Feb. 23, 2011
I doubt I am the only one that is thinking "I can't believe it is senior night already?" Man did this season fly by; fortunately we have a lot of season ahead of us and we hope you are all with us.
I can't believe my first blog of 'Talking Hoops with 'Sloot' was about our blue and red scrimmage nearly four months ago. It really seems like just yesterday I was putting those thoughts down on paper. But here it is, already time to talk about Senior Night. And what a ride it has been thus far! There have been times during the year that we weren't playing our best basketball and people may have counted us out, but that didn't stop us from working hard to reach our ultimate goal. I think the saying "it's not how you start, but how you finish" is portraying our season perfectly. We hit some obstacles early, dropping a few games we wish we could have back, but those games have only helped us in the long run. We are playing some of our best basketball with the West Coast Conference Tournament right around the corner.
But enough with the short recap, we can do that after season. Let's talk about the two very important games this weekend. First the second place team in the WCC Saint Mary's will be in town Thursday. The reason these games are so important is because despite us clinching our seventh-straight WCC title (which we are very proud of by the way) we want to make sure that we continue to hold the momentum going into the WCC tournament. We take pride on keeping what our future holds in our hands rather than in the hands of the NCAA committee. We want to control our own destiny and we do that by winning the tournament. So my point is let's make these last two home conference games something very special and sell out the Kennel! We have a pretty big senior class, five of us (Me, Carter, Claire, Janelle and Tatri) and I know I can speak for all of us that we are very grateful for everything about this team and program and we are excited to share this day with you guys! Senior day is against San Diego Saturday, although their record may not be convincing, they always play us tough and with it being the last game of conference the emotions for both teams will be high!
I am truly excited for Senior Day because I have thought about this day since my freshman year and it is here. I don't exactly know how I will feel on Saturday but I am expecting a bitter sweet feeling. The seniors have had 4/5 incredible years here and we definitely will be sad to go but a new beginning is in front of us, which is also so exciting! I hope to see all of you at the games and let's create that home court advantage that we are so well known for!!
My teammate Shannon Reader hijacked the flip video this week, so for one week, and one week only, it is 'Talking Hoops With 'Shanno'. Shanno talks to the underclassmen, coaches and staff this week to get all the funny stories on us seniors. She also turned my top moments this week into her top two memories of the senior class. Hope you enjoy.
Shannon Reader's Top Senior Memories
So as you guys know, this is the senior's final week playing in the McCarthey Athletic Center. These senior's have started a tradition that future Zags will look to continue for many years to come. Here are my favorite memories with this senior class.
Memory #1 - This was recent and it just proves what it is to be a "family". We were down in San Francisco last weekend and Friday night, we are able to go eat where ever we want. We, as a team, decided to get dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. We had a big table for 15 and spent the entire night laughing and eating some great food. We were all doing our own things prior to dinner; some went shopping, others went sightseeing and the rest napped and watched television but at 6:30 p.m., we all met downstairs and walked to Joe's. We had a waiter who was a blast and after eating "pots" of seafood, we were not done. As a team, we walked over to Cold Stone and every person got their favorite combination of ice cream. As we were running back to the hotel (because we were cutting it close to film time), we continued to laugh as it was pouring rain and Courtney decided to wear sandals so she was soaked. As we walked into the film room, ice cream in hand, the coaches couldn't help but shake their heads. We were on time and everything but as we tried to watch film, we continued to squeak out little laughs here and there. That memory will forever show we don't just consider ourselves a team but also a family.
Memory #2- For this memory, I have to break it down to every senior because those five girls have shaped the person and player I have become.
Tatri- She is the most happy and carefree person that I may ever met. In games and close situations, I am able to look to her because she is always so calm. She calms me down and just makes me feel more relaxed and that is a great quality. Her smile and laugh that can fill the room will be missed.
Janelle- I have had the privilege of living with her for two years now. She is the mother of the house, always cooking. We have had some amazing memories together that I will always cherish. The basketball slam between the legs after the NCAA second round victory over Texas A&M will forever go down in history. It will not be easy to see JB go but I can't wait to see what the future has for this girl.
Claire- I have to say Claire may be one of the toughest competitors I have ever had to "battle" with. Day in and day out, she pushes me to be a better player. I think my favorite memory was this year against Stanford. I was nervous, like anyone else out there and before we both went in, she grabbed my hands and we had a mini review. She told me I would do great, she told me how to guard people and she smiled and the last thing she said was "you'll do great". Unfortunately, we lost that game but that should show you the kind of heart Claire Raap has. Although she was nervous, she helped me because she could see I was freaking out.
Courtney- Well, what can I say about this girl that people don't already know...She is a great person with a good heart and is funny and I guess you could say she is a pretty good basketball player. I have to say my favorite memory would have to be one of my first practices my freshman year. She drove down the lane and threw this pass to me at the block that I was NOT ready for. I mean, the seam she had to throw it in didn't look possible but yes, Court can get about any pass through. The ball hit me square in the nose and I couldn't help but tear up. Court yelled, mad I didn't catch it and gave me that look that says "come on freshman, catch the BALL." Heather Bowman looked at me and shook her head, knowing what it feels like to get your first Courtney Vandersloot pass. Now, I will not say I have caught every pass since then but I keep my eyes on her, not knowing when a pass might find its way through an impossible seam.
Carter- Carter Schick, the crowd favorite, is just as much fun as you would think. This girl is all smiles and sometimes even gets a little giddy. There are so many memories we could share; we have talked about writing a book because there are THAT many but I will give you one of my favorites. My favorite would be at Montana my freshman year. We were playing the Griz and the game was tight. Coach wasn't happy with the foul that the ref had just called and somehow the ball had rolled its way to me and Carter. There we were, sitting with the ball right by ours legs when Coach looked down the bench, gave us a look and said "Do NOT touch that ball" as the ref walks over and ask us to throw him the ball. Cart and I both looked at each other knowing we couldn't get the ball. The ref then asked us again to hand it to us and neither of us moved nor said a word. We sat there for what seemed like hours until the ref finally frustrated picked the ball up himself and walked away. This will forever make me laugh and every time I go to Montana I think of this memory.
Well, as you can see, these senior's have meant so much to me. After getting to know them the past three years it will be hard to see them go but I know each and every one of them will go on to do amazing things.
