Coach’s Favorite Christmas Presents

Christmas was wonderful! Family time, good meals and lots of laughter all come together at this joyous time of the year.

But my favorite Christmas presents came late and never made it under the tree. They arrived on Dec 29 during our Blue Sky Basketball Classic. I was minding my own business at the press table watching Vermont beat Dayton, when I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned around and there was a tanned, fit, smiling Koren Schram’09! What a treat! Koren was home for the holidays from Iceland, where she is having a blast playing on a professional basketball team. It was so much fun to spend time with her, but I had to cut the conversation short ... we had a game to be played.

So I assumed my pre-game position on the bench waiting for the URI game to begin. Much to my surprise out of the stands comes Derrick Harrison ’07! Derrick was our team manager and my good friend. Derrick is teaching math in a middle school in the Bronx and he just completed his masters program. He had his delightful girlfriend Amber with him.

I can’t tell you what a joy it was to see Koren and Derrick. I think Christmas came twice to me this year!!

- Coach Wielgus

Back for the Blue Sky

In my world, the holidays arrive and leave faster than Santa’s sled. One minute we are in sunny southern California playing in the Galen Center. Next minute, we are diving for presents under a Christmas tree and eating the best food ever. Within a blink of the eye, we are back in Leede Arena practicing on the newly varnished floor. The holidays and travel a blur.

It is always hard to leave your family and friends, but I have to confess I was excited see the kids back in Hanover. Post Christmas at Dartmouth means ... tournament time!!!

The Blue Sky Basketball Classic Tournament is a wonderful event made possible by the generosity of Blue Sky owner Marc Milowsky and the professionalism of our staff here at Dartmouth. Dartmouth and Marc know how to run an event. The Tournament was started back in 1978 by me and Sally Estes our administrative assistant at the time. It has been going on ever since. So many great teams have played here: Rutgers, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Marquette, Arkansas and Duke to name a few.

This year is not different. We welcome back an old friend and former assistant Coach Sharon Dawley now at Vermont, Cathy Inglese brings her Rhode Island Rams and Jim Jabor’s top-25 Dayton Flyers round out the field.

This tournament is a treat to us and our gift to the Upper Valley community — good basketball over the holidays played in front of our friends and family. It doesn’t get much better than that.

We tip-off against Rhode Island on Tuesday (12/29) at 7 PM but be sure to check out an exciting match-up between Dayton and Vermont at 5 PM. It's a classic format this year so we'll take on Dayton at 7 PM on Wednesday with Vermont-URI playing at 5 PM.

- Coach Wielgus

Happy Holidays

All of us from Dartmouth Women's Hoops are scattered around the country this week, spending this holiday with our families and friends!

It's a brief break before reporting back on the 26th but I think everyone is used to taking full advantage of the time off. We're back at it soon after the holiday and looking forward to hosting the Blue Sky Classic - our 33rd annual tournament.

This holiday season we are so grateful to all of our loyal readers and fans. You make this program so special and we appreciate your support through all the ups and downs of the season. Hopefully you're enjoying this extra look into all that goes on behind the scenes and we look forward to defending our Ivy League title in 2010.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year to All!

- Dartmouth Women's Hoops

California Dreamin

... Something we may all be doing by tomorrow night! Except for Kelsey Byrd, since she's our resident California girl!

The weather here continued to be beautiful, though we weren't basking in the sunshine quite as much the past two days, since we had games and tried to stick to our routine.

We lost to an impressive USC team on Saturday. They got some hot hands after the first 10 minutes and nailed some real back-breaking threes to pull ahead before halftime. Betsy Williams had another good game off the bench, leading us with 12 points while Sasha Dosenko hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds. Brittney Smith had nine points and eight boards.

Today (Sunday) we beat Delaware State in the consolation game, 49-38. While we are certainly working on more consistent offense, we were definitely pleased with the defensive effort to hold DSU to 27 percent shooting. Brittney had a big night on both ends of the court with 10 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots. Sasha added 13 points and eight boards while Faziah Steen scored 12 points. We took the lead early in this one and never really looked back.

It's 10 p.m. in California and everyone is winding down for a long day of travel in the morning. We will all be going our separate ways for the holidays and the first flights are at about 7 am so the first airport shuttle leaves at 4:30 am. Players report back to campus in Dec. 26, which makes for a short break, but is actually more time than a lot of teams get. We are also always excited to get back to host our own Blue Sky Classic Tournament on Dec. 29-30.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support and to all those who came out to watch us on the west coast! There were several families and friends in attendance and it was great to see familiar faces in the stands.

- Dara

Greetings from the Golden State

Hi All!

As you probably know, we've been in SUNNY California since Wednesday evening. We flew in a day early for our tournament at the University of Southern California this Saturday and Sunday. The weather has been amazing here in Los Angeles - low to mid 70's and plenty of sunshine.

While we're here to do a job on the court - beating USC on Saturday and facing Delaware State or Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday - we want to have some fun while we're out here too. After long travel day on Wednesday we had a quiet dinner and retired early to catch up on sleep, since it felt like midnight to us at 9 p.m.

Thursday we traveled about 30 minutes to Santa Monica, which is right on the Pacific Ocean and features a huge outdoor mall and a traditional boardwalk complete with rollercoaster, ferris wheel, carousel and more. Coach Wielgus, Coach Gleason and our trainer Mike Derosier even had a battle on the bumper cars. The outdoor shopping area was great and had any store you could want - the players enjoyed the chance to do some shopping for their "Secret Santa" gift exchange. We practiced Thursday night and had dinner joined by a special guest, Angie Soriaga ’06. As loyal fans know, Angie is one of the finest ever to wear the Green and White - she holds the all-time assists (462) record, scored 1,100+ points and had 200+ steals. She's in graduate school at UCLA and it was great to see a familiar face out here.

Friday we stayed in the neighborhood by our hotel, which is in a great downtown area. The highlight was a trip to the ESPN Zone, where we played all kinds of arcade games. There were some spirited racecar, air hockey and pop-a-shot competitions.

I'm courtside at practice right now but we're wrapping things up and will have dinner and a quiet night tonight. We take on USC tomorrow at 4:30 PST/7:30 EST. Game notes, preview and all the multimedia links are here.

- Dara

Team on the beach in Santa Monica

A Special Guest at Practice

Word came down from above. Newly appointed Dartmouth President Jim Yong Kim would like to attend practice. YIKES!!

I scurried to retype and actually proof my practice plan. I broke out my new Nike sneakers, the ones I had been saving for summer recruiting, grabbed a whistle without bite marks and lamented that I had not chosen a more stylish sweat suit to wear that day!

I headed down to the gym early to make sure everything was in order. After all, company was coming.

Not only was President Kim already in the gym, but I had been misinformed. He did not want to watch practice. He wanted to PRACTICE! No fancy Brooks Brothers suit with trademark green tie for the 17th president in the Wheelock succession.  No … he was in his work out clothes, his sneakers were laced, a ball in his hands. He was ready to practice.

I decided shooting drills in close to the basket would be a good group activity. It would reduce the risk of injury to the President and allow him to return unscathed to Parkhurst. I learned quickly that President Kim needed no protection from the rigors of practice. He could shoot! He was nailing his shots, high five-ing the players and full of energy ready for a workout.

At the first break in the action, the President came over to me and asked, “When do we scrimmage?” Quick thinker that I am, I said, “Now.“ We went 5-on-5 in the half court and he picked Brittney Smith to be on his team — he knows the game. He guarded rookie Kylie Kufeld, who hit a quick three. He commented, “Okay, you get respect.” She did not make another shot. He rifled no-look passes to Brittney, helped out on the drive, rebounded and of course he shot. After all he is from Iowa and they learn to shoot at a young age in Iowa. What wonderful fun we had that day!

The players are still talking about is his visit. The buzz on the team — PRESIDENT KIM HAS GAME!

- Coach Wielgus

Monday Morning Update

Hi All,

Just a quick update on things here in Hanover. We had a good game yesterday at #25 Syracuse. You can find the full recap and boxscore here. We really hung tough against the Orange, who are still undefeated at 9-0, losing 56-42. They average 79 points per game so we were very proud to hold them 23 points below that and to force them into a season-high 26 turnovers. While we would have liked to score some more, it was definitely a defensive struggle on both sides and our players continue to take a lot of pride in their defense.

Betsy Williams deserves a ton of credit for her effort off the bench, scoring 13 points in 22 minutes. Brittney Smith went the distance, playing a full 40 minutes and posting 13 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Overall it was a team defensive effort and we gave Syracuse its second-closest game of the season (they beat Binghamton by 13, 87-74).

It's awesome to see how everyone has been coming along both individually and as a team. These trips that we take during the school break are such good times for team bonding.

That's it for now. Team will do some light work today to keep their legs. Then we're off to California for the Univ. of Southern California's tourney on Wednesday (12/16). First game in Cali is on Saturday at 4:30 PST against the Trojans. We'll be in touch before then!

- Dara

On The Road Again

Hey loyal Big Green fans!

Sorry it's been a full week since our last post, I actually didn't realize it! We've been traveling through New York this week and sometimes we don't have the most reliable internet access.

Anyhow, we picked up a big win at Stony Brook on Friday night! We came out strong, moving the ball really well and forcing the Seawolves into turnovers left and right. We went up 18-3 and eventually led by 19 in the first half. Our halftime lead was 12, 39-27, which was our high for first-half points this season.

Stony Brook came out on fire in the second half. Give them credit for responding to the deficit - they also had two starters out with foul trouble in the first - so with those players back they made a big run. We had a nine point edge midway through the second half but the Seawolves wouldn't back down. Thankfully we hit some big shots when we needed to never let them tie or take a lead. Brittney Smith took the team on her back late, scoring eight points in a four minute stretch before fouling out with 2:24 left to play. The rest of the team stepped up and made some key defensive stands for us to take the 77-72 win, iced by a pair of Meghan McFee free throws.

Brittney finished with a full statline - 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and two blocks. We got awesome performances from sophomore forward Sasha Dosenko, with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and freshman guard Faziah Steen, who scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds in just 24 minutes.

We spent the night on Long Island on Friday before driving over to Syracuse on Saturday morning. Team had a good practice at the Carrier Dome - see pictures below - and a good dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse. This morning we had shootaround, but not at the Carrier Dome, since the Syracuse men play at 1 p.m. today. Syracuse was nice enough to let us use their brand new practice facility, made possible and named after NBA star Carmelo Anthony, who led the Cuse men to the 2003 national title.

We tip-off against #25 Syracuse at 5 p.m. tonight - yup, the Orange, who are 8-0, cracked the top-25 this week. Game notes and livestat/video links are here.

We'll have some thoughts on the weekend from Coach Wielgus up tomorrow and some details on our upcoming trip to Californ-i-a this week!

-Dara

A Quiet Week in Leede Arena

Hi All

Just a quick update on the goings on, or lack thereof, for the team this week! Actually, the players have been plenty busy, but basketball has taken a bit of a backseat to academics this week. It's finals week for the fall term at Dartmouth - not fun for the students but a little break for the staff.

The team had both Monday and Tuesday off to rest their bodies after a grueling start to the season and a long trip home from Cincinnati. I think some folks hit the gym to get some shots up on Tuesday, but overall, a good chance to rest. Classes ended on Wednesday afternoon with a two-day reading period to follow. The coaches held practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but the team was off on Saturday and Sunday to take their finals and finish up papers. I'm always impressed by how the players work ahead and take care of their academic business in a timely manner.

Things will be back to normal for the on-court schedule soon and we hit the road on Friday for a long trip to Stony Brook (play on Dec. 11) then upstate to Syracuse for a game on Sunday (Dec. 13) evening. Then it's off to California on Dec. 16!

The coming weeks are my favorite time of the season and I know the players enjoy it too. The break between games allows the coaching staff to focus on our offense in practice and the ensuing break from school lets the players focus only on basketball and each other. We also always take some good road trips at this time of year and everyone is so much more relaxed and able to have fun.

- Dara

Some Perspective on the Schedule

I've said it before and I'll say it again: To be the best, you have to play the best.

In order to truly develop as a basketball team, players need to be tested against teams that are at a high level - be it physically, skill-wise or experience. Dartmouth has always held itself to the highest possible standard in its scheduling and this year is no exception.

If you follow college basketball, you have probably heard of the letter's RPI - Ratings Percentage Index. It's a mathematical formula, utilized heavily around NCAA Tournament time, that ranks teams based on their own record and the record of their opponents, home vs. away, etc. Another key set of letters is SOS. And not the one you might be thinking of! That stands for Strength of Schedule, which is also critical come tournament time. As of today, our Strength of Schedule ranks 11th in the nation - we have the 11th most difficult schedule out of 345 NCAA Division I teams!

While our recent losses have not been fun to endure, I think we'll take them knowing that they are making us better. The Ivy League is full of great teams and very talented basketball players. When we play teams like Temple, Hartford, Vermont and Syracuse, USC and Dayton (coming up this month), we face programs that are strong from top to bottom. Those experiences make our athletes better basketball players, test them physically, build teamwork and instill a mental toughness that will be needed down the stretch.

Three of our last four opponents have been receiving votes in the national top-25 polls and the combined record of teams that have beaten us is 18-4. Syracuse, who we play on Dec. 13, is undefeated and Dayton, who we host in the Blue Sky Classic is ranked #24th this week.

It is no secret that we have struggled early in the last several years, when we have consistently played the most challenging non-league schedule we could. Last year our SOS topped out at 4th in the nation. Since 2006, we're just 2-18 in the month of November, when we often face our strongest opponents who have often been playing together since the summer. In the last three seasons, we have then gone 47-27 after November, 33-9 in Ivy play including a combined 24-4 in the last two seasons.

Our schedule has prepared us well in the past to win four of the last five Ivy Championships including the last two. The year we did not win, 2006-07, we finished second.

While there is still no substitute for winning — those W's feel a lot better than L's — we have confidence that this is just part of the road to success for us.

- Dara

Fun Times in O-HI-O

We have had a great trip to Cincinnati so far. We arrived at about 4 p.m. on Friday and had practice at Cincinnati’s arena that evening. The team enjoyed a huge family style Italian dinner at Maggiano’s restaurant before heading back to the hotel for the night.
Today, Saturday, we got to have an exciting NFL experience thanks to some Dartmouth connections here in Cincinnati – Dartmouth alumni really are a family, no matter how many years or miles removed from Hanover.

Mike Brown ’57 is the owner and president of the Bengals and his daughter, Katie Brown Blackburn ’86, is the executive vice president of the team. Thanks to their Dartmouth ties and friends in common, we were able to visit the Bengals Paul Brown Stadium. Katie and her daughters, Elizabeth and Caroline, gave us the royal treatment! We got to watch the Bengals do their walkthrough for their game against the Browns tomorrow right on field level. The players got lots of pictures in the stadium and even some with quarterback Carson Palmer, head coach Marvin Lewis and other players.

After watching practice we got a full tour of the stadium, which also houses the team’s training facilities and offices. We went everywhere from the team meeting rooms, to the head coach’s office to the full size basketball court near the locker room, where the team and Elizabeth played a mean game of knock out. Meghan McFee `11 edged Michelle Meyer ’10 for the win!

The whole experience was a thrill for everyone, but especially for Ohio natives and Bengals fans, Michelle and Louise Vanden Bosch ’11.

We’re back at the hotel now for the afternoon and we’ll relax here until film and practice at 5. Then it will be a quiet night in as we prepare mentally and physically to take on the University of Cincinnati tomorrow at 2.

- Dara

Go Big Green and Go Bengals!

The Process Continues

We lost again to Vermont on Wednesday night. We faced an experienced and talented UVM team and they pulled away in the second half.

Okay, I admit I have a hard time losing and we are losing big. But there will be no pity party from me. I am watching some players grow up right in front of my eyes. Sasha Dosenko and Faziah Steen stepped up and competed as they saw significant playing time last night. Overall we are competing better, but we are not  “there” yet.  No sure I have ever been … "there."

Perseverance. That concept is at odds with this here and now world. It is dull and slow … not shiny and sleek. There are no short cuts to perseverance and its journey will be arduous. Those without a vision will never see the finish line. There is no vision without faith. Basically, you have to believe and put one foot in front of the other and get going … one step at a time.

Off to Cincinnati in the morning. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for following us!

- Coach Wielgus

Hitting the Road ... And Being at Home

We're all set for our first road game of the 2009-10 season at Vermont tonight (7 p.m.). It's certainly a bit odd for us to three games into the season and yet to play on the road - the last few years have been filled with early road trips. But now, we won't be back home at Leede Arena until the Blue Sky Classic on Dec. 29-30. Because of our location, we don't have day trips for road games very often. They can be a bit hectic. Usually the staff works and the players go to class, then we head out and eat pregame meal along the way.

Few links for tonight's game - check out the game preview and notes here, where you will find links to the WUVR radio broadcast, livestats and Vermont's video feed (which costs $7 if you want to watch the game).

For those who had questions about what game day is like at home, here are some thoughts. Home game days are usually pretty hectic for everyone. I obviously have a lot of responsibilities to make sure the gym is set up and that media and game operations will run smoothly, but the coaches and players have full days too.

So for the players, when we are at home, most of the day goes like any other - they have to attend all of their classes. The team has its "shootaround" or walk through sometime during the day, usually at 1 or 2, and sometimes people can't make it because of class. We all come together for a delicious pregame meal at 3:00 up the street at Molly's - like clockwork it's salad, grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies. I think most players enjoy a quick nap after pregame to relax before taking the court. Oh and Coach Wielgus never comes to pregame meal at home ... she's a little superstitious ;)

In terms of getting to the gym, it really varies depending on how much time an individual player needs to spend in the training room, but 5:30 in the locker room is pretty common. People get heat treatments, ankles taped, etc over in the training room before reporting to the locker room. There are lots of different little rituals - I know some people get dressed in a certain order, some like the solitude of their own headphones, others like the bustle of the locker room.

Players make their way onto the court at different times to shoot and loosen up before starting a formal stretching routine. The coaches and players head into the team room to go over strategy about 35 minutes before tip-off and come back out with about 20 minutes to go for their stepped up warmup.

After the game the players usually get something to eat on their own - spend time with their family if they are here - and try to relax if they don't have too much studying to do!

Thanks for the questions and comments, keep 'em coming! 

Happy Thanksgiving as well ... We'll have an update before heading out to Cincinnati on Friday.

-Dara

Growing Pains

The season has barely started and we have hit some major bumps in the road. We lost Cassie Cooper to a knee injury on Friday and had one practice to adjust. I feel awful for Cassie. It was her turn to see what she could do and she was more than ready to play.

We will have to work our way through the early part of this season against some very strong opponents. The competition is above us now, and youngsters who should be watching will have to play. Amidst the setbacks, there are enormous opportunities for growth. Hopefully, we rise to the occasion.

There is nothing to do but lace up our sneakers and hit the hardwood. This is going to take time.

-Coach Wielgus

More Than Just Basketball

The game this Sunday against Hartford is special for a number of different reasons. First, it gives us another chance to prove that we can play with the nations best. After a disappointing loss to Temple on Thursday night, we are preparing for the next challenge. The key will be to put forth a sustained effort throughout the game and help each other out on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. This is our last home game before the Blue Sky Tournament so we want to make it an exciting battle for our fans. We have some of the best fans in the nation and the community support means so much to the success of the program.

Also, this Sunday we are sponsoring a non-perishable food drive to benefit the community food shelf at the Upper Valley Haven, a local shelter specifically for families with children. Our team has a special connection to the Haven because we have volunteered at “homework club” during our preseason the past two years. At homework club, we help the children with their homework, construct various art projects, read books with them, and play outside on the playground. My favorite activities with the kids include painting with watercolors, playing two-square and collecting acorns. One of the children is a very talented painter and made beautiful portraits of Faziah and me in our basketball uniforms. I happen to have mine hanging in my locker.

Volunteering at the Haven is a great way to connect with local children and give back to the community. I’ve had such a wonderful time getting to know the kids. We feel so fortunate to support the noble work of the Haven and hope to expand on our community service endeavors in the years to come.

- Betsy Williams (Norwich, Vt.), Senior, Guard

One Down, 27 to Go

Dartmouth - Bryant Game Story

We opened the 2009-10 season at home against Bryant and got a W, 57-47! Felt great to start the season and even better to be 1-0. It was the first time since 2005 that we've opened the season at home and also our first season-opening win since that year's victory over Quinnipiac.

Lots of people contributed to the win. Props to junior Cassie Cooper '11 who scored a career-high 14 points and added seven rebounds in her first collegiate start - she's been waiting two years for this and she's ready. Brittney Smith '11 and Betsy Williams '10 scored in double figures too and Margaret Smith '10 hauled in 12 rebounds. It was also really special to see senior Michelle Meyer '10 on the court for the first time in more than a year (after an injury took all of last season) and gave us a big boost off the bench. Welcome back #12.

Coach Foster broke down the film today and they'll be review of the game this week as well as preparations for a very good Temple squad that comes to Hanover this Thursday night. Temple started its season with an impressive 18-point comeback win over Illinois and hosts Auburn on Tuesday. The Owls will be a tough early season test for us, but as Dartmouth has proven time and time again, playing the best is what makes you the best.

After Temple comes yet another solid team in Hartford, who we HOST (yes that's three in a row) on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. If you're coming to that game we'll be holding a non-perishable food drive - please do what you can to help us help our community.

-Dara

Twas the Night Before Bryant ...

Bryant Game Preview/Notes

GAME TIME has finally arrived! Tomorrow’s center jump at 7 p.m. in Leede Arena marks the first step on our journey. There is a high energy level in the gym — the players and coaches are clearly excited. Radio personnel, photographers and newspaper reporters have been to the gym to watch practice; seniors and coaches have been interviewed and there has been a parade of loyal fans and alumni stopping by the office. WE HAVE A GAME!!!

We won’t have an accurate scout on Bryant … and vice versa. This is the first game of the year for both teams, so there is no available current game film. But I did the scout anyway and based it on last year’s game film (we used a second half comeback to win, 71-56). Scouts are very important to me and to our success.

And my scout tells me ... drum roll please ... it should be a good game for both teams.

- Coach Wielgus

The Buzz About Brittney

Dartmouth junior forward Brittney Smith has been getting some well-deserved preseason recognition. In consecutive seasons, she won the Ivy League's Rookie and Player of the Year awards.

In 2009, she became Dartmouth's 11th Ivy Player of the Year honoree. She was also one of two unanimous selections to the first team All-Ivy. The 6-1 forward was a force inside throughout the season, averaging 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game overall. In conference play she upped her numbers to 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while contributing to the Big Green's dominant defense, allowing just 47.1 points per game.

This preseason, Smith has garnered praise from two national publications. First, USA Today put her on its "All-Brittney" team, which was published in the annual college basketball preview magazine (click to enlarge).

In addition, Full Court Press online women's basketball journal named Brittney honorable mention on its Preseason Mid-Major Top-25 players. That article can be viewed here.

These accolades are exciting for Brittney, the team and all of us. But I think the best thing about Brittney is that she is a team player and will do whatever she has to for the team to succeed - her teammates are the same way!

Getting excited for tipoff on November 14!

-Dara

Dartmouth Gets Hyped for Hoops!

For the first time since the 2005-06 season, Dartmouth will be hosting a "midnight madness" style event for basketball this week. Obviously it's not midnight madness before the first practice, but we think our Hoops Hype is coming at just the right time.

Dartmouth students always need a little time to ease into a new sport it seems, so this week our marketing department, with a tremendous effort by new staff member Josh Hartman, is sponsoring Spirit Week and Hoops Hype. Spirit Week includes a variety of activities building up to the Hoops Hype event on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. in Leede Arena. This Tuesday, Nov. 3, the women's team will be holding an open practice from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Leede Arena. Both events are open to the public so we'd love to see you there if you're in the area.

Personally, I'm really excited for Hoops Hype for this team. We ended the season on such a great note, beating Harvard in front of a nearly full house to clinch the Ivy title. A ton of students came to the game and made it a tough environment for the Crimson. Hopefully they liked what they saw and will come back for more. Having this event on Nov. 5 is especially important to us because it's just nine days before our home-opener on Nov. 14 against Bryant. Yes, we not only get to open the season at home but we have three straight home games to start. Two very good mid-major programs in Temple and Hartford come to town on Nov. 19 and 22.

Click here for more details on Spirit Week, Open Practice (Tues. 11/3 @ 4:30) and Hoops Hype (Thurs. 11/5 @ 8). Hope to see a lot of faces at these events this week and at our upcoming games.

-Dara

A Homecoming to Remember

I AM A DARTMOUTH GROUPIE! Every year I drag my family to the Homecoming festivities. They roll their eyes, but come. I love the parade with all the classes, bands and teams marching all over town and the freshmen sweeping in at the end of parade. I actually go to the front of Dartmouth Hall and LISTEN to the speeches. I don’t want to miss anything. Then there is the bonfire. It is spectacular.

This Homecoming was special to me. Our women’s basketball alumnae came home to Hanover for the weekend. Thirty women from the class of 1979 to the class of 2006 returned to celebrate our great basketball tradition. They celebrated as only our players can. They talked and laughed. They played three-on-three with the current team, attended practice, had a banquet and watched a pictorial history of the program. What amazed me the most was that regardless of the amount of time between meetings, our conversations picked up right where they were left off. And then there was the laughter — we laughed so much it hurt.

But it was not all about them. The alums were anxious to meet our current players. They wanted to know “THE TEAM”. Knowing the names and statistics off the website was not enough. Watching streamed games online was not enough. Our alums are not fans; they are a part of us. And they wanted to share their precious time with our current team. They met formally and informally with each other and with us.

On Sunday morning everyone rolled out of bed for one final meeting. Alums from all walks of life met with the team for a mentoring session. A businesswoman, lawyer, doctor, teacher, professor and pilot told their stories. They offered advice not only on careers, but also on life itself. The alums returned to this place to do what they have always done — give back. The big secret to the success of this program is that each generation has left our program better than they found it. That tradition is alive and well.  This weekend it was passed onto to our current players.

I will treasure this Homecoming. I am amazed at the accomplishments of our alums. I am proud of the women they have become. I am blessed to know them. They have put a permanent smile on my face.

- Coach Wielgus

Early Season Opinions

The Ivy League's annual preseason poll has come out and a panel of 16 media members and women's basketball sports info contacts think the two-time defending Ivy Champion Dartmouth women will win it all again.

Dartmouth received 11 first-place votes (of a possible 16), garnering 123 of a possible 128 points. Harvard, which finished second in 2009, is a close second in this poll with 115 points and five first-place votes. Princeton and Columbia are neck-and-neck for the next two spots, with 86 and 83 points, respectively.

We're not a bad pick considering that the Big Green has won four of the last five Ivy titles. But preseason polls are a funny thing. I don't think anyone places much stock in them anyway. I'm entering my fourth year here and this is actually the first time we've been picked to finish first. We were tabbed for second in 2006-07 and finished there, fourth in 2007-08 and finished tied for first and second in 2008-09 and finished first.

Those of you who know Coach Wielgus and all that she has seen in 24 years in this league can probably imagine her take on it, but here it is:

"I appreciate that we have been picked first but I put absolutely no stock in it," said Wielgus. "Nobody knows what is going to happen; the league is extremely balanced and I think there's teams in there that have been picked in traditional spots that belong higher. I have such respect for my opponents and I know that any one of us can win this Ivy Championship. I'm looking forward to starting the season and the only poll that matters is the one at the end of the year."

For my official DartmouthSports.com take on things and the full poll results, click here.

- Dara

(Dartmouth Sports Info)

Farewell Morning Workouts

So, last Monday was the seniors’ LAST 6 AM workout EVER and the rest of the team's final 6 AM fall work out. I feel free, liberated, happier sort of, and caught up on sleep ... finally! 6 AM's were great for conditioning and there’s no one the team would rather see in the morning than Coach Miller, but let’s be serious. No one wants to be woken at 5:30 AM up by the piercing, high-pitched buzzing noise of an alarm clock ... it just puts you in an even worse mood, And don’t even get me started on the annoying jazzy cell phone alarms that now exist which try to cover up the fact that they’re interrupting your great REM sleep by being pleasing to the ears. No. There’s really nothing that can cover up the fact that I’m waking up at 5:30 to go run. People aren’t supposed to be awake or functioning at this hour and trust me, no one wants to see me this early in the morning ... that’s for sure.

But there’s something special about waking up at 5:30 AM, walking out the door into air so cold it stuns my lungs and a sky so dark I can’t see in front of me, and heading over to Leverone Fieldhouse where the rest of my teammates await. No one on the team prefers 6 AM work outs (except for Kelsey maybe) but everyone shows up. That’s the beauty of preseason ... all 12 of my teammates and I have the same goal: we want to be prepared for the tough season ahead of us. If that means waking up at 6 AM and doing a million shuttles to the point where we can’t feel our legs for a week straight ... then we’ll do it.

The beauty of 6 AM's is to see that while we’re all just as tired from staying up the night before doing homework (or watching Desperate Housewives ... ahem) we are all just as focused on getting through the workout and getting better collectively. Ten minutes into the workout the concept of time is irrelevant and we are focused on the task ahead of us, cheering each other on every second of every sprint.

6 AM workouts are extremely painful to wake up for, but incredibly important because they bring the team together and constantly remind us that the harder we work the luckier we’ll get.

Hard work breeds champions.

- Michelle Meyer (Covington, Ohio), Senior, Guard

25 Years and Excited as Ever ...

I couldn’t sleep last night. I got up early, showered, BLEW dry my hair and broke out a new sweat suit. I got to work early. I bothered everyone in the gym and made them talk to me.

It is the first day of practice and I can’t contain myself!

-Coach Wielgus

Courtesy, Jen Goodwin

Life Is Good ... When You Can Scoot

This is rogue blog that breaks away from the tantalizing world of Dartmouth Women's Hoops to explore life in the north country.  The Upper Valley, as we call this area, is all our opponents say it is.  We do get snow, there are lots of trees, there are only two highways that lead to Hanover.  “Booney” is the preferred adjective of our competitors.  So yes we are remote, but we are not isolated.  The world comes to us.

Hanover is much, much more than an Ivy League outpost.  It is a vibrant, rich place with a great sense of community. People here care. They especially care about our program, our players and our staff.  Our players are local stars who stop often to sign autographs and be greeted by strangers. We have, hands down, the best attendance in the League and the best fans. Leede Arena rocks.

The College is remarkably diverse and the environment allows for people from all walks of life to mix together. It is a culturally healthy place.

There is always something going on in the Hanover area.  Every Thursday I check the local paper for plays, concerts, dances and special events like bonfires, festivals and street fairs.  My New York City-based family come up here to partake in our long list of activities! This place is culturally rich and personal.  You are somebody and there is always something to do.

Then there is the lifestyle.  This is a fun place with fun people. For those of you in the real world, commuting to work can be a major grind. I know — I commuted to NYC everyday for a couple of years.  But in Hanover, we can be more creative.  My staff and I ride to work on scooters!

(Coach Wielgus, Dir. of Operations Jen Goodwin, Asst. Coach Mary Gleason)

Bottom line, I think life is good if you can scoot to work!

Until next time,
Coach Wielgus

Don't Worry, There's More Coming

Hey Going Green followers! Thanks for all the great feedback so far. We're all very excited about sharing the 2009-10 season and the quest for an 18th Ivy title with you.

Just wanted to touch base to let you know that the posts will start coming with more frequency soon. Practice starts next weekend and we look forward to having Coach Wielgus and all the players blogging during the season.

Check out the 2009-10 schedule here. We'll be heading to Cincinnati and Los Angeles this season along with a host of Northeast opponents and our traditional Ivy slate. We'd love to see you at a game when we're in your neck of the woods.

Thanks for following and stay tuned for more exciting stuff from the Big Green! And as always feel free to e-mail (or post as comments) any comments or questions you'd like to see answered here and we'll do the best we can to oblige.

Go Big Green!

-Dara

A Well Deserved Honor

For those who may not have seen it on DartmouthSports.com, congratulations are in order for Coach Wielgus. She has been named the 2008-09 New England Basketball Coach of the Year by the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

Wielgus led the Big Green to its 17th Ivy League Championship and the 12th of her career at Dartmouth last season. Dartmouth finished 18-11 overall and 13-1 in the Ivy League, just one overtime loss shy of the first 14-0 mark in program history. On the final night of the regular season, Wielgus won her 400th career game as Dartmouth defeated Harvard to clinch the Ivy title. The Big Green advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament, all coming under her direction, also marking Dartmouth’s fifth straight postseason appearance.

Wielgus, who is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame (2004 inductee) will be honored at its annual induction/award ceremony on October 9 at Mohegan Sun.

While last year's squad had a great deal of talent, under Coach Wielgus' guidance the group bonded together to become a truly great team. The Big Green took great pride in its defense, which held Ivy opponents to a paltry average of 47.1 points per game and all opponents to an average of just 55.1 points. At one point, Dartmouth held 14-consecutive opponents under 60 points in regulation.

Congrats Coach!

-Dara

On Shuttle Tests and Secret Weapons

The “big news” in our b-ball haven is that all but one of our players passed the conditioning test! Testing is something our players understand. There is no place to hide on a conditioning test — cramming results in nagging and annoying injuries. What you see in the test results reflects their effort during the summer. Championships are not won in a noisy Leede Arena in February, but rather in the quiet, solitary workouts in the summer.

Because of the late start of school (we've been in classes less than a week) our conditioning program requires that the players come back to campus in shape. With the skilled guidance of our strength coach Bob Miller, they got the job done. Coach Miller is hands down a great coach. He is one of the best in this department. He knows his material, keeps current and can flat out teach. How lucky are we to have him? He is our secret weapon.

So this week's bottom line, our first step on this long journey — conditioning was a good one.

- Coach Wielgus

Being the Big Green, Becoming a Team

- Coach Wielgus

Our campus is a buzz! Sure we have a new, dynamic President and classes have begun. But the most excitement is coming from our team room where our journey began today with our first team meeting of the 2009-10 season.

I believe that basketball players, especially our players, are stimuli seeking extroverts; so any meeting is lively and always involves a great game of verbal ping pong. The kids are not disrespectful, but they are witty. Their banter is fine with me as it shows they are paying attention. Plus, they know I relish a good volley.

Our conversation started with expectations and goals for the season. Then we moved to housekeeping information on how and what was going to happen with classes, practices, travel, etc. The nuts and bolts of everyday life in Leede Arena were reviewed. 

Then we got to the essence of their journey. The one defining question only they can answer. Will they become a team? Actually, lots of groups I have coached have been very successful, but I would not categorize them as a good team.

Just because you put on a uniform, go to practice and play a team sport does not make you a team. I don't know if the average person knows how very difficult it is to become a team. It is NOT a given … it is a huge challenge. It requires so much effort and sacrifice to care about something greater than yourself. Becoming a good team goes against the very special individual care that got our players to Dartmouth in the first place. Teams are messy conglomerates of humanity that, against all odds, band together for each other and a cause. That's not easy and time will tell if this group becomes that something special — a team.

After all these years of coaching in the same place, in the same league you would think this gig would get old. It never does. I am more excited about it than ever!

Until next time …

Big Green Ballers in the Wilderness

- Dara

One of Dartmouth's many unique traditions are the Dartmouth Outing Clubs freshman trips. Members of the freshmen class report to Hanover in early September to take part in any number of three-day outdoor adventures from hiking to cabin camping to rock climbing. The women's basketball freshmen were no exception and each of the four took part in a different DOC trip: Kelsey Byrd (Saratoga, Calif.), camping; Kylie Kufeld (Billings, Mont.), rock climbing; Zakia Lghzaoui (Alexandria, Va.), canoeing; Faziah Steen (Kalamazoo, Mich.), hiking.

Upon their return, Coach Wielgus concocted a little friendly competition for the rookies to chronicle their DOC trips with the winner getting her story published here. Each provided a great report on her weekend but in the end there had to be a winner and I think you'll see why Kylie Kufeld rose to the top!

Kylie Kufeld ’13 (Credit: Jen Goodwin)

DOC Rock Climbing, Kylie Kufeld ’13
“Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!”

We started at the school
And learned so many names.
Then after we ate
We played lots of games.

We awoke the next morning
To the sounds of Lion King
And remembered the night before
Watching the “Croo” members sing.

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.”

Hiking boots, that is
And nice woolen socks.
We were ready to hike.
We were ready for rocks!

With our packs on our backs
And our faces aglow,
We were ready to hit the trail
Whether rain or (hopefully not yet!) snow.

“You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.”

We climbed up and up
And saw a spectacular view.
We could tell it's almost fall
From all the leaves changing hue.

And oh my goodness!
All the rock climbing!
Whenever you reached the top,
Your friends would praise you by rhyming.

“I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You'll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you'll be in a Slump.”

There is just that one cliff
That you really want to climb,
But your strength starts to leave you.
It's much harder this time.

You feel terrible when you fail.
That feeling everyone hates.
But there is no need to worry,
Good friends and free food still awaits.

“Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.”

A “lodj” near Moosilauke
Is where we go on the bus,
And on that last night,
We learn how much Dartmouth cares about us.

There are dances to learn
And Frisbees to retrieve,
But after all the fun and games,
It is finally time to leave.

“Oh! The Places You'll Go!”

From Montana to New Hampshire,
From trails to streams,
This Dartmouth is the kind of place
I used to see in my dreams.

“Oh! The Places You'll Go!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!”

(Quotes from Oh! The Places You'll Go! By Dr. Seuss)

What to Expect From Going Green

Thanks to everyone who has read, bookmarked and commented on our fledgling Dartmouth Women's Hoops Blog! Please keep reading and passing it along to friends. We are all excited to share the 2009-10 season (and preseason) with you.

Our vision for "Going Green" is to provide a forum where the Dartmouth women's basketball team can share a different side of itself with its followers. We'll go beyond the formality of press releases and game stories. In addition to postings from Coach Wielgus, you'll likely be hearing a lot from me, Dara Ely. I'm entering my fourth year as an assistant director in our athletic communications (sports information) office here at Dartmouth. I have the truly good fortune of working with women's basketball including traveling with the team. I'll be logging on throughout the season to offer my thoughts and perspective on the team and to share our news. The women's basketball team is such a diverse, talented, intelligent and dedicated group of student-athletes and coaches and I consider myself lucky to work with them.

Speaking of those student-athletes — you can expect to hear from them as well on the blog! We have nine letterwinners returning from the 2008-09 Ivy Championship team and welcome four freshmen to the Big Green. Those 13 women hail from 10 different states and two countries, bringing so many different views and experiences to the team. That's what makes Dartmouth women's basketball unique - players from diverse backgrounds coming together with a common goal. Our travels this season will take us all over the Northeast as well as Ohio and California, home states of three players. The Ivy League basketball experience is exhilarating and unparalleled and our student-athletes will blog throughout the season to provide their thoughts.

As always we welcome comments and questions submitted through the blog or via email to dartmouthwhoops@dartmouth.edu

Go Big Green!
-Dara Ely, SID

Welcome to Going Green

- Chris Wielgus, Head Coach

Dartmouth College is one of the world's most endearing institutions — an elite academic school and a proud member of the Ivy League. Okay, all that is true, just check out the website at Dartmouth.edu. For 240+ years this College has done an outstanding job educating some of the brightest students in the world. There is a lot of history and excellence in this beautiful place.

But there is a very big story looming right below the surface of all that is Dartmouth. It is the story of the Women's Basketball program. The purpose of this blog is to bust through that surface and let our remarkable story float about the internet for all b-ball junkies and Dartmouth fans to enjoy.

Our story cannot be told in one sitting or by one person. The remarkable success of our program — 17 Ivy League Championships in 33 years — is the by-product of generations of dedicated players, coaches and staff members determined to leave our program and this college better than they found it. Along the way they learned the value of teamwork, fair play and the meaning of hard work. Our tradition of excellence in Ivy League women's basketball is unparalleled. We have won. We have banners, rings and trophies. We have played on the national level and we have graduated from a great school. In many regards, we have had it all.

The key to our success and the big reason why I love this program is that all these accomplishments have been done with a sense of fun. We compete, have fun and we enjoy each others' company. Sure we go to class, have lots of friends, graduate on time and move onto very productive lives in the real world — but this journey is very special and something to be treasured for a lifetime.

As for me, Coach Wielgus, I have been custodian of this program for a very long time. My career has spanned four decades: the 70's, 80's, 90's and now 2000's. No need to check out my picture on the website - after a certain point we all avoid cameras. But trust me when I say it's been a while.

After all these years the bottom line for me is that I love going to work everyday and I love coaching our players. This will not get me on ESPN, but I don't think life can get much better than this. I am very blessed to be the Dartmouth Women's Basketball Coach.

Stay tuned as we chronicle our journey through the 2009-2010 season.