Sunday….No practice
We gave the team a day off yesterday. I felt like our guys had worked hard to this point and deserved a break. Today is an important practice day because we are going to be introducing some new things. Our minds have to be sharp and ready to learn. To this point, I have been very impressed with the improvement of our 6-9 f/c, Zeljko Egeric. His last three practices have been the best that I have seen. He is really buying into the program and his commitment is absolute. Our new team members are coming along quickly. Pat Lepper, a 6-3 guard is doing a nice job. He really has a good shot. Jaraun Burrows, a long-legged young man from the Bahamas is giving us a much needed boost in the rebounding department. Chris Perkins is also filling the void at the point quite well. He is really doing a nice job of running the team at this juncture. Terry Jenkins and Keevan Miller are both kids who can play all of our guard spots. As they mature, they should help us, sooner than later.
Big day today…
DF
October 30th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Coach Fife,
It seems like IPFW is blessed with some very good young basketball players. At what point will you be set on a rotation of players and how hard is it to integrate all of the new players into the lineup since most of last year’s lineup will be returning?
I am a Hoosiers fan, but being from northern IN, I was thrilled when IPFW gave you the call. I am now a Mastodon fan as well. I was able to attend my first game last year and enjoyed following the success that you had competing against some of the other independent schools.
Thanks
October 31st, 2006 at 7:44 am
Very good basketball question.
While we are still quite young, this is as talented as we’ve had at IPFW in the past several years. As we move towards our first game, there is quite the competition for several spots. With four starters coming back, it will be very difficult for the new players to move into the starting lineup. That said, we are very pleased with the new players and as I mentioned, the five new players are going to really help us. The quicker the new players can pick up what we are teaching, the more they will see the floor. Our rotation is beginning to take shape and we will know more after Monday (Huntington University on November 6th), but it is important to let each player know that their job is never safe. This way, practices will continue to be competitive and players will constantly strive to improve.
Take Care.
DF