Derby

The Derby

And we are off.  It’s July and basketball’s annual summer recruiting derby has begun.   Out of the gates I am in the southeast (Atlanta and Orlando) and my staff is on the west coast.  We are neck in neck with other division I schools as scour the country for that very special student athlete.

 The track conditions have changed over the years.  Cell phones, computers, iPods, iPads,  GPS and small Star Track type of devices stuck in your ear are now standard derby equipment.  Coaches madly tap messages into their electronically enhanced hand about the latest happening on the “stud du jour.”

Yesterday, I was sitting next to one of division I’s more famous (and needy) coaches.  She could not figure out who was on what court and there was no assistant in sight, so she kept asking me.  I had a small hand made game chart  (on paper) that I had done the night before.  Since I was trying to watch 3 games at once, I had each playing team marked in my book with a colored paper clip.  That way I can just flip to the proper roster via the proper colored paper clip thus avoiding the hassle of going page by page through the enormous and alphabetically challenged roster book. 

After a few game had passed and many questions answered, the famous coach asked me what I was using to keep track of all the games.  I told her I used a pencil and some paperclips.  She thought I was clever and I laughed and said not clever…just not electronically savvy.    She did not know that I had been running in this derby for over 25 years and knew many different track conditions.  Despite all the changes on the track the new ways are not always the better ways.  I gave her some colored paper clips and a pencil.  Then asked her to not tell any other Ivy about my cleverness.

Chris 

Greener Pastures

Dartmouth assistant Leah Foster has been named an Assistant Coach at University of Houston.  U of  H is a top 25 program in TEXAS, a state she loves.  This is a good professional move for Leah and one that puts her closer to her family.

Leah's departure marks the fifth assistant in 6 years to leave the Big Green for even greener pastures.  I am proud that my assistants are able to further their careers.  I will miss Leah, but I am grateful for all she did for us.

A Blogger's Farewell

All,

It is a bittersweet moment as I type up this post, my final entry into the Going Green Dartmouth Women's Hoops Blog. After five years as the assistant sports information director and women's basketball contact  at Dartmouth, I will be leaving the Big Green to pursue other professional options.

For the past two years I have been the behind the scenes eyes and ears, often updating you on the intricacies, ups and downs of the team and its seasons. Overall I've spent five years as the SID, reporter, blogger, and number one fan of Dartmouth women's basketball. Though this past season, my last, was the toughest one we've endured together on the court, I think everyone involved learned a lot about loyalty and finishing what we started together, despite the great adversity. And of course in my five years there have been many, many more great moments - winning two Ivy Championships, two WNIT's and of course the NCAA Tournament in 2009. And so many more moments when it has been just the team, on the road, laughing and enjoying the shared experience together. Those are some of the best memories for me.

First I will thank you readers and fans for engaging us in this blog but also for your unyielding support of the program. Knowing you are reading and watching here and on DartmouthSports.com has given my job an extra purpose and meaning. And your support means the world to the program.

I am incredibly grateful to Coach Wielgus and her assistants throughout the years for giving me the opportunity to be an integral part of their staff. They always made me feel like I had a job and insight that truly mattered to the team's success and that was very special to me. Chris has a way of making people feel welcome and once she knows she can trust you and that you are in it to see the team succeed, you become part of her family. I was fortunate to build that relationship quickly and have enjoyed experiencing it flourish and evolve.

Lastly, and perhaps most of all, I am grateful to the student-athletes — 26 women — that I have worked with at Dartmouth, who have allowed me to be a part of their college basketball experience. You are an incredibly diverse group and I learned more from each of you than you could ever imagine. Again, thank you for sharing the better part of your college years with me. Be it one, two, three or four years together at Dartmouth, I have enjoyed maintaining friendships with you beyond Hanover and for those who are still wearing the Green and White, I look forward to cheering you on from afar. And actually being able to cheer without being unprofessional! :)

So again, thank you to everyone who makes Dartmouth women's basketball so special and Go Big Green. I will miss you all!

- Dara

Dara Ely
Assistant SID, 2006-2011

Professional Development

A bright light shone through my office window. Upon further investigation I saw blue sky and yes the sun was shining!! GONE were the clouds and the downpours. Mother Nature was cutting us a break. It was going to be a nice day.

I immediately convened a staff meeting and told everyone to quickly prepare for a professional develop seminar at the Ledges. The Ledges is simply a beautiful natural wonder formed by True Brook cutting into the rocks. This favorite swimming hole is about 10 minutes from campus.

The seminar was an interactive event involving an investigative study on the art of skipping rocks into rapids, the challenge of balancing and wading through the stream to get to a sunny rock and the drama that ensued when my sandal raced toward the waterfall by itself.

It was an informative seminar with all participants understanding how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place!

- Coach Wielgus

A Hoosier of Our Own

Hoosiers are passionate about their basketball. They know it; they play it; they love it. High school basketball dominates the sports scene in towns throughout Indiana. So it is with great pride that we congratulate Ute Bowman Otley’90 on her induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team. The Silver Anniversary team honors the top players in the high school class of 1986.

Ute’s basketball prowess carried over to her Dartmouth career where she was named Ivy Rookie of the Year; earned all Ivy honors twice and played on four Ivy League championship teams. It comes as no surprise that Ute found a home in the Dartmouth Women’s Basketball program. After all… Hoosiers are not the only ones passionate about basketball.

Check out the full release about Ute's award here.

Looking Ahead to 2011-12

There always seems to be a bit of a let down at the end of the season — players, coaches and staff going from spending every minute together and working toward winning games and improving — to suddenly being on your own and left to reflect.

This past year is one we certainly would like to put behind us. I don't think it's one to forget though, because there were many valuable lessons to be learned about perseverance when things don't go your way (ahem, down to nine healthy players) and also the importance of team. There are 13 women on the team and every single one of them learned that she had to be ready at a moment's notice, whenever called upon by her coach.

A big part of that preparation starts just a few weeks after the season ends. The team is already well into its spring workouts, getting faster, stronger and more skilled for the 2011-12 season. Here's an update from Coach Wielgus:

Our season was over, but you would not know it from Mother Nature. Clearly, she has favored winter by nudging spring into summer. Despite the outward appearances of campus our basketball spring has begun. Our strength coach, Bob Miller, athletic trainer, Mike Derosier, and the basketball staff have tweaked the program to include a variety of new training regimens.


What is most remarkable about this spring is the enthusiasm of the six players on campus. They are relentless in their effort to improve their game. I am so excited and invigorated by their love of the game and their commitment to becoming better basketball players. They are working on their game and it is beginning to show. I can’t wait until next year. The best is yet to come…

So Much to Say - And Worth the Read

Hi All,

So much has gone on with the Big Green in the last few weeks - we've been really busy with our Ivy weekends. This has been a tough winter for us injury-wise, we were actually down to just nine players in uniform last weekend, including missing starters Brittney Smith and Nicola Zimmer. It's been frustrating for everyone, knowing the potential for greatness we had at full strength but also knowing that we should not be 1-4 in the Ivy League even without those players.

However, I have so much respect for our players because they have not backed down and have continued to work so hard even without reward. That made our 68-65 win over Penn last Friday night at Leede Arena so special. First of all, Penn is MUCH improved from last season. They have played really tough competition including Temple and Virginia to 10-point games and the night after losing to us, took first-place Harvard to double-overtime before falling. Secondly, it was a great team effort for us to get that win. Sophomore Faziah Steen is playing out of her mind - she scored 28 points in that game after also scoring 28 the previous game at Columbia! She also had a pile of assists and steals and hit seven three pointers, one shy of the school record. Our seniors really led us down the stretch too. Cassie Cooper (15 points, nine rebounds) scored six straight points, including the go-ahead three-point play to lead 64-63 late. Classmate Meg McFee then went 4-of-4 at the line to seal it, finishing with 17 points and five assists, including the ling pass to Cooper before the go-ahead play. Poor Coop seems to always get stuck on nine rebounds, missing out on the glory of the double-double! But as long as the team wins, she truly doesn't care.

We are back on the IVY ROAD this weekend, heading to Brown for Friday night and Yale for Saturday. I love a good road trip with this crew, it's a fun group! Also, check out a feature on senior Louise Vanden Bosch here.
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Off the court, our program lost a dear friend this week, as former associate head coach Sharon Dawley's father, David, passed away on Monday. After 10 years with us in Hanover, Sharon became the head coach at Vermont and after a successful tenure moved on to be the head coach at UMass this past summer. That move put her back in her home state of Massachusetts and closer to her family.

Coach Wielgus wrote the following reflection on a loss that reminded all of us that there's so much more to our lives than basketball, something we often lose sight of.

It’s been a long week. Former assistant coach Sharon Dawley’s father, David passed away on Monday. He and his wife Ginger were super fans. They attended most of our home weekend games and were front row at our NCAA games regardless of whether or not Sharon was coaching with us still. They were great supporters of Dartmouth, Sharon and Lou’s restaurant. Whenever they passed through town, I would meet them at Lou’ s for a good meal followed by a wrestling match with Dave for the check.

When Dave arrived at Mass General Hospital last Wednesday, the nurses had to remove his rings. He wore two — his wedding and one Dartmouth Ivy championship ring, which Sharon gave him years ago. His cardiologist noticed his championship ring. He told the family he was a Dartmouth grad and fraternity brother to Bob Ceplikas, Deputy Athletic Director. The Dartmouth connection is never ending. He was a remarkably good doctor and very kind to the family.

Please keep Sharon and her family in your thoughts and prayers. They make a difference.

Wish us luck this weekend and we'll have some more updates next week.

- Dara