University of Minnesota Athletics
A Fresh Start: Kerry Wooldridge
11/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Kerry Wooldridge, a forward from San Leandro, Calif., is no stranger to the program, but can be considered a newcomer because he sat out last year as a redshirt freshman and never had the chance to actually play in a game. Last year was his chance to adjust to Big Ten Basketball and a new city, and get accustomed to his role on the practice floor to better his game. Wooldridge helped prepare the team for each opponent on the scout team and in the process he improved his game and added on some weight. "Last year was a good experience for me," Wooldridge explained. "I put on some weight and had the chance to sit back and watch basketball and learn."
Like most young basketball players, their whole lives are consumed with playing basketball. Day-in and day-out, they are playing a pick-up game or just shooting around. But they never have the chance to sit back and watch because they are too consumed with being on the hardwood. Being a redshirt freshman forces you to study the game in a way most guys look past. Wooldridge had that opportunity and took advantage of it. He had the chance to learn on the practice court and learn from the bench as he sat in street clothes during games.
"Last year was good for me, but it was not easy," Wooldridge commented. "It was difficult coming to games and seeing the guys that you work hard with every day being able to go out there and play and you can't. But I knew what was going to happen when I made the decision and I had to make the best of it."
Coming off a year of learning, maturing and growing into a better basketball player, Wooldridge has a fresh start this season. He will bring some variety and an added spark to the Gophers' defense. He is a multi-dimensional athlete and will come off the bench as a role player. His strongest skills are rebounding and defending which are areas the Gophers are looking to for improvement.
"I will be a role player this year," Wooldridge explained. "I will be looked at as a defender. There are guys that can score. I will be looked at to defend and rebound which I am looking forward to."
Wooldridge is an extremely athletic basketball player and adding some weight last year and over the summer will make him even more effective on the court. His athleticism allows him to defend, block shots, rebound and still be quick on his feet.
"I can cause a lot of mismatches on the offensive end," Wooldridge said. "If a small guy is guarding me I can post up, or if it's a bigger, slower guy I can drive on him. It allows the coaches to use me in a variety of situations."
The first weekend of practice this season featured a new twist. Head Coach Dan Monson decided to change it up this year and take his team of new faces up north to the Brainerd area. He wanted to see his coaching staff, which also has a new face, assistant coach Jim Molinari, and his team come together and start the season off on the right foot.
For most of the guys, going to northern Minnesota was nothing they haven't seen before, but for Wooldridge it was a whole new world. "Going away for the weekend was great idea, but I had no idea weather conditions could be like that," Wooldridge explained. "It was cold, windy and an experience I have never had before. I am from California and have never been to any country land before. Just coming to Minneapolis, was an adjustment, but the city is a lot different then where we were."
Besides the typical Minnesota brisk, blustery day in mid-October, Wooldridge thought the weekend was a perfect way to get the team focused and concentrating on basketball. It was a chance to rid of all distractions and play and talk basketball. They had two practices a day and directed most of there attention on defense. Wooldridge considers them to be a scrappy, blue collar type team who works hard for everything.
"There were a lot of positive things that I saw from our first practices, and it only has gotten better," Wooldridge said. "The team has come in with a lot of excitement. We have had high energy levels and the energy level has not gone down. We work hard and you have to give credit to a team that is going all out every practice.
"Our first practices we concentrated on defense and we have been doing so ever since," Wooldridge said. "We really work well as a unit and our weekend up north helped us develop team chemistry and get to know each other better."
In order for a basketball team to work together and be successful, each guy needs to know his teammates on the court and off the court. They need to have a good understanding of one another and build chemistry so that chemistry can transfer to the court at game time. With all the newcomers, many of the guys needed some time to get to know each of their teammates, as well as the coaching staff. The first weekend of practice gave the team and coaches time to become one unit and be on the same page. Since then, everyone has gotten even closer and Wooldridge has a positive outlook on the season.
"This group is very optimistic, and we have a lot of leaders on the team that keep up on the right track," Wooldridge expressed.
To have this Golden Gopher basketball program come together and become a true basketball family, it needs leaders that everyone respects and looks up. Especially with a group of young guys, you need some leaders that can be depended upon to provide guidance and support during the ups and downs of a Big Ten basketball season. The Gophers are fortunate to have a variety of leaders that have worked hard to get to where they are. Wooldridge looks to Brent Lawson, the team captain, as a vocal leader and Adam Boone as one that leads by example. These two have earned everything in their careers and know what it takes to make it in college basketball.
"Lawson and Boone are respected by the entire team," Wooldridge added. "They are there for us for support and encouragement and I feel comfortable going to them for anything." Wooldridge feels that not only do Lawson and Boone have important leadership roles, but everyone on the team can step up and help out.
"If it is my place to take on a leadership role then I feel confident in myself to help anyway that I can," he said. "I consider myself a vocal leader as well as one that leads by example. I try to lead by example, but if the situation arises I will speak up."
There is always concern when you have a young team, and a team that does not have a lot of experience playing together. However, in many ways it is positive thing for this basketball program. It allows for a fresh start and allows the team to set new goals and find different ways to achieve them in order to be successful.
"I think that it is good to have all of our new guys because we all came in new together, so we are in the same boat," Wooldridge commented. "It is a good group of guys with a good attitude and work ethic. You cannot ask for a better group of guys."
Wooldridge, along with the entire Golden Gopher Basketball team, are excited about this season. They have nothing to lose and they are looking forward to going out there and working hard.
"We cannot wait to just get out there and play," Wooldridge said. "We have so much fun in practice showing each other what we've got, we just want to go out and show everyone else."
Whether the new face in Williams Arena is Kerry Wooldridge or any other new addition, start matching a name with a face because these are your present and future Golden Gophers.
story by Jessica Fleischmann, athletics development assistant The 2004-2005 Minnesota Golden Gopher Men's Basketball team has five returning letterwinners, 12 newcomers made up of three redshirt freshmen, two junior college transfers, four scholarship true freshmen and three walk-ons. It is a year of new faces, new talent and a fresh start for Coach Monson, his coaching staff and the men's basketball program.
Kerry Wooldridge, a forward from San Leandro, Calif., is no stranger to the program, but can be considered a newcomer because he sat out last year as a redshirt freshman and never had the chance to actually play in a game. Last year was his chance to adjust to Big Ten Basketball and a new city, and get accustomed to his role on the practice floor to better his game. Wooldridge helped prepare the team for each opponent on the scout team and in the process he improved his game and added on some weight. "Last year was a good experience for me," Wooldridge explained. "I put on some weight and had the chance to sit back and watch basketball and learn."
Like most young basketball players, their whole lives are consumed with playing basketball. Day-in and day-out, they are playing a pick-up game or just shooting around. But they never have the chance to sit back and watch because they are too consumed with being on the hardwood. Being a redshirt freshman forces you to study the game in a way most guys look past. Wooldridge had that opportunity and took advantage of it. He had the chance to learn on the practice court and learn from the bench as he sat in street clothes during games.
"Last year was good for me, but it was not easy," Wooldridge commented. "It was difficult coming to games and seeing the guys that you work hard with every day being able to go out there and play and you can't. But I knew what was going to happen when I made the decision and I had to make the best of it."
Coming off a year of learning, maturing and growing into a better basketball player, Wooldridge has a fresh start this season. He will bring some variety and an added spark to the Gophers' defense. He is a multi-dimensional athlete and will come off the bench as a role player. His strongest skills are rebounding and defending which are areas the Gophers are looking to for improvement.
"I will be a role player this year," Wooldridge explained. "I will be looked at as a defender. There are guys that can score. I will be looked at to defend and rebound which I am looking forward to."
Wooldridge is an extremely athletic basketball player and adding some weight last year and over the summer will make him even more effective on the court. His athleticism allows him to defend, block shots, rebound and still be quick on his feet.
"I can cause a lot of mismatches on the offensive end," Wooldridge said. "If a small guy is guarding me I can post up, or if it's a bigger, slower guy I can drive on him. It allows the coaches to use me in a variety of situations."
The first weekend of practice this season featured a new twist. Head Coach Dan Monson decided to change it up this year and take his team of new faces up north to the Brainerd area. He wanted to see his coaching staff, which also has a new face, assistant coach Jim Molinari, and his team come together and start the season off on the right foot.
For most of the guys, going to northern Minnesota was nothing they haven't seen before, but for Wooldridge it was a whole new world. "Going away for the weekend was great idea, but I had no idea weather conditions could be like that," Wooldridge explained. "It was cold, windy and an experience I have never had before. I am from California and have never been to any country land before. Just coming to Minneapolis, was an adjustment, but the city is a lot different then where we were."
Besides the typical Minnesota brisk, blustery day in mid-October, Wooldridge thought the weekend was a perfect way to get the team focused and concentrating on basketball. It was a chance to rid of all distractions and play and talk basketball. They had two practices a day and directed most of there attention on defense. Wooldridge considers them to be a scrappy, blue collar type team who works hard for everything.
"There were a lot of positive things that I saw from our first practices, and it only has gotten better," Wooldridge said. "The team has come in with a lot of excitement. We have had high energy levels and the energy level has not gone down. We work hard and you have to give credit to a team that is going all out every practice.
"Our first practices we concentrated on defense and we have been doing so ever since," Wooldridge said. "We really work well as a unit and our weekend up north helped us develop team chemistry and get to know each other better."
In order for a basketball team to work together and be successful, each guy needs to know his teammates on the court and off the court. They need to have a good understanding of one another and build chemistry so that chemistry can transfer to the court at game time. With all the newcomers, many of the guys needed some time to get to know each of their teammates, as well as the coaching staff. The first weekend of practice gave the team and coaches time to become one unit and be on the same page. Since then, everyone has gotten even closer and Wooldridge has a positive outlook on the season.
"This group is very optimistic, and we have a lot of leaders on the team that keep up on the right track," Wooldridge expressed.
To have this Golden Gopher basketball program come together and become a true basketball family, it needs leaders that everyone respects and looks up. Especially with a group of young guys, you need some leaders that can be depended upon to provide guidance and support during the ups and downs of a Big Ten basketball season. The Gophers are fortunate to have a variety of leaders that have worked hard to get to where they are. Wooldridge looks to Brent Lawson, the team captain, as a vocal leader and Adam Boone as one that leads by example. These two have earned everything in their careers and know what it takes to make it in college basketball.
"Lawson and Boone are respected by the entire team," Wooldridge added. "They are there for us for support and encouragement and I feel comfortable going to them for anything." Wooldridge feels that not only do Lawson and Boone have important leadership roles, but everyone on the team can step up and help out.
"If it is my place to take on a leadership role then I feel confident in myself to help anyway that I can," he said. "I consider myself a vocal leader as well as one that leads by example. I try to lead by example, but if the situation arises I will speak up."
There is always concern when you have a young team, and a team that does not have a lot of experience playing together. However, in many ways it is positive thing for this basketball program. It allows for a fresh start and allows the team to set new goals and find different ways to achieve them in order to be successful.
"I think that it is good to have all of our new guys because we all came in new together, so we are in the same boat," Wooldridge commented. "It is a good group of guys with a good attitude and work ethic. You cannot ask for a better group of guys."
Wooldridge, along with the entire Golden Gopher Basketball team, are excited about this season. They have nothing to lose and they are looking forward to going out there and working hard.
"We cannot wait to just get out there and play," Wooldridge said. "We have so much fun in practice showing each other what we've got, we just want to go out and show everyone else."
Whether the new face in Williams Arena is Kerry Wooldridge or any other new addition, start matching a name with a face because these are your present and future Golden Gophers.
story by Jessica Fleischmann, athletics development assistant
