Ten Sleep basketball energized by trip to Denver and Air Force Academy

 

November 14, 2018

COURTESY/ Ben Schwarz

The Ten Sleep Pioneers basketball team pose together before the start of the Nuggets/Jazz game at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Nov. 3. Pictured are, l-r, Mason Trollinger, Brian Shoopman, Brian Rice, Brayden Fettig, Brody Tharp, Aidan Searfoss, Boe Nichols and Asher Lyman.

TEN SLEEP - The basketball season is just around the corner and before the season gets underway the Ten Sleep High School basketball team took a trip to Denver on Nov. 3-4. Using funds they raised from their annual alumni game, their hamburger stand at the Ten Sleep Fourth of July Rodeo and a car wash late in the summer, the Pioneers were able to watch an NBA basketball game and take in an Air Force Academy men's basketball practice.


The first leg of the trip involved the Pioneers catching a Denver Nuggets game against the Utah Jazz. The second leg saw them head to the Air Force Academy to watch the Falcons practice. Getting to watch a practice and tour the Academy's athletic facilities, Ten Sleep boys basketball coach Ben Schwarz was able to get a hold of the Falcons director of operations 1st Lt. Conner Litt, who set the whole thing up.

"Through all the fundraisers we did, all that money we used to take the team down to watch the Denver Nuggets and to watch a full Air Force practice. Then we got to tour their athletic facilities and talked with all the coaches, head coach included, and all the players too," said Schwarz.

After a weekend of watching top-notched basketball, the Pioneers, players and coaches alike, were blown away from what they saw. What impressed them the most was Academy practice, while they certainly play at a high level, and how similar it was to their own practices.


"After the tour, we watched their practice and after they were done they got to shake hands with the players. I think our boys were pretty blown away by the size of those guys," said Schwarz. "Most high school kids don't get to see a Division I practice like that and compare it to what they do. I think they were surprised that their practice was scheduled down to the minute. They gave each of us a copy of the practice schedule so we could follow along."

Added Schwarz, "We do a lot of the same drills, even though the concepts are different at that level. There are a lot of little things like when those guys help over on defense it's not really praised because it's expected. During the practice I was in front of our boys explaining what applies and what we do that is similar."


The Nuggets/Jazz was the first NBA contest many of the Pioneer players have seen and taking in a game against two of the league's better teams, added to the delight.

The Pioneers got to the Pepsi Center Arena early to watch the superstars for each team, like Donovan Mitchell and Nikola Jokić, warm up.

"We got there early enough, they got to go down courtside when the NBA guys were shooting around. They got to see Donovan Mitchell shoot around and Isaiah Thomas, even though he's not playing right now, he spent the whole time shooting with his kid. I think for most of them it was their first NBA game too. They got to see how deceptively fast each and every one of those players are," said Schwarz.


The speed of each Falcons players impressed the Pioneers as well. While some of the Falcons ran line drills with 30 seconds on the clock, Ten Sleep was amazed by how each player finished with plenty of time to spare. "Same thing at the Academy, they had a shooting competition going on with the first team against the second team. The losers had to run [line drills] the full length of the court and they put 30 seconds, and every one of them, even the big men, finished with at least eight seconds to spare," said Schwarz. "That was something that took the boys by surprise because each of those players at the Academy when they're motoring, they were so smooth it didn't even look like they were running that fast.


As any coach would, Schwarz used what he and his team just saw to tease his players about their speed during the same line drills, "I joked with some of the boys after that line drill how amazing it was to see all of those Academy guys finish with eight seconds to spare because some of them in the same drill are finishing 10 seconds behind those 30 seconds."

During their tour of the athletic facilities, 1st Lt. Litt told the Pioneers what it takes academically just to be considered at the Academy. Those looking to join have to average a 3.7 GPA and score at minimum 30 on their ACT. Being a top-notch athlete won't cut it for the Academy, you need the smarts to go with the basketball skill.


And the Pioneers got to see the mental acumen of the Falcon players in action.

"Another interesting thing watching the Academy practice was their attention to detail," said Schwarz. "They were introducing their defense for baseline out of bounds, they taught the concepts once, then flipped the play and showed it one time that way, and each of the players had it down pat. He spent about five minutes on the clock showing the first team and second team, then at the end of practice, they were running the defense flawlessly. It was amazing, just amazing."

Another way Falcons head coach Dave Pilipovich tested his players came during a scrimmage between the first team and second team. He'd ask his players how much time was on the clock and the score but they couldn't look at the scoreboard. Once again the Pioneers players were impressed with how quickly the Falcon players learned.

"They ran two halves and when one team was down six and didn't foul and he was upset about that because they didn't get the ball back. Then when they were shooting free throws he asked the kid shooting how much time was on the clock and what the score was without looking at the clock.

"The kid had to look at the clock but from then on, during every single dead ball, he'd ask a different player the same thing and they all could tell him without looking at the clock," said Schwarz.

The Pioneers players weren't the only ones to learn from their time at the Academy, the Pioneer coaches picked up quite a few things as well, and plan on implementing what they've learned for the coming season.

"Then when they're doing their competitions, the losing team has to run, but the winning team is waiting for their teammates with water in hand and those who ran get water first. The discipline at that level was amazing," said Schwarz. "We coaches learned a ton from watching just that one practice."

 
 

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