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Inside The WNBA With Duke's Georgia Schweitzer
April 30, 2002
Check back each week for new updates from Georgia Schweitzer
The past four months as an assistant coach at Duke was incredible-- 19-0 in the ACC, the Final Four and the women on the team were truly amazing.
As a coach, I gained a different perspective on the game-learning to analyze other teams and player tendencies, deciding what skills our team needed to work on in practice and building confidence in eight totally different personalities. Utilizing my experience, I now move on to my "summer job" and fully concentrate on being a member of the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA.
Leaving sunny Durham, I arrived at the Minneapolis Airport to SNOW, that's right, when the pilot said it was snowing I thought I did not pack enough sweaters and pants! Upon arriving late in the evening, I met my coach, the rookies and former Dukie Michele VanGorp at our living quarters for the summer.
We are staying in downtown Minneapolis this year in the heart of the city and among skyscrapers-right next to the Target Center (our playing venue) and the Nicollet Mall!! The next day we had team physicals, it was really great to see recognizable faces and to feel comfortable. There is something about familiarity that makes us all feel a little less lonely in the world.
Our first practice was at 7:00 AM, the rookies had all heard how hard and long our practices were. Our coach, Brian Agler, brought us together and addressed the issue of all the rumors about our practices. He said it was all pretty much true (I can attest to that!) but that we should take pride in knowing we work so hard. He demands high intensity and focus in everything we do.
After four to five hours (I am not kidding people) you want to feel satisfied that you gave everything, I always have to remind myself that my best effort is really all I control and reviewing and reviewing again all my mistakes of the day (my coach would probably tell you there are countless, I would agree too!) is really counter productive.
Unlike college basketball, you have no other commitments and a much smaller support circle so close by. At Duke, I had classes and my friends to keep me from replaying all the mistakes I had made in practice. That was probably the hardest mental adjustment I have made. I am such a so-called perfectionist (yeah I was pre-med too!) that I analyze, more like brutally criticize my performance.
In college I had practically no time for that, I had to race off to chemistry and environmental science lectures in which I had to shift my focus. As I walked to class I would mentally clear my mind, the walk was a great transition period. Now, I live by myself and have no classes.
With this I have become an avid reader, right now it's another biography of Abraham Lincoln (a favorite of mine) and I love reading epidemiological histories (did you know smallpox was one of the biggest threats from which George Washington had to protect his troops?). Also my college friends and sister are just a phone call away.
In part, it is nice to have extra time to review, I really take time to visualize, sometimes, I will just sit on the court and visualize the movements and plays. I enjoy and take time everyday to just think- maybe its basketball maybe its not, but no television, no email, no phone - just a conversation with myself. For today, I am excited to be back in "the cities" and thankful to be playing a game I love.
