Spartan Tales: A return to fundamentals

Steve Collins
Special to The Capital Times  —  1/13/2009 1:22 pm

Editor's Note: Steve Collins, who is in his 11th season as the coach of boys basketball powerhouse Madison Memorial, updates his blog every Tuesday for The Capital Times this season as the Spartans aim for their sixth straight WIAA Division 1 state tournament berth.

Memorial boasts a pair of NCAA Division I recruits in senior Jeronne Maymon (Marquette) and junior Vander Blue (University of Wisconsin) and has churned out three Mr. Basketball recipients, including Badgers sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil and Golden Eagles senior guard Wesley Matthews, and countless other college players.

The Spartans are 9-0 and coming off Big Eight Conference victories over Beloit and Middleton and a nonconference victory over St. Louis Lafayette.

To drop a comment or submit a question to Steve, who also is a mathematics teacher at Memorial, e-mail tctsports@madison.com and put "Spartan Tales" in the subject line.

Monday, Jan. 5 -- Noon

The day after winter break is always an interesting day. It is difficult to get everyone, including myself back into a routine. We have a big game against Beloit on Tuesday, so I hope we can re-focus. I hear that Beloit will be bringing several fan buses to the game. It should be a great atmosphere for a high school basketball game.

Monday, Jan. 5 -- 8 p.m.

We had a short but intense practice. I think the guys know what is at stake tomorrow night with two undefeated Big 8 teams coming together. It has been a long time since there has been this much anticipation about a Memorial/Beloit matchup. I remember back when Kyle Weaver was playing for Beloit (he is now playing for Oklahoma City in the NBA) and we had some great battles with those Coach Bautch teams -- let's not forget the 2004 State quarterfinal matchup, which came down to one or two possessions! I have a feeling we are going to have one of those games tomorrow night.

Tuesday, Jan. 6 -- 7:45 a.m.

We just had our shootaround. I am worried that we are not going to be ready for this big game. One of the hardest things about being a coach is that come game day, there is nothing I can do because it is out of my hands. I can't run that special drill or out-of-bounds play that will help with the game tonight -- it is up to them.

Tuesday, Jan. 6 -- 9:45 p.m.

We beat Beloit 64-50. We were down going into the fourth quarter 35-34 but luckily we had a 30-point fourth quarter. I know that we won, but I'm a little disappointed with our effort for 32 minutes. We failed to finish our shots, rebound well and execute defensively. We must realize that there is a huge target on our back and we need to execute our game plan for an entire game. I take my hat off to Beloit. They did a tremendous job in the game and I have no doubt that it will be a battle when we go down there and play in February.

Wednesday, Jan. 7 -- 6 a.m.

I was not able to sleep last night. We need to take our team and go back to the fundamentals (being strong with the ball, passing, dribbling, rebounding, shooting free throws). I know that we can shoot the ball and get up and down the court. What we have to do now is get better at the little things that make a good basketball team great.

Wednesday, Jan. 7 -- 6 p.m.

I am sitting in the Shorewood Elementary School gym watching my six-year-old son, Drew, run around and play soccer on a tile floor. I could compare it to playing soccer on an ice rink, but it looks like all the kids are having a great time. We got better today in practice; however, sometimes it's two steps forward, one step back. It was one of our better practices of the year and the guys were really focused on the basketball skills we are working on. It always makes a coach or teacher feel proud when he realizes his students are getting the material being taught. I am off with Drew, his best buddy, Joe Clark, and his dad, Randy, to watch the Badger game. Since Mya is at a preschool board meeting, we have the best babysitter in the world looking after Emma tonight (thanks L.M.). Finding good babysitters is like having a good free throw shooter -- you are extremely happy but don't want anyone to know. From a basketball standpoint, you want to keep that a secret so your opponent will foul them. From a babysitter standpoint, you don't want anyone to steal her for the same night you want to go out. That is why I am protecting her identity -- L.M., tell your dad I am willing to help him with his jump shot anytime!

Thursday, Jan. 8 -- 6:25 p.m.

I am trying to finish up my team's individual goals. I want to sit down with each kid and let him know where he stands on the team. We are one game away from the halfway mark of the season and this is the time that I always try to communicate with my team about their roles. Every player is important and has a role on the team; when players don't know what is expected of them, they can tear apart a team by not working well together as a cohesive group. The team is off to eat a pasta dinner at the Fruhling house and get ready to play our next door neighbor -- Middleton. It is always an interesting week of preparation when we play Middleton and their dribble drive offense.

Friday, Jan. 9 -- 11:30 p.m.

We beat Middleton 74-51 and I was pleased with the effort. We brought the players back to school after the game, fed them, and went through the St. Louis Lafayette scout. I then sent them home and gave them an 11 p.m. curfew. Everyone called in and I am now packing for the trip to St. Louis tomorrow morning. We are leaving school at 7:00 a.m. and have a game at 6:15 p.m. in Highland, Illinois. I am excited because this is the first road trip that Drew will be making with the team -- he can't wait.

Saturday, Jan. 10 -- 9 a.m.

We have been driving for a couple of hours and the roads have some blowing snow and ice, but it looks as though they have begun to clear. We are in the great hands of bus driver, Teddy Lubick, so I have no worries. We just realized that Jeremy Schlitz (sophomore coach) forgot all of his clothes at Memorial in his car. Being the logistical manager of our road trips, I am sure he has some sort of contingency plan built into the schedule! The players have been eating and watching movies on the bus. I think Drew is in heaven spending all of this time with the players -- they are really wonderful with him.

Saturday, Jan. 10 -- 1:30 p.m.

We arrived in Highland and checked into the hotel. In about an hour, we are going to have a shootaround at the middle school. Hopefully, I can work the guys out enough to make sure they are ready for the game -- that was a long bus trip and their bodies need to be sharp for the game.

Saturday, Jan. 10 -- 4:30 p.m.

The shootaround at the middle school was great. I can't believe the wonderful facilities they have in their middle school. That gym seemed bigger than Memorial's gym. The Highland Tournament is a wonderful experience and the host, the Optimist Club, runs a first-class event. Kevin Hemann, head of the Optimist Club, and Bill Kealey, our team host, take such good care of us and make sure that we have everything we need. Drew has a life-threatening peanut/tree nut allergy and we as a family have to deal with it everyday. Everyone at the tournament was more that accommodating to him and our entire team. Today at lunch Drew not only got to eat dinner with us, but also got to sit at the same table with Jeronne and Vander. What more could a 6-year-old boy ask for?

Word on the street is that Jeremy found a dollar store and has been able to outfit himself for the game tonight. I can't wait to see this

Saturday, Jan.  10 -- 9:30 p.m.

We won in another close battle -- 65-62. Lafayette has two big players who are both about 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds. One player, Tyler Griffey, has signed with Illinois and the other big has several offers on the table. I thought we did a nice job pressuring their guards and attacking the rim. For the most part we played hard, but the fatigue of the bus ride sure showed in the second half. I take responsibility for one big mistake -- having six players on the court at the end of the first half, which earned me a technical foul. As Drew stated, "Geez dad, I thought you were a math teacher." You would think one of my 18 coaches along on the trip would have caught that error! The Optimists are sending over 15 pizzas for the guys to eat. If they finish all of those I will be really impressed.

Sunday, Jan. 11 -- 9:30 a.m.

It has been a pretty successful trip so far; we finished off the pizzas, beat a really good team, and Drew got to stay up until 10:30 p.m. We are now headed off to the St. Louis Arch, where we will watch a movie about its construction and take a ride to the top. This is always a fun part of the trip because the players will get a little history lesson and spend some time together off the basketball court, creating friendships and team chemistry.

Sunday, Jan. 11 -- 9:30 p.m.

We just got home and put Drew to bed. I am surprised he is able to fall asleep after all of this excitement. I hope that I can fall asleep -- too many naps on the bus. I am really proud of how my guys represented Memorial this weekend. The great thing about coaching is that there is always another game to prepare for -- time to prepare for Parker.

Steve Collins
Special to The Capital Times  —  1/13/2009 1:22 pm