Parents Host Tip-Off Dinner

Following the conclusion of a 52-18 Sophomore victory over Tonka, the parents hosted the annual Tip-Off Dinner for the players of the Blue Jay basketball program.
"The tip-off dinner was a great time to relax with teammates, talk, and eat good food," stated senior guard Christian Brinser.

Another senior, Bryan Adams, said "It was very good food to go and play on...and the company wasn't bad either."
"We really appreciated the parents providing a meal for our players. It was a great way to start the season. To share each other's company off the floor is very important to building team chemistry and this was a fun way for our players to begin the process," remarked assistant coach Brandon Smith.

The Jays tip-off the season for real Tuesday, Dec 1st, night against Park Hill. The junior varsity game begins at 5:30 followed by the varsity game around 7:00. Get out to Cokely Fieldhouse to watch the 09-10 Jays.

Blue-White Scrimmage

The Blue Jay and Lady Jay basketball programs enjoyed a fun night of basketball at the annual Blue-White Scrimmage Friday night. After player introductions, the boys' team participated in three scrimmages. Each game was very competitive with the defense dominating most of the action.

"The coaching staff was pleased with what we saw during the scrimmages. The three things our staff looked for tonight were communication both on offense and defense, hustle, and working together as a team. For the most part, we saw those things out of our players and that's very encouraging. We still have a lot to implement but thanks to our players' work ethic, we feel we're in good shape", remarks Coach Stirtz.

The Jays were pressed into having to make a big comeback in the 3 point challenge against the girls' team. Thanks to some clutch shooting by Denton Koon and Jordan Lewis, the Jays were able to win by just 3 shots.

During the Varsity scrimmage, the Jays shared the ball well, ran the floor better, and shot the ball well from the perimeter. "I liked our pace tonight. I liked how we pushed the ball down the floor and our bigs did a good job of running the floor. I was pleased with the full-court pass from JT to Bryan for a dunk. Something we'll need to build on is how we are screening for each other, hustling on the floor, rebounding, and taking better care of the ball," states Coach Stirtz.

At the conclusion of the game, fans were able to shoot a FT for a dollar for the opportunity to win a basketball t-shirt. Over 100 t-shirts were won. Thanks to all our fans for coming out to watch!

Blue vs White Scrimmage

As ESPN runs the "24 hour College Hoops Marathon", Liberty Basketball fans will get their chance of a basketball marathon of their own.

On Friday, November 20th, both Men's and Women's basketball teams will give you a sneak peak to the 09-10 season. We invite you to come out to Cokely Fieldhouse starting at 6:30pm for a fun and exciting evening of basketball.

Please see below for a schedule of events for the evening.

6:30-6:40 Boys Player Intros

6:40-6:52 Boys game #1

6:52-7:00 Girls Player Intros

7:00-7:15 Girls game #1

7:15-7:30 Boys game #2

7:30-7:40 3 point contest (2 girls vs 2 boys)

7:40-8:00 Girls Varsity

8:00-8:20 Boys Varsity

8:20 Fans: $1 shot for hoops t-shirt

Don't miss out on your first opportunity to see the Jays!

We are looking forward to an exciting 2009-2010 season, we look forward to seeing you on Friday, November 20th at 6:30pm.

GO JAYS!

New Season Gets Started

The 09-10 BlueJay basketball season is into it's second week of practice and the excitement level is very high. The players have completed 7 successful, competitive practices. "Our best practice of the season was tonight. The team was locked in from the beginning of practice and it continued over the next 2 and a half hours. The coaches were pleased with the intensity level and execution. For us to get to the next level, we're going to need to be much more fundamentality sound on the defensive end. There needs to be more hustle, communciation, and desire to not let anyone score on us," states assistant coach Phil Simpson.

With the Jays trying to play a little faster on offense, work is being done to incorporate a more uptempo pace while maintaining focus on the motion offense in half court situations. "We implemented more full court transition drills to teach our players the importance of running or better yet, sprinting down the floor. We think with our quick guards and athletic forwards we'll have opportunities for some easy baskets. It all depends on our defense and if we can force turnovers and get rebounds. Our players will need a lot more repetitions in practice to learn how to transition from a fast break situation to our half court motion. We're making progress. We just need to tighten up our execution and get into a better flow," mentiones assistant coach Chris McCabe.

The Jays will be on display this Friday, Nov 20th beginning at 6:30 at Cokely Fieldhouse for the Blue/White Scrimmage. There will be more details about the scrimmage in an upcoming blog.

Lebanon Tournament bracket

Following a home opener against Park Hill on Dec 1st, the Jays will travel to Lebanon, MO for a tournament Dec 3rd-5th. The bracket has Liberty playing the host school on Thursday, Dec 3rd at 7:00pm. Winning the first round game would pit the Jays against the winner of the Helias-Waynesville game at 8:30 on Dec 4th. For a complete bracket check out our website at:

http://athletics.liberty.k12.mo.us/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=1232963695993

Leadership Training with Rob Miller

The Boys basketball team, along with about 70 other student/athletes from LHS, participated in a leadership summitt presented by Rob Miller. The purpose of the conference was to instruct the leaders of sports teams in the importances of their jobs and guide them in correctly leading their teams.

Mr. Miller took the group through five stages: 1. Steps to a great team. 2. Standards for a great team. 3. Roles of the captain. 4. Potential challenges. 5. Summary/assessment. Through team discussions, each sport was able to identify their core covenants and what their team standards look like in action.

Senior guard, Skyler Schlick mentioned his favorite quote. "The will to win is important. The will to prepare is vital." Mental toughness is staying positive and enthusiastic no matter what.

JT Nixon, senior guard, liked the phrase, "A great team does not happen by chance. A great team reaches potential. Give 100%, 100% of the time."

Senior guard, Luke Lee, said, "The conference was very worthwhile. It was a time for our team to define what a great team looks it and set up our core covenants for the season. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad Mr. Miller was able to share his expertise with us. It will help."