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Trying to stay focused during exams
Posted: Sunday December 19, 1999 06:30 PM
Andy Landers, a three-time National Coach of the Year, is in his 21st season at Georgia. Landers has averaged 24.3 wins a year, third-best among all active Division I coaches with as much tenure. The Lady Bulldogs are one of only four teams to reach the NCAA Final Four five times. Georgia is 11-1 and ranked No. 5 in the nation. Check out Landers' diary every other week on CNNSI.com.
December 18, 1999
As the Christmas holiday approaches, our basketball team appears to be enjoying the success of the first half of the season. We have, in fact, won 11 games, while losing only 1; however, I remain concerned about the defensive abilities and development of this particular squad. It has been my experience that junior and senior teams embrace defensive play; however, to this point this team has not yet done so, and that concerns me. While we have played reasonably well on the offensive end of the floor and in other very important areas, I remain concerned about our defensive abilities. My hope is that as the season progresses we will become a better defensive basketball team. Our staff believes improvement in that area will enhance our chances of playing for a National Championship. Without consistent improvement on the defensive end, I am uncertain as to whether or not we can advance to the level at which championship contenders perform. This is always a difficult time of year. On one hand, we have final exams taking place or just being completed, which means a couple of things. First, we must adjust our practice schedule so that our student-athletes can have ample time to prepare for final examinations. In doing so, we usually take additional days off to accommodate our student-athletes' needs. Secondly, to take advantage of the time these off-days provide our staff, we maximize the usage for recruiting purposes. Last week was a very busy week for my assistant coaches and me, as we have hit the recruiting trail hard for several days. Criss-crossing the country and jumping into time zones has a tendency to wear on you, but I feel like we have accomplished our objectives for the Christmas holidays. My greatest concern regarding the final examination period and the pre-Christmas holidays is focus. I have always maintained that when a student-athlete is in a "regular schedule" their focus tends to be sharp and generally very good; however, when the schedule changes, adjustments are necessary, and such is the case at this time of year. Our basketball team will enjoy a six-day break. I am excited that they are all going home to be with their parents and loved ones, and I look forward to the same. As our student-athletes come from all over the country, some have not had the opportunity to visit with their family since the beginning of the school year. I know they are excited; however, there is a danger that lurks prior to their departure home for the holidays...again it is focus. You can imagine the anticipation that builds with a youngster regarding the holidays and going home for six days. Our teams in the past have been very good regarding their focus prior to special breaks such as the one Christmas represents. I am hopeful that such will be the case with this particular team. While the Christmas holidays are upon us, I look forward to the return of our basketball team on December 26. It is at that time when we will have some very valuable consecutive practice days prior to diving into the tough Southeastern Conference schedule. During this time we will continue to work on our team's defensive development and tweak other areas of our game. Naturally, we will employ a couple of new wrinkles for the Southeastern Conference schedule, as scouting tapes are plentiful at this point in the year. Having the team in Athens for an extended period of time certainly gives us an opportunity to improve. I look forward to it. As I close this particular entry to the CNNsi.com diary, I would like to wish all those associated with women's basketball a very joyous and happy holiday. It is a special time of the year and I hope everyone has the same opportunity as our basketball team and shares it with their loved ones. Happy holidays! -- Coach Landers
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