Guest Blogger- Carly Grenfell

I guess I don't know why I'm ever surprised how fast time goes as soon as season hits, because it happens every year! Two weeks from today we hit the floor runnin'!! To sum up practices I'd say they have all been heavily learning-oriented, yet competitive and energetic. But I promise you we are catching on! Not to toot our own horn, but our team does, afterall, have a 3.3 GPA. Even if we weren't learning an entirely new system, in my mind the growth portion is what it is all about. That's how average teams transform into great ones. We are taking every mistake for what it is worth- and moving forward. One experience that especially stands out was one of the first days of a full team practice. To make a long story short, we had to run because of the bruises on Coach Jennie's arms that we apparently gave her. Between you and me- I think she was just bitter she couldn't hang with us in drills. But the point here is to not beat up on your head coach, because you will have consequences. Simple as that! No matter how serious the mistake, it always comes down to how you respond. Even the best players in the world mess up.  That is something I definitely have to remind myself on occasion! The awesome part about basketball is how dynamic of a game it is. If you can't shoot one game, you can always rebound or be a lock-down defender just to name a few options. I don't want to say you always get a second chance, but you can definitely make up for slack in one area by controlling your attitude and effort. The more you play, the more you realize these types of things. We are a young team, but a smart team. We couldn't be any more excited for this season! The learning curve continues day by day, but so does our excitment to grow into the team we know we can be. That's all for now, folks. GO BULLDOGS!!

CG 

First day of practice is today.  We waited until a little later than most programs to start official practice.  We could have started last week, but with this team being young, starting a little later can will be more effective as the non-conference season can drag on for younger players. 
I know there is always this excitement about the first day of practice, but over the years I've come to see it as just another day.  I think players should already be working hard and 'the 1st practice' shouldn't be a reason to all of the sudden start focusing and being energetic more than usual.  Trying to avoid relying on external things motivate is something today's players don't do.  They need music to lift.  They rely on someone to tell them they are doing a good job.  They need someone else's quotes to get them 'pumped' for a big game.  We are losing the desire to just outwork people, to beat someone else simply because that is what we enjoy doing.  When you rely on external things to motivate you, you lose control of how you act. You give that power to your external devices and if they are not there, then what?
The first day of official practice does change what we are allowed to do as a team, but it should not change how you are and what you do as a basketball player