(Guru's note: Here are more player blogs written in the last few days for the Associated Press' season series.).
UConn's Renee Montgomery
STORRS, Conn. - Today (Friday) is the day after Thanksgiving, and I'm having a hard time staying awake long enough to type this. Turkey has some serious side effects.
At this point we have played four games, all of them were at home except one. The one game that wasn't at home was all the way in Utah against BYU, and it made Storrs seem like Times Square.
Our coaches took us to an NBA game while we were there, the Chicago Bulls vs. the Utah Jazz. Coach Auriemma had four tickets down low, and the rest were upstairs.
To be fair he chose three names out of a bag to see who would get the seats close to the Jazz bench. Right when I heard the method of selection my hopes dropped and then the first name was pulled, it was Tiffany Hayes.
I'm thinking, "that's OK, there's still two tickets left." The second name pulled out the bag was Maya Moore. Now I'm starting to get worried and thinking of how I'm going to sneak down and get a good seat even if my name isn't chosen.
The last name was pulled, and I felt like I was on a reality show because of how long coach paused before he said the name.
The last ticket went to ... yep, you guessed it, Me! I started singing and dancing, not just to rub it into my teammates, but because "I had the golden ticket." That's Willy Wonka for those of you who didn't pick up on it.
Well the game was great, the Bulls won by one point on a last-second shot by Larry Hughes. I must admit, life is good.
Until next time ...
Renee Montgomery
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Cal's Lauren Greif
(Written Wednesday)
BERKELEY, Calif. - Hello again from Lauren Greif (aka LG) and the California Golden Bears.
The colder weather of November has rolled in and teams across the country are now well into "game mode" - and this consists of scouting opponents, shorter practices and establishing game-day routines.
Game-day traditions are important because some of us - and this includes me - believe that winning and losing games can depend as much on how game-day rituals go as it does on how we play on the court. You know ... how can I be expected to focus on the game if I don't have my designated game-day spandex on?
Okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but I do eat the same meal before each game (peanut butter and jelly), listen to Rascal Flatts, and always make a 3-pointer before I go to the bench before the game starts and before the second half.
As a team, we have a certain taping order with Ann, our trainer; Lex (Alexis Gray-Lawson) and Ash (Ashley Walker) have a special hand shake/salute they do when their names are announced as starters; Tasha (Vital) gets out on the court first before the game and shoots for 10 minutes with her headphones on, and of course we have an on-the-court warmup schedule.
I would tell you more of our team's little idiosyncrasies, but then I would worry that somebody would try to sabotage us ... got to protect the team and not embarrass ourselves too much!!!
As we get ready for our first road trip to the Virgin Islands (nice!), we also get a chance to work on our road routines. Trust me, you don't know who and what your teammates are about until you spend 72 straight hours with them (normal road trip time).
That means eating, sleeping, waiting in airports, choosing TV stations, dealing with wins and especially losses, and singing on the bus together - and it can make you either love your teammates or wish you had spent more time checking them out before signing! No joke!
Fortunately for me, I love my teammates and we really have a good time together. I trust them ... we are always laughing ... and I really respect each of them and the roads they've traveled (often different than mine) to get to Cal.
My coaches can be great fun too and I totally enjoy all the crazy things we come up with to keep busy on the road. And if all else fails, we can always get into a game of "Catch Phase" - and we are good!
So, yes, this is a direct challenge to any team out there - "catch phrase" or b-ball?
Either way, we are ready.
Happy Holidays and catch you later.
P.S. I have to send a shout out to all the great Bear fans who are filling Haas Pavilion and helping us win big games!!
Thanks ... and keep the love coming.
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