|
|
It is only after about eight months that I finally sit down to post this page. Last season was the most confusing season I have experienced in my short tenure as a coach.
It began with the season tournament at home. We played some decent basketball, but we were slow getting back on defense and our shooting percentage was 14% for the two games combined. Concerned about both, we immediately began working on ways to deal with the problem.
For the rest of the season, our defense was a source of major pride. It is said that stats may be misleading, here is proof. As a team, we had more total team steals than we did turnovers. That is something that I may never see again. We improved on every aspect of the game from the previous season.
Except shooting.
We never once shot better than 21%, and our season
average was 18%. We missed lay-ups, put backs, free throws and inside
shots and outside shots and...
Because we could not score, we were forced into
long stretches of defensive play. Our strength of team speed was cancelled
by our inability to set up a press after a made basket. It would
be our weakness all season.
It is hoped that the players will learn from this
experience and work on the one part of the game that is in need of serious
help.
Pomona (19) vs Appanoose (25)
Nov. 1st, 1999
Jared Beasley led the team scoring 7 points,
but no one else scored more than 4 as we dropped the preseason opener at
home.
Pomona (27) vs Williamsburg (47) Nov. 1st,
1999
Kris Demeter dropped 10 points and Abe Frieden
checked in with 6, but slow defense cost us in this one.
Pomona (22) vs MdCV (21) Nov. 11th,
1999
Paul Nicholson led with 7 points and Abe Frieden
hit a first half buzzer beater to overcome MdCV on their home floor.
Pomona (18) vs Williamsburg (25) Nov. 18th,
1999
A first quarter shut-out against us allowed W'Burg
to beat us again, though we were able to contain their offense. Zack
Crooks led the team with 10 points.
Pomona (24) vs Scranton (36) Nov. 23rd,
1999
Paul Nicholson led the team with 8 points and
Crooks chimed in with 6, but a 2-11 first quarter again put a sour start
to the game.
Pomona (35) vs Burlingame (32)
Abe Frieden's 14 points were too much for Burlingame.
Nicholson added 10 more to help the team to another win.
Pomona (24) vs Lyndon (39)
Frieden and Crooks led with 7 apiece and solid
team ball movement gave us the game, but repeated missed shots allowed
Lyndon to turn in on in the second half.
Pomona (25) vs Americus (35)
Beasley led with 19 points, but no one else was
able to sink the ball in this defeat on the road.
Pomona (21) vs Appanoose (37)
A humiliating 20 - 2 score at halftime marked
our worst game of the season. Though this Appanoose team was now
on a run that would give them the league championship, a few missed opportunities
early on allowed them to run all over us. Beasley led with 10, and
Crooks chipped in with 5 points.
Pomona (36) vs Central Heights (20)
In what we hoped would bring us into the postseason
tourney running on a high, Brian Thompson scored 11 points, Beasley scored
7, and Nicholson added another 6 to overcome traditional rival Central
Heights.
Pomona (32) vs Americus (35)
In our tourney, we had a rematch with Americus.
We had the ball with fifteen seconds on the clock and down by one, and
were able to get away a shot that bounced off the front of the rim.
A putback also missed, and so our season ended on the same note our regular
season went. Missed shots knocked us out of the tournament.
Beasley scored 16 points and Crooks aided the cause with 7, but it was
not enough.
Pomona (37) vs Westphalia (42)
A non-schedule game with nearby Westphalia brought
out our wildest game. Turnovers from both sides made it a wild affair.
Nick Grove scored 12 points and added 20 rebounds, and Brian Thompson scored
10 in this crazy finish to a crazy season.
Jared Beasley won the team MVP and Brian Thompson was named Most
Dedicated.