This was a great year for sMITe - we had a solid (though small) core of returners, and lots of amazing first year players who were able to step up and fill big roles. We had first year players be primary cutters, be (fake) handlers, and even play deep deep. They all threw upfield by Regionals and were able to dump fairly consistently, which is actually a big step up from last year's team when our offense was built around the dish.
That said, I do wish we had had more experience on the team - not so that we would do better, but so that the newer players would have more role models and see the structure of the game more easily. It's hard to learn to play a certain way if everyone is learning it, too, but dropping in 1 or 2 newbies with an experienced line would let them fit into the offense/defense more easily. Don't know where to stack? Just get in line with everyone else. Don't know when to cut? Your teammates will yell at you when it's your turn.
Our defense, I think, has actually suffered quite a bit from not having an experienced offense to play against. We still chase because we can get away with that at practices against ourselves. We haven't learned to anticipate the flow of the disc on defense because our cutters are still figuring out their timing. When we played a team like Williams (really really impressed with them, btw) who had great flow, solid dump/swing/continue and up the line/short away continues, we weren't able to stop them. We were repeatedly caught out of position because we weren't anticipating where the next cut was going. Sure, this takes experience, but I strongly believe that you get what you practice, and in our case, our practices just didn't have consistently good offense flow to defend.
Williams actually somewhat reminds me of Godiva's offense 5 years ago - very conservative and rarely struck deep (I can't remember who, but one of my Brute teammates or coaches told me to just front them because they never looked deep). They were very good at their offense, but because they didn't use the deep option, they also didn't defend the deep as effectively and Brute certainly took advantage of that. We're very lucky to have solid handlers and huckers so that our newer players all know how to cut deep and have been learning how to read the disc, which means next year, all the blades Michelle puts up will be caught! (just teasing, Michelle)
This was the last year for 4 of our players - Karen, Smeri, Amy and Agnes. Agnes had a breakout spring - she has developed a really big scary mark, and great field sense - her timing is impeccable, and in the past 2 tournaments, I cannot remember a single time that I thought she was clogging, or in the wrong space, or positioned improperly on defense. Pretty great for a 2nd year player! She has one of the hardest work ethics on the team - even when she was injured, she came to every practice and worked on her throws for 2 hours. She takes our feedback well and I can see her working on changing her play on the field based on what we said. We're going to miss our zone mark!
Amy has become a solid handler with consistent throws and beautiful dump cuts for resets. She doesn't make flashy plays, but when she is on the field, the offense flows a little bit better because she is doing all the correct things. This type of player is easy to overlook, but her quiet movement on the field is what helps the offense glide smoothly.
Karen I get to still coach because she plays for Hatch! Except for weird flick huck flubbing during the Harvard game (I hear a sprained thumb is to blame), she plays with a joy and intensity which is always fun to watch. She never gives up on a disc, O or D, and she had several great plays last weekend where I really thought she wasn't going to get there, but she proved me wrong. Yay track workouts.
Smeri...dith. Oh I am going to miss her. She tells me that she's never going to play ultimate again. (I hope it's not all my fault!) She has become an extremely versatile player - she can handle, she can cut, she can huck, and she's faster than everyone! I am reminded of a younger Rana Suh when I see her play - that girl that you just don't know how to guard because you'll just be beat either way. She continues to just get better and better, and I wish I could see what a few years would do, but alas, she's way too hard-headed to be swayed.
So ends another year of sMITe. Much has changed, and the future is bright. We're getting at least one experienced player (Claudia from Brandeis) and hopefully the HS girls choose MIT. In the meantime, it looks like most if not all of our players will be doing summer league, so I'm expecting big things next year!
Showing posts with label sMITe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sMITe. Show all posts
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sectionals... and the year
Brief update: went 3-2 in pool play, making us 3rd in the pool. Lost the cross-over game vs Tufts, won the next game against Stonehill, and then lost the game-to-go in a rematch against Brandeis.
Which means that this was likely our last tournament of the year for sMITe. It's obvious that there has been an explosion in college women's ultimate in the past 5 years, with 12 teams in this section alone. When I was RC in 2004, I had trouble even getting 12 teams at Regionals! And so teams like MIT, Wellesley and BU who used to be able to almost guarantee a spot at Regionals now find themselves with a shortened season in a much larger field of competitors. All of this is great for women's ultimate though, and I'm really excited to have so many new players developing in this region.
Thoughts on the past year:
We knew coming in that it would be a very different season from last year. It would be a building year that would lay the groundwork for strong seasons in the following years. We graduated 6 of our most experienced players, then lost a 2nd year player to an ACL injury at fall sectionals, and a couple other 2nd year players to time/work constraints. Ah, MIT.
On the other hand, we now have a fantastic group of 1st year players. I remember being amazed at all the new players that showed up during the first weeks of the year, and who then kept coming back over the next 8 months. And while it was rough having so few returning players to help teach the new players, by the time Sectionals rolled around, I had trouble keeping in mind that these women had only started playing ultimate in September. This past weekend was a frustrating time for me, not because of how sMITe was doing, but because I kept needing to kick myself to remember that they were just first-year players. I am extremely proud of how sMITe played this past weekend, and that we managed to place 6th in a competitive section. I think we could've done better had Sunday been less windy (ie, harder on newer players), but this is the Northeast and you have to expect less-than-ideal conditions.
One of the highlights this weekend was watching Lydia defend Dory (Brandeis) and get a couple D's on dumps back to Dory. It's a shame that she's graduating this year and we've only had her for one year, but we're still trying to talk her into going for a PhD program :) Emily is going to be a great deep in the next years - her reading skills have improved a lot as has her timing. Kelly is like the Energizer bunny, but faster - she can run forever in the cup, and then still go deep and beat her man. Agnes' defense has become SO much better even in the past 2 weeks - she started with sMITe a little late in the season, but she's picked up a lot despite that. Mangpo (aka mango) had numerous run-through D's this weekend and manages to catch everything thrown at her. Becky was injured for a while this spring, but because of that, she started handling during practice, and her disc skills have become so much stronger for that. Heather was such a great pickup this year - she's played a little before, and is a natural deep with these graceful one-handed grabs, but her throws are so solid that we've making her handle a bit too. Sluts is aggressive and rarely drops the disc, and even started bidding for discs this weekend despite an injured back! I think she was inspired by Clare, despite her absence this weekend :( , who is the dirtiest player on the team solely because she lays out for anything and everything. AND, like Smeri, somehow manages to come down with the disc between 2 much taller defenders.
The returners, too, have all developed so much in the past year. Trisha has become a solid reset handler who regularly breaks the mark in zone and manages not to lose composure in the trap. Amy let loose with some beautiful hucks this weekend, and every single one was the correct decision. Karen amazed me by how much energy she still had in our 8th game of the weekend, after playing all but a handful of points. I don't know how she could still accelerate to get as many run-through D's as she did, or how she manages to be as aggressive at getting the disc when it means she's going to be knocked over again, but she does. Veena was a delight to have back - she's been regularly coming to practices this year and it shows - her timing and cuts are impeccable and she has a power backhand that she's still learning when to unleash. Meri is hucking! And if she isn't hucking, she's getting the D and then getting the score. Anne and Ethan are our second year players. Ethan came back from the summer with such improved throws and catching that we made her a handler, while Anne is a natural in the horizontal offense with really spot-on timing.
Next year is going to be awesome. We're returning all but 2 or 3 of our players (hopefully) and I can't wait to see how much everyone develops over the summer. Play summer league! (and let me know if you need a team).
Go sMITe.
Which means that this was likely our last tournament of the year for sMITe. It's obvious that there has been an explosion in college women's ultimate in the past 5 years, with 12 teams in this section alone. When I was RC in 2004, I had trouble even getting 12 teams at Regionals! And so teams like MIT, Wellesley and BU who used to be able to almost guarantee a spot at Regionals now find themselves with a shortened season in a much larger field of competitors. All of this is great for women's ultimate though, and I'm really excited to have so many new players developing in this region.
Thoughts on the past year:
We knew coming in that it would be a very different season from last year. It would be a building year that would lay the groundwork for strong seasons in the following years. We graduated 6 of our most experienced players, then lost a 2nd year player to an ACL injury at fall sectionals, and a couple other 2nd year players to time/work constraints. Ah, MIT.
On the other hand, we now have a fantastic group of 1st year players. I remember being amazed at all the new players that showed up during the first weeks of the year, and who then kept coming back over the next 8 months. And while it was rough having so few returning players to help teach the new players, by the time Sectionals rolled around, I had trouble keeping in mind that these women had only started playing ultimate in September. This past weekend was a frustrating time for me, not because of how sMITe was doing, but because I kept needing to kick myself to remember that they were just first-year players. I am extremely proud of how sMITe played this past weekend, and that we managed to place 6th in a competitive section. I think we could've done better had Sunday been less windy (ie, harder on newer players), but this is the Northeast and you have to expect less-than-ideal conditions.
One of the highlights this weekend was watching Lydia defend Dory (Brandeis) and get a couple D's on dumps back to Dory. It's a shame that she's graduating this year and we've only had her for one year, but we're still trying to talk her into going for a PhD program :) Emily is going to be a great deep in the next years - her reading skills have improved a lot as has her timing. Kelly is like the Energizer bunny, but faster - she can run forever in the cup, and then still go deep and beat her man. Agnes' defense has become SO much better even in the past 2 weeks - she started with sMITe a little late in the season, but she's picked up a lot despite that. Mangpo (aka mango) had numerous run-through D's this weekend and manages to catch everything thrown at her. Becky was injured for a while this spring, but because of that, she started handling during practice, and her disc skills have become so much stronger for that. Heather was such a great pickup this year - she's played a little before, and is a natural deep with these graceful one-handed grabs, but her throws are so solid that we've making her handle a bit too. Sluts is aggressive and rarely drops the disc, and even started bidding for discs this weekend despite an injured back! I think she was inspired by Clare, despite her absence this weekend :( , who is the dirtiest player on the team solely because she lays out for anything and everything. AND, like Smeri, somehow manages to come down with the disc between 2 much taller defenders.
The returners, too, have all developed so much in the past year. Trisha has become a solid reset handler who regularly breaks the mark in zone and manages not to lose composure in the trap. Amy let loose with some beautiful hucks this weekend, and every single one was the correct decision. Karen amazed me by how much energy she still had in our 8th game of the weekend, after playing all but a handful of points. I don't know how she could still accelerate to get as many run-through D's as she did, or how she manages to be as aggressive at getting the disc when it means she's going to be knocked over again, but she does. Veena was a delight to have back - she's been regularly coming to practices this year and it shows - her timing and cuts are impeccable and she has a power backhand that she's still learning when to unleash. Meri is hucking! And if she isn't hucking, she's getting the D and then getting the score. Anne and Ethan are our second year players. Ethan came back from the summer with such improved throws and catching that we made her a handler, while Anne is a natural in the horizontal offense with really spot-on timing.
Next year is going to be awesome. We're returning all but 2 or 3 of our players (hopefully) and I can't wait to see how much everyone develops over the summer. Play summer league! (and let me know if you need a team).
Go sMITe.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Yale Cup 2009
Our second tournament of the spring! 6+ years up here and I still can't get used to how late the season starts up north.
So briefly, on Saturday we had 7 players, and the format was pool play for 3 rounds, then the 2s and 3s crossover. Therefore, we decided to win all 3 games and thus avoid playing the 4th. Results: 11-7 vs Yale, 11-4 vs NYU (were down 0-3 to start), and 10-9 vs Tufts (we were up 8-4? at half... stopped playing man D).
Sunday we had 2 more show up, and played Brown in the quarterfinals, with a come from behind win of 4 straight points to make it 9-8 and get into semis, which then let us avoid playing 4 games on Sunday. Semis was vs Vermont - they were doing a better job of breaking our zone, and I think our fatigue also started showing a little more because we kept getting beat to the open side in man. Final score 13-7; we didn't score after half.
Things that got better: trap zone D, playing against a zone (trap, 4 man cup), reading, catching. The cup in particular started understanding how to press as a solid wall, and to sprint only when sealing the break. The short deep and wings also learned to take away the easy options and force hard throws to break the zone.
Catching was actually a strong suit compared to other teams. I think both in the NYU and Brown games, our opponents were dropping the disc much more frequently than us. Reading improved as well; I remember maybe one instance only where a player poorly read the disc.
Our offense on a transition also worked a lot better when our cutters would attack deep and then come back under for the big gainers. We had been walking to the disc and allowing the defense to set, but when we started pressing on a turnover, it opened up much more on defense and cleared out poaches.
Things to improve: Endzone when we are trapped, maintaining spacing on offense, man defense.
Endzone in a trap situation had many turns, which I think were due to poor options upfield and looking too late at the dump. We worked on it at practice today, and I think it is dramatically improved. Looks chaotic, but it's pretty effective.
Creating space on offense is a higher level skill which is difficult to teach. We had been doing double cuts, and not clearing properly, or spacing our cutters out to maintain 1-on-1 matchups. Today we worked on it, and I think they did better when cued to face sideways so they could see both the thrower and the other cutters, and also to clear away from the direction of the dump throw.
Man defense... oy. So I have a beef with man defense in general, which I will write about shortly, but at the very least we need to be able to remember the force and to protect the force side as downfield defenders. Too many people were biting on fakes to the break side, or not setting up/maintaining the buffer to the force side.
I also learned this weekend that sMITe does not do well with getting yelled at. Haven't tried it before with this team, but they respond much better to positive feedback. Not a huge surprise, but good thing to know before actually being in an important game.
Overall, I am impressed by how well we played, and how much we were able to learn and improve. I have also determined that it's impossible to figure out how we stand vs other teams this early in the season. Sectionals is going to be interesting since we wouldn't have seen many of the teams in our section.
So briefly, on Saturday we had 7 players, and the format was pool play for 3 rounds, then the 2s and 3s crossover. Therefore, we decided to win all 3 games and thus avoid playing the 4th. Results: 11-7 vs Yale, 11-4 vs NYU (were down 0-3 to start), and 10-9 vs Tufts (we were up 8-4? at half... stopped playing man D).
Sunday we had 2 more show up, and played Brown in the quarterfinals, with a come from behind win of 4 straight points to make it 9-8 and get into semis, which then let us avoid playing 4 games on Sunday. Semis was vs Vermont - they were doing a better job of breaking our zone, and I think our fatigue also started showing a little more because we kept getting beat to the open side in man. Final score 13-7; we didn't score after half.
Things that got better: trap zone D, playing against a zone (trap, 4 man cup), reading, catching. The cup in particular started understanding how to press as a solid wall, and to sprint only when sealing the break. The short deep and wings also learned to take away the easy options and force hard throws to break the zone.
Catching was actually a strong suit compared to other teams. I think both in the NYU and Brown games, our opponents were dropping the disc much more frequently than us. Reading improved as well; I remember maybe one instance only where a player poorly read the disc.
Our offense on a transition also worked a lot better when our cutters would attack deep and then come back under for the big gainers. We had been walking to the disc and allowing the defense to set, but when we started pressing on a turnover, it opened up much more on defense and cleared out poaches.
Things to improve: Endzone when we are trapped, maintaining spacing on offense, man defense.
Endzone in a trap situation had many turns, which I think were due to poor options upfield and looking too late at the dump. We worked on it at practice today, and I think it is dramatically improved. Looks chaotic, but it's pretty effective.
Creating space on offense is a higher level skill which is difficult to teach. We had been doing double cuts, and not clearing properly, or spacing our cutters out to maintain 1-on-1 matchups. Today we worked on it, and I think they did better when cued to face sideways so they could see both the thrower and the other cutters, and also to clear away from the direction of the dump throw.
Man defense... oy. So I have a beef with man defense in general, which I will write about shortly, but at the very least we need to be able to remember the force and to protect the force side as downfield defenders. Too many people were biting on fakes to the break side, or not setting up/maintaining the buffer to the force side.
I also learned this weekend that sMITe does not do well with getting yelled at. Haven't tried it before with this team, but they respond much better to positive feedback. Not a huge surprise, but good thing to know before actually being in an important game.
Overall, I am impressed by how well we played, and how much we were able to learn and improve. I have also determined that it's impossible to figure out how we stand vs other teams this early in the season. Sectionals is going to be interesting since we wouldn't have seen many of the teams in our section.
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