Every one of our losses have been to teams above us in the standings and we've beaten everyone else. So maybe 9-5 is where we belong. |
He has grown into one of the biggest offensive and defensive threats in the conference and all of Connecticut. He has been drawing two or three guys when he gets a touch, yet he has been able to record a handful of double-doubles and a couple of triple-doubles this season. The game changes when he is not on the floor, which is a reflection on how much of an impact he has for us. |
He?s gotten more accustomed to our system and more confident in his style. We had a feeling we?d have a nice inside-outside threat. |
He?s solid outside, he takes the ball hard inside. He gets you from a lot of different angles. |
I couldn't be happier for these guys. It's a great group of kids. We've weathered some ups and downs. They deserve this. |
I hesitate to say there was a letdown, since we did have two solid practices (after the Northwest Catholic game), but we have to get the mindset that everything is earned ? every point, every rebound, every accolade. It would be foolish to expect just to show up. We have to play the game, and especially in this conference, the match-up on paper is meaningless. |
I smiled from ear to ear when I saw him the first day of school this year. He'd grown about four inches. He's really improved tremendously. He's got a great work ethic. He's just a monster inside. He draws a lot of fouls. He draws a lot of attention. He's a pleasant surprise this year. |
Mitchell played very well. He has a lot of energy and he's tough to stop. |
My first feeling was just happiness for these guys. They worked through a long season, 28 games, some ups and downs. We figured it out and put it together at the end. |
Not that it?s an excuse but our inexperience shines through in tight games. We have only three returning with varsity experience from last year. We have to have more efficient possessions and get good shots. |
Now that the regular season is over and we have our first playoff win, maybe we can challenge those teams above us in the league playoffs. But in any case, I think we'll be ready to play in the state tournament. |
One of the themes we always discuss is to be mentally tough because we know the conference is a grind. (Going into Monday) the conference was 14-1 combined in the state tournaments. It might be the best percentage of all the conferences in the state. That says a lot about the level of competition we see every night. |
The seniors are all classy individuals who have worked hard since day one. We were able to start all five during the Senior Night game. The guys who had not been starting definitely earned it. And I was proud of them. |
They have set a good example by being positive throughout the season. A few of the guys who don't play as much are extremely supportive of those who do in both practices and games. They have realized what being a teammate means and this is a good example for our underclassmen. The younger players definitely appreciate their efforts and they respect the commitment they have made to the team. This is certainly an indication of their character. |
They?re obviously a well-coached team. Even in the face of being down, they stayed pretty patient. |