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| Kourtnee Williams drives the lane. (Ed Hooper | The VDT) |
Both the women and the men claimed victories Saturday night the at the P.E. Complex, improving to 1-0 on the season. The Lady Blazers beat Trinity Baptist 64-51, while the Blazers beat Point 85-62.
Here are some impressions from opening night:
Both teams respond: Each and every time the women or the men were faced with difficult situations, they responded with positive plays. If you're a VSU basketball fan, that is an encouraging sight. For the Lady Blazers, Brooke Satterfield rose to the occasion and scored 10 of the team's final 16 points to help pull away from Trinity Baptist, who had closed with three points with seven minutes remaining. When the ladies needed a playmaker, Satterfield was that player. Earlier in the half, Dericks Griffis was able to make some plays, scoring 10 of 12 points during one stretch, which helped VSU build a lead.
The Blazers responded, too. After building a 20-point second half lead, some sloppy, chaotic possessions allowed Point University to close within 12 points. After two timeouts by Coach Mike Helfer, the Blazers responded by putting together a 13-0 run and essentially icing the game. The response by the men was impressive, simply because last year the team wasn't able to do it.
The crowd loves Sparks: Josh Sparks is the only returning players from last year's 11-16 team. He was joined on the roster by 12 new players. Well, it was clear Saturday night that keeping Sparks on the team was a good call by Helfer and associate head coach Nick Gast. When introduced to the 1,600-plus on hand, Sparks received a thunderous roar from the crowd. When he got his first slam dunk of the season, the crowd, once again, roared. Sparks electrified the crowd on the defensive end too, getting several blocks that sent the ball several rows into the stands.
Helfer has glow: During various points of last season, you could look at Mike Helfer and see the frustration and the look of defeat on his face. Saturday night, Helfer had a look of optimism and excitement on his face. From the scorers table where media is located, you could see Helfer was actually back having fun and enjoying the ability to coach his team. After the game, Helfer said it was fun and that he can coach a team that "gives 100 percent for 40 minutes." That is what he got Saturday night.
Lady Blazers struggle off the glass: Usually when someone mentions "the glass" they're referring to rebounds. Well, right now, I am referring to shots off the glass, something the Lady Blazers struggled with Saturday night. On Several (and I mean more than 10), the Lady Blazers looked like they were throwing the ball off the glass rather than shooting the ball into the hole. If VSU is going to be successful this season, the ladies will have to be lighter shooting off the glass, or they'll continue to miss shots and, in the end, lose games.
Men struggle from downtown but shoot nearly 50 percent: 49.2 percent. That was the shooting percentage for the Blazers Saturday night. That high-percentage was gained by driving the lane and dunks, not from shooting 3-pointers. After setting a school-record for 3-pointers in 2010-11, the new Blazer team struggled and shot just 27 percent from behind the arc Saturday night.
Back to running: When the Valdosta State men's basketball team won the South Region and advanced to the Division II Elite 8 in 2009-10, the Blazers were a running team. They would go up and down the court for all 40 minutes. Finally, the Blazers look to be back playing that brand of basketball again this season. On Saturday night, the Blazes were running more than they had the two previous seasons, which in return produces some electrifying moments for the crowd. The only note: players need to look ahead quicker for the open pass. Several times Saturday night the Blazers had a man far ahead on the court and a teammate didn't recognize his presence until it was too late. That knowledge might come with more games, so fans shouldn't be too concerned.
— Follow me on Twitter at @Ed_Hooper.
