Hardwood Happenings

A lot of people think that high school basketball is over and oh, how that is so far from the truth!! About the only time we are not doing something is from June 25-July 9 and that is the high school dead period. So we basically take two weeks off and the rest of the time is used to get prepared for the upcoming season.

Here at Mercer we have already started getting ready for next season. We began last week with weightlifting and open gym. We will go three days per week until school is out and then we will pretty much go every day until the dead period begins. We currently have about 15 girls participating. This does not include the girls who are participating in a spring sport, but even some of them will show up from time to time.

We also will have our camp for future Titans May 29 - June 1 and our current players help work this camp. From there we will begin a summer league in Woodford Co. for three days, two games per day. Next, we will go to another summer league in Elizabethtown for three days and go straight from there to a league in Pulaski County. Not quite to the dead period yet, we then have a three day camp at Berea College. At that point we will take the state-mandated two weeks off before getting back together and heading to a summer league in Rockcastle County. This will be our last summer league, but we will continue to lift weights the remainder of the summer until school starts.

Let’s review!

From today, April 18, 2007, we will be in the gym and weightroom a total of 14 days and this just takes us to the last day of school on May 18. After that we will be in the weightroom and gym a total of 29 more days up until school starts back at the end of July. We will play right at 30 summer games or so. This does not include the individual workouts that some of these girls choose to do when we are not doing team activities. That is a lot of basketball!! We have put a lot of hard work into this program and believe it or not, this is what it takes to keep up with other programs because basketball is a skill game and skills must be refined.

I really like summer basketball because I try to be a little more laid back and see how kids react to certain situations and different lineups. I can also tell who is working on their own, and who is not. Summer basketball is not mandatory and I don’t call trying to find where everyone is, I want them to enjoy summer basketball and want to come. A lot of kids want or need jobs, but we try to emphasize to them that they are going to work the rest of their life so try and enjoy their friends and enjoy the life of a high school athlete.

Sometimes girls seem to burn out quicker than boys!!

We have noticed that girls tend to burn out or need change around their sophomore or junior year. I think a lot of this has to do with girls maturing faster and maybe a bigger reason is that we tend to bring a lot of girls up during middle school years so by the time they are juniors they have already played four years of high school basketball and are ready for change. I have tried to watch this closer the last several years to keep this from happening, but it is difficult, especially if they are talented and can help our team at an early age, and let’s face it - it’s all about winning!! A lot of girls will also tell you they don’t want to play college basketball, where almost every boy will tell you that they would love to play college basketball. I have a daughter of my own who is reaching that age and I am trying to listen to her to keep her from burning out. She recently had an opportunity to play for her uncle on an AAU team this past winter but opted not to, saying she needed a break. As much as I really wanted her to play, I tried to listen as her dad and not her future coach. I hope it pays off, but only time will tell.

Regardless of whether there is burnout or not, there is no doubt that players are made in the offseason!! From April to October is when you get better, from October to March everyone progresses at the same rate!!

DeMoss?

Why all of a sudden would Mickie decide to hang it up? She took the high road but I guarantee you it had something to do with Billy G. getting $2.3 million and Mickie getting $.3!! I don’t blame her. Barnhardt stated that he tried to talk her out of it but he never said he offered her more money. I feel she was on her way to big things in UK basketball.

I would like to see the coach at Middle Tennessee get the job. He apparently can recruit and has a lot of Kentucky kids on his roster. I doubt they will hire one of the assistants and I would think the state the program is in now, there would be a lot of interest in the job. Why doesn’t UK go after the big fish for this program like they did the men’s? In fact, you don’t even hear anything since she announced she was leaving! Once again it is just women’s basketball!! We often find ourselves saying the same thing at the high school level when decisions are being made.

Next week I may talk some about Title IX and how it is affecting high school girls basketball!!

Go Titans!!

How can you not like what you hear from the new captain of the Wildcat ship? Our Billy (Billy G.) sounds very exciting and maybe just what Kentucky fans are looking for — a true basketball junkie!! How can you not like his passion for the game and his enthusiasm for wanting to be at UK!! Of course he has not won his first game yet, but I can tell he is going to be a crowd favorite or until he has a bad loss or bad recruiting year!! Lets hope this does not happen and lets hope his recruiting ways continue at UK.

Jai Lucas

I do think we have a great chance of getting Jai Lucas now, especially the way Billy G. handled Acie Law. I think Lucas can see himself being another Acie Law. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Patrick Patterson

I don’t think we have a very good chance at him, I think he is Billy D. bound! Lets hope Billy G. can persuade him to come this way.

What he expects!

I really like what he says his teams must do. Play hard, Play smart and Play together. That is simple but very true to any successful team. I have heard that if you do not play hard for him you won’t get a smell, which is the way it should be. Ramel Bradley could really use the second part of playing smart, he does not always make the best decisions but does play hard. I think Joe Crawford may be in for a rude awakening, I don’t think he played hard all the time or he would just disappear. I think Jodie Meeks will excel in his style as will Jasper. I just hope he can pull in a couple good recruits even if he has to go the JUCO route.

Tubby, Pitino and Donovan

Now that we have a new coach, and one that will not ever be outworked by anyone, let’s give Tubby, Rick and Billy D. a rest. Let’s remember the good things that Tubby and Rick did for the UK program and let Billy coach at Florida and make him wish he had taken a serious look at this job. I just hate hearing these call in shows still bashing Tubby or still wanting Pitino or Donavan. The first bad loss UK has next year, I am sure it will be Tubbys fault on all the call in shows. Wish him luck at Minnesota and thank him for the class he brought to the program. Get behind Billy G. in good wins and also in bad losses, which I think we will have next year. Be a true fan and stick with the team and the coach thru good and bad times.

I have been a huge fan of Tubby, but he is gone and it is time to move on and I really like the hire in Billy G. The next few years of UK basketball may be very interesting and exciting!!

Until next week, Go Cats!!