Sheboygan Area Lutheran vs McDonell Central

Here are some photos from the D5 Semifinal between Sheboygan Area Lutheran (Green) and McDonell Central (White). Such an amazing start to the boys state finals with Sheboygan pulling away 63-61 behind Wisconsin recruit Sam Dekker's 35 points.

Steps to Improve Your Game

This is a prezi presentation that I put together, to highlight simple steps that athletes can take in order to improve their quickness over the off-season!

Talking On The Air at 1250 WSSP

So I had the opportunity last Saturday to go in studio at WSSP and sit down with my dad, Mike "Big Time" McGivern, on his Varsity Blitz Coach's show. This was my third time going in studio, and to be honest I always dread it beforehand, simply because of the nervousness that goes with talking on the air.


However,


I gotta admit that once I am asked that first question, all the nervousness goes away, and it becomes just as  natural as any other conversation with my dad as we talk about high school basketball. 


We talked a lot about this blog, and some of the experiences I have already learned while writing it. 


Here's the link to listen to my time that I was on the air. It definitely was a fun experience

1250 WSSP "Varsity Blitz"

WIAA Boys State Schedule

Thursday, March 15

DIVISION 5 - Semifinals - 1:35 p.m.

Sheboygan Area Lutheran (23-4) vs. McDonell Central (25-2)

Drummond (24-3) vs. Racine Lutheran (25-2)

DIVISION 4 - Semifinals - 6:35 p.m.

Oshkosh Lourdes (23-3) vs. Cuba City (26-0)

Colfax (24-2) vs. Dominican (25-1)

Friday, March 16

DIVISION 3 - Semifinals - 9:05 a.m.

Brillion (24-2) vs. Lodi (24-2)

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau (25-1) vs. Marshall (23-3)

DIVISION 2 - Semifinals - 1:35 p.m.

Kaukauna (24-2) vs. DeForest (18-8)

Onalaska (25-1) vs. Pius XI (23-3)

DIVISION 1 - Semifinals - 6:35 p.m.

Germantown (26-0) vs. Madison Memorial (25-1)

Oshkosh North (19-7) vs. Milwaukee King (23-1)

Saturday, March 17 - Championship Saturday

SESSION 1 - 11:05 a.m.

Division 5 Championship Game

Division 4 Championship Game 

Division 3 Championship Game

SESSION 2 - 6:35 p.m.

Division 2 Championship Game

Division 1 Championship Game

Talking City Conference Basketball with Ty Moseler

Quick Facts:

Name: Milwaukee South Cardinals

            14-10 (7-6)

Head Coach: Ty Moseler (10^th year)

Conference: City Conference

The city conference is known for its solid basketball teams such Milwaukee Vincent, Milwaukee King, Milwaukee Riverside, etc. But there is so much more to this vast conference than just the most well-known teams. Within this conference there lies many great stories and one of them is found in Milwaukee South’s head coach Ty Moseler.

I had the pleasure of talking with Coach Moseler about the city conference and his beliefs as a man who has been coaching in the city conference for the past 10 years.

He proved to be a man who desires for his athletes to mature as men during their time in high school basketball.

I asked Coach Moseler how he felt the city conference compared this year to previous years.

·         He commented that individually, the top third of teams are still great teams with great players, the middle pack were all solid, and with a conference as big as the city conference, there were a few teams who went through a rebuilding year.

As a whole, Coach thought the conference proved to be better than what he had originally thought at the beginning of the year. Thanks in large parts to the return of Milwaukee Vincent’s Deonte Burton (18.8 ppg) and Milwaukee Hamilton’s Kevon Looney (22.5 ppg), the city conference was again a conference full of talent.

However, with the emergence of overall increased talent in other conferences, the discussion as to which conference would be the strongest in the state of Wisconsin is no longer simply given to the City Conference, but has become more debatable over the past 5 years.  

I also asked Coach Moseler about the pros and cons of being a City Conference coach, specifically at South Milwaukee.

He reminded me that there is no job that is perfect, and no jobs that are only positives. The same applies with coaching.

Negatively,

·         Coach Moseler admitted at times there can be difficulties dealing with player’s off-court issues that arise, and dealing with who they should surround themselves with.

·         Specifically at South Milwaukee it can be difficult trying to get numbers compared to other top City schools who get a lot of the more well-known players.

Positively,

 (Which I’d say far outweighs the negatives)

·         Coach said at South Milwaukee he is pleased that they often get kids who easily buy into the style that he desires to play at. They may not individually be as talented as some other top schools, but they have learned to play together and to pull their talents to improve themselves as a team.

·         Coach Moseler also mentioned the great Administration support he has received over the years, whether it’s a hands on or off approach, the Administration has always been supportive.

I then asked about the impact he hopes to have on the kids he coaches, that will stay with them when they graduate from high school.

And his answer showed he desired basketball to be more than just a game.

·         Coach Moseler discussed how he wanted his players to learn to simply make the right decisions out in the world. Everyone makes mistakes but it is necessary to learn from them and eliminate the bad decisions.

He hoped that as a coach he would be able to further grow his player’s love for the game, while stressing the importance it is to be a teammate. Not to focus on yourself, but to work together towards a common goal.

Finally, I simply asked Coach Moseler what he loves about high school basketball.

·         His answer kept going back to two things that he believes drives a whole lot of coaches which are:

STUDENTS and COMMUNITY.

There is nothing like going to a high school game and seeing all the students packed into the gym showing their school pride, or the community gathering around their local high school to witness the big game against the rival.

There is simply a great “excitement to be in that atmosphere”

And for any of you who have a witnessed a packed out high school gym, you know exactly what he means.

I really enjoyed my conversation with Coach Moseler, and sadly his cardinal’s season ended last Saturday against Racine Park. But I have no doubt that he will have his team ready to compete next year, and the years to follow.

Updated Tournament Brackets

After a weekend of games, here are what the brackets look like heading into the Sectionals:


Division 1


Division 2


Division 3


Division 4


Division 5

Celebrating A Life

January 16th seemed to be a practice like any other for the Grafton Blackhawks, until tragedy struck. Josh Davis-Joiner, a 6-2 guard, collapsed to the floor just as practice had began. All efforts to revive Josh failed, and he passed away a short time later at a local hospital.

He was only 17-years old.

There is no way to celebrate a tragedy, so in this case I do not want to focus on the tragedy, but instead on the celebration of Josh Davis-Joiner’s life and impact he had on his team.

I talked with Grafton’s Head Coach Kevin McKenna to find out more about Josh and the kind of player that he was, and even though I did not know Josh personally and had not heard of him before this tragedy, after talking with Coach McKenna I knew that Josh was a man I would have been privileged to call “teammate.”

Coach McKenna told me that he saw Josh was one of those students/kids who really went out of his way to look out for and help people.

“From the team aspect, he was a leader that we really didn't see until he was gone.  He always practiced hard, pushing others to do better but when they struggled he was there to help them up and give them a kind word to do better.”

That is why high school basketball is so great, because every single player is important, even those who's role may not be to score all the points, but who work hard in practice in order to make their teammates better.

“He always guarded the opponent’s best guard or player and did it with a passion. All of that is sorely and will be sorely missed. My lasting memory of Josh is his smile and outgoing personality.  He was always smiling and making friends with everyone.”
 

What a blessing Josh must have been to his team

I would also like to bring attention to the events that took place 4 days later in Grafton’s first game after the tragedy, at Port Washington High School. The game between Grafton and Port Washington was not one that mattered on the scoreboard, but instead it was an opportunity to show respect for what had happened.

Even though it was an away game, it felt like a home game for Grafton because of the support of the Port Washington Fans. The fans and cheerleaders of Port Washington all wore orange, Grafton’s colors, in support of the team after Josh’s death. Josh’s number, 32, was everywhere, and so was the color pink, Josh’s favorite color. Josh’s teammates wore warm-ups which had a poem that Josh had recently written in class:

"My adrenaline is skyrocketing. I'm in another world. The bond with my teammates carries us along, win or lose. We're all one big family."

After all he had been through, I asked Coach McKenna if there was anything he would say to coaches who may someday find themselves in the same situation.

“As far as to the coaches, that's the toughest question. As I have said there is no manual for this.  I would say to be comforting, talk to players and keep up with parents.  If they don't teach in the building keep up with teachers and other staff members. You don't always see how there doing just in practice. Practice seems to be a release, and a distraction.  I would rely on counselors they have a way of handling it well.  Lastly, I would say that your first concern is naturally for the kids, but you have the temptation to forget about your own feelings and emotions.  Don't forget to talk about it from your point of view as well.”

Josh Davis-Joiner’s death is very humbling, but his life is worth celebrating. My prayers go out to all those involved.