#sxuwbb

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15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocks from junior guard Mikayla Leyden ||SXU vs. IUSB||

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SXU vs. IUSB 2/23/2016

The Cougars had their first playoff game on Tuesday night against Indiana University South Bend. Being on the bench, it was difficult to watch my team struggle. On a side note, sometimes it is weird call them my team, but, on a personal note, I manage this team. They wouldn’t have anything really if, us, managers didn’t wash uniforms and do everything with the team. Back to the game, it was a very slow game and not to sound harsh, but watching them play is like watching them struggling on how to play. I believe that the injury of Sarah is impacting the team because people need to step up and take on the role. I know that maybe this will get back at me, but speaking my mind on the team shows I care. I want the best for the team. After our rough lost in overtime against Cardinal Stritch, the team has regained more so in the fact that we have been better with handling the ball and veering from turnovers. We only had nine turnovers compared to 17 at Cardinal Stritch. After the first quarter, the score was 11-8 with the Cougars leading. Back in regular season, we beat IUSB by 30 and we won by 5 points. The Cougars got the job done, but in order to keep the momentum up on the court we need to hit the boards and shoot the ball in the hole. The shooting percentage was 27.8% for field goals! A field goal percentage like that is not going to help us in Sioux City. The playoff game picked up after the first half, but we need to adjust to how the team will play without Sarah. It’s far from her fault that her injury cost her to be out for the rest of the season. That should open everyone’s eyes to play just as hard as we did before. IUSB fought hard on the court, but the Cougars fought harder. The final score was 70-65. In the last couple of minutes in the 4th quarter, the Titans gave me a little bit of a scare because they were banking three-pointers and the score was actually getting close.

After the game, I asked Mikayla for a quote about the final minutes and she said, “I’m not the type of player who gets nervous if it’s a tight game. In the last few minutes my thoughts were as if I was playing any minute of any game. Just play hard that’s all you can do.” I have asked Mikayla for a quote before and its interest to see how they incorporate the team as a whole and state the objectives we need to have for the games. Senior Cougar Caitlin gave a quote as well, “We needed to play shutdown defense and use the clock.” It is key to play to the fullest momentum they can even if we are losing by 3 points or winning by 20 points. The Cougars can step up to the plate for the game against Olivet on Friday, February 26th.

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Friends to Managers to Players

Being a friend of the team way before I was ever a manager, I have received the chance to get to know each player off the court. I have also become best friends with some of the girls too. I could go into detail on every player and what I think of them on a personal basis, but I’d rather keep it focused on them as a player.

I know coming in as a freshman can be difficult especially when you are the only freshman on this team. Emily on the court has improved since the very first day she came in. Emily works at her shots and her defense during practice and caught on with the plays pretty fast. Her height also comes into play when getting a couple of boards during practice.

Seeing the transformation from the sophomores now from when they were freshman year is crazy. Knowing how they progressed into better basketball players has shown that their confidence level as increased and all of them are still adjusting to how they play on the court. Kara has always been a great shooter and defender. She has contributed a lot to the team when they struggled with scoring. Brittany has really stepped up into becoming a better basketball player. I think she really found her way into making moves as a post player. Tomei has also been working hard on the court. I know that she does not get much playing time, but the day after she is in the gym before practice and in the gym working on her shot. I commend her for her hard work on and off the court. Last but not least, Casey has always been a great shooter on the court. I think Casey has built up confidence to shooting the ball when she is in the game. Watching these four, I think the sophomores will step up and contribute more to the team as a whole.

Three out of the six juniors have been here since day one. Mikayla, Meaghan, and Revi have always been inseparable since freshman year. I am great friends with all three and I remember going to one for the first home games freshman year when coach had his court dedication. I never realized how great a player Mikayla was until my first year of managing. I assume I have just been focusing on different players rather than the team as a whole. Mikayla has been a great asset to the team and I think she is one of the best. She handles the ball in such a manner that makes her a great guard and she can drive to the basket and hit her shots on the outside. Seeing the transformation of Meaghan when she did not get much playing time freshman year to having more playing time this year, shows that her work on the court is recognized by Coach. I am happy to see Meaghan play because she gives it her best out there when she puts up three-pointers and catches the rebounds in the key. Revi handles the ball and has a good shot as well as her sister Casey. Sometimes Revi is wide open on the court and she needs a confidence boost when she plays because she is a great player, but I don’t think she gives herself credit. These three have been close on and off the court and are all great players with a lot of potential.

Two of the juniors both transferred to Saint Xavier this season. Sami transferred from University of Nebraska- Omaha a D1 school. Sami has a lot of potential as a player. Coming to a new team can be scary especially all the way from Nebraska. Sarah is another player who transferred in from a different school. Sarah is an Ashford University transfer and since her school was still NAIA, it wasn’t a big difference than coming from a D1 school. Sarah is a terrific asset to the team and I do believe she is one of our top players. Sarah knows how to run the floor and has great defense against other on the court. Both players come with talents and the Cougars were ready to see more talent on the team.

Sidney is our junior on the court, but a senior in the books. She was redshirted freshman year; therefore she has one more year of eligibility. Although Sidney has one more year, she unfortunately will not be continuing her basketball career after she graduates. Sidney was known for her three-pointers and the floaters. Knowing Sid off the court, it was good to see her as a hardworking captain. I rebound for Sidney after practice and sometimes during the day. Watching her work on the shots beyond the arc shows that it pays off during the game. Sid is a good reader on the court because she can predict people next move which leads to steals and deflections. Sidney is fast and cunning when she’s running on the court to get open tricking the player defending her. Being the captain a lot of people see her as a good role model and she has a great personality that radiates off the court. Being positive is one of her strong suits and helping others comes naturally. She is definitely someone who contributes a lot to this team over the years and I can’t wait to see what will happen in the next couple of weeks for playoffs and Nationals.

Caitlin is our senior post player who has been a big role on the team. Caitlin has leadership skills which led her to being the captain this year. Caitlin is recognized for her fake then fade away in the key. Over the years of watching her play, she is always getting boards and puts up strong lay-ups and hooks which help the Cougars. She has reached many milestones this year with her career high in points and rebounds. Caitlin shows a lot of respect and great teamwork on the court and keeps the positive when the team is slipping in the games. I commend Cait for stepping up to the role of a leader for the team and she carries a lot of responsibility with a studying to become a nurse and as a basketball player.

This year the team has been tremendous with teamwork on the court and I think this team has a lot of effort into winning their games. Seeing players leave and new people enter, changes the ball game. At first it was weird to see some of our key players last year graduate, but I think that the team evolved to helping each other out rather than depending on one player to take the ball to the hole.

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Introduction about the team and coaching staff.

Saint Xavier has 12 players, 3 coaches, 1 grad assistant, and 2 managers. Saint Xavier is located in Chicago, IL in the South Side Irish near Oak Lawn, IL. The women’s’ basketball program is coached by the Athletic Director of Saint Xavier Bob Hallberg. Coach Hallberg with be entering this program for the 16th season and he previously coached at Chicago State and UIC for the men’s team. He is accompanied by Assistant Coach Barry Shaw who is also entering his 16th season of coaching alongside with Assistant Coach Jay Battles in his 8th season for the Cougars. 

The program has a new graduate assistant as well as a new manager on the coaching staff. Maloree Johnson graduated last year and actually played on the team last season. Leandreia Blakemore is the new, upcoming manager the Cougars has this year. The other manager is yours truly. My name is Bredz Ramirez, this is my second year managing the women’s basketball team. 

Enough about the coaching staff, how about the team...

The team roster has one freshman, four sophomores, six juniors, and one senior. The freshman Emily Gorsch comes from Hononegah HS. The sophomore class consists of Tomei Ball (Glenbard South), Brittany Collins (Maine West), Kara Krolicki (Lincoln Way-East), and Casey McMahon (Stagg). The biggest class would be the six juniors Mikayla Leyden (Trinity), Revi McMahon (Stagg), Meaghan McMahon (Lincoln Way-East), Sarah Vozel (Ashford University/Wilmot Union), Sami Pawlak (University of Omaha-Nebraska), and Sidney Prasse (Benet Academy). Our only senior is Caitlin McMahon (Lincoln Way-East). This year the Cougars have tremendous talent with these 12 girls.