Weekly Update

“It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit” — John Wooden

Recap - I hope everyone was able to get some well-deserved rest this weekend.  Over the past he past two weeks we played six games - that’s one game shy of half the games in the season!  You should all be very proud of your efforts and contributions to the team’s successes to date.  With ten games behind us, we face our toughest competition this week against Tiverton on the road.  We only have one practice before the game so we need to reach deep inside and really focus on improving the things that got us to this point.  A big thanks to the Heatherton, Sullivan and Lemay families for providing drinks / snacks on the bus the past two weeks.

Playing Time - Over the past few weeks there have been indications that some of you are feeling you are not being given fair playing time during the varsity games.  Although I can appreciate and empathize with your feelings, you must know the decision on who plays during a game is never easy and never taken lightly.  We would like to play everyone during the games, but the fact of the matter is we are in a competitive league and must play who we feel is appropriate for the game situation.  Fundamentally, our decisions are based on “The characteristics of a complete player”, described on the coach’s philosophy page on our website.   I encourage ALL ATHLETES to take some time to reflect on these characteristics relative to the rest of the team.  If you still feel you are not being treated fairly you need to talk with me and coach Mark.

This Week’s Plans - Showers are predicted for the middle part of the week starting late Tuesday (weather).  The Tiverton game has been re-scheduled from Wednesday to Tuesday night.  Here is our game schedule for the week:

Tuesday, May 8: Away game against Tiverton (directions) @ 7:00 pm – no JV game.  Bus leaves at 5pm.

US Lacrosse All-Academic Honors - All juniors and seniors may be considered for the US Lacrosse all-academic honor.  Players interested in being nominated for honor must submit a nomination form (attached to Email) to coach Ken with their academic information verified by the school no later than Monday May 14, 2012.  The past two years, we have had Narragansett athletes selected for this honor: 2011 list, 2010 list.  Please consider applying for this award.  I have not received any applications for this award to date. 

Rhode Island All Academic Team – This award is open to any Sophomore, Junior or Senior athlete who is a Starter or significant contributor, has a GPA of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale for the first 3 quarters of the current school year or a cumulative GPA of 3.3 for the high school tenure.  The application form is attached to this Email.  It must be signed by your guidance counselor and returned to me by May 14, 2012.

Important Dates - There are some upcoming dates you need to be aware of:

June 4, 2012 - Coaches Select Game (formerly the all-star game)– location TBA.  Coaches select players will be announced at the end of the season.

June 13, 2012 - All-Division Awards Banquet –6pm at the West Valley Inn.  Tickets will be approximately $20 per person.  All players / parents are invited.  I need a head count as soon as possible to reserve seats for Narragansett.

Player Stats / Game Pictures - Parents – if you have been keeping statistics during the games, please provide this information to me so I can verify each players stats.  I have been reviewing video from each game to verify stats for accuracy, but your input is a good cross check to verify my results.  Player stats can be viewed at (MaxPreps).  Also, if anyone has been taking still photos of the action at our games, please send these to me so I can use them on the web site.  Thanks to all of you for your continued support.

Keep your Sticks Up and Play on!