"Unbeknownst to most historians, Einstein started down the road of professional basketball before an ankle injury diverted him to science."
_ Gary Larson

This was on of the craziest weekends I have ever endured. Friday night, and finally Midnight Madness had finally crept up on us. The team had been practicing our skits for over two weeks and we felt very confident going into Late Night. I gathered all my things I needed for the evening and headed out of my apartment not knowing what this night would hold in store for me.

I began walking down the steps and I can see the Dean Smith Center, (where the men play their home games.) and it was packed. It was me and a few teammates walking through this ungodly crowd of people. As you walk past each person, it was like a wave of clapping started. People here know who you are especially if you play basketball. It sent chills up my back as we progressed into the hidden tunnel behind the Dean Dome. We found our locker room and began setting out costumes, masks, glasses, etc. I wanted to just see the Dean Dome with nobody in it so I walked to the end of one hall and just sat there and stared.

If you have never been in the Dean Dome, I think you should atleast see it once in your life. It is one of the top five largest college arenas in the nation. It is absolutely incredible, and it was empty. I sat there and thought, "Wow, in 45 minutes this place will be crawling!"

We were so excited to do these skits for all these people because it was really going to show people how goofy we are. I am not sure what happened; there might have been a mix up or something but our music was totally messed up. They played the first song for about five seconds and then it would cut out and we would just be standing on the court. We got a few of our skits in, but we did not get to finish two, and we completely did not even get to do our finale. We were all frustrated about that, but the show must go on. We received only 30 minutes to do our skits, and play a scrimmage game. We looked up at the clock after all the delays and we had to start our scrimmage. We were allowed two minutes to warm up, and then we had to play.

Game Time!

The first morning of practice had finally come. It involved some learning when it came to new drills, but it was easy to catch on. You have to stay mentally into the practices or you will be so lost. We went over some fast breaks, scrimmaged, and just a lot of other things. It was my first practice at the University of North Carolina and it felt great.

Saturday afternoon at the football game, we were called out on the field after the first quarter. They had a highlight video playing and we were standing in front of a sold out Kenan Stadium. It was the UNC vs. South Carolina game. This is a pride game to see who the, "Real Carolina" is, but we all know that answer! We almost pulled the upset but fell a little short. I can see this football team is young and next year they will be a force to be reckoned with. Now, as for my UK Wildcats, they knocked of the No. 1 LSU Tigers. I was so excited! The whole team was at Coach Hatchell’s and we were watching the game on her projection screen downstairs. Now, of course, I was for UK, which meant that everyone else was pulling for LSU. Coach Andrew Calder was the worst of all of them. He kept saying, "Uh oh Bee, if they score, then UK has to score and complete the two -point conversion." It was all fun and games and I’m very glad UK won.

The best part of Saturday night at Coach Hatchell’s was our team fashion show. We modeled our travel suits, practice gear, uniforms, shoes, etc. for the recruits, but the best part was at the end. The last run-through was definitely not anything that involved practice gear or uniforms. We went through Coach Hatchell’s old closet and modeled her old suits and outfits. It was too funny. Coach Charlotte Smith-Taylor was our host and she could not even talk on account of laughing so hard. That was great and we have it on film. That will be one tape that Coach might want to keep.

This weekend definitely was long, but worth it. Each day in practice I learn something new and apply it to my game. The freshmen look great out there and we fit in just fine. We are a goofy and have fun type of team, but when it comes to basketball, it is all serious. We are everyone very competitive and we make each other better each day in practice. We are continuing weight training and shooting groups on a regular schedule. We are preparing for our first game on Halloween, but, most importantly, the long road ahead that the season will bring.

"Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count."
_ Unknown

Stay cool and keep ballin' ya’ll.

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