Welcome Back!

It's the first day of school and I have to say the parking lots are spectacular! Most people talk about the Bridger Mountains or the Tabacco Roots, or even our beautiful campus, BUT the newly paved lots were a special entry to start off the new year. It's also amazing to see the transformation of our community from summer to fall which I first hand witnessed going through Wal Mart this weekend while picking up my son's school supplies. If I was a more organized parent I would have done this a month ago, but what would be the fun in that? Instead I got to see many busy families purchase furniture, food, supplies pretty much everything in bulk that will possibly last a month if they are lucky. For certain, however, their pocket books have been wiped out! The pace of life has also changed bringing a little stress with it as well. The anticipation of finding classrooms, meeting new people, getting books makes every student's heart race just a little faster, but the students aren't the only ones feeling that today. One of those people is Drew Inghram, our marketing director, who I saw this morning. The Volleyball Blue and Gold scrimmage last night wrapped up successfully and now he is preparing for our football season opener this Thursday. I tried to offer him an ice tea from my fridge with the disappointing response of "no more Pepsi Max?" Isn't the ice tea so much better for him? So as you walk around campus today you will see alot of smiles and a lot of lost faces, but the most important thing you will see BOBCAT SPIRIT in the air!! Go Cats! Coach Bin

Year Round Basketball

The seasons have changed since I played the game. Legislation allows college coaches to train our athletes 8 weeks during the summer. Practices start the beginning of October rather than the traditional October 15th back in the day. College teams play at minimum, 30 games a year so when is the off season? For those of us who love basketball this seems like a dream come true but when it drizzles down to our youth programs, I am not so sure. Junior high is now playing travel ball, and the challenge now kids face is when they HAVE to start playing to keep up. As a kid, I grew up in the mountains of Swiss Village 20 or so miles out of the town of Carbondale, Colorado. I recall having a ball in my hands most of the day, or tree jumping, navigating the forest and doing plenty of tick checks with my older brother. Whether it was winter where we went 20+ miles down the hills on tubes until we ran home with bloody faces, or the summer where we played capture the flag and ran home when I lost to my brother, the last thing on my mind was playing travel ball every weekend because it didn't exist. Later on when we put a hoop in our driveway my time shifted to 1 on 1 games, shooting, and evenings spent working on my shot. My choices were my choices and I thank my parents for that. I feel like our generation today is in a catch 22. Starting travel ball so young seems to put athletes at risk for chronic injuries or burnout. However, kids who don't start competing with these teams may not have the confidence to play when they get a littler older. Perspective and knowledge are key so I choose the perspective that it's a great opportunity that kids now have with the knowledge that I don't want my kids to burn out or over train their bodies. So, my answer is go tubing and wait until Justin and Brooklyn ask me to go shoot at the park! That's what my family did this weekend anyway. Coach Bin

Official Visits-What to Look For

Prospects and parents will be visiting campuses in the next few weeks if they haven't visited already. Here are a few things to look for and ask as you have only 48 hours to determine the best fit for your next four years. 1) Would I like this university and community if I wasn't playing basketball? 2)What does the community say about the program? 3)What do the players & staff say was the hardest situation they went through? 4)Do you have my number? 5) Where is the gym? 6) How long does it take to walk from one end of campus to the next? 7) How many hours a week do you average on the court as a team? 8) What's your APR? Coaches will explain what this is-your retention and eligibility standards. 9) What are your former players doing now? 10) What is the coach's pet pieves? Ask both the coach and players. 11) What's the best day and worst day you have had at your school? Ask both coaches and the players. Bottom line is that there are probably 100 questions to ask. The challenge is to get through the "red carpet" and see the program as you will see it when you are LIVING it! Official visits can be so much fun and they can give you a very clear description if you know what to look for. Coach Bin

DEFENSE

What I love about our game is that you can play it so many different ways to still be successful. The options on the defensive end are limitless. 1) Where do you pick up? Half court, 3/4 court, full court. Many teams will change this choice depending on a made basket, dead ball situation, end of game situation, end of half situation. Plenty of stragic options to consider. 2) What is your go to defense? Are you conservative and stay in the play and force contested shots where you have great rebounding position? Conservative defenses run correctly have been very effective. However, my personality hasn't always matched this mind set having played aggressively in the back court, taking chances on steals, forcing quicker decisions of my opponent, with the motivation of dictating from the defensive end. I have always believed that the biggest rewards come with the greatest risk. Hard to win in my perspective if you don't put yourself out there. 3) What is your strategic plan defensively? Do you like to switch, plan man, zone, trap? Part of this choice also matches the kind of recruit you select to represent your program. I remember a few years back another coach describing our team as "wiry" as we were athletic, fast, and aggressive. Regardless of choice of defense the successful teams have two things in common. They dictate shot selection & limit second opportunities. Coaches have the responsibility of practicing these situations daily, having consistent points of emphasis, and making sure their players LOVE this end of the floor as much as they do. GO CATS!