Takin' it Back

So this week, I had the pleasure of working with some 3rd, 4th, and 5th, grade Central Jersey Hawks players (my old job). And let me tell you, they have some players! On top of that, they have some dedicated players. I say that because a few kids were excited on Tuesday morning to be at camp, but were nowhere to be found at the end of the week. The kids that came all week did a great job of working hard and getting better.

That being said, it brings me back to my youth as a basketball player while playing for the Central Jersey Hawks. Man was I bad when I first started! But with the help of the Hawks, and some Hoop Group camps, I got better and better year in and year out. Turns out I got to be pretty good, well at least good enough to get a scholarship to go to the University of Maryland. From there, I'm not sure I had as good of a career as I wanted to have, but I did get injured during my sophomore year, and never really recovered from it. But every year, I learned a little bit more about the game, and a little bit more about coaching from the tremendous staff that we had from 99-03. Which is why I enjoyed this week with the Hawks so much, I found myself saying the same things, and teaching the same things that my coaches taught me. I'd love to coach for the rest of my life, but it's a tough profession, and particularly tough on the family due to the high turnover rate. I hope to catch on somewhere soon, but if not, maybe the Hawks will have me back.

Change of Plans

Over the past few weeks I have been out of work. As has been previously stated, I am no long coaching at Monmouth University. I've been looking for another coaching opportunity, but one hasn't availed itself to me. I was in the running for one spot, but I came up short. With July fast approaching, and the recruiting season upon the countries DI coaches, I am thinking that I won't be coaching at a DI school anytime soon, unless something happens in the next two weeks.

That being said, I'm now wondering what else I can do to earn a paycheck. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do, or can do considering that I haven't really done much else besides basketball. Luckily I have a few people that like me and are willing to help. Hopefully I can figure it out soon...

It's Been A While...

Since I last posted. Actually close to a year. The reason being was I was coaching at Monmouth University. Now I'm back. The reason being, is because I am no longer coaching at Monmouth. There weer plenty of times that I wanted to blog while on the job there, but I wasn't quite sure if I was going to break some sort of NCAA rule/law/bylaw/etc. They have a book that's about 450 pages long with rules, so I'm pretty sure everyday I might have broken one just by waking up. But now I'm back on the market for a job. I would love to continue to coach, but coaching jobs in DI are very hard to come by. What's particularly most frustrating about not being at Monmouth anymore is that I think that we were going in the right direction as a program. I know our record didn't show it this year, but we had a year full of adversary, and we had 16 games decided by 5 points or less. I thought that it was a great feat to accomplish that, especially being shorthanded for much of the season. We were doing a great job recruiting and things were looking up, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. I will say that I enjoyed and appreciated my time at Monmouth, and I wish them all the best going forward. It was good being home for the last three years, but it's looking like I will be moving away from the Jersey Shore for the next chapter of my life. Luckily for me, I'll have my wife and dog with me.

In terms of what I'll be doing next, I don't know. I would love to continue coaching, as as I said earlier, but it is tough to find a job coaching. So, I'm looking at all of my options, in all locales. If any of you out there have any ideas, or jobs for me, please let me know. Until then, I will continue the hunt and continue to blog.

July 1...

So, as some of you already know I will be an assistant coach at Monmouth University next year. Today it was officially announced. I didn't want to say anything before then I just felt that I wanted it to be official before I threw it out there. That being said, it's been keeping my busy for the past few weeks. And with recruit hunting season starting on Tuesday, I will tell you that I will be busy until August.

As far as what's going on outside of basketball, the wife got a new job that she really enjoys. More importantly, we finally moved out of my mom's house! It was a long time coming and it's nice to have our own space, and our dog back. My mom was so happy that we were leaving that she gave us a bed, couch, love seat, a comfy cushioned chair, and even bought us a TV stand. Either she really loves us, or really wanted us out, or both! Either way, thanks mom.

That's all I've got for now. Hopefully I can keep you all updated when I'm out on the road recruiting this month.

Have a great Fourth of July! Happy Birthday America!

Where Do We Go From Here?

Generally, I like to take some time to reflect upon a loss. Especially when it's a season ender like we had tonight. However, I am on a 3 to 3.5 hour bus ride home, so I will get it out now. We finished our season not the way it should have gone. We were the 8th seed in our conference tournament. We definately aren't the 8th best team in our league. We were easily a top 4 team, we just fell victim to so unfortunate situations.

All that being said, there needs to be some changes. I can only speak for myself when I say this though. I'm not sure that I did the best that I could have done this year. And if you know me, you know I say this after almost every loss, and after almost every season. I can and will be better. I have to be. I feel like I let my team down in certain instances, and it will not happen again.

Hopefully I am able to return to help our team next year. Things don't always work out the way you plan them, but I will make the best of the situation. We will be better. I will be better.

Valentine's Day '10

First, I would like to say Happy Valentine's Day to your and yours. Now on to the business of the day: We got our arguably best player back last night from his 7 game suspension. He gave us 30 points and 8 rebounds in a very important win for us in our battle to make the NEC Tournament which starts in about 3 weeks. We have three away games and one home game left. All three road games are winnable and the home game is the last of the year. Hopefully we don't have a repeat of what happened in our last home game of the year.

While this year at Monmouth has been enjoyable, I am not certain of my future there as there have been talks of me making more money next year, but there is nothing set in stone yet. That being said, I need to make more money this year. The wife was gracious enough to move back to the East Coast, sans job, to be with me and in hopes that I can find a coaching job, which is what I really want to do, instead of being on the "admin" side as the Ops guy. Oh, and she wants a job as well. I don't think she is too fond of sitting around the house all day with nothing to do other than go to the gym and play with our dog. All that being said, your boy needs a job with a legit paycheck. I'm tired of having no money and worrying if we can pay our bills. However, I'm sure that I am not the only one that feels this way.

The need of a paycheck begs the question to be asked as to what is it what I will do to get a legit paycheck? Do I ride it out with basketball in hopes that something will come about or do I go and do something totally different? Good thing there are at least two more weeks left in the season and I do not have to make such a decision yet.

That's all I've got for y'all today. Oh, and I promise it won't be 2 months before my next entry. Be well my friends.

It's Been Two Weeks...

and a lot has happened. Where to start? Oh, Carrie has been here for two weeks. That has been fun, and nice to have my wife here. It has also gotten more crowded, and my room seemingly has gotten smaller. And more cluttered. Like I said, it has been nice having home cooked meals when I come home, and also to be able to bring wine home and not feel like an alchy.

In other news, we (me and the rest of the Monmouth University Men's Basketball team) went to Laramie, WY. What an experience. We won our first game out there against the host team Wyoming. Just playing out there and getting through the game was a feat in itself, being that the elevation of Laramie is 7200 feet! I was winded walking around, partly because I am out of shape, but mostly because of the elevation. We lost our last two games against Pepperdine and Hampton. Both games were winnable, but we turned the ball over too much. Hopefully we learned something out there that will make us a better team in our league. That being said, Saturday we have our first conference game, on the road, vs. Sacred Heart. It is a winnable game, if we do not turn the ball over. I am not saying that Sacred Heart is bad, I'm just saying that is we play how we are capable, we should beat them. But, I digress. I would be remiss if I did not talk about Thanksgiving dinner and the people of Laramie. Unfortunately, I did not get to spend the holiday with my family, I did get the opportunity to eat with my "second" family and the Thanksgiving dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn in Laramie was fabulous. The Turkey was moist, the stuffing was flavorful, cranberry sauce was fresh, the green bean casserole was tasty, the mashed potatoes were creamy and buttery, the rolls were warm and garlicky, and most surprisingly, the sweet potatoes were "candied". As far as the people of Laramie were concerned, they were very friendly. A bit shocking I do admit considering there were a lot of "outsiders" in their town. The scenery on the way out of Laramie on our way back to Denver was breathtaking. The open range with bison, Black Angus, antelope, and many other wild animals which lead to the Rocky Mountains was a sight to behold.

Now, Let's talk about Denver. What a city! If I had to I would definitely move there. It was so clean, and again, the people were so nice. We stayed at The Westin Tabor Center, and it was such a nice place. The people there worked within our teams budget (which isn't much), and again, were very pleasant people. The only issue I had with Denver is one of its social gathering places called The Shag Lounge. And to be honest, I like a place with cheap drinks (surprise), and loud music (preferably hip hop but I can rock out with the best of them). However the clientèle, left much to be desired, and I was wondering why, until I saw this on the side of their billboard. All in all it was a good trip, and I am looking forward to getting a win this weekend at Sacred Heart. Until next time...

11/12/09 - A Fine Day Indeed

Today is a good day. Yes, the weather sucks. Yes, I have to work. Yes, I have to drive to JFK...during rush hour. But at the end of the day, my wife will be here. For good this time, not just for a visit. So today is a good day. It starts a hectic weekend. We start our season tomorrow. As previously stated, we've got Zeke coming in to town on Friday, got Bobby G. and the Seton Hall Pirates coming in on Sunday, and then we've got a 6 AM game on Tuesday at St. Peter's. So needless to say, I will be busy and tired come Wednesday. Lots to do, but this is when the fun starts. God I love college basketball. And I love my Wife. Until next time.

It's a Beautiful Day...

...outside and I am stuck inside doing film exchange. For those of you that don't know what this is, I pray that you never find out. For those of you that do know, you understand my plight. But it must get done. Other than that, on the basketball end, we are getting ready to go to Lafayette for a retreat and scrimmage this weekend. It should be a good time for our guys, or at the very least a very good meal on Friday night.

I am sure that very few of you know that I am a huge soccer fan. I believe that I became one when I started playing back at the age of 12. Or it could be that one of my best friends played soccer at UVA. Whatever may have triggered this doesn't matter, but let it be known that I am a fan. I say this because our men's team here at Monmouth has clinched a regular season league championship and will be hosting the conference tournament next weekend. They have a very good chance of winning the tournament this year, and if they were to falter, I think they have a solid chance to be an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament. This is a big deal considering that we are such a small school. I will be there to support, as not only am I a big fan of soccer in general, but I am a fan of this MU Men's Soccer Team and their coaches. It will be a busy weekend next weekend being that they host the tournament and we have our opening games as well. Friday and Sunday. MU vs the Fighting Isiah Thomas' and Random NEC Team vs. the Fighting Rob McCourt's in the first round of the NEC Tournament on Friday, and on Sunday we play Seton Hall.

Random Musings on a Thursday Afternoon

So I woke up feeling pretty good today. Good enough that I actually decided to go to work dressed like a gentleman. Dress pants, button down, with the sweater vest. Now I know some of you are thinking "sweater vest"? Yes, I said it. In our athletics office we have a few gentleman that do their thing when it comes to getting dressed for work. So, I couldn't come dressed if I didn't come correct. For example, one of my friends who is a football coach cam today in black slacks, a black button down, and a black and gray cardigan. A well dressed man indeed. It was a good thing that I came dressed today being that we had a special visitor in former Providence coach Tim Welsh. It was fun to sit with him for a few and talk about when he recruited me while I was in high school at RBR. Nice man, unfortunately I had to say no to him at the time. Seems like I could have played for him. But I will take the course of action that I took a thousand times over instead of wondering "what if".

With all of this basketball talk, we are getting closer to the start of the regular season. Only about two weeks left. As a matter of fact, we had a blue/white scrimmage the other day, and we have two more this Sunday and next Saturday. They should let us know where we are at in terms of what we need to tune up before our home opener vs. Florida International University and the Fightin' Isiah Thomas'.

On another note, my wife shall be moving back east that week as well, so it should be a good week with her moving back, and  us hopefully getting our first win in our new building.

Ok, some of you know that I like to play Guitar Hero. That being said, I may be hanging up my guitar strap. Only to replace it with a turntable. Of sorts. You see, there is this new game called DJ Hero. I got it the other day and it is really a lot of fun. Granted some of the songs are not the greatest, but the game play aspect of it is great. I felt like DJ Premier...if he was just starting on the turntable, and only had one hand. But, I will get better and undoubtedly, it will become my favorite game. The reviews that I have seen have all pretty much said that it's a good one, and I will have to agree. I wish I had four hands...so I could give this game four thumbs up.....

Just One of Those Days

It was a rough morning for me today. Didn't get the Dr. recommended 7-8 hours of sleep, I woke up with a headache, and major hunger pangs. Not good. Perhaps I could not sleep because I was frustrated. Have you ever been frustrated by the situation that you are in? That seems to be the boat that I was in last night, and am in today. I anticipated that I would be in a better career, financial, and family situation. I know a lot of people feel the same, and are in the same situation, but it still sucks. I know I am working towards something better, and eventually I will look back and laugh at what these times have for me, but right now I have to push through. I know I will become a better man and person after I fight through every bump in the road, so I am just going to put my head down and keep plugging away.

On the brighter side, I will be heading on down to Terpville for homecoming this weekend. It will be a chance to see some old faces, and some really really young faces. I feel like I was there just yesterday, however, I figured out that the current freshman class was in 7th or 8th grade when I graduated college. Wow. It should be fun though, and a nice get away before our season really starts. Perhaps I shall see some of you down there. If not, be safe.

Blog 2.0

So as I mentioned last night, I will try to seriously keep this blog going this time around. This is more difficult than I thought, sitting down and typing about what I am thinking everyday. But, here it goes. This week is the beginning of basketball practice. A start to a new season for us here at Monmouth University. We should be a much better team than last year being that we return almost everybody. We also get back one of our better players that suffered a torn ACL last year in our first game, mater of fact, within the first 10 minutes of our first game. All of that coupled with the two new freshman we have should mean better results than last year. Our out of conference schedule again is tough, but really what we need to do at this level of division one is win our league and make it to that big tournament in March.

Back At It

I will be back on my blogging tip from now on. Perhaps I will get some more followers too.

If you want to make God laugh...

...make plans. So I was planning on having a full-time job with benefits lined up by the summertime, but it hasn't happened yet. I was planning that my wife and dog and I would be living together by now, but it seems like the Big Guy has other plans for me. Hopefully, something will come about soon, as I am getting frustrated by not knowing what is in store for me. I've got a few options, but some look better than the others. Wish me and my family luck.

Oh, and I know that I don't keep this updated, but I will work to get it back to at least two times a week. I know the people want to know what goes on in the life of Tahj Holden, so I will try to give the people what they want!

New Year

Holy crap, it is 2009. How quickly a year goes by. I remember around this time last year I was in La Jolla trying to figure out how to help our team get a win. Some things change, yet some things stay the same. Fast forward to 2009m I am still trying to figure out how to get a win for my team. This time however, I am in New Jersey at Monmouth University instead of La Jolla Country Day, and it is 25 degrees and not 75. All that being said, we got a huge conference win this past Saturday over Sacred Heart. They were the second highest scoring team in our league and we held them to 15 points under their average, with I would say about 10 of their 56 points coming in garbage time. We have another big game against Central Connecticut tonight. A win tonight would bring us to .500 in the league and would make us undefeated in the new year. Wish us luck.

Snow Day

So I wake up today and there are 2-3 inches of snow on my car. My immediate thought was that maybe tonight's game would be canceled. Maybe We would have an extra day to prepare, but we don't. And the game is on for tonight. Hopefully we can figure out a way to get a win. We have a habit of being up double digits, but not being able to maintain the intensity that got us the lead for the entire game. Maybe we can rectify it tonight because the players didn't have class today as the semester is over. Something's got to give.

That being said I would like to give a shout-out to Brother Bilaal as it is his Birthday celebration tonight in downtown Red Bank.

Oh and I do apologize for the hiatus, things get kinda crazy around the holiday season.

It's a Cold, Cold World

So, we lost again this past Saturday. We played at Quinnipiac, which means that I had to drive up to Hamden, CT to watch us play a good first 10-15 minutes, and then play like crap for the rest of the game. If, and I know that it is a big if, we can play with intensity for a full 40 minutes, we will win more games than we lose this year. That being said, we haven't put together a full half yet. We just have to get mentally tougher, however you do that.

We have a game today, at home, on TV, against FDU on the MSG channel for those of you interested and have access to this channel. I will be that tall guy on the Monmouth University bench, if you are looking for me.

Did I mention that it is cold outside? Stay warm people.

League Play

It starts tomorrow. A new Season. Practices have been more more energetic the past couple of days. More so than I have ever seen this year. It is actually good to see. This comes on the heels of getting our asses handed to us on Tuesday by Seton Hall. They hung 101 points on us. 101. When I was at Maryland and we played Monmouth, we didn't even score 100 points. And that was the year we won the Championship! I mean seriously, 100 points to Seton Hall?! Seton Hall?

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I am really excited for league play to start up. I think we have a really good chance at being really competitive this year. If we make it to the top half of the league and get to the NEC tourney, we all know how tournaments can turn out. So it all begins this Saturday at Quinnipiac. Pray for us. Until next time.

Finally

We Won! Now that I got that off of my chest, we beat the worst team in the nation (NJIT). They have lost 38 of their last 38 games. It was actually a two point game with about a minute and a half to go. We wound up winning by five. The one thing that really disappointed me was that when I went in the locker room some guys weren't excited that we won. There are a few selfish guys on our team it seems, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they were disappointed in their individual play. On Tuesday we play Seton Hall, who is playing pretty well considering that they have six scholarship players and a few walk-ons. It would be nice to go up there and come away with a win.

On another note, I got to see my family and wife over the holiday. For those of you that don't know by now, I moved to NJ for the job at Monmouth and she stayed in Cali until probably the spring and she will move back east depending on my job next year, as this is a part-time appointment. I will also get to see her this weekend before she goes back to Cali on Tuesday.

On to some Terp talk. The Terps are going to have problems this year, it seems, with any team that has big guys that can play. I am going on the record saying that we will beat Duke this year because their big guys are not very good, and Landon should match up well with Singler. We will struggle with teams like UNC that have a rotation of big guys. Hopefully we can win this game against Georgetown today, as I always want to beat the local schools, and come the end of the year it would be huge if we could come out of this tournament with two wins against ranked teams.

I was going to dedicate this last paragraph to speaking about how I am not a fan of the city of Philadelphia, but I will just say that it sucks and leave it at that.

Go Giants.

My Observations Thus Far

Today is our third game. We play the University of Rhode Island tonight at home. The first game of the season we played with a lot of toughness and grit and lost by three. Second game there was no intensity. Hopefully that will change tonight. As far as my job goes, I now realize that I need to be a little more organized. I have to get on top of things early on so that they do not become an issue later on.

For those of you that do not know, a close friend of mine lost his brother last Friday. Yesterday was the funeral, and afterward I spent the rest of the day hanging out with him and my buddy Toole. I really just wanted to be there for him because you never know how one will take the loss of a family member. We all actually wound up having a good time considering the circumstances. It was nice to see all of the people that came out and showed how loved that his brother was. But it was even more special when I got to hang out with him and his family and realized that it was his family that made him the special person that he was and they made me feel like a part of that family yesterday. Hopefully when I start a family with my wife we are able to foster that type of environment for our family.