First Week of Post Holiday Game Results: Our Record is Now 2&4

Last week consisted of three practices following almost five weeks off for holidays for the players. It was not enough.

Still, while it may not have been terribly surprising the VFMC Women's basketball team was defeated Thursday evening by County of Morris (NJ) Community College, the degree of the rout: 75-28 was terribly disappointing.

In short, our obvious collective case of nerves in front of a loud vocal home crowd & rustiness after the extended layoff, resulted in a train load of missed makeable shots, bad passing, and numerous turnovers. Down by 30 at the half, our message was straight forward: use this half to prepare prepare mentally and physically for the next game. All in all it was not a fun experience for any of us connected with the team.

Friday's practice had been intended to be short, made up mostly of some stretching and light shooting. It turned out to be anything but...instead it was shooting...shooting...shooting... mixed in with reaffirmation the players knew the plays...

It all paid off the next afternoon in what one of the referees characterized as one of the most exciting games he's ever been a part of. With hundreds of fans screaming "Defense... Defense", a beautiful set-up by Cadet Danielle Brustmeyer freed up Cadet Ariel Coreth's dramatic game-winning 12 foot shot with 2.2 seconds to go as the Valley Forge College Women's Basketball Team defeated Davis College 52-51 in Binghamton New York.

Down by one with eleven seconds left, a Davis College missed foul shot that would have given them a two point lead led to a clutch rebound, and, the winning shot diagrammed by VFMC Assistant Coach Brian Hunter during the team's last remaining time-out called after the ball had been sprinted up from VFMC's back-court to just past mid-court with 9.7 seconds to go in the game.

VFMC's second win of the year was marked by an up tempo offensive scheme, clutch shooting by leading scorers Cadets Veronica Ygarza (23), Coreth (19), and Brustmeyer (6), and remarkable rebounding efforts at both ends of the court by Cadets Amber Barnes (15) and Alex Efaw (5).

Adding to the experience of what turned out to be for the players and coaches a memorable almost 19 hour day was seeing the players take seriously my counsel for them to spend at least an hour or more on the trip studying, and as I wrote in an email I hoped would receive the widest possible distribution within the VFMAC community:

"...the VFMC personnel (men and women players, and coaches) who were at Davis College Saturday afternoon, were all touched, even inspired, by a tradition that Davis uses to introduce each of their sporting events: beginning with a prayer for the health and welfare of the players, followed by a truly moving and inspirational taped piped in version of the National Anthem (sung by Davis College students), followed by formal introductions of the starting line up.

"...It's fair to say that the thoughtful special remarks within the Davis College prayer dedicated to VFMAC's commitment to developing future leaders was nothing less than striking...and one walked away realizing how much of a positive synergistic impact there would be combining different VFMAC assets: e.g. having a taped version of the National Anthem sung by the VFMAC choir backed by the school Band to be played before every VFMAC sporting event."

We will hold a light practice tonight getting ready for tomorrow's home game against United States Military Academy Prep School.....

Coach Richard Pomerantz

Second Half of 2009-2010 Season Commences Tonight

My assistant coaches and I are looking forward to the second half of the season's commencing with the first of three practices before a home game on Thursday and an away game against Davis College Saturday afternoon.

While the latter will be against a team we defeated in our first ever game-- what seems so long ago--this contest comes with built-in challenges of rustiness from a five week lay off and close to a four hour bus ride leaving the morning of the game. We will make certain to communicate to the players before then that what we achieved in our first game--while memorable or as the AD put it "made history"--our opponent will be better and tougher and out for "revenge".

Our team returns to the second half of the season with a couple of short and long term changes too: fully rested after a prolonged holiday break with our roster shortened with one player no longer academically eligible to play. All told, we have a schedule that will challenge us in every way possible: especially with 13 upcoming games in 29 days against competition that will have benefitted from having played many moree games. 

Over a luncheon I hosted the Monday after New Year's, the assistant coaches and I reviewed in depth the first half of the season which ended on a losing note that left everyone frustrated  And in talking through our upcoming schedule and the challenges we will likely encounter, we "gameplanned" some of the changes we know we have to make.

Tonight, we begin the process of putting it into effect...

By late Saturday evening, we will have a better grasp what other decisions may need to be made...knowing that as the first viable women's basketball team to represent Valley Forge Military College, it will continue to be a focal point of supporting interest and curiosity among the students and faculty and military and administration and trustees and alumni...

Richard Pomerantz
VFMC Women's Basketball Head Coach