Northwestern University Athletics
Drew's Views
3/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2010
Hello Wildcat Fans!
Another two weeks in the books, and we are nearing the end of the regular season. The past couple of weeks have been pretty tough for our team. We lost on the road to Wisconsin, lost to Penn State home and away, and beat Iowa at home.
It is disappointing to lose games, especially when we know how capable we are, and how good we should be. Dealing with a loss is one of the most difficult things in sports. When we lose a game it is often hard to sleep because I am constantly thinking of the game, of what I could have done better. The feeling of a loss is incredibly draining, but some of the best sports advice I have received is to be able to move on from a bad game. It is a difficult thing to do, but it is necessary in order to remain mentally tough and confident. I believe the best way to approach a loss is to watch the film of the game, note the team and individual mistakes, consider what needs to be worked on, talk about it as a team, and then move on. It is a situation in which it is beneficial to have great senior leaders to continue to encourage and motivate the team.
Looking forward from our disappointing weeks, we have two regular season games left. We play Chicago State in a nonconference matchup at home on Wednesday, and on Saturday we travel to Bloomington for a game against Indiana. Wins in these two games would be huge for us, because it would give us momentum going into the Big Ten tournament. As a freshman, this will be a new experience for me until we complete the season. However, I know how important this tournament is for us, and I understand what we need to do to accomplish our goals for the season.
On the academic side of things, we are nearing the end of the winter quarter. This week of classes will be the last before Reading Week. Reading Week is a period at Northwestern in which there are no classes, and it gives students time to prepare for finals the following week. We still have practice of course, but the extra free time is very useful to catch up on reading and studying. During the season, most guys on the team take three classes instead of four in order to lighten the load for the busy in-season schedule.
The quarter system at Northwestern is unique, because you are enrolled in each class for only 10 weeks. It gives students a chance to take more classes, but it also speeds up the rate at which professors teach the material. It is difficult adjusting to the quarter system, because tests and papers come much more frequently. With so much of my time dedicated to athletics, it makes school challenging. I have to stay focused on schoolwork when I get free time, whether it is reading for class after practice, or studying for a test on the road. Procrastination is not an option for athletes. Now we're nearing the end of the quarter, and it will be nice to have a break from classes during spring break.
I hope to see you all Wednesday when we take on Chicago State at Welsh-Ryan Arena. It is another big game for us and we can use all the support we can get! This is also a tremendous opportunity to pay tribute to Jeremy Nash and Matt Steger on Senior Night. So far this season our fans have been great. It has been awesome to be a part of a Northwestern community that cares so much about its basketball team. Beating Purdue at home and having the crowd rush the court was unbelievable and one of the most exciting games of my life. The fan support really gets us going as a team, and we hope that you will all continue to come watch us play!
Until Next Time!
