Every Game Gets Bigger and Bigger

If you follow the Mad Ants, and chances are you do if you are reading this blog, you know that the Mad Ants keep playing bigger and bigger games each and every week. That doesn't change this week, as the team heads to Portland, Maine for a game against the Maine Red Claws. The Red Claws may not have the best record, but much of that is because they had a lot of injuries to really good players like Magnum Rolle and Stephane Lasme. Well, those guys are back, and Maine is playing much better, including a big win on Sunday at one of the best teams in the league, the Bakersfield Jam. No doubt, we have our work cut out for us, and if we don't play hard and smart from the start, we are going to get boat raced like the last time we played Maine.

Our last game against New Mexico, I thought we did a lot of good things. I thought we shared the ball well, and I thought they came out with a purpose and with some urgency. That certainly showed in the second quarter when they really took the lead for good. It was a nice effort against a team that was very hot coming into Fort Wayne with 4 wins against top level teams in this league.

The big theme that continues for the Mad Ants has to be urgency. Every play, every pass, every shot, every defensive effort must be made with an urgency that every thing counts. We don't want to look back and think I wish I would have concentrated a bit more on some possession. Playing with a real sense of urgency from the opening tip will give us a great chance to win against a very talented team in a very tough environment. Let's hope they all continue to lean on each other and get us a monstrous win on Thursday.

They Got One When They Needed One

There have been few more important games than last night in Erie, and that is probably why I drove out there to watch the game. The Mad Ants came through in a clutch 4th quarter with a huge three by Ryan Wittman and a classic coast to coast take by Ron Howard for an and one. That was it right there, as the Ants went on a 20-6 run to close the game out. Erie's Ivan Johnson was not playing due to a disciplinary matter, but who cares -- a win is a win, and we need as many as we can get right now.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Idaho is red hot, and we need to put the ball back in their court. As well as they are playing, we are going to have to get hot ourselves to stay ahead of them, especially considering that we would lose a tiebreaker to them (and Texas, for that matter). Texas will be playing in Tulsa tonight, and I don't have to tell anyone that we need to be huge 66er fans right now.

As for the Ants, if we take care of our own business, we should be alright. Again, big game on Sunday, and I hope we can fill the building as we go down to the wire here.

Rough Night

I thought last night's game was disappointing on many levels, but the most disappointing thing is I thought they played very timid last night. The Bayhawks are very good with a very good player in Ivan Johnson. Further, Ivan is a tough kid on the court, and he is not going to give any quarter. I think the guys did not battle that team the way they could have, and it ended up in a disappointing defeat.

The good news is that we know we can play much better. Chris Kramer did not have one of his better games, nor did Rod Wilmont or Ron Howard. Frankly, I can't think of a player on our side who really stood out, so I'd like to think we would have someone accept the challenge on Thursday, understand what we are playing for, not be intimidated, and play their best when their best is needed.

Tonight's Erie Game

Folks, we go back to back against one of the best teams in the d-league when we play the Erie Bayhawks. It is going to be a tough task for our guys to beat them. They were already a good team, and they just added Erik Daniels, who was a first team all d-league performer two years ago.

The key for us is the same thing -- we have to play with an urgency that every play, every possession is vital. We have to be physical, and we have to block out. And we have to play hard, but most importantly, we have to play smart.

We also need to win. We have three teams breathing down our neck just one game out of the final playoff spot. All teams are playing really well right now, but maybe the hottest of any of us is Idaho. Randy Livingston has them playing their best ball right now, and the Stampede went down into Rio Grande Valley and got a big win.

Undoubtedly, if we are going to have a shot to make the playoffs, we are going to have to get very hot ourselves. If we play with the type of urgency and competitiveness that we did against Iowa the other day, I like our chances. Let's see if we can't come up with a big one tonight!

Great Effort

The Mad Ants dropped a tough one yesterday afternoon to the Iowa Energy, but I could not be more proud of the way they fought and played in the loss. After playing the night before and busing all night to Des Moines, the guys played an early 5 pm game and gave Iowa everything they could handle. I think the achilles heal last night was just not having enough legs, because many jumpers we normally make were short. With that said, they had a chance to win at the end and if a few balls had bounced our way, we would have won.

Luckily for us, Texas lost to Maine yesterday, so we still remain a game ahead of them in the playoff race. Texas will play this Friday, and we have two games against another league powerhouse, the Erie Bayhawks.

Erie continues to be one of the better teams in this league, and they just added Erik Daniels. Erik played for them two years ago, and he was just terrific. He is a lefty four man who can shoot outside or score inside. Combine him with the best big in our league (Ivan Johnson) and a very hot Tasmin Mitchell, and you have a formidable front court.

We will have our work cut out for us, undoubtedly, but if we play like we did against Iowa, I like our chances.

National TV Game

Don't forget that tonight is our national television game on Versus! Very rarely has a local organization brought such a high profile event to Fort Wayne, and I hope that we will get a lot of folks out to the game tonight to show the national audience what great fans we have. The game will be broadcast at 11 pm ET/8 pm PT, and I hope you will tune in if you can't make it to the arena. See you tonight!

Big Night Tonight for the Mad Ants on Versus!

Tonight we have probably the biggest game of our franchise's existence, as we need to beat a tough Springfield Armor team tonight in front of what looks to be a big crowd and a national television audience on Versus.

Springfield's record could be better, but they have showed time and time again that they have a lot of talent in players like JamesOn Curry, Jerry Smith, Scottie Reynolds, and Lance Hurdle. Throw in assigned player Ben Uzoh from the New Jersey Nets, and we are going to have our hands full.

With the wins by Texas, Austin, and Idaho last night, we are only a half game up for the 8th spot in the playoffs, and we cannot afford to not take care of business at home.

I hope our guys come out and play with the urgency that our guys need to have tonight and for the rest of the games this season. Every play, every possession, every shot, every defensive effort is incredibly important, and our guys have to treat these instances with the utmost urgency it deserves.

How about this -- if the players are half as ready for this game as I am, we will be in good shape!

Ho Hum

I am sitting down to watch games for the first time in two days, and I am treated to some very boring games. Let's run down my viewing options:

• First, it is this awful Lebron James/State Farm commercial where they put him what might be the worst sweater I've ever seen. It looks like something from a bad 80's skiing movie, like Hot Dog. Awful.
• North Carolina is on, and I love them so very much from my few summers I spent there working their basketball camps. I really love that school, Roy Williams, and that awesome Carolina blue colors. I hope they win, and Duke loses.
• Marquette and Xavier is the closest game, but I can't stand watching either school.
• Kansas and Boston U is a complete blowout
• I can't stand watching Purdue. I think it has something to do with the colors they wear. I'm not afraid to admit it -- I like teams based on colors!
• Now is one of those lame Man Up Miller Lite commercials. I've never seen a one note premise tortured as much as this one. Enough with the nerdy guy in jeggings and the hot bartenders -- not funny.
• Drew Henson from UNC is really good. The closest thing to Sam Perkins I've seen in many a year.

Well, that is my evening. I know I should watch hoops, but unless a Pac 10 team is interested, I think I am going to go watch 30 Rock or something funny. Big game tomorrow. Hope the men are getting rested and ready to play with the urgency I discussed in my last post. It's a big one tomorrow, and we need to get it!

A Much Needed Win

Well, the team always makes it interesting, don't they? In a critical game (let's be honest, they are all critical from here on out), the Mad Ants looked like they were in real trouble with 5 minutes to go and down 7. But, the guys answered the bell, and they came charging back thanks to some big time plays by Chris Kramer, Darnell Lazare, and Marvin Phillips. Moreover, after watching two of Springfield's bench players combine for 61 points, Rod Wilmont and Ron Howard made the plays necessary on defense to help us escape with a one point win. It was a truly gutsy, tough win (especially after a first half that I believed to be quite the opposite of gutsy) for the guys and hopefully something they can build on.

While they should feel good with the win, the first half demonstrated, in my opinion, that the team must develop more of a killer instinct. The team had Springfield down in the first half and allowed Jerry Smith to single handedly keep them in the game. They had a seven point lead in the first half, but allowed that lead to evaporate rather than put their foot on their neck and pour it on. I hate the idea of letting teams back in the game -- and providing them a belief that they can win -- and having to scramble like last night to get a win when the outcome could be determined earlier through focus and execution.

The guys have a chance to do something special here in Fort Wayne and have some real fun while doing it. I'm excited to see them come out tomorrow night ready with an urgency, a purpose, and a focus that will lead to a vital victory.

An Old Friend Comes Home

Good news, Mad Ants fans. Ron Howard, our former All Star who left last year for China, is back in the D-League with the Mad Ants. Ron will bring some much needed experience to our team as we go through this crucial stretch. It will be great to have Ron back, and I am hoping that he can help put us over the top!

Good Weekend

A very solid weekend for the Mad Ants, as they take 2 of 3 from Springfield and Maine. Last night, I think the travel got to them, and I think Maine played really well, especially Mario West, who had a triple double and really shot the ball well.

So, while we didn't get the sweep like we all hoped, you can't turn your nose up at winning 2 of 3 games on the road. This sets up some critical games this week against Springfield at home and a tough one in Iowa right after our Saturday game.

Our team has never been in a playoff hunt, and it is going to be very fun to enjoy this with our fans! Hope to see you all at our games this Thursday and Saturday -- we are really going to need a loud crowd to push us through!

Non Basketball Entry!

Not much to talk about on the hoops side, so I'm going to talk about what is on my mind -- Special Agent Phil from this seasons version of Survivor. Rarely have I seen more entertaining person on television. Between his pink underwear that he seems to be running around, his crying, or his explanation of his tattoos, he is making this the best Survivor ever. I am extremely anxious to watch how Boston Rob will manipulate him tonight! So, for all ten of you readers out there (family not included) be sure to check this out!


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Out of Town

Hey folks, I'm way too late on the blog right now, and I apologize. I'm back in Seattle right now visiting my family after a long time away from home.

The one thing that I want to say above all things is thank you for the wonderful game we had last Friday night. It was fantastic to have so many fans out at the game, and I don't remember having so much at an Ants game. I obviously wish that the guys could have finished off a great night with a win, but it didn't detract from a wonderful evening. Thank you so much!

On the team front, Carlos English was waived today. We were very patient with Carlos over the year in hopes he would find his shooting touch and some of the good play he showed us last year, but it just never came and it was time to go on another direction. We will be looking to add someone soon, but look for Chris Kramer to slide over and run some one for the team.

Okay, back to some family time. I will try to get something up every day.


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Today's Practice

I thought today's practice was really pretty good for losing an all star and adding a new guy at a very important positions. Derek Raivio picked up the offense very easily, and I think he has the type of game that allows him to fit in well with any team -- he's unselfish. Like Walker, he is not a scoring point guard, but one that is trying to move the ball and get an easy shot. Those guys usually slide in well with a team, and I thought he did that today. It was only one practice, and we have a ways to go, but I thought he did well.

The other guy in the point guard equation is Carlos English. We are one of few teams that has taken a chance on Carlos, and I hope he will be able to reward our faith by playing some sound, fundamental basketball. We don't need him to go out and be Walker -- we need him to be the best Carlos English he can be. Which is to say, a penetrator, a defender, and a passer. If he can provide those three elements, he will really help and lift the club.

Undoubtedly, la duda is on the point guard position, and we need to have these two guys step up and fill the role. My expectations have not changed with this team -- they should be a playoff team and they have the talent to do it. We will get our chance to see where we are at the next two days.