Life is Precious.

This weekend I attended my Grandma Betty's funeral. She passed away on Thursday from a massive stroke she experienced two days before. Despite the loss of such a special lady, the time spent with family and friends recounting her life and her influence on all of us, it really became a weekend of joy. Life is short. I didn't get to know Grandma Betty as well as I would have liked but I know she loved me like all of her grandkids. She lived by a pretty simple motto: Be good, do good and live good. This is very "good" advice.

God is good...and life is good despite all of its challenges. Embrace where you are at and who you are with. Smile. Love those nice enough to put up with you:) Stop by your grandma/grandpa's house, "just because." Call your parents today just to say "hi." Remind your friends that you are thinking about them. Pray for them all. It was good to reflect this weekend on what's important. I'm sure I will slip back into my old selfish habits soon enough, but for today and tomorrow, I choose to reconnect with as many as I can. Thanks for helping me remember what's truly important Grandma Betty. "Fly to Jesus Betty June...you go girl."

Love,

Mark

Free Throws, Rebounds and Turnovers

Of all the statistics in basketball there are perhaps none carrying more significance than the three listed in the title. In every loss, teams need only look as far as one, two or all three of these areas to see why their team fell short for that game.

In order to win, a team must get to the line and make a high percentage of free throw attempts. Be confident at the line. This is the one time we like our players to be selfish...it's time to "get a point for you."

The Lady Cats gave up 19 and 18 offensive rebounds to their opponents this past weekend. Both games were close and had the Ladies been more successful in this area, they would have won both conference games. Rebound "the first one" and you'll win nearly every game...yes, rebounding is that critical!

Rebounding (locating, locking up and blocking out) is simply a commitment. Good rebounders are great team players. They are committed to doing the dirty work, the little things that in the end are huge. Good rebounders block out EVERY time and are committed to the technique necessary to get the ball, secure it and to keep the opponent from getting it back. There is no such thing as a good defensive team that doesn't finish the possession with the ball. The rebound finishes the defense.

Finally, take care of the ball. Possession is everything. You can't score without the ball. Don't be careless with it, protect it with your life. How many points are we getting per possession? If it's over one point per possession we'll more than likely win the game. Turnovers limit our possessions and give our opponent more opportunities to score. Nothing changes the momentum of a game more than a turnover that leads to points.

This week as we prepare for our opponents, let's commit to making our free throws, rebounding the first one, and taking care of the ball. These we can control...the winning will take care of itself.

Coach Albert

What time is it? Game Time!

Well, tomorrow it all begins. This new version of the Lady Broncs starts on its own journey...to Hamilton...the site of this year's state tournament. We're on the road to home:)

We sure have a lot of work ahead of us, but I am truly encouraged by what I see. We have strong leaders/returners and a crop of sophomores ready to get better and keep the tradition alive.

We came up with a type of "core covenant" that we will hopefully reflect daily. We're S.T.U.C. Our girls demonstrate great Sportsmanship, embrace the Lady Bronc Tradition of excellence, are unconditionally Unified, and are always Competitive.

Good luck this weekend girls and may we truly reflect these covenants throughout the season!

Go Broncs.

Coach Albert

Be totally committed...

What does it mean to be totally committed? This applies to both daily life and of course basketball. Today at practice we worked on our half court defensive responsibilities. Several of our players knew where to be...as in when it was necessary for them to help when a teammate got beat. However, none were willing at this point to totally commit to taking a charge. Granted, this is a difficult and challenging skill, but it really does simply require a player to sacrifice themselves for the good of the team.

Commit to doing whatever it takes to get better, to make your team improve. Do the little things. Commit to making the jump stop, to making the extra pass, to talking on defense, to crashing the boards, to blocking out and to encouraging others. Commit to leading by example and putting the needs of the team ahead of your own. Finally, commit to being the most excellent teammate you can be. Take the charge!

We are...the BRONCS!

Coach Albert

3-0 On The Road Ain't Bad...

Congratulations to Bert and the Lady Bobcats on their

3-1 start! They just beat up on the University of Idaho in Moscow on Sunday. Ashley had 13 points and 4 rebounds off the bench. The Cats have some very nice depth this year, especially with their freshmen class.

We had a nice trip to Bozeman on Friday to watch MSU in their first home game...they didn't play very well versus a very good (big and strong) BYU. Rachel, Jill, Misha and Kaurie represented the Lady Broncs enthusiastically from the stands...signs and all!

It starts tomorrow ladies...the Broncs will try to continue what they started 4 seasons ago. We have gotten better every year since then and I am confident this year's version of the Lady Broncs won't be any different. We set a high standard last season with our magical finish. I am more excited about this season than any in recent memory. I'll be here by 5:40 am...see you ready to go by 6:00! Don't forget to bring all paperwork and a great attitude. Get some sleep and we'll see you in the morning.

Coach Albert

The Journey Begins on Monday, the 23rd...

High school basketball practice begins on Monday, November 23rd. The varsity and JV teams will practice at 6:00 am and the frosh at 6:00 pm.

Check out the picture of former Lady Bronc Ashley Albert playing for the Montana State Bobcats last weekend in California. Bert represented us well with 6 points in the game vs Bakersfield and 7 against the university of Pacific. She plays about 10 minutes a game backing up all confernce forward Sarah Strand. The Cats are off to a great start with 2 road wins. They will play their first home game this Friday against BYU. Should be a good one. If you're interested in either watching the Cats play or listening to the radio broadcast, just click on the appropriate link on the Montana State website. http://www.msubobcats.com/

With the college season under way, it gets me excited about the Lady Bronc prospects this winter. We should be a contender...even with the likes of returning state champion Anaconda and tall and talented Stevensville. "Risk must be taken to pursue solutions to seemingly impossible situations." I hope you are all ready to get after it! See you Monday morning!

Coach Albert

We're half way through our 2009 "Instructional League For Girls." It's been a terrific time of skills, drills and games. The graphic above is this year's T-shirt design...I love it!

This year we are spending 90 minutes with 1st - 4th graders and another 90 with 5th and 6th graders. We have about 60+ young ladies all trying to become better basketball players. The evenings can get a little long for Coach Brumwell and myself after a day of work but we are having a blast. The girls have been very coachable and we're already seeing signs of improvement. Last night there were a lot of little red faces by the time we were done.

I am so encouraged by the enthusiasm for our awesome sport of basketball. I have no doubt the things accomplished by the the last three Lady Bronc teams, especially last year's state runner up has gone a long way towards inspiring the future young ladies who may one day suit up for the us. Thanks girls.

I am also getting geared up for this year's season which starts on the 23rd. Boy do we have our work cut out for us with Anaconda returning 4 starters and Stevi also with four...plus adding the state's best freshman player. I am excited nonetheless. We have a terrific group of girls and some very solid players returning for us this season. I have a feeling that by the end of this year, no one will want to play us. Come catch a game if you can, and cheer on this year's version of the Hamilton Lady Broncs!

Coach Albert

2009 Cross Country Highlight Video

It could happen...

Remember the movie Angels in the Outfield? The catch line in the movie was from the the main character, a little boy who saw angels and was convinced his baseball team, the California Angels could win the championship if they only believed. Few around this boy believed like he did, but he kept reassuring them, "It could happen."

Well, this Saturday the Hamilton Broncs take on the class "A" field at the 2009 State Cross Country. We won our first state title in boys last year and we're hoping our girls can finish in the top three for the 3rd consecutive year.

"It could happen..."

Boys run at 11:00 and girls at 12:10. Hope to see you at the University of Montana Golf Course on Saturday!

Coach Albert

Three weeks to go...

It was a terrific meet at the Daly Mansion last Saturday. The weather was great and the Broncs were even better! The girls won their 3rd consecutive Hamilton Invitational championship beating teams from Ronan, Corvallis, Polson, Darby, Drummond, Arlee, Big Fork, Dillon and Anaconda. 47 points is a terrific winning score. What a difference from the previous week!

Our Junior high boys' team also took first...pretty impressive considering the Missoula youth track club also participated. Easton finished first in a tremendous show of heart. He ran a very strategic, gutsy race to beat Aiden from Anaconda for the 3rd consecutive race; after Aiden had beaten him the first two meets. These two will undoubtedly have a very exciting rivalry for the next 5 years. There's nothing like quality competition to make you better.

Don't shy away from the tough match ups...embrace them. Use each contest to become a better competitor. That's why it's so important for kids to participate in more than one sport. You can always spend additional time on your favorite sport like basketball, but it's experiencing competition in other arenas that will truly add to your mental toughness.

Life is good...healthy competition helps you prepare to make it better. Enjoy the rest of the season and COMPETE!!

Coach Albert