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College Chalktalk’s 2008-09 Coaches’ Diary Series Bill Barton: Duquesne University (Entry No. 2)
By CCT Staff | November 11, 2008
‘Hello again from the Bluff. If you were not with me last time, the Bluff is what Duquesne’s campus is called (there may be a quiz later). Pre-season practice has reached that point - the point where nobody is happy. The players are not happy because they are tired; tired of doing the same drills against the same guys, hour after hour, day after day. The coaches are not happy because we would like to see the drills executed better. We want the young players to learn faster and remember more. We want them to really understand what we are trying to do, and therefore, we get them to do a better job. This, in turn, makes them even more unhappy… and round and round we go.
Where will it end? It will end on Friday night. That’s when we toss it up for real. The players are ready - they need to play against someone new. The coaches - well, lets just say there is no coach in the country who thinks his team is ready. Head coaches worry. It is what they do. As an assistant, I look at it from this perspective: if my coach thinks that we’re not ready, and our opponent’s coach thinks his team isn’t ready, then we are both equally prepared and we might as well play. Sounds logical enough, doesn’t it? I won’t, however, be mentioning this theory to the boss.
Now for the wildcard in our preparation: not only do we have eight freshmen, but we also have one scholarship upperclassman. Those two things make us the youngest team in the country. We are short on experience, but hey, we’re long on youthful exuberance (in other words, they have no idea what they are in for). The college game is played by bigger, stronger, faster players. It is a ‘keep up’ or ‘get off the floor’ game. Young players are always confident, and ours are no exception. They have been successful at every level. Every member of our staff tells the kids that college basketball is a big jump from high school, so be ready. Our returning players tell them too.
Aaron Jackson, our senior point guard and three-year veteran, talks to the freshman everyday about the need to be prepared. He tells them it will be more physical than they can imagine. Our two sophomore forwards, Damian saunders and Billy Clark, recall their introduction to college basketball last year. They explain to the freshman that things happen fast. Yet history shows that they only way freshmen are really going to understand the college game is to experience it first hand. This will happen Friday night.
The good thing about getting started is that you will get a body of work to evaluate. The scoreboard will not lie. We will be able to see our strengths and weaknesses, and then we must coach, teach, and counsel the players - especially the young ones. It all starts with the first game. From there, you try to improve. We will work hard to get ready for Friday night, and then we will work harder to get better.
I am looking forward to the upcoming season. I also look forward to giving you a coach’s perspective on the highs and lows of the long journey that is the college basketball season.
Ready or not, here we go.’
Topics: General |
November 12th, 2008 at 7:52 am
I really appreciste you words and candor. I am an alum and always follow and root for the team. I have lived outside the city since 1984 (I graduated in 1975) but my family and friends still live in Pittsburgh. Most of them went to Duquesne and are supporters of what you and the coaching staff are trying to make happen. It is a real pleasure to see things headed in the right direction. Keep up the good work and you have a lot of people hoping to see the program continue to it’s road back to being respectable and a winner.
Frank Schepis
November 12th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
It will be interesting to see if the production from the big men Peggau, Lewinson,and Milovic picks up. Looking at he boxscores from the 2 exhibitions raises concern. They really have not contributed against inferior opponents and you have to have some semblance of an inside game to win in the A-10. The 2 foreign students are not 18 year old freshman, there 20 and 21 years of age. I thought they would be more advanced in their game.Hope they come around.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
This blog is a great way to keep us fans connected. Good luck this season to all the players, coaches and administration.
November 14th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Good Luck this season, I know this team will play hard. Coach Everhart is one of the best coaches in the country, and he will get the most out of his players. Get ready to run.