The final game at the RAC last night was quite a game, at least for Rutgers fans. All season long we have waited, some not so patiently, for a complete game. A complete game where they rebounded, had minimal turnovers, scored on the fast break, played solid defense and actually made good baskets. Well, we got that to the expense of the Louisville Cardinals. Going into the Big East Tournament the ladies should feel great. This is the best I have seen them play this season. Thank you Seniors (BRay, Myia and Rah)
That being said, you always play the game until the final buzzer. With Rutgers up by 20 points, there was some shoving, a few technicals thrown and in the end RU inbounded the ball because of the foul call and two technicals (rule is the ball goes back to the team that had possession when the double technical was called. In this case Rutgers). So that sets up 00:00.5 left on the clock. April Sykes inbounds the ball off of the Louisville defender and puts up a shot. She misses, game over, teams shake hands (sort of) and we move on (I think). Rutgers plays great, so proud of them for finally pulling it together in the final game at the RAC this season.
I start to read the message boards this morning, which I take with a grain of salt on most occasions. However, this time I'm really annoyed. Why is April getting crap for playing the game until the final horn? This isn't Recreation Basketball, this is Division I basketball. You play until the end, always. That is the only way you will actually know what to do if you are in a tight game at the end. Why do you think UCONN plays until the end every game? They win by 30, 40, 50 points this year but they play until the end. Does this show a lack of class? Not in Division I, II or III. They are playing until the end. This is the game, it's how it is played. If you are afraid your feelings will be hurt, then play another sport. This is how it is done. April played until the final buzzer, as she should have!
During the Olympics the women's Canadian hockey team won their first round game over Slovakia 18-0 and they got a lot of complaints about "running up the score". Okay, since when do women have to play "nice" and be considerate? I don't understand that! I'm not saying that they should go out there and beat each other up (no team should do that) but it's just a score. Everyone wants "Equality" but by saying that women aren't playing "with class" when they shoot the ball up 20, or keep scoring when up by 15 goals, is creating a divide. And bottom line, both teams (Rutgers and Team Canada) played the game how it should be played. If I were a coach of a Division I team or an Olympic team I would make sure my team played the game until the end. Period. Call it ruthless but since when do women have to "play nice" and be considerate of the score? Where in their DNA does it say that? They are athletes playing at the top level in their sport for where they are in their career. Play until the end, period. Let me ask you this: Do people say this about men's sports? Ummm, no. How many times did the NJ Nets get blown out of the arena this season? Did anyone say anything about that?
It's Division I basketball, if you can't handle the fact that teams play hard until the buzzer then go watch tennis. I have no bones about teams playing until the end, regardless of the score.
Oh, and side note to a previous post (entitled :14.4) nice of the fans to leave with :00.5 seconds left ON SENIOR NIGHT when the ladies played awesome. Again, show some love fans...they played their hearts out and the least we can do is show some love to them.
Showing posts with label Rutgers Women's Basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rutgers Women's Basketball. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
I've been silent all season....
It has been a difficult season for Rutgers Women's Basketball, my team of choice. I have grown up going to Rutgers games, my first one was Wicks & Sticks era. Over the years I have watched good years and bad years. But every team over ever season had pride and passion while wearing the Rutgers uniform. This year is a little different....I just don't see the pride on their faces or in their play.
So many people have been asking for Coach Stringer's head on a platter. I have read the message boards that speculate that perhaps the coach has lost her touch. Who are we, Henry VIII? Do we just start chopping heads off if we become "tired" of someone? We'll let's try this take: it's not the kids, it's not the coaches. In my humble opinion, it's the adults who influenced the younger players on the team. This can be parents and/or coaches. Why do I say this? Simple: For all of their lives they have been told how wonderful they are and how they are the best players on the team. They are given the ball not only in clutch situations but all of the time, on every possession. When their teammates get the ball, they would pass to them and they would shoot. They did not have to play defense because there was no competition to what they could do offensively. Who can forget a recent transfer's mother's comments, "My daughter is trying to get the the WNBA and you can't go to the league sitting on the bench." Hmmmmmmm.
This type of "greatness bestowed on these athletes" did not translate to the Stringer Philosophy. The classic style of Coach Stringer is defense. Logically this makes sense, at least to this writer. If you don't stop your opponent from scoring, then it does not matter what you do on the offensive end. This is where the problem comes in: the younger players did not play defense to the level college requires to be a successful team. They do not know the fundamentals enough to let them flow naturally so they can learn the defensive sets. Certainly there has to be offense to win games and perhaps Coach should reevaluate some of the offensive sets but let's be honest, defense helps set you up to win a game. Look in the past at Rutgers successes, their big wins on their run to the 2007 National Championship game were won with their defense. In each game they held their opponent well under their season average. Duke was averaging nearly 90 points a game that season and they scored 52 points in that game. They held LSU to 35 points, in the entire game!
I think that this season has had a share of missed opportunities along with missed defensive assignments. I have not seen so many back door passes and easy layups scored against a Rutgers defense. And the "55" press? Forget about it! I think I've only seen it work once? And we were beaten deep several times on the press against Syracuse, that NEVER happens. What has happened is that the kids don't understand the value of solid defense. In other words: they have not bought into the Stringer Philosophy. Practices probably consist of constant defense because that is the philosophy. Then when they work on offense it is stressed as important but the players are so focused on defense that they can not think offensively. Who's fault? You can't blame the kids because they have been influenced by adults. The adults who were part of their lives are those that may not have instilled the value of teamwork, hard work and dedication. Personally I think that some of our younger athletes seem out of shape. Something I have not seen on a Rutgers team. It also seems that fundamentals are lost, and that makes it so hard when you are a college athlete. Who has time to learn many defensive and offensive sets as well as basic fast break techniques?
I do hope that the kids buy into the Stringer Philosophy because it has worked in the past. Defense leads to offense....steals lead to fast breaks which leads to points. Until the players get that and get the Stringer Philosophy then they will not have pride wearing the Rutgers uniform.
So many people have been asking for Coach Stringer's head on a platter. I have read the message boards that speculate that perhaps the coach has lost her touch. Who are we, Henry VIII? Do we just start chopping heads off if we become "tired" of someone? We'll let's try this take: it's not the kids, it's not the coaches. In my humble opinion, it's the adults who influenced the younger players on the team. This can be parents and/or coaches. Why do I say this? Simple: For all of their lives they have been told how wonderful they are and how they are the best players on the team. They are given the ball not only in clutch situations but all of the time, on every possession. When their teammates get the ball, they would pass to them and they would shoot. They did not have to play defense because there was no competition to what they could do offensively. Who can forget a recent transfer's mother's comments, "My daughter is trying to get the the WNBA and you can't go to the league sitting on the bench." Hmmmmmmm.
This type of "greatness bestowed on these athletes" did not translate to the Stringer Philosophy. The classic style of Coach Stringer is defense. Logically this makes sense, at least to this writer. If you don't stop your opponent from scoring, then it does not matter what you do on the offensive end. This is where the problem comes in: the younger players did not play defense to the level college requires to be a successful team. They do not know the fundamentals enough to let them flow naturally so they can learn the defensive sets. Certainly there has to be offense to win games and perhaps Coach should reevaluate some of the offensive sets but let's be honest, defense helps set you up to win a game. Look in the past at Rutgers successes, their big wins on their run to the 2007 National Championship game were won with their defense. In each game they held their opponent well under their season average. Duke was averaging nearly 90 points a game that season and they scored 52 points in that game. They held LSU to 35 points, in the entire game!
I think that this season has had a share of missed opportunities along with missed defensive assignments. I have not seen so many back door passes and easy layups scored against a Rutgers defense. And the "55" press? Forget about it! I think I've only seen it work once? And we were beaten deep several times on the press against Syracuse, that NEVER happens. What has happened is that the kids don't understand the value of solid defense. In other words: they have not bought into the Stringer Philosophy. Practices probably consist of constant defense because that is the philosophy. Then when they work on offense it is stressed as important but the players are so focused on defense that they can not think offensively. Who's fault? You can't blame the kids because they have been influenced by adults. The adults who were part of their lives are those that may not have instilled the value of teamwork, hard work and dedication. Personally I think that some of our younger athletes seem out of shape. Something I have not seen on a Rutgers team. It also seems that fundamentals are lost, and that makes it so hard when you are a college athlete. Who has time to learn many defensive and offensive sets as well as basic fast break techniques?
I do hope that the kids buy into the Stringer Philosophy because it has worked in the past. Defense leads to offense....steals lead to fast breaks which leads to points. Until the players get that and get the Stringer Philosophy then they will not have pride wearing the Rutgers uniform.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
:14.4
55-52 with 28 seconds left, Brittnay Ray puts up a three pointer, it's short. St. John's gets the rebound and the player is fouled with :14.4. The clock stops and the fans put on their coats and leave. What? You are leaving? You have got to be kidding me! Do you know something about the fate of the two free throws that Nadirah McKenith is going to attempt? Really? You are leaving?!
What is it with "fans" that leave a close game with seconds left? And I do not mean 10 or 15 people, I mean 1/2 of the crowd getting up and leaving. Most of the people leaving are those who have the opportunity to sit in the lower lever seats where you have to donate your life to obtain tickets.
I've been seeing this scenario unfold for many, many years at Rutgers University. Frankly, I'm sick of it. Granted yes, it's been a difficult year for every RU fan and I might just let this slide if it wasn't for the fact that this happens at every game. It does not matter if we are winning, it's a nail bitter or we are getting blown out....the fans leave. Really, how difficult is it to leave the parking lot when there are 3,667 fans in attendance? It's not like going to Yankee Stadium on Opening Day and trying to leave with 54,000 other fans at 4:00 in the Bronx!
How do you think it looks to potential Rutgers players to see fans dropping support with 14 ticks left? If I were a recruit I might shake my head at them and think "wow, they can't even stay a few more seconds and show support?" If your team plays well or not, you owe it to the student athletes to show your support. Being a Division I student athlete on a top tier program is a feat in and of itself!
Come on people, support your student athletes. The least you can do is to wait until the end of the game and applaud them for their effort (which they showed quite a solid effort Wednesday night). Don't get me wrong, the fan support is great and the RAC can get quite loud when it needs to....just hang in there a few seconds and applaud their effort. They appreciate that we trek out to each home game and show support, so why can't you just wait and applaud their effort? Why stop at support during the big moments of the game? Why not wait the last :14.4 and applaud their effort?
I guess the only upside is that it sames me some time exiting the parking lot.
What is it with "fans" that leave a close game with seconds left? And I do not mean 10 or 15 people, I mean 1/2 of the crowd getting up and leaving. Most of the people leaving are those who have the opportunity to sit in the lower lever seats where you have to donate your life to obtain tickets.
I've been seeing this scenario unfold for many, many years at Rutgers University. Frankly, I'm sick of it. Granted yes, it's been a difficult year for every RU fan and I might just let this slide if it wasn't for the fact that this happens at every game. It does not matter if we are winning, it's a nail bitter or we are getting blown out....the fans leave. Really, how difficult is it to leave the parking lot when there are 3,667 fans in attendance? It's not like going to Yankee Stadium on Opening Day and trying to leave with 54,000 other fans at 4:00 in the Bronx!
How do you think it looks to potential Rutgers players to see fans dropping support with 14 ticks left? If I were a recruit I might shake my head at them and think "wow, they can't even stay a few more seconds and show support?" If your team plays well or not, you owe it to the student athletes to show your support. Being a Division I student athlete on a top tier program is a feat in and of itself!
Come on people, support your student athletes. The least you can do is to wait until the end of the game and applaud them for their effort (which they showed quite a solid effort Wednesday night). Don't get me wrong, the fan support is great and the RAC can get quite loud when it needs to....just hang in there a few seconds and applaud their effort. They appreciate that we trek out to each home game and show support, so why can't you just wait and applaud their effort? Why stop at support during the big moments of the game? Why not wait the last :14.4 and applaud their effort?
I guess the only upside is that it sames me some time exiting the parking lot.
Monday, November 2, 2009
November is the Month of Fun!
November is my favorite month. Not because it's my sister's birthday (as much as I love her), not because it holds my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving)...but because it's the start of College Basketball GAMES. Yes, mid-October is grand for its "start of practice" but to me, it is only anticipation for November. This is the month of fun.
My Rutgers team starts their official play on Sunday, November 15th at the RAC against the team that made it to the Final Four and lost to UCONN in the semi-finals: Stanford. Stanford is also the team with a pre-season rank of #2, while Rutgers snuck in at #25. (Click for complete rankings)
What do I expect? Realistically: I can not help but feel that Stanford will be in the Final Four again this year while Rutgers will probably be in New Jersey. Noticed I said "probably". After years and years (25th year to be exact) of watching Rutgers play basketball I've come to expect the unexpected. If they are picked to finish high in the rankings, they stumble. If they are picked to finish low in the rankings, they succeed. They have one of the best motivators in the game as their coach. Her motto is simply, "It's not how you start but how you finish." Just look at the 2007 season, not supposed to be a great season (great I suppose is calculated by how many times, if at all, you are picked to beat UCONN) and they went all the way to the Championship game. But really, realistically: Stanford will win, probably by a lot (not like 2 years ago). But that's okay, Rutgers never really "shows up" until January anyway. The Big East is really tough this year and as we have seen in the past, playing in a tough conference only makes you stronger come the Big Dance in March. So this is why I love November, it's the start of the roller coaster ride that ends in April.
Other News
Props to Diana Taurasi who quietly served her 1-day in jail sentence last week. Quietly is the key word: I had no idea until I checked the women's hoops news today. Complete article here.
The European league is getting ready to kick into high gear as many of the top American players are headed over, if they aren't already over there. Looks like the favorite in Russia is the team coached by former LSU superstar/coach: Pokey Chatman (who has a great twitter, btw). Spartak Moscow. They have a great roster that many teams in any country would die for.
My Rutgers team starts their official play on Sunday, November 15th at the RAC against the team that made it to the Final Four and lost to UCONN in the semi-finals: Stanford. Stanford is also the team with a pre-season rank of #2, while Rutgers snuck in at #25. (Click for complete rankings)
What do I expect? Realistically: I can not help but feel that Stanford will be in the Final Four again this year while Rutgers will probably be in New Jersey. Noticed I said "probably". After years and years (25th year to be exact) of watching Rutgers play basketball I've come to expect the unexpected. If they are picked to finish high in the rankings, they stumble. If they are picked to finish low in the rankings, they succeed. They have one of the best motivators in the game as their coach. Her motto is simply, "It's not how you start but how you finish." Just look at the 2007 season, not supposed to be a great season (great I suppose is calculated by how many times, if at all, you are picked to beat UCONN) and they went all the way to the Championship game. But really, realistically: Stanford will win, probably by a lot (not like 2 years ago). But that's okay, Rutgers never really "shows up" until January anyway. The Big East is really tough this year and as we have seen in the past, playing in a tough conference only makes you stronger come the Big Dance in March. So this is why I love November, it's the start of the roller coaster ride that ends in April.
Other News
Props to Diana Taurasi who quietly served her 1-day in jail sentence last week. Quietly is the key word: I had no idea until I checked the women's hoops news today. Complete article here.
The European league is getting ready to kick into high gear as many of the top American players are headed over, if they aren't already over there. Looks like the favorite in Russia is the team coached by former LSU superstar/coach: Pokey Chatman (who has a great twitter, btw). Spartak Moscow. They have a great roster that many teams in any country would die for.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Rutgers Announces 2009-2010 Schedule
Rutgers has another demanding schedule this season. Stanford, Georgia, USC, Texas, Florida, Tennessee...oh yes, and the rest of the Big East schedule. Look for RU to be just fine this season, even though I have a feeling the talk will be "Without Prince who will lead them." Oh, you just wait and see.
You can see the entire schedule here.
Coach Stringer goes into the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend. Long overdue if you ask me. Just what she did at Cheyney State and Iowa deserved the honor but I'm proud to say she's going into the Hall as the coach of Rutgers. Nice article on her on the women's basketball site.
You can see the entire schedule here.
Coach Stringer goes into the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend. Long overdue if you ask me. Just what she did at Cheyney State and Iowa deserved the honor but I'm proud to say she's going into the Hall as the coach of Rutgers. Nice article on her on the women's basketball site.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Former Rutgers player Heather Zurich to play Overseas
2009 Rutgers graduate, Heather Zurich, has just signed a contract to play with Autocad-Amazone in the Netherlands. Zurich compiled a Rutgers win loss mark of 102-34 which included 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, 14 NCAA Tournament games, 2007 National Championship game and 2 Regional Finals. It's very nice to see that she got picked up to continue her career overseas. Best of luck to Heather!
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