This past Tuesday, our guys participated in the inaugural "King of the Court" competition. With five tests (vertical leap, agility, sprint, bench max reps, conditioning), the team competes with each other for the unheralded title of "King of the Court." This competition will take place every semester and the winner is decided based on a combination of best performance and greatest increase in each category.
The Spring '10 "King of the Court" is senior guard, BART TAYLOR. Bart placed first in both agility and sprint, while placing third in conditioning. Bart's competitive spirit really showed as he was determined to test his best.
Now the bar is set and next year's returners and newcomers will look to be the future "King of the Court."
There is a lesson to learn from this past weekend's games. The game is 40 minutes, not just 20. Coming out Friday night against Oglethorpe, we were flat. The energy wasn't there and we got down big. The guys came together at halftime and decided that regardless of whether or not their shots were falling, they were going to play hard. Sadly, we came up short with a 66-62 loss, but had we applied that type of energy in the first half, we would have really given ourselves a great opportunity to win a tough basketball game.
It was great to see the guys took that to heart on Sunday. We were able to put two hard-working halves together and, eventhough we still didn't shoot the ball that well, we came out with a solid 19 point victory against a tough, scrappy Sewanee Tigers team.
This weekend's games in Danville, KY (Centre College) and Greencastle, IN (DePauw University) will be a great test to see if we can stay consistent with our energy and communication. When those two things are clicking, we're a very tough team to beat.
Every year around October/November, Trinity University invites all of its alumni back on campus for a weekend of memories. Trinity Basketball has been fortunate to have so many returning alums continue to stay connected and be around the program. During these weekends, alumni share their "reflections" of what Trinity means/meant to them and we thought it would be a great recurring topic on this blog to have some "Alumni Perspective."
"What I remember about my time as a Trinity Tiger"
If you had asked me what I remember most about my time as a Tiger shortly after graduation, I think I would have had a very different answer than now. Then I would have made a list of victories and championships, personal accomplishments, and maybe even a step by step verbal replay of the best dunks throughout my career (ally-oop on the first play against Texas A&M is up there). The competitor in me that hates to lose might even retell some of the heartbreak losses in my career that drove me and my teammates to get better (at DePauw freshman year, Sul Ross State junior year). Mostly, my response would have been about the success of our team and the great times that we had together on and off the court.
My answer now would view the same events with a different scope. The losses fade and even the wins lose their glory. Your individual and team accomplishments are eclipsed by those behind you, but some things will never fade or be eclipsed. The memories I have with my teammates are still vivid in my mind and will always remain so. Not the on the court memories I would have thought when I graduated, but other things that seemed insignificant at the time. I remember walking from the gym to Mabee with my teammates after practice. I remember eating at Main Street Pizza with the guys on a Friday night and getting my free Trini-Tea. I remember our annual lake party in the spring to celebrate the season. I remember the little moments that had little to do with wins and losses. Those memories will not fade.
All of those unforgettable memories are shared with my teammates, my best friends. I had friends before coming to Trinity and I have made many close friends since leaving, but nothing can eclipse the bonds of friendship forged between teammates. Nothing else compares. Those relationships are what I will always take with me from my time at Trinity. I am thankful for my opportunity to play for Coach Cunningham, and attend Trinity, but I will forever be indebted to both for the relationship I have with my teammates, then and now.
Peter Murray, '05
*He didn't know we had it, but below is the clip of Peter's afformentioned ally-oop
Four games in seven days is never an easy task, no matter what team it is. Last week we kicked the year off by playing in the St. Edward's Tip-off Classic in Austin. We faced two really tough Division II teams and played both to the final minutes - losing by 11 and 9. Playing against very athletic, big, strong teams, our guys played extremely hard and gave themselves opportunities to win two ball games. With our third game on the road in four days, Wednesday's game against Mary Hardin-Baylor was difficult. They are a very experienced team and played extremely well at home. To our teams credit, we came back after two days of practice and played with extreme intensity and effort in our win on the road against Schreiner University. As this group gets experience, it is great to see them deal with adversity with such effort.
It is rare that we do not have any games over the Thanksgiving break, but I am looking forward to the rest. I know a few of our "non-Texan" guys will be flying home for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will regroup early next week and prepare for our next game (a home game, finally!) against I-35 rival, Southwestern University on Thursday, December 3. Hopefully we all don't come back too many pounds heavier!
Trinity Men's Basketball had a great turnout for our Alumni Game last Saturday. With 17 "Old-Timers" suited up - ranging all the way back to Class of '74 - the Alumni showed our guys that they still had a step or two left in them. I'd like to thank all of the alumni and friends that came in to celebrate legendary Coach Pete Murphy being inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was also great to see the whole Murphy family there! Events like these are really what being part of the Trinity family is all about.
As for our team - it's game week! The intensity has really picked up in practice, as we prepare for our first match Sunday against Division II Midwestern State. It will be a grueling first week as we play four games in seven days, but I'm confident our guys are up for the challenge.
The 2009-10 season is here! As usual, the guys have brought terrific work ethic and high energy to each practice with great anticipation of the season to come. A week from Sunday, Nov. 15, we kick off our season with a matchup against Division II opponent Midwestern St. at the St. Edward's Tip-Off Classic. Also, with Alumni Weekend this weekend, we are excited to be welcoming back so many former Tigers, as we honor the induction of Coach Pete Murphy into the Hall of Fame. We look forward to keeping you updated on Tiger Men's Basketball.
