St. Louis Blue Devils Basketball Club

Girls team has game Sunday at 4:00pm and a special practice Monday at Ursuline Academy from 6-7:30 - At least one parent there for P/U at 7:20 or so for special team meeting.

Boys team plays Sunday - They have us at 1:00pm & 2:00pm against the same team so I am trying to get hold of someone to make sure that is not a typo. If it is correct we will play both of our teams back to back instead of the same team playing both games as I don't think that would be much fun for either team. I have sent e-mails & left messages and if I don't hear back by Friday I will go up to gym and find out. Stay tuned.

Ladue League info -DIRECTIONS TO LADUE ARE...
Ladue High School is 1201 Warson, Ladue MO 63124
Lindbergh North or South to Clayton
Clayton East to Warson
Warson North to High School
Gym Entrance is at the back North west Corner of Campus
Back Gym is by the Aquatic Center

BOYS SQUADS ARE...

DUKE - Dave, Kevin, Peter, Dan(Baker)
BLUE - Kyle, Jordan, Cameron, Dan (Kelly)
WHITE - Andrew, Colin, Eric, Matt (Winter)
DEVILS - Tommy,Liam, Chris, Matt (Cordia)
We will rotate throughout season so all the guys get a chance to play together.

Previously-
Congrats to all the Blue Devils on making their HS teams! So far the players that checked in all made their JV & Varsity teams. The reason we work so hard at practice and play up against tough teams is that it prepares our players for the next level. For all the freshman to a
make JV or Varsity and so many of our sophomores already getting moved up to Varsity gives our program a favorable report card. The coaches in our Club are very proud of how well you all have done and look forward to seeing you represent your schools as well as you have done wearing the Blue & White over the years. Great Job!

Younger Teams Update: The 6th grade boys continue to move up the charts and should be one of the best, if not THE BEST team their age this winter. The practices against each other provide some of the best competition we face and bring back memories of the old Wooden teams when the second stringers were NBA draft picks. Having three or four guys on a 6th grade team as tall as the coach is just plan sick.

Some of our goals this year is to hold other teams to one shot every trip down the floor, improve our press, convert more of our fast breaks into made baskets, and play better man to man defense.

Just a heads up now to parents - There will be games when we will be winning playing zone and will switch to a man defense. While this may not make sense be assured we realize it as well and it may cost a game or two if we don't improve in that area or switch back to zone in time but we need to work on that area and everyone needs to be patient while we work on this part of our game. I prefer to play man to man all the time but as the Mizzou coach said last year "I love man to man defense but I love to win more, so we will play some zone"

The 6th grade girls had a very good scrimmage against the Red Raiders Club and are rounding out to last seasons form. Special thanks toi the coaches of the Red Raiders for allowing us to come up and scrimmage with them. A few former Blue Devils now play with the Red Raiders and it was great to see them on the hardwood again and they looked very good in the scrimmage as well. Of course I still prefer them in Blue intead of Red but they represented their new team with the same intensity and skill they did when they played with us and it was great to see them playing again.

We are not as many numbers wise as in the past but what we lack in numbers we make up for in quality. I am constantly impressed by the effort this group of girls puts forth at practice and games and the chemistry between them is by far among the best I have ever been associated with. I look forward to seeing how good this group will be by the time they get to high school.

I leave you with these quotes as you tryout...

"So many people get their identity through sports, and we have to remember that's what we do and not who we are"
Pat Summitt
Tennessee women's basketball coach and winner of several national tiltles

"I just made a decision that I was going to make this team. I was expecting that from me. I wasn't going to use an injury or anything else as an excuse. It was my responsibility, and I wanted it so bad, I had to make it happen."
Marla Runyon
U.S. Olyimpic runner in the 1500 meters who competed in the 2000 Sydney Games and suffers from Satrgardt's disease, a degenerative condition that began eroding her eyesight when she was nine.

"The rewards for those who persevere far exceeds the victory."
Karen Bliss Livingston
Elite road racer and captain of the Saturn cycling team

And Finally...

"You can't worry about what somebody else is doing. You come out and work hard every day. You play and let your performance speak for you. If things don't work out, at least you know you gave it everything you had."
Clif Groce
Former running back of the Indianapolis Colts

I am very happy to see the improvement by those coming to practice and a large amount of credit is due to Travis Arends for the huge help he has been with working on individual skills every week. His knowledge and patience to teach players at this age is off the charts. I have always admitted I was better at team play and game management than individual skill traing but have tried to embrace other coaches like Travis, Jim Karl, Rich Rosenow, Keith Nieman, etc to offset my weekness in some of those areas. In addition to the knowledge they off it is great for the players to hear fresh voices, new ideas, other ways of sayingwhat I have said rather than practices becoming stale and boring. I really appreciate these coaches who continue to help our players improve and already lined up several more guest coaches to come over the summer to work on certain areas they specialize in. One other advantage to this winter session is my older teams are now playing High school and college meaning these two 6th grade groups are the only teams I have to focus on. That means more tournament possiblities, more time to plan practice schedules, etc. I am very excited about the strength of both groups and have been on record as saying they will be the best group I ever had by the time they reach high school and we are well on our way to making that an accurate statement.
Finally, check out todays Suburban Journal for "Team Of The Week" & if you don't mind bringing me your copy after you read it I would appreciate it so I can give some extra copies to some of the girls on the team.

Thanks, Coach

BOYS WIN FIRST GAME OF SEASON BY THREE.

Please remember to e-mail me at efisher13@sbcglobal AND edfisher@jmaxx.org I don't check efhoopsrule very often.

We won tonight according to the score board tonight but it really pointed out we are not shooting enough on our own. We missed way too many shots for a "Select" Team. If we are going to try and play at this level we need toshoot more if it's just for fun then stick to playing CYC with your friends and having a fun time. There is nothing wrong with that if that is the level you are willing to invest your time in getting better. Even those that are coming to practice should not be mislead into thinking 1 and 1/2 hours a week will make you a top player. They too need to shoot at home

Shooting at home needs to simulate game conditions - shoot off the dribble, throw the ball with spin so that it comes back to you and then grab it like receiving a pass and then fake and shoot or fake and drive. Shoot some free throws. PRACTICE.

Another glaring problem was the way the other team was beating us to all the looses balls. That is more inexcusable than missed shots. Blue Devils Teams have always been known for tough defense and diving for loose balls. Now, we did do much better the second half and that's why we won but we never should have been down by 12 in the first half to that team.

Dan is taking this session off and he gives us 11 players Eric would like to play and that is 12 add two other really good players and I do not understand why guys aren't willing to work harder to keep a spot on this team. It has never been in my heart to cut someone to make room for another player as long as they were working hard and showing they appreciated wearing a Blue Devil jersey but some times I see guys going through the motions and it frustrates the heck out of me.

EVERYONE can play defense. there is an old saying "Defense is how much you love your coach and team mates" It is such a true statement. How can you let your team mates & coach down by not hustling as much as you are capable of? As we move forward we are going to have to address how to handle players not willing to put out the effortwhen there are guys willing to do it if they had the opportunity. Don't wait till down the road, starting next game, come ready to play and be determined to get any ball near you, on th efloor or on a rebound, WANT THE BALL!

Thanks to Travis for joining me on th ebench for the second half. He was a major reason we came back and won. It is so hard trying to manage the game, keep minutes fair and instruct players when they come off on ways to improve. Subbing 5on/5 off does not work very well in tight games and so we were forced to sub individually the second half. The down side with that is minutes don't wind up as evenly as I have try to do. As they get older I think it is only fair that in these close games those that are playing the best that particular game play more. that may change from game to game but know two things. One, when you are in play your best and the time you play will be more. Second, sometimes as a coach if it's a really close game such as tonight and those that are in are really playing well I may lose track of minutes. That is another reason it's huge to have someone like Travis on the bench to point out someone has been out for a while and then we can address it. Now again, I am not saying everyone will play 50/50 in close games like they would in a blow out but I am saying there is not one set lineup at this time that is assured of always being the group that plays more so every player has the same opportunity to be in the group that gets more eplaying time. There is not one player on this team that I don't like and care for or frankly, he wouldn't be there, so it is not a matter of playing favorites. It is a matter of rewarding the effort they are putting forth and giving the team the best chance of winning.

Finally, ask yourself how many loose balls did you get, passes did you intercept, rebounds did you grab, and know the greater number you are able to answer to those questions the mor eminutes you will play. I look back at every game and want these guys to do the same. I realize for example I did not adjust fast enough on offense and start pounding the ball inside and should have done so much sooner, we should have played more zone due to lack of practice time, I should have been more active calling inbounds plays earlier on, I often did not have the right mix of players on the floor, etc. So I take responsibility for getting down by 12 as much or more than the players but I will work hard and adjust for next game.Will the players?

"THE ONLY SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK IS A MIRACLE"
John Wooden

We are changing practice time for August & September to 7:00pm - 8:30 pm at the Trinity Methodist church across from TGIF/Ronnies on Lindbergh.

There is an opportunity to play in a league at Vetta this fall if we have enough interested BOYS-MONDAY NIGHTS / GIRLS -WED NIGHTS We need to know soon though before they fill up so let me know asap if you are coming to practices / league.

Thanks, Ed

Lot of stuff to catch you up on when I get a chance. See ya Sunday at 6pm, Ed

REMEMBER NEW E_MAIL ADDRESS efhoopsrule@sbcglobal.net

Please send all messages to my home e-mail efhoopsrule@sbcglobal.net

We had our 4th cut back in the past year at work and I happened to get caught in this one so do not send messages to my cenveo address any longer.

Obviously if anyone knows of someone hiring I would greatly appreciate you letting me know. My past 5 years have been as a Production Coordiator. Prior to that I was a Prepress Department supervisor for 19 years prior to that. Again, any assistance would mean a lot.

Help me, help you. Over the past year recognizing the companies cutbacks would eventually get to me I began working for RJI Pest Control nights and weekends with the intention of doing my own pesticide company next year. Due to this layoff the owner of the business said I can reduce price to $50 to help me out till I get full time employment. So if you need your house sprayed or know someone else who needs that service please contact me as soon as possible. My home is (314) 487-1989 and my cell is (314) 420-9188. It really is a good deal because they normally charge between $75 -$85 and I appreciate them doing this for me. So, help me, help you save some money and get rid of those insects this summer.

Thanks, Ed

Previously...

Freshman and Sophomores playing for me this summer please see Dave Ford page for your schedule *Note: Tournament and League times posted

The team being coached by Coach Cochran is posted on the DeGroot page

5TH GRADE GIRLS BAL OF SEASON POSTED ON YOUR PAGE

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I appreciated the effort of the girls that played this weekend in Farmington. Despite playing nothing but 6th graders in what was supposed to be a 5th & 6th grade tournament we worked hard throughout and reinforced the need to fake before we pass and overall speed of play when playing against much taller, older teams.

Guys similar to the girls many players missed for another sport, baseball and had to compete with only 5 guys yet beat a Swarm team by 10. Super effort and I can tell some of you guys are shooting on your own at home (Sadly I can also tell some of you are NOT) One of the best games of young season and except for a few minutes early in 2nd half played very smart ball and worked hard on defense.

Thanks, Ed

Regular practice times for Wed this week -
5th grade girls from 6-7:30
5th grade Boys from 7:30 - 9
7TH & 8TH GRADE GIRLS 3-ON-3 7:30 - 9

7TH & 8TH GRADE GIRLS HOPE YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF COMING AS MANY TIMES AS YOU CAN TO WORK OUT WITH YOUR HS SUMMER CAMPS/LEAGUES BEGIN -TRYOUT ARE COMING SHORTLY AND YOU NEED AS MANY TOUCHES AS POSSIBLE AND 3 ON 3 IS A GREAT WAY OF GETTING THEM.

Forgive me for taking this space to congradulate some CYC teams that won City/County this past weekend but they have so many Blue Devils playing for them that I felt it was appropriate.

If you made it to the packed Cor Jesu gym Sunday you saw a real barn burnner as the team I coach at SMMA won the 8th grade City/County Championship.

In addition to the normal bleacher section they added several rows of seats in front of them plus additional seating in the corners by the door and stage and there were still people standing to watch one of the hardest fought contests of the year between the girls from SMMA from South County & Ephipany representing the City. There were countless bodies diving on the floor for a loose ball or crashing into the stands to save an errant pass through out the game as each team wanted to win the last game they would be playing for their schools.

I felt so bad after the game when asked to introduce our players as they came up for their awards that I didn't take the opportunity when they handed me the microphone to express how much we have come to respect and care for the Ephiphany players and their coaches that it seemed we played almost weekly this season in one tournament or another. Dating back to last seasons "Tournament Of Champions" at Rosati where they beat us by one we have played them 6 timss since then with them winning 4 and us only two so I was completely caught off guard when we won and unprepared to express how we truly felt about them. They were always very gracious in their victories over us and it would have meant just as much to me if they had named us "Co-Champs" with both teams sharing the honor as neither team deserved to lose. If any one there thought we were a better team they have not been following our friendly rivalry over the years and we just happened to be lucky that day to come away with the win.

To single any girl out individually for her performance would be to slight everyones contribution in a real team effort not only in this game but as they compiled an over all record of 195 - 24 since third grade. You girls are amazing and it has really been a privlage to have spent the last 8 years together

*CLICK ON PHOTO ALBUM IN MENU TO LEFT FOR PICTURES OF PLAYERS SERVING COACH PIE AFTER WIN

On my team are current/former Blue Devils Melissa Naegeli, Gina Fisher, Haylye Markway, Rachel Elder, Alyssa Catanzaro, Maddie Rouse & Alison Hawkins. In addition the line up was bolstered by the play of Annie Dohle and Krista Scaefer. Additionally we benefitted from fellow Blue Devil coaches Nathan Markway and Mike Elders great adjustments during games and assistance at practices. The team from Epiphany had two Blue Devils, Erin Emersen & Jamie Cox on it. Erin will be on the Rosati Kain Varsity next year as will Jamie as DuBourg so there will be plenty of time when I will get a chance to be in the stands rooting for them to beat the other team like they have us over the years and so many exciting times lie ahead for them as well as the other girls from Epiphany. The girls really were lucky to have two coaches like Keith Nieman and Tracy Pestka who cared so much for them and taught them to how to play the game correctly.

Dave Ford's team lost to Ascension by 8 Saturday in a great game to finish 3rd in the City County Open DIvision. Losing to Open Division Champions Ascension with Maddie & Morgan Stock is definately nothing to be embarrassed about and Daves team scored the most points against them during the playoffs. They will be on St. Joes Varsity next year and are by far the two best 8th graders in St. Louis. On Dave's team are current/former Blue Devils Kaitlin Ford, Lexie Cochran, Jenna Leaver, Olivia Holfschweile, Anne Wangles, Laura Roustio & Mary Grace Graf. Great season with winning the Black & Gold tournament earlier and then wind up being one of the last two 8th grade teams from South County playing this year!

Props also go out to the 5th grade team from Our Lady - Festus that won their age levels City/County Championship. Many of the girls from that team as well as some others that were in the playoffs will be joining our club in the coming days and the winning tradition will continue as they join an unbelievable group of Blue Devil players already with us. They allowed only 27 total points against them in three rounds of the playoffs proving once again "Offense wins games but Defense wins Championships" Great job girls!

Previously...
BOYS, Great game! GREAT SEASON!!!!
We showed a lot of grit coming back against a 6th grade team to finally lose 45-41. It was only the second loss of the season. An 8-2 record especially against the teams we have been playing represents a continued improvement and shows we are on the right track.

We were winning by two at the half and then they went on a ten point run to start the second half. I should have called a time out sooner but I felt we were getting good chances and the ball just wasn't going in so waited a little longer than I should have. Once we made some adjustments we fought our way back to tie the game. When we missed a chance to tie with seconds left they went down to score the last basket for a four point lead that ended the game.

It was an exciting game against an older team and a fitting way to end a successful season.
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Props out to the girls on Dave Fords Team for winning South County "Open" Championship and the SMMA girls I coach on winning the South County "Closed" Championship Saturday night. If you doubt that their is good basketball being played at the CYC level check out the playoffs this weekend at Ursuline and Cor Jesu. More thoughts on CYC competition are noted in "Coaches Corner" page of our web site. Click there on menu and consider some of the benefits if you are not currently playing CYC.
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Spring practice begins next Wed April 2nd at...

5th grade girls 6-7:30
Boys 7:30 - 9

HIGH SCHOOL UPDATES..

Check out the following web page from this weeks suburban journal regarding Lacrosse team capsules.

http://southcountyjournal.stltoday.com/articles/2008/04/01/sports/sj2tn20080401-0402lacrosse.ii1.txt

talking about the Ursuline Lacrosse team it reads...
"One thing we didn't have last year that we have this year are people who are hungry to score," Anderson said.

Leading the charge will be Dybus, an attacker with "excellent stick skills."

"She can hit anything anywhere," Anderson said. "She understands the concept of free-motion offense."

Dybus and Coan, whom Anderson called an "excellent offensive pair," are two of four captains, with Fisher and Behr. Coan can score, but Anderson said her field vision is what makes her most dangerous. Behr is a transitional midfielder who "has a great personality that can spark the attack and spark the defense."

Leading that defense is Fisher, a phenomenal defender and vocal leader on the back end, whose responsibility will be to protect Lange. The senior keeper missed all of last year following hip surgery, and the naturally talented Lange will have to replace Lindsey Lehmuth, who is now at Lindenwood. Spelling Lange will be junior Mary Mooney.

Anderson said her team's ability to spontaneously improvise during games could be the thing that separates it from the rest of the talented St. Louis pool.

"If we can stay injury-free," Anderson said, "and if we can meet the team on the field and not their reputation, there's no reason we can't go all the way."

Now I can attest to Natalie being vocal (she gets it from her mom)seriously though I really encourage any of our girls, especially those going to Ursuline to try and get to one of their home games this season as it is a great way to stay in shape between basketball seasons and compete for a state title for a great team.

HOW GREAT IS THIS!
Former Blue Devils making an impact in spring sports-
Lindsey Elking - freshman at Ursuline - Varsity Soccer
Natalie Fisher - senior at Ursuline - CoCaptain Varsity Lacrosse
Bridgette Brotherton - freshman at Ursuline - JV soccer
Aly Sykora - freshman at Ursuline - JV Lacrosse
Melissa Brotherton - freshman at Ursuline - JV Lacross
Andrea Frankewicz - freshman at Ursuline - JV Lacrosse
Liz Jansen - freshman at Cor Jesu - JV soccer
Theresa Scannell - Freshman at Incarnate Word - JV soccer
Renee Kertz - Senior at Notre Dame - Varsity soccer
Julie King - senior at Nerinx Hall - Varsity soccer

The really neat thing is seeing Melissa & Andrea play 3 sports this year - Way to go girls!

While all the high schools do a good job I take special pride in our girls that have gone to Ursuline. They have enjoyed the opportunity to participate in multiple sports as well as receive a great education, participate in Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Diversity program for a well rounded experience. The relationships they have with teachers and fellow students makes their experience there one we continue to promote to all the girls in our program. Ursuline is so similar to Augustinian Academy that I attended that it makes it very easy to endorse it to our girls as a great choice knowing how my time at Augie impacted me.

8th GRADERS HIGH SCHOOL CHOICES

Here are the High schools our 8th graders will be attending. For the second year in a row Ursuline is the leader with 9 up 2 from the 7 that went there last year. (Sorry I missed you first posting Olivia) Good Luck to all the girls !!!!

Ursuline
Jenna Leaver SMMA
Rebecca James St Francis
Abbey Wertenberger Sacred Heart
Olivia Cunio - Holy Infant
Anne Wangles – Assumption
Gina Fisher- SMMA
Gina Guarino -Seven Holy Founders
Alyssa Catanzaro SMMA
Melissa Naegeli SMMA

Cor Jesu
Claire Sorensen - SCL
Kaitlin Ford - Assumption
Annie Storey - Little Flower

Nerinx Hall
Lexie Cochran - St. Dominic
Haylye Markway - SMMA
Mary Grace Graf - SMMA

Bishop DuBourg
Alison Blust - St. Cecilia
Jamie Cox - Epiphany
Cynthia Winschel - SHF

Rosati Kain
Erin Emerson -Epiphany
Rachel Elder - SMMA

Mehlville
Samantha Hebert - St. Marks
Alison Johnson - St. Marks

Parkway South
Alyssa Francis - SFA

Notre Dame
Molly Bruder - SHF

Marquette
Reagan DeGroot - Ascension

Lindbergh
Alison Reis -SHF

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PARENTS PLEASE CHECK OUT "QUOTE OF THE DAY" PAGE IF YOU HAVE A MINUTE
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Last week I encouraged you 8th graders to experience some of the school spirit found at a high school game. If any of you were in attendance Friday night you saw the school spirit I was talking about. It was senior night and there were a lot of fans there. From the time the Ursuline Seniors were introduced before the game to the final seconds when with the games outcome still hung in the balance of a 3 pointer to tie the score rimmed in an out before Notre Dame grabbed the rebound and went on to win by 5. Former Blue Devil and ND Team captain Renee Kertz led all scorers with 15 points and two turnovers compared to the opposing guards 5 points and 5 turnovers. It has been fun this year to see the Blue Devils have success at every game I attended but at the same time sad to know this is their last year before heading off to colleges out of town. Hard to believe how fast these girls have grown and it sure makes me appreciate the time our younger teams have together knowing it will soon be them
The amazing thing about Notre Dame is their record of 17 – 7 comes with so few girls attending the school. Last word on applications this year showed them with only 74 girls applying for the next school year.

Speaking of Notre Dame, they are considering some tournaments and/or a league there this summer and I told them we might be interested in putting a couple teams there. While we are on the subject of summer I found out over the weekend that SHF is adding air conditioning and would be an good option for league play since it would be convenient for so many of our players. Playing in the Assumption league is the only sure thing we have scheduled at this point. Another thing we are looking at for summer is possibly participating in a training program a couple high school coaches are putting together. We plan on meeting as soon as the high school season over to discuss how involved our club will be in it.

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Love Of The Game...

A personal thanks to Coach Kevin James for letting former Blue Devils Lucy Elking & Natalie Fisher play with his High School team. Playing against many former High School players who quit because of other select sport conflicts or personal reasons, these girls have a true love of the game and it showed from the minute I arrived at the gym. Across the board the talent is not as deep as a top high school team but the top 5 on either squad could beat a lot of schools like a Visitation, Kennedy, Villa Duchesne, etc. An example of the talent: There was one girl from Nerinx who quit for Club volleyball that had 4 out of 5 three pointers that were nothing but net and the 5th rimmed in and out. Another two girls are seniors from Nerinx who are going to Quincy on a tennis scholarship. They have been two of the toughest players my teams have competed against from 1st grade on and their teams won 4 City/County championships along the way. Many there played JV and Varsity prior to this league and could step on the floor right now with them and compete favorably against them.

Kevin’s team with mostly Ursuline girls lost to the Nerinx Hall girls by a score of 49-45.
It was incredibly fulfilling to see these two players I coached both smiling again and enjoying the game. Lucy has always been and remains one of the fiercest competitors and toughest rebounders I have ever seen. She is such a team player and is one of the mostliked on any team she has played for because they know she always has their back and would do anything for a team mate. Natalie finished with 21 points and was 1 of 1 from 3 point range all of which were nice but to see her and Lucy enjoying themselves again after such a difficult year was worth it to me even if they had gone scoreless. How proud I was to see them both pass up easy baskets and give the ball to another teammate who had not scored yet. Natalie is also helping the Freshman team at Ursuline and it is so appreciated to hear parents say how much their daughters enjoy her and appreciate her being there. There is no doubt she will be a great coach someday with her understanding of the game and the way she interacts with others. To see their true love for the game has not been diminished by everything they have gone through keeps me doing this as a coach. Knowing that by showing these girls what it’s all about when they played for the Blue Devils they understand it can be competitive AND enjoyable. I am as proud of these two girls and their unbreakable spirit as I am of anyone I have ever coached and if I had ten players like them we could beat anyone!

Thanks again Kevin for what you have done for all the girls you coach.

Point guard factory?

What a great time I have had recently seeing our Blue Devils play for their high school teams. Theresa Scannell (freshman at Incarnate Word) and Bridgette Brotherton (Ursuline freshman) played for their JV teams in a tough contest that saw Incarnate come out on top. Both girls played super and ran the offenses with a ton of confidence. Freshman guard Colleen Barry is having a big impact for the Cor Jesu JV squad so far this season and talking to her coach last week had very nice things to say about her.

The highlight of the week may have been going to the Oakville Varsity game with fellow coach Rich Rosenow to watch a couple of our players who now attend Oakville. Going to a game with Coach Rosenow provides one terrific time of discussing the X & O’s of the game with one of the best coaches I have ever been associated with. Our two Blue Devils, Oakville Freshman, Leslie DeGonia and senior Nicole Norberg tied for the game high in scoring with 12 points. They made us very proud of their success at the high school level. The thing that stood out was their defense and effort to get any ball near them. Leslie did a great job controlling the games tempo and directing the offense. She outscored her opponent by 7 points to go along with 3 assists, two turnovers compared to the opposing guard’s 8 turnovers and 3 assists.

Besides attending the game with Rich and seeing those girls dominate we had the opportunity to visit with former Blue Devils Hayley Pieper and Julie King from Nerinx Hall who were there with their Coach Mike Slater. It was great to remember some of their accomplishments on that first Blue Devils team. What a front court we had with Hayley, Nicole Norberg controlling the paint. I remember one tournament in particular in Illinois over Thanksgiving playing against the Bulls when Hayley got a bloody nose and came out just long enough to shove some cotton up it and was back on the floor banging under the glass. Her and Nicole had an amazing amount of Grit and play the way current Blue Devil, Chloe Wolf (Ursuline), plays now. Julie was always had one of the sweetest jumpers in the club and could jump through the roof. At the guard spots Julie, Natalie Fisher and Renee Kertz (Notre Dame senior) gave us one of the toughest back courts we’ve ever had and were like coaches on the floor.

From senior guards Julie, Natalie, Renee, Jill Wilmas (Notre Dame) down to Freshman Leslie DeGonia, Bridgette Brotherton, Colleen Barry our club continues to produce some of the smartest guards playing the game. What’s between their ears is every bit as important as a players vertical and these girls understand the game and how it should be played.

Girls, remember to look up in the stands once in a while to see a couple old Blue Devil coaches cheering for you. After your parents we will always be your biggest supporters.

Odds & Ends...

If you have not checked out our "Where are they now?" section lately take a brief scan of how great our players are doing in high school with many their teams captain, leading scorer, leading rebounder they are an model of where our players could be if they continue to work on improving as they did.

With a change in positions at work one of my New Year resolutions was to keep the web site more updates so check out "Quote Of The Day" and "Coaches Corner" once in a while, especially if you coach your childs youth team.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Do the Blue Devils prepare players for High School?
With the first group of Blue Devils reaching their senior year it interesting to see how they have done in High School Sports.Here's how some former Blue Devils have succeeded in High School. Notice how by not limiting themselves to just one sport many have had the opportunity to play other sports in high school as well as receive college scholarships in those other sports.

Presently Playing -
Hailey Pieper - Nerinx Hall Varsity** Basketball (5.8ppg)& Varsity Softball where lead team with .446 batting avg
(Signed to play softball at Eastern Illinois University)

Julie King -Nerinx Hall Varsity Basketball** (11.4ppg*)& Varsity Soccer
(Signed to play soccer at Auburn university)

Nicole Norberg - Oakville Varsity Basketball (16.4ppg* & 9.9 rebounds per game*) & Varsity Softball
Nicole at last check was the leading scorer in the South County area with over 15 points a game and she started on her softball team that just finished second in state batting .358

Renee Kertz - Notre Dame Varsity Basketball (12.4ppg*) & Varsity Softball batting .367 avg
Has offers to play softball at Southeast Missouri State and two offers to play college basketball

Jill WIlmas - Notre Dame Varsity Basketball (6.6ppg) Has offer to play Basketball at Lindenwood Univiversity, and a community college - not decided yet

Leslie Degonia - Oakville Varsity Basketball (7.1ppg) & Varsity Softball - also a key player on the Oakville softabll team that finished 2nd in state

Marissa Lehnig - Seckman Varsity Basketball (13ppg*)

*Team Leader
**Played on team that has gone to State final four twice in past three years

Ashley Hagar - Seckman Varsity BAsketball (8.9ppg)

Erin Littrell - Farmington Varsity Basketball (2.9ppg)

Theresa Scannell - Incarnate Word JV Basketball

Ashley King - Cor Jesu JV Basketball

Coleen Berry - Cor Jesu JV Basketball

Michelle Norberg - Oakville JV Basketball

Chloe Wolf - Ursuline JV Basketball & Varsity Softball (caught & called a no-hitter this season for softball team)

Bridgette Brotherton - Ursuline JV Basketball & (Spring Soccer)

Aly Sykora - Ursuline JV Basketball & (Spring LaCrosse)

Melissa Brotherton - Ursuline JV Basketball & Volleyball

Andrea Frankiewicz - Ursuline Freshman Basketball & Varsity Golf

Formerly Played-

Natalie Fisher - Ursuline Varsity Basketball & Varsity Lacrosse currently assisting Freshman team at Ursuline - Has offer to play Lacrosse at Lindenwood University, not decided yet on college at this time

Lucy Elking - Ursuline Varsity Basketball & excellent Club volleyball player

Emma Rosenow - Oakville JV Basketball

Kate Horan - Kate Horan - Cor Jesu - gave up basketball for track and has been on varsity Varsity Cross Country & Track - went to state the past couple years and ranked in top 10 - will get track or academic scholorship for college

Megan Woods - Oakville Freshman Basketball & Varsity Cheerleading - maybe going to college on cheerleading scholarship, excellent athlete

Tiarra Canter - Oakville Freshman Basketball

Katie Eichorn - Oakville Freshman Basketball

Norah Friel - Nerinx Hall Freshman Basketball & Varsity Softball

WHERE ARE THEY GOING?

I know where most of the 8th graders are going but ask everyone to e-mail me where you are going to High School at ed.fisher@cenveo.com or efhoopsrule@sbcglobal.net and I will post over the Holidays. I am very proud of this entire 8th grade group and expect big things out of you over the next few years. I always send a letter to your future High School before your tryouts next year letting them know of your accomplishmenst and these will be easy letter to write because of how hard you have worked and dedication you have shown over the past years with us.

Blue Devils Celebrity Hanah Sides will be on TV on the Jr.Stars show Hannah played for the Blue Devils for several seasons bedfore trading her jump shot for a microphone and her brother currently plays on the 5th grade boys team. She is incredibly talented and if you don't get a chance to watch the show tape it and watch it later the kids will especially like it. Here is her schedule:

Jr. Stars:

Sat, 12/22 6:30 channel 4, semi-finals
Sat, 1/5/08 6:30 channel 4, finals

HOMEWORK...
With the gym closed next week I am giving the homework assignment of watching at least one COLLEGE GAME (NO PRO) game during that time off and pay particular attention to the teams press and press breakers, man-to-man defense positioning and inbounds plays. Pay attention to how they fake before they shoot or pass and how they are ready to shoot when receiving a pass in scoring position. Pay NO attentention to the 40 foot threes some of the guys teams throw up because if you take them I will be chasing you down the court before the ball touches the ground. Seriously, you will learn a lot by watching a good game between a couple mid level teams that don't have a ton of individual talent and plays a team game moving the ball around for an open shot and playing tenacious defense.

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Previously...

Week Of 12-2...
3 more wins for the Blue Devils over the weekend. 5th graders won by 1 point in first game against 6th Grade Patriot team and by 9 in second game against the Shooting Stars. The Stars practice for 1 1/2 hrs twice a week yet we led by around 15 most of the game so it was a very good effort by our girls to win so handily.

Dave Fords 8th grade team did likewise against the North Stars team.Like our younger girls they only practice once a week yet easliy defeated the North Stars who practice twice a week. The thing that is significant about this team's success this session is they have players from Dave's regular team, Mike Elders team and a couple from my 7th grade team all playing together effectively. Because each team runs the same Blue Devil system it makes it easy for girls who aren'tused to playing together to understand our press breaker, offense and defenses.

While other teams don't have that consistancy from team to team with each pretty much doing what they want the common thread that goes from one Blue Devil team to the other enables these girls to go from one to the other easily. Now each of our teams does some things differently based on strengths and weaknesses the common playbook from team to team is a major advantage. The other nice thing is by doing it since early grades by the time they are in 8th grade it's automatic. Those basic things we do were used by Coach Rosenow when he coached at Cleveland High School and he got them from different college teams. So we know they work at the college level and high school level it is no surprise we have had success at the grade school level.

Could we do better if we practiced twice a week? Yes, but would our players enjoy the success they do in other sports if we did? A number of our 8th grade girls won City/County in Volleyball this past week and also play Club Volleyball and Select Soccer. By allowing them to particpate at that level they increase their chances of playing those sports in High School as well as Basketball or worse case in place of Basketball. The other thing it does is prevent burnout by the time they get to that age as I have seen first hand with others with just did one sport and over did it.

Props out to 8th grade Blue Devils who won City/County Volleyball Championship last week at Parochial level - Laura Roustio, Rachel Elder,and Gina Fisher and CYC Team level - Laura Roustio, Rachel Elder, and Melissa Naegeli.

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PREVIOUSLY...

"WINNING ISN’T EVERYTHING WANTING TO WIN IS”
John Wooden

How many times have we used that quote? It really was evident again Sunday.

The 5th graders lost but never quit till the very end. The entire team was flat and we played a well coached Reebok team losing by 6. Down by twelve at one time we made a run in the second half and pulled back to make it a game. It is easier to accept a loss when the whole team just has an off game and the other teams coach is someone you respect. I believe we’ll handle them next game. The thing that means the most to me and indicates we are on the right track is that no one quit playing hard till the final buzzer. If we would ever play till last man standing we would be undefeated, we simply run out of time some games. (Read below for further evidence of Blue Devil character) At this time we have no more games at parkway but they are working on getting us at least one, if not two more , maybe on a Thursday night.

The 7th Graders got Blitzkrieged and were down 12 – 2 almost immediately from the other teams press. Playing with only 6 girls, three of whom are new, we never set up our press breaker correctly and rushed the ball in only to turn it over. When two of the three new girls were 6th graders playing a very physical team that was just bumping us off ball with no fouls called we were definitely up against it. We refrained from pressing early on due to short bench and not wanting to get in foul trouble the first half. Trailing by 18 at half time I asked the girls if they could suck it up and press as long as they could and then I would call a time out. I thought we would get back in it if we put some pressure on their guards and watched our own turnovers. I told them we would call a time out every 6 minutes and rotate each out for a minute break to get a drink of water. They said they would do it and we turned the tables on them winning the second have by ten points. Now we lost that game by 8 points but don’t think that those girls didn’t feel good about themselves after refusing to lie down when trailing by that many points. A lot of other teams would have folded up the tent and said it was over at halftime but they have seen us come back from huge deficits before so never gave up.

This brings us to our marquee game of the weekend. Playing in the Varsity League at Playing Fields we arrived early to witness the our opponent from St. Charles/North County dismantle the Visitation Varsity by over 25 points. Due to conflicts we called up four 8th graders to play with three high schoolers and the parents were wondering why they gave up a beautiful fall afternoon for the whooping we were about to receive. The thing is, no one told our girls we were supposed to lose and they came out playing like they were the favorites not the underdogs. We were up by 15 most of the game finally winning by 10. The other teams parents were going crazy that these girls were handling their team so easily with one of the parents even getting kicked out of gym for inappropriate behavior.

The game meant a great deal to me for many reasons. It marked one of the last times I will be able to coach both my daughters on the same team, everyone scored and everyone was covered with sweat at the final buzzer from playing such hard defense.

Our roster of Natalie Fisher (Senior at Ursuline), Maddy Bahlinger (Junior at Ursuline), and Chloe Wolf (Freshman at Ursuline) were joined by four 8th graders (future players at Ursuline?)from our Club, Haylye Markway, Alexis Cochran, Reagan Degroot and Gina Fisher. These 4 girls play on Dave Ford’s team that has won 22 games in a row now against Freshman/Sophmores over the summer and the best select teams in the area this fall.

This was the 8th game over the years that my daughters go to play together in and we have won 7 of them. It’s always special for me to be able to have them both together in a Blue Devil uniform and be on the bench. One of the funny moments during the game came when we were in the huddle during a time out and Haylye started to explain what we were doing in our man to man offense to Natalie and she said she “it’s OK, I understand Blue” then looked at me and smiled at these girls confidence (She was running "Green" and "Blue" for me and Rich before they were even playing basketball and she got a kick out of their grit)

It is also special when everyone scores as it is represents what we are trying to do on offense. Many teams have one or two players light it up but our offenses are designed to incorporate everyone in the offensive scheme. We value the assist as much as the score and that “one more pass” mentality wound up with us getting an easy basket. Both Maddy and Chloe played fantastic despite asked to battle larger opponants and were deadly in the paint. Once again we did it without any three pointers except a couple “old school” threes where we got fouled shooting and made the “and one”. We would have taken some three's but were having such success by rotating ball for open 2 pointers there was no reason to force on up. Natalie led Ursuline in assists last year and was near the top in assists all last season before finishing 6th in her league and these 8 grade guards are following in her footsteps with some incredible passes and her usual tough defense. Not many point guards can also defend the low post player on the other team as she did for us. Haylye and Gina have been together since 1st grade and sometimes you think they know where each other is at with their eyes closed making pinpoint passes just out of othert teams reach. Lexi, since coming over from Webster groves team, has been an incredible addition fitting in like she has been with us years rather than months. Reagan has the best jump shot in the entire club and put it to use several times hitting nothing but net from the side and opening up the middle for Chloe & Maddy. Looking at the stats no one stuck out yet they played team ball and another "Blue Devil" type win.

"IT'S AMAZING WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WHEN NO ONE CARES WHO GETS THE CREDIT"
John Wooden

Finally as the game wound down a few girls on the other team started taking liberties with the girls due to their getting it handed to them and it was great to see the upperclassman step up and send them a signal that it wasn’t going to happen without them answering to one of them. Great team sprit! When we got together at end of game Natalie said it best when she said to the other girls “You guys played amazing!” ditto from me.

Now, follow the progression, from the 5th graders not quitting till game end despite not clicking ofensively, the 7th graders sucking it up and pressing to climb back into with a short bench and come back against a very physical team and finally, the 8th graders who didn’t have any fear in playing a Senior laden varsity team with only a few former Blue Devil upperclassman to lead them and you’ll see the confidence and character we are trying to build in these young girls. The Blue Devils "never give up" attitude is alive and well.

A special thanks to Natalie, Maddy and Chloe for continuing the Blue Devil tradition of being willing to play with younger girls in the club and being leaders for them to follow and look up to.

If this was my last chance to coach Natalie and Gina together in a game it was one I’ll always remember.

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HIGH SCHOOL TEAM OPENS WITH BARN BURNER
The high school girls dropped a tough one to Cor Jesu losing by two points. Playing with only 5 girls the team trailed until the fourth quarter. They pulled out to a three point lead and held it until about 3 minutes left in the game when one of the girls fouled out. This was a game we should have lost by 10 or more due to Cor Jesu's tough man-to-man defense played against us and no subs yet would have won if we would have had a sub or two or player had not fouled out. Had a chance to tie/win at the buzzer but rimmed in and out and ref swallowed whistle on hard foul while shooting. After just playing overtime in the game before there would be no calls that might result in another overtime. In our time out to set up last shot I knew the only way there would be a foul called was on a made basket getting an "and one" because they were already behind schedule and weren't going to force another O/T. Super effort and never quit attitude was really appreciated.

This will be my last chance to coach some of these girls I have had since grade school and I wish it was a 20 game schedule instead of only 6 games before their High School Teams begin tryouts. They play with such grit and hate to lose that they set the standard for the younger Blue Devil Teams to follow.

BLUE DEVILS STAGES OF DEVELOPEMENT

1: DON'T KNOW THAT YOU DON'T KNOW - (Last years 4th graders) Playing for their school teams they had no idea how much their is to learn about basketball and the amount of work it takes to be successful

2: KNOW THAT YOU DON'T KNOW - (Current 5th graders) Now they realize there is a lot to learn and the amount of work that is ahead of them.

3: KNOW THAT THEY KNOW - (Curent 7th graders) These girls know motion offense, man-to-man defense, picks, etc and when instructed to execute one of the aforementioned do so correctly

4: DON'T KNOW THAT THEY KNOW - (Current 8th graders) Finally, they get it and will call their own offense depending if other team is in zone or man. Call out switches when getting screened, execute the press breaker, and understand the little things that make a huge difference. At this point they go out and execute instinctively taking for granted the knowledge they have accumulated since starting playing this fantastic game.

"IT'S WHAT YOU LEARN AFTER YOU KNOW IT ALL THAT COUNTS"

John Wooden

DEVILS LOSE ONE TO ANGELS
The Devils lost another coach to the High School ranks with Tim Stock joining the St. Joseph High School staff. Rich Rosenow was named the Gateway Tech Coach earlier this summer and now Tim Stock has agreed to join the Varsity staff at St. Joe, as if they weren't strong enough already. Tim had been working with our 5th grade girls and was a huge reason they have been so successful. Congrats to Tim and great move by St. Joe to add one of the smartest coaches around.
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PROPER PERSPECTIVE /PRAYER REQUEST
Many of you may know Paul Goeke who coaches several basketball teams from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. I found out last night his daughter Emily is in the hospital and not been doing well. Emily plays for SMMA in the school year and the Stars in the off season so many of our girls have been rivals year round with her. While we do our best to beat the other team on the hardwood it's important to realize once those games are over Paul's a dad first and a coach second like the rest of us and Emily is a class mate and friend of many Blue Devils more than she is a rival basketball player. While she does her best to beat us like we are her after the final buzzer it's important to remember her friendship outside basketball more than the competition against her. We all feel it when a friend and tough competitor like Emily is having a difficult time
Please keep Emily in your thoughts and prayers and hope for her to have a quick recovery so we can see her back on the court this upcoming season.

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PREVIOUS NEWS...
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BLUE DEVIL ACES ONE!
Andrea Frankiewicz scored a hole in one recently and made the paper.She will be on the Varsity this year as a Freshman and is one of the top golfers in the area. To check out complete story please go to this web address of the suburban journal...

http://southcountyjournal.stltoday.com/articles/2007/08/15/sports/sj2tn20070814-0815fen_holeone1.ii1.txt

Way to go Andrea!

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HOOPS, THEY DID IT AGAIN......
As summer winds down and many players are on vacation the 8th Grade Ford team went 8-0 against High School competition last weekend in Arnold. Despite being short of players and playing against girls that are freshman and Sophomores this group has now gone 17 - 0 in their last two competitions.

The latest success came with four regulars either hurt or on vacation. Moving players from Elders team that knew the same Blue Devil system allows players to miss and the "W's" to keep piling up.

Looking back one thing that sticks out to me this summer is a comment a High School Coach made when I told him we won it last year and would when again this year before we left to compete in Rolla last month. He said that "summer ball was not about winning, it was about getting your players better" I told him that I would try to win even if we are playing checkers and just walked away rather than debate it with him because I could tell he wouldn't understand. The point is "winning" is an attitude, a skill just like making a left handed lay-up, you learn it and expect it when you go out on the court, in the class room and into the business world. Our players expect to win because that is what they are used to and when that game comes down to the final seconds those players will find a way to do it. It may not show up in personal stats but they win. You can not judge Blue Devil players by individual stats because they are leaders that play team ball and the most important thing to them is winning that game not how many points they scored.

"WINNING ISN'T EVERYTHING, WANTING TO WIN IS"

John Wooden

Look, I know what he meant about summerball being about getting better and that's exactly what we do just not during the summer but rather the entire year. We do play everyone 50/50, take someone out to talk to them about what they are not doing correctly and put them right back in, tell them that was not the correct thing to do whether the shot they just took went in or not. Ironically, I see teams that don't play 50/50 in summer and don't win either so now have they gotten out of summer ball?

Winning is not a bad word, or one that I'm embarrassed by, it's not our main goal but a result of hard work on defense and unselfish play on offense. It is biproduct of what we teach and expect from our players by the time they are 7th & 8th graders. Example, our 4th graders could wim more games (although they win most now) against the older teams they play by not fast breaking as much on offense or playing more passive zone on defense and packing it in but then they would not enjoy the success the 7th & 8th graders are experiencing now.

Our goal is not winning, it is to get our players better and because we do, we win.

GREAT JOB GIRLS AND COACH FORD!

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GREAT COMEBACK BY 4TH GRADERS
WOW, maybe the most exciting game of the season on the girls side took place Tuesday night at Ursuline. The 4th grade White team playing shorthanded against a team of girls that were one and two years older almost pulled off the comeback of the year.

Down by 18 points the girls stormed back to withen two with under a minute before the other team grabbed a rebound and hit a cribber to win by 4. Almost all their points came from playing catch off the backboard till they scored due to their considerable height advantage while the White team scored from both outside and inside.

Of particular signifigance was the fact that Nora Brooks, Marissa Price, Amanda Dennis, and Shelby Lukasek all were hurt and continued playing or left the game to tend to a bloody nose or sore ankle/knee and came back with fire in their eyes. The great effort did have one sad note, Amanda Dennis playing in her first game back in 5 1/2 weeks rolled her ankle again in the first half but continued to battle until half time when it became to swolen to continue. She played with incredible grit as did the entire team.

Kaylee Grant, Merideth Verzino, Rebecca Green rounded out the roster that night and each one made big baskets in the comback attempt. Nora, despite 3 years younger than some of the girls out there, really stepped up and hit some nice outside baskets. Shelby,Kaylee and Merideth, stole ball after ball and had the team throwing the ball away due to their relentless pressure. Marissa and Rebecca battled in the paint against much taller opponants and never backed down.

I was trying to figure up the other day how many games I have won in almost 30 years of coaching and it's somewhere between 900 -1,000 games now but few will be remembered as much as the games like this one or the one almost a year ago to the date when a group of girls that are incoming Freshman pulled off a similar effort coming back from 18 down to win. Those games, and those girls, who believed in me and themselves enough to not quit and keep trying when every logical person said there was no way it could be done are the reason I keep coming to the gym year after year. Getting those players to believe in themselves and never give up is something I have seen my older players take with them long after they played for me. Those girls will take that confidence and "won't accept defeat" attitude into school and later the work place.

Heck, it seems like yesterday when it was really 1976 at St. Mary Magdalen Gym when a group of high school girls with that same Grit I was coaching went into the second overtime with only three players and refused to quit. We played the first and second overtime with four and another fouled out right at the buzzer leaving us with three for the third over time. I asked the girls if they wanted to quit before the third overtime knowing full well they wouldn't. We lost that game but those girls and that game will be like this one Tuesday night that I replay over and over through the years.

Again, I could not be any prouder of Shelby, Nora, Kaylee, Merideth, Marissa, Rebecca, and Amanda if they had won.

By the way, the answer is yes. I do still remember the girls on that team from 1976 as well. Kathy "Mac" McEntee (who went in to play college basketball with Denise Ford, Coach Dave Fords wife), Terry Ward (now Terry Kelly who has a son playing on our boys team), Vicki "Nic" Nicolazzi, Nancy Kerchoff, Chris Hickel, Karen Caputo, Mary Beth Luesse & Nancy Altmeyer, and Mary Ann Garbo.

If anyone wouldn't mind bringing me their sport section from this weeks Suburban Journal to their next game I would Appreciate it. My CYC team is in it and I told the girls I would try and get a few extra copies for them. (Man, did you notice the newspaper sure adds a few pounds to you? I look a little over weight in that picture)

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******ROLLA RECAP******
The 7th Grade Blue Devils were very successful and had a lot of fun this past weekend in Rolla.

For the second year in a row our team captured their divisions title, this year going 9-0. Coach Ford's team won 7 games against Freshman and two against Spohomore teams. Tenacious defense and very unselfish offense resulted in all but one victory being by double digits.

Dave Ford added..."I thought the girls played great this past weekend in Rolla. I really do not want to point out any individuals since I want our team to continue to play so well as a team. I really did think that every girl contributed significantly and our pass work, team defense, rebounding and hustle was outstanding. Each girl should be very proud of their effort and I am very proud to coach them."

Mike Elders team went 3-3 despite missing two key players for the trip and two more leaving in the semifinal game because of prior commitments. They could have, should have been 4-2. They were up by four late in one of the pool play games but cidn't hit free throws when they started fouling us. Horrible call with less than a second to go put one of other team's girls on the line and she hit two free throws to beat us by one point. The girls played very well against Freshman teams in their first out of town tournament.

The girls on both had a ton of fun staying together at the hotel and hanging out between games. Most of these girls could step in and play for a lot of Junior Varsity teams right now Great effort!

Note: Their pictures are posted in photo album

The success our teams at all levels enjoy year round confirms the "Blue Devil system" work. Our offenses, defense, press and press breaker all work proven over and over again by games ending with a "W" for the Blue & White. It is especially satisfying when many times we face superior, older talent that does play with the team work and discipline our system requires. In addition to the X & O's of the game we also prove that you can allow your players to participate in other select sports and still enjoy success competing at a high level.

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Rich Rosenow, Cofounder and one of the current directors and cunsultant for our Club was just named Varsity Girls Basketball Coach at Gateway Tech.

After a couple state championships the program, like many City Public schools, has fallen on hard times in recent years and Rich will have his hands full getting them back to a competitive level. While it is much harder to win at a Public school than a private school due district boundries limiting player pool I guarantee Rich will have an imediate impact and win more games than they did last year.Withen two years running his system and running their practices the Gateway program will have a dramatic turnaround.

His passion as a teacher and a coach is umatched and his enthusiasm is contagious.

Rich was formerly the Boys Varsity Coach at Cleveland High School and sent many players to the college ranks. He decided to return to coaching at the High School level this year after taking time off for his daughters. It was during that time that he helped start the Blue Devil Baskteball Club. He continues to run clinics,and assist at practices as his schedule permits. He is a wealth of knowledge that we consta

Misc Items (Posted 5-28-07)...

Posted by: efisher on 01/02/2007 08:39 PM

Some personal news & notes...

Caleb Ford finished in 3rd place in Districts to qualify for State.
Calebs 1600 is 4 min, 31 seconds and only 3 one hundredths of a second. He was less than a second from finishing in 2nd place. That's amazing considering he is only a freshman. Caleb and brother Ben had a great first year at SLUH and should be impact players the next three years!

Blue Devil Hall Of Famer Kate Horan won the 3200 in Districts as well as came in 7th in the 1600. Kate has become a tremendous runner since reaching high school as has the same great work ethic she had when she played for the Blue Devils.

Another Blue Devil Hall Of Famer, Natalie Fisher, earned "Acedemic All American" honors in the recently completed LaCrosse season. Her Ursuline Academy LaCrosse Team came in 3rd in State. Natalie just returned from Phiadelphia where she played for an All-Star team representing the Central region of the United States. Her teammates there voted her one of the Captains of the team. Great stuff, now if we could just get her to clean up her room.

If you have not signed up for the Ursuline Academy LaCrosse camp it is June 18th - 21st. You can go to their web site for more infor or contact me and I will get you a flyer. It is for 6th through 8th graders. The Coach is amazing and her players love her. Her teams annually compete for the State Championship and several have received college scholarships to play LaCrosse at the next level. In the next year Cor Jesu and Notre Dame are both adding Lacrosse teams and it is the fastest growing high school sport in the country.

Bruce DeGroot has helped the Club out by sponsoring our web site. His banner is listed at top of page. Click on it and you will go right to his e-mail. Whether it's a will, traffic violation, etc... Please consider Bruce and I am sure you will be as satisfied as I was when he helped our family in the past. Make sure you tell him you saw it on our web site and he will give you a Blue Devil Discount. Unbeatable deal - Great service by an experienced Attorney and supporting another Blue Devil!

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Coaches Corner

BENEFITS OF CYC SPORTS (Posted 4-1)

“SPORTS DON'T BUILD CHARACTER, THEY REVEAL IT"

John Wooden

I know there are many that look down at CYC sports but I think they fill an important role in youth sports. While across the board they do not offer any where near the competition level to be found in select sports they do provide players a chance to participate with their classmates in sports they enjoy in a much less intense enviroment than their club sports.

Now you're rarely going to get good enough to play high school ball playing the ten games and ten practices most schools have to offer but you can get as many as 14 or 16 extra games if your team participates in many of the tournaments available during the season. I admit to having always found it ironic that some of the worst behaved coaches I have ever seen participate at this level linked to "Christian" princples. One in particular most of the south county teams know from playing against constantly has his players crying on the bench due or getting technical fouls do to his screaming and yelling all the time yet these type of guys are few and far between. Most of the coaches are great guys or ladies who really care about their players and make up for any lack of x's & o's by being great role models to the players on their teams.

As each grade advances and moves teams to their proper talent level the games become pretty competitive. by the time you reach 7th grade the teams in the first division are all pretty well grouped resulting in close games.

Those CYC games also give you a chance to go back and see what the girls play like that aren't playing those 50 extra games and practices that you are with your select team. They provide a stage where you can display your game in a way that is difficult against the tougher, usually older, players you are facing with you select team.

The CYC tournaments provide the players with some imediate rewards that playing AAU ball seldom do. We play in most league and tournaments knowing the benefits come down the road in high school. Some of the biggest crowds they will ever play in front of will be in various CYC tournaments like the "Becker" at SHF,"Black and Gold" at OLS, and the "McMahon" at St. Michaels. At those tournaments the players get introduced in a manner usually reserved for professional teams with darkened gyms and spot lights with video presentations that are state of the art productions with announcers doing play by play and half time competitions for three point shooting. They provide tee shirts and trophies to the winners plus the opportunity to be part of history and have your names added to the banners that have hung in the gym for 35-40 years. Those rewards, those "pay days" I think are needed for all the work the players put into the sport.

If all they did was play to get better knowing the rewards are 5-6 years down the road it would be very hard to maintain the drive needed to work as hard as they do throughout the year.

Again when you discuss competition, know that by 8th grade when you enter these 16 team tournaments you will face some tough teams by the semi's. The chamionship games are rarely blowouts and provide some of the best games played throughout the year at any level of play.

I am very proud of all the BLue Devils that enjoy success playing with CYC teams. this year we have seen the Assumption Team win the 8th Grade Open division and the "Black and Gold" tournament with Blue Devils, Lexie Cochran, Kaitlin Ford, Jenna Leaver, Mary Grace Graf, Laura Roustio, Olivia Hofswiele,and Annie Wangles on the team.

The SMMA team won the 8th Grade Closed Division and the 37th annual "McMahon" tournament with Melissa Naegeli, Haylye Markway, Gina Fisher, Melissa Naegeli and Alyssa Catanzaro.

Another nice thing is many of these tournaments have "All Tournament Teams" or "All Star Teams" so to be named to one of these team is truly an honor. To be considered one of the top 5 out of 160 girls in the tournament is an extreme compliment. Haylye Markway, Gina Fisher and Erin Emersen were named to the "All Tournament Team" at two 16 team tournaments, "The Sacred Heart" Tournament in Florrisant and the "McMahon" in Shrewsbury. Lexie Cochran was also named to the "all Tournament Team" at the "McMahon" Again, out of 160 girls to be recognized like that is huge.

I hope many of the girls not playing CYC at this time will reconsider and participate next season. If the argument is that the team would get hammered by getting put in an "Open" division because you play for the Blue Devils consider asking for a release from your parish so you can go to another Open team that has a couple other good players on it or simply take that session off and play Closed. You are always welcome back to our team at the conclusion of the CYC season.

Good luck to the Assumption and SMMA teams as they play in the City/County playoffs this weekend!

Previously Posted...

I have always been very proud of the fact so many of our players have parents that also coach teams or played college ball and entrust their sons and daughters to us to teach them the game. Occasionally I get a suggestion from a parent that is right to the point and is something I missed completely.The big problem is I don't get that feedback enough from such valuable resources as yourselves. As the Coach (you know who) says "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts" and, while I surely don't know it all, am still learning things even though I've been doing it since 1975. So give me your observations and suggestions any time you would like and know they're appreciated.

I would challenge those of you that coach as well to consider the feelings of those on your team and treat them as you would want you son/daughter to be treated by their coach. I purposely have had my daughters play for other coaches as often as possible because I am too hard on them and it took me a while to figure it out. Now I get to coach them and thoroughly enjoy it and still have the opportunity to sit back and enjoy them play for someone else as well.

Remember this if nothing else, MAKE IT FUN FOR THEM! If you do that they will love the game their entire life time and share it with their own kids some day. These years go by way too fast and things don't always turn out like you had hoped so don't make it all work and no enjoyment.

I used to be all about "preparing for the next level" I still am, but I put as much effort into making it fun while we are doing it now. Enjoy it, every game, every practice, enjoy it and appreciate it because in a blink of an eye it could be gone.

Case in point, Gina was picked to play in an All Star game in Florissant recently but she had already purchased tickets for a mixer that night it was to be played. She didn't want to go telling me "Dad there's only three mixers left this year" I tried to tell her it was an honor to play with girls from all over the city, how she got a nice "All Star" jersey, how much fun it would be, and how Natalie had enjoyed it when she was picked to play back in 8th grade. No luck. Then Natalie started in on her telling her how she still has pictures in her room of her and a few girls from St. Joe and Notre Dame in their jerseys from that night. Still no luck. OK, so Gina is a hard head like her mom and I gave up letting her go to the dance. Natalie said "Dad, you never would have let me turn something like that down for a dance." My point is, I want her to enjoy it and I know when she got there she would have had fun but seeing how things sometimes turn out I wanted her to remember that tournament as one she played well enough in to be picked for the All Star game and not one she was forced to go to a game & miss something she had planned with her friends. ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN!

KEEP ME IN YOUR THOUGHTS.....
If you enjoy this Club as much as I do I ask you to keep me in your thoughts and prayers over the next month as I make some tough decisions regarding the future of the Blue Devils.

While this has been one of the most rewarding basketball seasons for me due to seeing my players enjoy such success in High Schools across the area and our 8th graders really standing out as some the best their age has to offer. It has also presented me with the lowest point I have experienced in basketball in over 30 years of coaching due to personal reasons.

Not only because of that but the fact that with so many girls in our program moving on to high school this year it seemed an opportune time to do a reevaluation of what our goals are and if we are doing the best we can to fullfill the needs of those in the club. On many fronts I am at a cross roads with the direction our club should go and my involvement in it. I feel an obligation to every player in the Club to give them the best opportunity and advise to succeed and to that end am always trying to improve what we have to offer and take very seriously my impact on the players.

There are some exciting developements taking place behind the scenes that are not fully completed yet and we may be part of them. I have a lunch meeting planned in the next week that may give a better indication on if this will benefit our program and I will share information as soon as it's appropriate.

As I continue going back and forth worrying about which direction to continue on with the Club it has become increasingly harder to weigh the short term advantages against what it would mean 4 or 5 years down the road. If I didn't care about the players as much as I do it would be an easy decision to make but as you look beyond the imediate benefits it's very complicated.

Over the years when faced with similar difficult decisions in business I have tried to be patient and prayed for the right answer. Please know that I am doing a lot of praying for guidance at this time and it has not been easy.

__________________________________

Previously...

-Welcome to the Site of the St. Louis Blue Devils

What is the difference between the Blue Devils and other Select Clubs?

I asked that question a week ago and hopefully you have thought about it. Talking to Dave Ford & Bruce DeGroot about this a lot over the past month we agreed that the biggest difference can be summed up in one word, "GOALS"

Our goal with The Blue Devils is simply "prepare the players for High School", Teaching them basketball fundamentals, teamwork, stressing a good work ethic, playing with character, and sportsmanship. Being gracious when we lose and humble when we win. By doing those things more often than not we do win even though we are usually playing up a year or two. Winning is not our goal but rather a byproduct of doing those things right. We play pretty much 50/50 every game and occasionally might play those that are playing the best that particular game the last 3-5 minutes if it would affect outcome. We stress well rounded players and support our players who participate in other Select Sports and when there is a conflict we understand they have other interests.

Most other Select Clubs goals are "WINNING." Winning, Tournaments, winning State Cups, winning Regionals, winning Nationals, Winning, winning, WINNING!

Now to do this their best players play the most every game. The others will get in if it's a blowout but they might jeopardize their chances of winning. They want their players there and don't tolerate them missing for other sports, activities, etc.

They have major turnover always seeking the the best players out there and constantly run ads in the paper for better players rather than developing their own team. Example: We recently lost to a team that we have beaten for several years. Now did they get better? Yes, but how? If you looked close at their line up you would see all but two players remained from the team we used to beat. Now did they work to improve and beat us or just go out & keep getting players who were better until they could win? They now have a better team than what they had before but what about the girls who were with them when they were losing? As we continue to get better will they still have the girls they have now? Doutful. There are always players out there who are better and willing to pay big bucks to say they are on a winner. If they were not putting out effort sure it's understandable to not make it the next year but to work hard and just lose your spot because someone is an inch taller, a second faster, well it sends a definate signal that loyalty and work ethic means little to that club. Winning is all that matters and if you stand in the way your gone. Now, they normally don't cut the girl on the bench but rather just won't play them and they wind up quitting on your own after they lost their confidence and love of the game.

We have girls from our program now playing on the Varsity Basketball teams at Ursuline, Oakville, Notre Dame, Nerinx Hall, and that is our goal. if we win some games from 3rd thru 8th grades, it's great but we will not put winning at that level over developing good players & better young people who love the game of basketball.

I take great pride in seeing the daughters and sons of some of the High School girls I coached in the late 70's. They are now at the gym with their own children encouraging them to play the game with the enthusiasm and sportsmanship they did when they were younger. If those girls would have been beaten down by a "win at all costs agenda" back then would they be there today?

We will continue along this path until someone can convince us winning any game is ever a priority over a young persons feelings, personal developement, and self confidence.

I end with this quote from Jackie Joyner Kersee that sums it up...

"The medals don't mean anything and the glory doesn't last. It's all about your happiness. the rewards are going to come, but the happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing"

Jackie Joyner Kersee
World record holder in the Heptatholon and winner of six Olympic gold medals

NEW IN 2007! SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE

How would you like to support one of the finest girls basketball programs in the area?

You may do so and at the same time receive benefits for your business or organization by purchasing an ad on our web site.

By supporting the Blue Devils Basketball Club by purchasing an ad on our web site you are displaying your commitment to youth sports and the principles we are teaching tomorrows leaders.

We emphasize character and sportsmanship as well as sound basketball fundamentals. By partnering with us and supporting our Club you will enable us to continue helping players who can not afford to participate and make it possible for us to travel to tournaments in surrounding areas when the costs of such trips might prohibit some from participating.

Now is your chance to purchase an ad on our web site which will also include a link to your own business web site. For as little as $10 a month or $100 a year you will be represented as a business who cares and supports todays youth.

In the seven years the Club has been in existance we have never denied a girl the opportunity to play because she could not afford it. Our volunteer coaches have given us the opportunity to provide many girls quality instruction without causing a burden on their families budget.

We believe the costs of youth sports have gotten completely out of hand yet no parent wants to deny their child the opportunity to participate with their peers on select teams for fear it would put them behind when it comes time to playing high school ball. These other Select teams also demand so much of these girls time in order to justify their fees that often they only have time for that sport. By the time many actually reach high school they are so burned out on it they wind up quitting. The Blue Devils allow our players to participate in other sports as well as school and Church functions and don't penalize them for having a life outside basketball. We are just as proud of our players grades and active participation in other areas as we are of their accomplishments on the hardwood.

This is the first time we have ever offered this service and are very confident it will provide positive benefits to your business. Our previous web site had over 20,000 hits in the last 6 months and our new web site promises to be just as well received based on the number of hits since we began it the first week of January.

If purchasing an ad on our site interests you or the opportunity to sponsor our Club in other ways such as uniforms, jackets, gym bags, etc. please contact me at efhoopsrule@sbcglobal.net and I will contact you with further details.

Thanks, Ed Fisher

Created on 01/02/2007 09:17 PM by efisher
Updated on 04/01/2008 11:08 PM by efisher

Blue Devils Scores

Basketball
2007-01-01: Blue Devils 4th Fisher
Blue Devils 4th: 10
Blue Devils 6th: 10

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January, 2007
Mon 01, TBA
Blue Devils 4th @ Blue Devils 6th at TPF
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