Observation #1. January 30, 2012. Larimer Gym. 4:30 p.m. - 5:33 p.m.:
I noticed that the girls are very organized, quick, and really on top of things. They are very well trained and able to quickly move from drill to drill without it being a big distraction or getting confused. They really are a team who supports each other and helps each other out on the court. I gained a lot of respect for them and the sport after watching the girls play today because of how well put together they are and their ability to retain all the confusing information and drills. It’s incredible all the terminology, plays, rules, etc. that they know and act upon.
Observation #2. February 7, 2012. Andreas Field House. 4:36 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.:
It was a very close game. The girls played with a lot of intensity and energy. They began to talk more as the game went on and they were making good passes. They have a pattern and system that is really noticeable. Lots of the time, they look to pass it wide and then into the center below the basket to Lauren who can shoot easily. The girls played well as always. It’s obvious that the varsity games are much more aggressive, fast-paced, and intense than the junior varsity games. JV and varsity definitely play at different levels.
Observation #3. February 7, 2012. Andreas Field House. 6:10 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. :
This wasn’t the girls’ best game. Maya and Morgan played very well. They had good intensity and the mindset to win. This was a pretty well matched game and even though it wasn’t the best for the Spartans, they still did a lot of good things. A common complaint from Coach Granzella was that the girls weren’t talking enough. As an athlete myself, I also noticed that they weren’t communicating as well as they could have been. Even though there were certain players that were doing noticeably well, they weren’t playing the whole time because they had to play a varsity game afterwards. This is one of the big problems with having a small team; there are swingers that have to play both JV and varsity. Therefore, the coaches don’t want to drain all the girls’ energy during the JV game. Overall, I think that it was a really close game and with a few adjustments, the Spartans probably could have won.
Observation #4. February 15, 2012. Larimer Gym. 5:00 p.m. - 5:40 p.m. :
It was a pregame practice so it was very laid back, especially since the season is almost over. They have moved away from hard conditioning and learning tons of new things. Now they are running the drills, improving their skills, and learning to become a better functioning team. They were just doing many different shooting drills for about 30 minutes. This shows that they needed a day of recovery from the Buena Vista game and an easy day to prepare for the game against Manitou Springs tomorrow. They also took time to discuss how their previous game against Manitou went, what Manitou’s strengths and weaknesses were, and what Salida needs to do to beat them. I thought this was very necessary and beneficial for the players to share their thoughts with each other and get excited for the game.
Observation #5. February 16, 2012. Andreas Field House. 4:45 p.m. - 5:35 p.m. :
JV was a little different than usual. Usually they start right after school and play before the varsity team does, but since Manitou wanted to get home earlier, they started later. This changed the game. Since the JV team is made up of all but three varsity players, this meant the majority of the team was already tired and worn out. They started off their warm up with a quick talk with the coaches and then proceeded with the rest of their warm up by themselves. They were taking it easy; not putting too much effort into it. They did shooting drills for most of warm up. Compared to Manitou, they had a more organized system of warming up then Manitou did which was cool. Closer to the end of warm up, they started doing fast paced, game type drills.
Observation #6. February 16, 2012. Larimer Gym. 5:50 p.m. - 6:20 p.m. :
The girls played well and tried to stay in the game with Manitou. They were really trying to do well because for one, it was senior night so they wanted to do well for McKinnley who was the only senior girl on the team. Also, it was the last game that will ever be played in the field house before it gets torn down. The girls were talking, making good runs, and playing aggressive. The ending score turned out to be 24 to 36, Manitou. This is not a bad score at all considering how fast paced and well executed the game was. The boys coach for Salida, Court Marquez, said that the Manitou boys varsity team was third in the state and he thought the girls varsity probably was too.
Observation #7. February 24, 2012. Salida High School Cafeteria. 12:15 p.m. - 12:48 p.m. :
This was a pretty bad day to observe. Only three of the Hoopsters were there, so it was not a very accurate time to observe. Lauren and Kelsey, both part of the team, never sit with the rest of the team. They both sit with their closer friends during lunch. I also found it interesting that Darryion goes home for school every day because she lives right across the street from the school. Lunch time is the time that socialization can occur the most during school. This makes me wonder what the friendship between Darryion and the rest of the Hoopsters is like. Is there a reason for leaving other than just having the convenience of going home? It’s really interesting. Other students said that this was daily.
