Picking up where we left off in Bahamas on first official day of practice

By Rob Senderoff
Head Men's Basketball Coach

Yesterday was the first day that teams across the country were allowed to practice. The first practice is always an exciting day. We’re in a bit of a different situation than some other schools in that we practiced for 10 days a little over a month ago prior to our Bahamas trip. So for us, it was more of a continuation of where we left off than it was a start.

On the first day, we wanted to get back to some of the defensive principles and defensive foundations that we put in place over the summer. I think that was emphasized yesterday, as well as in our second practice today. Next week, we’ll start incorporating some of the offensive stuff.

I think our guys are in a good frame of mind right now. They’ve competed pretty hard in these first two practices, which is good to see.

The new NCAA rule allows us 30 practices within a 42-day window leading up to the first game of the season. We play our first game against Ohio Northern 42 days from yesterday, which allowed us to begin on Friday.

I think it’s going to be beneficial for us in a lot of ways. It allows us to give our guys more recovery time because we have more days to get our practices in. We used to go two-a-days and only give our players one day a week off. And I think that caused a lot of sloppy play, fatigue, and even some injuries early in the year. I really believe that this will be a good thing for us.

Coach Senderoff instructs the team during Saturday's practice.

We’re really excited about the new season and what lies ahead for us. We are scheduled to play a school-record 18 home games at the M.A.C. Center this year and hope you all have an opportunity to watch us play. Season tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased on kentstatesports.com or by calling our ticket office at 330-672-2244.

I am pleased to be able to support a great cause in the American Cancer Society this coming Thursday at the second annual Northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer^®Tip-off Reception at Mr. Anthony's in Boardman. Along with three other head coaches from the area, I will be discussing our team’s outlook for this season. For tickets or more information on the event, visit http://www.cvcnortheastohio.org.