Here we are...January 27th and I am finally taking some time to write about my experiences coaching at La Crescent High School. Let me share one quick story from this past Thursday night at Lewiston-Altura...
Our team was tied, 28-28, at halftime and we walked into the locker room with one strong message in mind. When we addressed the team before taking the floor for warm-ups, we didn't include, "This is going to be EASY," on the board. We have never and will never include that as a message for our team because each thing we get in this game must be earned. Our players responded and came together and we played our most complete half of the season, outscoring Lewiston-Altura 33-10 to win. This message sums up this season as a first year head coach and is why I chose the title, Continuous Learning. I often reflect on my preseason messages about respect and acknowledgement and am learning that this process will take time to establish, but I'm hopeful I'm laying the foundation to what it means to be a Lancers Boys Basketball player. A word that has taken on more meaning the last couple of weeks is TRUST, and I'm hopeful that the players and supporters of our program will work to trust me, our coaches, and our ability to learn from this season once it concludes. We look forward to the challenges over the next three weeks as we wind down the regular season and prepare to make a run in the postseason tournament. THANK YOU for the support of the Lancers Boys Basketball Program!
0 Comments
My summer player contact days officially ended at midnight on July 31st. In a short time of reflection, I go back to my main objective this summer, which was to get to know as many players as I could both from a basketball and personal perspective. This summer, I've worked with over 20 players and met many of their families, which I consider to be very beneficial.
Would I have liked to have more contact with my players? Absolutely...What coach wouldn't! As we approach the start of fall sports and shortly after that, the start of school, my new objective is to see which players are committed to getting better through open gym and weight room sessions. This is also a great time of year to find out which players have a workout routine and strong workout habits. I am hopeful to see the commitment this fall! I know a few things for certain...We will have our practice plans ready for the start of the season, We will bring the passion and energy to the gym each day, We will emphasize what is most important to us as coaches, and Our players will have FUN! Thanks & Go Lancers! Coach Ryan Thibodeau I am excited to announce I recently accepted the Varsity Head Boys Basketball coaching position at La Crescent High School in Minnesota. It was a bittersweet decision for me because of the wonderful experience I've had with the V-Hawk Basketball Program. Coach Wagner and the players I've had the opportunity to work with over the years will always hold a special place in my basketball coaching career. In eight seasons with the V-Hawks, I learned what is takes to build a successful basketball program. I started in the summer of 2006 as a student assistant because I missed being around the gym on a daily basis. I missed the competitive part of the game that you just cannot emulate in intramural basketball. I leave in 2014 with the understanding that basketball means a lot more than just the competition. It is also about the relationships you build, the hard work you put in, the ability to fight through adversity, enjoying the journey of a long season, among others. My challenge ahead is to get to know my returning players at La Crescent and what drives them to win basketball games. My expectations will be very high and I will demand a lot from them because I know what the end result can feel like if the entire group buys in...VICTORY! This will be a summer of firsts for me, however, I will embrace the challenge and look forward to meeting all of those associated with the Lancer Basketball Program! Already circled on my calendar...Monday November 10, 2014 - First Day of Practice & Friday November 21, 2014 - Game One. I appreciate all of the support from family and close friends! #Lancers #VHAWKS #MuchLove With the NAIA Division II National Tournament beginning on Wednesday, I thought I'd share my thoughts on this season and the re-energizing spring season ahead. The V-Hawks finished the season 16-14 overall (7-5 in MCC play) and had three players (Cole Lewis, David Shepard, and Matt Turba) named to the MCC First Team All-Conference team. The word most often used to describe this season has been "disappointment," because internally we had higher team expectations. We couldn't get over the top to push the front running teams in our conference, losing twice to regular season champions St. Ambrose University and conference tournament champions William Penn University. We achieved one of our unwritten goals, to host a first round conference tournament game, however, couldn't take advantage in arguably the most frustrating season ending game in my tenure at Viterbo. In a short time of reflection, I took away only things that our upperclassmen are tired of hearing...What great young men they are! I continue to view that as a positive, because I have no doubts our seniors will make great contributions to our world and continue to represent their families, communities, Viterbo University, and our basketball program with class and professionalism. I struggle with fact that I wasn't able to help them get to a new level on the basketball court. Currently, I am enjoying my time working in the admission office and spending time with my family. It is nice leaving work everyday and heading straight home to my wife and daughter. It is nice to put college basketball on TV and watch as a fan instead of a coach. As a fan, I enjoy this time of year because of the tournament atmosphere. It re-energizes me to put together a plan of attack for our returning players, in hopes of playing into March next season. Bottom Line Coaches...Enjoy the tournament season! When it is over, reflect and prepare yourself for another opportunity in the 2014-15 season. Go V-Hawks! Basketball season is already flying by. We are currently 3-2 and host Saint Mary's University (MN) at home this evening. We had an excellent team experience in Green Bay, Wisconsin to open our season. The photo above was taken during our time at historic Lambeau Field. We visited the Packer Hall of Fame, ate dinner at the Festival Foods MVP Deck, and received a personal tour of the stadium, including the famous running out of the tunnel.
The weekend following was an all business trip to Valley City and Fargo North Dakota. Our players played through a ton of whistles and hung on to beat a good Valley City State University team. What might have impressed more than any was their ability to handle a long road trip (6-8 Hours) and still come out and perform at game time. We recently concluded our home invitational, finishing second to defending NAIA II National Champion Cardinal Stritch University. This might have been our most complete game of the season and we took away many positives that will help us going forward. Though it is hard to believe we are almost to Thanksgiving, we feel very strongly about this group of young men. They continue to come each day and give all that they have. The message continues to be the same...As soon as this group figures out everything schematically...This will be a hard group to beat. We appreciate all of our wonderful campus, community, and fan support. Let's have a great season of V-Hawk Basketball! What Does Being a Senior Mean to You To me, being a senior means responsibility. As a senior, I am responsible for my actions as well as the entire team’s actions. As a senior, I expect the guys around me to respect me and the decisions I make, not because they are supposed to, but because I have earned that respect through four long years of hard work. Being a senior shows others that I have what it takes to make it through the grind of four long years of basketball. This kind of responsibility is not for everyone and I have seen guys come and go through the years that just didn’t make it through. Being a senior means I can say I did it, I made it through 4 (in my case 5) years when others did not. Being a senior is about leadership. Leadership is not something that can just be given to you. It is a learned behavior that becomes automatic over time. It is obtained through hard work, commitment and dedication, self preservation and much more. It means being an excellent example or role model for others who then WANT to follow you. As a senior, I want guys on the team to ask me questions or for advice on any situation whether it is on the floor, in the classroom or anything personal. Being a senior means I have the privilege to be a leader and role model for this team, this family, for one more year. Being a senior does not mean everything will just be given to me. It means that I have one more year to work harder than the year before. It is the last chance I have to show the future seniors what it takes to become a senior leader. I want to be able to look back on my college career and know that I put everything I had on and off the floor all the time. I want people to remember how much effort I put in to every play to get where I am today. I believe completing my senior year will allow these things to happen. Thanks for all the memories! Go V-Hawks! Matt Turba Senior I attended my first coaching clinic on October 3rd/4th at JustAGame Fieldhouse in the Wisconsin Dells. I had the privilege of listening to Mike Lee (Basketball Instructor), Coach Buzz Williams (Marquette), Coach Tod Kowalczyk (Toledo), Coach Steve Merfeld (Creighton), Coach Brian Wardle (Green Bay), Coach Matt Bollant (Illinois), Paul Hoover (Pro Shot System), Coach Drew Diener (Cardinal Stritch), and Coach Forrest Larson (Between Jobs). This was more than simply gathering notes on offensive/defensive systems, basketball drills, or basketball set plays. This was about learning from a group of people who are extremely passionate about what they do as coaches. Entering my 8th season as an assistant at Viterbo, I certainly understand the amount of hours it takes to coach at the collegiate level. I understand the ups and downs that are going to occur throughout the course of a season. Three Keys I Took Away From the Fall Clinic: 1) You are only as good as what you emphasize. - Have an identity and philosophy that fits your program and recruit players to your identity. 2) Love your players. - We can talk about all the hours coaches put in, however, we must understand that the players are working just as hard (or should be)! Show that you love them and they will respect that and play hard for you. 3) Stay Positive! - Something I continue to work at each year is staying positive. I am proud to admit I understood the work/life balance pretty early in my coaching career. I have a great family to wake up to and turn to at the end of the day! In closing, Thank You to all the coaches I had the privilege of talking to and learning from this past week. You opened my eyes to the great commitment, regardless of school size, location, or conference, that is the coaching profession. Have a great season! What Does Being a Senior Mean to You To me, being a senior means that there is one last chance to achieve what I couldn’t in my first three years. It is the final chance I have to show people what my seniors and I have accomplished in our time together. All the time in the gym over the years come down to one last year. Once this year is over, there is no going back, no more should have done this, and no what if’s. For these reasons alone, everything needs to be left on the floor. Being a senior means being a leader. In order to get to where we want to go, we need to get everyone on the same page with the same intensity. Our determination and will needs to be set through every person on our team along with the Viterbo community. The seniors can lead the team but our goals and dreams could never be accomplished alone. Cole Lewis Senior What Does Being a Senior Mean to You To me, being a senior means Responsibility. Responsible in the way that I have a strong impact on how the team will do. The reason why a senior is responsible for that is because often times people look back on a team and say, "who were the seniors that year? They did so and so on leading that team that year." I want to be responsible for what hopefully will be a good image and thought of how this season went. Responsible also in the sense that I have a large impact on the leaders of the immediate teams following. The younger players notice everything I do; similar to how we notice how our bosses do or don't do something. I am constantly reminding myself that someone is always looking up to me and what I am doing will have a great impact on their future for the team and for when they are a leader some day. On a personal level, I am responsible for how I do individually. We always talk about "the team" and "we." Though that is the case, the truth is that there can't be a team without strong, centered, I's. I, myself, am responsible to ensure that I am strong enough so that I can bring that to the team to allow it to be as strong as possible. I am responsible for bringing it on a night in and night out basis. Through responsibility in making sure that I leave an impact individually, as a leader, and how the team does this year, are all three large components that will hopefully shape up for a great run as my last year as a V-Hawk! Thanks, Jasper Duberry Senior What Does Being a Senior Mean to You To me, being a senior means this is my one last go around. It's my last chance to put in the hard work and effort that it takes to be successful. Ultimately, it's my goal to go into every practice and game and lay it all out on the floor. I know that if I maintain this attitude I won't have any regrets when this year is finished. Since we have several seniors this year, it is especially important that this is "Our" year. There may be pressure at times for seniors, however, I strongly believe that if we stick together and have the same mission in our sights WE can achieve great things. Izac Sheforgen Senior |
AuthorThe purpose of this Blog is to share thoughts and insights from Coach Ryan Thibodeau and the Archives
January 2015
Categories |