Diary Series: Mike Wolf, Asst. Coach - Portland

What a great time of year!  Basketball is in full swing (at least for those of us not in the NBA) with the passion and excitement of competition!  The 2011-2012 Portland Pilots will embark on the most ambitious non-conference schedule since we arrived on "The Bluff" in 2006.  We're excited for the challenges ahead and look forward to using each day as an opportunity to help our team get better as we prepare to challenge for the WCC Championship.

We opened the season with what the NCAA now calls an “exempt tournament” in which only one game is counted against your maximum allowable contests no matter how many games you play.  We headed north to Seattle for a Round-Robin style affair hosted by The University of Washington and joined by Florida Atlantic and Georgia State.

11/11/11

Veterans day and a chance to give thanks to those who protect and serve us at home and abroad to ensure our freedoms each and every day (including the ability to play basketball!).  With classes still in session we went through a normal practice routine on campus including a scout walk-through in preparation for the season opener against Florida Atlantic on Saturday.  A talented team picked to win the Sun Belt Conference with 2 All-Conference players back from a team that returns nine of 10 presents a great challenge for our guys.  By 2pm we were loaded up on the bus and watching Florida Atlantic film on the ride to Seattle.  After arriving at our hotel, we had a short time to rest before dinner and then a full video scouting session to go over the final game plan details and personnel on Florida Atlantic before a 10pm bed check with an early morning tipoff looming.

11/12/11

With an 11:30am tip-off, normal game day routines are out the window.  We met at breakfast at 8am and watched a pared down version of the scout edits.  Loading up the bus at 9:15, we arrived at the arena by 9:45, settled into the locker room and took the floor after Washington was done with their gameday shootaround for their game against Georgia State following ours. 

There’s an unwritten protocol of decorum on game day routines and we are very cognizant of not “rushing the court” while other teams are wrapping up (not everyone shares the same respect for that protocol but you do your best to do things the right way).  The game tipped off with the sense of excitement and nervous anticipation that I’ve come to expect from every season as you just don’t know anything for sure until the lights come on for the first time (although you hope your hunches are right!).  The 70-65 victory was hard fought against a very talented Florida Atlantic squad that would not surprise if it won the Sun Belt and went to the NCAA tournament.

As the schedule dictates for three games in three days, there wasn’t a lot of time to dwell on the victory.  We talked briefly about Georgia State in the locker room postgame to help “turn the page” and sent the team off with their post game meals to greet family and friends before settling into the stands and watching Georgia State vs Washington.  The coaching staff retreated to the assigned “scout” seats on press row and watched the entire game while we sent the team back to the hotel on the bus at halftime.  Saturday night was a quick turn of the page to Georgia State with video, game plan preparation and a team dinner at Buca di Beppo.  I think we set the record or most food consumed in the shortest amount of time as the table looked like it was hit by a tornado after we got finished.  Back to the hotel after dinner for study hall (our players’ favorite) as the coaches prepped for Georgia State and broke down the film from the morning’s game.

11/13/11

Georgia State posed some unique challenges with their switching defenses and overall athleticism but a 2pm tip gave us a little more time for a normal routine with shootaround, scout walk-through and video.  We settled into the arena 90min before tip again and battled through some turnovers to claim a 66-61 victory.  Much like the day before, we closed the door on the victory and turned the page by settling in to watch Florida Atlantic vs Washington.  Monday would bring the Huskies, 2-0 and on the brink of a Top 25 national ranking despite getting everything the could ask for from FAU.  Post game routines much the same, we returned to the hotel for dinner, scout video, game plan and rest.  The coaching staff continued to grind on Washington film in preparation for the morning session.

11/14/11

A real gameday routine finally and a chance for the team to sleep in a little.  The third game in three days often becomes a test of wills and toughness as well as the ability of your trainer and strength coaches to get them ready to play.  We met for breakfast and video at 9:30, broke and rested until noon and then headed to the arena to shootaround. 

Careful not to infringe on the Huskies, we waited in the hallway before being given the go ahead and carefully watching our steps so as to avoid having to engage the pleasantries of coach-speak on game day with battle looming ahead of us.  I like every other coach on our schedule 363 or 364 days a year (just not on gameday….). 

After loading the bus and heading back to the hotel we prepared a final film session and pre-game meal in the afternoon.  The game had a great atmosphere with two undefeated teams looking to make their mark on the young season with a packed house.  Unfortunately we ran into a buzz-saw as Washington showed why they are worthy of a Top 25 ranking and why many NBA scouts were in attendance to see their three guards play.  We had some spurts of great energy and resolve and made some plays we will need to make more consistently but in the end, a loss is a loss, no matter what lessons we can learn from it.  There was not a lot to be said after the first loss of the season but the pain in our players’ eyes told me all I needed to know about their competitive spirit and as a staff we know how fun this team is going to be to coach over the next four months.  We had a three hour ride home to think about all that and get ourselves ready to “turn the page” and “get to the next play,”  but we did it sitting at 2-1 which sure beats the alternatives!

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