Hiland @ Garaway

• Pariah

  Bardall is like one for the last decade + against Hiland. Thoughts on this game?
  
  Everyone assumes Hiland is vulnerable, but they are 4-0, and while they have trailed a couple of times in the first half, they have beat Strasburg, TCC, RW, and Malvern by an average of 24.25 pts/game.
  
  I have a hunch that after this game, people will say, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
• Pariah

  Hiland got taken to the woodshed last night. Got exposed for their youth and inexperience. Hiland only has a couple of players who have played meaningful minutes in these type of high intensity games and it showed. Garaway has 6 seniors and showed a greater determination. Garaway got it out to 6 pts at the end of the 3rd. Coach S went small and I think Garaway went to Misko 3 straight times on the block, she put them in against virtually no resistance - game over. Garaway was great on defense and the foul line. They took care of the ball in the second half, and they deserved to win. I think the fact that they came in with one loss helped them with their intensity.
  
  Hate losing, especially to Garaway, but on the bright side, the IVC is actually interesting. Someone will win it, and it may not be Garaway or Hiland!
• ricola

  

  In the early going, looks like Nct may be the team to beat! Who would ever have thought that. For the first time in my memory, though, like you said, the IVC girls race is interesting! Wasn't at the game, only got to hear a bit of it on the radio. Hopefully this will help them grow as a team and make them stronger down the road.
  Pariah, what were your thoughts on Dave's commetns in the paper? I've heard some say they think he's being too hard on them publicly.
• commish

  Yep, hard to believe some girls decided to have a life in the summertime that isn't totally dedicated to basketball.
• Pariah

  Ha. That's funny! No, I think the hours put in were about the same as always.
  
  With the exception of a couple of kids, this team doesn't know about the toughness and mental determination it takes to beat a tough and determined opponent. I personally think it is just an experience thing that will get solved with playing these types of games. They are getting thrown into the fire.
  
  Dave has told me for several years that he worries about kids coming into the program thinking they will go to state just because they play for Hiland. It's a natural thought. Girls who are now frosh have seen Hiland play in Columbus every year since they were 4th graders. That's pretty much forever to a 14 year old. They don't understand the work it takes to be successful or the work it takes to stay there.
  
  I think this is where the negativity is coming from. He is battling those expectations publicly, I would suppose, because he thinks it has gotten to the point where it has to be done that way.
  
  I look at it this way: I had a losing record coaching church league basketball. I think I'll let the guy who has won over 400 games do what he does.
  
  There are some things he does that I don't understand. The line up we put out there doesn't match up well at times, like when we went small last night in the latter part of the game. We weren't getting any offense from our posts, but they were playing defense. The player who had to guard Misko with the small line up had no chance playing behind her and those consecutive buckets sank us. But there are possible explanations and I'm sure he has good reasons for doing those things. The girls that are out there have to know where the ball needs to go and to who at critical times. Last night, the ball didn't get to the right people at those critical times. Hey, they have to learn and it is on the job training right now. That stuff isn't coaching, its the players needing to apply the good decisions they have been coached to make - and that has to be learned through experiences like last night.
  
  Would I like to see him give them a dose of positive encouragement and confidence? Probably. But it's not my team and I think the odds of him being wrong and any critics being right are pretty slim. So, my advice to anyone who has their bloomers in a bunch is to be patient and see what comes out the other end of this. I'd bet it will be something pretty good.
• Mr. 300

  

  ricola;602911 wrote:In the early going, looks like Nct may be the team to beat! Who would ever have thought that. For the first time in my memory, though, like you said, the IVC girls race is interesting! Wasn't at the game, only got to hear a bit of it on the radio. Hopefully this will help them grow as a team and make them stronger down the road.
  Pariah, what were your thoughts on Dave's commetns in the paper? I've heard some say they think he's being too hard on them publicly.

  
  Once again I felt it was over the top, but obviously this is now his ploy for the year. This has a chance of either working for him or against him, and will be interesting to see as the year rolls along. One thing to remember, if you don't have the horses, you aren't going to win the races. Determination and effort only go so far if said player just doesn't have it.
• Pariah

  I was there. Nothing over the top about it, but I think the question some have is whether it should be said in the locker room or to the press.
• commish

  Wow - let the winning coach do what he does and than point out in great detail, all the mistakes made by said coach. It's never the coach - the kids don't work hard enough, nor do they apply the things they were taught. The kids don't understand what it takes to be successful - must they go to, or win the state, to be successful? It's nice to see teams that work very hard, put in the time, and even though they don't go deep in the tourney, they are able to have fun and enjoy the game. A few years after the fact, other things will become much more important. JMO, go Hawks.
• Pariah

  OK. Thanks for letting me know who you are. Everything in your glorious 2nd post was distortion, lies, exaggeration, etc. Just like to know who I'm talking to. Don't put words and conclusions in my mouth. The contextual sentences are "I think I'll let the guy who has won over 400 games do what he does" and "...be patient and see what comes out the other end of this. I'd bet it will be something pretty good" Just because I don't understand what he is doing or why doesn't mean it is not the right thing, nor does it mean I'm criticizing it - just that I don't understand it.
  
  Other things are way more important right now - and always have been.
  
  This will be fun regardless of wins and losses. They lost last night and it didn't change my life one iota, nor would it if they had won.
  
  Talking about it on forums is fun... until the trolls show up.