Looking Brighter In 2011

2011 couldn't have come any sooner for the Tigers. Ending 2010 with a loss to Colorado College on New Year's Eve was a difficult way for our guys to end the year, but instead of hanging their heads, they came together as a group and ran off three great wins against SCAC West Division opponents (Austin College, Millsaps College, and Hendrix College). Senior Luke Caldarera was spectacular, averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds in the three wins, earning him the honor of SCAC Player of the Week. While the rest of Trinity's student body was at home for holiday break, our guys brought the enthusiasm and intensity needed to carry the Tigers to victory - there were even a couple of energy plays the last two weekends (who knew we had players that could dunk?). If the Tigers can continue to improve each week, then this season could be very interesting by the end of February.

Getting On Track

Trinity Basketball took a much needed step in the right direction this past weekend in Georgetown, TX at the Southwestern University Holiday Classic. With two quality wins against Albion and Hardin Simmons, the Tigers showed signs of the group's potential. Although we are still not 100% where we COULD be, it was a great weekend grounded by an all around team effort. With contributions coming from every healthy player on the team, the guys appear to be getting on track as a unit and gelling together on the court.

One product of the successful weekend was the recognition of First-Year Robert Kitzinger's shooting performance. Kitz was a consistent threat from the three-point line in both games, knocking down eight total, and earned the honor of SCAC Player-of-the-Week.

The team is off for the holidays and will return to action next week to take on Nebraska Wesleyan at home on Dec. 29.

Midnight Madness - Halloween Edition

The past two seasons a strong Trinity Basketball tradition has been missing, but Midnight Madness made a great comeback last Thursday, October 28th. Sponsored by the sororities and fraternities, the student body really got behind this year's Halloween theme (the winner of the costume contest was a pregnant cookie monster - although there was a strong push for Monty Python's one armed Black Knight). The event began with the introduction of the Men's and Women's Basketball teams and consisted of a few dance routines (our first-years showing their moves), a faculty/student knock-out game, a short team scrimmage, and finished off with a dunk contest. First-year guard, Matt Selling, came away the winner with the most creative dunk of the night. It was an overall fun night and did a great job of raising excitement for the start of basketball season.

King of the Court - Fall 2010

October 15th not only marks the first day of NCAA basketball, but it also is the date for Trinity Basketball's Fall King of the Court Competition. The competition is made up of five tests (vertical leap, agility, sprint, bench press reps, conditioning) and each individual on the team is awarded points for their rankings in two categories per test (test performance and percentage increase from prior semester's test). Broken up into smaller groups, testing started from 8 a.m. and lasted for approximately three hours. The team came out and gave great effort in hopes of being crowned "King of the Court."

So with that being said, our Fall 2010 "King of the Court" is sophomore guard, Joel Van Essen. Joel placed high on the vertical leap, agility, and finished first in the conditioning. His hard work in the off-season truly showed, as he also recorded high improvements in four of the five tests. With his tremendous work-ethic, it will be a challenge for the rest of the team to claim Joel's title in the spring.

2010-11 Season Begins

Even though Trinity's campus was very quiet this morning, as students were on their fall break, Sam's Gymnasium was far from silent. Today marked the first day of NCAA Basketball and the Tigers kicked the season off with a great day of competition. While most Division I programs will open their season with a Midnight Madness (we hold ours later in the schedule - this year it is October 28...mark your calendars!), Trinity Basketball was in the gym by 8 a.m. with the bi-annual "King of the Court" Challenge. We will have a write-up on KOTC soon, but in short, it was a terrific effort by all of the players and really demonstrated the focus and dedication this year's squad - just ask a few of the guys that finished the conditioning portion of the challenge (see picture below for evidence!).

In the afternoon, we had our first practice of the season. The coaching staff couldn't be more impressed with the work ethic and energy brought by all participating players. The competition level was tremendous. It will be exciting to see how this group progresses as a unit, because the talent is definitely there.

Tomorrow will be another eventful day, as one of the strength and conditioning trainers from the San Antonio Spurs will be working out our team in the morning and we will again have a team practice in the evening. Looks like the guys are going to be sleeping well the next few nights!