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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Stuart Hoops Displaying Passion, Hungry to Build on Early Progress
By Bill Alden
After losing to Stone Ridge in the final of the Sacred Heart tournament on the Sunday before Christmas, several players on the Stuart Country Day School basketball team reacted to the defeat with tears.
While Stuart head coach Tony Bowman wasn't happy that his team had lost, he was smiling inside when he saw how hard his players took the defeat.
"They were very upset," said Bowman recalling the aftermath of the 53-37 loss to Stone Ridge which dropped his team to 4-3 on the season.
"That's good, it means that they care. I didn't always see that last year. They are hungry. You get a taste of winning and you say I can do this."
The Tartans came into the final with a very good taste in their mouth after cruising past Greenwich 63-44 in the opening round of the four-school event which was held in Bethesda, Md.
"In that first game, we played the best we had all year in terms of running the offense," asserted Bowman, who got 22 points in the win from Kelly Bruvik with Caitlin Spratt adding 16 and Kathryn Kitts chipping in 15.
"We had three kids with 15 points or more. We don't have much height so we need that kind of balance. We put on a press in that game that was as good as any Prep B team can do. We executed both offensively and defensively."
In the final, the Tartans had the fire but not the execution. "We were aggressive but couldn't take advantage of it," said Bowman, whose team hit just 12-of-35 free throws in the championship contest. "We need to finish better. It's good to play teams that you don't know. It forces you to prepare hard on what you need to do well."
Over the holiday break, Bowman had his team focused on conditioning and making their foul shots. "We're doing free throw drills in practice, explained Bowman, who is in his second year as the Stuart coach and guided the Tartans to the state Prep B semis in his first year at the helm.
"A player takes a foul shot and if she misses the whole team has to run suicide sprints. They're getting to know how important it is to make a free throw."
Bowman knows how important junior captain Kitts has been to his team. "I think Kathryn takes things the hardest, she is scrappy, fiery," said Bowman.
"Being captain, she has to represent me on the court. She is being held to a higher standard, she can't lose her cool out there. She plays well in the high post and the offense needs to run through her. She is putting a fire under other people."
One player who has been on fire for the Tartans is the rapidly improving sophomore guard Bruvik. "Kelly has been a pleasant surprise," added Bowman. "There have been quarters this year when she has carried the team. She is relentless. She is also cool-headed and humble. I tell her to do a job and she does it to the best of her ability."
Bowman believes his team can get the job done as they head into the 2005 portion of their schedule.
"We were over .500 going into the break and that's good," said Bowman, whose team hosts Timothy Christian on January 6, plays at Blair on January 8 and at Purnell on January 10 before hosting Pennington on January 11. "Our execution has been better. From where we were last year to where we are now, I'm so happy. I'm looking forward to 2005." And if the Tartans can keep progressing, they may be causing some of their foes the rest of the winter to turn on the tears.
