Senior Night

This week the Saint Martin’s University men’s basketball team will conclude their season with two homes games this Thursday and Saturday. Along with the final games of the season, it will also be the final time five Saints will play at Marcus Pavilion as a member of the team. This year’s seniors include a rather interesting group of guys because of their backgrounds and how they became Saints. Here are my firsthand accounts of these four other guys, where I hope to give a little behind the scenes look at who they are and how they have been as teammates.

Let’s start with the man I know best on the team, Matt Dodson. Matt and I have been not only teammates for five years, but we have been roommates as well. During this span, I have seen Matt develop not only on the court but off the court as well. Even with some injuries along the way, he has developed into a solid post in the conference and has been with me every step of the way. Thinking back over our time together, I have a ton of memories that stand out that are quite funny. I’ve basically been by Matt’s side every day for the last five years and one of my favorite times with Matt was up at Anchorage last season when I got to play with him and former Saint Eric Taylor. The three of us had been roommates for two years and friends since the day we all met on campus in August of 2009. During our time together, this was the only time that all three of us were on the court at the same time and the only time Matt ever made a three-pointer in a game. Although everyone in the gym that night saw his foot over the line, the refs happened to miss it and he still claims to this day to never have missed a three in his career.

The second senior is Rei Jensen who transferred from Mount Hood Community College two years ago. Rei is one of the easiest guys I have ever met to get along with, which is probably why he has developed into one of my best friends on the team during his time here as a Saint. Something that comes to mind when I think of Rei is all the times we spent shooting together before practice. Last season we would always start practice with a simple shooting drill and Rei and I were always partners. During this time, Rei and I developed a strong bond and still continue to shoot with one another before practice. The story that first comes to mind involving Rei happened last week in Fairbanks, Alaska. We got our keys to the hotel and I was supposed to be rooming with Riley Carel, but Riley wanted to room with Lucas Shannon. So I traded with Lucas and was with Evan Coulter, but Rei wanted to room with me and he was with Tyler Idowu. I didn’t really care who I was with but Rei told Evan he would trade him roommates so he could be with me. Instead of telling him he was rooming with Tyler, he said he was with Ryan Rogers and Evan agreed. When Evan got to his room, he finally realized the scheme and saw he wasn’t rooming with Ryan. To an outsider it might not be that funny, but to us it was hilarious because of the vast differences between rooming with Tyler and Ryan.

Next up, Brad Norman. I won’t give too much background about Brad because I already did a 20 questions article about him earlier in the season, but I will say that playing with Brad over the past four years has been a pleasure. Brad is one of the hardest working guys I have ever been on the court with and I don’t think anyone has ever questioned his effort. I’ve never seen Brad slack off in anything and I think he has developed a reputation as one of the best teammates in the Saints program. What I will miss most about Brad are his quick one-liners and random movie quotes he throws out. I have never met someone who can come up with so many funny things out of nowhere that can make an entire team laugh almost every time.

The final senior is Evan Coulter who transferred to SMU from Whatcom Community College two years ago. I didn’t know Evan all that well last year but this season we have spent a lot of time together on the court. This is mostly because we guard one another every day at practice. When the plays stop at practice, Evan and I are usually talking about something; whether it’s a good move he just made, or making fun of something funny someone just did, we are always talking. If I think back I can recall the first time I met Evan at a summer game up at Bellevue Community College. He undoubtedly had the best beard I have ever seen and it looked exactly like James Harden’s who plays professionally for the Oklahoma City Thunder. So after I saw him play all I could think was “Not only does this guy have a sweet beard, but he is good too!” Much like Brad, Evan is also one of the hardest working guys I have ever played with. Evan's personality is also great because he is able to go from intense to calm faster than anyone, which makes him a good guy to be around.

With these little tid-bits in mind I hope everyone is able to understand the type of bond that the basketball team has. I think one thing that tends to be overlooked with sports in college is the relationships that we as teammates build because that is one aspect of the game you can really never get back. We might have all come from different areas of the Northwest, but we all cam here for a common goal and developed a friendship along the way. You can always join a city league team, or go shoot out in the drive way, but most people will never be able to experience being on the road for five days with 12 other guys in places like Hawaii, Montana, or California just to name few. Of course the things that happen on the court are great, but the time we spend off the court was just as important.

With two more games left in the career of these four guys and myself, I know I can speak for all of them when I say it has been fun playing with one another and we can walk away with memories that will last a lifetime.

 

Defense Leading the Way for the Saints

After seeing some of the highlights of the past week’s NBA All-Star Game it was evident that defense wasn’t a high priority. In the game, the East squad defeated the West 163-155. Yes those scores are accurate. Following the high-flying game the head coach of the West was asked if during the game he asked his team to play defense. His response, “No.” Although it was an exhibition for the fans and the game doesn’t count against anyone’s record, it’s still amazing how defense is considered so valuable.

One of the oldest sayings in sports is “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.” For the most part, this holds true. Look at the Seattle Seahawks who just won the Super Bowl last month. They entered the game with the number one ranked defense in all of the NFL.

With this in mind, we can now shift our focus to the top ranked defense in the women’s portion of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Saint Martin’s University  women are currently ranked number one in the conference in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. What this means is that the Saints are allowing the least amount of points per game to their opponents, while also not allowing anything easy for the opposing offense. After interviewing multiple players, one principle seemed to be the foundation of the team’s stifling “D.” Communication. One would think that getting players to talk would be an easy thing to do, but most coaches would tell you that isn’t true. “Communication is key for us because if we don’t talk, no one knows where to go,” stated sophomore Megan Wiedeman who is coming off her first career double-double last weekend. Even with great communication there must be a certain level of trust between the players. Knowing that it’s just not one main person to turn to and we can go to anyone makes us worker harder on defense. Anyone can have a good defensive game and everyone tries to contribute on defense,” added senior Chelsea Haskey who is the team’s leading rebounder, averaging seven boards per game.                               

But, defense of this caliber doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It must be developed and stressed over the course of a season. “We’re a disciplined team and we know what we need to do. We practice a lot of defense at practice so it has become easier to us,” noted Wiedeman. “By having such great team defense, we are able to rotate a number of different players in (to the game) which gives the opponents a different guarding style,” said sophomore Ciara Pedroni.

After being preseason selected to finish eighth by other GNAC coaches, the Saints are currently tied for fifth with four games remaining in the regular season. “I think we’ve always been kind of an underestimated team and this just shows that we are better than other coaches think. If other people think that we aren’t going to come out and play hard that’s fine, we’ll prove them wrong,” said Haskey. “We can do anything we set our minds to and our goal was to go to the GNAC tournament and we are on our way to that,” claims Wiedeman.

This week the Saints are home for two games before hitting the road, in what could prove to be the most important stretch of the season. “We need to look at what we did before on film and try to fix our mistakes. Even if we played really well that game, we need to look at the little things and see if we can fix that. We’ll look to get our defense perfect because that’s our strong point,” said Haskey. “If we come out, play hard, and stick together as a team, good things come out of it,” added Pedroni.

The recipe that head coach Tim Healy has created has without a doubt worked so far. Stressing the importance of a team-first mentality, along with a hardnosed defensive has put the Saints in a position they haven’t been in since the GNAC tournament scaled back its tournament teams a few years ago. With two of their final games against the team they are tied with and the team they are ahead of, the Saints will look to use the old phrase that has seemed to last the test of time. “Offense puts people in the stands, but defense wins championships.”

 

20 Questions with a Saint

Saints Senior Brad Norman could be considered one of the unsung heroes of the team. Norman, who hails from Eatonville, Washington is currently in his fourth season with the program and has continued to make strides as a Saint. After playing in 24 games last season while scoring 23 points while recording 17 rebounds, Norman has scored 33 points and grabbed 30 rebounds so far this season in seven less games. But stats only show you a minimal amount of the importance of a player. Being a teammate of Brad's for four years I can honestly say he is one of the most dedicated guys who strives to never get outworked. His contribution to the team is hard to see if it is only viewed within a stat sheet. With that being said, let's take a minute to get to know the man who is set to graduate with honors this spring with a degree in biology.

1. What is one item you always take with you on the road?

• Headphones. You always have to have them.

2. What is one song on your iPod that would surprise people?

• I have some songs by Seal. Most people probably don’t know who they are.

3. Name one fear that people might not know about you.

• I’m kind of scared of heights.

4. Who is the biggest jokester/prankster on the team?

• Riley Carel for sure.

5. What is one thing you wish you knew how to do?

• Be more like Lebron (with a chuckle).

6. What is your most prized possession of no value?

• My stuffed monkey that I received when I was about three months old.

7. What is the hardest class you have ever taken?

• Organic Chemistry.

8. If you could eat at any fast food restaurant right now, where would it be?

• Taco Time

9. What is your nickname?

• Half-practice Brad. (The story behind this is that Brad tends to miss a large amount of practice due to his rigorous class schedule. Even when he is available for practice, it is normally for only half the time)

10. When not at practice, where can you most likely to be found?

• Some science class or lab on campus.

11. What was your first job?

• I worked at the Federal Way Community Center as a building attendant.

12. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

• Brooke Robbins (Brad’s girlfriend)

13. Would you rather explore outer space, or the depths of the ocean?

• Depths of the ocean.

14. What is your favorite cereal to eat?

• Special K Vanilla Almond.

15. Most embarrassing athletic moment.

• In high school I was on a fast break and got caught between a dunk and a layup and ultimately bricked a lay in.

16. What is your first memory you have playing your sport?

• Playing my older sister one-on-one in the driveway. (he claims he never lost either)

17. Who is the best opposing player you have ever played against?

• Guard Joe Harris who went to Chelan High School who is currently playing for Virginia in the ACC.

18. Who is your favorite professor you have had at SMU?

• Physics professor Dr. Parker

19. What is the reason you decided to come to SMU?

• To continue to play basketball at the collegiate level and earn a good degree from a good university.

20. What it your best non-athletic talent?

• Remembering scenes and reciting lines from movies.