Rays of Hope in a Difficult Season

By Adonal Foyle, with Irwin Soonachan (Courtesy of Basketball Digest.)

February 2002

[Soonachan] The Golden State Warriors went into the All-Star break at a dismal low as losers of 15 of 17 games, the last being a terrible drubbing at home against the Seattle SuperSonics. Then came rays of hope: Rookie shooting guard Jason Richardson started the second half on fire after memorable performances at the NBA Slam-Dunk Contest and Rookie All-Star Game. Interim coach Brian Winters, who took over in December for Dave Cowens, also began to put his imprint on the team. Winters went to a smaller, quicker lineup, and the team played a little better--there weren't many more wins, but the Warriors played exciting basketball and stayed in most games.

Adonal was a starter during this stretch, and was a force on defense while showing vast improvement on offense. He begins this diary installment on the day before the Warriors' first game after the All-Star break.

February 12, 2002

I had an incredible weekend at Colgate over the All-Star break. Not only did I have my number retired, but I had the opportunity to introduce Senator Bill Bradley at a speech he gave. He is amazing in how he has been able to combine basketball professionalism with civic responsibility. To finally meet him after reading so many of his books and hearing about him from so many people was very exciting. The chapel where he spoke was filled, there were people hanging through the windows. We talked about some of the differences between his days in the NBA and today: the players, commercial flights...and the shorts. It was pretty cool. I was about two when he retired.

If that wasn't enough, Democracy Matters had its first-ever summit. We had about 70 kids come up to Colgate, sleeping on cots and what have you all for the opportunity to meet with other coordinators and to plan strategy. Essentially, Democracy Matters believes that winning campaign finance reform will help win back the soul of this country, and these students are really committed to that. We're not as apathetic a generation as everybody thinks.

My college teammates, as well as some of my high school teammates, came up to Colgate for the weekend. It was incredible seeing them and being back in the town where I spent so much of my life.

I hope that my Warriors teammates are coming back recharged for the second half of the season. But if experience is any indication, All-Star weekend doesn't tend to be a time when people do a lot of work on themselves. It tends to be a time to rest your mind. It will be interesting to see how we play tomorrow. That will be a telltale sign of where this team is emotionally.

The last game before the break we were horrible, plain and simple. We went on vacation one day early. For people to pay that much money to see a game and see that is terrible. I don't appreciate that, and I don't think the fans do, either. For fans to see us play in that manner was not cool. I hope we come out of the break with a lot more resolve and belief in ourselves. We have the personnel on this team to be successful, but we have to take it seriously. The teams we're about to play are teams we can compete with.

February 16

This team is in a good place. The win vs. the Boston Celtics [92-75 on February 13] was big because we fought and fought with them. They made a run at us but we stayed in there. We had some mental lapses last night against the San Antonio Spurs [a 108-99 loss]. We should have pushed them a lot harder in the second half, and stayed in our running game. They had played the night before, and they're a terrific half-court team--they play that style better than anybody else in the league because they have the personnel to do it. We settled in to play a half-court game with them in the second half, and they will beat us every time that way. In the first half we ran and got layups. We played well for 90% of the game, though. We still have to learn how to finish, and we have to make key shots. We also have to learn to play at a high level for longer periods of time.

February 25, 2002

Everyone was waiting in anticipation of the trade deadline trying to figure out what was going to happen. It is a very unsettling time, even for the most secure player. Whether or not you want one, a trade can be a monumental change in your life. I was a little bit shook up over the prospect of being traded. I just wanted to get the deadline over with and move on, either way. I was glad when it was over. It was a lot of sitting around worrying about what they're doing, and who will or will not be traded.

The morning of the deadline, Brian Winters had a meeting where he told us he was changing the lineup. He basically said that this was the team for the rest of the year, so we have to decide what kind of team we're going to be. I thought that was one of the better statements he's ever made as a coach. It was what the team needed. We needed to be held up to a standard where there are consequences for mediocrity. On a team like this, with so many talented people, there should be a cost if you don't perform. It was one of the definitive moments in coach Winters' career with the Warriors.

This is a very frustrating time. I'm afraid that with us working so hard and still losing that the team is going to give up and think it can't win. We really run the risk of that right now. We've been playing with some quality teams at a very high level with no success. We've had individual successes, but no victories.

Psychologically, that can wear on you. You can decide that you're going to lose anyway so you may as well settle in until the end of the season. That would be a monumental waste of time, and the fans deserve a lot more than that. I hope that doesn't happen.

The guys are really trying to get to know each other right now. They're getting loose, making jokes, and going to each other directly. We need to get to know each other less superficially. That's essential. There has been a little bit more sharing of the ball lately, which I think is a direct result of that.

March 1

I wanted to spend more time with my teammates during this homestand, but I haven't been able to. My parents are coming in and my maid has been sick, so I've been cleaning like a maniac. Erick comes over and eats lunch all the time and I've also been shooting with Cedric [Henderson]. That's about all I did this week, except for cleaning. A lot of the guys went out last night to chill and have a beer. I was at home, cleaning until midnight. I did catch the Alvin Ailey dance troupe a few days ago. It was excellent. They are very athletic. Winning a game against the Denver Nuggets [110-93 on February 27] was huge. I'm playing well, but it's weird. I'd take a win over playing well. We need to win. I counted it up the other day: I lost four games total in high school, and not very many in college. We've lost four games in one week this season. We really needed that win. It doesn't matter who it was against. It felt awesome.

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