2005-06 Titan Player Journals

Adam Dauksas (6-3 Sr Guard, Homewood-Flossmoor H.S.)

Entry #2 - January 2, 2006

Hey Everyone-

We have just returned from California and I must admit, it was a great trip. We played two tough teams and came away with two good wins. I couldn't wait to play Puget Sound after a long break away from the team.  Although we beat Hanover before break, I don't think I had played a worse game before in my life. It wasn't that I didn't score a lot or anything like that but the decisions I made late in the game left me with a bad taste in my mouth for all of break. I hold myself to very high standards and win or lose, I expect a lot.

Anyways, the trip to California allowed us all to bond and spend time with one another, and that was great. Keelan and I also had the opportunity to room with Andrew Gilmore. It was weird because I remember when I was that freshman who had to room with Camardella and Kasten. For those of you who don't know Andrew, he is a very good player and I expect very big things from him when we are gone.  For us seniors it was our last time that we would ever get to go on a trip like that and we wanted to make the most of it. I thought that our team played great in California, especially the big guys down low (Z, Chris, Cory and Schweer). I've never felt so confident in dumping the ball down low because I trust those guys so much.

Now we will turn our attention towards the conference season and continuing to play each game, one at a time. As of now we are going after win #1 and what we have accomplished to this point in the past is done with.

AD #22

Entry #1 - December 2, 2005

Alright Titan fans, B Quiz has asked that we continue our player journals again this year. Hopefully, we can keep them updated better than we did last year.

As of right now, we are 4-0 and have just come off of a win against St. Xavier, who is a very good basketball team. I think that the defense we played as a team against St. X was probably the best defense this unit has ever played together. As Coach Trost keeps telling us, our challenge is now to replicate that intensity and level of energy for every game we play. We can't simply "get up" to play teams like Illinois or St. Xavier but not for everyone else too.

I also can sense that we are sharing the ball a lot better than we have been in the past. On a team as talented as ours, we sometimes have a tendency to look for our own shots sometimes, but I think we have begun to grasp the concept of sharing and scoring as a unit and not just as an individual. I really enjoy the style of play that we have grown accustomed to and that being pushing the ball at every opportunity we get. Defending well and continuing to do push and share the ball will be ourkeys to success this entire year.

One person who maybe hasn't received much attention lately is our new assistant coach, Chad Hutson. I am sure many fans remember him and all of the assists he put up. I remember them because he reminds of the 198 he had about every day. I really enjoy having Chad around because of his experiences as a point guard. He really understands the game and gives me little pointers everyday. After practice on Monday we talked for about 1/2 hour about what it means to be a point guard and it really helped.

On a more personal side (I guess this is what journals are for right?) it is my mom's birthday today. So I would like to wish her a happy birthday over the internet. Also school is drawing near finals and the work in these closing weeks is terrible. Maybe it is "senioritis" but the only thing I can concentrate on now is basketball. Many of my fellow seniors feel the same way, even if they won't admit it.

Until next time,

#22