March 31, 2005
Finally I have found some words to explain the last couple of weeks. Ironically enough I feel like I'm on top of the world and this entry of my journal is coming from 30,000 feet in the air! We are en route to Indy as we speak but I wanted to comment on some pretty important things before we go too much further.
I think I left off sometime before the Big 12 Tournament. We got off to an early spring break and headed to Kansas City Tuesday afternoon I believe. We had some extra friends along for the ride in that the band, Yell Leaders and some administrators got to make the trip as well. It's hard to imagine what it's like when 12 schools come together in one city with fans and planes full of people for a week! Everyone was still excited about the first Big 12 Championship that was only a few days prior to the tournament. We arrived to our hotel and pretty much moved in with intentions of being there for the remainder of the week.
The first night we got in and ate together at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner then we pretty much headed to bed and prepared for the next day. Tuesday was still kind of down time for us, we all met for breakfast, and then we got to go watch the first round of the tournament. Kansas and Missouri, who probably had the shortest trip to the tournament, squared off first. We walked over to the gym because it was unbelievably close, besides the walk was fun!
We found a nice section to sit together and watched the game in its entirety. It's hard to watch both teams and try to pick up on important parts of the game when you're not sure which one you will play. I paid more attention to Kansas, thinking they were the more aggressive team and Missouri ended up with the victory - thank goodness for film! After the game we grabbed some lunch and then got ready for practice. We were scheduled to practice at a small university gym which was a good opportunity to see some of the Kansas City sights.
Practice was the usual, pretty routine and somewhat short. After we got up and down the floor a few times, we loaded up the bus and returned to the hotel. A few of the teams were asked to attend an autograph session that night back at the gym, so we did that before getting to watch another first-round game that night. I particularly enjoyed the autograph session because Swin Cash made an appearance and she sat right beside me. I have been a fan of hers since I was in high school, which I know wasn't very long ago, but I have always wanted to say something like that. A lot of people have told me in the past that we kind of look alike and I am here to tell you after being that close, that we don't, but I appreciate the compliment.
Wednesday was the official beginning. We went through the gameday ritual we have come to know so well. It was like any other game, except this time of the season didn't always guarantee another day for some teams. I think its something you don't really think about but for a few of those teams, they were ending their season sometime in this tournament. I think it made me appreciate the position we put ourselves in a lot more than I had before and with that said we made the most of it.
I don't remember the details of the game too much, but we got the first win we were looking for. Then we put our focus on the toughest game I think we faced in that tournament - Texas Tech. This would our second matchup within a week, and emotions were still pretty fresh from that last meeting. Some people doubt the ability to beat a team three times in one season I guess from a probability stand point. Baylor, on the other hand, took it as a challenge. We realistically believed that if you're good, you're good, and you will rise to the occasion no matter what it is, and prevail. Tech is a very good basketball team and they played their hearts out in that game. We stuck with them though and managed to pull off an ending I don't think anyone could of drawn up. As bad as well played that night, we gained a lot of momentum from that game and we carried it over to the next challenge placed in front of us for Saturday night - Kansas State.
Two games in two days is a pretty unique feeling. I don't think I can explain it beyond the obvious. It's kind of like when someone tells you a joke and you don't laugh and then they say, "you had to be there." Well, I think in order to fully understand how it felt falls under the category of having to be there. But fortunately we didn't have enough time to complain or really let the pain sink in before we started to focus on the Kansas State game.
Friday was our day to `rest' so to speak, although we had practice. We did however get the chance to go to the mall at one point. Before we knew it, we were headed back to bed to start that gameday routine again in the morning. The ball went up once again, for the third time in four days to be exact and then the rest was history. I remember looking up and seeing the clock count down the final seconds and then the celebration started again, for the second time in one week to be exact. It was all so overwhelming because we still hadn't gotten over the fact that we won the Big 12 regular season, much less the tournament. We got more hats and T-shirts, which is always fun! We cut down the nets, again. We played in confetti, again. We thanked our fans and enjoyed ourselves and our accomplishments, again.
Before we got too comfortable, it was time to head back to Waco just in time for Selection Sunday. It was great to be back in Waco, although it was pretty bare (no pun intented). It was spring break and I think I almost forgot in all the excitement of the tournament. I almost expected to see all my friends and celebrate some more but they had all gone their separate ways to enjoy the weather change and time away from school. I mean I don't know what the rush was for, Waco is beautiful in the spring time, either way we had the campus to ourselves. With all that freedom we took advantage of the emptiness. We went out to eat and to the movies, with no lines or waiting or anything along those lines. It was great. And there was always somewhere to park. We also got bit by the boredom bug I guess, but we cured that real quick. Luckily Sophia (Young) and I had a few tricks up our sleeves and went on a small prank spree. Without going into details, there was a huge roll of shrink wrap, car paint, and water balloons involved.
Selection Sunday was a fun event - another opportunity to celebrate and talk with fans. Some that couldn't be in Kansas City and some that could, all equally excited. We watched intently, while thousands watched us, watching. We were graced with the presence of ESPN while we awaited our seeding in the long-awaited NCAA Tournament. The moment came and the No. 2 prefixed the name Baylor as our official seeding. Some people disappointed, some pretty excited, all in all it was just another challenge. No matter what number comes before your name, the bottom line goes back to what we said before - if you're good, you're good and the teams that play big will prevail in the end. So with that we packed our bags along with a nice group of fans and ventured across the country to Seattle.
We settled in downtown at the Grand Hyatt, which wasn't a hard thing to do considering it was one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in. We had a single shower and a separate bathtub. There were complimentary robes, which weren't all that complimentary because they cost $50 to take outside the hotel. There was a beautiful view from every room. We all went around to see which one each of us had the best view. I personally could stare out of the window all day and people watch, and that's more or less what I did when I wasn't out shopping.
We were right across from a very nice shopping center, not to mention the perks of individual downtown shops and stores. We made the rounds every chance we got. We did a lot of speed shopping and sight seeing, trying to fit both of them together was harder than I thought, but I think we made the most of it. I got a unique chance to go down to the Pike Fish Market and catch a fish and an octopus for that matter. It was very different and kind of scary because I was traumatized as a child by seafood - I don't eat it and never have enjoyed the smell and yet here I was in the middle of a fish market playing with and touching the very things I have grown to hate. It was kind of therapeutic, considering part of the reason I don't like seafood is the texture of the actual fish. Anyway, that was a lot of fun and I had a new esteem following me around throughout it all, so it's something I will never forget - not that I would with all the flashbacks I now have.
We faced off against Illinois State to begin the road to Indy. It was a pretty ideal start for us, considering everyone got to play and we looked very confident in how well we were playing at this point. We jumped out on them very early and really got the job done we intended to do. It was a fun game but we still had more work to do before giving into all the fun. So we found ourselves in the second round facing a close to home Oregon team. They were a completely different opponent from the first round but we had pretty much the same outcome. We played once again with intense focus and confidence and got the job done. Suddenly, we found ourselves in a familiar situation of making it to the Sweet 16. It wasn't as celebrated as the year before because this was going to be quite the hurdle for us. A traffic jam if you will, in the road to Indy.
Back on our home floor in Waco, we moved our focus to Minnesota, which wasn't very hard considering they were all in the media anyway. Janel McCarville had stirred up some controversy over a pretty crucial pick she set on a Virginia player in the game before ours. Typically we don't ever just play teams without some background or underlying story involved, so this was the same story different verse. I guess that it was a pretty physical game since the refs were letting us play for the most part. We don't have a problem being a physical team and so it wasn't a factor. We played Baylor basketball and got the job done. And for the record, I would never make Abi (Wabara) mad, under any circumstances - but that's just me.
So, we get Sunday to soak in the excitement of breaking another barrier, setting another record, and continuing to make history by making it to the Elite Eight. We had practice and some down time as part if the itinerary of the day among other things, but finally it was time to go to bed, and before we knew it, it was time to play. The ball went up and the clock began to countdown. There was 40 minutes left in my life at that point. Nothing else mattered except the next forty minutes. We ran, pushed, shoved and played focused Baylor basketball until the final minutes dwindled to none. We did it again, we were faced with adversity and doubt and still found a way to beat the odds, to rise to the top, to be the shining light we were destined to be.
Which brings me right back here on the plane to Indy - the feeling is still indescribable. There's definitely a lot in there but I haven't found the words to bring it all out. Hopefully I won't have to, we can just take all that is within us and lay it out on the court. Lead by our actions and not our words. We understand this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and don't want to let it slip away. This is what we have been working for all along and trust me when I say we mean business.
This past week has been great in terms of the support we have been receiving and all the attention but we are putting it on hold momentarily for the chance to finish the ultimate job. We appreciate every last person who ever made it to a game or a send-off or a function of any kind to support the Lady Bears. I don't think I will ever get tired of hearing from fans - it makes it all worthwhile to know there's a whole community behind what we are trying to do, what we have been dreaming about for so long. So, together as a community and a university we will represent Baylor as soon as we land this plane. In conclusion, we thank everyone for everything and we appreciate all the support and attention, but we aren't finished yet. Stick around for one more weekend and hopefully two more games and we won't let you down.
Until next time...Chameka.
