Scout Team

Minnesota State assistant coaches Amy Sander and Ketty
Paula (left) discuss a play for the Scout Team. Photo
courtesy of freshman guard Maddie Olson.

Prior to each tipoff, the Minnesota State women's basketball team spends several hours on preparation for their upcoming opponent. 

While the Mavericks are also attending classes, the hours getting ready to play games are spent watching video, rehabbing injuries, studying game plans and practicing. And a large amount of time is spent going over the upcoming opponents. 

For the past three seasons, Minnesota State has delegated a part of this task (the opponents part) to the student body in the form of the scout team. The scout team is comprised of a group of students that volunteer their time for Maverick practices. During practice, the scout team primarily learns and runs plays of upcoming Maverick opponents. Additionally, these student volunteers mimic tendencies of key players and assist with drills in practice. This season, around five to eight scout team players serve on the scout team at a given session.

Utilizing student volunteers for scout teams is a fairly common practice in collegiate women’s basketball. In her eight years as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level, head coach Emilee Thiesse was a member of staffs that used scout teams consistently. The same goes for her program here at Minnesota State where she incorporates a scout team with the understanding of how it benefits her team. 

“If we didn’t have a scout team, we would have to use our own players to run the opponent’s offensive schemes—which takes time from our overall preparation and also limits the number of reps that our players are actually defending the actions,” said Thiesse, who took over the Maverick program in 2012-13 after serving as an assistant coach at South Dakota State and Drake.

Though the Mavericks benefit from the scout team, the student volunteers derive enjoyment from their own service as well. “I’ve been surprised how much I miss being in a practice atmosphere,” says graduate sport management student Zach Miner. Along with the atmosphere, Miner enjoys the exercise, intentional teaching moments, and the opportunity to play his favorite sport competitively. With these benefits, a common theme underlies the main motivation of the scout team players—to help the Mavericks improve. Engineering student D’Ante Ross affirms, “I just love helping out the team.”

The value of having students volunteer on the scout team is not lost on Maverick players and coaching staff. “We're grateful for the scout team dedicating their time and effort to make our players compete to the best of their ability” said graduate assistant Kelsey Little. Coach Thiesse added, “Our players appreciate them very much. They understand the commitment that the scout team is making on a volunteer basis and that [the scout team volunteers] are committing to the grind of practices without the reward of the games.”

In the past, the Maverick women’s basketball coaching staff has relied on word of mouth to assemble student volunteers. Minnesota State students with previous playing experience and some schedule flexibility are encouraged to give it a shot. If Minnesota State students are interested in potentially volunteering on the scout team, they can contact assistant coaches Ketty Paula or Amy Sander. 

                                                                            Contributed by Tyler Hajek, Minnesota State Athletic Communications intern

Professional Development

 

Ty Dennis has taken full advantage of his
collegiate experience, serving on Minnesota State's SAAC
committee, as well as playing wide receiver for
the Mavericks.

College is much more than attending class, obtaining good grades and graduating with a degree.  Ty Dennis is a living example of this.

Dennis, a senior on the Minnesota State Mavericks football team, understands that attending university is an experience that can shape your life. As a wide receiver for the Mavericks, Dennis accounted for just shy of 2000 yards (1,977) and 19 touchdowns over his four-year collegiate career, including gaining an average of 16.8 yards per touch with the football in hand. During the last four years, not coincidentally, the Mavericks posted a 45-7 won-loss record, played in eight NCAA postseason games, including the national championship game in 2014.

Dennis’ collegiate experience is defined by much more than just football, however.

During his redshirt freshman year, Ty Dennis’ coach, Aaron Keen, knew he would be a leader. He was approached by Keen and asked if he would like to join the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). The SAAC is a committee comprised of student-athletes, established to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect the university experience of student-athetes on NCAA member institution campuses. 

Dennis accepted his coaches offer and has grown within the organization ever since. 

Currently, Dennis serves as the Minnesota State University campus SAAC President as well as being the NCAA DII SAAC External Communication Coordinator since his sophomore year, acting as one of two at-large representatives from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). “MSU tries to enhance the student-athlete experience, the community engagement and deal with legislation from the NCAA. I have seen legislation get taken very seriously on the DII convention floor because we do get a vote when legislation is proposed. We are a voice for the students,” said Dennis when asked about his role both on campus and on the NCAA Division II national level. 

He said that being a SAAC member has only helped him in his endeavors as a student. “Organizing and presenting things has helped me become more confident in my abilities, specifically as a professional. I love working with people and collaborating on things. It has also helped me network with a lot of people. I have met people from California, all the way to New York,” Dennis said.

Kristle Wolcott, the campus SAAC liaison and assistant softball coach, said “Ty Dennis is a national SAAC representative of three years and has been a huge blessing to have in our organization. He’s been really great.”

Dennis, a Burlington, Wisc., native, had only positive things to report about his experience with the SAAC, and concluded “I would recommend anyone to it. My college career would have been missing something without it.”

Upon graduation, Dennis looks to further his education by getting a Masters degree in Sports Management and becoming a graduate assistant on a NCAA campus. College is much more than what you learn in the textbooks, and Mavericks wide receiver, MSU Campus SAAC President and NCAA DII SAAC External-Communication Coordinator, Dennis has reaped the rewards of having that understanding. The SAAC has developed Ty Dennis into a leader on the Minnesota State campus as well as on the national level which he expects will translate to success in his future career choices.

                     Contributed by Aaron Fitzner, Minnesota State Athletic Communications intern