2013 - Kyle Enns
It seems almost hard to believe, but Kyle was the first player to play his full five years of eligibility since I had graduated in 2008. He had come onto the team as a plucky freshman in 2009, but as a young player he hadn't really stood out to me as a coach - mostly I just thought he was weird.
Through his early years on the team, and playing club with Killjoy in Fort Collins, Kyle became a rock-solid player. He developed a big flick, a nasty throw-and-go, got off his feet with perfect form and, like Kyle Brochu, had a wonderfully positive attitude and effort. Kyle was elected captain by his teammates for both his fourth and fifth years.
In 2013, Kyle's fifth year, our offense was designed to largely go through junior Stephen "Stacey" Gross' big array of hucks. Unfortunately, Stacey tore his ACL in the late fall of 2012 so we re-tooled our offense more around Kyle's skill-set of breakmarks, throw-and-goes and power-position hucks. The team blossomed under this new strategy and finished back in top 8 at regionals for the first time since 2008 (Stacey worked his butt off on rehabbing his knee and made it back for the series).
This was an eye-opener for me as a coach. It was the first time I really bought into the idea that movement/break-based offense could be viable in college, and it was Kyle's multifaceted skill-set that showed me how devastating it could be.
In the four years since Kyle graduated, our offense has pushed and evolved more in that direction - we develop breaks before hucks, value possession over big plays, and do our best to take the highest percentage deep shots we can, culminating in our first nationals berth in 2017.
Outside of Hib, Kyle played Killjoy, Choice City Hops, and is currently a captain of "shame." who is, as of this entry, 8th in the country in the mixed division and is poised to make their second consecutive return to club nationals.
Beyond everything I've already mentioned, the thing I most appreciate about Kyle, is he's simply just a good, positive, friendly person. In 8 years knowing him, I've never seen him angry. I've never heard him disparage an opponent. He has the rare ability to play with great intensity and effort, but without an aggressive attitude. He really does embody what makes this sport so wonderful. I'm proud of the player he's become - from goofy orange hat kid who could barely throw a flick to captain of a top 10 club team - Kyle has worked hard, stayed true to himself and had a resounding impact on the club and college community in Fort Collins.
-TK
Honorable Mentions: Chris "Bearcat" Gauen, Michael Lin, Andy Brew
Through his early years on the team, and playing club with Killjoy in Fort Collins, Kyle became a rock-solid player. He developed a big flick, a nasty throw-and-go, got off his feet with perfect form and, like Kyle Brochu, had a wonderfully positive attitude and effort. Kyle was elected captain by his teammates for both his fourth and fifth years.
In 2013, Kyle's fifth year, our offense was designed to largely go through junior Stephen "Stacey" Gross' big array of hucks. Unfortunately, Stacey tore his ACL in the late fall of 2012 so we re-tooled our offense more around Kyle's skill-set of breakmarks, throw-and-goes and power-position hucks. The team blossomed under this new strategy and finished back in top 8 at regionals for the first time since 2008 (Stacey worked his butt off on rehabbing his knee and made it back for the series).
This was an eye-opener for me as a coach. It was the first time I really bought into the idea that movement/break-based offense could be viable in college, and it was Kyle's multifaceted skill-set that showed me how devastating it could be.
In the four years since Kyle graduated, our offense has pushed and evolved more in that direction - we develop breaks before hucks, value possession over big plays, and do our best to take the highest percentage deep shots we can, culminating in our first nationals berth in 2017.
Outside of Hib, Kyle played Killjoy, Choice City Hops, and is currently a captain of "shame." who is, as of this entry, 8th in the country in the mixed division and is poised to make their second consecutive return to club nationals.
Beyond everything I've already mentioned, the thing I most appreciate about Kyle, is he's simply just a good, positive, friendly person. In 8 years knowing him, I've never seen him angry. I've never heard him disparage an opponent. He has the rare ability to play with great intensity and effort, but without an aggressive attitude. He really does embody what makes this sport so wonderful. I'm proud of the player he's become - from goofy orange hat kid who could barely throw a flick to captain of a top 10 club team - Kyle has worked hard, stayed true to himself and had a resounding impact on the club and college community in Fort Collins.
-TK
Honorable Mentions: Chris "Bearcat" Gauen, Michael Lin, Andy Brew
No comments:
Post a Comment