Merry Christmas

Saturday was our annual toy drive. This year the men's basketball team and Eagle Productions joined in with us to help make a child's Christmas brighter. Although it was snowing outside that didn't keep our fans away!! We received 163 toys and those will be donated to the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County United Way Agency. It was a huge success and we would like to THANK everyone who helped us in spreading some Christmas cheer to area children.

The 2009-10 women's basketball team wishes everyone a very, Merry Christmas!! Have a safe and happy holiday and we look forward to seeing you in the stands in 2010!!

Go B.C.!

O.D.A.C. Action

Well our first week of conference games did not go like we expected. It was disappointing to drop both games but it should also be a confidence booster for our players to know that they can play with any team in the O.D.A.C.

In our loss at Roanoke we held a two-point lead at halftime. In the second half we exchanged leads with the Maroons on eight or more different occasions but costly turnovers and "empty" possessions on the offensive end gave Roanoke the win. Junior Jordan Burkholder had her first double-double on the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Saturday we came out on fire against pre-season #2 Randolph Macon. We jumped out to an early 21-4 lead and held a 41-32 advantage at the half. We knew RMC would pick up their play in the 2nd half and they did. They made a lot of free throws and went home with the win.

The players are in finals this week and it's hard to believe but when we get back we will play 20 games in two months. Wow! That first week of 2010 is going to be huge for us ...we go to Randolph College, to cross-town rival EMU, and then host E & H and Guilford. Four games in six days. The players will get their Christmas break workouts tomorrow and being the competitors that they are I KNOW they will be ready to face the challenge we have lying ahead of us in 2010.

Thanks so much for your support and remember GO EAGLES!!

O.D.A.C. Opener

I was very proud of the team's effort on the Tuesday before break in our home opener against Averett. We trailed the whole first half but responded in the second half and entered Thanksgiving break with a 2-1 record.

In our tip-off tournament at Randolph Macon we defeated Methodist and had a tough loss against Greensboro. In both games, the starters really came out with intensity and we opened with a 10-0 lead. In the Methodist game junior Jordan Burkholder had eight points in only 93 seconds of play. We were up by as many as 13 in the Greensboro game but couldn't hold onto the lead. After watching the Greensboro game film with the team we all learned some things that will (hopefully) help us later in the year.

This is an exciting week as we open conference play!! We travel to Roanoke tonight and have Randolph Macon on Saturday. These two teams were pre-season picks #1 and #2 respectively by the coaches. They are both quality teams with strong post play and solid perimeter players. Both games will be a battle!!

Saturday's game is a double header with the men's team and will be our annual toy drive. Bring a new, unwrapped toy and receive FREE admission to the game. The men's team and our student organization -Eagle Productions - are joining our cause this year. Last year we collected over 100 toys and we hope to top that this year. All our toys will be donated to the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County United Way Agency. I hope you will help us make a child's Christmas special!!

Until next time ...GO EAGLES!!

It All Begins Friday

Well, it doesn't matter if we want another week of practice or not - the season officially tips-off this weekend. We have three days to have everything in place and begin the quest for another O.D.A.C. title!!

We had two scrimmages last week - at Shenandoah and against Marymount here. I think overall we were pleased with the team.

In the Shenandoah scrimmage during the first half we looked like we were off to the races and no one was sure of what was going on ...I think most of the "mayhem" was caused by first game jitters and the excitement of playing against someone different. Saturday's scrimmage against Marymount went a lot better and I'm excited for us to tip it up on Friday night. Although Marymount wasn't at full strength - they are still a top caliber team and we played well. The post stepped up and defended down low and the guards really pressured the ball on the perimeter. Because we don't have a lot of size on the low block those are two things we MUST do to be successful this year. The league has a lot of quality post players and we will have to defend!

The Eagles begin their quest this Friday evening in a match-up with Methodist in the Randolph Macon tip-off classic. Methodist returns four starters off of last year's 15-11 team and we will have to work hard to come out with a "W." I'm confident our players are up for the challenge. Then on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. we will face another USA-South opponent in Greensboro. The Pride received votes for top 25 in the d3hoops.com preseason poll where they finished last season ranked #25. They return three letterwinners and one starter from last year's 27-3 team. I love a challenge and this is going to be a FUN weekend!!

If you can't make it to Ashland this weekend please come out to the BC/Don Glick tournament here on campus. Admission is FREE if you bring a can of food that will be donated to a local food pantry. Good luck to the men in their tournament!!

As always ...GO EAGLES!!

The Carolina Way ...

For those of you that have known me you know that I am a diehard Carolina basketball fan. I was born and raised in North Carolina and growing up you had three choices - Carolina, Duke, or NC State. I chose UNC and since I can remember I've been a Tar Heel. And for the most part I always pull for the ACC ...it's what North Carolians do but the Tar Heels are always the "tops" on my list. And that is coming from someone who graduated from Virginia Tech. When people ask me why I didn't go to Carolina and became a Hokie instead the answer is always simple, "they didn't offer me a scholarship." But in my heart of hearts when it's basketball season UNC is the team I cheer for.

So when the opportunity presented itself a couple of weeks ago for me to attend the Roy Willimas Coaches Clinic in Chapel Hill to say I was "thrilled" would be an understatement. I was counting down the days and the night before, I was like a child waiting on Christmas morning. I just couldn't wait to get there. Some of my high school friends graduated from UNC and on my trip down I thought about the last time I had been on campus. It was for their graduation in 1990. Was it really 1990?? Yep, it had been 19 years since I had set foot on campus. Wow!! So after arriving early, I decided to drive around and see the campus and how it had changed and grown. Amazing ...

I LOVE to talk hoops ...Coach Willi says I could do it all day and I KNOW I could ...I just love learning new things about the game. And all of us coaches are good at one thing ...stealing from each other and tweaking it to work for your team. So that weekend was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn some of the Carolina system. No, we won't ever have the athletes UNC does but I would like to think our programs are alike in two simple facts - we play hard EVERY possession and we LOVE to play defense.

The players have really been working hard during the first couple of weeks of practice. The team is so competitive with each other and like I said in an earlier blog, "practice should be difficult and games easy" ...I'm excited to get the season started. We scrimmage at Shenandoah next week and it will be nice to go up against someone different. It's hard to believe that the season opener is only 16 days away!!

Until next time ...GO EAGLES!!

Back on the Hardwood

It was so great to get back on the hardwood last Thursday as the 2009-10 season has begun. We had 18 players try-out and after two days we were able to cut the number to 15. I am very excited about the potential of the team. I think that our practices are going to be very competitive this season and that is always good. We are often telling our players throughout the year that games should be easy. And I am hoping that that will particularly hold true for this season. It has been a while since we had depth at different positions and with that we are hoping we can play a variety of different lineups. Exciting!!

The players are really working hard. We have five freshmen and one sophomore transfer this season and I think they are fitting into the mix quite well. It can be very overwhelming for "newbie's" with all the information being thrown at them, playing with a :30 shot clock, playing with new teammates, and learning our coaching style. I think they have adjusted well.

The returnees have done a good job of leading by example and have really been encouraging to their teammates. We have all been that "new kid on the block" and I think they can relate to what their new teammates are feeling.

If you'd like to see our new roster click here: http://www.bridgewatereagles.com/sports/wbkb/2009-10/roster

We have a TON of things to get done before our season opener on November 20th. I will keep you all posted on how things are shaping up over the next week.

Until then ...GO EAGLES!!

Kudos to Coach Willi

The leaves are turning fall colors ...the air is getting cooler ...and soon we'll be hearing the squeak of sneakers and basketballs bouncing!!! Only nine more days until the first official practice! It's an exciting time of the year for the coaching staff (I'm not sure if the players look forward to those first few weeks as much as we do - LOL). We have our fall break this weekend and when we return it will be time!! YAY!

I really wanted to post this blog to recognize Coach Willi, who was recently inducted into the Turner Ashby High School Hall of Fame. It is a well-deserved honor for her. Not only is she an exceptional coach but she was also a tremendous athlete.

During her time at T.A. (I won't mention the graduation year) she led the Knights in scoring (and that was before the 3-point line) and was also a state qualifer in the shot put. She also was the first female at T.A. to participate on a men's team ...the golf team.

Kudos to Coach Jean Willi on this honor!!

Everyone enjoy this fall weather!! I'll be posting again after our practicies have begun, cuts have been made, and the team is finalized.

Go Eagles!!

A Look Back ...

I can’t believe that I am starting my 14th season here at B.C. When I first took the job I thought I’d be here maybe four or five years and then move on but I have chosen to stay b/c of the great student-athletes that Bridgewater draws. Unlike, Division I and Division II athletes our student-athletes pay to play and they do it with a passion. They are here to get a solid education and participate in a sport they love. So as the season approaches (only 29 more days until the first practice!!), I decided to take some time to reflect on some of the great moments since Coach Willi took over in 1996. These are my choices (with input from Coach Willi). Prior to 1996 Coach Laura Mapp was the head coach …I KNOW there are a lot of memorable moments from that era as well because I have heard the stories!! I wasn’t around for those so I’m only sharing the ones I have witnessed!! Here goes …

#1.) 2007 O.D.A.C. Championship!! After an up and down season, we entered the tournament as the #6 seed. Coach Willi and I both knew we could do it …we had been so close in games throughout the season. We had seven freshmen on the roster and only one senior …young and inexperienced. But we did it!! After losing to our cross-town rival EMU on two occasions by a total of 12 points we knew it’d be a fight …we prevailed and upset the #3 seed 51-47. Then we took on #2 seed Randolph Macon. It was an incredible atmosphere!! We won 70-64!! For the championship game we had a tremendous group of B.C. supporters and despite a last ditch effort by VWC, the #1 seed, we won, 57-56. We became the lowest seed to ever win the title. I will never forget it!!
2.) Another championship moment …winning the 1999 title in overtime against Randolph Macon!! Kind of weird but that team also only had one senior and seven freshmen …see the correlation? Spooky. Anyway …It was another amazing experience. I remember that senior Connie Ritchie literally put the team on “her back” and carried us to the victory. When our junior Amanda Kyger fouled out in regulation, we had freshmen Sarah Hagood and Lindsey Coleman step in and make great contributions. Although I don’t remember all the details I can still feel the excitement as Coach Willi and I captured the first title under our helm.
3.) The 2005-06 teams run to the NCAA “Sweet 16.” We had lost to Randolph Macon in the championship game so we did not receive the automatic bid but the NCAA did award as an at-large and did we ever make the most of it!! We traveled to Mt. Saint Mary’s College in Newburgh, NY and were to play Bates College. We won 71-69 behind the lone senior Marsha Kinder’s 28 points. Katy Herr had a double-double (11 points and 11 rebounds), and Shannon Scales had 11 points. Shannon came off the bench to hit back-to-back “3’s” that put us ahead. After romping, Baruch 72-49 we were off to the “Sweet 16.” We traveled to the University of Southern Maine and lost 68-55 but we put up a great fight. A win wasn’t in the cards but we played so hard …Traveling to Maine (my first time there) was a great experience…It was cold but a memorable trip.
4.) 1997 and the Bridgewater College women’s basketball teams first-ever NCAA trip!! We had received an at-large bid after losing to Guilford in the ODAC semi-finals. Not only did we get a bid but we got to host!! Students were away on spring break but the community really stepped in and made it an incredible atmosphere. We defeated Christopher Newport and then lost to Thomas More.
5.) January 20, 2001 vs. Eastern Mennonite. This was the 100th win in our coaching time together. We defeated the Royal 90-63 on their home court. Across the bench from us all our fans had signs that read “100” …to win that 100th game and to do it on your cross-town rivals court was a special moment in my memory.
6.) Defeating Roanoke in the ODAC semi-finals in the 1999 ODAC tournament. Our games with the Maroons are always fierce and this one was no different. We had lost to them twice during the regular season and to come out and play like we did was incredible. I can still vividly see Connie Richie at the top of the key, driving the lane, drawing Amanda Osborn’s defense and Amanda nailing 3’s. RC coach, Susan Dunagan, looking down at our bench like “where did that come from?” Amanda finished the night with 23 points.
7.) Another vivid memory for me is our January 3, 2007 game vs. Randolph Macon. It was a great game to coach in and an even better game to just sit and watch…I have watched the game and listened to Coach Bill Phipps play-by-play a few times. We won in double-overtime, 83-81. Although there is a great rivalry with the two teams, it was fun to watch players “go at it” but yet, have so much respect for each other. Marsha Kinder had 20 points in that game and Katy Herr had 18 points and played every minute. I can still see Katy and RMC’s National Player of the Year Meagan Sylva going head to head. It was a tremendous atmosphere to be a part of!!
8.) February 4, 2006 vs. Guilford. The Eagles gave Coach Jean Willi her 200th win with an 87-52 victory over the Quakers. Again fans held up “200” signs in her honor and it was just something to say I’m proud to be a part of it!
9.) Hosting the NCAA “Sweet 16” during the 1997-98 season. The students were away on break and we PACKED the house!! I can remember sitting in the stands during the first game (Univ. of Wisconsin-Oskkosh and Austin Univ.) and whenever any of our players walked into the gym the sound of the crowd was deafening. It was standing room only and we had packed the place. We played the second game against the overall #1 seed University of Washington – St. Louis. Another thing I remember they kicked our tail! That was on their way to their 3rd straight national championship and they had a junior who was a 2-time National Player of the Year (she actually won it her senior year too). Although the game did not come out like we had planned …I will never forget the energy, enthusiasm, and passion that were in our gym that weekend!!
10.) This is only somewhat basketball related but I have to say our tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii is one experience I will never forget!! We had the opportunity to play two quality teams and get to see one of our states that only a few people ever get the chance to visit. The adventure was incredible and after all the fundraising that we had to do I swore I’d never try to raise money to go back there but when I think of walking on the beach with Diamond Head in the background and the sun rising over it …yep, I’d do it all again!!

So there you have some of my fondest memories since I arrived here at Bridgewater. There are other trips I could’ve talked about too (Las Vegas, New York City, Boston, and Atlanta). And who could ever forget the Halloween costume parties we have done?? I fondly remember some GREAT costumes (to name a few: the Pink ladies and Sandy from Grease, clowns, nerds, “the bench warmers,” and players dressed like coaches). Then there have been games played on bus trips …Wow, I’m thinking I have another blog to write in the near future about all that stuff.

Until next time …

GO EAGLES!!

Greetings Eagle fans!!
It was an exciting weekend here at Bridgewater as women’s soccer, field hockey, and football all had home games!! It was a great day to be an Eagle as all those teams won!! What’s special about the BC community is how the athletes support one another in their sports. It’s always great to see our players at the fall sports showing their Eagle Pride!!

The women’s basketball team always works the gate for the first home game. It’s kind of “nerve wracking” as everything is trying to get set up but for the most part everything went fairly smooth. We have signup sheets to work and it usually always falls on the freshmen class. Jordan (Burkholder), who has experience at the gate, was the clicker-counter.

Emileigh (Lambert) and Jenny (Logan) didn’t have much luck selling our t-shirts and sweatshirts but when it’s 85 outside who wants a sweatshirt? We’ll have more luck as the weather gets cooler …

Hard to believe the season is right around the corner …Only 35 more days until the first practice!!

Hello to our Eagle Fans!

I'm new to this blogging so you all will need to be patient with me as I learn the "ins and outs" of it all. I'm excited about doing this and sharing with our loyal fans some behind the scenes look into our program. So let's get started with it ...

The Bridgewater campus has been quiet for most of the summer but things are bustling now! Fall sports started arriving on campus last week and "autumn is in the air!"

We are excited about the incoming class and so I thought for my first blog I would share with the Eagle fans what some of our recruits had to say about why they chose to come to Bridgewater College. Enjoy!!

"I chose Bridgewater because it is a beautiful campus, not too far from home, has my major, and the women's basketball team has a great program." - Sarah Boeren, Class of 2012, Troutville, VA

"I chose Bridgewater because when I visited it just felt like the right place to be. Bridgewater also had the academic programs I was looking for, plus I get to play basketball which is quite exciting! Bridgewater just felt like a nice home for the upcoming four years." - Molly Look, Class of 2013, Mathias, WV

"I chose Bridgewate becasue it was just one of those things that when I stepped on campus I just knew that was the place for me. I met Coach Willi on my first visit and after talking to her for a while, I knew I wanted to play basketball for her. I liked how the school is close enough to home, yet just far enough away. The girls on the basketball team we're also very welcoming when I visited and made me feel at home. Plus it has my intended major of Athletic Training." - Caitlin Boles, Class of 2013, Charlottesville, VA

"I chose Bridgewater College mostly because of the basketball program. It's promising and I think I'll fit in better here than anywhere else. It also helped out that the coaches at B.C. are very friendly. I also liked the campus everytime I went to visit. And all the people there were very nice and welcoming." - Katie Hottinger, Class of 2013, Broadway, VA

"I chose B.C. because the campus was beautiful and so inviting! It felt like a home away from home for me and it just felt right. Plus, everyone was so inviting and friendly, and I think the experience will be more than worth it." - Paige Quesennberry, Class of 2013, Max Meadows, VA

"I chose Bridgewater because they had my major and the school seemed to be such a close community. Everybody knows everybody there and there are so many things to get involved with." - Jackie Buckley, Class of 2013, Bowie, MD

With our returnees and the incoming class, the coaches are excited about the upcoming season and we hope you are too. I look forward to sharing more thoughts with you later ...Only 51 more days until practice!!