Tryouts often seem more stressful than they need to be. Working hard and pushing one’s self is a key criteria for success, as is arriving on time (look the gym up on a map ahead of time), working hard and staying hydrated (bring a water bottle). Although a drill may have a particular focus, such as ballhandling or shooting, there are numerous other elements involved in the performance of those skills. Perhaps the drill starts or stops with a well-placed pass or requires a player to visually scan the court as they move. Athletes who take care to execute all …
Carleton, Again
It is a daunting task to face the Carleton Ravens not only because of their physical abilities but due to their mental tenacity. Recovering loose balls. Taking charges. Tipping passes. Boxing out. Hitting the floor. Following shots. Talking. Refusing to give up. A post player following his own miss. A point guard stepping in front of a forward to protect the basket. The team is technically skilled and obviously practices diligently. They can take a small opening and use it to break down the door. The game may be close for one moment and a blowout minutes later. The opponent …
Why Not?
One can record a maximum break in snooker in less than five and a half minutes. So why not make 147 every time? Since the balls are always arranged identically, how did the first player in this clip botch the break so badly, without potting any balls, so that Ronnie O’Sullivan was able to easily run the table, averaging one shot every nine seconds? Why does a curler slip pushing off the hack at the Brier and therefore compromise their release? How does a collegiate wrestler lose their first match against an unranked opponent when expected to win the national …
Why Did Carleton Lose?
A C.I.S. observer suggested that the premature defeat of the Carleton Ravens at the Final 8 Tournament was partially due to the absence of tight games on the Ravens’ schedule. I disagree, specifically and generally speaking. Although Carleton did not execute well during the last possessions of both regulation and overtime, inexperience did not lead to this poor performance. The team was comprised of largely juniors and seniors who had played close games together throughout the previous seasons. During their run of five consecutive championships, the Ravens had defeated Brandon, U.P.E.I., Guelph, St. F.X., and Ottawa by five points or …
Carpe Diem
Brock University’s C.I.S. Men’s Basketball National Title victory on Sunday – following Acadia’s 82-80 double-overtime defeat of five-time defending champions Carleton in the semi-finals – proved again how anything is possible, in sport and life. Any Canadian team would have won out and claimed the W.P. McGee trophy. In fact, the dark jerseys won seventy percent of games played at the Final 8 Tournament. The odds finally caught up to the Ravens. At once they faced an intransigent opponent, shot poorly, saw calls go against them, and did not recover every lucky bounce. A team can often overcome one or …
Toronto-Michigan All-Star Game 2006
The Michigan Basketball All-Stars defeated the Toronto All-Stars over the weekend. It was a boring game to watch — there was a lot of one on one with four players watching. Toronto started the game with a really cool PHX set. Yonas Berhle came off a high rub going to his right, looked to turn the corner, and kicked to Jessie Simmons for a wide open three. That was a really good read but it was all downhill from there. Michigan killed Toronto with defence and rebounding. At times, Toronto was effective in transition; other times the ballhandler would jack …
Local Basketball
Lost in the playoffs Saturday, 67-60 at York. Perhaps a call could have gone the other way or a basket not rimmed out but athletes make plays. Must get fitter, happier, more productive over the off-season so we are in a position to make more plays down the stretch next year. Raptors blew a massive in Dallas. Bosh and James went off to a certain degree. However, it was Darrell Armstrong (defensively) and Dirk Nowitzki (offensively) that made plays in crunch time. Indiana beat Michigan State on Sunday. Michigan State had overcome a large lead but after Paul Davis fouled …