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Today's post is written by sophomore guard Kelby Fritz:
Finally, my first (and hopefully not my last) blog of the year... so here we go!!
So many things come to mind when i first think of Thanksgiving! I think of Thanksgiving BREAK from a student perspective!! :) Of course i think of FOOD...LOTS OF FOOD....AMAZING FOOD. I think of spending time with family. I think of the time i have to rejoice & reflect on EVERYTHING God has gracefully placed in my Life! I have learned growing up that tomorrow is never promised, as well as to never take things for granted. Thanksgiving day is a reminder to everyone about how thankful we should be for life itself.
As far as Thanksgiving goes for our basketball program it goes a little like this: An AMAZING Thanksgiving Feast on Thanksgiving Day, along with 2 GREAT wins for the Lady Lions on Friday & Saturday! I found myself on Thanksgiving surrounded by not only my family (mom, dad, brother, grandparents, & cousins), but also my basketball family (my teammates & coaches) & some of their families as well!! Since I only live 50 miles from Joplin in Vinita, Oklahoma, we decided to invite everyone over to enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner since some of the girls live far away! It was a great opportunity to have everyone there together relaxing & having a great time as well as preparing for what was in store for us as a team the next couple days.
Getting down to business we kicked off the weekend with a 71-46 win over Avila on Friday & another win, 67-61 over Evangel University. We talked a lot about how we had a business trip to accomplish during our tournament. This business trip mentality lead us to 2 wins!
With our non-conference schedule now over, we are looking forward to kicking off conference play!! We open up this Wednesday in Kirksville, MO against Truman State Univ. We are all very excited to get started & head into conference play! Our first home conference game is Dec. 4th against Central Missouri & I hope to see you there!
As for us....It's time to get down to business =)
Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!
Kelby Fritz Sophomore Guard
Today's post is written by freshman forward Kalie Lucas:
As we got ready for our first road game at UA-Ft. Smith last week, I experienced something completely new for me...a college road trip! With the game being our first real game and our first road trip, I was in for a lot of new things. The biggest difference I have noticed so far from high school to college is the preparation. Whether for the game, the trip, the pre-game meal, post game meal, or even how we pack for the game...our coaches make sure we are prepared for everything!
The scouting reports that our coaches make are like nothing I have ever seen. The scouting report was full of information about the players on UA-Ft. Smith's team, all of the plays they would run and how they would guard our offenses. In high school we never had anything like that!! We spent so much time in the practices leading up to that game covering everything about their team. I loved knowing what they were going to run and seeing all of the things on our report actually happen during the game!! Another new thing for me was the pre-game shootaround. In high school, if we did shoot it was on our own, not organized or dressed out in practice gear like we do here. That was really different for me but it helped me begin to focus for the game several hours before we were supposed to actually play.
Once we were on the way and headed toward Fort Smith we stopped for a pre-game meal at Applebee's in Rogers, AR. The day before we had already given our food orders to Coach Jones so that when we arrived our food was coming out of the kitchen and headed for the table. It was crazy to be able to sit down with that many people and be in and out of their in 45 minutes! Because of that short meal, we got to Fort Smith in plenty of time to walk around the gym, relax and get ready for the game. I liked having a chance to really get a "feel" for the gym and the rims and the environment. The intensity was high all around and we seemed very focused and ready.
We struggled offensively from the start of the game. We turned the ball over too many times and didn't convert on our free throw opportunities. We dug ourselves a hole heading into halftime that had to find a way out of. The second half told a different story as we scored 8 straight points right away to put us where we needed to be to have a chance to win. After several runs by both teams, we finished the game on a furious comeback and fell just 2 points short. I was so proud of our fight at the end of the game. We played so hard the final 5 minutes and showed a tremendous amount of heart by the way we finished the game.
After the loss to Fort Smith, we have really focused on getting better in practice. I feel like we have had a very good 4 days of preparation for nationally ranked Northeastern State University (OK) who we play Monday night! Once again, the coaches have prepared us for everything that NSU is going to do, now we can't wait to go out and execute the gameplan!! Please come out and support us in our first home game of the year!!
Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!
Kalie Lucas
Freshman Forward
Today's post is written by Senior guard, Jasmine Lovejoy:
My last stand with the sport I love has brought me to my senior year of basketball. This year has been full of excitement and some adversity that we have built on in a positive way. The beginning of my senior year has been the most wonderful experience of my basketball playing career. I am so fortunate to have the teammates and coaching staff that I have. It is obvious to me that this is quickly becoming a year I will never forget. Although we have faced some adversity, we have been able to find positives and grow and learn from these experiences. We have met these challenges head on, worked harder and come together as a team to get the job done.
We have done a lot of things as a team to continue to grow closer as a unit. One thing that sticks out in my mind took place on Halloween. Now this wasn't your typical Halloween night, because we spent the evening doing a canned food drive!! The event, set up by SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Council), was called "Trick or Treat, so others can eat". All the teams at Missouri Southern were asked to pick a particular area in Joplin and knock on doors and ask for canned food goods. The members of SAAC then delivered these canned food items to a homeless shelter to help them replenish their shelves. As a team we divided into 3 groups and hit the road through a local neighborhood. After over an hour of "Trick or Treating" we came back with 393 cans. It was a great time for us to grow closer as a team while getting to really do some good work for a GREAT cause.
In addition to things off the court, we have done A LOT on it as well!! The start of this year began with a 7 week long preseason that was the most mentally and physically demanding training I have ever been through. It consisted of running miles around the track on those daunted Friday mornings, enhanced weight workouts, sprint workouts, agilities, shooting drills, footwork drills, and groupwork (no more than 4 players on the court for 2 hours a week, per NCAA rules). All the work that we did during those 7 weeks was in preparation for the beginning of official practice on October 15th.
October 15th was the day that we took everything from groupwork and began to apply it to the framework of our team's system. As a team and individually we have worked on the very key fundamentals that will mold us into being a great team. Also for this past month, we have focused and placed a HUGE emphasis on the MOST IMPORTANT things to our success: making layups, making free throws, and limiting turnovers. We know that if we win the battle in those 3 areas, we will put ourselves in a great spot to be successful. We have challenged ourselves early this year with 2 very competitive scrimmages and an exhibition against the University of Arkansas. Those 2 scrimmages and the exhibition were a huge learning experience for our team. There were a lot of positives that we look to build on, but it also showed us the things that we must work daily to improve on.
Finally, after all of this work, we have come to GAME WEEK!!! This week we officially open our season with a Tuesday road contest at the University of Arkansas-Ft Smith and my last first game as a college athlete!! As a team, we are so excited to get our season underway!! To all of our fans: Thank you so much for your loyal and loving support. We lean so heavily on your support and your area GREATLY appreciated. For those of you who can't make it to the game, be sure to check out the radio broadcast through our website!
Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!
Jasmine Lovejoy
Senior Guard
Today's post is written by Assistant Coach Marcus Moeller:
We have a reached an exciting time of the year! We have finished our scrimmage and exhibition schedule and now we are officially in preparation mode for the beginning of our competition season!! There is a ton of excitement in our locker room as we begin to prepare for our season opener, on the road at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, next Tuesday, November 16th. We look forward to having a full week of practices in order to prepare to kick off our season.
This last week we competed at the University of Arkansas in an exhibition game. There were several positives that came out of the experience. We competed very hard for the first 16 minutes of the 1st half, but a tough final 4 minutes sent us to the locker room facing a 14 point deficit. After several impressive runs in the second half we were able to cut the lead under10 points on 2 separate occasions. We felt good about the way we competed and were able to identify several areas from the game that we needed to get back to practice and work on. Overall, we were grateful for the experience and felt it served as a good springboard into our season.
With our season opener being on the road on the 16th, we are thankful that we will return home for 3 consecutive non-conference games. Those games will all be played the week of Thanksgiving. Monday, November 22nd we play preseason nationally ranked Northeastern State University (OK). The following Friday in our very own Pizza Hut/Fairfield Inn Thanksgiving Classic we take on Avila University. To finish up the Classic on Saturday we take on Evangel University. That will wrap up our non-conference schedule because we dive into MIAA play on December 1st with a road tilt at Truman State University.
That's what is on the horizon for our team on the court, but what is on the horizon for this blog? We are excited to kickoff the section of our blog where you get to hear from our players! Over the next several weeks you will get to hear from some familiar faces and also get to meet some new ones. Our players always enjoy getting to use the blog as a chance to speak to all of you, so be sure to let them know when you read it!
Want to know who is writing next week? Well I can't tell you but here is your hint...this player provided one of the biggest highlights of last year when she drove the length of the floor and won a conference game with 2 crucial free throws after we trailed by 1 point!!
Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!
Marcus Moeller
Assistant Coach
Today's post is written by Assistant Coach Marcus Moeller:
When I was 8 years old, the likes of Todd Day, Oliver Miller, and Corliss Williamson won a National Title for the University of Arkansas. Over the years I have seen so many Arkansas greats play. I also had the joy of watching childhood friend and teammate Steven Hill play his collegiate career in that building. I distinctly remember sitting courtside when Arkansas knocked off LSU and their deadly tandem of Glen "big baby" Davis and Tyrus Thomas. For all of the memories I have of watching games at Bud Walton Arena, I am sure that none will compare to getting to coach in it.
Wednesday we travel to Fayetteville, AR to take on the Arkansas LadyBacks in an exhibition game. Like many things in northwest Arkansas, the name of the arena bears the name of the Walton family. The Bud Walton Arena has hosted many basketball games that stick out in my mind. Growing up in Joplin, Bud Walton Arena became a familiar place to me and my friends as we took in many Razorbacks games. The gorgeous facility definitely lives up to its nickname, "The Basketball Palace of Mid-America".
As a team, we are very excited for the opportunity to play such a quality opponent. The SEC rivals the Big 12 for the best women's basketball conference in the country. We have worked extremely hard and we are ready for the challenge that awaits. 2 girls on our team are probably a little more excited than the rest. Michelle Hedgecock and Shatara Stone will be returning to their home state to play this game! Michelle from North Little Rock, AR and Shatara from Fort Smith have both expressed a naturaul excitement for the game.
This isn't the first time we have had the opportunity to play Arkansas. 3 years ago we played at Bud Walton Walton Arena and lost a very hard fought game by 4! Our goal is plain and simple for this game, go down and compete as hard as we can on EVERY SINGLE possession. We are looking forward to roaring with Lion Pride!! The short drive from Joplin will be a fun one...are you going to join us??
Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION
Marcus Moeller
Assistant Coach
