ANY GIVEN DAY YOU CAN FIND THE TEAM CONCEPT

(aritcle on Integrity listed below)

BY: Cheryl Mohr (9-11-03)

This past month I started to prepare for our 2004 aau season. I reflected over the past 20 years and the many different organizations I have worked for.

As I have come full circle from the camps in Milwaukee in the 1970's, to my days at Arkansas, to the coaching experiences I had coaching college basketball and high school basketball, to running private lessons at the Fond du Lac of YMCA, to the clinics I do at the campus and from Higher Level Camps I have found a common link: our youth want to belong and are looking for someone to tell them they can make a difference.

During our 2002 AAU season I decided to coach our 17(1) during the 2003 summer. John Ross left to take a head coaching position in Michigan at a Division III school. We began to piece this team together with Nicole Brenner, MacKenzie Heise and Collie Moody. Nicole was a true point guard who understood the game and knew how to keep her teammates involved. Mack was just a great athlete who could take the ball to the rack and pull up for the J. Collie was a solid player inside and out.

Linsey Propsen, who played with us in 2001 came back and Emily VandeSlunt from North Fond du Lac decided to join us after 4 years with the Viking Club. Linsey was quick as lightening. Emily had a nice outside shot and could get rebounds.

Katie LaViolette from Manitowoc was a natural athlete who could flat out play, but needed work on her outside shot. She attended camp in 2002 and played with us at a tournament in Chicago. Liz Roehrig came from Chilton and was the most phenomenal
athlete you would ever want to meet. She was the State High Jump Champion as a sophomore and a junior. Kim Wickert was a teammate of MacKenzie Heise from WLA. The first time we met, Kim would not talk to me. I thought for sure she was not going to play, but low and behold her dad called me during the season and Kim was on board.

Last and just as important as the other 8, was Kelsie Ostendorf from Platteville. She was a regular at our Ripon Camp for years. She could shoot the lights out. She finally came on board with us. To say the least I was excited. We had 9 players who were all capable of stepping up. Just how good we could be was yet to be seen.

We began practice in May and one thing I noticed about the girls was they would not talk to me. They did exactly what I wanted them to and were very respectful. Oh yeah, Collie talked all the time. She was always the fence mender and would always be willing to give me an answer. Getting the other girls to talk was like pulling teeth.

At our first tournament in Whitewater we were 0-4. We played against teams from the Viking Club, The Playground Warriors and other top teams in the state. We only lost these games by a few points. What impressed me the most at this tournament was we would go on these runs for 8, 10, 12 or 14 points. They would get clicking on all cylinders and they were off to the races.

In June we were 6-2 before camp. We were at the Pride Tournament and I saw signs of brilliance. They began to decrease their dribbling, increase their passing, catch and shoot, get in the passing lanes on defense, dead front the low post and basically run and run and run and run until they could not run anymore. Sometimes we would put in our 13 defense that would literally drive teams crazy.

It should be clear that Higher Level Camps focuses on Quality over Quantity and Developing Players. One of the ways we do this is with our camp held at Ripon College. At camp I noticed these 9 individuals worked and worked and worked. They pushed themselves. They did not say much, but were there to get better. A few times I went up to the dorms to see them just hang out together. They were slowly but surely becoming a family. Little did they know this was part of buying into THE TEAM CONCEPT. They did not talk much, but did eat a lot of homemade cheese cake and junk food (but no soda).

After camp they had two days off and on June 28, 2003 they came to our tournament at Ripon College where they began a run like no other team we ever had before. They went 6-0 at Ripon. We beat The Pride two times there and one game went into triple overtime. In fact during the 2nd overtime Kelsie got caught watching the paint dry and Nicole took a shot with 15 seconds left and the game was tied. She missed and we went into the 3rd overtime.

At this tournament some of the teams we previously beat by only a few points, we were beating by 15 or 20 points. These girls were in shape and were slowly but surely buying into a system. I call it THE TEAM CONCEPT. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you do not play together as a team and support each other, there is no way you will win at this level.

Something even more important I saw was these girls encouraged each other all the time. I would be in their faces and telling them to decease their dribbling, increase their passing, dead front the low post, catch and shoot, the only way you get into a shooting slump is by shooting and the only way to get out of a shooting slump is by shooting and the list goes on.

I also noticed our parents were very supportive. They enjoyed each other and more importantly believed in the system I was teaching. They saw that I was continually pushing their daughters out of their comfort zone. Throughout the summer I saw opposing coaches just sit on their bench and not say much. I would more times than not meet the girls at half court when I would call a timeout. The first few times they were shocked, but I knew in order to get them to perform I had to constantly challenge them. After awhile they told me they did what I told them to do for out of fear of me meeting them at half court.

We took a week and a half off before we headed to Chicago for the Mainewest Observation Tournament. This was the start of us being on the road 17 out of the next 21 days. In Chicago we went 9-2. We played against teams from all over the country and held our own. Game after game they got better. They ran the fast break and the dribbling decreased. The only games we lost were by a few points. We easily could have won those.

As the season progressed we had a 29-6 run during July. We went to Notre Dame, Stout and the Junior Olympics in Detroit. These girls simply bought into a system that was OLD SCHOOL. I expected them to be at camp, to attend practice, workout on their own and to buy into THE TEAM CONCEPT.

At Stout Liz went down with a sprained ankle. This really hurt us. With her missing, it was tough to make up her athletic ability and jumping ability. Katie went down with an ankle injury in Detroit.

By the end of July I saw the improvement they each made individually and as a team. On ANY GIVEN DAY a different player would step up because they believed and lived THE TEAM CONCEPT. Nicole learned to shoot when she was open and MacKenzie talked more and shot more. Collie learned to get her footwork correct on her jumper and Katie developed a deadly outside jumper. Linsey improved tremendously on her shot selection and would come up with these steals because of her quickness. Kelsie was deadly from anywhere on the court past the half court line. She could catch and shoot off the pass better than anyone I have seen play over the past 20 years. Liz and Kim were no longer mash mellows. Emily learned to catch and shoot and defend inside.

One thing I challenged the girls was not to be so soft inside. I pushed them to toughen up and to fight for rebounds and to dead front the low post. On offense I challenged them to take the ball to the rack. Why settle for a jumper when you can get a lay up. They also learned what an inside out game was all about.

During this time when I would call timeouts, Kim, who earlier would not even look at me would tell the girls exactly what they needed to do.

As we finished out the season at The HLC Summer Shootout in Oshkosh I can honestly say this was the most fun I have ever had coaching. It was a summer to remember. The top five games that stand out to me are as follows: First, we beat a team in Chicago by 25 points. However we were down 18-4 and I called a timeout half way through the first half. I met them at half court as usual. The kicker in all of this was they had 5 girls over 6 feet. They were big and athletic. I put in the 13 defense and off to the races we went. At half time we were up by 2 and the rest is history. That was a 39 point swing.

Another game that sticks out is when we were in Indiana at Notre Dame. We played a team from Chicago at 8am on Friday morning. At half time we were down by 4. Something I rarely do, but we went to a diamond and one defense and I rotated Katie and Linsey on their best player. They delivered by taking their leading scorer out of the game. We went on to win by 20 points.

The third game is the triple overtime win against The Pride Team. They were loaded with talent and it was a game that was back and forth all the way. How we pulled out a win is nothing short of a miracle. In fact either team could have won in regulation time or in the triple overtime. That is how close it was. It is not even so much we won, but how much fun it was to be a part of a game like that.

The fourth game that really sticks out was the first game at the Junior Olympics. We scored a 120 points. What was so impressive about this game was their ability to pass the ball and catch and shoot. We would get lay ups and 5 or 10 foot jumpers because we literally did not dribble the ball down the court.

Last and most important was the game we played at the Junior Olympics. We did lose to Team Oklahoma by 1 point. (Story about this game written below called INTEGRITY).

There were many games we won simply because when there were under 3 minutes left and if we were up by at least 1 point we would put in our 4 corner stall. They ran it to perfection. These girls understood the game and learned the importance of taking care of the basketball. There were a number of times coaches, officials and fans complimented our team on how good we were at passing the ball and how impressive our fast break was. Even more importantly we received many comments that we had good sportsmanship. I believe this goes back to the girls being level and keep things in perspective.

We finished the season 39-18. Only 2 losses we were blown out. From the 16 losses I will take some responsibility for at least 8 of them. I just did not coach very good games at times. Either the rotation was not good or I did not use the timeouts when I should have. Even as a coach you can have a bad game when you are not in the flow. There were a few times I should have called a timeout, but I didn't because I wanted to see how they would respond.

There were times when the games would get so physical I would ask the girls to put on their pads and lets go play some football. One game in Chicago we were playing against a team that did not match up to us athletically. After a few minutes into the game and our girls were literally being tackled I called a timeout. Instead of meeting them at half court I met the officials at half court. I told them if they did not call a tighter game we would leave. I have never been one to walk out on anything, but for the safety of the girls we would have. The parents were 100% in support of all of this. The sad part is the girls who were playing physical did not even know it was a problem. This comes from the coaches more times than not.

Which leads me to the next point. No player/ family is bigger than Higher Level Camps. There is no AAU program bigger than the entire AAU Program throughout the United States which has a logo: SPORTS FOR ALL FOREVER and there is nothing bigger than what our world is facing today with the war on terrorism and where there are children dying everyday because of starvation. Since 9-11 I have come to fully appreciate what living in America is all about. The freedoms we have, the opportunities we have to excel in whatever we choose to and what a blessing it is simply to have family and friends.

Everyday I look myself in the mirror and ask, 'Am I doing what is right for each individual in this program'. I can honestly say as a staff we do. In 1980 when I was in college I made a decision to ask Jesus Christ into my heart. Over the years I have come to realize the importance as having Christ as the foundation of my life in every area: which includes being a wife, mother and running HLC. In the bible it does say those in authority will be held accountable for their actions. This has penetrated the depths of my heart.

Some parents are in disagreement with the structure of HLC. All I can say is I will go back to this: those who attend camp, play on a team and work out on their own are the ones who have the most success. In fact to be successful in high school you need programs like HLC to develop you as a player. If you are successful in high school we can talk about the next level. Our 17(1)'s are living proof of this.

As I reflect on the season, much more took place than just basketball. We became a family. These girls will be friends for a long time to come. The time we spent on the road, in hotels, eating out at restaurants, traveling to tournaments and the time in between games left a lasting impression on me. The girls taught me to be patient with them. To see that they may not always do things exactly the way I wanted them done, but they did try their best. Every time they showed up to play I expected them to perform at a level far beyond their comfort zone. That is a tough thing to do on a day in and day out basis. I would talk to the girls about decreasing their LULLS. The fewer LULLS you have in a game the better you will perform as a team. That is very difficult to do. As coaches and parents we need to take a step back and realize they are doing their best. I would like to see some of us go out there and compete with all that talent. The level of play these girls are playing at is unreal at times. Every one of these girls made some moves this year that left me speechless. I would be on the bench and would only say, "how did she do that?" They have come light years from where the game of basketball was for girls only a few years ago.

To those of you who continue to play in our program or want the opportunity to play with us. Please understand the 17(1)'s opened up more doors for the future teams of HLC. All 9 of them will have the opportunity to play at the college level. It does not matter if they play at a Division I university or a small private college. The fact that they go on to play college basketball means they are part of the 1% of all girls playing who make it to that level. They will not get there because they showed up one day and did things their way. The opportunity to play at the next level will happen because they chose to GO BACK TO THE BASICS. They attended camp, worked out on their own and yes, SUPPORTED EACH OTHER and truly lived THE TEAM CONCEPT.

On ANY GIVEN DAY I would take these 9 and play against any team in the country.

On ANY GIVEN DAY as adults we are given the opportunity to make a difference in a child's life. There is a fine line between breaking a child' WILL and breaking their SPIRIT. If we break their SPIRIT we can damage them, if we break their WILL: on ANY GIVEN DAY they will give us what we ask for and much more because they have found a place to belong and found someone to tell them they can make a difference.

And last but not least, on ANY GIVEN DAY I would gladly relive the summer of 2003 with the 17(1)'s. Thanks for what you taught me and for keeping me level. I also know you will not let me forget about our 10 and 15 year reunion in 2013 and 2018 when I can see you married with children.

INTEGRITY

BY: Cheryl Mohr (8-15-2003)

Last month I had a wonderful experience taking our 17(1)'s to the Junior Olympics in Detroit, MI. At our state AAU meetings in June, Keith Noll, President of AAU in the state of Wisconsin asked if we would like to go. I told him to let me see how they develop during the summer.

Our first tournament in Whitewater we were 0-4. We only lost these games by a couple of points. Even though we did not win, I noticed a couple things with this team. First, they were very level. Second, the parents were very supportive of our style and last but most important these girls supported each other even when I was getting in their faces.

Everyone knows HLC is based on Going Back To The Basics. Our 17(1)'s attended camp at Ripon in June. After that, something magical happened. They went on a run at the end of June and in July with a 29-6 record. None of the losses we had were by more than 3 points. During this run I called Keith and asked him if we could attend the Junior Olympics. We made the trip and it was at this tournament I learned what these girls were made of and I am forever grateful they played for HLC this year.

During our second game we were playing Team Oklahoma. During the second half their team went on a run. The girls for HLC told me the score was not correct. I told the ref and he stopped the game. I told the refs they did not give the other team 2 points. He said, "are you sure?" I said, "the girls on the bench told me they did not give them 2 points when they scored off a steal from their press." After a few minutes of checking the books the officials gave Team Oklahoma 2 points. The coach thanked me and I replied, "If we lose by one I will ask for the 2 points to be taken off."

The game went back and forth. We pulled within one point with 15 seconds left. I called a timeout and called 'FIST' with Katie and Traci. They ran the pick and roll to perfection. Instead of Katie dishing off, she went in for a layup and we went up by 1 with 6 seconds left. Team Oklahoma took the ball the length of the court. It seemed like this 6 seconds took an eternity. With no time left on the clock, before the buzzer sounded, the ref blew his whistle and sent the best player to the free throw line. They were down 81-82. She stepped up to the line and sank both of them. We went on to lose by one.

The Site-Manager came up to me after the game and said, "Coach, what you did was above and beyond for a team to do at a tournament like this. Thanks for setting a good example." I said, "You need to thank those girls. They understand what integrity is." I also talked to the opposing coach and he said, "Where did you get a team like this with all of that talent. Your primary and secondary break was ran to perfection. I did not think there was another team from Wisconsin that could play like this. There are already 3 teams here from Wisconsin. We did not think you would be at this level." I replied, "Thank-you, but we get these girls as young as possible and develop them over a period of time."

Would I want that 2 points back. Not in a million years. Even though we lost, we did lose with integrity and the game of basketball was kept as a game and we did not compromise our values to win.

Integrity!! The only way we lose this is by the choices we make. Nobody can take this away from you. You lose it on your own. Our 17's team understood this. THANKS!!!!