This is my most favorite time of year! Thanksgiving marks the reclamation of family and friends while giving all the praise to the almighty! The day after Thanksgiving is special to me because that marks the beginning of the high school season in NJ! Yes it is the time when all the talking, promises, pretending, is exposed by the reality of what truly is and is not! Years ago the defenders adopted a phrase which at the time signaled our arival on the scene! Today that prase is still the measurement by which all are compared! If you are a defenders player (current/alumni) and you do not recognize the phrase it’s perfectly alright. That just means you were not a part of the foundation but instead the benefactor of their sweat, sacrifice, and commitment! Their battle cry was and still is today, “It’s Time 2 Represent!” For those who have not made the necessary commitment to skill development, you will now be exposed! For those who made the commitment but did not honor the path/process, you will be exposed! For those who made the commitment and honored the path/process, you will now expose everyone else! If being great is your dream then now is when you make it happen! Let’s show all that being a member of the defenders was the best thing to happen to your game!
No excuses, just get the job done! Best of luck to you all!
FBC Defenders AAU Club
The Defenders finished up a very successful summer season with their annual celebration banquet! The well attended event provide players, coaches, families the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of the spring and summer seasons while refocusing for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. 2010 graduates are now busily working their way through the fall recruitment season as they narrow down choices for schools (goodluck all). They are feverishly replying to emails, calls, letters as well as planning their on campus visits! September 1st marks the kick off for the 20011 graduates as emails and letters began flowing to Defenders players at 12:01 a.m. and continued throughout the day and evening! As college coaches rushed to be first contacting prospects the FBC Defenders players found themselves at the top of many coaches lists. Over the next several weeks players will be responding to coaches and gathering more information on schools. What an exciting time!
FBC Defenders AAU Club (defendersaau@verizon.net), where players go to develop their game, showcase their talents, and seize the opportunity to play at the next level!
FBC Defenders AAU Club
Presents
EOY Celebration 2009
Where: Green Hill Manor Club House, 3453 Route 27, Franklin Park, NJ 08823
When: August 16, 2009 Time: 3:30 - 6:30 p.m.
RSVP by August 8, 2009 - Defendersaau@verizon.net (include # guests)
Dinner will be served promptly at 3:45 p.m.!
Hello Fans! Today is day 3 of the tournament and the team is really struggling! I can only tell you that at the half the team was down 35 to 11. The second half was just as bad as the team is struggling right now to get and maintain a rythmn. Final score was 61 to 25, next game at 4:10 p.m. in the White Bldg. Pray for us PLEASE!
Written by: Srednefed, Ghost Writer
Hello Fans! it’s me again, Srednefed, coming to you with today’s games. The defenders played two games today with a lot of similarities and very different results. First game of the day was against the Wescon Fillies. Once again the team started out slowly and somewhat anxious. It would seem that for a team called the Defenders this club wants to be known more for their offense than defense. The team tried to compete with the Fillies shot for shot while playing a rather helter skelter type defense. Unfortunately for the defenders the Fillies loved to run the floor and when they set up simply spread the floor for the drive and kick. Believe you me this made for a very frustrating first half that only saw the defenders take a slim halftime lead. During the halftime break the team got a rather spirited reminder what allowed them to blow open their first game yesterday. D-E-F-E-N-S-E became the focus of the second half and once coach was able to find a rotation that worked the team coasted to a nice victory.
Of course the second game of the day against the NEPA Flames was a whole different story. Unlike the first two games the defenders came out on the attach. This strategy proved to be a good one as they took an early lead in the first half suggesting that this would finally be the game everyone expected from the defenders. But alas it was not to be as the subs were not able to maintain the same level of intensity, focus, effort, and consistency. It seemed that with every substitution there were periods of good play but just not enough consistency to maintain the lead and thus the momentum. A stretch of unforced turnovers, scrambling defense, and lack of intensity, and a willingness to give up rebounds and 3s doomed the game from around the 9 minute mark in the first half through the end of the game. There were stretches of good play and bad play but probably the single most dissappointing thing that I noticed was the giant step backwards as a team. This team has an M.O. of ‘whenever things get tough they turn on each other’. Today’s second game was no different. I sure hope they find a way to pull it together but just looking at how the girls are segmented into their own little groups this does not seem likely.
Tomorrow is another day as hope springs eternal! Goodnight Fans! Thanks for tunning in, see you back here tomorrow with what I hope is a very exciting report!
PEACE
Hello Fans!
Today the FBC Defenders took the floor in the opening game of the Blue Chip - US Invitational at Penn State University by defeating the Buffalo Storm! The game started as if the Defenders were going to crush the Storm by executing their offense to get several open 3s and fast break layups. But after a 7 minute span of sluggish play and tons of unforced turnovers the Defender found themselves in a heated battle at the end of the first half. For some unknow reason the team just could not find it’s rythm offensively and the defense was just plain nonexistent! During the 3 minute half time break, the coaching staff pleaded with the team to settle down and play defense, Defenders Defense! Still a bit out of sorts to start the second half and a few lineup adjustments the team finally hit is stride and was able to blow the game open behind a tenacious defense and much needed patience on offense. With a better effort in the second half the team cruised to their first win in the tournament and their next game tomorrow at 10:20 a.m. Stay tuned for more following tomorrow’s game!…….
The FBC Defenders is proud to announce the creation of its first ever “Select” Team! Congratulations to all selected players.
FBC Select Team (W 4th Street)
Ashanti Bess, Shalette Brown, Janissa Delzo, Cheyenne Grant, Alyssa Johnson, Tia Kelly, Jasmine Lytle, Jasmine Phelps, Jasmine Walker
Stay tuned as the roster for this team may change depending on the progress of other players in the program.
Congratulations to Jasmine Lytle for her honorable mention selection to the 2009 GymRatChallenge 16U All GymRat Team. To read the entire press release go to http://www.gymratunlimited.com/womens/2009/recap.pdf
On sale now are Defenders TShirts just in time for the summer events. Now family and friends can attend games sporting the same fashionable shirts worn by the players. Show the world that you are proud of the Defenders by leaving no doubt what team you are supporting at games! Shirts can be ordered in adult (S, M, L, XL, XXL) and youth (S, M,L) sizes at the cost of $15 per shirt or $12.50 per for 2 or more! Place your order by emailing jes2560@gmail.com with number of shirts, size(s), and your name (for accurate delivery). Payment should be made at practice. There are some pre-ordered shirts (adult sizes, limited #) available now in time for the GymRat Tournament on June 13-14th. Get your shirt now and show your pride from the stands! Thanks you for your support, FBC Defenders AAU Club