Stephanie Holland

Past Entries

Entry 1

October 25, 2004

We just finished our first full week of on-court practice. I have been so impressed with the team's attitude. From the newcomers to the returners, everyone seems to have the desire to make this a great season.

Last week was mostly learning new things. How to play defense, how to run a fast break, how to set screens, how to defend screens, and, of course, new plays.

So much to learn and so much to remember. And we are still not done. But don't worry we have a whole month to learn it all before our first game.

It was a week of "Find the Basketball Practice". Every day practice was at a new time and last weekend we were lucky enough to get to practice in the SAAC. Because of a volleyball tournament last weekend the main gym was off limits to us.

I would like to publicly thank Coach Christy Thomaskutty for not making us have early morning practices on Friday and Saturday (and by early I mean before the sun has risen).

Sunday we had what coach called, "One of the best practices I have ever been associated with here at Emory." This just shows how much this team wants to be better this season.

Even after practicing six days straight and with only nine people able to play because of injuries, the energy on the court was still great. We were intense, we executed, and we put in 100 percent effort every time we stepped on the court.

Coach even let us scrimmage a little with some of the guys that help us during practice. But I must admit that everyone was looking forward to having Monday off. Although I don't know how we will manage to survive 36 hours without seeing each other.

So our first week has been great...bordering on "Best Week Ever" material. And we have many, many, many more weeks ahead of us to get it perfect. So stay tuned.

Stephanie Holland is a junior from Potomac, Md. She would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.