Thursday, April 19, 2012
Way to Represent!!!
Quick shout-out to Teresa for being named to the Academic All-MAC Team, and Beth and Nicki for being MAC Honorable Mention selections. Congrats!
Practice Players Squad At Its Finest...
The use of male practice players has become a common practice in women’s basketball. This season, our practice squad was made up of seven guys – Ryan, Christoff, Jason, Justin, Kevin, TJ, and Ben. (Left to right on the photo below. Ben is missing from the photo).
The practice players are invaluable to the growth of the team. When our players go against the guys, they have to be aggressive. It makes the level of practice higher, more exciting, and more physical. The guys raise the intensity on a daily basis, which really helps to keep the practices spontaneous and competitive. They help the players get more repetition on offense and defense while eliminating the familiarity of always competing against teammates. The guys are most useful when preparing for a team. They learn the opponent’s offense and execute it, while the Bulls focus on defensive strategies.
All practice players have to go through the same administrative hurdles as the student- athletes, including registering with NCAA clearinghouse, getting sickle cell shots, undergoing physicals, attending compliance meetings and filling out paperwork. You know the guys are serious when they undergo this long and thorough process. The practice players receive a pair of shorts, a reversible, and a couple of t-shirts that they get to keep at the end of the year. That’s the extent of the free perks. But the players don’t do it for the tangible benefits. They like being a part of a group. They really have become a part of our family. They understand it’s not about them. They all get it and it’s really important. They’re here to make our team better and they never have a “bad day.”
Thank you- Kevin, Justin, Ryan, TJ, Christoff, Ben, and Jason! We appreciate everything you have done for the Bulls family!
The practice players are invaluable to the growth of the team. When our players go against the guys, they have to be aggressive. It makes the level of practice higher, more exciting, and more physical. The guys raise the intensity on a daily basis, which really helps to keep the practices spontaneous and competitive. They help the players get more repetition on offense and defense while eliminating the familiarity of always competing against teammates. The guys are most useful when preparing for a team. They learn the opponent’s offense and execute it, while the Bulls focus on defensive strategies.
All practice players have to go through the same administrative hurdles as the student- athletes, including registering with NCAA clearinghouse, getting sickle cell shots, undergoing physicals, attending compliance meetings and filling out paperwork. You know the guys are serious when they undergo this long and thorough process. The practice players receive a pair of shorts, a reversible, and a couple of t-shirts that they get to keep at the end of the year. That’s the extent of the free perks. But the players don’t do it for the tangible benefits. They like being a part of a group. They really have become a part of our family. They understand it’s not about them. They all get it and it’s really important. They’re here to make our team better and they never have a “bad day.”
Thank you- Kevin, Justin, Ryan, TJ, Christoff, Ben, and Jason! We appreciate everything you have done for the Bulls family!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Wrappin' Up the 2011-12 Season
On April 15, 2012, UB women's basketball wrapped up the season holding a Banquet at Dave & Buster's. Coach MacDonald distributed team awards to the well deserving recipients listed below:
Most Valuable Player: Brittany Hedderson
Most Valuable Player: Brittany Hedderson
Most Improved Player: Nytor Longar
Defensive Player Award: Teresa Semalulu
Academic Award: Nicki Hopkins & Teresa Semalulu
Bulls’ Pride Award: Nicki Hopkins
Coaches’ Award: Kristen Sharkey
Britt Hedderson was also recognized for being named to the All-MAC First Team and for being MAC Player of the Week twice this season.
Congratulations to all award winners!
Senior Day Victory
On Saturday, February 25, we honored our four seniors- Brittany Hedderson, Teresa Semalulu, Ephesia Holmes, and Beth Christensen prior to the victory over Ohio. "I don't think you could have scripted Senior Day any better," said head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. "All four of them made significant contributions and are a big reason why we won today."
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