dlrrk

I'd argue that the MN game is a "must win" if the NCAA Tournament is the goal (and it is)... The schedule: 14 Feb: MI State: Tough to beat 18 Feb: OSU: They beat MD (the only hope is that they think they can just roll the ball out and win... Romeo would have to be on fire for any hope of an upset. 21 Feb: Purdue: Must win 24 Feb: IN: Must win 28 Feb: NW: Must win This team turns the ball over so much. I'm not out there on the court, but darn... some of the passes are head scratchers. Here is what I'll never understand. I asked my girl if she/they watched the MD vs. OSU game... It seems especially germane since UNL plays OSU in just over a week. The short response... No... I'm thinking... wow... You're a sports fanatic... How could you not watch the enemy play? Understand class and freshman study barracks and the like... and I haven't walked in her shoes. Maybe it's basketball "tracer burnout." Whatever... it seems strange from an outsider.

She didn't look the same because she is frustrated at going from a virus to a knee to now a foot. Going from starter to sixth man to being out... All due to sickness/injury is killing her. She and I talked about it after the game. Once healthy, she has a plan. Foot felt a bit better today. Have no idea when she will play. Thank goodness it wasn't broken.

Foot was in a boot. Not broken

Regarding surgery... I'm not allowed to say. Rachel told us, in no uncertain terms, that the team doesn't want issues like that put out in the public domain. I have my own comment regarding the surgical consultation, but I'll keep that to myself (hint of anger). How this "leak" happened: I think the Journal writer just heard us talking about seeing the surgeon after the game and incorporated that info (about surgery) in the article. We had no idea it would be mentioned until reading the article. Bottom Line: She needs a procedure. She plays with pain. It shows her toughness. I'm proud of how she guts out the pain. Many kids wouldn't... Many men wouldn't. We'll see how it goes. We'll see how it all goes.

It's great to be with you folks. We want Rachel to be ok.

That's a picture of me when I was a captain flying an AH-1F Cobra in Korea. My front-seater took the picture.

Norm!!! (dlrrk) You're correct... We've had that e-mail address since about 1996 (3 years before Katelyn). The "k", at that time, was for our dog Kiowa. We sure didn't plan Kate's name around an e-mail address; it just worked out that way. Katelyn Lorraine is named after the 10,489 soldiers in the Lorraine American Cemetery.

I worry that the Iowa loss will haunt us like the Denver loss (week 2) haunted the Chiefs... One could argue this is close to a "must win." I watched Purdue play the other day. If I say they didn't look great we'll lose... So, I'll say... They looked really good.

Must be 21. She's only 19

Regarding Rachel's nickname... You all can call her whatever you like. I've always liked RB43... and RB is good too. It has a nice ring to it. For some reason she doesn't like it. She doesn't read this blog so if you refer to her as RB it's moot. The team and most coaches refer to her as "Burns." Coach Yori calls her RB; however, Rachel said the other day that... "Even Coach Yori called me Burns..." Allie sometimes calls her Bernie... Bottom Line: Whatever members of this forum refer to her as is just fine. Who knows what she'll be called once Rachel Theriot graduates... I figure either Burns will stick or she'll be Rachel. Regardless, she'll be a Husker.

"Let's Go..." Our Rachel's reply to Butz when Butz said to Rachel... "You want to play dirty? I'll play dirty..." Rachel isn't intimidated by those kids. I'm sure that's part of Rutgers' strategy... They probably say... We'll go in to Lincoln and play rough with these hayseed/fly over kids. I'm betting it will be a bit rougher in NJ. I think the key shot of the game was Romeo's answering 3. Rutgers had just hit their first three of the game and Nat ran down the court and hit an answering 3. Needed that win. Have to get to 10 conference wins. http://www.huskers.com/pics33/800/MW/MWTORXLJMAUBVNB.20160117025049.JPG

I'm ok with RB43... I'm just giving you guys the "Inside Baseball" story of a nickname... She likes Burns. I'm not sure why she dislikes being called RB. I think it sounds good. Last weekend, after the game, she commented... "The other day at practice Coach Yori even called me Burns... It was the first time." Coach usually calls her RB. Whatever... The team just needs to beat Rutgers. See you there.

**************Regarding 43: I'm not sure she has college moves for down low yet (as "longtime fan" stated). But since I watch her when she is on the court I have an educated (albeit biased) opinion. Bottom line... She rarely gets the ball down there. I watch her repeatedly post up and no pass is attempted. This usually happens when 32 isn't playing. It frustrating for her because posting up is very hard work. And... There is a very small window for a successful pass to a post player. On a lighter note... Regarding 43's nickname... Theriot is the team's Rachel. My Rachel hates being called RB. She likes being called Burns. That's what her teammates call her. Just FYI.

Turn-overs will kill us against good teams. Almost killed us vs. Penn State. Forcing passes into non-existent passing lanes needs to stop. Basketball IQ of players needs to improve. Hard to do. Shot selection needs to improve. Players are going to have to step up... NOW!!!

I was at that game Thursday night. It was difficult to watch. I thought Maddie played well. If Nebraska's answer to its problems is great shooters... 43 isn't a part of your team. Unfortunately, she's not a "great shooter." Maybe she will become one. She is not a horrible shooter, but certainly not great. Her knee is giving her problems. It hurts, but she's gutting it out as much as she can. Dad speaking here... You won't find a tougher kid on that squad. You'll find more skilled kids. Which is more important... being able to play offense or defense??? It has parallels to the chicken or the egg argument. It seems you need both. Maryland's Malina Howard was 7-7 from the field. At least twice she was wide open around the foul line and hit the shot. I'm sitting there saying to myself... How is she that open? How can the defense allow her to be that open? Maryland looked like they were channeling Steph Curry. Shooting is a function of skill. Playing good defense takes heart, hustle, a willingness to mix it up. It's hard to teach "heart." I'm betting Gino does it by telling his great shooters... I have 3 others who can shoot as well as you... You either play tough defense or you'll watch the game from a chair on the side. Bill Self does that. When you have UConn/KU Men's depth you have that option. Whatever it is the Huskers need to figure it out quickly.

I’m with Red Don… We have to come back. However, turnovers are often directly related to the decision making process, and fixing poor decision making can be a difficult task. I’m not sure the comeback begins on Thursday. I hope so… I plan on being in College Park to watch. Regarding whoopdeedoo’s leadership article. It’s a nice read. I try to only comment on my girl. I’m not sure who the leaders are on the team. I know my girl says she is sometimes reluctant to say things in practice or in meetings due to being a freshman. That will not be the case next year. On the court she has yelled at mates for not getting on the floor for a loose ball. I’d agree with most of the premise: "...Leaders are made not born... People can become leaders through the process of teaching, learning, and observation. Leadership is a set of skills that can be learned by training, perception, practice, and experience..." Setting an example is also important. The old saying of... "If you're going to talk the talk, you need to walk the talk." is how good leaders live. I do believe that a person is born with that “it” factor (charisma).

I was wrong… Completely wrong. I thought the team was better. They seemed flat. Not looking forward to MD. I watched the game and thought we were shooting terribly; however, the stats say we were shooting at the same percentage as NW. The numbers say that the loss was a function of possessions/turnovers. A lack of hustle would seem to also play a role. Field Goal %: NW: 35.6%; NU: 35.3% 3 Point %: NW: 44.4%; NU: 42.9% Free Throw %: NW: 78.6%; NU: 72.7% Turnovers: NW: 10; NU: 19 Steals: NW: 15; NU: 3

That was painful to watch.

Up Front: I’m obviously biased toward RB43… I didn’t watch yesterday’s game, so I have no frame of reference on how players played. I did look at the stats. Like you all, I see that we didn’t rebound well (Iowa 51, Huskers 29). Shooting: We were 26 of 71 in Field Goals. Rachel T was unusually cold… shooting 7 of 25. The ability to make plays is a function of skill, talent, and experience. Jess had a heck of a game. 28 points in her first Big 10 game is incredible. I’m looking forward to seeing Jess in the next few years. She should keep growing and growing as a player. Her play as a senior should be so much fun to watch. Leadership, on the other hand, is not as much dependent upon what year you are in school. American military history is replete with great leaders who didn’t have a tremendous amount of military experience (Joshua Chamberlain, Audie Murphy, U.S Grant, Lincoln…). I’d argue that sports has many similarities to warfare… minus the obvious one of killing your opponent. There are eight elements of combat power: Leadership, Movement & Maneuver, Protection, Intelligence, Mission Command, Sustainment, Fires, & Info. Of those elements the one that encompasses all is leadership. I urge you to never downplay the role leaders have in influencing the action or outcome. Bottom Line: This team took Cal (at the time ranked #22) to overtime. We were one shot away from winning. As far as yesterday… I’d argue that had RB43 been there and had Rachel T hit around 50% of her FGs the game’s outcome would have been different. But, I’m biased, and I could be wrong. We’ll see how Sunday goes. I don’t know how Rachel’s knee is doing. It was hurt during the 26 Dec practice. She’ll let us know after practice today. As someone posted earlier, it would have been better had NW beaten Penn State, but… Let’s get it on.

Cal was a tough loss. Didn't see... Had to listen. Would have liked to see the fouls. 43's early fouls hurt. She turned an ankle early Saturday... Had some swelling. Wrapped it up and played. She was very upset at herself for missing a "bunny."

Had a great time watching the entire team. Each game they seem to be getting closer to each other (as a team)... The 30' bounce pass that Rachel Theriot made was incredible. Her comment after the game was telling... Something like... I like sharing the ball with the players who don't get as much playing time. That is a selfless teammate. That is what a leader does. Miss Kolenta is such an improved player (when compared to last year). Miss Havers has such a nice jump shot. Loved seeing Emily Wood make a 3... We arrived about 86 minutes before the game and Emily Wood was the only Husker out on the court and she was shooting 3s. Regarding 43... If the refs "let them play" you'll see (from 43) much more of what you saw against NC State. I've watched for years... Thursday's performance wasn't an anomaly. It's who she is. She has always liked playing defense more than offense. http://www.huskers.com/pics33/800/ND/NDXWZNJPKAELMHW.20151204032005.JPG

It's all OK jumpmaster... The dlrrk = David, Lisa, Rebecca, Rachel, Katelyn... Years ago (before Kate) the "k" was Kiowa (our dog). It just worked out... Leaving Afghanistan today, inshallah (god willing)... Chemistry is a big deal in units as well as sports. It seems this team genuinely likes each other. Being teammates as opposed to just being team members is a big deal. We all know that tough roads lay ahead. But the possibilities are exciting. Regarding placing a hand on an opponent's back... Rachel 43 says some players get so angry about it... So she'll do it even more... It's all about getting in their head.

Very nice interviews... Look at Miss Kendal compared to Rachel and Jess... Her face looks so much mature... Well, she is older and more physically mature. My point, over the next few years our girls will be even bigger, stronger, tougher, and more skilled. Should be nice... Coach Yori said some great things about all the girls... One minor correction... Rachel 43 is not a military kid... She is an Army kid; we're an Army family. Regarding physical play.... Rachel has always been a physical player. She loves to put her hands on an opponent because it makes the opponent angry... In the interview you can see a nice bruise on her right arm. It's also great to see my Rachel and Jess working well together. I hope to be at the game on Saturday. As a fan I'm worried about UConn. The 100-56 beat-down of OSU is impressive. I worry about Connecticut refs calling ticky-tack fouls on these "fly-over country" "hay-seed" Nebraska kids... I saw Miss Stewart on Sports Center. She was very impressive. I read that OSU's guards were shut down. We'll see... It's why they play the game. Ask the Colts in Super Bowl III.

She might be able to beat me in basketball... Only because I never liked basketball until she started playing. Nothing else until I'm an even older old man... In fact, last year I'm sitting there watching Nebraska play Iowa, and I said to myself... I can't believe I'm sitting here watching women's basketball... I hope 43 plays well tomorrow. I'm sure her goal is to make a significant contribution to a Husker win. I also hope the crowd is big. The size of the crowd was one of the main selling points of becoming a Husker. Wake Forest really wanted her. The assistant coach there came to more games than any other university rep... However, that great university only gets about 800 folks to come see a women's game. I wish I could be there. I better stop... My wife hates me on here. I'll have to stop reading this blog if Rachel plays poorly.

Nice picture (above)... I see intensity