Diary Series: Dave Duda, Asst. Coach - Saint Joseph's

The start of the college basketball season brings with it a number of challenging pre-season tournaments. In recent seasons St. Joseph’s has participated in the Maui Classic and the Paradise Jam. This season we just returned from the College of Charleston Tourney. I am sure that coaches look at these type tournaments in many different ways.

We have always found these tournaments to be beneficial in a number of ways. It prepares your team for the post season tournament format in your conference. It most cases, you win a game and play against an opponent that is better than the previous day. It gives your team a feel of what preparing is like with games played back to back, which takes you out of many of your preparation comforts.

I have always felt that team bonding is a big part of these type trips, as you are usually on the road longer than the normal road trip. The players are carrying out a variety of daily activities, but in places that they are not accustomed to. The preparation work that goes into the development of various scouting and film sessions, study hall/class assignments, the packing and cleaning of gear, and many additional responsibilities make it essential for everyone to be on the top of their game. I believe you find out a lot about your team in a short period of time, both in a positive and negative manner.

We were pleased with our results from the Charleston Tournament. We earned hard fought victories vs. Georgia Tech and Tulsa, and suffered a close loss to Seton Hall. We were able to play against three different styles, with all being extremely well coached. We learned a lot about ourselves, and again think it will go a long way into the future development of this team. All of us were happy with the results, but certainly ready to return to Hawk Hill to build upon what we learned from our experiences at the Charleston Tournament.

The Hawk Will Never Die!