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 Welcome to this season's Coaches Corner with TCU associate head coach Brian Ostermann.
Coach "O" hopes to provide a little insight into what's going on with Lady Frog Basketball. Our format will be pretty basic, as we will have random thoughts and statements regarding a variety of topics including but not limited to: team stuff, practice, game preparation, scouting, recruiting, future schedules, player development, and, of course, FUN THINGS.
March 1, 2010
"DOWN the STRETCH"
March Madness begins and `down the stretch' they come. Teams all over the country are fighting for regular season conference championships, conference tournament seeds and most importantly NCAA Tournament births. It used to be (in the olden days) that teams who won their regular season conference championships were automatically in the NCAA tournament. Several years ago that all changed with the `conference tournaments'. Now the conference tournament champion is the only team guaranteed a slot in the field of 64.
The Lady Frogs have clinched at least a share of the regular season championship and are guaranteed the #1 or #2 seed in the conference tournament (March 9-13) in Las Vegas. This is the final week of regular season play and there are some great match-ups beginning with OUR game vs. New Mexico. New Mexico may be the hottest team in the Mt. West. They recently beat 2nd place BYU for the 2nd time this season and have a 3-game winning streak. They have won on the road at San Diego State and at BYU this season. They also defeated YOUR Lady Frogs earlier this season in the PIT. Game time Tuesday is 6:00 p.m.! Should be a GREAT game!
Senior night is always special and we will celebrate our seniors on Tuesday night the final home game of their careers. We also have several special events in conjunction with the game be sure to check out gofrogs.com for details!
We are currently 21-6 and several of our team goals remain in focus. There are goals out there and our fans like to focus on those. Our TEAM will continue to keep it simple and keep its FOCUS on ONLY GETTING better at our next practice! Our next game focus in ONLY on NEW MEXICO on Tuesday. ONE DAY-ONE GAME at a time!!
Fans want to look ahead at one of our primary goals. Going to the NCAA tournament for the 9th time in 10 years! Finishing the season strong heading into the conference tournament is a big key. These final two regular season games and the conference tournament are HUGE and will impact the NCAA tournament selections. The ONLY guarantee (as noted earlier) for the NCAA tournament is to win the conference tournament (automatic bid). The other way of making the field of 64 is to gain an `at-large' entry. Finishing strong is one of several indicators the NCAA tournament committee will look at carefully. A year ago we won 7 of our final 8 conference games. Winning our final two games would equal that mark of 7 out of 8! We have a great opportunity against two very good teams in New Mexico (Tuesday @ Home) and BYU (Sat. away).
I have posted the current conference standings below for your convenient look. Other great match-ups this week that will greatly impact the conference tournament seedings include: Utah @ BYU (Wed.), SDSU @ CSU (Wed), TCU @ BYU (Sat), CSU @ Utah (Sat). Regardless how things finish I believe for the first time (since TCU has been in the Mt. West) there are 8 teams that can win in the conference tournament.
A quick glance at the Mt. West conference records (as of 3-1):
· TCU 11-3
· Utah 9-5
· BYU 9-5
· New Mexico 9-6
· SDSU 8-6
· Wyoming 7-7
· UNLV 6-9
· Col State 5-8
· Air Force 0-14
TRACKING the RPI (via CollegeRPI.com)
- (7-3) RPI 30 SOS 27 (Dec 17)
- (12-3) RPI 35 SOS 56 (Jan 11)
- (14-4) RPI 29 SOS 57 (Jan. 25)
- (16-5) RPI 36 SOS 64 (Feb. 4)
- (19-6) RPI 38 SOS 81 (Feb. 18)
- (21-6) RPI 39 SOS 85 (Mar. 1)
MARK IT DOWN NOW
- Tuesday March 2 (6:00 p.m.) - DON'T BE LATE! FINAL HOME GAME! SENIOR NIGHT!
It's a GREAT DAY TO BE A FROG! - Coach `O'
Feb. 18, 2010
Wow--finally a small break in the schedule (we do not play this Saturday). After the weekend off we begin the final four-game stretch of the rugged Mt. West Conference season! We have played 12 games and are tied in the league standings with BYU (3 losses each) for first place. There continues to be a log jam in the middle of the pack as there are 3 teams with 5 losses, 1 team with 6 and two teams with 7 losses. A lot can happen down the stretch.
Our recent stretch of games provided a great deal of excitement - after an easy win over Air Force we had a 4 OT thriller at Utah followed by a nice win over a good Wyoming club at home and then a disappointing loss at San Diego State. We played those last 3 games in a 6 day stretch. The three games in six days was the most difficult stretch of our schedule in conference play. Thus, this break comes at a great time for our team. Time to rest and heal some bumps and bruises. The time off will really help us as we prepare for the final four regular season games and the conference tournament.
Our final four games will be very difficult starting with UNLV Tuesday at home at 6:30 p.m. (they recently won at the PIT and at home vs. SDSU). We then travel to Fort Collins for a game at Colorado State followed by another Tuesday home game at 6:00 p.m. vs. New Mexico (we lost at New Mexico earlier). We finish up Saturday March 6th at BYU, which shares first place with us. Each of these final four games will have a very direct impact on the conference race and will determine the conference regular season champions!
Also, the final stretch will impact the NCAA tournament selections. It appears by all so-called prognosticators that the Mt. West will be a one-bid league. That means only ONE team will make the NCAA tournament from the Mountain West Conference. That is hard to believe as I think the league is much better this year than it was a year ago. Much better top to bottom! We will see how things shake out. OUR FOCUS is ONLY on GETTING better at our next practice! Our next game focus in ONLY on UNLV next Tuesday. It's important to keep things simple! ONE DAY-ONE GAME at a time!!
Fans love to look at the big picture so for all you fans I will still say 13 wins will obviously be a lock to WIN the regular season championship and it's possible a 12-4 mark will at least gain a share of the regular season title. There are many head-to-head match-ups amongst the 6 teams still in the hunt so it truly is `yet to be determined'! Every conference game will be fun to watch out of the final turn and down the stretch! GO FROGS!
A quick glance at the Mt. West conference records (as of 2-18):
· TCU 9-3
· BYU 8-3
· SDSU 7-5
· Wyoming 7-5
· Utah 6-5
· New Mexico 6-6
· UNLV 5-7
· Col State 4-7
· Air Force 0-11
TRACKING the RPI (via CollegeRPI.com)
- (7-3) RPI 30 SOS 27 (Dec 17)
- (12-3) RPI 35 SOS 56 (Jan 11)
- (14-4) RPI 29 SOS 57 (Jan. 25)
- (16-5) RPI 36 SOS 64 (Feb. 4)
- (19-6) RPI 38 SOS 81 (Feb. 18)
MARK IT DOWN NOW - UPCOMING HOME GAMES!!
· Tuesday Feb. 23 (6:30 p.m.)
· Tuesday March 2 (6:00 p.m.)
NEXT BLOG - We will take a look at how the Conference tournament is taking shape!
It's a GREAT DAY TO BE A FROG! - Coach `O'
Feb. 4, 2010
Wow--the Mt. West Conference race is heating up! We are at the halfway point. Eight games down and eight to go. Every team has a least 2 losses and 8 of the 9 teams have at least 3 wins. A lot to sort out prior to the conference tournament in Las Vegas. February will be exciting! This is shaping up to be the one of the best conference race's in the country and one of the best in Mt. West history.
The Lady Frogs are in the thick of it as we are 6-2 and tied for first place. We begin lap `2' with a home game Saturday vs. Air Force and a road game at defending conference champion Utah on Wednesday. Every game seems to take on greater importance as the weeks go by. One of the key things we are constantly challenging our team to do is just "get better today". While it may be a cliché we focus on getting better daily and taking one game at a time.
I believe it not only important for `teams' to get better daily during the season I also believe players can continue to `get better' each day. Players must improve their habits and a primary way to do that is with increased focus. We are beginning to shorten our practices so it's even more important that players focus is at its highest level.
A quick glance at the Mt. West conference records (as of 2-4):
· TCU 6-2
· SDSU 6-2
· BYU 5-3
· New Mexico 5-3
· Wyoming 4-4
· Utah 4-4
· Colo State 3-5
· UNLV 3-5
· Air Force 0-8
HOW ABOUT THIS ---
Since TCU joined the Mt. West 5 years ago...the regular season Conference Champions have had records of:
· 13-3 (05-06) - TCU finished 11-5
· 12-4 (06-07) - TCU finished 11-5
· 16-0 (07-08) - TCU finished 13-3
· 13-3 (08-09) - TCU finished 12-4
Notes:
· We are the only Mt. West team to finish in the top 3 each season.
· I would say that 12 or 13 wins should get a share of this season's regular season conference championship.
· A year ago at the midway point, the top 5 teams were: Utah 8-0, SDSU 6-2, TCU, BYU, New Mexico all were 5-3. Five teams were 5-3 or better.
· This year only 4 teams have a record of 5-3 or better. Ironically, 4 of the 5 that were at the top last season are at the top thus far this season.
TRACKING the RPI (via CollegeRPI.com)
- (7-3) RPI 30 SOS 27 (Dec 17)
- (12-3) RPI 35 SOS 56 (Jan 11)
- (14-4) RPI 29 SOS 57(Jan. 25)
- (16-5) RPI 36 SOS 64 (Feb. 4)
MARK IT DOWN NOW - UPCOMING HOME GAMES!!
· Saturday Feb. 6 (12 noon)
· Saturday Feb. 13 (12 noon)
THE "FUTURE"--a quick glance at our opponents for the 2010-11 season! (as of Feb. 4)
Opponent -- Record -- Nat'l Rank -- RPI Rank
@ Texas A&M -- 16-4 -- #10 -- 7
Georgia -- 18-4 -- #14 -- 17
Oklahoma -- 15-6 -- #13 -- 9
SMU -- 15-5 -- NR -- 39
Houston -- 10-10 -- NR -- 97
@ Fresno State -- 17-5 -- NR -- 46
UT Arlington -- 8-11 -- NR -- 225
Texas Southern -- 9-11 -- NR -- 277
Sam Houston State -- 5-13 -- NR -- 289
COMBINDED record = 112-68 (.622)
ONE GAME LEFT TO SCHEDULE
plus 3 tough ones (of the following in the Virgin Islands classic)
Tennessee -- 19-2 -- #5 -- 3
West Virginia -- 20-3 -- #8 -- 11
Georgetown -- 18-3 -- #16 -- 14
Virginia -- 15-6 -- #24 -- 13
WE ARE TCU -- 15-5 -- #26 -- 38
Iowa State -- 16-4 -- #19 -- 36
Georgia Tech -- 18-5 -- #21 -- 33
Missouri -- 11-10 -- 90
HOW GOOD IS THE VIRIGIN ISLANDS FIELD OF TEAMS???
SCHEDULE THOUGHTS
8 games vs. top-50 RPI teams
Possibly 6 games vs. teams ranked nationally in the top 25
This could be the most challenging schedule in TCU history!
It's a GREAT DAY TO BE A FROG! - Coach `O'
Jan. 25, 2010
Wow--the Mt. West Conference race is heating up! Just 5 games into the conference race things are already heating up! Everyone in the league has at least one loss and as many as 7 teams are "IN" the race. This is shaping up to be the one of the best conference races in the country and one of the best in Mt. West history.
The Lady Frogs are in the thick of it as we are 4-1 and tied for first place. We face two teams this coming week that are just a game and a game and a half out of first place (Colorado State & New Mexico, respectively). Every game seems to take on greater importance as the weeks go by. One of the key things we are constantly challenging our team to do is just "get better today". While it may be a cliché, we focus on getting better daily and taking one game at a time.
I believe it not only important for `teams' to get better daily during the seaso,n I also believe players can continue to `get better' each day. Players must improve their habits and a primary way to do that is with increased focus. We are beginning to shorten our practices so it's even more important that players' focus is at its highest level.
We are ranked for the third straight week in the AP poll (#20 on 1/25) and it will be the 2nd consecutive week in the coaches poll when those rankings are released tomorrow (coaches poll is released on Tuesdays). On Jan. 4 we entered the national rankings for the first time at #25 in the Associated Press poll. Last season we were ranked as high as #19 in the AP poll and #22 in the coaches poll.
A quick glance at the Mt. West conference records (as of 1/25):
· TCU 4-1
· BYU 4-1
· Colo. State 3-2
· SDSU 4-2
· Wyoming 3-2
· New Mexico 3-3
· Utah 2-3
· UNLV 1-5
· Air Force 0-5
TRACKING the RPI (via CollegeRPI.com)
- Dec. 17 - (7-3), RPI 30, SOS 27
- Jan. 11 - (12-3), RPI 35, SOS 56
- Jan. 25 - 14-4, RPI 29, SOS 57
MARK IT DOWN NOW - UPCOMING HOME GAMES!!
- Colo. State - Wednesday Jan. 27 (6:30 p.m.)
- BYU - Wednesday Feb. 3 (6:30 p.m.)
It's a GREAT DAY TO BE A FROG! - Coach `O'
Jan. 11, 2010
Wow-- it's been nearly a month since my last update. How fast can a season go! We finished up the non-conference portion of our schedule on Jan 2 and then started Mt. West play on Jan 6. Overall, we went 10-3 in the non-conference schedule and, while everyone wants to win them all, I can say that we are pleased with the 10-3 mark. The team checked off one of its pre-season goals as we went undefeated vs. teams from the state of TEXAS. Yes 7-0! Impressive wins at SMU & at Houston and the biggie over top-10 Texas A&M. Go ahead and say "we own the state"!
A second big first semester item was the academic performance of our team. Our team finished with a `team' grade point average (gpa) of 3.16. Academic coordinator Kelle Branting and her staff should be commended. More importantly let's give a tribute to the girls! Great job TEAM!! The 3.16 gpa is believed to be the highest single semester team gpa in the past 11 years. We WIN on the floor and we WIN in the classroom!
On Jan 4 we entered the national rankings for the first time this season. We were ranked #25 in the Associated Press poll. Last season we were ranked as high as #19 in the AP poll and #22 in the coaches poll. AP rankings are release later today and the coaches poll is release on Tuesdays. We are the only team from the Mountain West currently in the rankings.
Jan. 6 was the beginning of one of the team's other pre-season goals - to win the Mt. West Conference. We started conference with two solid wins over Air Force on the road and over defending conference champion Utah at home. This week ahead is huge as we face Wyoming (10-4, 1-1) in Laramie on Wednesday and then San Diego State (10-4, 2-0) at home (Noon) on Saturday. Both teams were picked in the top half of the league in the pre-season polls. SDSU was picked to win the Mt. West and was nationally ranked earlier in the year. Both of these games present great opportunity for our team.
It looks like the conference race is going to be exciting. All but one team (Air Force) won half or more of their non-conference games. A quick glance at the Mt. West non-conference records:
· Wyoming--9-3
· BYU--9-3
· SDSU--8-4
· New Mexico--8-4
· Utah--8-5
· Colorado State--8-5
· UNLV--7-7
· Air Force--3-10
- TRACKING the RPI (via CollegeRPI.com)
· (7-3) RPI 30 SOS 27 (Dec 17)
· (12-3) RPI 35 SOS 56 (Jan 11)
- MARK IT DOWN NOW - UPCOMING HOME GAMES!!
· San Diego State Saturday Jan. 16 (noon)
· Colorado State Wednesday Jan. 27 (6:30 p.m.)
· BYU Wednesday Feb. 3 (6:30 p.m.)
It's a GREAT DAY TO BE A FROG! - Coach `O'
Dec. 17, 2009
Each year our goal is to make the NCAA tournament. The only sure way of making the tournament is winning the post-season Mountain West Conference tournament. One of our GOALS is to win it in March.
There is one other way of making the NCAA tournament and we will look at that way today. It's called getting an "at-large" invitation. Several factors will be important in March regarding an invitation to the "big dance". Wins & losses in the non-conference schedule is one important criteria to the NCAA selection committee. This past Saturday we had one BIG win over a Texas A&M team that was ranked #5/10 at the time. Our team played very hard and we really dominated A&M the last 5 mins of the game to get the much deserved W!
Below I breakdown our non-conference schedule and also a look ahead to our final three non-conference games. I have included a look at the rankings from collegerpi.com for rpi and strength of schedule. Generally a top-40 RPI team is included in the NCAA tournament. However teams in the top 30 have been excluded in the past and teams ranked up in the 70's have been included. Winning the conference tournament is clearly the best way to get into the `big dance'!
THE BIGGEST WINS
vs. Kansas (7-2) RPI 17 SOS 19
Texas A&M (7-1) RPI 25 SOS 59
THE NEXT BIG WINS
Fresno State (7-3) RPI 105 SOS 187
@ SMU (6-2) RPI 53 SOS 81
-Those four teams above have a combined record of 27-8.
-Other wins include: Houston Baptist (0-8), Texas Southern (2-6) , & Louisiana-Monroe (5-5). These teams have a combined record of 7-19.
THE LOSSES
@ Oklahoma (8-2) RPI 4 SOS 5
vs. Minnesota (7-4) RPI 50 SOS 45
@ NC State (6-4) RPI 73 SOS 49
-Those three teams above have a combined record of 21-10.
-The 10 teams that we have played thus far have an overall record of 55-37.
THE NEXT THREE OPPONENTS
Sam Houston State (3-5) RPI 295
@ Houston (6-3) RPI 44 SOS 41
Texas A&M Corpus-Christi (4-3) RPI 192
TCU (7-3) RPI 30 SOS 27
MARK IT DOWN NOW -FINAL 3 NON-CONFERENCE GAMES!!
-Sam Houston State at HOME on Sunday Dec. 20 1:00 p.m.
-@ Houston Dec. 31 1:00 p.m.
-Texas A&M - Corpus Christi at HOME on Saturday Jan. 2 at 4:00 p.m.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Have a safe & enjoyable Holiday season! - Coach `O'
Dec. 2, 2009
I will call this my DECEMBER "SHOUT" out issue!!
Several things to touch on in this update. There has been such an increase in those reading my blog and I want to make sure I give plenty of "shout-outs" to ALL of our fans & readers! If I miss ya this time you better check back to my next blog!
-My first "SHOUT" has to go to our entire TEAM! A great bounce back win (after a disappointing loss to my home state Minnesota Golden Gophers) over #18/24 Kansas! A BIG TIME win for our team in the early season. Everyone pulled together and it was a TEAM victory! Individual player notes: NOT! It's ALL ABOUT OUR ENTIRE TEAM!!
-How about a "SHOUT" out to our Lady Frog Volleyball team! Congrats on the first ever TCU VB team's NCAA big. Good Luck vs. RICE in the first round!
-SUPER "SHOUT" to Coach Patterson & TCU FOOTBALL! 12-0! Mt. West Champions! BCS bowl game upcoming! We find out who & where this Sunday! Volleyball and Football have set a high standard for the rest of the sports.
-How about a "SHOUT" to my former players that are currently playing NCAA Division I men's basketball. My final team at MSU-West Plains in 2007-2008 had 8 players on it that are now playing NCAA DI ball (no wonder we went 27-5 that season!).
Morris Smith - 6'4" Sr. at UTSA
Rolando Little - 6'8" Sr. at Univ. of Idaho
Chris Williams - 6'7" Jr. at Central Arkanas
Devon Peltier - 5'11" Jr. at Cal-Fullerton
Anthony Allison - 6'0" Jr. at Southeast Missouri State
Duro Bejegovic - 6'6" Jr. at Sacramento State
Paul Carter - 6'8" Jr. at Univ. of Minnesota
Raason Young - 6'4" Jr. at Univ. of Montana
*Amaurys Fermin - 6'3" Jr. will redshirt this year
**Kajuan Watson - 6'4" Jr. red-shirted for me and is now at Southeast Missouri State
I am very proud of all of these guys. They finished their academic programs in junior college and now are `living the dream' playing DI ball.
-Gotta give a "SHOUT" out to my favorite mother-in-law and Aunt Jacquie - they follow the Lady Frogs online and on TV!
-How about a "SHOUT" to my entire family!
-A "SHOUT" to Sandora Irvin! Mark it down - special day Dec. 12th!
-The Lady Frogs are 5-2 as we face to very difficult road tests prior to our showdown with Texas A&M on Dec. 12th. We take on ACC power NC STATE this Sunday (5-2) and then rival SMU (6-1) in Dallas on Wed. Dec. 9. We will have to play exceptionally hard and well in both contests.
UPCOMING GAMES
@ NC STATE on Dec. 6
@ SMU on Dec. 9
Dec 12 at HOME vs. Texas A&M, 6 p.m.
Dec. 20 at HOME vs. Sam Houston State, 1 p.m.
MARK IT DOWN NOW - It's almost here!!
Texas A&M #25 at HOME on Dec. 12
HAVE A GREAT DAY! - Coach `O'
Nov. 16, 2009
WOW WHAT A WEEK!!
A GREAT week on the campus of TCU! This past week was a once in a lifetime special! College football GAMEDAY was live on the TCU campus all day Saturday! Our #4 ranked Horned Frogs pounded the Utes of Utah and improved to 10-0 on the season. Congrats to Coach Patterson and his entire staff on the big win and best of luck on a STRONG FINISH to the season!
Our `Lady Frogs' wrapped up the exhibition season (win over Cameron Univ.) and tipped off the regular season this past week! We are now officially underway and, after a season opening win over Houston Baptist, we have a 1-0 record. Things get much tougher THIS week as we host defending WAC Champion Fresno State on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday we travel to Norman, Okla. and take on the Oklahoma Sooners (last year's Final Four participant).
We are excited about the challenges that are ahead of us. Our team is really coming together mixing the veterans with the newcomers. We believe we have a very deep team (all 10 can play and will contribute in many BIG ways this season). We will find out a lot about our depth and our overall team in the next two weeks as we have 6 games in the next two weeks. It's a GREAT time of year! It's playing time! It's what our players have worked so hard for over the past several months!
UPCOMING GAMES--Pre-Season AP Poll (Ranked Opponents)
Fresno Stat--#52 at HOME on Nov. 18
Oklahoma--#13 on the road Nov. 21
Nov. 23 at HOME vs. Texas Southern
Minnesota--#39 in the Bahamas on Nov. 27
Xavier--#11 possible Bahamas on Nov. 28
Kansas--#20 possible Bahamas on Nov. 28
Dec 1 at HOME vs. Louisiana-Monroe
RECRUITING NOTES:
-We signed FIVE on November 11th. CHECK out the website for details!
-We hosted an elite few underclassman this past weekend. What a great weekend! We have FOUR players in our 2011 class and hope to sign FOUR good players NEXT fall. We are looking for our FIRST verbal in the 2011 class! GO FROGS!!
MARK IT DOWN NOW
-Texas A&M #25 at HOME on Dec. 12.
HAVE A GREAT DAY & HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING! - Coach `O'
Nov. 4, 2009
Injury BUG hits! First AP Poll is out! Scrimmages take Shape! A little football? Recruiting Notes!
Things can change so fast this time of year. Opportunities are everywhere for every player! Teams are beginning to define individual roles. Injuries can play a factor in those roles. The injury bug struck our team last Wednesday when our returning center (starter most of last season) injured her foot and is out until mid-late December. She of course will be missed. Ida, a freshman, also remains out and is week to week. Eboni, senior, is now at full practice, although her conditioning level is not back to 100%. Players in & out of practice due to illness or injury give opportunities to others to step up!
The first AP poll of the year is out and several of our 09-10 opponents are mentioned in the poll (see below). We received enough votes to be ranked #45 in the poll. A big highlight is our trip to the Bahamas. This will be a great opportunity for us. Ranked foes #11 Xavier & #20 Kansas play each other in the first round of our two-game tournament in Freeport. We face #39 Minnesota in our first round game. Regardless of that outcome we will face another RANKED team on the 2nd day. Obviously polls don't mean much this time of year but it does show that we once again face a tough non-conference schedule. A schedule that will give us many opportunities to build an NCAA Tournament resume. Four of our first six games are against teams mentioned in the first poll.
PRE-SEASON AP POLL (ranked opponents):
Fresno State #52 at HOME Nov. 18
Oklahoma #13 on the road Nov. 21
Minnesota #39 in the Bahamas Nov. 27
Xavier #11 possible Bahamas
Kansas #20 possible Bahamas
Texas A&M #25 at HOME Dec. 12
San Diego State #29 twice in conference play
WE ARE pre-season #45
We recently had TWO intra-squad scrimmages. We faced our male practice squad and it was very beneficial to play with clock, etc. It's the time of year where we really take a look at not only who is playing well individually, but also at what combinations of players play well together. This past weekend (Friday & Sunday) we really evaluated our team in many ways.
A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS:
Starr Crawford was the leading rebounder!
We took at least a half-dozen charges!
We played ALL man-to-man defense!
We shot the 3 pretty well!
Rebounding has improved but it's NOT where we want it to be quite yet!
· People fail because of lack of discipline.
· Knock the T off can't. You can if you think you can!!
A LITTLE FOOTBALL:
· The FROGS are 8-0 and ranked #6 in the BCS. They are #4 in the coaches poll. Big game at San Diego State Saturday, then home next weekend vs. UTAH!!! GO FROGS!!
· It's not often I toot the horn of my football-playing boys! Little John (10) had about 134 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns in his game this past Saturday. Older brother Robbie (turns 12 this week) was not to be outdone. He had 2 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions and 2 extra point receptions (all in the first half). More importantly both boys TEAMS won this past weekend! FOOTBALL is BIG in TEXAS!!!
RECRUITING NOTES:
· National signing date is November 11th.
· We have five verbal commitments for our 2010 class.
· We do have ONE remaining scholarship if we choose to use it next spring.
WHAT'S AHEAD:
· More scrimmages
· Exhibition game (Nov. 11 5:30 p.m. vs. Cameron University) & TIP-OFF DINNER after the game!!!
· Then the regular season opener (Sunday Nov. 15 1:00 p.m. vs. Houston Baptist)! It's HERE!
HAVE A GREAT DAY! - Coach `O'
Oct. 27, 2009
It's been 20 days since my last entry. So much has happened since. Another verbal commitment on the recruiting front! We have been picked 2nd in the Mountain West by conference coaches & media. The University hired a new Athletics Director! (Welcome Mr. Del Conte & family!) We started practice! TCU football remains undefeated and now is ranked #6 in the BCS. Our Volleyball team is 19-5 and in 2nd place in the Mt. West! WOW what a month!
OUR first 10 practices are in the books! Expectations for our team heading into the season are (as always) high! The first "10" have been a little more up & down than we would like but progress is being made! A few random thoughts and some of the highlights:
1. Freshman have been impressive!
2. Eboni & Ida have been limited to non-contact practices.
3. Excellent depth and competition at all spots! Starting spots up for grabs!
4. Several players have had the "practice player of the day" shorts on!
(player is selected daily based on who performs the "emphasis" of the day the best that particular day!)
5. Complete offensive system is coming along nicely!
6. Man defensive drills have shown marked improvement as a team!
7. Everyone needs to be more consistent!
8. Taking charges is fun!
9. WE have more GOOD players than we did a year ago!
Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing. -Schiller
(we continue to push our team to get out of their comfort zone-dare to be better than average or good!)
Don't be content with being average. Average is as close to the bottom as it is to the top.
On the recruiting front - we have five verbal commitments for our 2010 class. Per NCAA rules we are not allowed to comment on them until they sign their official letters of intent (Nov. 11). We do have ONE remaining scholarship if we choose to use it next spring. We are always keeping our ears open for a transfer at mid-year or for next fall. In addition, we will keep our eyes on late developing players in the class of 2010. While we do watch what's going on in the 2010 class our primary attention now turns to the class of 2011. We have four, possibly five scholarships available for that class. Remember it's all about the players! You have them or you don't! Recruit! Recruit! Recruit!
Let's take a quick glance at our current personnel after 10 practices -
Chantelle - Forward/Post - Shooting it well both in & out, Must improve running rim to rim and on the defensive end of the floor!
T.K. - Shooting with confidence, Best `dive' on the floor player on the team, Must push for HIGH LEVEL consistency!
Eboni - Wing/Guard - Limited to non-contact practices - Returning from knee injury in which she missed most of last season - was last season pre-season newcomer of the year pick - IF she can get healthy SHE CAN help us in several areas! Must Get back to 100%!
Micah - Forward/Post - Doing a better job on the glass, Must improve running rim to rim and on the defensive end of the floor!
Rachel - Forward/Post - Really making the `extra' pass on offense, Must improve running rim to rim and on the defensive end of the floor!
Helena - Guard/Forward - Playing much more physical especially on the inside and finishing at the hoop, Must push for HIGH LEVEL consistency!
Emily - Wing/Guard - Has been slowed a little with a minor injury, One of our more cerebral players, Must push for HIGH LEVEL consistency!
Nette - Guard - As always plays with great energy and tenacity on defense, Continues to make progress offensively. Must improve decisions on offense!
Delisa - Forward - Really picking up things well, Plays with very good effort! Developing! Must improve offensive recognition!
Hannah - Guard/Wing - Playing with no fear as a freshman! Must improve decisions on offense!
Ida - Guard - Limited to non-contact practices - Excellent shooter. Must get healthy to fully practice and develop!
Starr - Forward/Post - Picking up things at a good pace, Can be a defensive stopper and rebounder right now! Must push for HIGH LEVEL consistency!
WHAT's AHEAD - scrimmages, exhibition game, then the regular season! It's getting so close! The NEXT 10 practices we will continue to work on defense, rebounding and the development of our primary offense. We will also take a closer look at `player combinations'. It's important to find the right combinations! The NEXT 10 are huge!
November is right around the corner! Let's make it another GREAT month in TCU sports!
Go Frogs - Coach `O'
Oct. 7, 2009
WOW It's OCTOBER! Time for some more random thoughts!
OUR final 10 days of pre-season conditioning will end on Thursday. I am sure the players will be thrilled to have a few days off. Our fall break will make it a four day weekend! We will give the team time off (it's been a very good fall!) and get back at it next Tuesday night and then begin official practice on October 16th.
I want to give some props to Andy Anderson our sports information director. He has been doing a `look back' at the past 10 years on our website. Please check it out! Great information! What a great first 10 years under coach Mittie. The next 10 begin soon!
Success in never final and failure is never fatal.
Our staff has been busy on the recruiting trail. Today (Oct. 7th) wraps up the contact period. We have attended practices, fall games, made in-home visits, made school visits, it's been busy! The fruits of our labor ---the official fall signing date is November 11th--- and we will be signing another very solid recruiting class (If it finishes well it could be a top 25 type class). We have some excellent verbals and we hope to add a really good player in the next week! Keep your fingers crossed. We can't mention names but you will read about the entire signing class in November.
Speaking of recruiting - once we finish up the 2010 class we will look towards the 2011 class. Several factors will determine our needs for the class of 2011. How the 2010 class finishes along with how the 2009 class develops will have a direct bearing on the 2011 class. Here is a quick look at how our 2009 class is doing - (our 2009 class is consider top 3 AGAIN in the Mt. West) Collectively, it's way too early to tell how this recruiting class will turn out but I will say they have the credentials to end up very good. More importantly, this a really fine group of young ladies and we enjoy working with them and will continue to push them daily!
Let's take a quick glance -
Delisa Gross - wing - won a state championship - has been slowed by injury this fall, was doing a solid job early.
Hannah Christian - wing/guard - must continue to get into collegiate shape - has displayed toughness in 1-on-1 drills during workouts.
Ida Tryggedsson - shooting guard - slowed by injury this fall - is in very good shape and has ability to shoot lights out!
Starr Crawford - forward - Metroplex player of the year - won a state championship - she is having a very solid fall - she can have an impact as a freshman!
Scoring - scoring and more scoring. Coach Mittie's teams have been at the top or very close to the top every year in scoring points. Last season we led the Mountain West conference in scoring and our fastbreak is something that we make a priority. Look for the Lady Frogs to once again run-run-run!
Some things we do at TCU -
WE GO TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT!
WE FASTBREAK!
WE PLAY AS A TEAM!
WE HAVE FUN!
WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE!
WE GO TO CLASS!
WE GRADUATE!
A quote from Aristotle - "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
That's a good quote so therefore - WE HAVE A HABIT OF WINNING!!
Go out & make it a GREAT DAY! Go Frog!
Coach `O'
Sept. 21, 2009
IN THE THICK OF IT!
We are in the `thick of it' right now. Fall lifting, conditioning, work outs and plenty of academics. Our players are in the thick of their early exams in their respective classes. Believe me they are plenty busy and our season hasn't even started yet (October is getting much closer).
Speaking of busy. Our staff is busy on the recruiting trail. The 16th marked the first day of the fall recruiting period for NCAA Division I programs. Due to family circumstances (I visited my mother who moved home she is disabled after suffering a cardiac arrest last January. ) I missed the first week of recruiting but thankfully we were able to have Sandora Irvin take my spot for the first several days. My first recruiting trip is scheduled for next week. Coach Mittie, Haut, and Davern are hitting it hard this week.
Back to the `thick of it'! We are in the heart of fall recruiting. We had a great player visit this past weekend and a few more are scheduled to visit in the coming weeks. It's that time of year. Players making visits - players making decisions! We hope to add 2 possibly 3 more players to our fall signing class. We would like to add a total of 5-6 players in this senior class of 2010. We need at least 3 `impact' players in this class as we graduate 3 pretty good seniors (TK, Eboni, Chantelle). Plenty of playing time is available right away! It's still a little early (signing is in November), but we feel good about where we are right now in the process. Several key players will be making their decisions in the next few weeks!
After attending our first home football game of the year (a `HUGE' 56-21 win for the Frogs!) I was asked several times not only how things have been going but "how good you all gonna be". That is a great question and one that would take too long for me to answer in this blog. So maybe I will tackle it in a future entry! Finally, the `BIG' news item for this week. Our Frog football team travels to Clemson this week! We are ranked #15 in the nation and this is a `HUGE' game! Good luck to Coach Patterson, his staff and the team!
Have a terrific day and thanks for reading!
Coach `O'
Sept. 4, 2009
GREAT FIRST TWO WEEKS!!
It's already time for a break (Labor Day weekend) and we are just starting to have SO much fun! First week went really well with "Life Skills". Everyone was able to get back into the swing of things with class, weights, and conditioning. This past week we added individual workouts to the players schedules. Our first two hours of individual work went very well! Collectively our team looks to be in excellent shape for this time of year (not where we want to be in October but real good for now)! Our work ethic is very businesslike most days! We just bring our lunch pails and get the job done! I really am impressed with the dedication this group has and is displaying. We seem to be on a mission!!! We will talk more about our mission in future blogs!
Individually our team also looks good so I will provide a quick note on each of our 2009-2010 players.
Chantelle - Looks to be leaner & meaner, a step quicker, perhaps preparing for a good senior year.
Eboni - Recovering from major knee surgery, when she gets completely healthy and regains her `edge' look out!
`TK' - Continues to get better! Great summer! Great shape! Big senior year ahead!
`Emily' - Picking up where she left off last season (2nd team all-conference) and that my friends is a good thing! A very good thing!
`ICE' - Finished the summer with her `Icelandic' national team. She looks excited about taking the `next' step!
Michah - Really looking good in individual workouts! Shooting it very well!
Rachel - Looks to be more explosive, quicker, and stronger. Should add up to `big' things!
Nette - Looks like a sophomore! Improved & what a difference a year can make! She just works so hard!
Hannah - Freshman just realizing how hard this is going to be! Talented and tough!
Delissa - Freshman already getting stronger and bigger! Good work ethic!
Brandy - Freshman I can't quite call her `Star' yet (although I do believe she can be one) as she hasn't had a single college rebound yet! She is working hard and is a very impressive athlete. She was the `Metroplex Player of the Year' for a reason. She's good!
Ida - Freshman that has had a health set back so is limited in some of her workouts. But WOW what a shooter!!
Again, collectively our 2009-2010 team is more talented and much deeper than a year ago. There is a saying that the strength of the `wolf' is in the `pack'. I really like the quality and depth of our `pack'! Can't wait to really get it going!
A couple of `BIG' news items for this week. Our Athletics Director Dr. Danny Morrison accepted the position of President of the Carolina Panthers of the NFL. We will miss Dr. Morrison but are really excited for him and his family. What an awesome opportunity!! The second `BIG' deal is of a personal note. My mom (who has a major brain injury due to cardiac arrest) will be moving home Sept. 4th. She has not been home since early January!
On the recruiting front we have narrowed the scope of our recruiting to a handful of prospects for the 2010 class.
We have a few verbal commitments (signing date is in November) and hope to gain an additional two or three KEY recruits. We have set `official' visits with a few top targets beginning in mid September. It's really important that we sign TWO impact players! We are a top 50 program in the country (I think 8 NCAA's in the past 9 years qualifies us) and it's important that we sign players that will keep us among the best in the nation! It's all about having good players and we must sign some good ones this year (2010 grads) and next year (2011).
Have a terrific day and thanks for reading!
Coach `O'
Aug. 12, 2009
WHAT A SUMMER!!
It's already August 12th! A special day in my family as it's my brother's birthday and also our Aunt Jacquie's birthday. Aunt Jacquie is also one of the Lady Frogs' best long distance fans! She (along with her sister--my favorite mother-in-law) seeks out places to watch the televised games and also pulls them up on the internet! A true fan!
It's been about six weeks since my last entry. July just flew by literally as we were criss-crossing the country recruiting. Obviously, when you are a top-50 program in the country (I think 8 NCAA's in the past 9 years qualifies us) it's about having good players and we must sign some good ones this year (2010 grads) and next year (2011). This was my first summer on the road recruiting high major players for the Lady Frogs. I really enjoyed seeing the nation's best! We already have a few verbal commitments (signing date is in November) and hope to gain an additional two or three KEY recruits. It's really important that we sign TWO impact players!
Our players will be arriving the weekend of August 22nd. Classes begin on Monday the 24th. It's almost HERE!!! The beginning of another school year is always exciting. Anticipation for this year will be more exciting than ever. We return our top 8 players from last season's 20-win ball club and NCAA Tournament participant. Last year was a `new beginning' as we were coming off a disappointing 07-08 season (yes 23 wins was good but missing the NCAA's that year wasn't). The `new beginning' was simply starting a new NCAA streak! We did that and then some. We knocked off two teams ranked #3 in the nation (Maryland & Cal) and finished just one game back in the Mountain West Conference race. We started 4 sophomores the majority of the season. Those 4 sophomores now are juniors and we also return 4 other key players from last year's team. In addition, we have added 4 incoming freshmen to the mix. Competition for playing time will be at an all-time high. We have a very talented group, and while depth was a problem a year ago, depth could very well be a big strength for us in 2009-10!
Time for me to get back to a little recruiting and some thought and preparation for the upcoming season. If the players are arriving in a week then my experience tells me October will be here very, very soon!
Have a terrific day and thanks for reading!
Coach `O'
June 24, 2009
IMPRESSIVE WORK!!
Our players have been impressive this past week. They have really done a nice job helping with our summer basketball camp. Seven of our returning players have been spending this week officiating games and working with kids (while they are not attending their summer classes).
The ladies have been busy not only with camp but continue to work in the classroom & the weight room. Our strength and conditioning coach Levi Wemmer along with our trainer Val Tinklepaugh have been leading voluntary workouts during the summer. This month of June we have had 7 returning players from last season and have had three of our four incoming recruits getting `work' done! It appears it's been a really good first half of the summer!
July is going to be a busy month as four of our staff members will be hitting the recruiting trail. The NCAA allows three coaches to be out at any one time so Tonya Haut (our recruiting coordinator) has been busy coordinating our schedules. It's always exciting to get out and see the prospects. We have a few scholarships left to fill for the 2010 class so this is an especially important evaluation time for us.
Once July wraps up we will look forward to getting our top prospect on campus visits. The before you know it the start of another school year. Our players will have a couple of weeks to get back home as they finish summer school July 31st and will not have to return until August 22nd. Wow another school year just around the corner. It comes and goes so fast (I must be getting old already?) Let us all enjoy the daily journey! Enjoy the summer!
Until next time-have a GREAT day because it's a GREAT day to be a Lady Frog!
GO FROGS - Coach `O'
May 18, 2009
SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER!!
Not really---but our players will take off about a month before beginning summer school. Most of them will only take 2 classes. Summer is a great time to really hit the weight room and get stronger. Our strength and conditioning coach Levi Wemmer along with our trainer Val Tinklepaugh will handle all voluntary workouts during the summer. We return 8 players from last season and have added four incoming recruits. It will be a great summer.
It's hard to believe the 08-09 school year is over! Players need to be reminded how fast their college careers really go! It's so important to enjoy each and every moment and take advantage of every opportunity in the classroom and on the court! Before you know your four years will be history.
Once one season is concluded another season quickly approaches. The prognosticators are already projecting next seasons field of 64. Charlie Crème from ESPN.COM recently (April 14) came out with his 64 teams to watch in 2009-2010. Defending national champion Connecticut is of course #1. Our Lady Frogs check in at #39 on the list. Mountain West teams San Diego State (#23) and Utah (#44) were also in Charlie's 64. Teams outside of the Mt. West, that were listed, that we play next season include: Fresno State (#56), at Oklahoma (#12), Minnesota-in the Bahamas (#37), Kansas (#30) or Xavier (#10) also in the Bahamas, and Texas A&M (#28). Both SMU & Houston were mentioned as possible contenders in C-USA and we face both on the road. It's obvious to see that our schedule once again is very difficult. We do our best to put together a schedule that will give us a high rpi at the end of the season. Our goal each year is to make the NCAA tournament. The best way is to win the Mt. West Conference tournament automatic bid. The only other way is to be selected as an at-large team (as we were this past year). Teams must play other good teams (and win some of those games) and have a high strength of schedule/rpi. Each year we attempt to put a tough schedule together. 2009-2010 is no different as we could face 8 teams in our non-conference schedule that will be in the top 100. Challenging once again-yes! But what a GREAT OPPORTUNITY for our team!
Until next time-have a GREAT day because it's a GREAT day to be a Lady Frog!
GO FROGS - Coach `O'
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