Friday, July 30, 2010
Practice What We Preach
From the website of the developmental team.
The team travels to Lowell for a quartet of games this weekend. The player who does the most to make the players around her better this weekend gets a copy of Michael Halberstam's "Playing for Keeps."
The team travels to Lowell for a quartet of games this weekend. The player who does the most to make the players around her better this weekend gets a copy of Michael Halberstam's "Playing for Keeps."
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Summer Developmental Action Continues
Action continues on a variety of fronts.
The rising sixth graders play each Monday in the Billerica Summer League and have informal workouts on Wednesday from 5 to 7 PM at the Common.
The rising frosh play twice weekly in Billerica in a fourteen game summer schedule.
This weekend parts of the Lady Raider varsity competed at the Boston College tournament in a round robin tournament including twenty teams, half of which were from Maine. Melrose played Morse twice (Bath, ME), a team that was 14-5 last season, as well as Auburn, Winchester, and a very potent Franklin club.
Victories have not come as easily as improvement, as the players face more experienced competition, but the coaches and players are seeing progress in both skill and basketball understanding. Summer competition helps the players bond and work on weaknesses, as well as learning situational basketball.
The lessons learned come with a lot of effort in the sweltering heat and sacrifices as the players and their families forgo other off-season activities. They play in small gyms and big ones before sparse crowds to have success in the winter.
The Lady Raiders played hard and got moral support as well from a pair of injured players, Amanda Commito and Jenny McGee.
Among numerous candidates for the Melrose coaches effort ' "Book Award", Alyssa DiRaffaele received a copy of John Wooden's autobiography, They Call Me Coach. The legendary UCLA coach was the first three time All-American, won a record 10 NCAA championships at UCLA, a record seven in a row, and had streaks of 88 consecutive wins and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament wins.
Lady Raider Notes: At last week's tournament at Franklin Pierce University, Ashley Baldwin won the free throw competition, reaching the finals making 12 of 13 and winning a shootout.
The rising sixth graders play each Monday in the Billerica Summer League and have informal workouts on Wednesday from 5 to 7 PM at the Common.
The rising frosh play twice weekly in Billerica in a fourteen game summer schedule.
This weekend parts of the Lady Raider varsity competed at the Boston College tournament in a round robin tournament including twenty teams, half of which were from Maine. Melrose played Morse twice (Bath, ME), a team that was 14-5 last season, as well as Auburn, Winchester, and a very potent Franklin club.
Victories have not come as easily as improvement, as the players face more experienced competition, but the coaches and players are seeing progress in both skill and basketball understanding. Summer competition helps the players bond and work on weaknesses, as well as learning situational basketball.
The Lady Raiders played hard and got moral support as well from a pair of injured players, Amanda Commito and Jenny McGee.
Among numerous candidates for the Melrose coaches effort ' "Book Award", Alyssa DiRaffaele received a copy of John Wooden's autobiography, They Call Me Coach. The legendary UCLA coach was the first three time All-American, won a record 10 NCAA championships at UCLA, a record seven in a row, and had streaks of 88 consecutive wins and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament wins.
Lady Raider Notes: At last week's tournament at Franklin Pierce University, Ashley Baldwin won the free throw competition, reaching the finals making 12 of 13 and winning a shootout.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
There's a New Kid in Town
There's a new kid in town...and that, Martha, is a very good thing. Lady Raider Basketball brings a photo-intensive addition to provide even more information for Lady Raider fans. So far, the site has photoessays on the Boston Garden experience and the recent out of season tournament at UMaine-Orono.
What I'd call a Lady Raider "Split Squad" completed weekend play at the annual Franklin Pierce tournament. Participation continued the development of the young Lady Raider squad, which has limited varsity experience but solid potential going forward. Play was brutally hot this weekend, and the players assembled (based on availability, interest, and invitation) got valuable experience. Melrose had one incoming frosh, one senior, three rising sophomores, and four rising juniors.
The team went 1-4, but lost 3 games by five points or less against taller, older, and more experienced competition. "Experience is the best teacher, but sometimes the tuition is high."
