Hi Warrior fans, Coach Moore here writing to you from the Kelly Inn in St. Cloud. We arrived up here in St. Cloud yesterday around 4:30 and then had a practice from 6 to 8 over at St. Cloud. After that we had a good meal over at the House of Pizza where the service was great and the food was very good as well. Today we have shoot around at 2 so we still have sometime before we head over to the gym.
Tonight's game should be a great game in a great basketball atmosphere. I would expect a nice turnout from the St. Cloud fans as it is Senior Night and I think they are doing some promotions for the game as well. But from the sounds of it we do have a decent amount of fans making the journey north to support us tonight as well so it should be a fun time for all fans. Some keys for tonight's game are going to be just like many of the other games we have played in this season. On the defensive end of the court we need to be physical and contain our man one on one. The Huskies have a ton of offensive weapons with many of them capable of scoring by getting to the basket. We will need to contain our guy and really make them work for a good shot every time down the floor. On the offensive end we need to be patient and keep great spacing during the game. The last time we played we took a ton of shots early in the shot clock that were not great shots to take, we need to stay patient and work for a great shot. Also our spacing was not good until the last ten minutes of the game. We are a team that relies on having good spacing as we get a ton of great looks from having it. The final key is once again rebounding the basketball. We must rebound the ball tonight and hold them to one shot on the offensive end, if we give them multiple opportunities they will make us pay and we will be in for a long night.
Well we look forward to all the fans coming up to the game tonight and thanks in advance for your support. Go Warriors!!!!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Warriors Clinch Home Playoff Game Next Wednesday!!!
Hey gang, Coach Moore here with a look back on our game last night against Upper Iowa and a look at what we know about the NSIC Tournament.
We played a pretty solid game last night down in Fayette, a place that has been a tough on other teams in our conference, as we won 77-61. The first half of the game was pretty tight until the last 4 minutes or so when we went on an 11-0 run to go up by 15 at the half. Our defense in the first half, especially the first 16 minutes, was not good at all. We were getting beat off the dribble, not seeing our man or ball and we gave them too many easy looks at the basket. The one thing I felt we did do well on defense was to double them on ball screens and not allow them to attack us or the basket, this doubling the ball eventually lead to some turnovers and points for us during the half. On the offensive end I felt we were pretty solid in the first half, we moved the ball well, got it inside for easy looks and we shot a good percentage from the field. I felt our bench guys were great in the first half as each guy coming in gave us great energy and shot the ball really well.
In the second half we were much better on the defensive end as we did not allow them to get too many good looks at the basket. Our guys were containing one on one, we were getting in passing lanes and we were rotating well on defense. On the offensive side of the ball we were again knocking down the open looks, getting to the basket when we wanted and had great ball movement. We also were very patient in the second half working for that one great shot instead of taking a decent one.
Overall the energy level and hustle was great from everyone one the team. Our guys came ready to play and they played some great basketball at points during the game. We did an okay job of rebounding the basketball but we still need to work on not giving them second and third opportunities as that will kill us in our up coming games.
Now onto what we know for the NSIC Tournament. We for sure know we will be the Number 2 seed in the tournament. Due to the tie breakers and the break down of records our strength of schedule is not going to be good enough to pass Southwest Minnesota State so even if they lose on Saturday to Northern State. They will still be the #1 seed in the tournament. Now with us being in the #2 slot we have two teams that we have a shot at playing and they are either Northern St. or Concordia St. Paul. Who we play will all depend on a variety of factors but to make it easiest to understand for everyone. If Northern St. wins or Concordia St. Paul loses, Northern St. will be the #7 seed and we will be hosting them on Wednesday March 4th at 8 pm. If Northern St. loses and Concordia St. Paul wins then we have a tie and depending on other outcomes of games Concordia could have a higher strength of schedule so they would become the #7 seed. Other items we know as well, whoever wins between Augustana and UM-Duluth will be hosting a home game, if St. Cloud beats us on Saturday they will be hosting a home game. But other then those scenarios I would have to type an hour to explain everything else. So I hope this answers some questions the fans might have.
I know I said I would have a get to "Get to Know Your Warrior" up today but we will have to wait as I am still working on our next guy.
Go Warriors!!!!!!!!!
We played a pretty solid game last night down in Fayette, a place that has been a tough on other teams in our conference, as we won 77-61. The first half of the game was pretty tight until the last 4 minutes or so when we went on an 11-0 run to go up by 15 at the half. Our defense in the first half, especially the first 16 minutes, was not good at all. We were getting beat off the dribble, not seeing our man or ball and we gave them too many easy looks at the basket. The one thing I felt we did do well on defense was to double them on ball screens and not allow them to attack us or the basket, this doubling the ball eventually lead to some turnovers and points for us during the half. On the offensive end I felt we were pretty solid in the first half, we moved the ball well, got it inside for easy looks and we shot a good percentage from the field. I felt our bench guys were great in the first half as each guy coming in gave us great energy and shot the ball really well.
In the second half we were much better on the defensive end as we did not allow them to get too many good looks at the basket. Our guys were containing one on one, we were getting in passing lanes and we were rotating well on defense. On the offensive side of the ball we were again knocking down the open looks, getting to the basket when we wanted and had great ball movement. We also were very patient in the second half working for that one great shot instead of taking a decent one.
Overall the energy level and hustle was great from everyone one the team. Our guys came ready to play and they played some great basketball at points during the game. We did an okay job of rebounding the basketball but we still need to work on not giving them second and third opportunities as that will kill us in our up coming games.
Now onto what we know for the NSIC Tournament. We for sure know we will be the Number 2 seed in the tournament. Due to the tie breakers and the break down of records our strength of schedule is not going to be good enough to pass Southwest Minnesota State so even if they lose on Saturday to Northern State. They will still be the #1 seed in the tournament. Now with us being in the #2 slot we have two teams that we have a shot at playing and they are either Northern St. or Concordia St. Paul. Who we play will all depend on a variety of factors but to make it easiest to understand for everyone. If Northern St. wins or Concordia St. Paul loses, Northern St. will be the #7 seed and we will be hosting them on Wednesday March 4th at 8 pm. If Northern St. loses and Concordia St. Paul wins then we have a tie and depending on other outcomes of games Concordia could have a higher strength of schedule so they would become the #7 seed. Other items we know as well, whoever wins between Augustana and UM-Duluth will be hosting a home game, if St. Cloud beats us on Saturday they will be hosting a home game. But other then those scenarios I would have to type an hour to explain everything else. So I hope this answers some questions the fans might have.
I know I said I would have a get to "Get to Know Your Warrior" up today but we will have to wait as I am still working on our next guy.
Go Warriors!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Warriors Travel to Upper Iowa
Hello Warrior fans, well tonight we are traveling down into the great state of Iowa to take on the Peacocks from Fayette. Tip off is slated for 8:00 and it should be another fantastic showdown as the Warriors need a win to stay in second place alone or to move into a tie for first with a Southwest Minnesota State loss.
The last time the Warriors and Peacocks faced off, the Warriors were red-hot from the outside shooting an amazing 15-21 from the 3 point line. Hopefully we can duplicate those numbers tonight but it will be very difficult as Upper Iowa has been a tough team to beat at home all season.
Keys for tonight's game will be: First we must rebound the basketball and limit them to one shot on the offensive end. In games where we have out rebounded the opponent or have been close in the rebounding category with the opponent we have only one loss (St. Cloud out rebounded us 40-39). But in our other losses we have been out rebounded by a little over 12 rebounds per game so we must rebound the basketball and we must be aggressive going and getting the ball. The second key will be for us to get the game moving up and down. We are a team who can convert in a half court offensive set pretty well but I think everyone agrees when we get the ball going up and down the court we are a much harder team to guard and we are able to get shooters open much easier then in a half court set. The final key will again be shutting our man down one on one. In the last game we were terrible in the first half of doing this as we gave up a ton of easy buckets and layups. Tonight we must not allow dribble penetration or it could be a very long night defensively for us. In our first meeting I felt we did an excellent job of shutting them down one on one and it was a key reason why we won the game by the amount of points that we did.
Well that is about all I have for now, check back tomorrow as we will have a new edition of "Meet Your Warriors" as we only have a couple players left on the year. Go Warriors!!!!
The last time the Warriors and Peacocks faced off, the Warriors were red-hot from the outside shooting an amazing 15-21 from the 3 point line. Hopefully we can duplicate those numbers tonight but it will be very difficult as Upper Iowa has been a tough team to beat at home all season.
Keys for tonight's game will be: First we must rebound the basketball and limit them to one shot on the offensive end. In games where we have out rebounded the opponent or have been close in the rebounding category with the opponent we have only one loss (St. Cloud out rebounded us 40-39). But in our other losses we have been out rebounded by a little over 12 rebounds per game so we must rebound the basketball and we must be aggressive going and getting the ball. The second key will be for us to get the game moving up and down. We are a team who can convert in a half court offensive set pretty well but I think everyone agrees when we get the ball going up and down the court we are a much harder team to guard and we are able to get shooters open much easier then in a half court set. The final key will again be shutting our man down one on one. In the last game we were terrible in the first half of doing this as we gave up a ton of easy buckets and layups. Tonight we must not allow dribble penetration or it could be a very long night defensively for us. In our first meeting I felt we did an excellent job of shutting them down one on one and it was a key reason why we won the game by the amount of points that we did.
Well that is about all I have for now, check back tomorrow as we will have a new edition of "Meet Your Warriors" as we only have a couple players left on the year. Go Warriors!!!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Warriors Win Final Home Game
Hey Warrior fans, well I hope most of you have found the blog once again since it was taken off our basketball page on our new website. We are working on getting a link on the page back up so hang tight and hopefully we can get it figured out, soon.
Well we won another tough game on Saturday night. It was a battle from the start as Bemidji came out ready to play and really played well in the first half. If not for our outstanding shooting to start the game we could have easily been down at halftime as Bemidji shot over 60% from the field in the first half. Defensively we were not very good in the half as we broke down very easily one on one and we did not recover well in getting out to shooters. On top of that we were getting beat down the floor at times and giving up lay-ups which is totally uncalled for. That was just a lack of effort on our part and our guys know better then to be putting that type of effort out on the floor.
In the second half I think our energy and effort on the defensive end was much better. We made them take some difficult shots and we made them work to get some of the other looks that they got. We extended our pressure midway through the half and it seemed to make them make some mental mistakes with the ball they had not made before. I really think the pressure just wore them out and we were able to shoot the ball well again in the second half. Offensively the entire game we were pretty solid at staying patient and working for a great shot. We moved the ball well and our spacing was good for most of the game. When we do those things on the offensive end we are a tough team to stop.
Overall I think we played a good game but we can play much better. Our effort at times is still lacking as not all of our guys are going all out when they are in the game. Also we need to communicate much better when we are on the floor as too many times we do not talk and we end up leaving a guy wide open for a shot. If we do not communicate better it will come back to haunt us during the stretch run and playoffs. Thanks again for all of the parents who were able to make it and it was great seeing so many other family members at the game as well. I know our guys really enjoy playing in front of family members and some seem to play better when they have family at the game. I think it is a mental state of comfort for them to know they have family at the game.
We have two huge road games this week and both are going to be difficult games. I hope our guys are ready to go and realize that they must be prepared as it is tough to win on the road. Until next time, Go Warriors!!!!
Well we won another tough game on Saturday night. It was a battle from the start as Bemidji came out ready to play and really played well in the first half. If not for our outstanding shooting to start the game we could have easily been down at halftime as Bemidji shot over 60% from the field in the first half. Defensively we were not very good in the half as we broke down very easily one on one and we did not recover well in getting out to shooters. On top of that we were getting beat down the floor at times and giving up lay-ups which is totally uncalled for. That was just a lack of effort on our part and our guys know better then to be putting that type of effort out on the floor.
In the second half I think our energy and effort on the defensive end was much better. We made them take some difficult shots and we made them work to get some of the other looks that they got. We extended our pressure midway through the half and it seemed to make them make some mental mistakes with the ball they had not made before. I really think the pressure just wore them out and we were able to shoot the ball well again in the second half. Offensively the entire game we were pretty solid at staying patient and working for a great shot. We moved the ball well and our spacing was good for most of the game. When we do those things on the offensive end we are a tough team to stop.
Overall I think we played a good game but we can play much better. Our effort at times is still lacking as not all of our guys are going all out when they are in the game. Also we need to communicate much better when we are on the floor as too many times we do not talk and we end up leaving a guy wide open for a shot. If we do not communicate better it will come back to haunt us during the stretch run and playoffs. Thanks again for all of the parents who were able to make it and it was great seeing so many other family members at the game as well. I know our guys really enjoy playing in front of family members and some seem to play better when they have family at the game. I think it is a mental state of comfort for them to know they have family at the game.
We have two huge road games this week and both are going to be difficult games. I hope our guys are ready to go and realize that they must be prepared as it is tough to win on the road. Until next time, Go Warriors!!!!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Thanks You Parents!!!
Hi Warriors fans, it's Coach Brady Moore with another update. Well tonight's game is parents night, as well as our last regular season home game of the season. Hopefully it is not our final home game of the season but you never know so come on out and support our Warriors.First off the WSU team and staff would like to thank the parent of our players for another great season. From a staff's perspective it is truly an honor to work with your son's on a daily basis and each of you should be proud of the young men you have raised. They wear the Winona State uniform with honor and do a great job of representing the school, your family and themselves. Also I know your son's would like to thank you for all the time you have put in letting them enjoy a game they truly love. Your dedication to them not only this season but over there entire basketball career has allowed them to become a better player and person. The amount of time you have all put in cannot be thanked enough. Finally from every one on the team thanks for the support you have shown for us this season, traveling to away games, showing up at team gatherings and supporting our team is a main reason why we have been successful as we have been, thanks to all parents, grandparents and other family members for your support during this season. Hopefully we still have a good six weeks left in our season.
Now on to the game tonight against Bemidji St. The last time we played Bemidji was the start of our longest winning streak of the season, which was 10. We played a pretty good game up in Bemidji as we were able to shoot a high percentage on the offensive end of the floor and we did a decent job of not giving them any thing easy on the defensive end. Click here for box score of last game : http://www.winonastatewarriors.com/custompages/Basketball%20Men/09wsubsu.htm
The keys to this game will be very similar to many of the other games we have played this year. We must again rebound the basketball. Last weekend we did a good job on Saturday night of rebounding by getting a season high 18 offensive rebounds but this must carry over to tonight's game. If we are able to grab that many extra offensive possessions for our team again tonight that would be a huge bonus for us. But we also must rebound down on the defensive end as we cannot allow them too many extra possessions as that can really deflate a team. Allowing them only one shot each time down the floor will be a must tonight. The next key will be containing them one on one. They are a team full of tremendous offensive players that have the ability to brake you down one on one so we must contain our man. If we can do this we will be much more successful on the defensive end of the floor. The final key to this game will be our offensive spacing on the floor. The past couple of games our spacing has been okay at best as we are not giving ourselves good driving and passing lanes to the basket. If we can keep the floor spread and move the ball well we should get some great looks at the basket and hopefully we are able to knock them down.
It should be another great battle tonight and I hope all the Warrior fans out there can make it to McCown for what should be a very entertaining game.
Go Warriors!!!!
Friday, February 20, 2009
John Smith Signs to Play in Vermont
The reigning Division II Player of the Year, John Smith, has signed a contract to the play the rest of the 2009 season as a member of the Vermont Frost Heaves a member of the Premier Basketball League or PBL. The PBL is a 13 team league, according to the standings, with teams ranging from the continental US up into Canada. The league has a variety of players ranging from Division III, Division II and Division I along with some NAIA and foreign players. A full listing of players currently in the league can be found at the main PBL website by clicking on teams and then rosters. The Frost Heaves are currently 7-6 on the season with seven games left before the playoffs begin. To learn more information on the Frost Heaves please visit this link: http://vermontfrostheaves.com/# For more information on the PBL you can visit this link: http://www.pblproball.com/pbl/# We wish John the best of luck on the rest of his season with the Frost Heaves and look forward to following his progress. Go Warriors!!!!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
2007-08 Team Wins Poll - New Poll Starting
The 2008-09 National Championship team was considered to be the best Warrior team over the past three seasons as they defeated the 2005-06 and 2006-07 teams handily in our first Warrior Poll. The 2008-09 team received 75 votes or 48% of the votes to take home the prize. The 2007-08 team finished in second place as they received 47 votes or 30% of the vote and the 2005-06 team had 32 votes or 20% of the overall vote. We would like to thank all of those fans who voted in this poll and we hope all of you will again with our new poll.
The new Warrior Poll is a poll to see what was the best game played by the Warriors over the past 3 years. I have picked out 8 games that I thought made a huge impact on the Warriors season and were great games to watch for Warrior fans. For this poll you vote for your top 4 games that you felt the Warriors played. Then after this poll is closed in two weeks. The top four games remaining will have a new poll set up to see which game is considered to be the best game played by the Warriors over the past 3 years. I know their are many other games that could have been considered for this poll but this is what I came up with so if you have a game you think should be on the list that is not on the list just let me know and I will make sure it gets its due respect. For starters one game not on the list that was very hard to not put on was the South Dakota game from 2006 that went overtime. I hope you enjoy the new poll.
Greatest Warrior games over the past 3 years:
MSU - Mankato vs WSU March 12, 2006 - WSU 74 - MSU-Mankato 71
In a game many Warrior fans might never forget, the Warriors overcome a 16 point deficit with just 8 minutes remaining the the regional semi-final for a dramatic come from behind victory over Mankato St. Leading the frantic comeback for WSU was senior, David Zellmann, who scored 17 of his game high 26 points during the run. After a 17-4 run that started at the 8 minute mark the Warriors finally tied the game with 49 seconds to play and David Zellmann put WSU up for good with a steal and lay-up with 22 seconds remaining. On the next possession Mankato gets called for an offensive goal-tending on a tip in that would have tied the game, Zellmann then makes 1 of 2 free throws and a desperation 3 point shot is off the mark for the Mavs at the horn. To go along with Zellmann's big night, sophomore John Smith, adds 19 points and 16 rebounds. This was the WSU's second consecutive game playing with out starting point guard Zach Malvik, who is out with a broken leg. The win put WSU in the regional finals, where they beat Northern St. for a forth time 96-86.
Barton College vs WSU - March 22, 2006 - WSU 86 - Barton 78 OT
In the Warriors first ever Elite 8 game, WSU builds a 14 point first half lead, 26-12, only to be down 43-38 at halftime to the Bulldogs. Barton then extends the lead to 12 points, 56-44, before the Warriors start to stage another comeback. WSU is able to tie the game at 63 with just under six minutes left and then are able to take a lead 68-66 with 1:27 left on the clock. After battling back and forth, John Smith misses a shot at the buzzer that sends the game to overtime. In the overtime period the Warriors take total control of the game as John Smith and David Zellmann knock down some key free throws to help WSU pull of the win. It is the first win ever for WSU in the Elite 8 who was plauged by foul trouble for most of the game as Quincy Henderson, Jonte' Flowers and Curt Robinson all foul out. Leading the Warriors was sophomore, John Smith, who had a tremendous game of 25 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocks in 44 minutes of play. To go along with John's great performance senior, David Zellmann, added 18 points and 9 rebounds in the game and Zach Malvik, playing his first significant minutes with a broken leg, chips in with a huge 26 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds coming off the bench.
Virginia Union vs WSU - March 25, 2006 - WSU 73 - Virginia Union 61
The Warriors win the 2006 NCAA Division II National Championship in a rather non dramatic fashion that had been seen up to this point as they took down the defending National Champion 73-61. WSU dominated the first half of play getting up by as many as 17 points on two different occasions but Virginia Union battles back to make it only a 9 point lead for WSU at halftime, 38-29. In the second half the Warriors are able to maintain the lead as the Panthers were only able to get it as close as a 5 point game with 8:32 remaining. From there the WSU closes out the game with a couple of big three point shots and free throws to win the schools first Division II National Championship. For the game the Warriors have many individuals who had outstanding days. David Zellmann, scored a team high 26 points while going 7-15 from the 3 point line. John Smith, who is named Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, finishes off his season with another double double as he collects 10 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. Jonte' Flowers is also a key contributer in the game as he is named "CBS Player of the Game" for his 15 point, 6 rebounds, 5 assist and 3 steal effort. Zach Malvik, playing on his broken leg, finishes with 10 points in 35 minutes and Quincy Henderson flies under the radar with 12 points and holding Division II Player of the Year, Darius Hargrove, to 9 points on 2-10 shooting. The Warriors end the season with a 22 game winning streak and the story of Division II basketball with the win.
St. Cloud St. vs WSU - March 10, 2007 - WSU 100 - St. Cloud 73
A game that will not be remembered for how it finished but will be because it was the game that WSU won to break the Division II record for consecutive wins at 53. The old record was held by Langston University in Oklahoma which was set back in 1946 at 52 consecutive games. The Huskies hung with the Warriors for much of the first half as WSU went into halftime with only a 46-39 lead. But the Warriors were too much in the second half as they went on a 16-2 run to open up an 18 point lead with 13:54 left and it was all down hill from there for the Huskies. For the game, Zach Malvik lead WSU with 30 points, John Smith chipped in with 16, Jonte' Flowers add 15 and David Johnson finished the game with 10.
Central Missouri vs WSU - March 22, 2007 - WSU 90 - Central Missouri 85 OT
In a game that pretty much had it all, it was WSU who delivered the final blow to knock out the Mules in a remarkable game. The Warriors who lead for much of the first half built a 10 point lead with about 8 minutes left only to see the Mules cut the lead to one 37-36 going into the break. Then early in the second half Central Missouri went on a 14-2 run to put WSU down 11 with 12 minutes left in the game. For the rest of the half the Warriors battled to cut down the lead before taking a lead themselves on a David Johnson 3 pointer to go up 68-67. WSU then maintained a lead until an unbelievable stretch of plays with the Warriors up 2 with 1:45 left in the game started. Central Missouri missed 4 close range shots but also grabbed 4 offensive rebounds before Theo Jones knocked down a 3 pointer with 1:11 left to put the Mules up 1. The Warriors then turnover the inbounds pass and Zach Wright get fouled plus a hoop with 40 seconds left to give Central Missouri a 4 point lead. A jumper by Jonte' Flowers with 29 seconds left and then a Mules turnover as a player dribbles the ball off their foot leads to a John Smith lay-up with 18 seconds left and the game is headed for overtime. Then in the overtime period the Warriors make enough plays to come up with a 90-85 overtime victory. Jonte' Flowers scored a team high 32 points on 13-17 shooting, John Smith adds 25 points and 12 rebounds and Zach Malvik finishes with 19 points in the game. As a team the Warriors shoot a remarkable 35-51 - 66% from the floor in the win.
Grand Valley St. vs WSU - March 26, 2008 - WSU 67 - GVSU 54
The Warriors beat the undefeated (36-0), #1 ranked Lakers team in a game that was anticipated all season by D2 basketball fans. In a game that saw the Warriors run out to a 24-11 with 10:41 left to play in the first half and totally dominating GVSU. The Lakers come roaring back with an 18-0 run over the next 10:41, holding the Warriors scoreless and head into halftime with a 29-24 lead. The Warriors though respond to the GVSU run by going on a 20-5 run to start the second half to take a 44-34 lead with 11:44 left in the game. After a quick burst by GVSU to bring the score to 50-46, WSU ends the game by going on a 13-4 run to seal the win. The Warriors are lead by seniors, Jonte' Flowers, 29 points on (11-17) shooting (5-8) from 3 and Quincy Henderson who posted a double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. With the win WSU advances on to face the another undefeated team in Bentley College the following night.
Bentley College vs WSU - March 27, 2008 - WSU 86 - Bentley 75
The Warriors were able to beat the other #1 team in the nation and undefeated team (37-0) on back to back nights when took down Bentley College for a second consecutive season in the Elite 8. The Warriors quickly shot out of the gates to a 5-0 lead but the lead was not lived long as Bentley quick took over the lead and the game as they went up by as many as 9 points during the 1st half. With the Warriors down at halftime 36-30 things were not looking the best for them as they were struggling on the offensive end. But in the second half the Warriors found their offensive rhythm as they outscored Bentley 56-39 in the second half as many key runs during the half led to the victory. WSU ran out of the gates on a 18-11 run in the first 7 minutes of the half to take a 49-48 lead but then Bentley went on a quick 6-0 burst to regain the lead and the momentum for a minute before the Warriors responded with a 9-0 run taking control of the game when David Johnson made a run real left handed shot while being fouled and falling to the ground. That shot and free throw gave the Warriors a five point lead and all the momentum they needed as Quincy Henderson finished Bentley off with a 3 in the corner to put WSU up 9 with 1:17 left in the game. John Smith lead 4 Warriors who finished in double figures by scoring 22 points, Jonte' Flowers added 20 points, 8 rebounds, Quincy Henderson had 17 points, 9 rebounds and David Johnson chipped in with 16 points. The victory put the Warriors in the National Championship game for a 3rd straight season.
Augusta State vs WSU - March 29, 2008 - WSU 87 - Augusta St. 76
The Warriors finish off a dramatic final game with a come from behind victory against Augusta St. to take home their second National Championship in three seasons. WSU jumped again out to a quick lead but once again lost all of their offensive rhythm as the 1st half went on. The Warriors were down by as many as 15 points in the first half before Quincy Henderson hit a three in the corner to cut the Jaguars lead down to 12 (44-32) at halftime. For the half the Warriors hit only 38% of their shots while Augusta St. shot a lights up 69% from the floor. The beginning of the second half did not start out any better for WSU as they quickly found themselves down 16 points just 3 minutes into the second half. But then senior Jonte' Flowers sparked the Warriors has he quickly scored 6 points to make it a 10 point game with 15 minutes left in the game. The Jaguars responded with a couple of hoops but they suddenly could not stop a Warrior team that found it's stride on the offensive end. The Warriors continued their comeback as they went on a 12-0 run to tie the game with 10 minutes left. After going back and forth with Augusta St. over the next five minutes the Warriors took the lead for good in the game with 5:25 left in the game on a Ben Fischer lay-up. The Warriors would continue to extend their lead until the final horn sounded. WSU had won their second National Championship in three year. The Warriors were lead by seniors, Jonte' Flowers, 30 points, 4 steals, 4, John Smith's, 18 points (4-4) from the 3 point line and Quincy Henderson's 13 point, 10 rebound performance. Travis Whipple also hit double figure scoring in the game as he added a huge 13 points, many of them coming in the first half.
I hope you enjoyed the recaps and have fun voting! Go Warriors!!!
The new Warrior Poll is a poll to see what was the best game played by the Warriors over the past 3 years. I have picked out 8 games that I thought made a huge impact on the Warriors season and were great games to watch for Warrior fans. For this poll you vote for your top 4 games that you felt the Warriors played. Then after this poll is closed in two weeks. The top four games remaining will have a new poll set up to see which game is considered to be the best game played by the Warriors over the past 3 years. I know their are many other games that could have been considered for this poll but this is what I came up with so if you have a game you think should be on the list that is not on the list just let me know and I will make sure it gets its due respect. For starters one game not on the list that was very hard to not put on was the South Dakota game from 2006 that went overtime. I hope you enjoy the new poll.
Greatest Warrior games over the past 3 years:
MSU - Mankato vs WSU March 12, 2006 - WSU 74 - MSU-Mankato 71
In a game many Warrior fans might never forget, the Warriors overcome a 16 point deficit with just 8 minutes remaining the the regional semi-final for a dramatic come from behind victory over Mankato St. Leading the frantic comeback for WSU was senior, David Zellmann, who scored 17 of his game high 26 points during the run. After a 17-4 run that started at the 8 minute mark the Warriors finally tied the game with 49 seconds to play and David Zellmann put WSU up for good with a steal and lay-up with 22 seconds remaining. On the next possession Mankato gets called for an offensive goal-tending on a tip in that would have tied the game, Zellmann then makes 1 of 2 free throws and a desperation 3 point shot is off the mark for the Mavs at the horn. To go along with Zellmann's big night, sophomore John Smith, adds 19 points and 16 rebounds. This was the WSU's second consecutive game playing with out starting point guard Zach Malvik, who is out with a broken leg. The win put WSU in the regional finals, where they beat Northern St. for a forth time 96-86.
Barton College vs WSU - March 22, 2006 - WSU 86 - Barton 78 OT
In the Warriors first ever Elite 8 game, WSU builds a 14 point first half lead, 26-12, only to be down 43-38 at halftime to the Bulldogs. Barton then extends the lead to 12 points, 56-44, before the Warriors start to stage another comeback. WSU is able to tie the game at 63 with just under six minutes left and then are able to take a lead 68-66 with 1:27 left on the clock. After battling back and forth, John Smith misses a shot at the buzzer that sends the game to overtime. In the overtime period the Warriors take total control of the game as John Smith and David Zellmann knock down some key free throws to help WSU pull of the win. It is the first win ever for WSU in the Elite 8 who was plauged by foul trouble for most of the game as Quincy Henderson, Jonte' Flowers and Curt Robinson all foul out. Leading the Warriors was sophomore, John Smith, who had a tremendous game of 25 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocks in 44 minutes of play. To go along with John's great performance senior, David Zellmann, added 18 points and 9 rebounds in the game and Zach Malvik, playing his first significant minutes with a broken leg, chips in with a huge 26 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds coming off the bench.
Virginia Union vs WSU - March 25, 2006 - WSU 73 - Virginia Union 61
The Warriors win the 2006 NCAA Division II National Championship in a rather non dramatic fashion that had been seen up to this point as they took down the defending National Champion 73-61. WSU dominated the first half of play getting up by as many as 17 points on two different occasions but Virginia Union battles back to make it only a 9 point lead for WSU at halftime, 38-29. In the second half the Warriors are able to maintain the lead as the Panthers were only able to get it as close as a 5 point game with 8:32 remaining. From there the WSU closes out the game with a couple of big three point shots and free throws to win the schools first Division II National Championship. For the game the Warriors have many individuals who had outstanding days. David Zellmann, scored a team high 26 points while going 7-15 from the 3 point line. John Smith, who is named Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, finishes off his season with another double double as he collects 10 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. Jonte' Flowers is also a key contributer in the game as he is named "CBS Player of the Game" for his 15 point, 6 rebounds, 5 assist and 3 steal effort. Zach Malvik, playing on his broken leg, finishes with 10 points in 35 minutes and Quincy Henderson flies under the radar with 12 points and holding Division II Player of the Year, Darius Hargrove, to 9 points on 2-10 shooting. The Warriors end the season with a 22 game winning streak and the story of Division II basketball with the win.
St. Cloud St. vs WSU - March 10, 2007 - WSU 100 - St. Cloud 73
A game that will not be remembered for how it finished but will be because it was the game that WSU won to break the Division II record for consecutive wins at 53. The old record was held by Langston University in Oklahoma which was set back in 1946 at 52 consecutive games. The Huskies hung with the Warriors for much of the first half as WSU went into halftime with only a 46-39 lead. But the Warriors were too much in the second half as they went on a 16-2 run to open up an 18 point lead with 13:54 left and it was all down hill from there for the Huskies. For the game, Zach Malvik lead WSU with 30 points, John Smith chipped in with 16, Jonte' Flowers add 15 and David Johnson finished the game with 10.
Central Missouri vs WSU - March 22, 2007 - WSU 90 - Central Missouri 85 OT
In a game that pretty much had it all, it was WSU who delivered the final blow to knock out the Mules in a remarkable game. The Warriors who lead for much of the first half built a 10 point lead with about 8 minutes left only to see the Mules cut the lead to one 37-36 going into the break. Then early in the second half Central Missouri went on a 14-2 run to put WSU down 11 with 12 minutes left in the game. For the rest of the half the Warriors battled to cut down the lead before taking a lead themselves on a David Johnson 3 pointer to go up 68-67. WSU then maintained a lead until an unbelievable stretch of plays with the Warriors up 2 with 1:45 left in the game started. Central Missouri missed 4 close range shots but also grabbed 4 offensive rebounds before Theo Jones knocked down a 3 pointer with 1:11 left to put the Mules up 1. The Warriors then turnover the inbounds pass and Zach Wright get fouled plus a hoop with 40 seconds left to give Central Missouri a 4 point lead. A jumper by Jonte' Flowers with 29 seconds left and then a Mules turnover as a player dribbles the ball off their foot leads to a John Smith lay-up with 18 seconds left and the game is headed for overtime. Then in the overtime period the Warriors make enough plays to come up with a 90-85 overtime victory. Jonte' Flowers scored a team high 32 points on 13-17 shooting, John Smith adds 25 points and 12 rebounds and Zach Malvik finishes with 19 points in the game. As a team the Warriors shoot a remarkable 35-51 - 66% from the floor in the win.
Grand Valley St. vs WSU - March 26, 2008 - WSU 67 - GVSU 54
The Warriors beat the undefeated (36-0), #1 ranked Lakers team in a game that was anticipated all season by D2 basketball fans. In a game that saw the Warriors run out to a 24-11 with 10:41 left to play in the first half and totally dominating GVSU. The Lakers come roaring back with an 18-0 run over the next 10:41, holding the Warriors scoreless and head into halftime with a 29-24 lead. The Warriors though respond to the GVSU run by going on a 20-5 run to start the second half to take a 44-34 lead with 11:44 left in the game. After a quick burst by GVSU to bring the score to 50-46, WSU ends the game by going on a 13-4 run to seal the win. The Warriors are lead by seniors, Jonte' Flowers, 29 points on (11-17) shooting (5-8) from 3 and Quincy Henderson who posted a double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. With the win WSU advances on to face the another undefeated team in Bentley College the following night.
Bentley College vs WSU - March 27, 2008 - WSU 86 - Bentley 75
The Warriors were able to beat the other #1 team in the nation and undefeated team (37-0) on back to back nights when took down Bentley College for a second consecutive season in the Elite 8. The Warriors quickly shot out of the gates to a 5-0 lead but the lead was not lived long as Bentley quick took over the lead and the game as they went up by as many as 9 points during the 1st half. With the Warriors down at halftime 36-30 things were not looking the best for them as they were struggling on the offensive end. But in the second half the Warriors found their offensive rhythm as they outscored Bentley 56-39 in the second half as many key runs during the half led to the victory. WSU ran out of the gates on a 18-11 run in the first 7 minutes of the half to take a 49-48 lead but then Bentley went on a quick 6-0 burst to regain the lead and the momentum for a minute before the Warriors responded with a 9-0 run taking control of the game when David Johnson made a run real left handed shot while being fouled and falling to the ground. That shot and free throw gave the Warriors a five point lead and all the momentum they needed as Quincy Henderson finished Bentley off with a 3 in the corner to put WSU up 9 with 1:17 left in the game. John Smith lead 4 Warriors who finished in double figures by scoring 22 points, Jonte' Flowers added 20 points, 8 rebounds, Quincy Henderson had 17 points, 9 rebounds and David Johnson chipped in with 16 points. The victory put the Warriors in the National Championship game for a 3rd straight season.
Augusta State vs WSU - March 29, 2008 - WSU 87 - Augusta St. 76
The Warriors finish off a dramatic final game with a come from behind victory against Augusta St. to take home their second National Championship in three seasons. WSU jumped again out to a quick lead but once again lost all of their offensive rhythm as the 1st half went on. The Warriors were down by as many as 15 points in the first half before Quincy Henderson hit a three in the corner to cut the Jaguars lead down to 12 (44-32) at halftime. For the half the Warriors hit only 38% of their shots while Augusta St. shot a lights up 69% from the floor. The beginning of the second half did not start out any better for WSU as they quickly found themselves down 16 points just 3 minutes into the second half. But then senior Jonte' Flowers sparked the Warriors has he quickly scored 6 points to make it a 10 point game with 15 minutes left in the game. The Jaguars responded with a couple of hoops but they suddenly could not stop a Warrior team that found it's stride on the offensive end. The Warriors continued their comeback as they went on a 12-0 run to tie the game with 10 minutes left. After going back and forth with Augusta St. over the next five minutes the Warriors took the lead for good in the game with 5:25 left in the game on a Ben Fischer lay-up. The Warriors would continue to extend their lead until the final horn sounded. WSU had won their second National Championship in three year. The Warriors were lead by seniors, Jonte' Flowers, 30 points, 4 steals, 4, John Smith's, 18 points (4-4) from the 3 point line and Quincy Henderson's 13 point, 10 rebound performance. Travis Whipple also hit double figure scoring in the game as he added a huge 13 points, many of them coming in the first half.
I hope you enjoyed the recaps and have fun voting! Go Warriors!!!
New Warrior Athletic Website Up and Running
Hey Warrior fans the Winona State athletic department is proud to annouce it's launch of the new Winona State Warrior Athletic website. The website can be found be following this link: http://www.winonastatewarriors.com/ or by going to our links section of this website and clicking on the link: Winona State Athletics Home Page. Hope you enjoy the new and very improved website.
Go Warriors!!!!
Go Warriors!!!!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Warriors Win 2 on Weekend
Hey Warrior fans coach, Brady Moore, here with an update on our squad and the games we had this past weekend. Well it was another outstanding weekend for our guys as we were able to win both games and stay only 1 game out of first place in the NSIC.
On Friday night we played a Wayne St. team that played us tough out in Wayne and then again here at home but we were able to pull out the win by a score of 77-68, click on the link for a box score. (http://www.winona.edu/athletics/mbasketball/stats/25wscwsu.htm) While we were happy to pick up the win, we were again not very sharp as a team. Offensively we really struggled in the first half shooting the basketball as we shot only 38% from the floor, our spacing was not the best and our movement was a step slow as well. We just did not show much intensity or aggressiveness in our play and you could tell as we were really out of rhythm. This also carried over to the defensive side of the ball as we were a step slow getting out on rotations and we allowed way to much dribble penetration. This amounted to them shooting a great percentage from the floor in the half and was a huge reason why we were down one at the break. In the second half our energy was better and we were going after the ball a bit more on the defensive end. Offensively we were were finally able to knock down a couple of shots and we took the ball too the hoop much more as well. Defensively we were better at not allowing them dribble penetration but they still shot the ball very well from the floor once again. One of the other main keys for the second half was our rebounding was much better then in the first half. In the first half they had a ton of offensive rebounds but in the second half they did not get an offensive rebound as we were able to hold them to a one and done every time down the floor.
The second night we really showed up to play a full game as our intensity and aggressiveness that has been missing for a couple of weeks finally showed up as we pulled away down the stretch for an 81-68 win (http://www.winona.edu/athletics/mbasketball/stats/26acwsu.htm) Click on link for box score. While we did not shoot the ball well as team we were still very aggressive at taking the ball to the basket and getting to the foul line to make up for our bad shooting percentage. Our guys did a great job of attacking the basket whenever they could and we did a great job of moving the ball to find the open man. I felt the key was we did not take too many shots early in the shot clock like we had in the past couple of games, we waited until we had a great open look and while some did not fall we were patient but aggressive at the right moment which allowed us to take as many free throws as we did. Another key on the offensive end was our offensive rebounding. We did an excellent job of crashing each possession and getting tip outs to get us two or three possession each time down the floor, which is huge as each offensive rebound seems to deflate the other team each time it occurs. On the defensive end of the floor I felt our guys did a great job of being physical with them and not letting them go where they wanted to go on offense. We did allow them so good looks at the basket at times but most of the time it was a contested shot they were taking. We also did a good job of defending one on one for most of the night as well but when we did allow dribble penetration our help defense was right where it should be making it difficult for them to get all the way to the hoop. Our rebounding on defense was okay for most of the night but we again allowed them too many offensive rebounds throughout the game. Overall I think our effort for this game was excellent, everyone on the team was in the game from the tip off and we played with an aggressiveness on both ends that we had not had in a while. Hopefully we can carry this effort over to the next weekend as we again will have our hands full with a tough Bemidji St. squad.
That is it for now, keep checking back for updates as we will have an alumni news, a new poll to vote on and our "Get to know Your Warriors" segment this week.
Till next time, GO WARRIORS!!!!!
On Friday night we played a Wayne St. team that played us tough out in Wayne and then again here at home but we were able to pull out the win by a score of 77-68, click on the link for a box score. (http://www.winona.edu/athletics/mbasketball/stats/25wscwsu.htm) While we were happy to pick up the win, we were again not very sharp as a team. Offensively we really struggled in the first half shooting the basketball as we shot only 38% from the floor, our spacing was not the best and our movement was a step slow as well. We just did not show much intensity or aggressiveness in our play and you could tell as we were really out of rhythm. This also carried over to the defensive side of the ball as we were a step slow getting out on rotations and we allowed way to much dribble penetration. This amounted to them shooting a great percentage from the floor in the half and was a huge reason why we were down one at the break. In the second half our energy was better and we were going after the ball a bit more on the defensive end. Offensively we were were finally able to knock down a couple of shots and we took the ball too the hoop much more as well. Defensively we were better at not allowing them dribble penetration but they still shot the ball very well from the floor once again. One of the other main keys for the second half was our rebounding was much better then in the first half. In the first half they had a ton of offensive rebounds but in the second half they did not get an offensive rebound as we were able to hold them to a one and done every time down the floor.
The second night we really showed up to play a full game as our intensity and aggressiveness that has been missing for a couple of weeks finally showed up as we pulled away down the stretch for an 81-68 win (http://www.winona.edu/athletics/mbasketball/stats/26acwsu.htm) Click on link for box score. While we did not shoot the ball well as team we were still very aggressive at taking the ball to the basket and getting to the foul line to make up for our bad shooting percentage. Our guys did a great job of attacking the basket whenever they could and we did a great job of moving the ball to find the open man. I felt the key was we did not take too many shots early in the shot clock like we had in the past couple of games, we waited until we had a great open look and while some did not fall we were patient but aggressive at the right moment which allowed us to take as many free throws as we did. Another key on the offensive end was our offensive rebounding. We did an excellent job of crashing each possession and getting tip outs to get us two or three possession each time down the floor, which is huge as each offensive rebound seems to deflate the other team each time it occurs. On the defensive end of the floor I felt our guys did a great job of being physical with them and not letting them go where they wanted to go on offense. We did allow them so good looks at the basket at times but most of the time it was a contested shot they were taking. We also did a good job of defending one on one for most of the night as well but when we did allow dribble penetration our help defense was right where it should be making it difficult for them to get all the way to the hoop. Our rebounding on defense was okay for most of the night but we again allowed them too many offensive rebounds throughout the game. Overall I think our effort for this game was excellent, everyone on the team was in the game from the tip off and we played with an aggressiveness on both ends that we had not had in a while. Hopefully we can carry this effort over to the next weekend as we again will have our hands full with a tough Bemidji St. squad.
That is it for now, keep checking back for updates as we will have an alumni news, a new poll to vote on and our "Get to know Your Warriors" segment this week.
Till next time, GO WARRIORS!!!!!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Big Weekend for Warriors
Hey Warrior fans, Coach Moore here with a look at our up coming games with Wayne St. and Augustana College. Obviously this is a huge weekend in our conference as each team is trying to position themselves for a late run to win the regular season conference championship and to host the conference tournament. Things are still very wide open as far as the conference race is concerned and all it takes is one bad weekend by any of the top current teams to turn this entire conference race around. In knowing this our guys know they cannot worry about anything else other then tonight's game against Wayne St.
The last time we played the Wildcats we were able to come away with a 85-76 win. The victory was a tough battle that was not decided until the last minute when we were able to hit free throws down the stretch to seal the deal. Click on the link for the box score of the last game.(http://www.winona.edu/athletics/mbasketball/stats/18wsuwsc.htm)
This game will again test us on both ends of the floor and we must play a full game to come out with a win. Some keys to this game will be: We need to rebound the basketball. Last weekend our effort was terrible and this showed as we were out rebounded by 22 against NSU and then the next night against a very short team we only won the rebounding battle by 7. Our effort overall this weekend has to be much better but our is going to be a huge key to this game. We cannot allow them second and third chance opportunity and we need to get ourselves more then one shot on the offensive end. The next key will be our energy level. Like I said earlier our effort last week was terrible and part of it was our energy level was so low. We were moving a step slower then usual and we cannot allow this to happen again this weekend. Hopefully being at home and having a full house will give us a boost for our energy level but at the same time we cannot relay on the fans for this we need to find it on our own. The final key to this game will be executing on the offensive end. The past couple of weekends our execution on the offense end has not been the best. We have been settling way to much for outside shots and shooting too many shots early in the shot clock. This weekend we need to execute what we want to do on the offensive as we need to stay patient and work for a great shot every time.
Tonight's game should be another great one and I hope to see every wearing white at the game. Go Warriors!!!!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Get to Know - Clayton Vette
In our latest edition of "Get to Know Your Warriors" we are introduced to our second red-shirt player, Clayton Vette. Clayton is in his first season with the Warriors and his second in college. One thing not a lot of people know about Clayton is he will be a freshman next year elgibility wise so he will have four full years playing for the Winona State Warriors. So let's get to know, Clayton Vette:
What is your full name? Clayton Scott Vette
What are your parent(s) names? Robin and Brett
Do you have any brothers/sisters? Ryan and Chelsea
Do you have any pets? Dog - Dennis
What is your major here at WSU? Elem Ed
Why did you select WSU? Basketball, Coaches and liked the town and school
What is your favorite color? Blue
What is your favorite food? Little Debbies
What is your favorite TV/Show? Seinfeld
What is your favorite movie? 8 Seconds
What is your favorite type of music? Country
What is currently playing in your Ipod/cd player? Country of course
What is one interesting talent you have that people might not know? I'm a good clay pigeon shooter
What is your dream job? Working on a farm
What is your greatest sports achievement? Mr. Basketball of Iowa
What is your favorite type of basketball shoe? Hurrache
If you could select 3 people in the world do have dinner with who would they be? Why? Shawn Johnson, Chris “Birdman” Andersen and David Lee
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? Montana
If you could go to a major sporting event, which one would it be? Olympics
Who have you looked up to the most in your life? Dad
Who is your favorite actor/actress? Steven Siegel
Who is your favorite singer/artist? George Strait
Who is your favorite professional sports team? Utah Jazz
Who is the one person in life you would like to meet? Chris Kamen
Who is your favorite basketball player? Chris “Birdman” Andersen
Who is the best person you have ever played basketball against? Kosta Koufous
Who is the cleanest person on our team? Travis Whipple
Who is the messiest person on our team? Ryan
Who is the best dunker on the team? Ben Fischer
Who is the best video game player on the team? Joel Armstrong
Who on our team would you choose to be the President of the US? Why? Travis, so responsible
Who on our team is most likely to be famous? Why? Ryan Gargaro, televangelist
If you had one word of advice for people what would it be? Play hard
What is your full name? Clayton Scott Vette
What are your parent(s) names? Robin and Brett
Do you have any brothers/sisters? Ryan and Chelsea
Do you have any pets? Dog - Dennis
What is your major here at WSU? Elem Ed
Why did you select WSU? Basketball, Coaches and liked the town and school
What is your favorite color? Blue
What is your favorite food? Little Debbies
What is your favorite TV/Show? Seinfeld
What is your favorite movie? 8 Seconds
What is your favorite type of music? Country
What is currently playing in your Ipod/cd player? Country of course
What is one interesting talent you have that people might not know? I'm a good clay pigeon shooter
What is your dream job? Working on a farm
What is your greatest sports achievement? Mr. Basketball of Iowa
What is your favorite type of basketball shoe? Hurrache
If you could select 3 people in the world do have dinner with who would they be? Why? Shawn Johnson, Chris “Birdman” Andersen and David Lee
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? Montana
If you could go to a major sporting event, which one would it be? Olympics
Who have you looked up to the most in your life? Dad
Who is your favorite actor/actress? Steven Siegel
Who is your favorite singer/artist? George Strait
Who is your favorite professional sports team? Utah Jazz
Who is the one person in life you would like to meet? Chris Kamen
Who is your favorite basketball player? Chris “Birdman” Andersen
Who is the best person you have ever played basketball against? Kosta Koufous
Who is the cleanest person on our team? Travis Whipple
Who is the messiest person on our team? Ryan
Who is the best dunker on the team? Ben Fischer
Who is the best video game player on the team? Joel Armstrong
Who on our team would you choose to be the President of the US? Why? Travis, so responsible
Who on our team is most likely to be famous? Why? Ryan Gargaro, televangelist
If you had one word of advice for people what would it be? Play hard
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
"White Out" - This Friday Night
Hey Warrior fans, WSU athletics has announced that this Friday night is going to be "White-Out Night." So show your support for our basketball teams by wearing white. The women's game starts at 6 pm with the men's game to follow at 8 pm. So "White Out" your Friday night by wearing white to our game. GO WARRIORS!!!!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Days 3 & 4 on the Road
Hi Warrior fans, well we were able to pull off the win last night in a place that has been difficult for some of the top teams in the region to win at. We were once again not playing at our best but we did enough to pull out the win and our guys really showed some guts by knocking down some huge shots when we needed them in the last three minutes. We will have plenty to work on come Monday in practice but a win is a win and any win on the road is great to get so we are happy.
On to the rest of our trip as the last 36 hours have been pretty long for everyone on our team.
Saturday
10:30 - Wake up call for all of the guys. Since we got in at 2:45 we wanted them to sleep as long as they could, it is very difficult to sleep on the bus especially for some of our bigger guys so sleeping in a bed is really the only place they can get quality sleep and they needed it after a tough game against NSU.
11:15 - Meet in lobby and walk over to Perkins for some late, late morning breakfast. Perkins is packed so we have to wait a little bit before we sit down but this gives guys time to mingle with the natives who are all asking where we are from and what type of team we are. For some reason the height of our guys makes us look like we might be a swimming team?
11:30 - Finally seated we all quickly place an order for food. Everyone goes with a breakfast meal even though lunch is an option. Lots of guys go with omelets but I did see a couple of guys who ordered the tremendous twelve. For those who don't know what is all in the tremendous twelve I think it is this but I could be wrong, 3 pancakes, 3 strips of bacon or sausage links, 3 eggs, order of hash browns and 2 slices of toast. It is something like that but you get the point it is a lot of food.
12:15 - We get back but we don't have any down time as we have to load up in 20 minutes to head over to Mary to our shoot around that is at 1. Since we have to travel so far home tonight our bus driver cannot take us but Mary University is nice enough to send over two vans from the school to take us up to campus for shoot around.
12:40 - Load up in the vans and head up to Mary University, which if you have not been to it before, is not located in the city of Bismarck. It is actually about 5 miles outside of the city up on a hill that over looks the river valley that Bismarck sits in. The view from campus down onto the city is really cool but not as cool as Garvin Heights.
1:00 - Shoot around starts, we get some shots up to get used to the new shooting background and then go over our stuff on Mary that we had covered on Monday and Tuesday this past week.
2:00 - Load up the van to head back to hotel.
3:30 - Meet in lobby to head over to a mall that is located right across from the hotel. The mall has a Subway in it so the tradition continues on. During this time the pizza order is taken as well. Tonight is going to be Papa John's as no other place in town will deliver up to the campus of Mary. I feel bad for all the students who live up there and don't have an option on what pizza company they can order if they want a pizza. Order of the night goes to Travis and Josh as they go with a pineapple and sausage pizza.
4:15 - Guys finish up subs and have some downtime to do whatever they want. Many walk through the mall which is a nice mall and has many stores the guys like to go into. I walk buy a Foot Locker to see most of our guys stopping in there to look at basketball shoes. Pretty sure no one needs any more sures but for some guys on the team buying basketball shoes is an addiction.
6:00 - Guys are in hotel lobby ready to board the bus to go back up to the campus of Mary.
7:20 - Our women's team puts on another great performance as they totally dominate Mary in the second half and win easily. Nice weekend for them as they sweep and set themselves up for a nice run down the stretch here.
7:30 - Guys hit the floor for warm-ups. Nice to be starting the game on time.
8:00 - Tip-off
9:28 - Game is over, we are all in the locker room waiting for Coach Leaf who runs into an old friend who lives up here now. Guys are excited to pull out the win but also ready to shower faster then ever before so we can hit the road.
9:58 - Pizza's arrive right on time and they are passed out as we are leaving campus.
10:10 - We stop at the gas station in Bismarck to pick up some move beverages to drink for the long ride ahead. You can never have enough water on a road trip like this and with a 9 hour bus ride ahead we people will be getting thirsty.
10:24 - We leave the city limits of Bismarck and drive into the dark night that is the state of North Dakota. Moon is out so there is some light but you don't see too many farms or houses during this stretch.
10:30 - We start trip home with a couple of episodes of House. Not really into the show I stare out the window and wonder how anyone can live up here if they are not living in city limits, seems just too cold and lonely.
11:45 - We put in the movie most our guys have been waiting for, "Pineapple Express." This movie I stayed with for about 40 minutes before I decided I was not learning anything from watching this. You have to be a big Seth Rogan fan to be watching this movie. Can't give a review on this on as I feel asleep.
Sunday
***Note from this point on I try to sleep a lot and turn off my phone so I have no idea on actual time until I wake up for good so times may be a little off***
1:22 - We hit the state line of Minnesota, only 6 hours left!!
1:30 - Next movie we watch is the Incredible Hulk, not into comic book movies either so I try to sleep through this one as well so I have no opinion on it.
1:50 - Bus driver makes a quick stop at a rest stop, wakes me up for a bit cause I am hoping I open my eyes to the bluffs of Winona but I was wrong.
3:30 - Some people cannot sleep on the bus so we keep going on with movies this time we go with an older movie, "The Game," which has Michael Douglas in it. Way back when this movie first came out I really liked it but at this time in the morning I am not waking up to watch it.
5:00 - We stop just north of the cities for another break, this is where I wake up pretty much for the rest of the trip. Nice to get out and walk around a little bit as we have been cramped on here for a while.
5:40 - Jason Gorman our movie guy decides to go with one more movie as we are now just getting past the cities. He goes with "Talladega Nights." I am up so I will watch this one and get a good morning laugh in.
6:20 - Sunrise is starting to show up as we are getting close to Rochester, Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) is starting to lose it in the movie as he crashes his car and now he thinks he is on fire and running around in his underwear. Gotta have the right type of mentality to watch this type of movie at this time in the morning, luckily I have this weird mentality to do so.
7:07 - We hit the Winona exit off of I-90. Sun is almost up and the sunrise was actually a very nice one on the ride home, I must admit I have not watched a sunrise in a long time. Ricky Bobby is making his comeback as he gets over his fear of driving fast and crashing.
7:15 - We pull up to Memorial Hall, trip is finally over. Guys unload bus, takes stuff down to the locker room to be dropped off so it can be washed and then they can take off.
7:48 - Home!!! Glad to be home after a trip where we spent roughly 17 hours on a bus, traveling a total of 1,241 miles.
I hope everyone enjoyed a little look into life on the road with our team. I for one enjoy going on road trips with our guys as they are a great bunch to be around but I am also excited that we won't have to go on a bus trip that long until next year. Go Warriors!!!
On to the rest of our trip as the last 36 hours have been pretty long for everyone on our team.
Saturday
10:30 - Wake up call for all of the guys. Since we got in at 2:45 we wanted them to sleep as long as they could, it is very difficult to sleep on the bus especially for some of our bigger guys so sleeping in a bed is really the only place they can get quality sleep and they needed it after a tough game against NSU.
11:15 - Meet in lobby and walk over to Perkins for some late, late morning breakfast. Perkins is packed so we have to wait a little bit before we sit down but this gives guys time to mingle with the natives who are all asking where we are from and what type of team we are. For some reason the height of our guys makes us look like we might be a swimming team?
11:30 - Finally seated we all quickly place an order for food. Everyone goes with a breakfast meal even though lunch is an option. Lots of guys go with omelets but I did see a couple of guys who ordered the tremendous twelve. For those who don't know what is all in the tremendous twelve I think it is this but I could be wrong, 3 pancakes, 3 strips of bacon or sausage links, 3 eggs, order of hash browns and 2 slices of toast. It is something like that but you get the point it is a lot of food.
12:15 - We get back but we don't have any down time as we have to load up in 20 minutes to head over to Mary to our shoot around that is at 1. Since we have to travel so far home tonight our bus driver cannot take us but Mary University is nice enough to send over two vans from the school to take us up to campus for shoot around.
12:40 - Load up in the vans and head up to Mary University, which if you have not been to it before, is not located in the city of Bismarck. It is actually about 5 miles outside of the city up on a hill that over looks the river valley that Bismarck sits in. The view from campus down onto the city is really cool but not as cool as Garvin Heights.
1:00 - Shoot around starts, we get some shots up to get used to the new shooting background and then go over our stuff on Mary that we had covered on Monday and Tuesday this past week.
2:00 - Load up the van to head back to hotel.
3:30 - Meet in lobby to head over to a mall that is located right across from the hotel. The mall has a Subway in it so the tradition continues on. During this time the pizza order is taken as well. Tonight is going to be Papa John's as no other place in town will deliver up to the campus of Mary. I feel bad for all the students who live up there and don't have an option on what pizza company they can order if they want a pizza. Order of the night goes to Travis and Josh as they go with a pineapple and sausage pizza.
4:15 - Guys finish up subs and have some downtime to do whatever they want. Many walk through the mall which is a nice mall and has many stores the guys like to go into. I walk buy a Foot Locker to see most of our guys stopping in there to look at basketball shoes. Pretty sure no one needs any more sures but for some guys on the team buying basketball shoes is an addiction.
6:00 - Guys are in hotel lobby ready to board the bus to go back up to the campus of Mary.
7:20 - Our women's team puts on another great performance as they totally dominate Mary in the second half and win easily. Nice weekend for them as they sweep and set themselves up for a nice run down the stretch here.
7:30 - Guys hit the floor for warm-ups. Nice to be starting the game on time.
8:00 - Tip-off
9:28 - Game is over, we are all in the locker room waiting for Coach Leaf who runs into an old friend who lives up here now. Guys are excited to pull out the win but also ready to shower faster then ever before so we can hit the road.
9:58 - Pizza's arrive right on time and they are passed out as we are leaving campus.
10:10 - We stop at the gas station in Bismarck to pick up some move beverages to drink for the long ride ahead. You can never have enough water on a road trip like this and with a 9 hour bus ride ahead we people will be getting thirsty.
10:24 - We leave the city limits of Bismarck and drive into the dark night that is the state of North Dakota. Moon is out so there is some light but you don't see too many farms or houses during this stretch.
10:30 - We start trip home with a couple of episodes of House. Not really into the show I stare out the window and wonder how anyone can live up here if they are not living in city limits, seems just too cold and lonely.
11:45 - We put in the movie most our guys have been waiting for, "Pineapple Express." This movie I stayed with for about 40 minutes before I decided I was not learning anything from watching this. You have to be a big Seth Rogan fan to be watching this movie. Can't give a review on this on as I feel asleep.
Sunday
***Note from this point on I try to sleep a lot and turn off my phone so I have no idea on actual time until I wake up for good so times may be a little off***
1:22 - We hit the state line of Minnesota, only 6 hours left!!
1:30 - Next movie we watch is the Incredible Hulk, not into comic book movies either so I try to sleep through this one as well so I have no opinion on it.
1:50 - Bus driver makes a quick stop at a rest stop, wakes me up for a bit cause I am hoping I open my eyes to the bluffs of Winona but I was wrong.
3:30 - Some people cannot sleep on the bus so we keep going on with movies this time we go with an older movie, "The Game," which has Michael Douglas in it. Way back when this movie first came out I really liked it but at this time in the morning I am not waking up to watch it.
5:00 - We stop just north of the cities for another break, this is where I wake up pretty much for the rest of the trip. Nice to get out and walk around a little bit as we have been cramped on here for a while.
5:40 - Jason Gorman our movie guy decides to go with one more movie as we are now just getting past the cities. He goes with "Talladega Nights." I am up so I will watch this one and get a good morning laugh in.
6:20 - Sunrise is starting to show up as we are getting close to Rochester, Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) is starting to lose it in the movie as he crashes his car and now he thinks he is on fire and running around in his underwear. Gotta have the right type of mentality to watch this type of movie at this time in the morning, luckily I have this weird mentality to do so.
7:07 - We hit the Winona exit off of I-90. Sun is almost up and the sunrise was actually a very nice one on the ride home, I must admit I have not watched a sunrise in a long time. Ricky Bobby is making his comeback as he gets over his fear of driving fast and crashing.
7:15 - We pull up to Memorial Hall, trip is finally over. Guys unload bus, takes stuff down to the locker room to be dropped off so it can be washed and then they can take off.
7:48 - Home!!! Glad to be home after a trip where we spent roughly 17 hours on a bus, traveling a total of 1,241 miles.
I hope everyone enjoyed a little look into life on the road with our team. I for one enjoy going on road trips with our guys as they are a great bunch to be around but I am also excited that we won't have to go on a bus trip that long until next year. Go Warriors!!!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Day Two on the Road
Well the game last night didn't go as we had hoped but I think we can take away a lot of things and learn from them as we have many areas where we can be much better. Our offense was not in the flow last night as we could not get anyone going from the outside for most of the game, we know this was going to happen some night and last night was it. When the offense sputters this is really when we need our defense to step up and shut people down but last night we were terrible on that end of the floor as well. Finally this was our worst effort of the year rebounding the basketball, we were just terrible. We did not have guys crashing at all on the offensive end and defensively we did not get a body on anyone, they were so much more aggressive getting to the ball and wanting the ball. We need a much better effort if we want get a win tonight as Mary University is very tough to beat at home.
Well here is what we did yesterday, as you can see we have a lot going on the entire day and it makes for a very long day when you add in the travel after the game.
9:00 – Wake up, our guys actually get to sleep in a little bit longer then this if they want but most are up at this time. Some go down to get a little continental breakfast while others might be working on some homework or just hanging out10:00 – Call Leaf calls to each room to make sure everyone is up and getting ready for breakfast which we will be leaving for in 30 minutes in the hotel lobby
10:30 – Everyone in the lobby ready to go over to IHOP. IHOP is located in the same building as RG’s used to be so hopefully it will still be some good food.
10:50 – Each guy is putting in there order. I hear a lot of chocolate chip/banana pancake orders, brings me back to when we were in Massachusetts last year when we are at a little local place that had the best chocolate chip/banana pancakes I had ever had. I actually had them six days in a row out there so I figure why not go for them again and see how these compare to the ones from Springfield.
11:10 – Orders start to come on out. I see we have a good selection of different items; some went with the classic eggs, bacon, hash browns and a couple pancakes. Some other went with omelets that are huge, really huge actually. Order of the day goes to Luke Doedens who goes with the Ruttie Tuttie or something like that. Curt gets a close second for his chicken fajitas omelet. Make cakes were decent but I would go with the Springfield version any day of the week.
11:40 – Back to the hotel for a about an hour before we leave for shoot around, bus leaves at 12:40 so guys have a little down time to get homework done.
12:40 – Load the bus for shoot around over at the Barnett Center. On the way there we see a guy riding a 4 wheeler right down the middle of the street, must be legal in South Dakota to do that.
1:00 – Start our shoot around which will go on until 2. We go with the usual routine.
2:00 – Shoot around over, now back to the hotel for some more down time. Usually during this time our guys might take a nap or keep working on that homework, others might play some card games or watch TV as well. As for me, I am just working on the blog from the day before.
3:30 – Time for pre-game meal. If you are a fan of the team I am sure you have heard about our pre game ritual of going to the nearest Subway. The players have to have it before each road game no matter what town we are in. As for the coaches this is the time of day where you are still stuffed from breakfast and you question eating again but you do anyway because everyone else is doing it. Let me tell you it’s tough to not gain weight on a road trip if you are not a player because it seems like all you do is eat.
4:00 – Get pizza order from players. I know you just get done eating and then you have to think about food again but this is the way it is on these trips. The pizza order is always something interesting to see as some guys go with the same thing while others will always change it up. It also depends on where we can get the best deal for the pizza as well because we do have a budget that we must keep. For this night the pizza is coming from Pizza Ranch. The order of the night comes from Bryce and Ben who go with Canadian Bacon and Mushrooms.
4:30 – Back at the hotel to rest up before the game. Many guys take a quick nap during this time while others use it for whatever they want but this is the time they spend to start getting ready for the game. For us coaches it is time for “Cash Cab.” Not too many big winners on today’s episodes, I think the highest amount won was $750 after they won the video challenge. The best episode involved an elderly couple, the wife was all about playing the game, and the husband just sat and said nothing the entire game.
6:15 – Load the bus for the Barnett Center for the game.
7:25 – Women’s team pulls off a nice win. Some great outside shooting and defense really helped out them out tonight. Shot of the night comes with a little over a minute left with WSU up four, Magic picks up a rolling ball with 3 seconds on shot clock and throws up a wild 3 that goes in to put them up 7.
8:00 – Tip-off
9:45 – Game is over, as everyone knows by now it was not a good night for us. Something was not right with our guys and we couldn’t do anything well on either end of the floor. After a quick talk off to the bus for the 3 hour trip farther away from Winona.
10:10 – Bus is loaded, pizzas are being handed out.
10:45 – Still in Aberdeen as out bus driver cannot find way out of town. Don’t know why but this is very frustrating as we are not going to get in until 2 now for sure.
11:00 – Finally we are out of Aberdeen and in the middle of nowhere. It is really dark out in this part of the country and not a lot of people around too.
11:05 – Put in the movie “The Express” a true story about the former great college star Ernie Davis.
1:10 – Movie is over; it was a good movie to watch I would suggest this movie to anyone who is a big football fan. I for one did not know the Ernie Davis story until I watched this movie, the guy sounds like he was an amazing player.
2:07 – We finally hit the city limits of Bismarck. Now we need to check in and get everyone up to their rooms and hopefully they can get a good night of sleep.
2:40 – Finally hitting the bed for the night. Hope tomorrow goes better then today.
Overall it was a disappoint night for our guys. We didn’t have any energy and we didn’t do the things we had been doing well. The biggest thing is we cannot worry about last night and we can only worry about our game at 8 tonight. I must say the people at the Super 8 in Aberdeen are awesome, out of all the spots we stay in the year they are always the best to us. So if you ever have to stay in Aberdeen stay at the Super 8 they will take care of you.
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