Bulldogs Ready For Much-Needed Christmas Break
12/22/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Matt Breach
Special to GoZags.com
SPOKANE, Wash. - The life of an elite college basketball player, to the surprise of many fans, is not as glamorous as it may seem. From grueling practices and film sessions to long road trips and high-stakes games, the season can be a grind.
Any break, then, from this demanding routine is welcome. But there are few respites, however fleeting, greeted as enthusiastically as Christmastime.
"They need some time at home, they need some time with family," Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves said of his players. "They need some time away from basketball, even though we want them to work out and get some shots up."
Graves' Bulldogs, 10-3 on the season after a 35-point win over Idaho on Thursday, will spend the next few days away from the gym. The Zags won't resume their regular routine until the day after Christmas, when they reconvene for an evening practice. They will host rival Washington State three days later.
"Unfortunately, as a coach, your family gets neglected from time to time, especially during the season," Graves said. "I haven't been able to relax and enjoy the holidays yet, but now I have four or five days to do that before Christmas."
The players won't be able to relax until they get home, and getting there is easier for some than others. Shaniqua Nilles and Jazmine Redmon, for example, are Spokane natives.
"I love Christmas because I love buying gifts for my teammates, my family, my friends," Redmon said. "I just love Christmas overall."
A handful of Bulldogs have relatively short drives to locales in the region, like the Palouse and Tri-Cities. Other Zags, like Maiki Viela, have to endure more complicated travel arrangements. Viela, a native of Hawaii, is flying home for Christmas. Her trip includes changeovers in Seattle and San Jose, Calif. The hassle will be worth it, she says, because her homecoming will be a surprise to her unsuspecting family.
"My mom thinks I'm spending Christmas with a friend," Viela said. "It will be exciting to see them."
Taelor Karr is also catching a flight home. The senior from Paola, Kan., says seeing her family for the first time in six months will mean more than any gift.
"The most important thing used to be presents, of course, when you're a kid," she said. "But now that I've grown up and been in college and been away, it's definitely just going back and spending that quality time with family."
Not that she would turn down a gift. Karr did not ask her family, or Santa, for anything specific, but she did point out there is at least one thing she wouldn't mind.
"Nothing special, just money," she said. "Money can get you just about anything, so that's about it."
When it comes to hellacious holiday travel, no one on the team can contend with Sunny Greinacher. For the sophomore to make it home to Essen, Germany, it is, at minimum, a 15-hour flight. But that's if a traveler is willing to spend a small fortune to limit stops along the way. Realistically, Greinacher said, it usually takes a solid 24 hours to complete the jaunt. She did make the trip home her freshman year but will remain stateside this year.
"It's just too far to go for that short of time," Greinacher said. "But all of my siblings are going back home, so I'm going to be the only one missing."
Greinacher will still see her family thanks to Skype, and her mother and brother will visit Spokane in February. As for her Christmas plans, Greinacher will travel to Oregon and celebrate with the family that hosted her as a foreign-exchange student in high school.
"We are all looking forward to having a couple of days off," Greinacher said, "and then coming back fresh."
