Interestingly, Saturday was 52 weeks exactly from last year's debacle at St Louis. To see us flip the script on the aggressive start, and pummeling to follow, was one of the more satisfying moments I've had as a fan of this team.
I've been reflecting on our turnaround. The day after that game last year, with good reason, many of us were starting to have doubts about how 'bright' this future was or how fast it would really arrive. We'd just been boat raced by an upper tier team for the 4th time that season, and seemed lost when matched up with rosters comprised of physically imposing athletes. We'd even been rag dolled into an 18 point second half deficit against LaSalle a week prior. We questioned our physical toughness and grit; wondered if that Adaway guy on the bench could help, or if we could bring anyone in that could help.
Come December, our non conference is fucked and 2 key guys bail on the team. Yet here we are. A team that we wondered about its toughness a year ago has now built its identify as a hard nosed team with stifling d, and a balanced offense that finds ways to get to the rim. In the first half Saturday, St Louis protected the rim at all costs and dared us to beat them from 3. We hit a couple, but overall they werent dropping. We adjusted and found a way to get to the rim anyway.
We faced what are maybe the 2 most physical teams in the league on back to back days, and established ourselves as the aggressor early. Adway's comfortable and smooth presence in the paint opens up so much for us when we make the extra pass. Everyone has made incredible improvements on d, to be sure. But Adway's defensive skill in combination with that is the kicker. His predecessor's had a tendency to get lost, or get beat, or both. That caused things so often to fall apart.
As the pure elation from Saturday slowly subsides, it's leaving its mark with me in the form of simply being very proud of our guys.