Visibly sad, I asked the girls if they knew what was coming?
They, also visibly sad, nodded their heads.
This group chooses to practice at 5 am every single Friday.
This groups mental and physical toughness is special.
Or you’ll regret it.
Go chase your dreams.
The girls agreed, and I felt supported by the only group of people I needed support from.
And then second was #DoItForOhiosTate written in huge letters.
Totally up to you guys.
Its what you guys want.
Coach, I speak for everyone when I say….can you write about us?
I want to be a star.
You got it, Laney.
Thats right, me and this senior class, who came in together, are sitting at 95-8 overall.
This team is really good, and theyre hungry to win the schools first ever basketball state championship.
And that’s not a one time thing.
That’s common for her.
Aliyah has been doing this for 4 years.
Shes a 1st team All-League and All-District player, and shell get All-Ohio here in a few weeks.
None of this is a secret.
She is the once traditional, but now extremely uncommon, three sport Varsity athlete.
All league in Volleyball, all league in basketball, and 1st team all-state in softball.
Taylor is our best athlete and our best competitor.
Someone you want on your side.
Love to have her, hate to play against her.
And shes really good at it.
Evidence of how Katie plays:
Katie is tough as nails.
But it wasnt even a question if she was playing.
Standing at 6 foot 1, Elle scored 13 points in the first quarter of her first ever game.
Ive never started a freshman while I was here, and Elle has started every single game this year.
She burst on the scene and jumped right over a lot of really talented, really hard working kids.
When Harper, Aliyah, and Taylor graduate….watch out.
I think shes next in the line of Granville greats / 1000 point scorers.
And whats crazy is that her best sport might actually be volleyball.
She was an absolute monster of the Varsity team this Fall, too.
You guys get the picture.
And she’s really good at basketball.
She’s only a sophomore, and she’s the classic 6th man that should probably start.
But if the game starts off slow, we throw Laney in there and she instantly changes the energy.
She is flat out deadly from the 3 point line.
She leads the county in three point percentage with 43%.
She’s come up big in some of our biggest moments this year, too.
To make the Sweet 16, you must win your district.
There were enough teams in Columbus this year that Central Ohio got 2 districts.
That is why the #2 seed, Buckeye Valley, is not in this bracket.
We went to the first district, they went down to the second district.
And let’s not beat around the bush, everyone in the state makes the tournament.
But as I remind the girls in games like these, this one is not being played on paper.
It’s being played on the court.
And the hare was heavily favored against the tortoise in their race, too.
But cockiness and arrogance have beaten teams much better than the Granville Blue Aces.
We still need to play well and execute a game plan tonight.
Keys To The Game:
1.
PRESSURE EVERY INCH
We are a full-court man to man team.
If you don’t have a point guard, you will not fare well against the Aces.
How can we manufacture some run out layups?
How can we get Aliyah some open looks?
How can we get Harp 1 on 1 in the post or isolated on the wing?
We need to get easy ones and make them work for theirs.
I know at 16 years old I would’ve.
DO NOT DO THAT TONIGHT, GIRLS.
Also, you shouldn’t be reading this.
You are supposed to be in class.
When The Better Team Plays Harder….
We talk about this a lot.
When the more talented team plays harder, it’s a recipe to win the basketball game.
For an upset to occur, the better team either needs to do stupid things or not play hard.
Let’s confirm we win both of those battles tonight: basketball intelligence and effort.
This Could Be Your Last Game.
Play like your career is on the line….because it is.
Like we always say, desperation is more important than inspiration.
The livestream link ishere.
First game for everyone tonight, folks.
Or maybe Barstool wants to come do it?
GO ACES!!!
!
