Nearly quadrupling a personal best is nothing but a jaw-dropper. HSMSE junior Unni Isaksen dramatically increased her offensive role this year for the girls’ basketball team.
Isaksen only averaged 3.5 points per game during her sophomore year. It was not until this season where she increased her output to a remarkable 11.4 ppg. HSMSE's girls' basketball coach David Scheiman noted her immense progress this year.
“Her skillset got better [and] her footwork got a lot better,” Scheiman said.“She knows how to hit lay-ups more consistently now, and she knows how to drive to the basket, not being afraid.”
Between her sophomore and junior year, Isaksen didn’t just improve her skills, but she also gained confidence on the court. However, Isaksen’s on-court actions were not the only contribution that caused the change, but a new motivation outside played into it as well.
“I think she understands how important she is to the team, and that she is getting the hang of what her role is,” he said.
Isaksen's ambition to enhance her skills and to devote herself to the game, combined with coach Scheiman’s recent practice changes created the perfect recipe for improvement. With Isaksen on the rise for her senior year, the future seems bright for the Dragons.
- Andy Jiang also contributed to this article.
Showing posts with label Players. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Players. Show all posts
Monday, March 30, 2020
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
NCAA walk-on players vs. scholarship players
NCAA walk-on and scholarship players have a rigorous training schedule. They both work virtually all day and are limited in the free time that they have. Even so, there is a major discrepancy in their college careers. Walk-on players have less playing time and don’t always travel with the scholarship players. Walk-on players are players that are skilled enough to make a team without being recruited; however, in order to get the same recognition, walk-on players must work harder every chance they get.
Both walk-on and scholarship players have a very similar routine. They attend classes in the morning, practices, and team meetings. One of the differences is that the players usually don’t play together. Walk-ons in Division I rarely have a chance to travel to away games in sports such as football and basketball.
The NCAA has made minor changes to the rights of walk-on players. As of April 24, 2014, the Division I Board of Directors granted Division I walk-on players unlimited meals and snacks, finally allowing the walk-ons to have access to the same meals as the rest of the team.
“Today we took action to provide meals for student athletes incidental to participation,” Councilor chair Mary Mulvenna said in a 2014 NCAA.org article. “I think the end result is right where it needs to be.”
Although walk-on players have been granted more rights over time, scholarship players are still treated superiorly. Walk-on players having free meals granted to them solves a very small portion of the inequality between them and scholarship players.
The biggest difference between the two is that scholarship players are paid to play, whereas walk-on players pay to play.
"You have to consistently stand out on film," Oregon Ducks football player Ryan DePalo explained in a 2013 AddictedToQuack.com article. “They [the coaches] have nothing invested in you, whereas they have $100,000 invested in the scholarship player. If you don't consistently stand out, you will be forgotten.”
The differences between walk-on and scholarship players are undeniable. Walk-ons have fewer rights and fewer opportunity, especially in Division I. Walk-ons have to pay their way through college, only to be overlooked. With scholarship players rallying to unionize, walk-ons are once again being left out to dry.
Written by Asimina Hamakiotes and Gregory Sakas
Both walk-on and scholarship players have a very similar routine. They attend classes in the morning, practices, and team meetings. One of the differences is that the players usually don’t play together. Walk-ons in Division I rarely have a chance to travel to away games in sports such as football and basketball.
Those guys would do everything we did, then have to go home to eat instead of eating w/the team. It was a joke
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) April 15, 2014
The NCAA has made minor changes to the rights of walk-on players. As of April 24, 2014, the Division I Board of Directors granted Division I walk-on players unlimited meals and snacks, finally allowing the walk-ons to have access to the same meals as the rest of the team.
“Today we took action to provide meals for student athletes incidental to participation,” Councilor chair Mary Mulvenna said in a 2014 NCAA.org article. “I think the end result is right where it needs to be.”
Although walk-on players have been granted more rights over time, scholarship players are still treated superiorly. Walk-on players having free meals granted to them solves a very small portion of the inequality between them and scholarship players.
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| Oregon Ducks Stadium / Bobak Ha'Eri |
"You have to consistently stand out on film," Oregon Ducks football player Ryan DePalo explained in a 2013 AddictedToQuack.com article. “They [the coaches] have nothing invested in you, whereas they have $100,000 invested in the scholarship player. If you don't consistently stand out, you will be forgotten.”
The differences between walk-on and scholarship players are undeniable. Walk-ons have fewer rights and fewer opportunity, especially in Division I. Walk-ons have to pay their way through college, only to be overlooked. With scholarship players rallying to unionize, walk-ons are once again being left out to dry.
Written by Asimina Hamakiotes and Gregory Sakas
Monday, October 31, 2011
Where are the players now?
The National Basketball Association lockout has been going on for months, giving the players a lot of free time. Both the players and the coaches want more money, and neither of them seem like they are going to budge. With two weeks cut off from the season, and probably more coming, the big question still remains: What are the players going to do now?
Some of the players are starting to follow up with their talk and go overseas. Former Utah Jazz point gaurd Deron Williams is now playing for the Besiktas in Turkey. Tony Parker left to go play for his home team, ASVEL Villeurbanne, in France for minimum wage. Other big stars, such as Kobe Bryant, are still debating leaving, though. He wants to go play for Virtus Bologna in Italy.
"Italy is my home. It's where my dream of playing in the NBA started. This is where I learned the fundamentals, learned to shoot, to pass and to [move] without the ball… all things that when I came back to America, the players my age didn't know how to do because they were only thinking about jumping and dunking," says Bryant. They have stopped all the flashy attempts to lure him, and it is just the deals now. “Help us Obi-Wan Kobe… you are our only hope,” writes a fan to Suite 101.
Some of the players are starting to follow up with their talk and go overseas. Former Utah Jazz point gaurd Deron Williams is now playing for the Besiktas in Turkey. Tony Parker left to go play for his home team, ASVEL Villeurbanne, in France for minimum wage. Other big stars, such as Kobe Bryant, are still debating leaving, though. He wants to go play for Virtus Bologna in Italy.
"Italy is my home. It's where my dream of playing in the NBA started. This is where I learned the fundamentals, learned to shoot, to pass and to [move] without the ball… all things that when I came back to America, the players my age didn't know how to do because they were only thinking about jumping and dunking," says Bryant. They have stopped all the flashy attempts to lure him, and it is just the deals now. “Help us Obi-Wan Kobe… you are our only hope,” writes a fan to Suite 101.
Some players are thinking of trying other sports as well. LeBron James tweeted, "When is the deadline for a team to sign a free agent [in the National Football League]?" James was a wide receiver from the pee wee leagues to high school. After practicing once, he tweeted again, this time saying, "Just got done practicing with the St.V Varsity football team, full pads and all. Felt great being back on the field. Should I?" Another player that is looking to play a different sport is Kobe Bryant. Bryant was looking at playing baseball in the Arizona Fall Leagues.
The majority of the players, especially the rookies, are just waiting it out. They want the deals to be completed so they can go back and play on their teams for the NBA, not anywhere else. Malcom Lee, a Minnesotta Timberwolves rookie, says, "It's the same life [as college]. No income checks are coming in, none of that good stuff that comes with being in the NBA."
Thursday, October 27, 2011
NBA Owners are refusing to budge
The NBA lockout is certainly causing a big commotion, and there does not seem to be any end in sight. What started on July 1st as a talk about how to divide the $4.3 billion in league revenue has turned into a three month long lockout. One hundred games have already been canceled and many analysts don’t expect there to be any more games until Christmas.
Last season the players were being paid 57% of the revenue. During negotiations the players offered a 53-47 split, which would be a loss of over $180 million dollars to the players. The owners, however, refused, proposing a 50-50 split. Deputy commissioner Adam Silver said, “What we told the union was that we were not prepared to negotiate over the B.R.I. split beyond the 50-50 concept that had already been discussed.” NBA commissioner David Stern has said the teams are experiencing over $300 million dollars in losses annually.
Owners have been pushing other requirements as well. They originally proposed a hard salary cap. This cap would limit the amount of money that teams would be able to spend on the player’s salaries. This was proposed in order to make it easier for lesser teams to be able to compete. The owners conceded to the player’s demand for there to be a flexible cap by creating a harsher luxury tax. This would create a situation where the teams can only spend a certain amount of money on certain purchases without being harshly taxed. The players argue that this would effectively institute a hard cap.
Tom Ziller, a writer for SBNation put it best, “Canceling two weeks because the union won't approve a very hard cap-ish luxury tax in addition to giving up more than $200 million in annual salary is like flipping the Monopoly board because another player bought Marvin Gardens out from under you, while you have hotels on all of the green and blue properties.”
It seems as if we are going to be in for a very tough ride. Neither side wants to give in, nor are the owners refusing to negotiate the division of revenue. Negotiating sessions are going on for 16 hours a day; everyone is exhausted. Both sides don’t seem eager to resolve their issues. Players are leaving for foreign countries; others are talking about starting their own teams. The NBA will be in for a very rough few years if this doesn’t get resolved sometime soon.
Last season the players were being paid 57% of the revenue. During negotiations the players offered a 53-47 split, which would be a loss of over $180 million dollars to the players. The owners, however, refused, proposing a 50-50 split. Deputy commissioner Adam Silver said, “What we told the union was that we were not prepared to negotiate over the B.R.I. split beyond the 50-50 concept that had already been discussed.” NBA commissioner David Stern has said the teams are experiencing over $300 million dollars in losses annually.
Owners have been pushing other requirements as well. They originally proposed a hard salary cap. This cap would limit the amount of money that teams would be able to spend on the player’s salaries. This was proposed in order to make it easier for lesser teams to be able to compete. The owners conceded to the player’s demand for there to be a flexible cap by creating a harsher luxury tax. This would create a situation where the teams can only spend a certain amount of money on certain purchases without being harshly taxed. The players argue that this would effectively institute a hard cap.
Tom Ziller, a writer for SBNation put it best, “Canceling two weeks because the union won't approve a very hard cap-ish luxury tax in addition to giving up more than $200 million in annual salary is like flipping the Monopoly board because another player bought Marvin Gardens out from under you, while you have hotels on all of the green and blue properties.”
It seems as if we are going to be in for a very tough ride. Neither side wants to give in, nor are the owners refusing to negotiate the division of revenue. Negotiating sessions are going on for 16 hours a day; everyone is exhausted. Both sides don’t seem eager to resolve their issues. Players are leaving for foreign countries; others are talking about starting their own teams. The NBA will be in for a very rough few years if this doesn’t get resolved sometime soon.
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