Basketball: MPI vs. Punahou 1/26/2010

I was fortunate to be able to practice sports photography again this season attending the MPI games. The night's game was against Punahou, who has not lost a game this season. MPI played really hard and was tied at half time, but then Punahou took over and won 58-76. It took me about the 1st quarter to get the settings right and timing to get some sharp shots w/ my 50mm lens.
I had a good shot of the tip-off, but unfortunately at closer inspection, it was blurry! I like shooting at the MPI gym because it is quite well lit so I was able to use Auto White Balance and the home team is in white and I found that works best for the camera's focusing.
I shot manual set at ISO 800, mostly 1/125 speed but had a hard time w/ the F2.2 aperture because in closeup shots, the depth of field would make part of the player out of focus. I did manage to get a couple of good shots.
It was best to take shots of the crowded basket. I got pretty good at it...so I have lots of basket shots. I think I need to learn the game more so I can shoot other shots. I did manage to get this one "air" shot..
I tried tracking the player so that the background would be blurry...it's hard to get them focused...I hope to practice more at the next few games.