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Lady Crusaders eager for redo
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| Concordia girls basketball coach Matt Neidigk talks to his team during a timeout in a game against Waller, Nov. 21. Neidigk has his TAPPS 5A private school team playing 5A public schools for a majority of its predistrict schedule. |
By DUSTIN BASS
Here they come again. It can get a little tense being the smaller school and being perceived as the underdog. But those who know anything about Concordia’s girls basketball team know that only the former is true.
The Lady Crusaders come into the new season as the state runner-up from last season’s successful first year under Coach Matt Neidigk. Along with its success, it brings a large majority of returning players including four of its starters to the court. As much respect as they received last season, the team is coming in with a chip on their shoulder, which should be the scariest part for any upcoming opponent. It’s worse than knowing that they have a number of guards who can kill opponents in multiple ways and the fact that their chemistry, which put them in the title game last season, has only improved.
So this may be the reason why Neidigk upped the ante on the team’s competition. The team did face numerous 5A public schools in 2007, but mostly in tournaments. This season, the team is mostly facing 5A and 4A schools throughout. Either way, it will raise their respect level, add to their confidence, and increase their chemistry. But more than anything, it will get them, hopefully, to where they want to be which is why their theme this year, selected by its players, is “Unfinished Business.”
“Private schools can be up and down,” Neidigk said, speaking of the competition level. “We know we’ll get some solid games from public schools.”
He said the program still keeps its schedule openfor some private schools, in order to keep a good relationship, and said that it becomes a challenge to schedule some of the public school games because the program doesn’t have three different teams (freshmen, JV and varsity). He said despite public schools having that knowledge, those schools still want to play due to the caliber of talent Concordia brings to the table.
“We never had a flat out 'no,'” he said. “I like to think that (public schools) are getting a quality opponent.”
It’s an apparent two-way street. Something the players consider a challenge.
“I was excited to play them,” said Allie Brandenburg, talking about when she first saw the team’s schedule.
Point guard Taylor Schippers said she wasn’t surprised about the schedule and Jessi Cowden said her team is just as good as anyone else's for certain reasons.
“We work hard,” Cowden said. “Probably harder than a majority of the schools.”
Playing pre-district teams 10 times their size and competing against a tough district schedule is merely a formality when it comes to the big picture.
“It’s playing as a major motivator,” Brandenburg said, about last season’s final game.
Neidigk stated the obvious when he said his team wants to get back to the title game since every team has the same desire. But few come in with such a target on their backs, the ability to get there and with the title as one of the favorites to be one of the last two teams to compete for the championship.
“It wetted their appetite,” Neidigk said about the team’s experience last season.
The team has come out keeping the chip ever visible on their shoulder and when they don’t, Neidigk reminds them just like he did in their game against Waller, Nov. 21, when the team came out sluggish, allowing the Bulldogs to score six straight points to their zero. Neidigk simply called a timeout and reminded them, under no uncertain terms, why they were playing.
“We’re not playing our best basketball yet,” he said. “You don’t want to peak now anyway or you’ll have a long second half. They want to win a state title. It’s momentum for them constantly.”
With less than two seconds left in the game against Waller, with Concordia up 66-42, a whistle was blown with one of the Lady Crusaders wrestling for the ball against two Lady Bulldogs. There’s the reminder.
“Coach said we left something out on the floor,” Cowden said, referring to the title game. “We have to get back and claim it.”
The Lady Crusaders come into the new season as the state runner-up from last season’s successful first year under Coach Matt Neidigk. Along with its success, it brings a large majority of returning players including four of its starters to the court. As much respect as they received last season, the team is coming in with a chip on their shoulder, which should be the scariest part for any upcoming opponent. It’s worse than knowing that they have a number of guards who can kill opponents in multiple ways and the fact that their chemistry, which put them in the title game last season, has only improved.
So this may be the reason why Neidigk upped the ante on the team’s competition. The team did face numerous 5A public schools in 2007, but mostly in tournaments. This season, the team is mostly facing 5A and 4A schools throughout. Either way, it will raise their respect level, add to their confidence, and increase their chemistry. But more than anything, it will get them, hopefully, to where they want to be which is why their theme this year, selected by its players, is “Unfinished Business.”
“Private schools can be up and down,” Neidigk said, speaking of the competition level. “We know we’ll get some solid games from public schools.”
He said the program still keeps its schedule openfor some private schools, in order to keep a good relationship, and said that it becomes a challenge to schedule some of the public school games because the program doesn’t have three different teams (freshmen, JV and varsity). He said despite public schools having that knowledge, those schools still want to play due to the caliber of talent Concordia brings to the table.
“We never had a flat out 'no,'” he said. “I like to think that (public schools) are getting a quality opponent.”
It’s an apparent two-way street. Something the players consider a challenge.
“I was excited to play them,” said Allie Brandenburg, talking about when she first saw the team’s schedule.
Point guard Taylor Schippers said she wasn’t surprised about the schedule and Jessi Cowden said her team is just as good as anyone else's for certain reasons.
“We work hard,” Cowden said. “Probably harder than a majority of the schools.”
Playing pre-district teams 10 times their size and competing against a tough district schedule is merely a formality when it comes to the big picture.
“It’s playing as a major motivator,” Brandenburg said, about last season’s final game.
Neidigk stated the obvious when he said his team wants to get back to the title game since every team has the same desire. But few come in with such a target on their backs, the ability to get there and with the title as one of the favorites to be one of the last two teams to compete for the championship.
“It wetted their appetite,” Neidigk said about the team’s experience last season.
The team has come out keeping the chip ever visible on their shoulder and when they don’t, Neidigk reminds them just like he did in their game against Waller, Nov. 21, when the team came out sluggish, allowing the Bulldogs to score six straight points to their zero. Neidigk simply called a timeout and reminded them, under no uncertain terms, why they were playing.
“We’re not playing our best basketball yet,” he said. “You don’t want to peak now anyway or you’ll have a long second half. They want to win a state title. It’s momentum for them constantly.”
With less than two seconds left in the game against Waller, with Concordia up 66-42, a whistle was blown with one of the Lady Crusaders wrestling for the ball against two Lady Bulldogs. There’s the reminder.
“Coach said we left something out on the floor,” Cowden said, referring to the title game. “We have to get back and claim it.”
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