By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)
TEANECK, N.J. — The day after Labor Day is usually centered more on the beginning of a new school year and the start of college football. However, that is not entirely the case for everyone.
Many college basketball teams used shooting and rebounding drills to mark the unofficial end of summer, with roughly two months before the start of a new season. FDU, fresh off its undefeated Northeast Conference campaign punctuated with a championship trophy, held its first official practice of the year on Labor Day, leaving those in attendance with the feeling that season is truly upon us.
Prior to the formal start of practice, the opportunity was there to speak to several players casually. Those brief conversations helped reinforce the influence of a coach. A good coach does more than win games. He or she goes beyond the record by making a lasting mark on their players.
Freshman Leah Crosby spoke of Joe Whalen, who
coached her during her first two seasons at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in New Jersey prior to his retirement.
“That’s my guy,” a smiling Crosby said of Whalen. “He would always reference his days at St. Rose (in Belmar) when he wanted to point something out. He was a great coach.”
Joi Johnson is a sophomore forward. Her father, Will, was a 6-foot-8 double-double machine, averaging 10.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for a Saint Joseph’s team that reached the final of the National Invitation Tournament in 1996. Joi pointed out that her father talked a lot about that NIT run, but more importantly, about Phil Martelli, the longtime St. Joe’s head coach who was in his first year at the helm on Hawk Hill three decades ago.
“He always talks about Coach Martelli,” she said. “He has some funny stories, but a lot of what he says is about how great a coach (Martelli) was.”
Such was the impact Martelli had, which still resonates with a former player three decades later.
Shortly prior to the start of practice, FDU assistant coach Nikki Carter distributed the practice plans. At the top was the year’s emphasis: PASSION WITH A PURPOSE, a longtime tenet of head coach Stephanie Gaitley’s programs and fixture of her Fordham teams of the early 2010s. The plan included the drills, as well as who would comprise the two teams. There were also three shooting groups, with a list of the players in these groups.
Some similarities from summer workouts were present. Following the mandatory stretching, practice began with the three-line, full-court drill of pushing the ball and shooting with no defense. Another similarity was that drills were approximately four minutes in length, timed and progressed in an orderly fashion. A big difference in this practice was most of the work was on certain things.
“This is the time you start working on specifics,” Gaitley said.
The season may start in November, but there is no better time to begin incorporating what you will face during the campaign. Gaitley and assistant coach Ty Rozier observed and instructed on one end of the floor. Carter and fellow assistant Jeremy Thompson did the same on the other end. Given FDU’s propensity for good defense, it was no surprise that defending different types of screens took up several drills. Just as in the summer, at certain times, one of the players was sent to the line for a free throw. If she missed, her team ran.
Work against full-court pressure was something not noticed during the summer practices. Press offense and press defense were worked on. An encouraging sign was the offense trying to beat pressure by passing rather than dribbling. Following offensive drills for guards, then forwards, it was all brought together with a short half-court, 5-on-5 session. Naturally, the defense was playing man-to-man.
A few observations:
Given this was the initial workout following a month off, everyone returned sharp and in good condition. Bella Toomey showed some nice post moves inside. The 6-foot-2 junior can hit from outside, but any contribution scoring-wise in the paint will be beneficial.
Her Hoop Stats noted that Kailee McDonald scored 80 percent of her points last season from 3-point range. The sophomore guard showed a nice touch from beyond the arc during practice, but has expanded her game.
“She worked hard during the summer putting the ball on the floor,” Carter said of McDonald. “She has improved at getting to the basket, and it’s going to be really hard to get her off the floor.”
Speaking of Her Hoop Stats, the site also told us Ava Renninger used 24 percent of FDU’s possessions when she was on the floor. That figure ranked second behind Teneisia Brown’s 27 percent. Brown transferred to Providence in the offseason.
Watching Renninger, especially in transition, it is difficult to remember that she is only a sophomore, and her usage rate may increase this season.
Leah Crosby continued to work hard rebounding and being effective on the defensive end. She was vocal on defense, an admirable trait indeed.
Lilly Parke, out with an ACL injury, kept time for the drills at the scorer’s table. Parke said her rehab is going well. She has maintained a good attitude, often encouraging her teammates during drills. Teaching and stoppage for instruction was being done more frequently than in the summer workouts. No surprise there, as a number of things were covered in this two-hour session.
The practice would conclude with free throw shooting. The end of practice is a great time for the group to shoot from the line. In late-game situations, you will visit the charity stripe in a state of fatigue. Why not get used to that scenario in practice?
Following practice, players mulled about for a few minutes, making small talk before exiting. Gaitley reiterated something her husband Frank told me earlier.
“We are looking to get some guys, maybe from the baseball team, to practice against the team,” she said.
The idea of utilizing a male scout team that has prior playing experience is something frequently practiced in the women’s game. The idea is to expose the players to more physicality than they might see in daily workouts. Without delving into specifics, the feeling among the staff was that it was a good workout. Naturally, there would be things to address and adjust.
Exiting the Bogota Savings Bank Center, one was greeted (ambushed?) with another day of heat and humidity, a contrast to the bygone days when practice began during the crisp, cool days in the middle of fall, on October 15 with an opener six weeks away. The cliche regarding the season rings true: It is a marathon, not a sprint.
These days, the same can now be said regarding preseason practice and preparation.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.