Coaches Corner. Falcon Fastbreak

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Wesley Jeffrey Cook
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1 Falcon Fastbreak I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Coaches 1 Corner Meet the 2-3 Juniors Thanksgiving 4-5 in NYC Where are 6 they now?? Air Force 7 Classic Coaches Corner Life will always throw obstacles in your path. Some obstacles may have positive outcomes and some obstacles will be painful and hard. All the obstacles that you are hit with in life do one thing: help you grow as a person. The same thing can be said about the game of basketball. This season will be filled with triumphs, defeats and most of all learning lessons to make us better basketball players and tougher individuals. We will win together, lose together, but most importantly, we will grow individually and grow as a team. This team is fun to coach. I love coaching all 16 of our players. Every day I walk into practice, they put a smile on my face as they are so eager to learn and compete hard! There is nothing more rewarding as a coach to see your players improve and your team starting to mesh together into something great. We aren't where we need to be yet, but we continue to take strides forward each and every day. This November has been a fun one! We had a few fun road trips through the state of Colorado and spent Thanksgiving in New York. It was an incredible experience; it was the first time many of our players have been to New York City and we had the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with our Falcon Family! Not only that, but we got the first W of the season! In this newsletter, you will get to read about our awesome junior class, see our trip to NYC and read about some of our recent alumni! Don t forget to come out and support our team this weekend during our Air Force Classic! Have a great holiday season Falcon Fans! -Coach Fitz

Meet the Juniors Dee Bennett Use 1 word to describe each person in your class. Erika: Gritty, Cortney: Princess If you had to play a different sport besides basketball, what would it be and why?

There s a private reserve in the middle of nowhere with water slides that go into the ocean. It looks so peaceful! If you could pick your ideal job after graduation, what would it be?

What are some of the big differences between this year and last year? The team atmosphere is the biggest difference. We feel closer than last year.

2 Meet the Juniors Dee Bennett Use 1 word to describe each person in your class. Erika: Gritty, Cortney: Princess If you had to play a different sport besides basketball, what would it be and why? Softball because they don t run much and get to sit in the shade with cold drinks during the game. If you had to plan a trip anywhere, where would you go and why? Gili Lankanfushi Maldives. There s a private reserve in the middle of nowhere with water slides that go into the ocean. It looks so peaceful! If you could pick your ideal job after graduation, what would it be? Either Nursing or Public Affairs. I think I would be happier if I got Public Affairs. You get to talk to all the important people, go to cool places and plan fun things. What are some of the big differences between this year and last year? The team atmosphere is the biggest difference. We feel closer than last year. You can see it on the court too because we re having more fun and everyone is excited to see each other do good things. Cortney Porter Use 1 word to describe each person in your class. Dee: Determined, Erika: Resilient If you had to play a different sport besides basketball, what would it be and why? Softball, I used to play in high school and miss playing it. Also, there is very little running and you get to be outside in the sun If you had to plan a trip anywhere, where would you go and why? I d go on an Alaskan cruise. I have never been to Alaska or on a cruise. I want to see all of the wildlife and scenery, go fishing and eat some great seafood. If you could pick your ideal job after graduation, what would it be? My ideal job would probably be either a personnel officer or a force support officer. What are some of the big differences between this year and last year? Practices have been different this year, there is more energy and intensity in the gym and we are all working hard and pushing each other to be better. Also, we are a very young team so it has given us upperclassmen the opportunity to step up and become leaders for the freshman. We are all ready to go out and play and get some wins! Erika Chapman Use 1 word to describe each person in your class. Dee: Lively, Cortney: Competitive If you had to play a different sport besides basketball, what would it be and why? Tennis, because Serena Williams has changed the game for women and Serena s presence in the sport is incredible. If you had to plan a trip anywhere, where would you go and why? I would go home to see my family because it s been so long since I ve been there. If you could pick your ideal job after graduation, what would it be? I would love to be a contracting officer after graduation. Who doesn t like spending other people s money, right? :) Also, I would be utilizing my degree in business management. What are some of the big differences between this year and last year? Last year I saw improvements in the team while I watched from the stands. People worked harder and looked like they enjoyed playing the game. This year I still see the same improvements up close and personal and I see girls really dialing in to their roles on the team.

3 Meet the Juniors

Thanksgiving in NYC My favorite part of New York was shopping in NYC, visiting the 9-11 memorial, and the tour of West Point given by the one and only Coach Mills.

I was fortunate enough for my entire family to come and we spent Thanksgiving together. They loved following the team and being able to watch us beat FDU!

It was a reflective reminder of what we represent when we step on the court. Venessannah Itugbu 19 My favorite part of New York was seeing the 9/11 Memorial.

4 Thanksgiving in NYC My favorite part of New York was shopping in NYC, visiting the 9-11 memorial, and the tour of West Point given by the one and only Coach Mills. Jenn Urbaniak 20 "New Yoooorrrrkkkk, concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There's nothing you can't do" Kailin Davis 20 New York was a blast! I was fortunate enough for my entire family to come and we spent Thanksgiving together. They loved following the team and being able to watch us beat FDU! Cheyenne Wall 19 Although it was tough being away from family, I truly enjoyed experiencing the 9-11 memorial with my teammates. It was a reflective reminder of what we represent when we step on the court. Venessannah Itugbu 19 My favorite part of New York was seeing the 9/11 Memorial. It gave me an entirely different perspective of the event. Ifeoma Emeka 20 My favorite memory was our team bonding, I think it was fun, but at the same time brought us together. I think this trip helped bring us closer together and helped with our team win yesterday. Stef Perrin 20 I loved seeing Times Square and getting to experience that at night with the team. Darby Glaab 19 "I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the legendary Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person and I slept through my alarm. Classic." Anna Nicholson 20 It was great getting to bond more with the team in New York, see my family on Thanksgiving and beat FDU! Sarah Falvey 17

Thanksgiving in NYC I liked riding the subway, surprisingly. I didn't like all the people so close to me, but riding through the different boroughs and major avenues was cool.

Dee Bennett 18 My favorite part about New York was going to the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, 9-11 memorial and Times Square.

Kassady Huffman 20 "New York was a lot of fun! The best part was beating FDU and getting the first win of the season (stay tuned-more wins to come).

5 Thanksgiving in NYC I liked riding the subway, surprisingly. I didn't like all the people so close to me, but riding through the different boroughs and major avenues was cool. My favorite part of NY was going to Brooklyn and being able to see and walk through the place where Jay-Z grew up while I was there. I like rap music and he's kind of a big deal. Dee Bennett 18 My favorite part about New York was going to the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, 9-11 memorial and Times Square. Mariah Forde 20 My favorite memory was Vanessannah freaking out because the closet in her room at the hotel opened and the lights flickered in her room too so she thought it was haunted. Kassady Huffman 20 "New York was a lot of fun! The best part was beating FDU and getting the first win of the season (stay tuned-more wins to come). The funniest part of the whole trip was probably our team building activity where we split up into two groups and each created our own song and dance and performed it in front of the coaches! (My team won!)" Cortney Porter 18 My favorite memory was when we sung happy birthday to Coach G even though it was not her birthday. That moment was hilarious. The whole restaurant sang happy birthday along with all of us. We only did that to have a dessert after the incredible dinner we had. I will never forget that moment. :) Patricia Rosich 20 My favorite part was getting to see the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. I also thought it was cool just walking (or in my case rolling) around New York. I had a lot fun just being able to spend time with my teammates. Sarah Pierce 20 Best part about New York was getting to know my teammates better and making memories like spending part of our time at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Erika Chapman 18

Where are they now?!? Christina Gamble and Taylor Parker recently graduated from the Air Force Academy in June of 2016.

Christina Gamble: Class of 2016 4 Year member of women s basketball team and senior captain As a recently commissioned 2d Lt, life is a lot different than it was at the Academy.

6 Where are they now?!? Christina Gamble and Taylor Parker recently graduated from the Air Force Academy in June of Here is a recap of what they have been up to since they graduated from the Academy! Christina Gamble: Class of Year member of women s basketball team and senior captain As a recently commissioned 2d Lt, life is a lot different than it was at the Academy. I had an awesome time over 60 days reconnecting with family and visiting my friends from school. Toward the end of 60 days, I became even more excited about entering the operational Air Force as a Cyber Space and Network Operations officer. For the last few months I have been at Kessler AFB, in Mississippi learning how to do my job as a Cyber Officer. I am thankful for how the Academy's academic rigor prepared me to succeed in Undergraduate Cyber Training. While waiting for my chance to start training, I was tasked out to the Communications Squadron to assist them with jobs across the base. Although working on casual is sometimes seen as a negative thing, I met many influential officers and civilians that work on Keesler, while also working alongside of some of the Air Force's best enlisted members. Life is some much different than the Academy, but it was definitely worth the years at the Academy to get to where I am today, and to push me toward a great future! Taylor Parker: Class of Sport Varsity Athlete in Volleyball and Basketball After graduation I traveled to Europe with two volleyball teammates (Felicia Clement and Rachael Bradley Powers) and two of my old roommates (Courtney Gunning and Staci Colbacchini). We went to Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy. It was an amazing trip, and I can't wait to go back to see more of Europe. I spent the rest of the time at home with my family doing Montana things (camping, fishing etc.) I am now stationed at Vandenberg AFB in California for Missiles training. We are only a few days into training so for the first few months I was on casual working in the Chapel. I just recently found out that my first base will be very close to home. My first assignment will be Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, MT! Training is about 5 months long so I should be done in April!

Coaches Corner. Falcon Fastbreak

Coaches Corner. Falcon Fastbreak Falcon Fastbreak INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Coaches 1 Corner Season Recap 2-3 Senior Night 4 Record 5 Breakers Recognition 6 Camp! 7 Coaches Corner Happy March Madness! March is always one of the best months for