Menu
Cougars start practices late due to volleyball success
ROACHDALE -- North Putnam has gotten off to a late start this season as many of its varsity players are just wrapping up their sectional-winning volleyball season.
The Cougars are also contending with a new head coach, Kevin Corsaro, who was an assistant at Decatur Central from 2006-10 and whose first full-team practice took place Thursday.
"I think one of my strengths as a basketball coach is that I don't get flustered about things," Corsaro said. "When people make mistakes it doesn't really drive me nuts. I'm pretty even-keeled. I'm no the kind of person that will call a timeout just to yell at a girl. I think that those could be used more productively."
Corsaro said he had been interested in the job since last season when it became available and he wasn't expecting a call this year. However when newly appointed Athletic Director Tim Garver noticed his resume still on file, Corsaro was pleasantly surprised at the job offer.
Corsaro said his laid-back approach to coaching could be more beneficial when coaching girls as opposed to an aggressive attitude.
"I think as far as girls' basketball it gives you a great advantage," Corsaro said. "Girls react to things a lot different than boys. Girls don't respond to a lot of yelling. Definitely don't respond to 30-minute speeches. I've learned when coaching girls that you can be mad, but doing a lot of speeches or yelling doesn't really get you anywhere with them."
In Corsaro's time as an assistant at Decatur, he was a part of a program that went from 5-15 to 17-5 and competing for a sectional title.
"I like to be aggressive," Corsaro said. "That is one of the things we've talked about to the girls that we can right now. We are going to try and play a different brand of basketball. I like to press. I like to work the fastbreak. I like to be fun. I think if it's fun for them, they'll respond better. That's kind of the way I coach."
North Putnam has not had a winning season since 2005 and Corsaro is not looking to just survive this season. He has plans to turn this struggling Cougar team into a competitive force.
"I told them today," Corsaro said. "We've probably got nine different defenses to learn. We're going to try and mix it up and get easy baskets. No more 23-20 games."
Corsaro said that to get the girls into that mindset took some concentrated practices in the early parts of the season despite not having key players.
Players like Taylor Nauert and Adri Millican are took part in the first practice on Thursday, but prior to that Corsaro said the girls have been working intently to get into basketball mode.
"I haven't had the volleyball girls," Corsaro said. "But the girls that have been coming to practice have really been working hard. I think we had to set the tone in the first couple of practices. They weren't really used to it. We've been very intense. We've been in the weight room every day."
The athletes that played on the volleyball team joined practice Thursday and the North Putnam has its first game Wednesday at home against Eminence.
Corsaro elected to cancel the scheduled scrimmage with Owen Valley as the Patriots are on the WIC division schedule.
"One challenge is that we are behind," Corsaro said, "because of volleyball and that is a good thing. I wish they'd kept winning. In a school like this you have to share athletes. But right now it's is a challenge because not only do we have volleyball but we have four girls in cheerleading that are going to state this Saturday.
"So we've had to work around some schedules amd that's been a challenge," Corsaro continued. "But I just had a friend remind me today that it's not how good you are in November, it's how good you are in February."
Corsaro has already begun planning for the marathon of the season and he was sure to let the Cougar players know what kind of goals that North Putnam should be aspiring to achieve.
"When I sat down and put together our schedule," Corsaro said. "Our schedule ends on Feb. 27, the day of the State Final. That's got to be our goal. Our goal can't be to be .500 anymore. We want to win our county. We want to win our holiday tournament. We want to win conference, sectional and we want to win our state. Maybe it's not going to happen but if you aren't aiming for that you're never going to get everywhere. That's what we are aiming for."