Top o' the morning to everyone! As the calendar turns to February and the stretch run really begins, it is very fitting that we have the biggest week of the season ahead of us. There are some very good teams that will visit the Freeman Center this week.
Our players set the stage for this week by taking care of business on the road against Shenandoah last Thursday. The snow up north wreaked a little havoc on the schedule, pushing the game back from Wednesday to Thursday. We used the extra day to continue to prepare for Shenandoah. I think most coaches welcome an extra day to prepare, especially for a conference opponent. But, there is also a part of you that wants to just get up there and compete!
The second half of the conference season is always intense. By now, all the teams have played each other, so when the rematch occurs you are already intimately familiar with your opponent's player personnel as well as the offensive sets and defensive tactics they are going to employ. Consequently, these games usually come down to which side executes its game plan better and which team possesses the most determination and will to win. It makes for some very hard-nosed, passionate, and entertaining basketball.
The extra day of preparation for Shenandoah certainly didn't hurt us. For the first time in a while we got out of the gate quickly at the start and didn't look back. The guys did a very good job limiting Shenandoah's key scorers, and we were able to get out on the fast break and hit some shots early in the game. We also did a great job in the rebounding department. The end result was a very solid 75-52 victory.
As a coach, you want your team to be playing its best basketball right around this time of the year – the end of the regular season heading into tournament time. A key element to this is making sure the players are well-rested so that they have the energy and physical stamina to compete at their highest level over the next month. The college basketball season is a grind; many a team and player have started off the season hot only to hit the wall down the stretch. With this in mind, we gave the team off from practice on Friday and Saturday. We got back in the gym with a spirited practice Sunday morning to start our preparations for this week's slate.
Another implicit goal that you have as a coach is to be playing meaningful, high-stakes games come February and March. This signifies that you are having at least some success and are in position to contend for the conference championship. Fortunately, our work and accomplishments thus far have placed us in this situation.
We begin tomorrow night by hosting the #9 ranked team in the nation, Randolph-Macon College. Besides their success so far this season and the fact they are an in-state rival, Randolph-Macon has been amongst the class of NCAA Division III for many years. The Yellow-Jackets have made the Final Four the past two seasons and are consistently one of the best programs in the nation. This game presents an opportunity that does not come around often: the chance to play a Top 10 team at home. Our guys understand this and our goal is to go out and compete as hard as we can tomorrow night.
The week does not get any easier, as Saturday's game brings with it even more opportunity. N.C. Wesleyan comes to town for a game that will surely have a huge impact on the final standings in the USA South conference. N.C. Wesleyan dealt us our only conference loss of the season a few weeks ago, and along with Ferrum sits tied with us atop the conference.
Preparing the scouting report and game plan for a team that has already beaten you once is a little different than the first time you play. You study the film to pinpoint those areas that hurt you the most the first time and make adjustments to combat them. We will have three full days to prepare for N.C. Wesleyan, and I know our guys will be hungry to go out and get a different result this time around.
As if those two games were not enough, we have another quick turnaround on Sunday as we complete the non-conference portion of our schedule by hosting Roanoke College. Roanoke is another quality opponent out of the ODAC conference, and will be a strong test for us, especially on the short rest.
Weeks like this are what college basketball is all about! Playing in front of a packed house with a lively atmosphere makes these games even more special. I know from experience that the energy of the home crowd can really make an impact in games such as these. CNU will be the place for some high quality and entertaining basketball this week. We hope you can come out and be a part of it!
P.S. On a personal note, besides our game vs. #9 Randolph-Macon, tomorrow is also a special day for my family back in New York City – Happy Birthday Mom!
