Day 1 – Wednesday, Nov. 19
As noted in the
October Update, I am maintaining a daily blog, of sorts, to record the 12 day journey of the men’s basketball team.
The trip was delayed initially because of technical delays. The bus originally schedule to take the team to Morgantown broke-down and its replacement had to be brought in from Lynchburg, VA. The original departure time of 5 p.m. was moved to 6:30 p.m., which did not ruin our travel plans in any way, but it did highlight the fact that “Murphy’s Law” – anything that can go wrong, will go wrong – is always in play during a road trip. I just hope this is the only time we encounter this rule.
The drive up to West Virginia was uneventful. Most of the travel party slept. I played cards with assistant coaches Bill Reinson, Tim Fudd, and senior Dana Smith. We arrived at the hotel at 1 a.m. and I went straight to bed.
Day 2 – Thursday, Nov. 20
While the team had its pre-game shoot-a-round, I was provided a tour of West Virginia’s athletic facilities. Over the past year, the Mountaineers have enhanced many of their facilities, including the basketball arena, the football offices, and the administrators’ offices. With that said, WVU has plans to build a great deal more. One of WVU’s top priorities is a practice facility for men’s and women’s basketball.
The game tipped at 7 p.m., and Longwood came out playing hard defensively. In the end, the Mountaineers were too long, and too athletic to overcome.
Day 3 – Friday, Nov. 21
We stopped for breakfast in Morgantown before heading for Princess Anne, MD to face the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. I slept for most of the 6-plus hour ride, but I periodically woke-up to view the patches of snow storms we drove through. At one point, I stayed up long enough to look around the bus. Some were watching a movie, a few were playing cards, and a couple of guys were playing video games. It was at this point that I felt like a minor league baseball player. It also made me realize that this was just the beginning of a very long road trip, and unlike a pro baseball player, the student-athletes endure this grueling trip, in part for love of the game, but also to represent Longwood.
Day 4 – Saturday, Nov. 22
The team went to breakfast at Denny’s restaurant. On our way in, Greg Prouty, the assistant AD for media relations, was stopped by an elderly lady who remarked about how nice it was to see the team out to eat, and how she felt it was great that they would travel to Maryland to play a game. As we concluded breakfast, an elderly gentleman approached me, he asked, “Who pays for these young men to travel all this way?” I explained that each team has a travel budget to make to these trips. He then asked, “Who is the head man that coordinates these trips?”
I pointed in coach Mike Gillian’s direction, but he mistakenly thought I was referring to coach Fudd. The gentleman then walked over, shook coach Fudd’s hand and quickly passed him fifty dollars, to all of our surprise. I called the gentleman back and ask his name and the reason for his kindness. As he came back, the lady who spoke to Greg earlier joined him. He explained his name was Tom Bishop who was at breakfast with his wife Anna. They were both passionate about athletics, and remarked that they were extremely impressed by the conduct of the team. As such, he wanted to support their efforts with a gift.
We were all very honored by the gesture of the Bishops, but, rightly so, coach Gillian gave the money back and thanked them both.
The day finished on a good note as well. The team earned a hard fought victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore, which was the first road victory of the year.
Day 5 – Sunday, Nov. 23
Thanks to coach Gillian’s negotiations, the team enjoyed their first charter flight, from Salisbury, MD to Lexington, KY. The flight was a great convenience to the staff that didn’t have to shuffle the team through the airport. It was fun for the student-athletes who had never traveled in such a quality fashion. However, the non-commercial flight, was an even greater experience for freshman student manager, Tim Marsh. Tim is from Nelson County, Virginia, which he describes as a “one-stoplight town” in central VA. Prior to our trip, Tim had never flown, commercial or otherwise. Tim was fortunate to have his first flight ever be a private charter. On the flipside, Tim will quickly be brought down to earth when we have to fly commercial on Tuesday, during our travel from Kentucky to Las Vegas, NV.
Day 6 – Monday, Nov. 24
Rupp Arena. Truly one of the most historic facilities in all of college basketball; I was excited to watch a game in Rupp, especially considering it my school, Longwood, battling “Big Blue.”
The team played hard, and there were a couple of nice highlights – Ryan Bogan’s 6 three-pointers being the standout moment. At one point, midway through the first half, every time Ryan touched the ball you could sense the deep breath taken by the crowd. In the end, we lost by a large margin, but I believe the trip to Lexington, the effort during competition with Kentucky, and the opportunity to play in Rupp were all positive experiences from which the team can build from.
Day 7 – Tuesday, Nov. 25
“Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas,” read the bright marquee as our charter bus headed to the team hotel. Today was completely for travel. Without the aid of a charter flight, it took awhile longer to fly west (although Tim Marsh still seemed to enjoy the encounter with commercial airlines even going through security). With that said, the travel was uneventful. Now we have a few days off from competition before our Friday match with Southeast Missouri State.
Day 8 – Wednesday, Nov. 26
We are headed to practice and it dawns on me that we have been on the road for a week. I’m a little tired from the travels, but the team is still in very high spirits. I decide to tag along to watch. Luckily, I get to see my favorite practice session, the “shell drill.” The shell drill teaches all the fundamentals of team man-to-man defense. I love the drill for the simple fact that athletes of all ages and skill levels need to be proficient in this exercise. It puts all basketball players on a common ground.
The two-hour practice was crisp and high energy. In fact, even a bit chippy at times, which was evident by the few battles for loose balls, and the Brandon Evans power dunk during the team scrimmage. It is always encouraging to see a really good practice after a loss. It is a sign that the players are not discouraged, and are ready for their next game.
Day 9 – Thursday, Nov. 27
After a morning shoot-around, the team rested prior to our Thanksgiving dinner. As all in the travel party would testify, the dinner was in no way a replacement to mom’s home cooked turkey, it was still a very good meal. Plus it was an opportunity for the men’s basketball team to bond. Stories were exchanged about favorite home-cooked Thanksgiving dishes and experiences. Freshman Antwan Carter bragged about his mom’s candied-yams, coach Tim Fudd professed his love of pumpkin pie, and athletic trainer Josh Beard detailed the first time he made pecan-crusted sweet potatoes. Fortunately, a few of the staff members’ families made the trip to Nevada, so they were able to join us for dinner. I enjoyed hearing coach Doug Thibault’s mother (“Momma T”) sharing laughs with the players, seeing coach Gillian’s daughter show off her magic tricks, and discussing everything “New Jersey” with coach Bill Reinson’s parents. Tonight was the best way to spend Thanksgiving when you can’t be home, enjoying fellowship and fun with friends.
Day 10 – Friday, Nov. 28
Today the team was back to work. We had a 1 p.m. PT tip-off with Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) and the team showed no signs of fatigue, which surprised me given the travels. I think this is a result of coach Gillian’s plan going into the trip. He kept the players in routine, blending practices and rest appropriately. Unfortunately, SEMO was able to withstand our early rush, and a small contingent crowd in support of Longwood (side note: there were a Kentucky fans that attended our game and cheered for Longwood throughout the contest, plus Dana Smith’s mom is cheering presence all on her own. Definitely a tough loss, but the Lancers made SEMO earn the victory with a lot of fight and determination at the end of the game.
Day 11 – Saturday, Nov. 29
Because of the heartbreaking loss, we had the early game today; an 11:30 a.m. PT start time versus Delaware State University. Both teams played hard out of the gates, but the Lancers finished the first half with a big run to take an eight-point lead into the intermission. Longwood increased its lead to 13 early in the second half before Delaware State fought back to eventually tie the game late. The Lancers, however, held on for the win. And I am still impressed at how we don’t seem to be sluggish in any way.
To provide perspective, most Division I schools have played two or three less games than Longwood at this point of the season. And there are very few schools that have played this many games in such a short time frame, while traveling from coast to coast. The team’s effort really does impress me. The team has gotten a return on their investment, by earning a win over Delaware State, leading to the program’s best start since Longwood began a full Division I schedule. In addition, as an opposing coach remarked after the game, “It is always good to finish a tournament with a win…especially when you have to travel across the country, and you have nothing but the thought of your last game on your mind.”
Day 12 – Sunday, Nov. 30
We are headed home. Thanks to some diligent travel preparations by coach Doug Thibault we have an early, one-way, flight back to the east coast. It may not seem like a lot, but the flight from Las Vegas to Raleigh is for 4 ½ hours in the air. If we had to combine that with any type of layover, during the busiest travel day of the year (there were travel delays all over the country because of weather and volume of travelers), the trip home could have been dreadful. Instead, the flight home allowed me time to rest and reflect on the trip that was. Aside from the wins, and spending time with the team, here are a few of my favorite highlights:
• The bright lights and beautiful landscape of Las Vegas. Certain aspects were breathtaking.
• Going to Rupp Arena.
• Joining Scott Bacon, voice of the Lancers men’s basketball team, on press row for all of our games. It gives you a different perspective of the game when you hear the play-by-play.
• My tour of West Virginia’s athletics facilities. It is always interesting to see another institution’s facility, and hear what plans they have. It is a reminder that just about every Division I school is involved in an “arms-race” to build the best facilities.
• The water light show at the Bellagio Hotel. It was spectacular.
• The teams, energy, effort, and high-spirits during the entire trip.
• Tillerman’s Restaurant (Las Vegas, NV)…As the saying goes, “I don’t eat to live, I live to eat.”
• Hearing Dana Smith’s mother cheer for from an upper section in the stands, over 23,000 fans, while I sat on press row.
I am thankful to coach Gillian for allowing me to take the trip with the program and get an in-depth look at the life of a college basketball player on the road. Given that I played college football, I could not truly appreciate intricacies of such a long trip; and he really did make it a positive experience for all involved. With that said, now that I am back, I am thankful I can sleep in my own bed. I am also excited to cheer on the Lancer men’s and women’s basketball teams during the winter season.
