“He carried himself like a military man. They walk a little bit differently than the average person. They walk with their shoulders back, and with a swagger. That's the way he walked, and he walked with confidence, like any good veteran does.” - Lee Totora

A lot of time has passed since the most recent update. It’s amazing how time can pass someone by and yet move so slowly at the same time. I’m sitting in my little office typing this waiting on a recruit. It’s the only free time I have right now, and not so much that there aren’t other things I need to be doing, but that recruits and campus visitors are never exact when it comes to time. I’ve had them show up twenty minutes early, thirty minutes late, even not at all, so I better sit here so that I don’t miss her. There’s quite the aura of winning flowing down my little hallway right now. I share an office with the two men’s assistant soccer coaches, and the women’s assistant is right next door. They are both preparing to head to the exotic resort located in Mobile, Alabama to compete in the national tournament. Our men, the number 1 overall seed, have lost one match in the last two years and are the defending national champs. Coach Kranjc along with his assistants, Cory and Bones, are meticulous with details. There has been an increase in the shouting matches and curse words flying across the hall at each other since tournament time began, but no detail is missed. I’ve learned a lot just by listening in on the conversations that the champions have had in their pursuit of another title (as well as some new words I probably shouldn’t ever repeat). They are still working tirelessly to recruit for next year to continually make themselves better, but at the same time there is such diligence in their preparation for their national championship run. It is interesting how coaches approach tournaments and title runs. I look back at our preparation as a high school team, both as a player and when I coached, and compare them to the national title scale. The comparisons are very similar, which bodes well for the notion that we were doing things right, but the way that Kranjc approaches each game and day so precisely, never looking  beyond the moment, much less the next round is impressive. It’s difficult not to project the next round in your mind: who are you going to play if you win? If Kranjc does that at all he certainly doesn’t share it. Every detail is vital. Hours and hours of film of the same team have been scrutinized to the point where Kranjc and Bones probably know more about the other team than the other team knows about themselves. Details about what foods they’ll pack, what places they’ll stop and when, the extra jerseys Kranjc ripped into Bones about to ensure that they boarded the bus; nothing is left unaccounted for. Bobby Knight, who was just passed by Coach K for the most wins in NCAA DI history, may have said it best, “Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win.” Hopefully we’ll be in that same mindset come late February.

                There has been a seemingly large amount of preparation done for our Hastings College Lady Broncos basketball team. That might be because since August 25 we have done nothing but practice, condition, and lift. Coming from coaching high school there is a nearly incomprehensible stretch at the college level between first day of work and first game. Games begin for most high schools December 1. We usually waited till that weekend for a tournament, but because we started November 12 (or whatever date the second Wednesday of November fell on), we always felt behind in terms of putting in offenses, defenses, inbounds, and even getting into shape. At the college level there is certainly no lack of time in terms of preparation. Having spent all of September in the weight room and on the track for preseason conditioning, when the girls finally got to put on their uniforms and I finally got feel the silk of my tie, it had seemed like an eternity had passed. Having not known anything about our conference much less our division I was at a loss whenever anyone asked me how we were going to be this year. A team that spent least year wallowing in narrow defeats didn’t set the tone well for this year in the eyes of our conference foes. Picked to finish 8^th in our conference and not even a sniff of a vote into the top 25 the outlook didn’t seem very glamorous. Our rivals in the GPAC got plenty of respect though as two-time defending national champions Northwestern garnered #1 in the nation, followed by Morningside at #2, Briar Cliff at #5, and Concordia at #22. Mount Marty and Dordt fell into the receiving votes category to even out things a little (4 nationally ranked teams, 4 unranked teams, and the 2 receiving votes). We opened the season with inaugural “cupcake” game at York. To be honest the lopsided win didn’t show much in terms of prowess on our end, more inability on York’s end. We didn’t shoot the ball well in the slightest (1-15 3pt), but our All-American post, and a small forward that came out of nowhere, Frankie Peterson, carried us to a 30 point romp. Despite the lopsided win, there were still a lot of questions that had to be answered on the court with a short turnaround to host the #12 team in the nation, Southwestern out of Kansas. The game itself had strange feel to it as while it was very nip/tuck throughout I felt as if we were very much in control. Courtney Spawn came out of her slump to knock down three triples to force Southwestern out of the paint defensively, and incredible defensive pressure from little sophomore Erin Vanderpool, allowed us to maintain control to the buzzer and walk away with not only a 10 point win and a win over a nationally ranked team, but most importantly with a slew of confidence.

Alicia Statler

One thing I noticed early in the season was a general lack of swagger. Now swagger seems to be a newer colloquialism that represents something much deeper than confidence. To have swagger is not only to have confidence, but to carried oneself with this “I’m untouchable” clout. The closest on our team is Alicia Statler, our All-American post, who I’ve found to be one of the most intriguing members of our squad, and have had a very solid player/coach connection with. I truly feel like she trusts me and even garners me as a confidant at times. She’s very even tempered at all times. Regardless of whether you see her walking to class on a sunny day, or it’s late in the second half of a one point game, Alicia is just Alicia. She’s good. Very good. And she knows it. The only way I can describe Stat is to say that she just shows up and wins. It’s as simple as that. But even within that it’s too matter of fact to be considered “swag.” She’s just done it for so long that she just knows she’s going to play well, but she doesn’t show any kind of inclination emotionally with that. I really feel like each team needs a player that harbors some attitude, and demands greatness out of his or her teammates. I often think back to when I was in middle school watching a CSU-Pueblo basketball game. The Thunderwolves were loaded that year with point guard Mario Sanchez, a 6’8” shooter in Brian Vecchio, and then a 6’10” transfer from Baylor Steve Raquet. He was a monster inside. While his raw power as a post player was impressive enough, it was his attitude that made him so notable. This ended up being one of the Thunderwolves best seasons, but in one game, while the details I don’t recall specifically, Pueblo was down and needed a bucket. They had gone three straight possessions settling for jumpers and missing. Raquet had been working his butt off inside posting up, but got no love from the guards. After a dead ball he walked up to his point guard and shoving his finger in his chest you could hear him demand the ball inside (there were expletives used). What do you suppose happened the next time down the floor offensively? Post entry pass and a score. Every team needs that guy (or girl). The athlete who demands the ball when things are tight. The person who not only is willing to put everyone on his shoulders, but knows that he’s going to carry them all the way.  Through our six games thus far we have yet to have one person emerge as the leader. Stat is undoubtedly the anchor, but we still need that swagger person. The person who is going to demand success, demand the ball, demand perfection from her teammates. From the outside looking in it seems like we are exactly where we want to be: we are 6-0, plus an exhibition win over DII UN-Kearney, a win against #2 Morningside at their place, wins against 3 nationally ranked opponents. Nevertheless, I worry that if that true leader doesn’t emerge, and if we are always waiting to see from game to game who will step up, that a longer road than we’re prepared for is ahead of us. Only time will tell I suppose.

Till Next time, hopefully sooner than later,

-          Coach Kyle

"Energy and persistence conquer all things." - Benjamin Franklin

Here is part two. If you missed part one and the introduction to this mess, it is the post below this one.

Part II

There have been many coaches in my life that have influenced me and taught me many things. I will forever state that my coaching staff as a high school player was the best in the state in any classification. I also feel like that staff could make a college program a national contender if they ever chose to. As a young coach you take every ounce of information given to you. You beg, borrow, and even steal ideas, quotes, concepts, philosophies, and plays. Amongst the jewels that I have accrued one that came from a high school volleyball coach stands towards the top. Now I know that half of you reading this are going to be indignant when I say that but let me elaborate before you judge too harshly. For those of you who don’t know, I spent two years coaching freshman volleyball. There was a lot of growth within that time and I did learn a lot about kids and about different coaching styles, but I’ll forever recall a moment at the Lamar Community Center in Lamar, CO. This was the first time I’d been back to Lamar since I was a freshman playing high school ball. The gym has an old feel, but a storied feel, and the house is always packed with a bunch of savage fans (Lamar’s mascot is the savages). Lamar had a very talented volleyball team and was ranked in the top ten at the time. There aren’t a lot of scenes from the game I can replay to be honest. If I remember we lost in a tough 4, but even that is unclear. The moment that keeps coming back to me though came after Lamar’s middle hitter received a beautiful set but terribly botched the hit. What should’ve been a powerful swing to the back line ended up blooping weakly to the middle of the floor.  The intriguing part of it all was that the ball hit the floor and still scored the point. And while most teams would be raving and cheering about the point scored, I looked over to the bench and Lamar’s coach was all over that middle hitter about hitting technique and perfection. Despite the score, it wasn't good enough because it wasn't done right. From then on I knew that simply getting the job done wasn’t near enough, it truly was all about perfection, or at least doing things right every time.

One of the more intriguing parts about coaching college was learning a system offense. Coach Dittman is very committed to his offensive and defensive systems, and rightfully so looking at his track record. The beauty of the college set up is that you can literally spend all of practice perfecting the system. With the ability to have individual workouts each week, players can learn fundamental skills during those times, so team offense and defense can be the focus throughout practice. So much of coaching high school was spent coaching fundamental skills that full court offense was, at least for me, kept secondary.

Now the beauty of coaching so many fundamentals in high school is that it prepared me for coaching our JV program here at Hastings. Hastings offers a developmental, or a jv program that gives players the opportunity to actually play games while practicing day in and day out as opposed to redshirting. It also allows those kids who are on the brink, or who have a high ceiling but need work to develop. We have 21 players on our jv, so we split them up into two separate teams, one being coached by me, and the other coached by the other assistant, Carrie Larson. Now understand the reasoning behind so many athletes on the jv. The president of the university mandated to all coaches that if an athlete is interested in competing we have to give them the opportunity; all of our athletic programs offer a jv because of this. I have mixed feelings about the developmental program. It definitely makes for a long day as we have 6 am practice Monday/Tues/Fri, and 6 pm practice Tues/Thurs. This lends to a 12 hour day when you tack on individual workouts, classes, office work, and of course varsity practice. The plus side of coaching is that I get my fix of being a head coach, I learn the system, and I get to run my own individual workouts. This also allows me to learn every aspect of the college coaching world. Yet I am concerned about how it affects the culture of the program. With so many players, does it turn off some talented recruits? Also, if any of those jv kids are receiving scholarship money, even in the slightest amounts, is it taking away from money that could sway potential recruits? I’m also curious to find out how many of our jv kids do truly develop into varsity caliber players. With that do we really have a competitive culture of winning? I'll find out in time I'm sure. Either way I’m investing everything I have into both teams. We are going to have to be a very defensive minded team at both levels, which has been a trademark of my Rye teams so I feel well equipped for that. We have a scrimmage for the varsity this Friday against some top junior college teams, and then a tournament in Midland at the beginning of November for our jv so we’ll find out where we really stand after that!

Till Next Time,

-         Coach Kyle

"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still." - Chinese Proverb

So it’s been over a month since my last post. I know because I was reminded by a friend who is constantly keeping tabs on me (thanks Wolfie). Going through my days there are moments all the time that I feel worthy of cataloguing in what has become my online journal of thoughts (I feel like blog is too simplistic of a term). Of course as the day winds down I’ve either forgotten those moments or am simply too overcome with exhaustion to put my fingers to the keys and create something worth reading. Nevertheless, amidst the lost memories there is still much to discuss. The issue comes now is where to start and what to direction to go. I have always been divided it seems. I suppose it’s that way with everyone though. Our lives are so divided amongst the things we involve ourselves in. For me the most obvious are college student and college coach. Filtered in amongst those are son, friend, brother, writer, and Christian. Often times those all run together, but often I find myself as separate people with separate minds and desires all fighting for control over a single body rather than a whole person working all of those attributes seamlessly. It makes for a lot of wandering thoughts and late nights. With that this post is developed into a two part post. The first a more personal post while the second is a strictly basketball post. That being said depending on where your interests lay you can direct yourself to either or both accordingly.

Part. I

I’ve realized that there has actually been very little written about my personal dealings and feelings outside of basketball thus far. A large part of that is because that initially this journal was put together for the purpose of tracking my basketball ventures, but as I fairly warned with my initial post it is sometimes difficult for me to write without integrating at least some other feeling. This is the first time I’ve lived outside of Colorado, outside of Pueblo County for that matter. The town of Hastings shares great similarity with the typical small town. There is a quant downtown area with mom and pop type shops, there is a smattering of both fast food restaurants to go along with the local favorites, the biggest staples are the college and Wal-Mart, and the majority of students drive the 30 minutes to Grand Island or out to Omaha or Lincoln for entertainment.  For those who have lived in a small town know how wonderful the simplicity of a place like this is. The green grass that is everywhere and the familiar faces lend you to feel at home upon first glance. Of course for those of you have lived in small towns also know that integrating yourself is easier said than done. With the schedule I have, accompanied with the fact that my interactions are almost solely with my basketball players, I’ve found myself relenting my free time to the solitude of the weight room in the evenings, and on the weekends to running errands, harassing the Walgreens Redbox for movies, and church on Sunday morning. I know on the surface I came here to coach basketball and get an education. I know on a deeper level I came here to impact the kids that are playing for me and to build my skills as a teacher and coach. To this point I do feel like I’m doing all of those things, but during my times at home I have a strange sense that there’s more for me. There’s more out there than sitting at home in the evenings and weekends.

My Sunday mornings have one of the most blessed parts of the weekend (the other being deep conversations with an old friend). A few weeks ago I found myself in the parking lot of the church I assumed I’d avoid while here in Hastings. I’m not pulled in by large churches. I have strong feelings about how a church should run and have seen too many poorly managed mega-churches to be optimistic. When you first pull into Hastings and drive down Burlington Avenue you’ll see an overbearing sign “North Shore Church” with service times flashing above. Coincidentally it sits juxtaposed to a Chevy dealer sign equal in gaudiness. Hastings literally has a church on every street corner, and then a few more in the middle of the streets which allow for any belief system to find a home. I did some internet research hoping to find a good jumping off point for my “Church Search: Hastings Edition” and on Saturday night about four weeks ago find where I would visit first. The service time was 10:30 so I got myself ready accordingly on Sunday morning and put the address into my GPS (if any of my basketball girls are reading this they understand how important me having my GPS is). Arriving at the said address there was no church to be found. U-turns abounded (again, I know my basketball girls are laughing at that) and I found a church nearby, but the start time was 11:00, and I didn’t feel compelled to wait half an hour in the parking lot. Remembering that awful sign I couldn’t forget the service time that it displayed every time I drove passed it: 10:45. By the time I got over there, got parked, and walked in the door the timing would be perfect. Not wanting to miss another Sunday of church I swallowed my pride and walked into what would end up being a church that I connected with instantly. The welcome at the front door to start the service, and the kindly gentleman that took my name, number and address after the service because he knew he hadn’t seen me before were clinchers to the content that fell between. That morning’s service hit me in the heart. I’m waiting for the effect of the message to come to fruition in me before I delve too deeply in the content, but I’ve emailed the pastor and offered myself as a volunteer to help within the church in whatever way I can. It’ll be interesting to see where, if anywhere, I get directed, but I feel like the church is the perfect place to start when searching for substance. I’m excited for all that North Shore can be for me.

"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity." - Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC), Pro Publio Sestio

So I wanted to find some pictures to add on to this and it took me longer than I thought to get them scanned and uploaded. I wrote this about two weeks ago…

I don’t know what it is about the early a.m. hours that help to settle my mind. Maybe it’s the calm quiet of the dark, or just the lull of the final hours of my day that culminates into helping me put my thoughts down. We are in our last week before students show up to campus, which includes our athletes. This coming Sunday night when we scrimmage will be my first real look at what kinds of players we have. While I’ve watched a couple of game films from last season, I’ve only seen one NAIA game live. I’m extremely interested in the level of play that is the NAIA. Having been at CSU-Pueblo I was able to watch a lot of Division II basketball, and high level DII basketball at that watching the RMAC. The comparative factor will be intriguing and will also help when it comes to recruiting too I feel. Hastings competes in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). And a member from our conference has won 10 of the last 11 national championships for NAIA women. With that, our conference competes at the highest level of NAIA. Will we be able to compare ourselves to the likes of the RMAC women’s teams? As competitive as I am I’d like to think so, which makes me all the more excited to write about my findings.

With the gym still void of basketball players I have been sent out of the office to spend my time at the local historical society. The inception of the women’s basketball program at Hastings College came in 1977. Women’s basketball in those early years on up through the 1980’s were never tracked by the college, at least statistically speaking. Coach Dittman has assigned me the mission to put together, as best as possible, statistics, as well as a scrapbook of pictures and articles from those missing years. Hence my new home has been in the back of the Hastings Museum scanning through pages of microfilm from the 70’s and 80’s. While my task at first thought might appear tedious it has not only been enlightening, but invigorating. Reading through so many articles I can’t help but get attached to the teams. Having no prior knowledge of the successes from those years I find myself rooting for the teams of the past, frantically scrolling through pages to find out the results of the next game. Player’s names become ever so familiar, and as I find pictures posted in the paper I’m able to put faces to the names. The drama has become rather enticing to say the least!

-          This is the article after the first ever Hastings College women’s basketball game. 1-0 to start history.

As I journey through time it’s hard not to get lost in the titles of other articles as well as I peruse segments of the paper. It’s amazing how the concerns of the 70’s and 80’s mirror the concerns of today. Every type of article from worries about the failing economy, and the decisions of the president, to advertisements opposing abortion, and the jobs posted in the classified ads mimic what you would see in your local paper today. From one section to the next it is unbelievable how so much of the past parallels the present. Of course amongst the intrigue is that of the nostalgic as I look over the sports sections and read articles about the hall of fame athletes that I’ve only watched on ESPN Classic: Reading about the game “Pistol” Pete Maravich had “last night” and how Dean Smith’s Four Corners offense “stifled Wake Forrest” is like reliving things of legend.

-          This is the first ever team picture

I should have known I was in for something special when the receptionist at the front desk told me how to get to the Historical Society located in the back of the museum: “Go through those doors and turn right, then take a left at the polar bear and you’ll see it.” Only a place of wonder can be located left of the polar bear!

-          I never found a date on it, but you have to appreciate the visual. I don’t think girls should ever complain about uniform styles again!

Till Next Time

-          Coach Kyle

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'" - Eleanor Roosevelt

The hardest part about writing these is figuring out where to start. My emotions are extremely mixed right now as I sit here typing wide awake at the early hours of the morning. Having spent two weeks on campus working for Coach Dittman there has been a lot of work done in regards to my new position, but it feels like there has been a lot of work done in me as well. The physical work of my new job has been more about growing my mind than anything. As much as I feel I know about basketball, and even about coaching I have always considered myself a student of the game; continually learning and building knowledge to best suit my teams. The basketball knowledge I have begun filling my head with since arrival has actually dealt very little with x's and o's though. Day one in the office was hours of reading and memorizing everything possible about Hastings College and the crimson and white that I now wear. While I now know facts about campus history, and the ins and outs of financial aid, along with the types of programs and majors we offer, what I have found myself most captivated by is the rich tradition that runs through this campus. Even though I have only been here a short amount of time the traditions that are Hastings College are almost palpable. Walking along the sidewalk that winds through the 109 acres of campus gazing at each building, which have all been sculpted with the same beautiful Georgia Red Brick, a rich history and a story that is inviting and inspiring permeates from it all; and once you reach Lynn Farrell Arena you are immediately taken in the midst by awe and wonderment.

The massive Bronco that stands guard of the arena only slightly encapsulates the excitement that lies within. It astonishes me how in just a short time, between the campus, the people, the tradition, and the potential that are all here an individual can become so engulfed in this place. Perhaps it's my sheer eagerness, but perhaps it's also those tangible things that have already made me proud to be part of this place and begun to solidify my investment in it. Of course I say begun with great caution as my thoughts all too often drift back to home and to the things I left behind. No matter how much confidence I have in myself and my decision to come here I am still so much the wiry little boy running around my home on Spencer’s Mountain, the uncertain teenager trying to live up to expectation while wearing the #32 jersey, and the ambitious young man leading a group of excited girls through countless down and backs on the court. My life is a book that has troubles closing chapters. And even though I still feel a tugging back to the Greenhorn Valley, my investment here is full for while my soul is still purple and white, everyone bleeds crimson!

Come game day the arena will bring in anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 people, and that’s every home game. CSU Ft. Collins and even CU - Boulder will only see around 400-600 people. Some might find that surprising seeing as how we're such a small school, but that's almost what makes it so believable. I know all too well how invested communities can get when it comes to athletics. I can't wait for when the 2x defending national champions from Northwestern Iowa come to our place this season...I expect exciting things to happen in front of a massive crowd.

Along with researching about the campus I have spent many hours studying the art of recruiting. Referring back to my last post I'm trying to figure out exactly how to bring that talent I saw a few weeks ago here to Hastings. 15 pages and counting of handwritten notes on recruiting tactics are only shavings of the tip of the iceberg. While there is countless research and strategy to recruiting I have found out early that it's an art and not a science. In a lot of cases you either can recruit, or you can't, and even within that so much rests on 17 and 18 year old kids so nothing is predictable. It’s funny though how every time I call a kid, no matter what their talent level is, there is an excitement in their voices after they hear me say “I’m the assistant women’s basketball coach at Hastings College, and I want to talk to you about playing basketball for us.” Of course as excited as they may be hearing it I’m certain I’m more excited being the one that gets say it!

Till Next Time

- Coach Kyle