re-cap from my end of the spectrum. It was just another game on our regular season schedule. We proved to be the hardest working team just like in our previous wins. There was a lot of attention surrounding the game. All that went out the window the moment I stepped into the tip-off circle. My nerves were gone and we were ready to bring it to them. That is just what we did, and there is nothing else you can really say about it. The score can speak for itself, but most importantly the effort and hard work that my team left on the court was the greatest. Everyone came out 110% to get the job done. As young as my team is, they handled the rivalry like veterans. Although she is just a sophmore, Krystina Reynolds has a high basketball IQ and plays relentlessly every possession. She has experienced this rivalry for a while now, and knows to be poised under pressure. Her hustle plays occur from the opening tip to the last seconds of the game. Then, we have the "big frosh" Rachel Plotke, who came out playing like it was her senior night (lol). She played great defense on one of Hopkins other guards and on the offensive end, just shred the Hopkins defense, including nailing a one-handed hook three from at least three feet behind the line with the shot clock winding down. If you weren't there to see it, I feel so bad for you. As if that wasn't enough, she was no longer was 5'3 anymore, she rose to 6'2 to swat someone's shot, making the crowd go wild. Now that's what you call rivalry basketball. And to complete the fantastic young-ins in the starting five, there is the one, the only Bianca Tomassini. Bianca probably has the hardest role on the team. She has to constantly battle with girls down-low that may be bigger, stronger, and taller than her. But yet, this girl always seems to find a way to bring down the rebound and sprint the other end of the court for the fast break. Another reason why she has the hardest role on the team is because she has to handle my lightning speed passes. Usually I am able to find her on the low block or short corner when I am penetrating the lane. She has gotten so good at catching the ball and scoring that my assists have went up, and I am so proud. Ladies and gentleman, she is only in the eighth grade!
After the game, in the team huddle, as I tried to hold back tears, I simply had to give the biggest thanks to my teammates. That was an incredible team win, and a win like that assures me that we will be able to compete with all teams in the playoffs. I am so excited for what is to come. We battled extremely hard in our last regular season game. GFA was a really good opponent. One of the best we played all year. I don't remember much from the game because in warm-ups I suffered a head injury, but from what my teammates told me it was a great win on their home court.
Now today marks the start of the CISAC tournament. We will face teams we have already played during the regular season, but we have to go into it like we have never played them before. It is a new day, and a new game. Coach Borelli has prepared us for this moment ever since our first pre-season workout. My team and I do not want to let her down. This is a time where we take the goals we have made in the beginning of the year and make them come truth. Once again, they are not just words on paper. I am so pumped. The party has just begun.
www.nhregister.com
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
12-2...The Home Stretch Is Coming
Coming off a monster win against Chase Collegiate on the 25th of January, I am feeling really good about our playoff hopes. It is hard to look back on the two loses we had because I don't think they reflect the basketball team we are today. Those two games were earlier in the season and I wish I could go back in time and fix the mistakes that occurred because I guarantee you the team we are now is not the team we were in the beginning of the season. We have come a long way. To see the growth of such a young team is amazing. I have to be honest, I was very skeptical during pre-season about the team and how we would mesh, but I am not the least bit worried anymore. It is all coming together, but now is the time where only the least bit of mistakes, if any at all, can be made.
Hamden Hall has three tournaments to look forward to at the end of the season: the CISAC Tournament, the Fairchester Tournament, and the New England Tournament. Each tournament is filled with the best girls' prep school teams from all over the New England area. At times, it is challenging to play in these three tournaments one after another, because they are different teams that we face and different game-plans we may have to put on for the teams. I would love to win all three tournaments; it is going to take some hard work.Our focus has to remain on practicing hard every chance that we get because believe or not we are more than halfway done with our season and the preparation for the playoffs starts now.
It has been tough for all teams this season due to the unpredictable weather. School cancellations and limited gym time have left most teams with no choice but to play the games on the schedule without having practiced days prior. It has been hard for all teams to get back into the groove especially since it is about to turn into post-season time. Individually as players we should get to the gym to shoot and work on our handle as much as possible. It's a great time to play pick-up with the guys at the gym. This is a time to persevere through the bad weather and remind ourselves of the goals we set in the beginning of the season. We can't stop now.
www.nhregister.com
Hamden Hall has three tournaments to look forward to at the end of the season: the CISAC Tournament, the Fairchester Tournament, and the New England Tournament. Each tournament is filled with the best girls' prep school teams from all over the New England area. At times, it is challenging to play in these three tournaments one after another, because they are different teams that we face and different game-plans we may have to put on for the teams. I would love to win all three tournaments; it is going to take some hard work.Our focus has to remain on practicing hard every chance that we get because believe or not we are more than halfway done with our season and the preparation for the playoffs starts now.
It has been tough for all teams this season due to the unpredictable weather. School cancellations and limited gym time have left most teams with no choice but to play the games on the schedule without having practiced days prior. It has been hard for all teams to get back into the groove especially since it is about to turn into post-season time. Individually as players we should get to the gym to shoot and work on our handle as much as possible. It's a great time to play pick-up with the guys at the gym. This is a time to persevere through the bad weather and remind ourselves of the goals we set in the beginning of the season. We can't stop now.
www.nhregister.com
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Imagine At Least One Female Dunker On Your High School Team
After watching my Hamden Hall Boys put a beating on Hopkins, I was inspired by the energy that was created when, 6'8, Darren Payen cleaned up the missed shot, in the opening minute of the game, with a monstrous dunk. The crowd erupted! Hopkins had no chance from then on.
I really started to think, "what if I could dunk!" or "what if one of my teammates could dunk!". The closest high school girls basketball players can get to a dunk is a long three pointer. It seems to have a similar affect from the crowd, but not nearly as much as a dunk would. Imagine a Lisa Leslie, Brittney Griner, Candace Parker, or Michelle Snow on your team. Your coach would set up out of bounds lob plays for her to get a quick bucket. And even scoring the go-ahead basket in the last seconds of the game would be much easier with a tall, leaping presence at the rim ready to slam home or tip in any miss.
It is just funny because if the average female basketball player goes on a fast break, she can only lay it up. Many of us would be thankful to tap backboard on our lay-ups. The dunk seems like a more high percentage shot than any other. I could be totally wrong, but to my eye it is the highest percentage shot. Yes, there is always a potential to miss, but you are right there at the rim, and all you have to do is put the ball in the hoop. I know easier said then done, but still all that is needed is a some elevation and authority. Everything would be so much easier. Maybe more people would start attending girls' games if they knew of such female phenomenons. It would be a great addition to the female game if it could be done regularly.
On that note...to all female basketball players, we can achieve more than just a lay-up (lol). I am going to keep working on my ups and maybe next year I will be dunking; you never know! Impossible is nothing. :)
www.nhregister.com
I really started to think, "what if I could dunk!" or "what if one of my teammates could dunk!". The closest high school girls basketball players can get to a dunk is a long three pointer. It seems to have a similar affect from the crowd, but not nearly as much as a dunk would. Imagine a Lisa Leslie, Brittney Griner, Candace Parker, or Michelle Snow on your team. Your coach would set up out of bounds lob plays for her to get a quick bucket. And even scoring the go-ahead basket in the last seconds of the game would be much easier with a tall, leaping presence at the rim ready to slam home or tip in any miss.
It is just funny because if the average female basketball player goes on a fast break, she can only lay it up. Many of us would be thankful to tap backboard on our lay-ups. The dunk seems like a more high percentage shot than any other. I could be totally wrong, but to my eye it is the highest percentage shot. Yes, there is always a potential to miss, but you are right there at the rim, and all you have to do is put the ball in the hoop. I know easier said then done, but still all that is needed is a some elevation and authority. Everything would be so much easier. Maybe more people would start attending girls' games if they knew of such female phenomenons. It would be a great addition to the female game if it could be done regularly.
On that note...to all female basketball players, we can achieve more than just a lay-up (lol). I am going to keep working on my ups and maybe next year I will be dunking; you never know! Impossible is nothing. :)
www.nhregister.com
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Who Ever Said Overcoming Self-Defeat Was Easy?
As I sit here at my computer, to the front of me is my window portraying a winter wonderland, to the back of me is a pile of dirty clothes, to the left of me is my wall of Love & Basketball quotes, and to the right of me is a mirror reflecting an image of a young woman who is self-defeated. This young woman is me.
It is so easy to dish out advice to other people about how to overcome and how to face adversity. It comes second nature to me; I love helping out other people if they are in a mental and emotional jam, but I can't seem to do the same for myself. I have been in a mental slump for about 26 hours now, and I say it is time to get out of it. If I continue to be in this slump, I will let my teammates and coaches down and that is something I have always feared of doing. That is the worst thing I can do; it would be selfish to make my team pay for my frustrations .
The first thing I think I need to do is smile. Anyone should be able to smile after a hard-fought win, but I just couldn't. I cannot go back in time, instead I will live for right now and right now only. Smiling is probably one of the most simple and healthiest therapies. It may be hard at times, but it's free! a lot of things don't come free these days, but a smile most definitely does.
Second thing, I need to do is accept responsibility. I can't keep holding on to past mistakes. I have to take responsibility for my actions and improve my attitude for my team. To not take responsibility for my actions would be like playing the victim. The world doesn't revolve around one single person. And I for sure don't want to be the victim in any situation, but rather the hero.
Third thing is that I need to learn how to finish what I started. Never do I want any of my tasks, goals, or commitments be left undone and unfinished, it would put myself and the people around me in jeopardy. It is difficult to feel good about your abilities if you haven't experienced the success and rewards from it, so then that's when I work even harder to get there and not feel sorry for myself that nothing is going my way.
I am my worst critic. It is a learning experience, and it is going to take time, but I have to be proactive about it. I am going to take the initiative and work hard at overcoming this self-defeating behavior. Bruises from a tough game can hurt for days. Scratches from a pick up game can leave long-lasting welts. Scars from self-defeat can virtually stay on your body forever, unless you turn the situation around and demonstrate a positive attitude as much as you can.
I am ready to make the change.
www.nhregister.com
It is so easy to dish out advice to other people about how to overcome and how to face adversity. It comes second nature to me; I love helping out other people if they are in a mental and emotional jam, but I can't seem to do the same for myself. I have been in a mental slump for about 26 hours now, and I say it is time to get out of it. If I continue to be in this slump, I will let my teammates and coaches down and that is something I have always feared of doing. That is the worst thing I can do; it would be selfish to make my team pay for my frustrations .
The first thing I think I need to do is smile. Anyone should be able to smile after a hard-fought win, but I just couldn't. I cannot go back in time, instead I will live for right now and right now only. Smiling is probably one of the most simple and healthiest therapies. It may be hard at times, but it's free! a lot of things don't come free these days, but a smile most definitely does.
Second thing, I need to do is accept responsibility. I can't keep holding on to past mistakes. I have to take responsibility for my actions and improve my attitude for my team. To not take responsibility for my actions would be like playing the victim. The world doesn't revolve around one single person. And I for sure don't want to be the victim in any situation, but rather the hero.
Third thing is that I need to learn how to finish what I started. Never do I want any of my tasks, goals, or commitments be left undone and unfinished, it would put myself and the people around me in jeopardy. It is difficult to feel good about your abilities if you haven't experienced the success and rewards from it, so then that's when I work even harder to get there and not feel sorry for myself that nothing is going my way.
I am my worst critic. It is a learning experience, and it is going to take time, but I have to be proactive about it. I am going to take the initiative and work hard at overcoming this self-defeating behavior. Bruises from a tough game can hurt for days. Scratches from a pick up game can leave long-lasting welts. Scars from self-defeat can virtually stay on your body forever, unless you turn the situation around and demonstrate a positive attitude as much as you can.
I am ready to make the change.
www.nhregister.com
Friday, January 7, 2011
A New Year's Resolution For All Players
Stop cursing on the court! It's ignorant, it's unprofessional, and it's not sportsmanship-like. Players now just say it like saying hi and bye. Saying the "F word" after you miss a lay-up is not going to make the next lay-up go in. What can you possibly gain from throwing belligerent profanities out on the court for everyone to hear? If I was a coach scouting a game, and my recruit displayed a lack of care for the game by cursing, I would most likely remove he/she from my list. I don't need a player like that on my team. I need positivity. I don't get it. What's wrong with just saying it in your head? This way you hear it and no one else does. Be as frustrated as you want without scarring the 3 year old boy that is sitting in the front row watching the game. You never know who is in the stands.
This year let's strive to play clean. If you have to, take a nice cap full of Listerine, gargle, and spit the profanities down the sink before every game. It will leave you with pearly whites and a clean attitude. :)
www.nhregister.com
This year let's strive to play clean. If you have to, take a nice cap full of Listerine, gargle, and spit the profanities down the sink before every game. It will leave you with pearly whites and a clean attitude. :)
www.nhregister.com
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Mind Over Matter
Coming back to practice from basically a week and a half off with a couple of shoot-arounds in between was hard. You think that you are going to just jump on the court and do everything right. Truth is that ain't gonna happen. You may have shot around with your friends during break, but it is nothing like being in an intensified practice. It was no lackadaisical practice; to tell you the truth there never is one. You know you are rusty when you get tired after doing high knees and butt kicks full court. It was going to be a long practice.
It was mental mistakes we kept making. We were doing fairly simple drills and we couldn't keep the lines right or the ball on the right side. We weren't exploding across the middle for the mid range jumper. It seemed like all half efforts, and coach wasn't liking that. We were tired, but it was no excuse. Coach called us all on the baseline and talked to us about overcoming all the tiredness. She said "mind over matter!" She told us that we had to get through this mentality of thinking about when the drill was going to be over instead of just working hard for the duration of the drill and then being able to get a drink of water when we are done. Coach then started to talk analogies. I am one of those players who loves analogies because it makes me look at things from a different perspective. She talked about "hell week" for the Navy Seals and how they go non-stop for three days and then get just 2 hours of sleep! Then they continue the rest of their brutal week. I thought to myself, "WOW". Here we are complaining and panting about sprints up and down the floor and there are people out there doing so much more than us. After we get back from break we have 4 games in 6 days. I am excited; I love playing back to back games, but we have to get our bodies and minds in it first.
Basketball truly is a mental game. If your head isn't in it, you mine as well just make yourself comfy on the bench. It's hard to overcome tiredness. That is where the desire and heart come into play. I sure am guilty of it; there are times where I just want to stop and walk out the gym. But who is that helping? No One. That is hurting me and hurting my teammates. We have learned to be the support team for one another. We are all in the same boat, so if we guide each other through it we should be able to withstand any obstacle.
You have to look towards the future, not in the moment. We have to get ourselves in basketball condition for these next four games. All this hard work will pay off, but it has to be consistent. I have a great team and an awesome coach, what more can I ask for to motivate me to keep going?
It's just mind over matter.
www.nhregister.com
It was mental mistakes we kept making. We were doing fairly simple drills and we couldn't keep the lines right or the ball on the right side. We weren't exploding across the middle for the mid range jumper. It seemed like all half efforts, and coach wasn't liking that. We were tired, but it was no excuse. Coach called us all on the baseline and talked to us about overcoming all the tiredness. She said "mind over matter!" She told us that we had to get through this mentality of thinking about when the drill was going to be over instead of just working hard for the duration of the drill and then being able to get a drink of water when we are done. Coach then started to talk analogies. I am one of those players who loves analogies because it makes me look at things from a different perspective. She talked about "hell week" for the Navy Seals and how they go non-stop for three days and then get just 2 hours of sleep! Then they continue the rest of their brutal week. I thought to myself, "WOW". Here we are complaining and panting about sprints up and down the floor and there are people out there doing so much more than us. After we get back from break we have 4 games in 6 days. I am excited; I love playing back to back games, but we have to get our bodies and minds in it first.
Basketball truly is a mental game. If your head isn't in it, you mine as well just make yourself comfy on the bench. It's hard to overcome tiredness. That is where the desire and heart come into play. I sure am guilty of it; there are times where I just want to stop and walk out the gym. But who is that helping? No One. That is hurting me and hurting my teammates. We have learned to be the support team for one another. We are all in the same boat, so if we guide each other through it we should be able to withstand any obstacle.
You have to look towards the future, not in the moment. We have to get ourselves in basketball condition for these next four games. All this hard work will pay off, but it has to be consistent. I have a great team and an awesome coach, what more can I ask for to motivate me to keep going?
It's just mind over matter.
www.nhregister.com
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