While the last 6 weeks has been good because school has been in session, it is also the hardest 6 weeks for a coach to deal with. The reason is that we can't do anything with our guys until October 15th. When I was a high school coach I enjoyed being able to work with guys in the summer and fall because it sped up their improvement process. However, at the D3 level we aren't allowed to do anything with our players, except for the season from October 15th till the National Championship game in March. Speaking as a coach, that is NOT enough time!! haha
The bright side of that is that our guys can still work out on their own if they want. And I've seen more work this off-season than I ever have before. More guys getting in the gym working on their game, and more guys getting in the Fitness Center getting stronger and faster. I've been coaching for 15 years now, and guys working that hard on their own is ALWAYS a good sign of things to come!
So today was actually the last day of what our guys would consider the "preseason". And they decided to have some fun with it.
The picture above is from a wiffle game they decided to play in the gym. Yes, I said wiffle ball game!! Sometimes just having fun can be a great way to reward yourself for something well done. And this was their way of rewarding themselves for working so hard over the last 6 weeks. They definitely had a great time and talked a lot of smack in the process, which always makes it even more fun! haha
I can honestly tell you that I am completely excited to go through the season with this group of guys! Not only are they good basketball players, but more importantly they are good people. Normally when you combine good players with good people, good things happen. We have been putting this together now for 3 years, not just from an improving basketball standpoint, but also from the standpoint of recruiting high quality character people. That's why I'm so excited to see what this year has in store for us.
We are ready.....we have all the ingredients.....now it's just time to go play ball!! October 15th can't get here soon enough......
Yours in hoops,
Coach Strick