The Streaks were very busy in the month of June. I got to watch some of their practices and many of their games. The team was exciting to watch both in practices and in games because of the energy they played each time. They didn't have any "down" times- they approached things with enthusiasm and energy. The Streaks played fast- they ran, they pressed and ran some more. In practice and games in games not only did the players have high energy- the coaches were high energy and enthusiastic. They had a great summer, and I have had a chance to ask Coach Demott about the summer.
Massey- I know it has been a whirl wind of events for you this spring and summer. I know you went thru a period of time where you wanted to get started but you had to wait to interview, wait for a decision, wait to be approved- how hard was the waiting?
Massey- Two of the biggest moments for you were when you first met with the players as “the head coach” in the spring and when you had your first practice in summer. Can you share how those moments went- were you more nervous or more excited?
Demott- My first meeting after being approved was TONS of nerves. I had always been at the meetings and got a chance to speak at the end, but now all eyes were on me. Once I got going I was comfortable and the excitement took over talking to them and handing out summer things. The first practice in the summer I had a lot of the same feelings. It was a lot of nerves to begin with. I had run sections of practice before, but never the whole thing. I was still working the day leading up to our first evening of camp, so earlier in the day I ran down to Thiel to write on the white board for that evening. The girls came in and got going all on their own. I didn't have to tell them they just did it as if it was something they had done for years. By them doing that right out of the gate helped calm my nerves. Their excitement and eagerness to get going helped me settle in more than they knew at the time. I also had Coach Noonan and Coach Legge to reassure me that things were going smoothly.
Massey- Who is your coaching staff at the high school level?
Demott- Our coaching staff at the high school level has not changed much. Josh Biddle is the Freshmen coach. Coach Biddle has been with the girls program for some time now. He was pulling double duty of being the 8th grade girls coach and Freshmen coach for a while. He is now solely the Freshmen coach. Michael Rux is still our Sophomore coach. Coach Rux has been the Sophomore coach for many years now. Kelsi Legge will be a volunteer assistant with the Varsity. This will be her 3rd year with us. Coach Legge played through the program and then played for 2 years at Sandburg. Jim Noonan will be our assistant coach at the Varsity level. Coach Noonan stepped in around December last year as a volunteer. Coach Noonan has been a successful head coach in United and Farmington before stepping on to our staff as an assistant. I am excited to have each one of these individuals on our staff.
Massey- Coach Noonan was a “volunteer” assistant for us last year, and now he is the paid assistant. I think he is so valuable for you because of his experiences having been a head coach at United and at Farmington. Can you share what impact he has made on you as head coach and on the players this summer?
Demott- Coach Noonan has been great. The players have bought into the things he has taught them from the jump. Last season when he came around to help you could immediately tell they were bought into him. He does such a great job of explaining things to them. Last season he really helped with the post defense, some press work, and stretching/lifting. This season Coach Noonan has taken our lifting/agility to a new level. He has done such an amazing job of teaching and explaining to the girls why they are doing a certain lift or exercise. I am excited to watch the growth that happens through advanced P.E this school year and into the season. Not only has Coach Noonan become our strength person, but he has also become our press guy. He has helped implement our press this summer. He brings such an excitement and energy to pressing that it becomes contagious to the team. For me as a first year in the head coaching position he made life easier. He has bought fully into everything that I have asked, always giving feedback as needed, and done anything needed to make sure things have gone smoothly.
Massey- What were your numbers with the grade school and JH players? Did you use HS and college players to help in those camps?
Demott- Our numbers for Grade School and Jr. High camp sat around 85 total. I am really hoping to get those numbers up within the next couple of years. At Jr. High camp we had college players help along with Jr. High Coach Mark Harden Jr. In Grade school camp we had the high school players help. I am hoping that the ideas that we have getting the younger players involved with the high school players moving forward will help get numbers up in the coming years.
Massey- Years ago, I heard Coach Calhoun of UConn speak and he felt when you go to any practice you will see three things a coach emphasizes. He felt that as coaches, we might like to emphasize 20 things but the reality is that you can’t. If we watched your team practice this summer or play this summer, what would be three things we would see that you emphasized? Were you happy with how your players were able to respond and execute those emphasises?
Demott- Three things that you would be able to tell that we emphasized was effort, energy generated behaviors, and reliability. This summer when you showed up to camp you would see the young ladies giving full effort all the time. It was extremely difficult for one or two people to not give full effort because everyone else around them always was. You would also find that we always had energy givers. We never had anyone that was giving off negative energy for long periods of time. There were always too many teammates being positive that it became extremely difficult for one or two to drag others down into a negative spiral. The next thing that you would notice is how reliable the athletes were. You could come to camp at any given day and see the same 14 young ladies there on time and ready to get going for the day. Which to us on time meant pre-practice was done before practice time was to start. The ladies were told that before we started the summer and not once did any of them fail to make that happen. For example, there were a couple times we had camp from 6-8:30am, lifting 8:30-9:30am, some came back for Grade School camp 1-2:30pm, and then league games and scoring league games were to follow that afternoon/evening. This meant they may have left the gym at 9:00pm that night after being up at 5:00am, but not once did any of them not show up or complain about what was being asked of them.
Massey- Each day on your board that had your practice plan, you had EGB’s?
Demott- EGB's stand for Energy Generated Behaviors. If you look up Shaka Smart and Marquette basketball that is what you will see. Just from watching a short video of their practices it gives you an excitement because of how together they are. Energy generated behaviors is a way that the girls connect with each other on the floor, on the bench, in the weight room, or on the sideline during camp. It helps them stick together when things get tough or when things are going great. It's always hard as an athlete when you feel like you messed up the drill, you messed up the press, you messed up the play, or you got beat on defense. With EGB's it's easier to move on to the next play. When you make a mistake a teammate is always right there to give you a high five or a pat on the back to move on. On the flip side if you get a steal in the press, you get a great trap, you make a great pass or move to the basket, or you get a stop on the defensive end your teammates are still right there to feed you positive energy. EGB's have been something our girls have bought into. At the start of each week we would put up a new EGB for the week. The girls would focus on using the new one or one from a week prior that they enjoyed. EGB's made negative energy hard to stick around this summer. The players were able to connect with each other and build trust with each other. They never felt alone. It also gave our coaching staff something to work towards each day.
Massey- I know it was tough without Thiel open. In general, how did the summer league go and how were the numbers of schools?
Demott- Summer league ran very smoothly. There were very few days that things were a scramble, but always worked out. We had some new teams join us and returning teams of years that came back as well. Moline, East Moline, Sterling, Peoria Richwoods, Peoria High, and Chatham Glenwood are a few of the teams that made an appearance this year that have not always been around. Orion, Knoxville, A-Town, Brimfield, Canton, and Galva are teams that returned that have been coming for a couple years or more now. My hope is that summer league continues to grow.
Massey- Besides summer league, where were places the varsity went to play? Who are some of the teams you were able to play? How did you do in terms of wins and losses?
Demott- The Varsity team was able to travel to Oregon, Illinois for a 2 day tournament, to University of Dubuque for a 1 day tournament, to Batavia, Illinois for the NCAA exposure weekend that was 2 days, and to Purdue University for a 3 day tournament. We got to see a variety of teams. Our first weekend trip to Oregon we lost a close game to Decatur MacArthur right out of the gate. That was the first loss the girls had experienced. Obviously, losing is never fun, but at the time it was something that we needed to keep growing. We then went on to beat Hononegah and Geneva that same weekend. At Dubuque we were able to play Mineral Point, Edgerton, and Waterloo West. 3 teams that we won't see during the season and all gave us different looks at things. We ended that day with a double OT sudden death game winner from Ella Herchenroder. We got a stop on defense and then Ella made the shot at the other end. An exciting part was getting the shot on video and getting to see the team celebrate with her from the bench to the players on the floor. In Batavia we had a successful first day beating a very patient and skilled Carmel team. Ending the day with a win against a quick, sharp shooting Providence team. The second day we played Wendell Phillips and Grayslake Central. We did not win either of these games, but we were able to learn things about ourselves and as a team that we needed during that time. Finishing off the summer at Purdue University. We started off the weekend with a double OT sudden death loss to Yorkville. It was not the way the girls wanted to start the weekend, but were able to stay positive and end the weekend strong. We went on to beat New Trier, Carmel Catholic, and Providence. Ella Herchenroder then got to go on and play in the All-Star game that was selected by Purdue's Coaching staff. Overall the summer was never about winning and losing. Yes, winning makes things better, but losing is a part of growing and reaching potential. We were able to do just that this summer. There was never a time I felt that I had to drag any situation out for the players to move on. They handled adversity and responded in great ways. The summer left us coaches with an excitement about this upcoming season that I'm confident the players left the summer with as well.
Massey-It is always good to play some good competition to help you learn about your team and learn about their strengths and weaknesses. What did you learn about your team?
Demott- I learned a lot about our athletes. They have a drive to want to be successful. They want to be coached. After a loss we saw they were upset, but they never let it affect the next game. We saw in practice they fail at a timed drill, but they never let that fail in one thing to affect the next thing we did. We watched them build trust in each other as a team and become a whole. I am beyond pleased with their ability to listen, respond, and move on.
Massey- Jimmie Carr is always asking me,”Have you seen them play? What are they going to look like?” For people like Jimmie, who are anxious to see the team play and can’t wait for November- Can you describe, based on how things went this summer, what is the team going to look like in terms of style? What do you think people will like about this team?
Demott- For anyone that did not get a chance to see us this summer you can look forward to a very fast paced game. We want to push the ball ahead, look for a rim runner, a possible downhill drive, or a wide open 3. We won't always get that all the time and will still have some sets, but our goal is to run. You will also see the excitement of us pressing. We will press the full game every chance we get. Coach Noonan has taught us the run and jump press all summer. The girls bought into it and grew a huge amount by the end of June. It will be exciting to get back to work come season time.
Massey- So you have been the head coach for about 2 months but June is hectic. What have you learned about yourself?
Demott- I have learned that I still have room to grow as a leader and as a coach. I found this summer that I was learning and growing every single day just as the players. I was not growing in the same way, but I was learning how to be a better leader for them, how to communicate better for them and my staff, and how to improve my knowledge of the game to pass along. I never want myself to feel comfortable or have the mindset of I know it all. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow to give my best self to the program and the young ladies that are a part of it.
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