StFX X-Women Basketball

2nd Half

2012-01-02T14:01:00.000-08:00

Family. School. Basketball.

That is the list of priorities that I tell each one of my teams to stand by, and this past week, was when it became real for me.

I was incredibly eager to get the second half of the season going, and ready to start up practice anticipating the work we had done over the break. And then I found out that my best friend's mom had passed away, and without hesitation, I knew what I had to do.

Now maybe some of you might be asking, or perhaps wondering why this is such a big deal, but if that is the case, you just don't know how much my friend, Steve, means to me. He is more than just a friend, he is my brother. We have been through so much together, and he was always there for me, with no hesitation. A phone call. A drive in a snow storm. A hug. I knew what I had to do. I had to return the favour.

Since I consider Steve my brother, his mother, Sarah, was a like a second mother to me. I will always remember the time in my life, when things weren't going well, and I felt like the places I had to turn were too far away, or not quite what they used to be. And it was in this time that Sarah offered me a key to their house, and told me that I never had to call before I dropped in. These are the times when you realize how special some people are, and Sarah was definitely one of those people.

So now I am back, and still eager, and even more ready to fight. This time, with a little bit more perspective, and a lot of love still in my heart. You can never take for granted what you have, who you have, and what you can do by just the little things. But I am hopeful for many reasons, that this is a second half to remember, as the girls continue to improve, and are ready to Pound the Rock everyday.

Because at the end of the day, I still have that key to the Hale residence, and I know no matter what, that not just one family, but my second family will always be there for me.

1 more before AUS Competition

2011-10-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it is crazy to say that we wrap up our pre-season play with the Waterloo Warriors this weekend on Sunday at 11am at the Oldand Centre before we officially open up our AUS Season with the CBU Capers on November 9th. Where has the time gone?

I guess we have played 8 games already, and we played 3 great games this past weekend in Moncton where we finished 1 and 2. We beat UPEI, lost to Laval and lost to Sask. All three games offered us new areas to look to improve. The 2 things that I thought I knew last post are somewhat holding up, although, just like with everything else, we need to get better.

The team has been practicing very hard this past week and are taking pride in trying to get better. We are such a new group of players, the hardest thing is for us to figure out who needs to do what when times are good and bad; during games and during practice. We have time, and I am confident that we will figure it out!

I am also excited for this weekend because there is so much going on here in Antigonish! First, my long time friend Steve is coming to town as he is in the Maritimes doing some job training (I guess I should make that sound cooler, because he is arms training for the Border Patrol!). Along with that, we host the AUS Rugby Championships at StFX, where the girls are going for their 14th straight AUS Title. Mike Cavannaugh, the Rugby coach, is one of the best coaches I have ever been around and is great to talk to about the in's and out's of coaching.

Further to that, the Men's Basketball Team is hosting their Annual Invitational tournament, where UPEI, SMU and CBU will be competing. Those games are Friday and Saturday at the OC at 6 and 8pm. Also on Saturday, the football team hosts Acadia in their last regular season game before playoffs. And finally, the men's and women's soccer teams host SMU on Sunday as their regular season winds down.

So with my buddy Steve in town, all the sports going on, our game on Sunday, practice, my attempt to find a Darth Vader costume for a 6'5" man, and pumpkin carving, it should be an amazing weekend!

Until then, its back to work and time to prepare!

I think I know 2 things...

2011-09-21T04:29:00.000-07:00

I think I know 2 things about the 2011-2012 version of the X-Women:

1) I think that we will be fit.

The girls came into camp, and for the most part, were very fit and ready to go. I was happy, especially with the new players to our program. A lot of times, first year players come into training camp behind the 8 ball in terms of fitness and it takes them some time to catch up. Our testing also went very well. There were some impressive numbers put up for our max rep push-up and pull-up test including 21 pull-ups and 50 push-ups.

2) I think that we will be able to defend.

This is definitely a different group this year, and a different set of skills on the defensive end. I hope that our work ethic can carry over to the defensive end, and that we are able to finish off plays by rebounding. So far, we are working tremendously hard on that end, and putting in the work necessary to excel. However, this is just practice and we haven't played anyone for real yet.

Other than that, with there being new players in the mix, you never know what else you are going to get. I hope that we can build on those two things and that can help us in all other elements of the game. There is so much work to do on a daily basis, hopefully we can get better at a small number of things, excel at those and build our team's foundation before trying to do too much too soon.

I am excited about this group though. It's different, and that is what makes it so fun to go to practice everyday! I know that the conference is going to be incredibly tough this year, and we have a very tough schedule, so let's hope our foundations can take us somewhere.

And now, it's back to work...see everyone on the court!

It's Been a While...

2011-08-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

Hopefully people still want to read this blog even though it has been a while since I have officially posted. I have been tweeting a lot, so make sure you remember to follow me @matt_skinn and @xwomenhoops!

This summer has been very eventful, and even though it has been the shortest since I have been here at X (and that is always a good thing!), I have gotten a lot accomplished.

The first thing to comment on is what I have been up to this off-season. I will get to the basketball side a little bit later, but as far as the recreation side of things, it has been a lot of fun! First of all, my coaching staff and my girlfriend went to the Final Four in Houston to watch Kemba Walker lead the UCONN Huskies to the National Championship. It was quite the experience to be a part of 85,000 people watching a basketball game, and a part of the biggest crowd to ever watch the Final Four.

From a coaching perspective, I have to say it was quite interesting to watch. The 3 Final Four games were split up by an NBA game between the Houston Rockets and the Atlanta Hawks. What polar opposites in so many ways. Not only are the styles of play so completely different, but the atmosphere in both buildings as well. They didn't play one song over the loud speakers at Texans Stadium during the Final Four, just the bands played for hours straight. More importantly, I saw the power of Big Blue Nation and the Kentucky Wildcats. More than half the crowd was dressed in UK Blue the first night of games; obviously this dwindled for the final between UCONN and Butler.

I am not going to lie, but the NCAA games were ugly in a lot of ways. The best team to watch was easily VCU, and with the NBA game splitting things up, it is amazing what the 24 second shot clock can do to a game! As good as the coaching is at the Final Four, it was amazing to see that for all intent and purpose, the games were decided by on-ball screen offense and defense. UCONN did most of its damage when Shabazz Napier was at the one, dribbled the ball around for 20-25 seconds, and then got the ball to Kemba Walker outside the 3 point line at the top of the court or on the wing. He was able to create for himself and for his teammates off on-ball screens, and the result was a National Championship. He was just too quick for all any team to handle, and his ability to get into the paint, a long with the ability of Jeremy Lamb to hit shots was the difference offensively. UCONN's length was just way too much for Butler in the final as well. They could get nothing going in the paint, and had a hard time getting any positive movement toward the hoop.

The NCAA was just such a chess match compared to the NBA which is more free flowing, and every cut and pass on offense has a purpose. Sure, on-ball screens are also the most prevalent happening on offense as well, but to witness the talent and movement in person of the best players in the world is pretty great.

My last thought on my trip to Houston was that I went away comparing Butler to Carleton of the CIS. Sure Butler has not won a National Championship, but the comparison comes just in the way Brad Stevens has a specific offensive and defensive system, fits the right kind of players into it, and they are achieving success. Coach Dave Smart at Carleton didn't win National Championships right off the bat, and I think that Butler will be back. They are just so good defensively, and you can see it from the moment they step on the court for warm-up. They are constantly working on that end of the floor, and their communication is evident. I love defense so this makes me a big fan!

The summer also consisted of 3 weddings. The first was in Calgary for one of my girlfriend's close friends. The second was in Moncton, again for one of my girlfriend's former teammates. And lastly, the third wedding was in Winston Salem, North Carolina for one of my long time friends. He is now the Head Football coach at Christ School in North Carolina after playing football at Wake Forest, and playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Ti-Cats.

There were three things I will always remember about my trip to NC. First was the reunion of my group of friends that has been tight since probably grade 6. Matt Coccagna, Mark Moroz, Steve Hale and I have been like brothers for such a long time, and with us being all over the place now, it has been a rare occasion for all of us to be together. I was thrilled to be able to see them, and we even got a round of golf in together. Too many laughs, and thanks for the Cook Out recommendation fellas!

Secondly, I got to go to NYC. This was the second time I have been to the city, but the first time I have done the touristy part of Time Square, 7th Ave and the Fashion District. It was a cool experience even though it was 95 degrees amongst thousands and thousands of people! The only other time I have been to NYC I went to Harlem and to Rucker Park to watch the Entertainers Basketball Classic. Two completely different experiences that is for sure!

Lastly, on our way to Winston Salem, my girlfriend and I stopped in Durham, NC to stop at Duke University. For those people that know me really well, this was like visiting the Mother Land! The best part about visiting universities are that they are normally readily available for you to tour and access. Cameron Indoor Stadium was exactly what I hoped for, and I hope some day to be able to catch a game there!

Intertwined with all of my adventures, I have been steadfast in watching game tape, and preparing for the new season. We are integrating a new offense this year, so I have had to everything I can to know it inside and out, and have talked to other coaches who use the system, including the originators, to ensure that I can teach it as effectively as possible. My reasoning for the new system is that we are bringing in 7 new players this season, and it is a system I think I am going to keep for a while, so I thought this would be an opportune time. I am excited to see how certain returning players benefit from it, and to see how the new players take to it.

Speaking of excitement, it is crazy to think that our first practice is so close from today. Xavier basketball camps start on August 7th, with 10 of the X-Women players working as counsellors, and this is really the beginning of the season in a lot of ways. The only negative is that a few players are nursing some nagging injuries, but there is a long time until our first regular season game, and truly that is what matters!

Well I think that is everything for today! I am hoping to post minimum once a week from now until the end of the season. If you do read this, and I haven't posted in that time frame, email me and get on me about it! I will do my best to keep everyone updated, especially since my brother Andy and his wife Amanda are in Botswana for four months!

Take care...

Come on Canada, let's promote the good stuff!

2011-01-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

I am not sure how many people read this blog, and quite frankly, I guess it doesn't matter. But I think that our country as a whole needs to do a better job of promoting the university sports rivalries that matter.

I have been lucky as an athlete and as a coach across Canada to be a part of a few of the best rivalries that I feel our CIS has to offer. As a player at CBU, I was a part of the great CBU-StFX rivalry. As an assistant coach at the University of Calgary, I was a part of the Battle of Alberta: Calgary vs. Alberta rivalry. And now, coaching at StFX, I am again a part of the StFX-CBU rivalry.

The one thing that continues to boggle my mind, is that there is no exposure to the rest of the country for these great games. It seems that there has to be a way to televise some of these great games and promote what is a sports rowdy nation! Wouldn't the exposure bring more to these games than already exists? Is it not possible that student-athletes at the secondary level could see these events and realize that there is more to life than just the NCAA? That the CIS boasts a great environment to play in as well?

I just think it is crazy, personally. This year, we played at CBU in front of an incredibly rawkus crowd of at least 2,000 clad in orange and bashing on instruments to the effect of zero on court communication, and wringing ear drums during post game. This past Wednesday, StFX hosted CBU in front of a packed gym dressed in all white, with a section of CBU fans in orange cheering against one another. At a few points during the game, security had to be used to hold the crowd back because of their uproarious reactions. But is there anything wrong with that?

I honestly believe this is one of the best products the CIS has to offer. Do people not want to see that this type of atmosphere exists and happens every year when CBU plays X on a Wednesday night? I don't think local cable is enough for these games, let's get this on national TV. Is there not a way to do it?

When I was in Calgary, the same went for our games vs. the Golden Bears. The gyms would be packed and the crowds would be absurdly loud. Standing room only in the Jack Simpson Gym means more than 3,000 people. Yes it does happen!

Here are some possible examples of games we should be promoting:

CBU vs. StFX

Calgary vs. Alberta

Ottawa vs. Carleton - Cross town rivalry and two great programs!

UQAM vs. McGill - Always two of the best teams in their conference in the same city!

Waterloo vs. Laurier - Anytime a rival school is down the street, there will be some intensity!

Regina vs. USask - 2 Universities in the same province

I am sure there are even more that I haven't mentioned, where no matter what the teams are like, people show up and cheer. Come on everyone, let's get on board and get this done for the love of our game, and for the betterment of our sport!

Vanessa Pickard joins X-Women for 2011

2011-01-12T11:52:00.001-08:00

X-Women Basketball to welcome Riverview native Vanessa Pickard

ANTIGONISH, NS – StFX women’s basketball head coach Matt Skinn is pleased to announce that Riverview High School 5’11 guard Vanessa Pickard has committed to StFX University and will be joining the X-Women basketball program this fall.

“Vanessa's commitment to the X-Women Basketball program is a tribute to the hard work and dedication that the players have put in to excellence over the past two and a half seasons that I have been here,” comments Coach Skinn. “We are constantly striving to be a championship basketball program, and with Vanessa joining the fray, it definitely helps us in our attempt to achieve our goals.”

“Vanessa is the epitome of a student athlete. She excels in the classroom and on the court. She is a mature and driven person who is ready to take on university life and challenges. She is an extremely hard worker who has pushed herself to be the student and player that she is today. The program is ecstatic to have her, and we will do everything we can to push her to become the best player she can be.” says Skinn, who is currently in his third year as head coach of the X-Women.

Pickard competed for Canada's Cadette National team in 2009 and 2010 including a World Championship appearance. She competed at National Championships from 2007-2010 for Team New Brunswick at the U-15 and U-17 levels where she had a 5th place finish and she was named 2nd team All Star in 2010 in Toronto. In Vanessa’s three years at Riverview High School the school team has only lost three games and has won back to back New Brunswick 4A Provincial Championships in 2009 and 2010. Off the court Pickard is an honor roll student.

“I was impressed with the renowned academics at StFX along with the general atmosphere of the campus. The campus is a perfect size where everything is easily accessible,” comments Pickard. “I loved X from the first time that I visited in grade 11 so when it came down to my decision, there was no other university that I could see myself going to.

Pickard said the X-Women Basketball program was the best fit for her. “I love their high-tempo style of play. Their aggressive defense combined with their fast-pace offensive transition is exactly what I was looking for,” comments Vanessa. “I know that the program will challenge me and make me a better teammate and player. The girls are very skilled and I have a great deal of respect for the coach. I knew that this was the team I wanted to play for a National Championship with.”

Time Off

2010-11-15T07:52:00.000-08:00

I figured I would update the world with a bit more of insight as we have 13 days off currently between games.

Our regular season opened up at home against St. Mary's. SMU was pre-season ranked at number 6 in the country according to the cisblog.ca and deserved that ranking with their talent and recruiting class. SMU is lead by Justine Colley who as a 2nd year PG, is one of the more dynamic players in the country. In addition, SMU has added 2 veteran posts into their line-up this season: 5th year Meaghan Seaward from Newfoundland, and 4th year Sue Canvin from PEI. Canvin in particular has been a previous AUS All-Star and we tried very hard to recruit her to StFX as well.

Fortunately for us, we ended up beating SMU 65-57 at home in front of a great crowd. We made a comeback in the fourth quarter outscoring SMU by 12 to win the game. I have to say this felt good considering they were able to do the same thing to us twice last season. Considering the time of the year, I think the best thing about the X-Women this year is that we work extremely hard. I know that we are going to have to win games on the defensive end of the floor, and in my opinion, that is where we stood out in our first game. Offensively, we will continue to improve, but in the meantime, we need to be able to rely on the defensive end to win us games.

It will also be nice for us to be 100% healthy. For the most part, we are doing fine, but we have been missing Kate Kolarova, our outstanding guard from the Czech Republic since our second game in Quebec in the pre-season, and also Sheryl Chisholm has missed the last week with a broken nose, but should be back in the line-up this weekend looking a lot more like Rip Hamilton.

The crazy thing is that we only have 4 games left, and 2 weeks until the first half of our season is done. These games are so incredibly important however as 2 of our 4 remaining games are 4 pointers, and 3 of the 4 are on the road. We will have to be READY each possession each game in order to finish off this semester well.

See you soon!

Blog is Twitterized!

2010-10-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

I hope to be making quick updates via the X-Women Basketball Twitter account this season, as well as making regular posts to the blog. Make sure to follow our progress at www.twitter.com/xwomenhoops and to continue checking for new posts on the blog. Looking forward to another enjoyable season. See everyone at the games!

Coach Matt Skinn

7 Recruits

2010-05-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

ANTIGONISH, NS – StFX women’s basketball head coach Matt Skinn is pleased to introduce seven new recruits for the upcoming 2010-11 basketball season.

“I am really happy with the recruiting class of 2010-2011,” commented Skinn. “I think we have addressed our team needs while being able to maintain the style of play that we have been playing over the past two seasons. More importantly, the quality of people that are coming into the program is exactly what I was looking for. Not only are these players high skilled, but they are great people who will add to the StFX community, and hopefully attract more quality people in the years to come.”

“I am excited to get started with so many new faces. If we are able to mesh the newcomers and the returning players, we should be able to see the progress that we are trying to make as a team and as a program.”

Coach Skinn is welcoming athletes from five different provinces, including two Nova Scotia natives, along with an exchange student from the Czech Republic. Representing the 2010-11 recruiting class are Donisha Young (Brampton, ON), Jessica Franz (Surrey, BC), Kiley DeLong (St. John’s, NF), Amy Nelson (Regina, SK), Katerina Kolarova (Czech Republic), Alison MacPherson (Antigonish, NS) and Anna Dahl (North Sydney, NS).

Donisha Young is a 5’11” post player and Brampton, ON native, who is a fourth year transfer student from Sheridan College. She was third overall in scoring this past season in the OCAA, averaging 16.21 ppg, and led Sheridan College to the number one seed at the CCAA national championship. Says Coach Skinn, “Donisha was a huge part of Sheridan’s team success the past two seasons. Her ability in the post as a scorer and creator will create a new dimension for our team, and her character is even more impressive; she will fit in perfectly with our team.”

Jessica Franz is a 6’1” post from Surrey, BC and is another transfer student, a third year student from Capilano College. She was the leading scorer and leading rebounder in the BCCAA this past season, averaging 19.35 ppg and 11.94 rpg. Franz also earned status as a CCAA All-Canadian. “Jessica was one of the top players in the CCAA this season,” says Skinn. “She is a very versatile player who can shoot from the outside, and is terrific with her back to the basket. She is very outgoing and her energy and positive attitude will be a valuable addition to our X-Women program.”

Kiley DeLong is a 5’10 wing player from St. John’s, NF who played at Gonzaga High School. She is a two-time provincial title winner in Newfoundland, highlighted by a 34 point game-high effort in the 2009 provincial championship game. “Kiley was one of, if not the top player in Newfoundland this past year,” comments Coach Skinn. “Her athleticism and toughness fit in with our up-tempo style of play and I believe Kiley will have a great career here at StFX.”

Amy Nelson is a 6’3” post player out of Regina, SK, a third year transfer student from Medicine Hat College. As noted by Coach Skinn, “Amy moves well for a post player and is a terrific help-side defender. She made an impact in one of the toughest college leagues in the country (ACAC) and her size will be a huge asset to the X-Women.”

Katerina Kolarova is a 5’11” wing player and an exchange student from the Czech Republic. She played on the Czech junior national team for three years from 2006 through 2009, and Coach Skinn is looking forward to adding her talents to the X-Women program. “Kate's experience at the European championships as a member of the Czech Republic junior national team from will be a huge asset to the X-Women program. We look forward to her infusing her European style of play into our team.”

Alison MacPherson is a 5’11” wing player and local native of Antigonish, NS. Playing with the Dr. J. H. Gillis Regional high school team this past season, MacPherson led her team to the Northumberland regional championship as the team's leading scorer and a spot at the Nova Scotia provincial championships. “Alison has a lot of upside as a basketball player,” says Skinn. “She had a lot of great scoring games this season for J.H. Gillis, and is a long, versatile athlete. Alison is also an outstanding student who should have a very successful career at StFX.”

Anna Dahl is a 5’9” guard from North Sydney, NS and played her high school career with Memorial Composite where she was a 1st team all-star in the Cape Breton Basketball League. She is a former high school teammate of current X-Woman Jocelyn Moore. Coach Skinn comments, “I have been recruiting Anna for quite some time. She is another long and versatile athlete who comes from an outstanding program and coach at Memorial Composite high school. She will provide depth, speed and defensive prowess to our backcourt.”

The incoming X-Women recruits look to fill voids in the program left by graduating players Maria Konchalski, Camesha McKenzie, Tristan MacDonald and Elyse Hnatiuk. The X-Women will begin exhibition play in mid-October, with the AUS regular season scheduled to begin November 19-21.

2nd Place...

2010-02-01T06:18:00.000-08:00

Every team has goals going into the season and we are definitely still on track for ours. Right now we are sitting at 10-4 in our league, and in sole possession of 2nd Place. It is a nice feeling. This week was a tough one for the team and the coaches as we had to play 3 games in 5 days. Something we are going to have to do again the last week before playoffs.

Unfortunately, last Wednesday we threw away a game at St. Mary's. Not taking anything away from SMU, they executed down the stretch a lot better than we did, and their outstanding guard Justine Colley found open teammates for big hoops. However, we were up 10 points with 4 minutes remaining, and staggered to score only 2 points down the stretch. Frankly, I take on complete responsibility for the loss. The girls played hard and executed well at times, but I feel I asked them to be too passive at times on the defensive and offensive end. That is not what we do here at all. We always play aggressively, and play full out. Fortunately for us, we had 2 more games on the weekend where we could try to re-establish ourselves.

Against UNB on Saturday, the things that kept us from winning against SMU are what allowed us to win. Down the stretch, we stayed aggressive, got to the Free Throw line, and came up with a number of great steals. We were solid down the stretch and even at the points where we could have teetered the other way, the girls came through and played incredibly strong. Finally, against UPEI, we put up our highest half of scoring of the season. Our energy in the 2nd half was outstanding, and we did an excellent job putting pressure on the ball throughout the game.

With 6 games left we still have work to do, but I really like how we control our own destiny. We have 4 of our last 6 games at home, and I really think that should help our cause. The great thing about this team is that any number of players can step up at any given time, and I know we will be focused and determined for the rest of the season.

This weekend, we play Dalhousie at home on Sunday. They are playing a lot better this half of the season, and really pushed us around the last game we played them at their place. It should be a great game! Until then, it is back to work and time to prepare!

A long time coming...

2010-01-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everybody out there in X-Nation. And for those of you who just read to get a kick out what I have to say about my team (I know you are out there!)...well hello to you too!

It has been a while since I have posted. To sum up, in regular season play we are currently 7-3 and all by our lonesome in 3rd place in the AUS. Half way through the season, we are looking pretty good, but with an extremely tough schedule down the stretch, things should be pretty interesting come playoff time.

I guess the biggest thing to note this season is that there is never a night off. Every team has improved, every body is fighting, and every body is bringing their own style to the court in the AUS. We would like to think we play a little different than everybody, and I think we do. Our only problem right now is that we can't hit shots. I would call that a big problem. I am almost 100% sure that we take the most shots per game in the conference. You would think that would translate into a little bit higher scores. I know it is going to happen for us, we just have to keep working for it.

I also think the one thing that separates our team from others is that we run strictly motion based sets. This means, for about 90% of the game, we play a liberal style of basketball that encourages everyone to take shots, and for everyone to get their teammates involved. This works in a few ways. First of all, on the positive side, I think it is a little harder to prepare for us because we have a number of weapons that can be effective on any given night. And because we don't specifically look to get the ball into specific people's hands, everyone is a threat. On the other hand, this system also leads to some social loafing. By that I mean, at some points during the game, every one is relying on every one else to get the job done. Whether that be rebounding or setting screens or cutting hard or scoring, sometimes we wait around to see if others will take the lead. Often times though, especially when things haven't gone well during games, this can have a negative effect because no one is willing to step up, or other people expect that certain people will step up. I just hope we all step up!!!

Playing in our system is not always gratifying either. A lot of times, the person who scores the most points often does the least amount of work. By that I mean, by breaking somebody down off the dribble, a tough a very complex skill, I can free my teammates up for open shooting opportunities. In other words, some of the players have to do the dirty work, while others get their name in the paper. But the one great thing about this system, is that because we are so "team" reliant, if you aren't doing the little things, if EVERYBODY isn't doing the little things, everybody also suffers. For example, if only 3 of the 5 players on the floor box out, we are most likely going to give up a score; if one of us does not make contact on a screen, we are not freeing our teammate up for an open shot. This selfless attitude is what I am looking for out of all of my players, present and future. We are getting closer, but we have to be more consistent.

This weekend we play at Acadia. So far this season, we have played them twice and won twice; by two points total! Hopefully we can go on the road, and show some heart, and get the job done. Although they are not in the top half of the standings right now, their record is not at all indicative of how good of a team Acadia is. They have arguably the best one-on-one scorer in the league (Alise Brown), and a lot of size on the inside that gives us some problems. I am expecting another very hard fought game.

Practice this week is going to include a lot of individual skill drills as well as drills that should get us playing at a continuously high pace. I am looking forward to seeing how we come out and how hard we get after it in preparation for such a big game. Until then, it is back to work and time to prepare!

Happy Holidays!!!

2009-12-27T15:02:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long for me to post! I finally decided I had to take the "Loss to CBU" title off of the top of the blog in large part due to the coaxing of my brother's mother-in-law.

Just a quick update, but we finished the first half of the year 10-2 overall and 5-1 in league play sitting in a tie for second place. We also had a recruit commit to us over the holiday season; stay tuned for an update on that!

I would also like to take the time to wish everyone a very Happy Holidays! I cannot believe that it is halfway through my second year already. I am looking forward to the second half of the season!

For now it is back to work and time to prepare!

Loss to CBU

2009-11-14T04:53:00.000-08:00

The game was intense, the crowd was into it, and we were playing for a good cause. The only unfortunate part was that the CBU Capers were tougher than us on this night. We lost 62-52 at home to the defending conference champions, and it definitely showed us the measuring stick for which to gauge our game as we finish the first half of the season.

The toughness part is a little hard to swallow, but it is also what has made CBU so good over the past few years. They were able to dictate the tempo by grabbing timely offensive rebounds when it mattered in the 1st, 3rd and 4th quarters. More than just their ability to get on the glass, they also put a few of our girls on their butts on numerous points of the game, and won a lot of the hustle plays, especially early. Our team faught valiantly, but the physicality of the Capers took its toll, and although our defense locked in during the 4th quarter, we were not able to mount the comeback that we were looking for.

Ashley Stephen led the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Elyse Hnatiuk was steady again, and hit a bunch of big shots while also showing off her ability to take it to the rim. She finished with 13 points. Sheryl Chisholm, who was also assigned to guard AUS Player of the Year Kelsey Hodgson, finished with 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting.

At times, it just felt way too hard for us to score. I give a lot of credit to the Capers for the defensive strategies. Hodgson also threw in a couple of daggers from deep, late in shot clocks, with hands contesting. Her ability to create shots for herself deep in a shot clock was a difference maker.

Back to the grind now as we prepare for Dal next weekend. We will have some solid practice time to look at what we did wrong and do our best to correct it all. The good thing is, that it is game 3 of the season, we are 2-1 and we have time to improve. I have so much confidence in this group that we are going to be able bounce back, and have a great weekend next weekend. I am excited to get back to it.

This weekend, I will be heading up to Halifax to check out a few recruits, and a few AUS games to scout for the upcoming weekends. Until then, it is back to work and time to prepare!

Great Start!

2009-11-09T10:21:00.001-08:00

Hello All!

After a few weeks off, the X-Women started their regular season on Friday night. We opened up on the road at the University of Prince Edward Island, and then Saturday, we travelled to the University of New Brunswick. Besides flying, this was probably the most demanding road trip of the season. The bus takes it's toll on the players, especially at this time of year when no one is ever quite sure what the weather is going to be like. This was the case again as the morning of our first game, the weather reports indicated snow on the Cobequid pass high way, and wind warnings for the Confederation bridge to PEI restricting large vehicles. When all was said and done, we were able to cross the bridge without blowing into the Atlantic (despite what it felt like!).

I was happy that we got to the gym a bit early so that we could get our legs back under us after a long trip. We were able to get a few more shots up before hand. Once we got playing, the team came out with good energy, not great. We were a little antsy with the ball for much of the first quarter, and we really could have turned a few more of our forced turnovers into scores. Our ball pressure, which was our key in practice all week, forced the tempo into our favor early. The second quarter was our best as we outscored the Panters 20-6 to pull away to a 44-21 halftime lead. The third quarter saw us put up another 26 points, as we finished up the 86-48 win. It was a total team effort as every one on the team recorded at least 10 minutes of game time, we had 4 players in double figures, and 3 more just narrowly missing out. Elyse Hnatiuk led the way with 14 points in 18 minutes, while Player of the Game, Ashley Stephen, added 13 points and 7 rebounds. The catalyst of the game was Tory Anderson who managed the tempo while dropping 12 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and taking 8 steals. Katherine Kanaski added 10 points, Camesha McKenzie 9, Sheryl Chisholm 8, and Rebecca Sheehan added 7. We were able to force 39 turnovers, while only committing 17.

After the game was finished, it was decided that we were going to stay in Charlottetown rather than in Moncton like originally planned. Since the weather was still too windy, the bus was not going to be able to cross the Confederation bridge. I think this was a blessing in disguise actually. We were able to eat, and get back to the hotel at a reasonable hour, and get a good sleep before we were on the road again the next day.

The morning of the UNB game brought us some other strange news. The hoop in UNB's main gym, the Lady Beaverbrook center, was not functioning, and the Athletic Staff was searching for an alternate venue to play the game. We ended up playing at a local Frederiction High School, Leo Hayes, which presented a great and fairly new facility. The girls were definitely not affected by the venue change. However, the beginning of the game may have not shown that.

The team got off to a sluggish start in the first quarter. The energy and intensity was there, but we were either getting a steal, or giving up a hoop. We ended up down 24-17 after one, despite a number of great defensive possessions. The 2nd quarter was where things definitely started to change. Not only was our defensive intensity present, we were also finishing every play, and doing all of the little things. Our swarming defense continued for the rest of the game as we gave up only 30 points over the next 3 quarters (including only 2 made field goals in the 3rd) as we came away with the 73-54 win.

The catalyst to the victory was definitely Camesha McKenzie. Meesh was everywhere on the defensive end of the floor and forced a number of the 31 overall turnovers. Her energy and attention to details helped propel the team from the 2nd quarter on. The team was led by 5 double digit scorers. Elyse Hnatiuk once again led the way with 14 points, including a 4 point play in the first quarter. Ashley Stephen had another monster game scoring 12 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and adding 7 steals. Tory Anderson added 11 points and 7 rebounds, while Katherine Kanaski had 11 and 8 rebounds. Despite some foul trouble in the first half, Sheryl Chisholm helped open the game up in the 3rd quarter with 8 straight points which helped her finish with 10 on the night. The team was thrilled with the win after losing to UNB in the pre-season.

After a very successful first weekend, we will bring our 2-0 record back home to the Oland Center to play against the 2-0 CBU Capers. The Capers are the defending AUS Champions, and bolster the reigning AUS Player of the Year in Kelsey Hodgson, and 2nd Team All Star Kari Everett. The Capers were the only team we were not able to beat last season. Even at such an early point of the season, this is an incredibly huge game. It is worth 4 points (they are in the other 4 team division of the AUS), it is a stand alone game at home for us meaning that we are the only basketball game on Friday night, and finally, it is Breast Cancer awareness night! I think I speak for everyone on the team when I say we are looking forward to the occasion, and what should be one of the best games in the CIS Basketball that night! Until then, it is back to work and time to prepare!

A lot of Games in 2 Weeks!

2009-10-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a few weeks of playing and practicing since my last update. Sorry for the wait and hopefully you are still tuning in!

The first of our exhibition season started at the Helen Campbell tournament in Fredericton, New Brunswick. This year, I am pretty sure for the first time, the UNB Varsity Reds hosted both of their men's and women's pre-season tournaments at the same time. To make this basketball weekend even better, the games were hosted in the Aitken Centre on UNB's campus. This is normally the venue for Red's hockey games, but it was transformed into a basketball auditorium for the weekend. This provided a great opportunity for our team to play in a new environment, and shoot at rims with an open backdrop. We also got to watch the StFX X-Men win the men's draw of the Eric Garland tournament.

Our first game of the year saw us match-up against the RMC Paladins out of the OUA. RMC is an improving team with a hard working coach. The tides of the game were turned in the second quarter when we held RMC to 2 points, and we were able to ride that defensive intensity to a 72-42 victory. Player of the Game Ashley Stephen led the team in scoring with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. Other double figure scorers included Elyse Hnatiuk (12 points), Rebecca Sheehan (11 points, 3 steals), and Kirsten Jones (10 points, 4 steals). The key to the game was our ability to force 50 Paladin turnovers.

The second game of our tournament was against the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack out of the Canada West Conference. TRU had a pretty crazy travel schedule to reach Fredericton coming all of the way from Kamloops, BC to play in the tournament. Scott Reeves, the coach of the Wolfpack was also an opponent of mine this past summer as I coached the U-15 Nova Scotia girls at the national tournament hosted by TRU. Scott coached team B.C. to a silver medal finish in that tournament, and is a great guy and coach. It was nice to catch up with him before the game.

The girls played an incredibly solid game against the Wolfpack. We were able to force 38 turnovers which were a big factor in our 82-52 win. Rebecca Sheehan was named the player of the game with her 6 point, 4 assist, 3 rebound and 6 steal performance as she returned home to her native Fredericton. The team was able to score 82 points while only having 1 double digit scorer. Ashley Stephen led the way with 21 points and 7 rebounds. 5th year post Katherine Kanaski continued her solid play with a 8 point, 8 rebound and 3 steal performance.

Prior to the game against TRU, the team visited the Sheehan residence for a team breakfast. Host and chef-du-jour Humphrey Sheehan put on quite a show with his hosting skills and amazed all of the girls with his the delicious food. Thanks again to Humphrey and Chris for hosting the team, and also to Athletic Therapist extraordinaire Kayla Dort for helping flip some omelettes! I know the hospitality led to a great performance on the court.

The third game of the tournament saw us match-up against the host UNB Varsity Reds. In our first game action against a conference opponent, the game lived up to its billing and was tremendously physical. The Reds ended up beating us 51-48. In a game marred by foul calls and turnovers, each team struggled through a 4 point quarter. The V-Reds made it tough on us in certain situations and forced us to shoot 18 for 72 from the field for the game, and 5 for 26 from the 3 point line. Amanda Sharpe played a great game for UNB scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. The X-Women were led by Sheryl Chisholms 13 points, Katherine Kanaski’s 10 points and 6 rebounds, and Tory Anderson’s 9 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

Both Ashley Stephen and Kirsten Jones were named to the Tournament All-Star teams for their performances. The loss definitely opened our team’s eyes as to what it is going to take to compete in the AUS conference on a game to game basis. And despite the 3 way tie that was created with UNB’s win over us, the point differential/tie breaker system utilized by the tournament named us the victor. First tournament, first tournament win!

The team was also shook the Tuesday after our Fredericton trip with the surprise leaving of Lindy MacDonald. Lindy was a key contributor over the first tournament weekend, but decided to leave for personal reasons. We wish Lindy the best in all of her future endeavors and hope to see her back in an X uniform down the line!

As I have been talking about for most of this pre-season, I really love this team’s resiliency and work ethic. Despite the loss at the Helen Campbell, the team responded with a great week of practice. We were able to compete and improve and attempt to correct some of our mistakes. It was a great way to lead up to the Subway Tournament hosted by Dalhouise University in Halifax.

The Subway Tournament has a great set-up. First, the organizers normally invite 3 teams from outside the AUS conference, and 3 teams that compete in the AUS. It is set up so that each of the 3 AUS teams play each of the out of conference teams. This meant 3 games for us against OUA teams York, Brock and Lakehead.

Friday, October 16 saw us take the court against the York Lions. York boasts a 23 year coaching legend, Bill Pangos, who has had a tremendous run of success as the boss of the Lions. He is also become more famous for the exploits of his son, Kevin, who is making waves as one of the best young players in Canada. York features a team of great outside shooters, and a long and athletic post player. Jumping out to an early lead, the X-Women were able to execute well, score in transition, and capitalize off of turnovers. A 54 point first (remember the 48 point game?) half allowed the team to jump out to a 29 point half time margin, and we never looked back. The final score was 85-57 as all members of the team got on the score sheet for double figure minutes. Sheryl Chisholm and Tory Anderson led the way with 14 points a piece while Ashley Stephen added 12 points and 8 rebounds, Elyse Hnatiuk added 10, and Kirsten Jones ripped down 10 boards. As a coach, I enjoyed how our team settled in to playing 1/4 court defense, and winning the battle of the boards 47-37.

The Saturday of the Subway Tournament saw the team face off against the Brock Badgers, also of the OUA. Brock featured a team composed of 10 guards who played a very up tempo style of basketball. It was a great challenge to our team, and it made our posts have to work hard to move their feet defensively on the perimeter of the floor. We were able to make a few adjustments, even going with a line-up that featured Ashley Stephen in the post, and we were able to pull out a 65-56 win. Sheryl Chisholm had her best game of the season scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Ashley Stephen continued her strong play with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Elyse Hnatiuk added 11 points, and Katherine Kanaski had 10.

Our final game of the tournament was on Sunday, October 18 at 9 am against Lakehead University, also from the OUA. Essentially, this game was the finals as Lakehead also boasted a 2-0 record heading into the game after beating Dalhousie and UPEI. Lakehead definitely showed their toughness and swagger as they executed well to start the game, and were ahead by 1 point, 33-29 at half time. The momentum definitely shifted in the 3rd quarter of the game as we started to get a little scrappier and won the lose ball battles, and eventually, the rebounding battle. A 22-11 3rd quarter and 10 out of 11 defensive stops to start the 4th quarter blew the game wide open. The margin was as wide as 19 points before a few long 3’s at the end of the game (including a half court buzzer beater at the end of the 4th quarter) giving us a 72-64 win. Elyse Hnatiuk was the key to the win as she came off the bench to score 17 big points, including 8 to open the fourth quarter. Ashley Stephen posted another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Sheryl Chisholm had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and Tory Anderson had 13 points and 8 rebounds.

The Subway Tournament All-Star team included Sheryl Chisholm from X, while Ashley Stephen was named the MVP.

After a long stretch of games (6 games in 10 days), we returned home on Sunday ready for mid-terms and rest. We have some time now to rejuvenate as we prepare for the upcoming regular season. The next few weeks will see the team play a few scrimmages against some local teams. It will also give us some time to practice hard, get a lot of shots up, and prepare for what figures to be a highly competitive regular season. I am also going to get the opportunity to travel to Calgary next weekend to do some recruiting, as well as catch up with some of my old friends as the U of Calgary opens up their regular season that weekend as well. I am looking forward to the trip and I am really hoping that it is successful. For now it is back to the grind, and to make sure another day goes by with improvement. Until then, it is back to work and time to prepare!

Homecoming Weekend

2009-10-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

It is Saturday morning, and I can tell that it is homecoming weekend because my usual parking spot that is a 2 minute walk to my office is now occupied, and I had to trek all of 5 minutes instead! Yes, homecoming is that one weekend of the year where the campus is absolutely packed with sports fans, alumni, students, friends, family, and in our case, recruits!

Last year I started the annual trend (at least I am going to call it annual even though this is only my second go around and I intend to continue the tradition for the next few years) to bring in a group of potential student athletes so they can start to get to know the campus and the players on the team during a weekend where there is a buzz on campus. Hopefully, it will turn into success on the court as well. I am really excited about the group that I have brought in this year!

Practice this week was, again, very successful. With only one week until our first game, we now have all of the defenses in that we are looking to use for the pre-season, as well as our sets. Our upcoming games are going to give us a chance to make some mistakes, learn from them, and try to improve every time out. I am encouraged with our progress and I feel that we have a pretty high ceiling to reach this season. But that is all for right now. Until then, it is back to work and time to prepare!

Be Commited...

2009-09-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

Our commitment took its first test this week; well more importantly our team's belief and confidence. In a week that included 6 straight days of on court practice, a few 2 a days and weight room sessions, we also had our first uninspired session of training camp. It was bound to happen at some point, and impressively enough, it happened 13 practices in. It was definitely not the work ethic, because that is always there with this team, but there was just something missing. I believe that something is what separates the great teams from the good teams. My assistant coach, Anne Armstrong, addressed the team after practice, and simply said, "we did not practice like a champion today". Point made.

As I was walking out of practice, disappointed with the team's effort, one of the leaders on the team, Katherine Kanaski, asked if she could see the practice plan for that day. I always post the practice plan the morning of, everyday, and I figured she had realized that I was upset enough with the team, that I did not make them run the sprints I had planned. As the players started to scatter, she called everyone in, and said, "We are not done yet ladies." I walked up the stairs and looked through the window to the gym, and the girls were doing all of the runs that were on the practice plan. According to another one of my leaders, not once did any of the girls roll their eyes, or complain about staying behind. They put in the work and showed what THEIR team meant to them.

A bonus to our worst practice of the year was our practice the next day. It might have been our most intense. The girls competed at an unbelievably high rate, and by the end of practice, I was surprised that there was not any blood on the gym floor! They just got after it, went after each other, but after practice, you could tell they were excited about the bounce back, and enjoyed playing like that against one another. We also tried something new in practice: playing 5 on 5 games to 1. It really gets the girls to understand that every possession matters!

Our week ended with some shooting, and some 5 on 0 execution that was needed. It is hard to believe that we are getting on the bus in less than 2 weeks to go to our first games of the year in Fredericton. We still have a few things to work on, but I feel that we have most of the sets, defenses, and concepts in that I was hoping to have in before we left. I think our practices this week, along with a scrimmage against some boys, and an intersquad game will help us reach the level we hope to get to for our pre-season. It is a process, and all we can do is try to improve everyday.

Another week and another 6 days to get better! Homecoming is also coming up this weekend, so the campus will be buzzing with alumni, activities, and our undefeated football team playing on Saturday! We are also having a few recruits in to show around, so all in all, it should be a busy and fun week. I will do my best to update again after some game action. Until then, it is back to work and time to prepare!

Do What it Takes...

2009-09-22T04:02:00.000-07:00

After our weekend team get away, I am confident about 3 things:

1. We like each other, as a team.

2. We are all here for the same reason - To Win!

3. We are going to work hard, and definitely have fun this year!

Now that I have gotten past my "Twilight"-esque rant, I can say that the weekend in PEI was a success. The weather wasn't great, but I think that made it all the more memorable. After completing some team communication and goal setting activities, we decided to go see a really bad "girlie" movie. It is unbelievable how the movie industry can continue to make money on movies where before you sit down, you already know what is going to happen. Yet, the whole team paid $8.99 to go see it. And since the weather was so bad, the PEI vs. X soccer games that we were supposed to go see in the afternoon were pushed back to the evening. Thus, our movie watching was enabled, and a trip to Dollarama was brought into the mix!

Besides the Spiderman ponchos, the garbage bags, and the water proof Halloween table cloths that we purchased at the Dollarama and used to cover ourselves, I am pretty sure that the find of Ashley Stephen and myself was the best. There was a giant piece of plastic that was sitting amongst the garbage bags; it had to be at least 25 feet long. Ashley brought it up to the cashier and asked how much it was (the plan was to cut 5 or 6 holes in it, and use as one giant team poncho). I don't know if it was the charm of Ashley, or the fact that they just wanted to clean up their store, but the giant plastic was FREE! It ended up being used as a tarp for people to sit on and cover up with. I also think the fact that the weather was so bad made us cheer that much louder. We were forced to stand up and stay moving in fear of hypothermia setting in! Women's Soccer result: X-Women 2, UPEI 0.

It is now back to work in the classroom, on the court, and in the weight room. This is one of the most important times of the year for everyone on the team to get their classes under control before the grind of the regular season begins in November. I am also hoping that the study hall sessions that we have set up will keep everyone focused; even the veteran players who may not require that supervised time. Again, I have a tremendous amount of confidence in this group. I truly feel that they are going to do what it takes to be successful in every facet of their experience here at StFX.

We have a solid week of practice set up for the team. 5 straight days of sessions on the court should result in visual improvement in specific areas of our team game. Our pace of play has been about where I would like it, but it can improve. Also, I am always looking for our defensive intensity to be constant and consistent. As it was for us last season, if we only focus on those two areas of our game, I think we will have a successful year. I will let you know after the week if all of my hopes have come to fruition. Until then, it is back to work and time to prepare!

A Well Deserved Day Off!

2009-09-14T05:28:00.000-07:00

With the first week of training camp over, it is Monday morning, the day is not as beautiful as the weekend, but it is time for a day off! And because we have such unbelievable support from the community here at StFX, our day off means a team meal at Dr. Angie Thompson's house! Hopefully the weather stays nice enough for a few rounds of washer toss. I am not sure that the girls even know what that is.

The week was a great success marked by the work the girls put in over the weekend with our trainer Brian Finniss. The prelude to this success was how prepared the girls were coming into training camp. Overall, everyone improved on most of their physical tests. I was really impressed. On top of that, Brian also took them through 4 total workouts: 2 agility workouts in the gym, and 2 weight workouts in the weight room. As happy as I am with their fitness levels, Brian still kicked some serious butt with these workouts!

Our weekend was also marked by a timed run around the campus that is around 2.5 km in length. The results compared to last year were again, all improved. Our worst time this year was better than our average time last year. I think what was even more impressive by just the work the girls put in was when we did go onto the court and operate some basketball systems, they were able to focus and put forth purposeful effort.

So after a great meal tonight, it is back on the court tomorrow morning, and we will continue with 4 sessions this week before our team bonding trip to PEI this weekend. We are fortunate enough to be able to stay in some cottages owned by Ellen Crosby's family. There should be some great food, some great energy, and some great Kumbaya singing! The trip will also give us an opportunity to support some of our other X Varsity teams as the X-Men and X-Women soccer teams are playing at UPEI on Saturday.

I will do my best to give another update during practices this week, and I would not be surprised if I have to post again tomorrow because the food we have at the Thompson's is so great! Until then, it is back to work, and time to prepare!

The Morale is High!

2009-09-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

The first try-out of the 2009-2010 season just finished for the X-Women basketball team, and the morale within the team is definitely high. All of the girls worked their tails off, but no matter how much they had to run, by the end of practice, the gym was filled with voices of encouragement from the entire team!

What made my anticipation for the first practice even greater, was what happened yesterday. It was Labour Day Monday, and I rolled into the office at around 7:45 pm to do a little bit of work before today, and I heard some noise coming from the Main Gym at the Oland Center. I walked into the gym, and there was the whole team, playing and working on their games! Without me even knowing anything, they got into the gym to work and make sure they were ready for the first try-out. It also told me they were ready!

The try-out went without a hitch, and I was very impressed with the level of work that everyone put in. In fact, the rookies stood out with their work ethic and how they fit in with everybody else. Another exciting part of the day was to see Stephanie Hiltz and Spencer Lockhart, two players who tore their ACL's last year, involved in aspects of practice. They are great players and even better people, so it was awesome to see their hard work in rehab paying off!

All in all, it was a great day, and the enthusiasm that I entered practice with was made more by the effort and dedication that I was able to see. Two more days before the team is made, and the first official practice is on Friday. I hope to update everyone again with the happenings of the X-Women again during our workouts with our trainer Brian Finniss on the weekend. Until then, it is back to work, and time to prepare!

The Start of a New Season!!!

2009-08-31T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hello World!

With Blogging becoming so popular, I figured I would start something up for people to start following the progress of X-Women Basketball throughout the season. Hopefully this will be a way to get a little insight into what we are doing on and off the court.

The start of the season is right around the corner. We are starting our tryouts next week on September 8 at 7pm. The team is going to be holding 3 days of tryouts on the 8th, 9th, and 10th (with the 9th and 10th tryouts starting at 5pm). Our first official practice will be on Friday September 11th at 2:15pm. We are also fortunate to have our team trainer, Brian Finniss, come in and work with us on the 12th and 13th. He will resume our physical testing from the end of last season as well as put the girls through some new workouts. I am excited to have him around again. Brian played for 3 seasons at Acadia University and then for 2 seasons at the University of Calgary while I was the assistant coach there with the Men's team. We are lucky to have him as he has a ton of experience training professional, Olympic and high level athletes.

The start of a season is always exciting. It is always new no matter how many returning players there are. And with this being my second season at X, I am feeling more comfortable at the school, with the staff, and with the direction I had envisioned my program to go. There are a bunch of things that are "new" this season. First of all, I have a new assistant coach. Anne Armstrong joins the program after being my assistant this past summer with the U-15 Nova Scotia Girls provincial team. Anne brings AUS playing experience, U.S. experience, and a tremendous attitude to our team. I know the girls are really going to like her.

A new season also brings a sense of anticipation to see which returning player has improved and done the work to prepare for the upcoming season, and also, to see how the new players will fit in and perform. The girls get a little bit of a head start coming into camp during 2 weeks of August where they get to play and train together, and get to know each other before training camp starts officially. It is a good way to break the ice! Also, it gives some players the opportunity to see how ready they are for pre-season, and let's me know who needs to do what to improve their fitness.

The new first year players to the team are Lindy MacDonald (Antigonish), Rebecca Sheehan (Fredericton), Ellen Crosby (Halifax) and Jocelyn Moore (North Sydney). As first years, I hope their adjustment to the CIS level happens quickly and positively. Another new player to the playing roster but not to the team is Katherine Kanaski who transferred from CBU to take Education. As a fifth year post who has played in a National Championship game, she is an athletic post who should fit right in to our up-tempo game.

The biggest challenge of this first month will be to get us playing at the right tempo and trusting our system. The key to trusting our system is being as physically fit as possible and being able to trust eachother. I am going to do my best to get everyone to work as hard as possible toward our goal of improving everyday up until our first tournament on October 9 in Fredericton.

Stay tuned for more updates, as I will be doing my best to update the blog as much as possible through out the season. You can also follow us on Twitter @xwomenhoops.

I would also like to thank Mike McKay and Carly Clarke for inspiring me and this blog. I hope I can keep up!!!