PLAYERS: WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM NDSU

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Our staff is comprised of Hawkeye fans, and as disappointed as we are about the Hawkeye loss to the Bison, the Iowa-NDSU football game this past Saturday can offer many valuable lessons for players and coaches alike.  If an athlete wants to truly become the best he/she can be, then he/she needs to constantly be learning.  Here are a few lessons for any athlete to learn from the game on Saturday in Iowa City:

*BELIEVE...NEVER WAVER:  The Bison truly believed they would win this game, despite being huge underdogs.  It was obvious they came to Iowa City to win...not merely just to compete and play well, hoping to keep it close.  Their preparation all week was done to win, and that's what they did.  Even when they fell behind against Iowa, they never wavered...it was impressive to watch their belief in each other and their abilities on the field.

*BE DISCIPLINED:  NDSU was flagged for only one penalty all day...ONE.  They looked crisp on offense and executed to perfection.  They played well on defense and played together as a unit.  Iowa made sloppy mistakes at times and looked out-of-sync all day.  Victory favors the team that makes fewer mistakes.

*STAY AGGRESSIVE AND PLAY TO WIN:  NDSU made aggressive plays all day on both sides of the ball, and again, they played to win this game.  It felt like Iowa played "not to lose" all day and seemed to want to just run out the clock and hope for the game to be over late in the game when they had the lead, instead of going for the kill and the victory.  Go for the win, always.

*KEEP PLAYING, NO MATTER WHAT:  The Bison scored first, but otherwise, they trailed most of the game, including almost all of the second half.  They NEVER stopped playing...even when Iowa took the lead and appeared to be in control.  Remember:  you may not always come back from a deficit to win, but you give yourself no shot at all if you quit playing...ALWAYS keep playing, no matter what, because you at least give yourself a shot to win in the end.

*"WE DEAL THE CARDS":  I love this quote...NDSU "dealt the cards" on Saturday, which meant they controlled the tempo, the line of scrimmage, and the physicality...they wore down Iowa late in the game because they "dealt the cards" all game.  They ran a play-action pass for a big gain on the first play of the game, sending a message to Iowa that they would run what they wanted and control this thing.  They didn't wait around to see what Iowa was going to do, but rather, they went after Iowa...they "dealt the cards."

*IT'S A LONG SEASON...ONE GAME ISN'T "MAKE OR BREAK":  From Iowa's perspective, they are 0-0 in the Big Ten and have 9 regular season games left.  This 1 game does not break their season.  There is plenty of time to clean up mistakes and to get back on track.  It's a long season, and Iowa needs to look ahead to conference play.  This can be applied to any team in any sport in any season...after a loss, move on to the next game and look a the big picture of the season.  Teams that are mentally weak let a loss linger.

Again, we'll always be Hawkeye fans, but we would be foolish and arrogant to look past the lessons that can be learned from what NDSU showed us on Saturday.  Congrats to the Bison because they deserved the win...and athletes, we hope you can learn from these lessons and apply them to your own lives, both on and off the court.

DES MOINES NORTH FOOTBALL

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What a great story on the Des Moines North football program from the Des Moines Register...check it out here

BRANDON SNYDER: MAKING NW IOWA PROUD

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West Lyon product and current Iowa Hawkeyes starting free safety Brandon Snyder is making Northwest Iowa proud, both on and off the field.  Recently the Iowa City Press-Citizen published a GREAT article about Snyder, linked here.  Here are a few cool quotes from and about Snyder in the article that can be applied to any athlete at any level:

“You can’t just work hard, you’ve got to be the hardest worker every day,” (former Hawkeye Sean Considine to Snyder)

"Dad, there’s nobody else in the state who’s going to be lifting tonight."

“As you progress and make more plays and continue to evolve and get better, you start to earn respect from the coaches and from the players. It’s not something that happens overnight. You don’t come to a position and just everyone listens to you.”

“It’s to continue evolving as a player so I can add value to this team.”

WILL VOIGT

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There are many fantastic individual stories at this year's Olympic games, but one of the most interesting and fascinating has to be the story of well-traveled Will Voigt, head coach of the Nigeria men's national basketball team.  Check out the article linked here

BOBBY FLAY AND HIS STORY

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Any person can draw inspiration and information from people from every walk of life.  One of the best chefs in the world and the face of the Food Network, Bobby Flay, shares his background and the fascinating story of his rise in the food industry in an article linked here.  There are so many bits of inspiration and knowledge in this story about his life, and reading the article allows you access...give it a read.

BCD MODE

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While recently reading some clinic notes from Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer, the following piece of information jumped off the page:

"BCD Mode" = Blame, Complain, Defend Mode

Wow, that's great stuff...in sports, players will often go into this mode if things don't go the way they want.  In life, people of all walks will also fall into this.  Coach Meyer stresses avoiding this mode of thinking.  It's all in how we respond, how we view situations, and the means in which we solve problems.

THOUGHTS FROM PAT SUMMITT

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Undoubtedly, it was a sad day today as former Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt passed away at the age of 64.  Summitt will forever be known as one of the greatest coaches of all-time, regardless of sport, gender, or generation.  Below are a few quotes from the great one, Pat Summitt, accumulated through the years through books from her:

--Winners are not born, they are self-made.

--Self-discipline is a matter of how hard you are willing to work when no one is watching. 

--Disciplined people finish the job. 

--A task has not been done properly until it has been done completely.  

--Here’s how I’m going to beat you:  I’m going to outwork you. 

--When you prepare to win, belief comes easily.  

--Somehow, you have to make a commitment to get better every day, no matter how successful you were the day before.
  

--Individual success is a myth.  We are all dependent on those around us. 

--You’re going to be the hero or the goat when the game’s on the line.  You’re going to stick your neck out.  Whether you succeed or fail, I’ll never criticize you for that. 

--Belief in yourself is what happens when you know you’ve done the things that entitle you to success. 

--Success is a project that’s always under construction. 

--We think too much about what we can’t do…think about what you CAN do.  

--Losing makes you examine yourself and what you need to do to succeed. 

--Personal ambitions and ambitions of the team are one and the same

INCREDIBLE READ: "THE GAME KNOWS"

Every person should take a few minutes and read this unbelievably great blog post entitled "The Game Knows" from former Alabama softball catcher Jordan Patterson because it will be well-worth your time.  The blog post is linked here

DENNIS OLEJNICZAK

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Check out this tremendous article about legendary Decorah High School head baseball coach, Dennis Olejniczak, one of the greatest coaches that the state of Iowa has ever seen in any sport at any level.  What an icon in our state...the link to the article is here

THE MAGIC OF THE POSTSEASON

One of the greatest aspects of any sport at any level is the postseason because of the magic and the memories that engulf fans, players, and coaches alike.  Not often does a regular-season .500 team win a championship, but recently it happened in high school baseball in Minnesota with Henry Sibley High School capturing the Class 3A championship, the team with the lowest win % of a state champion in Minnesota high school baseball history.  In fact, at one point during the season, Henry Sibley was 4-14...and now they're state champs.  This amazing display shows the true magic of the postseason and that anything can happen, among many other lessons that other teams can learn from the Henry Sibley Warriors.  Check out a link to an article about their championship game here.

DABO SWINNEY: THERE'S NO ELEVATOR TO GREATNESS

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It wasn't long ago that we posted about Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney, but these quotes at Clemson youth football camp are too good to pass up:

“There’s no elevator to greatness. There’s no elevator to your goals and dreams and desires. You must take the steps,” Swinney said. “Everybody got that? Nobody’s giving you an elevator to take you (there). If they did, it ain’t gonna last, because you’re not going to be prepared, because you didn’t pay the price, alright?

“What I’m telling you is y’all 15. You’ve never been 20. You’ve never been 25. But hopefully, lord willing, you will be, so what we want to do is try to prepare you, through our experiences, through our mistakes, through our successes, so hopefully, you’ve got a leg up on being successful.”

Check out the quotes in the article, along with the audio/video of Swinney speaking, linked here

GOOD CHOICES = SUCCESS

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In his page-turning and excellent biography of Alabama head coach Nick Saban, called Saban: The Making of a Coach, author Monte Burke offers these excellent thoughts from Saban:

"Our goal is to help the players become more successful people, to develop thoughts, habits, and priorities to make good decisions.  We lose games because of a lack of good judgment, both on the field and off.  A player who is doing poorly in school can cost us a game.  If you have the right thoughts, habits, and priorities, which in one sense is the definition of character, that determines the choices you make.  We're trying to affect those things.  If they can do those things here, they can do them anywhere.  They can be successful as players, students, and people."

JON GORDON "TED TALK" ON GRIT

Check out this video, where best-selling author and speaker Jon Gordon provides a 16 minute "TED talk" on grit.  It's definitely worth the watch...click on the link here

HOW STEPHEN CURRY BECAME THE BEST SHOOTER IN THE NBA

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Steph Curry and the Warriors just dominated the Cavs to go up 2-0 in the NBA Finals...and much has been written over the past several years about Curry, but this article about how he has become the best shooter in the NBA might be the best, because it simplifies some of the main reasons he has risen to the top of the basketball world, and the article links many other outstanding pieces and videos for you to read/watch on Golden State's star.  The article is linked here

JAKE ARRIETA

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Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is in the midst of one of the most amazing stretches of any pitcher in MLB history.  People watch Arrieta pitch and are amazed at his success...but little do people know that Arrieta had to overcome adversity, a lack of success at times early in his career, and doubt from himself and others, in order to reach the heights that he pitches at right now.  In fact, Arrieta almost walked away from the game (excerpt from the SI article linked at the bottom):

“I’m thinking about not playing anymore after this season.”

—Jake Arrieta, 2013

Before he was Beast, before he had unstoppable stuff and confidence, Arrieta was so lost on a pitching mound that he shared with Brittany his recurring thoughts about quitting baseball. This was three seasons ago, after the Orioles demoted him to Triple A Norfolk just four appearances after making him their home opener starter. He languished there for two months, interrupted by one start with Baltimore in which he gave up 10 hits and five runs in fewer than five innings, swelling his ERA to an unsightly 7.23.

He was 27 years old. He looked at his newborn son, Cooper, and realized that he didn’t like what the misery of pitching was doing to him as a father and husband. He needed only a few more credits to complete his business marketing degree from TCU. He was good with people. He could go into business, maybe sales.

 An hour or so later the competitor inside Arrieta sounded an alarm: How crazy an idea is that—that you would stop playing this game you love?

But then the next time Triple A hitters smacked his pitches around the yard, Arrieta sank into the abyss of doubt again. Flight or fight, fight or flight. The waves kept washing over him. “Norfolk in general was O.K.,” says Brittany, who has known Jake since elementary school, “but I’m O.K. if we never [go] back.”

So what changed with Arrieta?  Take a few minutes to read the full article from Sports Illustrated, linked here because there are great lessons in the article for people of all ages and walks of life.

ANOTHER "MUST-READ" FOR ATHLETES: THOMAS WALKUP

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Former Stephen F. Austin men's basketball coach (and current Oklahoma State coach) Brad Underwood had some glowing comments about his former star Thomas Walkup, who will soon have a chance to make it in the NBA.  If you are an athlete, read these thoughts carefully:

BU: Here’s what I’ll say about Tom: There’s unbelievable value in high character. And he’s at the top of that list. He is a self-made player—and I say self-made: There’s a lot of work by our coaches and Tom didn’t do it by himself. What Tom did was commit to work. He was a player that was lightly recruited out of high school. He was a player that averaged 4.4 points a game as a freshman. He transformed himself physically in the weight room and by doing that, gave himself versatility that allowed him to play defensively at different positions. Offensively, he was a 60.5% free-throw shooter as a freshman—just horrendous—and probably a worse three-point shooter.

He was basically a high school power forward/center. But his best skills were at the point. And he continued to hone his weaknesses and make them strengths. He continued to work on shooting the basketball. Here’s a guy who goes 19 for 20 in an NCAA tournament game against West Virginia. And that says a lot about the individual.

​Is he a pro? Absolutely he’s a pro. I look at some of these guys who are in the NBA. Not only is he a talented guy because he’s a very deceptive athlete, but he’s also the highest IQ player I’ve ever coached. He is the best teammate that you could possibly ask for. He’s going to do nothing but continue to improve his game at the next level because of his work. He’s a young man who has improved since the season has been over because all he’s done is work out.

He played great in [the] Portsmouth [Invitational Tournament]. It was great for him to be in that scenario because he got to play more point guard than he did with us. I don’t have enough superlatives and adjectives to talk about Tom.

His efficiency was something well noted on our end. He’s 6’4”, 6’5” and he’s the school’s alltime leading rebounder. Probably the greatest thing I can say about Tom is—and it’s no coincidence that his teams won championships—all Tom’s teams in pickup games win. Tom is the winningest player in the history of Stephen F. Austin. He’s the winningest player in the history of the Southland conference. He’s a winner. And there are just some people that have it, and I don’t know how you describe it, but he has it. All he does is win, and he affects people around him, and he makes people better around him. Man, he’s a unique player from that capacity.

SI: He plays with just an unbelievable amount of confidence.

BU: And he’s earned that right to have that confidence because he’s worked so hard. He’s a unique guy in that he’s never afraid of the moment. He’s just a guy that has worked his way and taken coaching and developed all of that and put it into a package that’s made him great.

Some NBA team is going to be really lucky. I don’t know if it’ll be his rookie year. I don’t know when that’ll be. But they’re going to get a really good player. And they’re going to win championships, and he’s going to be a part of it.

The entire interview is linked here

IF YOU'RE ON A TEAM, READ ABOUT CHANNING FRYE

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Every person on a team impacts the culture and chemistry of that team, for better or for worse.  Check out these quotes about Channing Frye of the Cleveland Cavaliers, stated by teammate Richard Jefferson:

Culture change after Channing came?

Jefferson:  "Yeah, because Channing's that new kid in school that doesn't know there's cliques and he just sits at the table with everyone.  He puts random people on text chains...These are little things that Channing, his personality and how happy he is to be here...He doesn't care about any of this stuff on the outside.  He just laughs and jokes and has a good time and is really enjoying this experience."

COACHES: NEVER STOP LEARNING (FROM JON GRUDEN)

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It's important to never stop learning in life, no matter what...and nobody represents this philosophy better than Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden, who is now on ESPN as a commentator/analyst.  This article for coaches (or anyone who loves lifelong learning) highlights some of Gruden's obsession with learning and never being satisfied, linked here

A QUOTE FOR YOUR MIRROR FROM BOB HURLEY

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Bob Hurley is perhaps the greatest high school basketball coach that has ever coached.  The coach at St. Anthony's HS in New Jersey is a living legend.  Check out this remarkable quote from Hurley in a recent article, good enough for anyone's mirror:

“That’s why we say, ‘It’s hard to be good,’” Hurley said, slowing the pace of his words and speaking softly before repeating again, “It’s hard to be good.

“Because you have to work at it, and you have to work at it. And you have to work at it all the time. And you have to work at it intelligently. Your mark is what you do on a day when you don’t want to do it. How good are you on a day when you just don’t have it? Can you push yourself that day? That’s a mark of your character. The people that just only do well on days they feel like doing well, they’re not going to handle life’s obstacles.”

The full article can be found here

CYRUS JONES

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These comments from high school football coach Biff Poggi on his former player Cyrus Jones, the former Alabama defensive back and current New England Patriots player, are SPOT-ON...the comments are here:

"He's been very consistent in his willingness to compete, and I can't stress that word enough," added Poggi, "because in a world of entitlement - which we are rocketing toward today in all facets of our society - true competitors,  people that want to compete and earn things, are very rare. 
 
"He's learned to harness his competitiveness, which is virtually off-the-charts, into positives, instead of self-destructiveness. Instead of becoming downcast if he doesn't do well, he turns it now into motivation to compete at the highest level. He would count his own catches and drops during practice and keep track of them for his whole career. He wanted to compete every day. He loved practice."

YES...and the full article is linked here

"TOUGHNESS = SUCCESS" BLOG POST

This blog post about toughness is tremendous...read it here

GREAT ARTICLE ON ENTITLEMENT

This thought-provoking article is definitely worth the read.  Heath Eslinger, head wrestling coach at UT-Chattanooga provides some interesting thoughts about entitlement in today's society, concerning youth and adults.  The article is linked here

DRAYMOND GREEN PRAISES WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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Golden State Warriors' star Draymond Green issued some praise for the WNBA and women's basketball with his comments here:

“In the NBA there’s always a guy who is only around because he can jump,” Green told Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins in a wide-ranging profile. “He doesn’t have a clue about the fundamentals. I learn more from the WNBA. They know how to dribble, how to pivot, how to use the shot fake.”

The link to the article is here

7 LESSONS THAT MILLENNIALS MUST LEARN THE HARD WAY

This is a thought-provoking article about millennials, but the lessons can be applied to anyone...the article is linked here

RUSSELL WILSON COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

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Recently, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson gave the commencement speech to the University of Wisconsin class of 2016 at graduation.  Read the following, among his bits of wisdom and pieces of motivation from the speech:

"There’s something my dad used to always teach me. I remember playing tee-ball as a kid, and not to brag, but I was a really good tee-ball player. I’m talking really good. I crushed tee-ball. So even though I was just 3 or 4 years old, I remember thinking, ‘You know, I can be something special one day.’ My dad thought I might be getting ahead of myself so he’d set me straight. He’d say, ‘Son, potential just means you haven’t done it yet.’ Potential just means you haven’t done it yet.

"Already in my career I’ve seen that lots of people have potential, but not everyone does it. And I’ve learned that the difference isn’t the way that people handle themselves when things go well. When you land the job you want, or you go to the school you want, or you achieve something maybe a little bit earlier than you expected, go ahead and celebrate it, be happy. Enjoy it. But remember that the moments when life tells you yes aren’t the ones that define you. The moments that really matter are the moments when life tells you no. That’s what I wanted to focus on today. What do you do when life tells you no?"

To read the entire speech, click on the link here

INKY JOHNSON VIDEO: "IMPOSE YOUR WILL"

KYLIE HAYWORTH

There is not enough space in this blog post to express the courage, bravery, inspiration, and toughness of Kylie Hayworth.  Kylie is a 2014 LCHS graduate who has been fighting cancer for three years, and now it sadly appears that the cancer is going to be terminal soon.  Kylie has fought hard, with more grit, determination, faith, and toughness than most people could even imagine.  She is an inspiration to many people, and she will continue to be an inspiration for years to come.  Check out the video from KTIV, linked here

Also, to check out some older stories about Kylie, click on the links here and here

GREAT RE-POST: "THINK LIKE A ROOKIE"

We posted "Think Like a Rookie" from Jon Gordon a few years ago, but it's still a classic...so we'll post the link again to refresh anyone who reads it because it's just that good!  Check out the link here

PAT FITZGERALD

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This article has been circulating frequently through social media recently.  It offers insights from Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald about learning from failure, choices, and the process to become great.  Take a minute to read the article, linked here

MORE FROM RAY LEWIS

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Here's another thought worth reading from Ray Lewis' new book:

"Joy and sorrow.  They're two halves of the same whole.  If you hope to celebrate, you had better expect to grieve.  I'm sorry, but you can't have one without the other.  You just can't.  Because that's not living."

A THOUGHT FROM RAY LEWIS

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Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis recently published a fantastic book about his life.  In the book, he offers such motivational thoughts as these:

"I always tell people to go all out, all the time, because you never know who's watching.  All the way to the NFL, last snap in the Super Bowl.  I played like there was some little kid out there, eyeballing me through the rusted metal of a chain link fence, modeling his game after mine."

We'll offer a few more thoughts from Lewis' book tomorrow on the blog!

A SPECIAL BOND BECAUSE OF MOMS

This article about the bond of three young hockey players and their mothers was published in February, but on Mother's Day today, it has extra meaning.  Check out the story linked here

COOL PROM STORY

It's prom season, so here's a cool story about UND hockey player and first round NHL draft pick Brock Boeser reaching out to a girl with Down syndrome to take her to her high school prom.  The story is linked here

And in a follow-up, here is a picture of the prom couple, linked here

WISDOM FROM LARRY FITZGERALD

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In an open letter written for "The Players' Tribune" website, Larry Fitzgerald offers some tremendous advice for athletes of any age, referencing two young Cardinals that he has played with (full article linked here):

"I’ve worked with several guys who worked extremely hard. Two of the best players on our team right now are Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they were also two of the hardest working rookies I’ve ever been around. You never heard a thing from either of those guys. Never. They didn’t speak a lot, but when it came to practice and conditioning, they were always first. First guys in the building, last guys to leave. They had the mindset that they were going to come in and be productive players. They didn’t say it, they showed it. That’s a good example to follow."

BRANDON SNYDER: MULTI-SPORT ATHLETE

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Iowa Hawkeye football player Brandon Snyder is another tremendous all-around athlete to come out of northwest Iowa, graduating from West Lyon High School in 2014.  He is not only a fantastic football player and athlete, but he is a first-class individual.  Marc Morehouse of the Cedar Rapids Gazette recently featured Snyder in an article about the Iowa defensive backs, and we highlight this excerpt from the article (link):

Snyder is a natural athlete. As a ninth grader, he played defensive back and was kicker for the Class A state champs.

“We all liked Brandon Snyder coming out of high school,” defensive coordinator and secondary coach Phil Parker said. “I thought he was a very smart kid, tough kid. Played multiple sports. Could be a quarterback. Basically understands the game, and obviously he’s doing a lot of learning and it takes a lot of pressure.”

Snyder lettered four years in basketball, three in golf and two each in baseball and track. He scored 1,300 points and dished out more than 500 assists. He was a first team all-conference and all-district shortstop as a sophomore. He finished sixth in the state individual golf tournament.

“For me (all of the sports), they just kept everything fresh,” Snyder said. “You become more well-rounded. You learn different things in every sport. When you get to come here and spend the whole year with football, it’s actually pretty sweet.”

Along with weakside linebacker, Snyder will be a first-year starter this season. He’s good with that. He spent last year learning under former Hawkeye free safety Jordan Lomax, who put in extra time to make sure everyone was “getting it.”

“I can’t thank Jordan enough for everything he’s done for me,” Snyder said. “He was a coach to me, he was a brother to me. He taught me the ins and outs of the defense. He taught me everything I know.”

MENTAL TOUGHNESS ARTICLE

Take five minutes to read this insightful article about building and utilizing mental toughness.  The link can be found here

HANDLING ADVERSITY FROM TOM IZZO

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We can thank Michigan State head men's basketball coach Tom Izzo for these outstanding thoughts on kids in today's society and how they handle adversity, linked here

DAVID WEST ON THE SPURS

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NBA veteran and current San Antonio Spurs player David West offers these great thoughts on the Spurs, which can be applied to any player and any team:

"We have a team full of coaches," he said. "There is a constant information flow that comes from everyone, and everybody is chugging in the same direction. Nobody is pulling off to the left or right, with personal stuff and egos and things like that."  West continues, "Every moment, every play means something...That's what I wanted. Every game, every possession means the world to us."

The link to the article can be found here

GAME-CHANGER: HARPER LEE AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

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If you only read one thing today, this article needs to be it because of the importance of understanding and utilizing constructive criticism.  My favorite book of all-time, and the greatest novel in American Literature, To Kill a Mockingbird, was written by Harper Lee in 1960.  This fascinating article examines Lee and accepting constructive criticism, linked here

Want to have a greater opportunity for success?  Be open to constructive criticism.

PAT ANGERER'S "BULLDOG-LIKE" APPROACH

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This article from the Quad-City Times about former Hawkeye and NFL linebacker Pat Angerer is loaded with awesome quotes, stories, and insights...it's definitely worth the read for players, coaches, and anyone in general.  Check out the article, linked here

NICK SABAN'S THOUGHTS ON CHOICES

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Alabama head football coach Nick Saban voiced his opinions recently about young kids and choices...read his insightful thoughts linked here

DRAYMOND GREEN ON THE WARRIORS

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If you are a member of any kind of a team, you need to read this:  Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green offers some valuable insights into the success of the Warriors, linked here

A MUST-READ FROM DABO SWINNEY

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Take a minute and read these thoughts from Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney linked here

SIOUX COUNTY BASKETBALL

The Des Moines Register recently published an interesting story about basketball in Sioux County, located up here in northwest Iowa.  All of the towns and schools in Sioux County love basketball, and the article examines that love of the game, linked here

WARTBURG WOMEN'S HOOPS

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One of the great stories of this March Madness season is the Wartburg College women's basketball team.  This first-class program, led by head coach Bob Amsberry, has advanced to the D3 Final Four after an exciting run through the national tournament.  Check out this great article about the team, showcasing why March Madness is so special, linked here

Good luck to the Knights in the Final Four this Saturday!

COACH REINKING

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In addition to Coach Martindale, another longtime basketball coach, Rick Reinking, is retiring from coaching girls basketball at Spirit Lake.  The Dickinson County News ran a great story on Coach Reinking, linked here

COACH MARTINDALE

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Longtime Spencer girls basketball coach, Don Martindale, is retiring from teaching and coaching at Spencer.  The Spencer Daily Reporter published a fantastic article, which sums up Coach Martindale very well.  Check out the article linked here

ANNA KIEL IPTV FEATURE

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In case you missed halftime of the 2A girls state championship basketball game last night (which was a very exciting game, by the way), a feature was aired about Unity Christian's senior leader Anna Kiel.  IPTV did a fantastic job with this story, and it highlights one of the classiest competitors in the state of Iowa, even though she'll be a Cyclone next year :-)

Watch the video, linked here