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Wildcats Are A Work In Progress

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By LEE DIEKEMPER Tribune correspondent

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 13, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - An overtime victory on the road against a solid team to remain undefeated usually pleases a coach. Wesley Chapel coach Karim Nohra was pleased.

He was jumping up and down and pumping his fist on the bench when his Wildcats (6-0) pulled off a 53-47 victory against Land O' Lakes on Wednesday. But Nohra knows the season is a long one, and his team has a lot to learn.
Nohra has only been the girls coach since late July, when he took over for Warren Jones. Nohra wants his team to push the ball up the floor and press religiously, and that is a bit of a departure from Jones' tactics.

So despite the Christmas break approaching, Nohra's team still is learning his ways.

"I would love to have my whole offense in now," Nohra said. "I'd love to have all of my offenses and all my defenses and all of my presses in. But the players are still asking me questions. Lots of times in practice I am having to answer basic questions.

"I do a lot of things different than what Warren Jones did. Nothing against Warren Jones, just different coaching and different styles."

In Nohra's eyes, not having the summer to work with the girls put the team at least a couple of months behind schedule.

"The whole summer was gone," Nohra said. "They played summer league, but not under my system. They went to camps, but not with my style of coaching. So everything I talk about is new to them."

Also hindering Nohra is that most of the girls have limited or no varsity experience.

"I'm frustrated sometimes, but I cannot be happier with the girls," Nohra said. "They are really working hard for me.

"It's just frustrating sometimes that at this stage of the season, if I had the summer to work with the team I wouldn't be explaining things the way I am.

"Sometimes I will call a timeout and say, 'You should have been here; you should have been there.' If I had the time, that would all be totally second nature to them."

GOOD TEST: If Land O' Lakes (4-3) could take anything away from the overtime loss to Wesley Chapel, it was that the girls are just a free throw away from being better.

"Any game like this is always a test," Gators coach Laurie Pacholke said. "It is very early."

It was the first time this season that the Gators had been tested by a Pasco County team.

"In the county, you either have a few teams at the very top or down here and really nothing in between," Pacholke said.

Playing good teams will usually flush out an element that may need work.

Pacholke thinks the main area the Gators need to improve in would be free throw shooting.

"We missed 14 free throws," Pacholke said. "You can't do that against a good team like Wesley Chapel. You just can't do it.

"We are not going to miss 14 free throws in another game."

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