The fall semester is over, class and finals are done (Thank God), but our season is in full swing.
A lot has changed since the last time I wrote to you. During the last blog, we were 3-2, coming off a heart-breaking loss to Farmingdale State in which we blew a 24-point lead. Well, we have played six games since and guess what; we have won all six highlighted by beating the then 14th-ranked St Mary’s of Maryland Seahawks.
It’s been a great run so far but it all comes back to the Farmingdale loss, which in my opinion has been the most important game we played all season. Now you might think I’m crazy saying a demoralizing loss is the most important game we played but hear me out. That game changed our mentality as a team, after that loss, we had a great week of practice and the focus changed. We knew we were a good team but hey, we were only 2-2, we needed to start showing it.
Practice was brutal the next couple days, we had to get back to the basics (Every player knows when your coach says we need to get back to the basics; practice is not going to be fun). In the game versus Farmingdale, they just wanted it more than us, out working us, getting to all the loose balls, all the hustle plays that are crucial to winning close games.
So at practice that week, Coach Ray Rankis pulled out all the stops, every loose ball drill, every box-out drill, taking charges, you name it, we did it.
Needless to say, everyone had bruises and floor burns covering their legs and arms. As much as practice was a grind, it worked. Since that game, we have won seven in a row, highlighted by wins against Stevens Tech, Rutgers-Newark, York, and St Mary’s (Md.). Because of that game, we take nothing for granted anymore, no matter how much we are up or down, we keep the pedal to the metal and keep our focus.
This couldn’t be more evident then in our win versus Rutgers-Newark. This was the exact opposite of the Farmingdale game, where we were down 17-2 to start the game and things were not looking good to say the least. We came out flat and Rutgers-Newark played extremely hard on defense getting plenty of steals and had a couple of big dunks that had us rattled.
Rutgers got comfortable and took their foot off our throats and we crawled back into the game, and we only trailed by three at the half. The second half was a battle with several lead changes and great plays back-and-forth. Our point guard Lionel Hilaire hit two huge shots to secure the road victory.
So we are now 9-2 and 2-0 in the conference and feeling real good about ourselves. We head to Florida to play Wisconsin Lutheran in the Emory Riddle Tournament. It’s always fun to travel with teammates and play new teams. I’m especially excited because as I write this blog, it is snowing and 25 degrees outside, the forecast for Daytona Beach, Florida is mid-70’s!
In my opinion, this is the best time of year for a college basketball player as class and finals are done, and all we have to worry about is basketball. Practice, lift and play a game…it doesn’t get any better than that. We are like professional basketball players for a month.
Just to tell you something about Baruch that I think a lot of you will enjoy and be envious are that due to our location in Manhattan, when many NBA team come to New York City to play either the Knicks or Nets, they need to practice, so various teams come to Baruch to use our gyms.
About two weeks ago, the Dallas Mavericks practiced at our gym for their game against the Nets. It was really cool watching Dirk and Jason Kidd practice. Dirk not only makes every shot he takes, they rarely hit the rim!
Sorry for the delay on this second post with finals and the holidays I didn’t have much time to write but the posts will be more frequent now that I have a lot more free time.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at Michael.Dietz@baruchmail.cuny.edu or visit BaruchAthletics.com. Also, check You Tube for highlight videos where our manager has posted various games (the ones we win!).
Have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season!
– Mike Dietz