We’re kicking off a new feature where we’ll highlight what’s gone on in the past week with Anoka-Ramsey Men’s Basketball. This feature will run once a week until our first official game on November 11th, then sporadically, if at all, after that.
This first installment will cover things that have occurred from the beginning of the school year up to this point.
The biggest thing we’ve learned about our team thus far is that we have a lot balance…as well as a lot of unknowns. Let’s start with the unknowns:
· The biggest thing we’ll be curious to find out is how the team responds in game situations. We have very limited game experience on this year’s roster with only a handful of guys who have played collegiately before. The JUCO Jamboree on Sunday, October 9th at the University of Northern Iowa will be our first test with competition outside of intrasquad scrimmages.
· Since it’s still so early, we also don’t know who is going to crack the regular rotation. We have talent, that much is certain, but who will separate themselves in the next six weeks or so will be interesting to watch. It could come down to who can quickly pick up the team concepts offensively and defensively.
· Again, since it’s early on, and official practice hasn’t yet begun, there are a number of things we have yet to teach. The beginnings of our base offense and defense have been installed but the details of those things haven’t been worked on much to date. Things like defending screens (all types), transition defense, plays/sets, and how to use a ball screen, are just some examples of things yet to come. The good thing is our guys continually are improving in their comfort level with the base offense and defense. That’s an encouraging sign for us coaches.
· Health. While overall we’re healthy there have been the usual bumps/bruises/ankle tweaks that are to be expected, but also a bit of the flu bug has hit some guys. Hopefully it’s not a sign of things to come and we’re just getting it out of the way early.
Let’s talk about some positives so far:
· As we said before, we have a lot of balance on this year’s team. In addition to having guys that are true point guards, true wings, and true post players, we also have guys who can play multiple positions. That gives us a lot of flexibility should there be injuries, if someone hits a tough stretch individually, or if we need to make adjustments based on who we’re playing.
· Not only are we balanced in terms of position, but we also have a lot balance in terms of skills. We have true point guards who can handle the ball and create for others; we have combo guards that can shoot it as well as put the ball on the floor; we have true wings that can slash to the basket and finish at the rim; we have guys that can flat out stroke the ball from deep; we have inside-out forwards that can cause matchup problems; and we have true posts that can score with their back to the basket. Oh, and they’re all willing to DEFEND! We’re typically not the type of coaches to get too excited too early (after all, there’s plenty we need to work on), but as of right now the pieces are there from a talent standpoint.
· The work ethic of this group is simply amazing. The guys take part in two one-hour sessions of conditioning with our athletic trainer each week. Our trainer also has his own personal training business, and he’s remarked at how shocked he’s been by the level of intensity our guys have brought to the sessions. The same thing can be said about our basketball workouts. We definitely have a competitive bunch.
· Grades. We have grade checks every two weeks and after four weeks of school the grades are looking great!
On top of the on-the-court stuff, there are also some great off court things in the works:
· Groundbreaking for the new Health and Wellness Center was held on September 7th. We’re not sure on the timetable for completion, but this will be a fantastic addition to the college as well as our athletic programs once it’s completed. The project includes a new fieldhouse with one college length court and one high school length court, a renovation of the current gym, concourse, locker rooms, equipment rooms, fitness center, and offices.
· We’re currently working to get all our home games streamed online for free. That way all our out-of-state friends and family members can follow along with the game action (we have players from France, Arkansas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Indianapolis).
That's all for now. Say it with me....
“We Are, A-R!”
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