Throughout the 2009-10 season, Detroit head women's basketball coach Autumn Rademacher is going to give fans an inside perspective by writing a weekly blog on the happenings of the Titan basketball program.
Tuesday, Jan. 12
Do you know what is completely irritating besides the fact that Cheez-its are not good for you? The fact there was a hip check into the boards the NHL would have been proud of here at Calihan Hall on Sunday at mid-court that went unnoticed by three men in black and white shirts that I am sure would kindly regard Kim Kardashian walking by in a two piece but did not happen to catch the clipping (and I don’t mean a haircut) right around the 10-second line? Geez! Talk about finding out your ex-boyfriend has a younger and prettier girlfriend, what a downer! I can’t get fined for this if it isn’t my team right? Here’s hoping.
But what I deem even more annoying than both the above is the fact that I wrote this week’s, what I am now calling my when the spirit moves me and I am on a bus for nine hours and quite possibly due to my schedule could become more of a tri-weekly blog, disappeared when I tried to retrieve it on my laptop today! I logged in extremely proud of myself that I was able to produce something worthwhile (you people are so demanding) and just like Yar’s travel jacket, it’s gone! Now all my innermost thoughts about basketball and life are floating aimlessly in the clouds and trying to re-create it was like trying to figure out a way to score against Green Bay Saturday afternoon at the Kress Events Center. Impossible.
I will say that unfortunately I opted to watch tape instead of share my feelings on all of the tremendous wins (three) we have gotten in the past few weeks. I am truly happy for our team and am excited about their start to the Horizon League conference race. It all started out with a win against a competitive Colgate team and then a home victory against Wright State. We had not beaten Wright State since 2006 and the girls really played well. We then traveled up to Milwaukee and played our little hearts out. We started out a bit slow but came on strong at the end. Lauren Allen made a HUGE 3-point shot that almost put the game out of reach (we tried to give them the game at the end on a sideline out of bounds play, but we have since addressed this issue) and we ran out of the Klotchke Center as fast as we could like Coach Geary said, before they could change their mind.
We immediately jumped on the bus and headed up to snowy Green Bay luckily without sliding into a ditch like the other dozen cars that we saw. It took us about three hours, but with the warmth of a win, we probably could have withstood no heat if we had to. We spent the next 36 hours planning and preparing to give it our best shot, but ultimately came up short.
It is bittersweet for me to play up there. I absolutely love the girls, but hate to lose. That is what we refer to as a love/hate relationship and that is exactly what I have for the student-athletes whose homes I have been in and had a part in bringing them to UWGB. If I would have known my fate was to be the next head coach at the University of Detroit Mercy earlier (Keri a little heads-up next time), I certainly would have recruited really bad players so that we would have had an easier time winning the title. Unfortunately, I was able to assist in persuading some really good ones (Hannah, would you quit trying to prove to me that you are a really good shooter every time we play because I already know!) so now we will have to battle them for the next few years. The good thing is that they have to come back here to Detroit on Thursday, February 4th so we are hoping the Detroit Titans coach will earn her paycheck and come up with something by then.
It was great to see everyone up in Green Bay especially Krissy, former Phoenix sharpshooter Rachel Porath who is now sporting a big old diamond (how are they all beating me to this?), Mr. Big, and my all-time favorite family who shall remain nameless as to not bring out jealously amongst the others who think they are my favorite. I love you and my prayers are with you during this very difficult time. I am sorry to those that I was unable to say hi to and talk to excessively, but it is only because I am supposed to be CONCENTRATING on the game. I would say hope to see you in March but that means Green Bay would be hosting the Horizon League Tournament, so I would be lying. For the time being, goodbye, goodbye.
Looking ahead, we play UIC here on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. and Loyola on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. right here at Calihan Hall. We hope you will come cheer on your Detroit Titans who I believe are first class individuals even though some of their answers to the Book of Questions we played on the nine hour bus ride back Saturday were a little questionable. Who knew that with a little salt, Cherridy Thornton would eat live crickets for $40,000, that Meisha Fambro, even after a year, would definitely trade in someone else’s baby for her own if there was a mix-up at the hospital, and that Jalesa Jones with the guarantee of not getting caught, would do just about anything. Good things to know is that they all would take in their elderly family members instead of putting them in a nursing home and even for a whopping $20,000 to not shower, brush their teeth, or use deodorant for three months-they declined.
GO TITANS!
Monday, Dec. 28
I apologize to my fan club for taking a week off but I was knee deep in preparation for Georgia and getting squared away for the holidays. I know how disappointed everyone (my brother and Sister Beth) must have been so I promise I am back on board and ready to spill my guts!
Happy Holidays! I know I sound awfully chipper for being 1-9 but that is absolutely the way it has to be. This is my fault. I put our Titans in a position where they were facing some of the top teams in the nation with hopes of being able to trip someone up just like we did a year ago. It was out of pure greed and wanting to see our name on the ticker again having upset a ranked opponent. You cannot upset them if you don’t play them was my motto, but I may have since changed my tune.
It is with my greatest hope that I have not permanently damaged our confidence after wrestling with Goliath for two months because there is certainly plenty of basketball to be played. I hope that they will take what they have learned and build upon the good things they were able to do against some great teams! We were up 11-0 against Michigan, only down four at halftime vs #9 Georgia, lost to in-state powerhouse Michigan State by single digits, and this was all done without the lineup that was in mind when this gouge a pencil in your eye schedule was made. Thanks Skyler.
Were we without the likes of Talicia Washington, Sierra Spaude, and partially Tayler Langham? Yes. Is this an excuse for our shortcomings? No. Matter of fact, it could be a blessing in disguise. It has forced other players to step in and play right away like they may not otherwise have. We literally two hand pushed the kicking and screaming freshmen off the high diving board and prayed that not only could they swim but swim with a bloody seal strapped to their back in a pool full of sharks. Were my expectations a bit too high? Maybe, but if I rubbed a bottle and a genie came out with three wishes, one would be that our players would believe in themselves no matter what has happened to them up to this point. That their feelings about their own ability would never waiver, not even for a second, and that they would not allow any negative thoughts to creep in as to what kind of basketball player they really are or what kind of team we can be. That they would hold their heads high and be proud that they had enough guts to face the very best in our profession, whereas some schools boast of wins against the University of Beauty Tech Institute. That they would be thankful for the opportunity to be exposed to the highest level and even though we fell a tad short on some occasions, be able to use this invaluable experience to help us get there ourselves. And my second wish would be to have a million more wishes!!! And you would think that Veruca Salt would have learned her lesson by now. Nope. Daddy, I want a golden ticket and I want it now! If only she knew back then how much sweeter a trip to the NCAA Tournament is compared to a trip to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and a goose that lays golden eggs. So set your sights high my little Oompa-Loompas, grab Grandpa Joe, and we are off to see the Wizard! Oops, wrong movie.
Monday, Dec. 14
We are on the way back from Morehead State so I thought I would get this out of the way. I mean, what else am I doing besides mindlessly eating pizza crusts that the girls deem as garbage (another person’s trash is another’s treasure, that is for sure), pulling a hamstring trying to crawl over 15 sets of legs to get to the bathroom, trying to get comfortable in these cement-would-be-more-comfortable seats, and stewing over the loss today wondering what we could have done differently? Watching the University of Michigan that is but I need to take a little break from the maize and blue and my old boss KB for a moment.
Okay let’s recap. We lost to Eastern Michigan and I lost my marbles on our effort level. I challenged them to the best of my ability and decided that I was going to plan for the future because they obviously had bagged the season already. They had a stocking full of excuses why we were losing so I put our transfers and injured people on our first team and coached them instead for an entire practice. I gave the current eligible players an “It’s a Wonderful Life” gift where they and George Bailey could see what life would be like without them not only in Bedford Falls but on the basketball court. They could stand on the sideline and watch hoping that we would sub them in to get reps on a defensive or offensive possession instead of being disgruntled for having to be in the whole time. It definitely could not hurt! I am exhausted trying to rub two sticks together and not even mustering smoke. It is time to start a massive forest fire in order to wake these kids up before their opportunity to play Division I college basketball successfully slips through their fingers.
Boy did I illicit more dirty looks that day than Tiger Woods from his wife after she found that first text message. Mean mommy was in rare form but it was necessary to fire them up somehow. The rage continued into a film session where in silence we watched a highlight DVD of Bowling Green in preparation for Wednesday night’s game. After 20 minutes, I decided it was time to throw gas on the fire by breaking out the Eastern Michigan game right before practice. It is amazing how I can duplicate the same emotions that I had during the actual game watching the film so the girls had exactly two minutes to change into their thick skins and earmuffs.
I pushed play and about 10 seconds in, just like the poor gal that sang the national anthem for us Saturday, it froze on the spot. Completely furious, I had to walk over and manually re-start it only to see it come to a screeching halt once again. Enough steam to power an engine was now coming out of my ears so I grabbed our 1940’s DVD player and proceeded to TRY to pull that son of a gun out of the wall. I had had enough because this wasn’t the first time this has happened but by golly it would be the last! I started feverishly yanking on cords trying to free it so that I could smash it outside in a million pieces but unfortunately for me and my ego, it wouldn’t budge an inch. After about a minute I did manage to actually unplug it but it was the other wires I was having MAJOR issues with. T where were you when I needed you?
So there I stood sweating profusely, breathing heavily (fighting with that DVD player was like trying to front Kassie in the post) with my back to our obviously amused players who were eating their popcorn and Goobers waiting to see what I was going to do next, holding a half unplugged DVD player, and feeling like I just tripped on the Victoria's Secret model runway on national television. (Dream on, right!)
So I slowly turned around, returned the electronic device to its original place (who am I kidding, it never moved in the first place), and at a loss for words just held my head up high, shrugged my shoulders back, and said I didn’t want to watch that game anyway! Good one, right? I exited the locker room as dignified as I could but as the door closed and I heard the howl of laughter, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe there was a second pauser on the grassy knoll… It takes one to know one so did one of the players have another remote and just pushed pause when I pushed play so they wouldn’t have to watch that game? Those little con artists! I don’t need to watch instructional basketball videos to be a better coach, instead, I have to watch Supernanny to try to control these little munchkins. I contemplated going back into the crime scene and letting them have it once and for all, but instead I doubled over in laughter in what could be the hottest bathroom in the world. I thought if someone on our team actually had enough guts to pull the trigger just to save the team from Mr. Potter, we are going to be okay.
Did this motivational tactic work result-wise? No, because we did lose to Bowling Green. However, I was pleased with how we came out intensity-wise and never gave up. The score indicates it was a blow-out but those of you courageous souls who braved the weather know it was a close game until about the five-minute mark.
Did it work result wise against Morehead State? No, because we lost but I saw a lot that we can build upon especially with the return of Sierra Spaude. We fought hard and again, never gave up until the final buzzer.
Maybe the players have figured out that it is a wonderful life and they do want to live again. Or maybe A Christmas Story’s Ralphie has had enough of being bullied and is ready to fight back.
Go Titans and see you Saturday!
Monday, Dec. 7
Life is a series of tests and boy do I feel like I am taking the ACT everyday at this point. It is like a Rubik’s cube (I bet 90% of my born in the 1990’s team has never even heard of this frustrating contraption and think it is Ice’s cousin, but I will continue to refer to the 80’s for my own entertainment purposes) trying to figure out what makes this young team of ours tick.
I remember getting so irritated playing with that thing to the point where I was abnormally determined to see all the colors line up on the same side that I pulled off all the paper squares and pasted them where they needed to go. Yep sure did. Was it my proudest moment? No. However, did I succeed in finding a way to figure that thing out even if it was not in the most politically correct way? Yes. Nowhere did I ever read in the directions that you couldn’t do that so am borderline proud of myself for being so creative and finding a way to get it done.
This is the same philosophy I have with this team. I will continue to twist and turn that infuriating box until my fingers fall off in order for those colors on each of the panels to be the same by the time the Horizon League tournament rolls around. It is this and only this that I am committed to so ladies keep hanging in there!
Coming in here on Wednesday is a team that should not only contend for but win the Mid-American Conference once again, so please ladies and gentlemen give it up for Bowling Green State University! They have absolutely dominated since Curt Miller and his staff took over the reins and has established one of the richest winning traditions in the midwest for women’s college basketball.
I must admit that they are fun to watch on film because they play hard every possession, are fundamentally sound, and exude an extraordinary amount of confidence in what they are doing. It is my goal to instill that kind of confidence in our players because that is more than half the battle. Sure we need to shoot for hours on end and run until we puke so that we can be in basketball shape but really what it comes down to is believing that you are the best thing since the invention of remote car starters. You must have pride in what you are doing but the part that some players have an issue with is making any type of sacrifices to get there.
There are those that want to win and talk about winning all the time. Coach we want to win booms from the locker room and in practice but yet there is an empty gym during our practice time Sunday on a day off. Oh wait, maybe there was somebody in there… Brigid Mulroy and walk-on Jaimee Stoner.
Have I mentioned Brigid was tied for the #1 leading 3pt shooter in the nation for a period of time? Yes, someone from the University of Detroit Mercy is or was (sorry Brig) ranked the #1 3pt shooter in the country after four games. I wonder if studies show there is a correlation between the two? Does shooting excessively on your own equal becoming a candidate for being a nationally ranked scorer and helping your team win games? I hope I am smarter than a 5th grader when I say yes so Regis, that is my final answer.
Go Titans!
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
It should be outlawed for me to write anything basketball related AFTER a practice with three freshmen, a walk-on, a chronic stretching Canadian, Hannibal Lecter, SPF 200, and only showing about (10%) of what she is truly capable of. It should be like eating and swimming. Take a good 30 minute break after inhaling two hotdogs, baked beans, potato salad, and a Dilly bar before going back in the water for a game of Marco Polo. There needs to be a cooling off period where all sharp objects are removed and there are no pizzas or 3 Musketeers bars within a 2 mile radius.
So with that being said, I stepped away and came back. Canisius was a heartbreaker. I still have the bruises on my knees from falling to the ground (looks like I will have to invest in some knee pads Mary) after Coach Geary’s perfectly drawn up full court last second play that we run in practice ended with a blocked shot. No call no foul. I trust that we have the highest quality officials so I can live with the decision they made. What I cannot live with are the intangibles or lack there of. It is not okay, it is not okay, it is not okay! That was just a sample of the broken record heard here at Calihan Hall on Wednesday during practice. This is our house and we let someone else come in here and steal our television, microwave, and the kitchen sink. On the way out, without any resistance, they socked us in the face, and kicked our blind, three legged dog Brownie. Matter of fact, we might as well have said, “Hey Canisius, wait up! Don’t forget about granny’s secret casino winnings under the mattress in the spare bedroom!” IT’S NOT OKAY! I am hoping the message was sent loud and clear over the past few days that the reason why their turkey tasted like cardboard was because we should have won that game. We had a 13-point lead in the second half and failed to finish it out. What is it? Not okay. That is correct.
So as we move forward, I must come to grips with the fact that it is no longer about me. For those of you that know me well, this is a hard thing for me to accept. So with this realization, I asked the poignant question today at practice. What do YOU want? What do YOU want out of this experience because it sure is not about what I want! I want to win every game by 50, go undefeated in the Horizon League, take a trip to the NCAA tournament, and upset UConn in the first round but I cannot physically play in the game anymore. My eligibility has expired. I am telling you my little babies that there is no greater achievement in our profession than seeing your institution’s name come up on the big screen Selection Monday so again, what on earth do YOU want? Are you just happy to go on road trips, braid each other’s hair, eat free meals, or do you want to leave a legacy behind you and someday (when I am obviously old and retired) be the head coach at the University of Detroit Mercy? (Oops, just fell off the it’s not about me wagon) Or do you want to graduate empty-handed like the last 12 classes who would give anything to do it all over again? It is your choice and it always has been…
On our way to Terre Haute! Go Titans!
Monday, Nov. 23, 2009
Congratulations to the Detroit Titan men’s basketball team for representing the city of Detroit in New York over the weekend! They brought back three wins with them on the plane (let’s hope they didn’t have to pay extra) and we are very proud of their efforts. We know how important it is for all the teams at the University of Detroit Mercy to do well so we are elated by their success! Go Titans!
The Detroit Titan women took a long ride down to Cincinnati on Friday (Ohio you should be ashamed of yourself taking three lanes down to one on I-75 South) but eventually we made it to the hotel on campus around 10:30pm. We all got a good night’s sleep (don’t drink the water!) and were ready to take on a Cincinnati team that we truly thought we could beat. We had a defensive scheme in place that forced some of the other less decorated Cincinnati players to step up and score and unfortunately, they did to a degree. We just had trouble ourselves putting that orange, round, bouncy thing in the circular contraption with a net hanging down from it. Dang! The Cincinnati invisible gods were just sitting on the rim watching the Michigan vs Ohio State game eating popcorn, laughing, and having a good ole time tapping the ball out of there whenever we got a good look at it.
That was until the end of the second half when they needed a bathroom break and we were able to cut it to 2 with about five minutes to go. The light came on all of a sudden and we were playing as energized as I have seen us. Brigid (Mulroy) hit some big 3-point shots even though all game they were hanging on her so tightly they knew what kind of gum she was chewing and what kind of conditioning shampoo she used that morning at the hotel. Lauren Allen despite being in foul trouble looked as confident as I have seen her this year and was making huge plays for us on both ends of the floor. Cherridy Thornton also came in and provided a BIG lift off the bench when she went ferociously after rebounds and hit a huge three to cut the deficit. The trouble with these blogs is that I want to mention everyone that contributed because they all did but I don’t have the space to do so. I have a bad habit of not mentioning the kids that I expect to do well every night because I think it is a given. Jalesa and Yar, I am talking about you. There. Are you happy now?
Anyway, it was a great effort but we lost by seven. We had a few critical turnovers down the stretch and defensively, we gave up a big basket to the monster they had inside. All and all I am pleased with how we competed at the end of the game but cannot help but wonder what the results would have been if we had started the game out that way. We need to be able to set the tone early and play at a high level all game long from here on out if we expect to not only play hard but come out with the win.
We play a tough Canisius team tomorrow night right here at Calihan Hall but need to recognize the holiday that is upon us. It is Thanksgiving! I would like to give thanks to all the wonderful people in my life that have been supportive throughout my career and who continue to encourage me and the Detroit Titans on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. I am incredibly grateful and feel blessed to have such a great staff and be able to coach these outstanding young ladies even though they drive me batty sometimes. I appreciate the opportunity I have been given and I cannot reiterate how happy I am to be here working towards bringing home the Horizon League Tournament Championship trophy. Thanks to our President, Fr. Stockhausen, Michael Joseph, Keri Gaither, Daron Montgomery, and everyone else that played a part in making all of this possible. It is for this I give all my thanks and I just hope that our team will have the same amount of pride in their University that I do. I hope they will be thankful for their chance to represent UDM playing the sport they love tomorrow night vs the Golden Griffins and be able to talk about the great team win with their families (surrogate families for the out of state kids) at the dinner table Thanksgiving Day.
Hope to see you tomorrow at 7pm!
Go Titans!
Monday, Nov. 16, 2009
It is too bad I was unable to get around to writing this blog on Friday because there would be a lot more smiley faces and exclamation points when it came to describing our win vs Oakland University. What a great feeling it was to jump on the bus for forty-five minutes, play the game at 2:00 pm, and be home with our first victory of the season by 5:00pm. We were even able to beat I-75 rush hour traffic! But oh how short lived those moments can be…
For those of you who couldn’t get off work for a mid-day game (a big thanks to those of you that did), our girls played extremely hard and with a few adjustments at halftime, were able to pull out the win. Yar Shayok is someone that we were going to rely on heavily last year but due to an injury, she was forced to redshirt. I was not sure how she was going to respond after taking a year off but after that performance, I highly encourage every player to take a year off! She absolutely dominated the paint with 26 points and 14 rebounds. It was great to see her back in action because she provides a level of hustle that not many can match outside of Dennis Rodman for my age range and Ben Wallace for everyone else. She has go go gadget arms and goes after rebounds and loose balls like I go after our players when they miss a weakside boxout to Michigan State for the 15th consecutive time! She has been a HUGE spark for the Titans and even buried her first 3pt shot over the outstretched arms of 6’9 DeHaan in front of her fist pumping father who drove all the way from Ottawa, Canada to see her play. It is wonderful having her back and I just thank Yar for choosing the University of Detroit Mercy to play her collegiate career. I am so glad I have a front row seat to her games for the next four years even though I never use it.
Speaking of the Michigan State game, I reflect back and find it surreal to know that we played seven players and kept it close the entire way. We have had some great performances in the history of UDM women’s basketball including a 41 point performance by Jeanie Hill way back in the day, but Brigid Mulroy’s display against the #10 team in the country was nothing short of spectacular. I could only smile for our lone senior and try not to do anything to snap her out of the beautiful place every athlete dreams about being against a nationally ranked team which is what we call the “zone”. She was clearly there with the all you can eat buffets, rainbows, and puppies, and simply could not miss! It was extremely fun to watch and I could not be happier for the West Bloomfield walk-on that had faith everyday for two years that she would get her chance on the big stage to showcase her talents and she sure did.
A sincere thank you to everyone who came out to the doubleheader on Sunday and supported both the Detroit Titan women and men. I hope you can smell what is brewing over here and through good times and bad, will stick with us the entire year. Question: Build it and I will come? Or I will come and support you so you can build it. You have no idea how inspiring it was to see 1635 fans in Calihan Hall for a women’s basketball game. Simply exhilarating.
Go Titans!
Monday, Nov. 9, 2009
A sad day has come with the news of Talicia Washington tearing her ACL in the first 1:11 of our game vs Saginaw Valley State University last Wednesday. If there was a player I was excited about after all she did over the summer to prepare for this season, it was Talicia. It is a “waste” as Brigid Mulroy often refers to it when there are phenomenal players sitting on the bench that she will never get to play with. Current transfer Dominique Dixon and Heather Hatter are often referred to as wastes and now we have to add Talicia to that excruciating mix. Brigid, although I agree they are wastes, I am hoping that our current, active non-injured, or those that are injured but are fighting their way back will help you attain your goal of winning a Horizon League Championship your senior year. We are making it interesting to say the least but I have no doubt that this group will come together and find a way to give you that going away present you so rightfully deserve-a championship ring. If not, at least you can tell your grandkids you were on a billboard.
It was wonderful being victorious against Saginaw Valley State University but I thought we could have been a little cleaner on both ends of the floor. Any win is a GREAT win but I knew the team was down because they know that they did not play to their fullest potential. We missed lay-ups, box-outs, and open players on the opposite block but we are getting there.
I was pleased up until we played the Michigan Tech Huskies from Houghton, Michigan in a thankfully closed door scrimmage on Saturday morning. They are very similar to the Green Bay Phoenix that has dominated our league for the past decade and are currently ranked pre-season #1 in the country in Division II. I am pretty sure they could have given the Detroit Pistons a run for their money that day. If you saw flames coming from Calihan Hall on Saturday morning, it wasn’t the UIC Flames that our men’s soccer team defeated but rather the MTU Huskies hitting over 50% from the 3pt line against us. It was good for us to face that kind of opponent going into our first two games but I am very glad the beating was not public.
However, no need to worry fans because as we speak, our staff and team is currently busy at practice ironing out all the kinks and getting ready for our opening game at Oakland University on Friday at 2:00pm. And yes, the 2:00pm slot is correct if you are wondering if I pushed the wrong button. It is at that time due to a scheduling conflict so feel free to call in sick to work on Friday and come check us out.
Also, since I will not be blogging until next Monday, I must not let the opportunity pass to mention the fact that we are playing the pre-season #10 ranked (what is with all these ranked teams we are playing anyway?) Division I Spartans from MICHIGAN STATE on Sunday, November 15th at 12:00pm right here at Calihan Hall! Everyone under the age of 18 is FREE so please call 313.993.1700 to take advantage of this special offer. We kind of have a reputation for taking out ranked opponents so I would not want you to miss out on all the excitement! Hope to see you there and Go Titans!
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009
I am very new at this blogging so please be gentle. We have our first exhibition game coming up on Wednesday, November 4th at 7pm vs Saginaw Valley State University.
We had a mock game with our team this past Saturday which featured shoot around, pre-game meal, the players arriving at Calihan Hall at 12:30 p.m., and even singing the national anthem before tipping off at 2 p.m. against our poor assistant coaches and a few walk-ons. It was supposed to give our darling new freshmen a taste of what game day feels like so our first contest would be second nature. Well I am not sure what we exactly accomplished but I do know that the current UDM players were victorious thank goodness! It was Halloween and nothing would have been scarier than losing to a group that did not go through conditioning and has never even stepped foot on the court together. The Detroit Titan Women’s Basketball team stepped up and luckily came out on top so that a Texas Chainsaw Massacre 15 was avoided the next day at practice. Matter of fact, we actually had to test out the scoreboard to see if it even could muster putting over a hundred points on the board because it has not been done in so many years here at UDM.
It is no secret that I love to score points and would like for our players to put up 110 each game. Fortunately Coach Geary, Coach Banks, and Coach Samuelson are here to implement the importance of defense and are doing a tremendous job of stressing how necessary it is to jump to the ball, be in help side, pressure the ball, get in the passing lane, talk, box out, and contest all shots otherwise we would just be shooting for two hours in practice! I think we have a tremendous balance all around this year and I am looking forward to putting our team on the floor.
We lost quite a bit of leadership, firepower, and defensive intensity from last year and will look to some new faces to fill those voids but I think that our fans will appreciate how hard we will play every night. We are hoping that we have assembled a group of first rate young women that the University of Detroit Mercy can be proud of and who can vie for a championship this year. Go Titans!
