Win No. 1 for this Coach in 2011

‘If we lose this game, I should be fired,’ I said, quietly as I sent five girls out onto the court this morning for the final quarter of our seventh regular season game of the year.

This was the closest we’d ever been this season to putting a mark in the ‘W’ column, and I wanted to win to validate all the hard work the girls had put in to this point in the season.

As a head coach, you live for games like this.

After dropping two easy baskets, we trailed by two, 14-12. However, as the fourth quarter unraveled, and my team started making free throws (we got the other team to foul us so often we ended up on the free throw line, for the first time this season in the bonus!) I saw light at the end of the tunnel.

With 10 seconds left we got fouled and made the first free throw to go up 16-14. The second shot bounced right down to one of our girls, but the ball was tied up: jump ball, and it was our possession.

If you like tie-ups, you’d love our games.

We took the ball out of bounds, threw it in (to our team, which was huge for us, we needed to drain eight seconds off the clock) and put up a few shots. When the final shot went up, I turned to see the final second tick off the clock.

That’s a great feeling, if I can say so myself.

The final score read 16-14, in favor of the St. William Lady Knights. Doesn’t get much better than that if you ask me.

With the win, I now have compiled more wins as a head coach, in a season and a half, than I did as a player in four seasons at St. William.

My goal at the beginning of the season was to be playing our best ball at the end of the year (and we’re doing a darn good job at that), to have each girl improve as the season progresses (and that’s working out well too), to have each girl score (still working on that one with three games to go, but I have a feeling we’ll get there) and to win one game.

We won one game last year, and we were the only team in the school to do so. While I’m not positive on how many wins each St. William team has compiled this season, win numero uno for my team was an accomplishment.

Now we shoot for win number two, and we are playing well. Hopefully we can get another win before the season closes out. If we do, I’m sure I’ll let you know about it.
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The NASCAR race tomorrow at Martinsville might look a lot like a race I attended in 2008 according to some drivers who said the Goodyear Eagles aren’t properly rubbering up the track in Virginia. We’ll see what happens. Check FOX19.com for my immediate post-race story (if the race ends on time) and check back here for some analysis of the Goody’s 500.

Have a good Saturday night and Sunday. I’ll see you back here tomorrow or Monday.

LaSalle wins on late tip

For my FOX19 post-game story, click here: http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=14324891

Days like today are why I love being an intern at Fox 19. I sat three feet away from the court on press row at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center, and got to watch one hell of a basketball game.

With one minute left LaSalle, the co-GCL South champs, led Toledo Central Catholic by a point, 44-43. With 20 seconds left and the score tied at 46, LaSalle looked to senior Brandon Neel, who had half of their points at that time.

Neel drove down the right side of the lane but slipped, and tossed the ball toward the hoop with less than five seconds to go. Out of nowhere Matt Woeste leapt through the air, grabbed the ball of the glass and tipped it in.

LaSalle won 48-46 in a thriller.

I watched it from one of the best seats in the house. Does it get any better than this? Rarely.

“We gave the ball to Brandon, he had the hot hand,” Woeste said after the game. “No one boxed me out, so I jumped up there and just tipped it in.”

Neel was pleased after the game. His performance put LaSalle in their second ever state title game in basketball. “Everyone was hugging Woeste [in the locker room],” he said. “It was fun, it was really fun.”

But it might not have been as joyous for the players if their head coach wasn’t sitting on the bench. A few weeks ago head man Dan Fleming had a heart attack. He was finally cleared to sit on the bench this evening.

“The best medicine for a heart attack is a close game and get that W,” he joked after the game. “Our kids really work their tails off. They really deserve it. They really worked hard for a long time. Playing in the state final four is special, but if we can win it that would make it even more special.”

His son Ryan scored 11 points.

“It was a little weird,” the younger Fleming said. “[LaSalle’s interim head coach] Pat [Goedde] was standing up instead of my dad, and that never happens because my dad never sits down. But to finally come over at timeouts and see him sitting in the chair was just like the last three years have been.”

Goedde, a LaSalle alum and former player, was able to relish this victory.

“I know I’m the interim head coach, and me and Flem, we’ve been through this as a player, when I was playing and now as a coach. It’s a credit to Flem and the entire LaSalle community. It’s special,” he said.

The Lancers know they have some unfinished business though. They’ve got one game to play, and every player that talked to us mentioned the same thing: we want to win for us, for our fans and for the community.

“It’s everyone’s goal in high school basketball, to go to state, and we got here so we’re going to try our best,” said Woeste.

LaSalle plays Northland tomorrow at 8:30 for the title.

24 days til Daytona: A day off

Taking a day off on the blog today. Tomorrow will be a fun and special Friday Flashback surrounding a surprise winner in the Daytona 500.

Plus, I need a short break from homework and all the other things going on related to school.

The good news is we're one day closer to the Daytona 500, and one day closer to my girls' basketball season getting started. I'm sure you'll hear more about the basketball season when we get rolling.

Have a good Thursday night. Or is it Jers-day night?

UConn women’s coach Auriemma to step down

I’m not in the breaking news business, but this news is too good to not break here. Plus, I’ve wanted to break the news, but just haven’t had the chance to yet due to paperwork issues.

Geno Auriemma, the Connecticut women’s basketball coach, will announce that following this weekend’s tournament games he’s stepping down as UConn coach to take another coaching position.

After starting the season 1-10 at St. William, with the 5th and 6th grade girl’s team, I’ve decided to tap into my contacts and I’ve secured coach Auriemma to take over as the head coach for our team in the final three games of the year.

“It hurts to leave beautiful Connecticut, but it’s 80 degrees in Cincinnati right now, I can’t pass that up,” Auriemma told reporters at practice Wednesday night in Connecticut.

Coach Auriemma is expected to coach the UConn women’s team in the Final Four on Sunday and if they win he’ll be in San Antonio for the final game on Tuesday evening. If UConn loses on Sunday, he’ll be in Price Hill on Tuesday for practice. If UConn wins and plays Tuesday, Auriemma will fly in Wednesday morning to begin gameplanning for the April 11 game against Our Lady of Victory.

“I’ve won everywhere,” Auriemma said. “So why not take the final three games of the season for St. William?”

UConn is currently riding a women’s basketball record 76 consecutive wins. So why, one would ask, is Auriemma leaving to coach grade school basketball?

“I can’t wait to work with Adam, a two-time defending Big East champ,” Auriemma said. “His track record in basketball needs help, but I feel with our championship jewelry we’ll be able to outshine any other coaching staff in the league.”

It’s pretty obvious that Auriemma has reached the pinnacle of his career as a women’s basketball coach, and when he called me to announced he’d be helping me out I was ecstatic. “I can’t wait to get to Cincinnati and help teach your girls,” he told me on Monday afternoon.

My brother was dumbfounded that I got the cream of the crop to help us out, but said in a statement released earlier today that, “Coach Auriemma will be able to help teach our girls the basics of the game. We need to have someone to help us teach the basics. It’s a necessary component of the game.”

Plus, the job will help Auriemma recruit for the future. Can he take St. William to a 76 game winning streak? We’ll find out on Sunday the 11th.

Until then, enjoy your April Fool’s Day. I hope you don’t take this article seriously.

Odds and Ends on March 29th

Over the past week UC students had a break from classes and school work, and today that all changes. The ten-week spring quarter has begun and it’s back to work for college students here in Cincinnati, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to neglect my thoughts here. So for some tidbits of fun, here’s a few thoughts to get rolling for spring.

Moeller basketball ends up short in state title game
The Moeller Crusaders ran through the GCL South and the Cincinnati region before heading to the state semi finals on Friday evening. They faced Mentor in the final four game and withstood a state record for three point attempts. In overtime the Crusaders pulled away and clinched a spot in the state finals, defeating the Cardinals 66-59.

I had a seat courtside for that game as well as the state championship game the next evening where Moeller took on the Massillon Jackson Polar Bears. Jackson led 20-15 at halftime and opened the game up with a 24-5 advantage in the third quarter. Jackson won the game handily 57-34, denying Moeller the chance to win its fourth state title since 1999.

Through my current internship at Fox 19 in Cincinnati I got to witness both games, and from my vantage point nothing was more awesome than watching high school basketball up close and personal. The men of Moeller gave it their all, and even in winding up just a little short, they showed true heart and a spirit that made me proud to support a fellow GCL South school.

Check out this fun story on the Moeller cheering section, which exemplifies the spirit of an all-male cheering section, like any other GCL South school: http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/20100328/SPT01/3280308/Moeller+students+give+team+an+extra+lift

Almost Heaven, Indianapolis?
West Virginia is headed to the Final Four—the real one—in Indianapolis this upcoming weekend, and who would have picked that? While the popular picks for the national title were Kansas and Kentucky, my unconventional wisdom went with fellow Big East member West Virginia and former UC head coach Bob Huggins.

Turns out it could help my mom win her pool as only we have West Virginia cutting down the nets one week from today, but a WVU loss on Saturday evening could put us in second or third place. I’ll take my odd picks, and the bragging rights that come with picking a national champ.

Rainy days in Martinsville
Rain canceled yesterday’s running of the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 in Martinsville, Va., pushing the start of the race to this afternoon, a few minutes past midday. Tons of storylines to follow at NASCAR’s shortest track, so tune in if you have the time.

Mark Martin paced practice on Saturday morning, and he starts 16th today in Martinsville. Will he visit Victory Lane and bring home a grandfather clock? (NASCAR.com photo)

Spring football starts across the nation
UC got kicked off under new head coach Butch Jones two weeks ago before taking the last week off, and the two-time defending Big East champs will re-fire their engines tomorrow morning. The spring has brought a completely new style of practice to Nippert Stadium, but it’s just as intense as it was under the previous regime.

And part of the previous regime, most notably head coach Brian Kelly, got kicked off in South Bend last week. Kelly’s uptempo, energetic style of offense and practice surprised some Notre Dame players. It’s something the players at Cincinnati are used to, but at Notre Dame it’s all new, and it’s going to take some time for players to get used to everything.

While the head coach at UC, Kelly ran very high paced practices, a practice he has brought with him to Notre Dame (Photo from Twitter.com; Tom Gelehter)

One of Notre Dame’s opponents this season got kicking this morning in Annapolis, Md. Ken Niumatalolo and the Naval Academy Midshipmen got the ball rolling on spring practices with one of the most underrated players in all of America leading the charge under center, junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs. The Georgia native led the Middies to a huge win in the Texas Bowl last season 35-13 over Missouri, and captured ten wins for the Academy.

David Fox of Rivals.com says that Dobbs, “could end up being the academy’s top QB since Roger Staubach.” Pretty high praise for the best throwing Naval Academy quarterback in years. Dobbs’s threat to run and throw will keep defensive coordinators guessing all season long. It’ll be fun to watch Navy take on former UC defensive coordinator Bob Diaco when Notre Dame and Navy meet up on October 23 in East Rutherford, N.J.

I know who I’ll be rooting for.

More personal odds and ends
The girl’s basketball season is reaching its conclusion and although we’ve only won one game this season we’re trying to make some progress toward getting better for next season. As girls basketball winds down boys volleyball begins and I begin my fourth stint as an official.

I got to officiate two matches yesterday and although the kids seem to change from year to year very little changes at each school. It’s fun to think back to when I was a young kid running around the gym at St. William, learning all the skills necessary to become a decent volleyball player and have a little fun too.

The Beatles and I agree today, “How I long for Yesterday…”

Have a good one today, and stay dry if you’re stuck in the rain.

St. William girls basketball: "We are the champions"

As the clock ticked down in a small, west-side gym this morning, shots were hitting the backboard, hitting the rim, and falling out. I was jumping up and down, yelling and screaming. When the clock hit 0:00, we stood victorious.

I played basketball for four years in grade school, and we won one game. One game. I remember it like it was yesterday though, in the St. Dominic tournament in fourth grade, we beat St. Martin 15-13. I remember going home and celebrating with neighbor Andrew Wuebbling, who played an instrumental role in the win as one of our guards.

In a photo pulled from the "this should embarrass them" archives, myself on the left and Andrew on the right in the backyard we played in so often on West Eighth Street

This win might have been sweeter for me. In my first season as a head coach of the St. William 5th and 6th grade girls “B” team, I’ve been through some rough patches. We lost our first game 28-1, and our second 18-4. Last weekend only four girls showed up to a Saturday morning game where we got trounced 32-5.

Needless to say, it can be frustrating, but today, it was all worth it. We trailed St. Antoninus 5-1 at halftime when I pulled my team to the corner of the gym. “Listen to me,” I pleaded. “They’re only up four points. Four points. We can win this game.”

And apparently my little pep talk worked out. As the third quarter expired one of my girls was fouled. She nailed both free throws, and we trailed 5-3 after three. The intensity picked up as we entered the final five minutes of play. I screamed and yelled, numerous times intently staring at my brother Tony—who serves as my assistant coach—and said, “This game is ours, we’re going to win it.”

That's one heck of a coaching tandem right there

People call me crazy, people call me insane, and people know I love to win. Today I became intent on winning this game, come hell or high water. Last night I thought to myself, ‘We better win one soon, or these girls will never be motivated to play again.’ My worst fear as a head coach is that we won’t be able to pull together enough confidence to win a game, leading the girls I coach now to quit like I did ten years ago.

We battled back and scored three in the final quarter, just enough to nudge past our opponent by one. At the end of the game, as the shots flew off the backboard, every St. William parent said their hearts stopped.

Great, now I’m giving parents heart troubles.

One parent said, “I swear, I was going to have a heart attack,” and laughed with me after the game.

As soon as the clock hit all zeroes, and I knew we had won I began jumping up and down. There might be nothing better than winning for this team. The joy and jubilation on everyone’s faces—from the kids to their parents to the other St. William team (who played right after us) and even on my own—was a sight to see.

Call me insane, call me crazy, but don’t ever say I’m not passionate. Win number one was a great one, but with one game this evening at 7 p.m. and another tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m., we have little time to rest up before getting back after it. Maybe today will be a two-for-two day.

If it is, I’ll be one happy head coach. Until then, enjoy your weekend.

Urban Meyer got me thinking…

A few weeks ago while I sat in New Orleans I began to think about Urban Meyer and his coaching situation. Now, if I ever became a head coach at the college level (and many things are going to prevent that from ever happening, with lack of experience being the least of the reasons) but I could see myself burning out the way he did.

I have one speed, as I like to tell people who have never met me before: fast. Everything I do I do with speed and precision. There are times when I want to take things slowly, but rarely do I have that opportunity. When I have a task ahead of me, I get it done and get it done quickly and efficiently. There’s just no other way for me.

I also coach with passion and enthusiasm, just ask a guy who’s been beside me while coaching girls basketball, my younger brother Tony. One day after a close loss we fought (verbally, and at our house) over whether or not some of the things I suggested to the head coach were good ideas.

I, like Al Davis, just want to win, plain and simple. There is no other option.

However, this basketball season I’m thinking we (my brother and I) need to set more realistic goals. It’s obvious we aren’t going to win every game. In fact, we’ve never been close to winning every game, but it should be a goal of ours to see the kids we coach develop and become better players so that maybe next year we can raise the bar an try to go undefeated.

Should we coach in shirts and ties this season? I'm considering it

People who know me well will tell you that no matter what happens in about a month, when the girls we coach start to practice, I’m just happy to be back doing a service to the parish that provided me some of the passion for sports I currently have.

I just hope I don’t have to go to the hospital like Meyer did.

More on basketball when it gets started up though, it should be a good time and yet another learning experience.