ANTHONY ROWE'S BLOG

AUGUST 2006


In America, the college year starts in early August. This is also the official time the college coaches can get their athletes in shape, NCAA rules state that basketball coaches can not have team practices until Oct 15th. So between August and October the practices are strictly conditioning. This time of the year is extremely hard as classes are just starting and your body is being pushed to its limits, at the end of the day bed time seems like heaven! We practice twice a day, one being weights and the other being skills and agility. But this time of the year we do get the weekends off.

When October hits, the team practices start. This is extremely tough, the intensity is so high every practice that if you don't show it in practice you don't get court time, so practice and performing well is vital. During the month of October it’s especially hard, I found last year very draining both physically and mentally, and when homesickness sets in, it’s really difficult. But you just battle through it and it pays off. November is when the NCAA Basketball season starts. This is the most exciting time of the year. At the beginning of the year I found myself fighting for a starting spot but as a freshman it is a difficult task. I forced my way into the starting line up and stayed in that position for the last 13 games of the season.

The U.S. has such a higher emphasis on sport than the U.K, our biggest home crowd attendance was 2,700 (twice as much as the Pavilions) so the atmosphere is electrifying! My most memorable game was a conference game against Pembrooke University. We were 17 points down at one stage with little hope of making a come-back. I came off the bench and brought some energy to our tired team, we recovered as a team and won the game by 12 points. I recorded my season high with 20 points.

This year I am looking to improve my handling skills and better extend my shooting range. My aim is to be a more versatile basketball player. Coach Faulkner and I are already in the process of improving these aspects by a number of exercises and basketball drills. At present we are in the conditioning stage of our preparation for the season, my legs and body are feeling tired at the end of the week, but I know the pain is all worth the outcome.