Next Play

Wartburg Holiday Champs

Sometimes you just have to grind it out, and that was the story against St. Norbert on Wednesday. We knew going in that they were really good defensively and they certainly showed it in the first 10 minutes of the game. We missed several open shots, but they didn't give us anything easy either. Good teams do that and we found ourselves down 24-3 at the 9:00 mark of the first half. Oddly enough, I wasn't really very nervous about it at the time. I just knew that if we stuck with it we would be ok. A couple of adjustments on both ends and better execution and we were able to cut it to 29-17 by the half. I was really proud of our defensive effort once we settled in. After giving up 10 field goals in the first 10 minutes of the game, they were only able to manage 10 more over the remainder of the game.

Abi Weidemann and Emily Timmermans had key spurts during our 2nd half run before Steph Reiter hit two threes in three possessions to cut their lead to one by the midpoint of the 2nd half. We finally got over the hump when Sam Harrington and Abbey Hempen hit back-to-back threes for our first lead of the game at the 2:36 mark. Abbey got fouled on a three point attempt the next possession and hit all three free throws for a 4 point lead which helped seal up a great win over a very good team for our Holiday Tourney Championship. That capped off a pretty good week. I was most proud of our bench and how much they were in to the game. This team is close.

This stretch started a key 9-0 run midway through the 2nd half:

Our players have really bought in to the 'next play' mentality. It was very apparent right away in shell drill at Thursday morning's practice. I like our determination and we are still improving...we need to. Can't wait for practice tomorrow!

Great Weekend!

I really enjoy being with my team after finals each December on our annual trip. It gives us an opportunity to experience new places and new teams, but also a chance to bond off the court. After finals were completed on Thursday afternoon, we had a short but hard practice before taking off for Galesburg, Illinios - halfway to Indianapolis. We practiced at Knox College on Friday morning before making our way toward Indiana. Thank God the weather cooperated!

One thing I have learned over the years is that girls need to shop! So after a nice team dinner on Friday evening we had some time at the mall in downtown Indy. Saturday morning we enjoyed a trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and spent a couple hours at the NCAA Hall of Champions, where the championship banners from the previous year are displayed. It was pretty cool to see Wartburg well represented!

I was a little nervous about how we might perform in the Franklin College tournament after having limited practice opportunities and a long trip to Indy, but our team really came together and played as well as we have all season. Our first matchup was against Spalding College out of Louisville, KY. They are a really athletic team that I thought might pose some matchup problems, but our defensive pressure really got to them and Abbey Hempen's three point buzzer beater completed an unbelievable run that sent us into the locker room up 43-8! That allowed us to limit our minutes and be fresh for the championship game the following afternoon.

Sunday we beat a really good Franklin team to claim the tournament championship. I was really pleased with our energy and I really felt like our team was all about togetherness. This team really understands the importance of giving themselves up to be a part of something bigger and it has really shown on the court our last several times out.


Hempen buries three to end half:

Finals Week

The team is stressed. It was evident at practice last night - our minds were on other things. I'm ok with that. Finals started today and I could tell our focus was not on basketball. The balances of being a student-athlete are challenging, and our girls take pride in their coursework. I'm proud of them.

As you can imagine, book bags accompanied us on our trip to Grinnell on Saturday and it was pretty quiet on the trip down and back...getting ready for exams this week. The girls usually study on road trips, but Saturday's was a little different; much more focus. It has been a tough mental stretch for them with the start of conference play and finals back-to-back, but I know they will handle the challenge well.

After dropping our home conference opener to Central, we rebounded with two good wins on the road this week. Much needed...

It has really come down to defense with this team - when we defend well we will have opportunities to win. When we don't, it will be hard. Not really profound, but true - very true. We weren't sharp defensively against Central and they took advantage of us. We are still learning that any one possession can cost us and we need to play a great 40 minutes. I see a basketball game kind of like finals week. If you stay focused throughout the whole semester - stay up on your work - you don't have to 'make a play' on the final exam. If we are able to focus and get a great effort the entire way, one slip up at the end of the game won't likely cost us.

Wednesday night our team had a tough test on the road...at Loras. They are a VERY good team and have a lot of weapons! I was really pleased to go over there and hold them to 61 points (15 below their average) and hold on for a 1 point victory. I anticipate many close games in our league this year that come down to the last possession or two.

On Saturday at Grinnell our energy and pressure led to a big first half run. We forced some mistakes and converted on them much better than we have in other games. That has been something that has haunted us a little bit early in the season. It seems as though we haven't been able to take advantage of opportunities, but it was much better on Saturday...hopefully a good sign.

We had a very short 1 hour practice today. Probably more of a study break than a practice but I was really happy with our focus and effort for the time we were in the gym. Tomorrow and Wednesday off should get us through exams and also give us much needed time away from the game before we get back after it on Thursday.

Next up - a very athletic Spalding University team in the Franklin, IN tournament.

Entering the Tough IIAC

Starting 0-3 this year was hard. But through it, we have gotten better. We purposely scheduled games this season that would challenge us right out of the gate and while our record is disappointing, the progress that we have made is not. Teams use early season games to find themselves and this team is no different. We have alot of very good players with different skill sets and it has been alot of fun finding ways to use them all. It was good to get a strong performance on Sunday and our defensive intensity was a big reason we were able to get our first win of the year.

Almost plays don't win you games, and we have had alot of those so far. We do need to begin to 'settle in'. We've learned alot about who we are and where our strengths lie, and now we need to get comfortable with ourselves and become more consistent. I think we can do that. I saw signs of it this past weekend and it was really good to see Samantha Harrington give us the consistent play we need from her. We also took 4 charges on Sunday and two black eyes and I LOVE it! Senior Hollee Silvey showed some toughness after taking an elbow to the face on Saturday by stepping in and taking a charge in the first couple minutes of getting on the floor on Sunday. I was really proud of her with a solid floor game with 6 assists and 1 turnover. Steph Reiter is still paying for the two charges she took, but I know she will step in for another one next chance she gets.

One of the things I like best is to see players make the most of opportunities and I thought Larin Carlson did a great job of that this weekend in her first varsity minutes of the year. 8 pts / 5 rebounds off the bench...Great job Lar!

Central College comes to town on Saturday for our conference opener. One of many things I have learned over the past three seasons is that this league is tough. Every team has good players and every team is well-coached. Central will be ready to go, no doubt about it. There isn't a team in our league who has played a tougher pre-season schedule than them, and they showed last night that they can be a very good team by taking conference favorite Simpson to the wire. When Central gets it going, they can really score and we will need a great defensive effort on Saturday.

It should be fun.

A Week Away

Oh I love this time of year! A week away from practice and a million things going through my mind. What I look forward to the most is working with our players on a daily basis. The interaction we share before, during, and after practice are the best times for me as a coach. I know our players are ready too. The excitement and energy at that first practice every year is unbeatable!

Before moving into our first week my staff and I will review where we were, where we are, and where we are going - again - something we have done several times since March! In reviewing last season, we have to do a better job of getting out of the gate. We started slow in way too many games last year, and although we still found ways to win many of those, we made it way too hard on ourselves by digging big holes early in games. Too many times we had to come back from significant deficits early in games.

Gustavus - down 25-34 late in the first half - won 72-68
Central - down 26-16 and scraped out a 72-71 win on some tough defensive stops
Coe - in a hole right from the start 13-2, but defense got us going; won 66-62
Cornell - down 9-0 on three quick 3's, countered with some of our own; won 66-41
Loras - down 8-2 after three possessions, but didn't panic; won 72-52
Dubuque - trailed 12-3 to start, won in OT in great back and forth game; 76-74
Buena Vista - down 34-22 late in 1st half; stuck with it and pulled it out 86-83
Loras - down 14-4 right away, 29-17 late in the half, but defense again; won 61-54

Are we warmed up properly?
Are we distracted, not focused at the beginning of the game?
Do we need to tweek our starting line up?
Are we not executing early in the game?

These are typical questions we ask ourselves and there are many other areas that we have evaluated as we prepare for an even better run this season. I guess the good thing about our team last year is we never quit. I am really proud of how we were able to battle back again and again in these situations; I think it says alot about the heart of our team.

Peeking in on the WNBA Finals with my daughter Paige tonight and Phoenix in a hole early got me thinking about this again. They did a great job pushing the tempo on Indiana and went on a great run to take the lead after the slow start - looks familiar. Paige thinks if we had Cappie Pondexter, we would be a better team...I guess I can't argue. Not the first time my 8-year old has pointed out the obvious!

Big goals this year! Hope you can make a game.

Gearing up!

Can't believe we are already into late September! I am really excited about who we are as a team right now. Our players really understand the importance of leadership and chemistry and that should help continue to propel our program forward!

Our captains:
When I think about our two captains, I think about two things - maturity and growth. It has been very rewarding for me to see how all of our players transform over the course of a few years, and I am especially proud of how our two captains have embraced their roles as leaders for our team.

Hollee Silvey; Sr Guard, Iowa Falls
Hollee has come SO far from the day we got her - both as a player and as a leader. I often think about her first few practices and how far she had to go, but also how eager she was to learn. For her first couple of seasons I know she thought I was on her all the time, but that is because I had a vision of what she could become; she certainly hasn't disappointed! Hollee understands what we need as a program and I know that I can count on her to uphold our standards all the time. She pushes people - she sees in our young players what I saw in her and she does what the best leaders do...she puts other people first. Hollee is poised to have a great senior season!


Katie Zittergruen; JR Center, Benton Community
Katie is a living example of what hard work can do. I knew I would love coaching Katie from the first day she stepped into practice as a freshman. I love players that REALLY listen and try to do what you tell them. Katie is one of the best that I have had that really takes to coaching. You tell her something once and you never have to tell her again - I really love that about her! As a freshman Katie played primarily on our jv team, but used that experience to better herself. As a coach you hope that one or more of your players will come back the next fall and work herself into a new role and Katie was that player for us last year. It was a great surprise for us and now we have even higher expectations. I know she does too. She is probably in the best shape of her career; a direct result of her hard work in the off-season!

Only about a month away from our 1st practice!

'09-'10 Schedule Released

The 2009-10 season schedule has been officially released and features top teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and three early season tournaments.

Head coach Bob Amsberry’s women’s team hosts the University of St. Thomas of St. Paul, Minn., Nov. 15 and travels to Gustavus Adolphus College of St. Peter, Minn., Nov. 23. The non-conference schedule also features the UW-Stout tournament, where the Knights will face '09 MIAC champion College of St. Benedict. The Franklin College of Indiana (Dec. 19-20) tournament ends the pre-Christmas campaign, before the Knights return home to host its annual AmericInn Holiday Tournament Dec. 29 and 30 at Levick Arena.

Iowa Conference action begins Dec. 5 with a home doubleheader against Central College of Pella. The remaining IIAC visits will be Jan. 6 (Simpson College of Indianola); Jan. 16 (Buena Vista University of Storm Lake); Jan. 20 (Luther College of Decorah); Jan. 27 (University of Dubuque); Feb. 3 (Cornell College of Mount Vernon); Feb. 10 (Coe College of Cedar Rapids); and Feb. 17 (Loras College of Dubuque).

A complete schedule can be found at: 09-10 Schedule