Aug. 12, 2007

We beat a very good team today. Turkey is experienced and skilled, however they do not possess the size that Lithuania does. For the second straight game we got off to a great start. Our defense was very good and this helped kick start our offense. We held a 26-16 lead at the end of the first quarter and the game never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.

The guys continue to learn about the international game. We are playing more physical and more aggressively, especially at the offensive end of the floor.

Jared played another good game. We have played him at both the shooting guard and the point guard in the absence of Kwadzo. He has done a nice job of running the team when he has been at the point. Kerwin got his first start of the trip and had a good game. Adam Koch was 9-10 from the field and Eric played his best overall game.

This sets up a big game with China. They have two very good guards and two big kids that have played well. We were able to watch them play today which should help us get ready.

Our guys have fought hard to stay in contention for the medal round. A win tomorrow against China and we move to the final eight. We are looking forward to the challenge as we tip off in about 12 hours.

Aug. 10, 2007

Angola did not possess nearly the experience or size of Lithuania. Even so, I was very pleased with our play. We learned alot from the game against Lithuania about the international game. Again, the game is very, very different from the college game. We were much more physical and aggressive at both ends of the floor. The international game is also played much more in transition and in the open floor. I feel that we will be able to get off to a better start against Turkey on Sunday with two games under our belt.

Jordan Eglseder started the game this morning and played very well. Adam Koch played well again and Eric Coleman was much better today. The size and physical play of Lithuania was a great learning experience for those three and we are already seeing some benefits. We had very balanced scoring with a number of guys between 5 and 10 points.

We did suffer an unfortunate injury, as in the third quarter, Carlton Reed broke a bone in his right foot and will miss the rest of the tournament.

Aug. 7, 2007

We played a very experienced, extremely talented basketball team in Lithuania. They were big and strong, and very versatile. Their size and experience, especially the way the international game is played, gave us a number of problems early in the game. The international game is physical, and very different from the college game. Practicing with international rules is not the same as playing in games and that took us time to get adjusted. Early on, Lithuania took advantage of their experience with the international game.

We found ourselves down 19-4 midway through the first quarter, and 32-10 at the end of the first quarter. From that point on we played much better basketball. We made a couple of adjustments at halftime, and more importantly, our players played with a different mindset in the second half. We were aggressive and adjusted our style of play. We started the second half with a 10-0 run, so I was especially pleased with how we started the second half.

Adam Koch and Carlton Reed both played very well offensively for us. Carlton did a nice job attacking the basket, getting to the rim on a number of occasions. Adam was very aggressive after the first quarter. He made up his mind that he was going to make plays. He drove the ball and rebounded on both ends. We were very pleased with Adam's effort as the game went on.

Although we are disappointed, especially with our play early in the game today, and certainly in the outcome, we saw some real positive signs from our team as the game progressed. My hope is our play in the second half will give us confidence to have a much better start against Angola, and that will lead to a better result.