Practice #1 (1/26)

One of challenges facing Ken and me is our lack of familiarity with the women's game, from the strategic nuances to the quality of NYU's competition. As a result, it's difficult to assess the state of the team as we begin spring practice.

I was pleased with the attendance and the effort. We had 14 girls, including almost all of the team's major contributors. We'll see if that continues through the spring. Everyone paid attention, took the drills seriously, and ran hard on the sprints. Thankfully the team doesn't have any head cases. Everyone is receptive to instruction and eager to learn.

After the fall, I was under the false impression that we had taken care of all of the fundamentals -- throwing in particular -- so in the spring we'd be able to focus all our energies on more complex concepts, namely the offense. That wasn't a realistic expectation. Throwing is our weakest point. Mia is our most consistent thrower, but she's not a handler, and in order to beat good teams, she'll have to go deep. On the bright side, we have several players who will be good handlers, it's just a matter of when. I maintain that Frantzen will be a great handler by next spring -- this spring might be pushing it, but we'll do our best with her. We have to figure out ways to work on throwing, while still introducing all of the new complex concepts before Sectionals.

The other night was the most structured and most intense practice the NYU women have had, but it will also be the easiest one of the semester. I'm concerned with making sure we don't push too hard too fast. That said, the players decided as a team that they want to increase the intensity and work for that "Day Two" goal. All of the feedback we received was positive, so as a coach, what I took from the practice is that I can push a little more. Striking that balance is vital because the team will have to reach or exceed its potential in order to be alive on Day Two.