Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Kyle Smithpeters MVC Tournament Journal
03/05/2005 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Today we left for the MVC Tournament in St. Louis. The attitude of the team seems to be going in the right direction.
The talk on the bus ride up mainly was how well we need to play to get into the NCAA Tournament. Nobody really seems to feel that without an MVC Tournament win we will get into the NCAA Tournament. Stet and J.T. refer to Utah State to those who would dare to argue against their view. Last year, Utah State found themselves in a similar position as us this year, having a high RPI, and they also cracked the Top 25, but failed to make the dance when they didn't win their Conf. Tournament. It was good to see Stet and J.T. make that case to the younger guys so they wouldn't come in not expecting perfection in order to make a good tournament run.
The day has really wore myself and the rest of the team down. We left early this morning and arrived about 11:00 a.m. Darren and T. Y. had to come up early with coach for the MVC awards banquet. Darren said they were there for two and a half hours listening to speeches and more speeches by coaches and other award winners.
We went from the hotel to the Savvis Center for a 30-minute shoot around. It was pretty intense in the short time with us trying to get up as many shots as we could.
We then travelled by bus to a local college to finish practice. The intensity was good among the team, showing that we are ready to play tomorrow, regardless of the opposition we may face. The rest of the day consisted of going to eat supper and a team scouting report at 9:30 p.m.
we returned from supper at 7:30p.m. and all went to sleep until the scouting report. The scouting report consists of the other team's stats, player profiles and some sets they may run against us tomorrow. We discussed this, and then watched clips of film that are plays the coaches think will be important for us to see. This meeting usually lasts about an hour and 15 to an hour and 30 minutes.
With shoot around tomorrow at 8:00a.m., sleep is going to be crucial for all of us. Rest and sleep is going to be very important for us if we are going to perform well for three-straight days. Taking care of your body at this time of year is just about the most important thing you should do.
