Every Second Counts.

Posted by KaylaFelty Apr 27, 2011

As I am sitting here in my office, with one of my players at the other desk completing her study hall hours, I began to think about the day-to-day life of a student athlete. The time commitment is something we try to prepare our players for, but they will inevitably be overwhelmed at some point along the way.

Now, every Division is different. Division III has more restrictions than DI and DII programs as far as preseason and postseason workouts are concerned; so if you are going to one of these bigger programs you can expect your day to be twice as hectic as the day I am about to describe for our DIII player.

From the time our student-athletes arrive on campus up until October 15th, they are pretty much on their own with any basketball activities. We are not allowed to be present for any workouts that go on prior to October 15th. However, this does NOT mean our players sit around, go out, act crazy, be lazy, etc. until then. Our captains are in charge of running all preseason and postseason workouts. We will make up lifting groups according to the student athletes' schedules and have them get in the weight room at least twice a week in these groups. This past season there were morning post workouts, strength and conditioning workouts and basketball workouts that were all ran by the captain of the team. During the season things can get pretty crazy with the travel schedule and late night practices combined with school work, study hall and community service activities. The postseason is the most laidback of the three. Postseason technically starts the day after the Women's Final Four. We, as coaches, are once again restricted from being present for any of the workouts. Upperclassmen are in charge of making up a schedule to play pickup and lift. So, want to see what your future will be like? Here's your sneak peek:

PRESEASON weekday schedule:

Monday: Class, Lifting, Class, Pickup/Conditioning, Study Hall,

Tuesday: 7AM workout, Classes, Pickup/Conditioning,

Wednesday: Class, Lifting, Class, Pickup/Conditioning, Study Hall

Thursday: 7AM workout, Classes, Pickup/Conditioning

Friday:Classes, Pickup/Conditioning

IN SEASON schedule looked like:

Monday: Classes, Study Hall, Film, 8-10PM Practice

Tuesday:Classes, Pregame Meal, Game

Wednesday: Classes, Practice, Lifting, Study Hall

Thursday: Classes, Film, Practice, Light Lift

Friday: Classes, Leave for away games - Game at 7

Saturday: Shootaround, Game, Travel

Sunday: Off

Keep in mind that our average travel time to games was between 2 to 4 hours (each way) on a bus. If you go to a DII/DI it is likely that you will be flying to games which will require even more travel time.
You will also be missing classes on travel days so you is is CRUCIAL that you stay on top of your work!

POSTSEASON schedule looked like:

Monday: Classes, Pickup, Lifting

Tuesday: Classes, Study Hall

Wednesday: Classes, Pickup, Lifting, Study Hall

Thursday: Classes, Pickup, Lifting

Friday: Classes, Off

WHEW! I was exhausted just typing all of that. Hopefully now you can see the huge time commitment that is required when you choose to be a student-athlete at the collegiate level. But let me stress oneeeee thing: Your education is just as important as winning games. Student-athletes sit in class with their fellow schoolmates and go through the exact same academic rigors as everyone else. However, in order to be eligible to participate in that sport, you have to maintain a certain GPA; drop below and you could be out for the semester or lose your academic scholarship which may cause you to have to leave the school you love so much due to the financial situation.

My biggest advice is: DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP! The professors are understanding of the pressures you face as a student-athlete and are usually receptive if a student is willing to come to them for help. There are also Learning Centers, Writing Centers, Academic Support Centers, etc. on campuses specificially set up to assist you with your school work. USE THEM! AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!

1,130 Views 4 Comments Permalink Tags: support, basketball, coaching, ncaa, college, time, education, game, practice, gpa, grades, student_athlete

AAU: Athletic And Underrated?

Posted by KaylaFelty Apr 15, 2011

Feel like you have a lot to offer a college program?

Here's how to make the most of your summer AAU Tournaments and College Showcases; PAY ATTENTION:

I cannot speak for DI and DII programs, but as for the DIII program I coach at, we tend to keep our focus on rising juniors and seniors. We usually make contact with juniors but mainly concentrate on seniors.

When we go to a tournament, we are given a recruiting packet with the teams in attendance. MAKE SURE:

Your coach has your team roster in this packet.
Make sure your NAME, JERSEY NUMBER, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER and GRADUATION YEAR are on it.
DIII college coaches MAY speak with you after your final game on the last day of the tournament so don't rush out of the gym if you know a coach is there to see you!

As the summer approaches, I have to decide what my recruiting schedule will be and what tournaments and showcases I will be attending on weekends. Now, lets think about it... there is literally thousands of tournaments every single weekend all over the country, so how do I choose which ones to attend?

First and foremost: I will try to attend a tournament that juniors, now rising seniors, that I have already been looking at last year will be attending.

Next: I will look into attending tournaments that are known to have a good turnout in terms of number of teams, quality of teams, and the efficiency in which the tournament is run. Typically the best teams will attend tournaments that are very well known and have built up a good reputation over the years. This gives us the best chance to see a large variety of talent.

Finally, if a student athlete contacts me, sends me her summer schedule and tells me she is interested in my program, I will more than likely work it into my schedule so I can see her play.

Sooooo, I said it once and I'll say it again, BE ASSERTIVE, BE PERSISTANT! Let coaches know you are interested in their program and they will provide you an opportunity to become part of it (as long as you can compete both on the court and in the classroom at that college).

make the most of every opportunity. you never know who is watching!

566 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: basketball, coaching, ncaa, recruiting, college, tournament, game, film, aau, showcase

pretty in pink; PINK ZONE.

Posted by KaylaFelty Feb 11, 2011

Think PINK.

Hopefully you all have an idea of what this blog will be about from the line above. This blog is slightly more serious than my previous two. The message is powerful and important. All over the country, women's basketball teams sport the color PINK during the month of February. Why? That's a simple answer; breast cancer awareness. In memory of Kay Yow, women's basketball has given teams the option to place a program called Pink Zone® into each team's schedule during the month of February. So again, what IS Pink Zone® and why do we really have it?

WBCA Pink Zone Mission:

The WBCA Pink Zone® initiative is a global, unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.

How did it begin?

The WBCA began the WBCA Pink Zone in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball, on campuses and in communities. The catalyst for this idea was the late Kay Yow, former North Carolina State University head women's basketball coach. She had her third reoccurrence of breast cancer in 2006 and passed away in January 2009. The Pink Zone idea is spreading very rapidly throughout women's teams and communities. Starting with just 120 schools unified in the effort in 2007 to 1,800 participants in 2010 we can see how women's basketball can make a difference in a very important facet of life for ALL women. I was amazed at the power and impact women have when they join together as I read this next line on the website:

Overall, the WBCA Pink Zone has raised nearly $3.3 Million, has reached almost 2.7 Million fans, and has unified over 4,700 participants in only four years.

Guilford College women's basketball proudly participates in Pink Zone. As you get late in the season, teams struggle to stay unified. We were no different. Pink Zone brought our team together in a way I have not seen all season. Teammates were painting each other's nails various shades of pink. Pink ribbons were being worn around ponytails. Pink t-shirts were worn by both teams in warm-ups. Coaches wore pink. This year, the event touched the hearts of our team; especially our lone senior Lauren LeFevers. She came out on the floor with a passion that night, hitting Guilford's first two jumpshots and nailing a 3 at the buzzer right before half-time to give her team an eight point lead going into the locker room. You knew her grandmother, known to her as Nanny Kay, who passed away earlier this season from her battle with breast cancer was with her during this game. Lauren had a team-high 15 points and we won the game. Talk about making memories. Pink Zone makes this possible.

If your team is not involved in Pink Zone, please find a way to help raise awareness next season. Visit: http://www.wbca.org/2011pinkzone/ for more information. The WBCA's charity of choice is the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. We encourage all donations from your WBCA Pink Zone event be directed to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

PS: ALL GIRLS LIKE PINK; let them be girly for a great cause!

In memory of KPW.

755 Views 2 Comments Permalink Tags: basketball, coaching, ncaa, college, game, pink, pinkzone, wbca

On the road again; RECRUITING.

Posted by KaylaFelty Jan 31, 2011

Now, I would say that about 40-50% of my time is spent dealing with recruiting; which may actually be on the low end. Typically, a college coach has anywhere from 100-300 athletes interested in their program for their next recruiting class depending on the number of players they are looking to bring in. Now, this number tends to decrease throughout the season but there are always new athletes contacting you or new athletes that we may see out on the road.

Recruiting begins the endless game of phone tag. Trying to get in touch with a recruit is half the battle; then the other half is to get them on campus for a visit. A POINT OF ADVICE TO ALL YOUNG ATHLETES: if a college coach takes the time to call or email you, it is a compliment to you that we are taking the time to show we are interested so please respond or call back! Even if you are not interested, it is okay to say that!

My next topic, being on the road. I feel like I should stop paying rent for my apartment and just live in my car! Coaches will go straight from practice to recruit at a high school game at least once or twice a week; many times driving three or four hours one way and then driving back after the game. Here is an example of what one of my upcoming weeks in February looks like:

Monday: Office (Watching film, contacting recruits, etc.), Practice 4-6, Lifting, Study Hall

Tuesday: Office (Watching film, contacting recruits, etc.), Recruiting in Atlanta, GA

Wednesday: Office (Watching film, contacting recruits, etc.), Practice 230-430, Lifting, Recruiting in Raleigh, NC

Thursday: Office (Watching film, contacting recruits, etc.), Study Hall, Practice 6-8

Friday: Office (Watching film, contacting recruits, etc.), Game at 7

Saturday: Game at 4, Recruiting

Sunday: Call all recruits

The last aspect of recruiting is watching all of the highlight tapes and game films we receive, which can become very time consuming as more and more players are looking to continue playing basketball at the next level. ONE LAST BIT OF ADVICE: do not, I repeat, do not send highlight DVDs. We would much rather watch a game film of you playing then to see you go 30/30 on your jumpshots. There is more to being a good player than your shot so watching game film gives us a better idea of the type of all-around player that you are.

So, in the end... recruiting is like playing. It is relentless. You must take the initiative. Pursue schools that you are interested in. Be proactive not reactive. Attack pressure with pressure. Don’t give up (on basketball and that particular college)! Go after what you want!!