By Amanda Ottaway
Dear Everyone,
I think I have to write a conclusion now. But how do you approach the end of something when that something has taken ninety percent of your energies for over a decade? How do you write about people who have so profoundly impacted your existence that you’re not sure you would have made it through college without them? How do you put into words an experience that will shape the rest of your life?
For starters, I guess I could explain the circumstances. We traveled to Harrisonburg, Virginia last Wednesday for our first-round WNIT game Thursday at James Madison. For those concerned by my Facebook status Wednesday night: Yes, the hotel elevator broke while all 14 of us were on it after a nighttime film session. Yes, the the limit is five people, although we were unaware of this at the time. Yes, some of us panicked (cough – Shneeka). Yes, we took the dire step of instructing each other to stop talking in order to conserve oxygen. Yes, we were stuck for approximately seven minutes.
Unlike the elevator story, which ends with survival, the story of our game concluded unhappily. JMU has a good team, but I’ll be the first to say that they were beatable. We stayed with them almost the whole game. Eventually, though, we hit a drought and couldn’t score, and they capitalized on their home-court advantage. The final was 64-49, which sounds worse than it was.
Not many teams get to end their seasons on a win, and I am still so proud of everything we’ve accomplished this year. Being the first regular-season champions in school history is nothing to moan about. Plus, we had fun. Even when things were tough – which they often were; I can’t sugarcoat everything and the life of any Division I athlete poses its share of problems – the team made the most of it. That’s what teams are for. So that’s what I take from my experience here. Twenty years from now, I won’t remember who beat us. I definitely won’t remember our record. I might not even remember that we hung a banner. I’ll have long forgotten the hours in the training room and running sprints on the football field and doing homework on the bus. But I will be able to call up Kat, Shannon, Shneeka, Laura, KJ, Barb, Hannah, Mason, Sarah, Hannah, Jazz, Soph, or Mel, and tell them Aunt Otto wants to baby-sit. I’ll take their kids out to the driveway and pit them against my kids in a healthy game of Horse. Then we’ll sit around and drink lemonade and laugh about the time the Wildcats got stuck in the elevator at the Holiday Inn. And they’ll say, “Mom, you’re silly. That doesn’t sound fun at all!” And I’ll assure them that it was the best time of my life.
Peace, love, and happy endings –
Otto
Showing posts with label Women's Basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Women's Basketball. Show all posts
Monday, March 19, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Looking Ahead to the WNIT
By Amanda Ottaway
Thursday, March 8, 2012
It was rough going for a couple of days after we lost to Samford in the semifinals of the Southern Conference tournament. We spent the night in Asheville, so we were able to spend time with our families and watch our men’s semifinal game Sunday night. Our elimination was pretty upsetting, but Samford is an extremely solid, well-coached team. They ended up winning the tournament. So it’s time for us to move on…
Although we didn’t win the conference championship and get an NCAA tournament bid, we do have a place in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), thanks to our regular season championship. So you haven’t seen the last of us yet! The first round starts next week – we’ll either play the 14th, the 15th, or the 16th. But we won’t know our opponent (or the location or date or time) of the game until late, late Monday night the 12th, after the women’s NCAA tournament pairings are announced. We’re confident, though. We know that we underperformed at the SoCon tournament, and that we can get back on track and do well in the WNIT. We’re excited for postseason play!
We had Monday and Tuesday off, and then came back to practice yesterday. Today we practiced and then lifted with Coach Rowan (strength and conditioning coach). We’ll do the same tomorrow. It’s spring break, so there aren’t many people on campus, which is fine with us; we entertain each other pretty well. The highlights of the week have been a trip to Our Town Cinemas, some good Indian food, a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie night, a little shopping, and Shneeka’s flat tire. Sounds like a good spring break to me.
Keep checking for updates about the WNIT! And, of course, send the men’s team your best wishes in the NCAA tournament! Go ‘Cats!!
Peace, perseverance, and March Madness –
Otto
Thursday, March 8, 2012
It was rough going for a couple of days after we lost to Samford in the semifinals of the Southern Conference tournament. We spent the night in Asheville, so we were able to spend time with our families and watch our men’s semifinal game Sunday night. Our elimination was pretty upsetting, but Samford is an extremely solid, well-coached team. They ended up winning the tournament. So it’s time for us to move on…
Although we didn’t win the conference championship and get an NCAA tournament bid, we do have a place in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), thanks to our regular season championship. So you haven’t seen the last of us yet! The first round starts next week – we’ll either play the 14th, the 15th, or the 16th. But we won’t know our opponent (or the location or date or time) of the game until late, late Monday night the 12th, after the women’s NCAA tournament pairings are announced. We’re confident, though. We know that we underperformed at the SoCon tournament, and that we can get back on track and do well in the WNIT. We’re excited for postseason play!
We had Monday and Tuesday off, and then came back to practice yesterday. Today we practiced and then lifted with Coach Rowan (strength and conditioning coach). We’ll do the same tomorrow. It’s spring break, so there aren’t many people on campus, which is fine with us; we entertain each other pretty well. The highlights of the week have been a trip to Our Town Cinemas, some good Indian food, a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie night, a little shopping, and Shneeka’s flat tire. Sounds like a good spring break to me.
Keep checking for updates about the WNIT! And, of course, send the men’s team your best wishes in the NCAA tournament! Go ‘Cats!!
Peace, perseverance, and March Madness –
Otto
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
A Great Day to Be a Wildcat
By Amanda Ottaway
February 27
Well, in case you haven’t heard, today was a great day to be a Wildcat.
It was an incredible weekend for Wildcat basketball, actually – the men clinched the regular-season title with their win at Georgia Southern on Saturday. Congratulations, boys – here’s carrying the momentum to the weekend in Asheville! Go ‘Cats!!
The women lost a tough one at Chattanooga Saturday, but we recuperated and drove to Birmingham Sunday morning to prepare for tonight’s game at Samford, who beat us in Belk Arena in January. It was a low-scoring first half tonight – the score was 19-19 at the break. I’m frankly surprised all the fans didn’t leave for the lack of offensive displays! But, Samford is an insanely well-disciplined team with solid sets and fundamental defensive skills. Fittingly, then, the game eventually came down to a grinding battle of the defenses, which is good because that’s what we’d been focusing on in practice and shoot-around. We hit some huge buckets and managed to keep them at 22% shooting in the second half.
Chattanooga and Appalachian State, the other two teams in the top four, played each other tonight. Because we were on Alabama Central Time, the Chatt-App game (Eastern Time) ended before ours did. We knew all of the following going in: that if we beat Samford tonight, AND Chatt beat App, we’d win the regular season title because we beat App twice. But if App won, they’d be regular-season champs, regardless of whether or not we beat Samford. And if we let Samford beat us, we definitely wouldn’t get the title. (Hopefully you could follow that.) So both matchups were crucial games. We didn’t know the score of Chatt-App while our game was going on. At least, us players didn’t know. But with about ten seconds to go in our game, we had things in hand and Coach Kira (Mowen) turned to the bench and said, “We won!” We knew right away what that meant, and just went absolutely nuts. Turned out Chatt had beaten App. St., which put us in first place! (Some say we’re co-champions with App. Just to be diplomatic, I’ll put that in here, but as far as we’re concerned, we beat them head-to-head.)
This is the first time in school history that the Davidson women’s basketball team has won a regular-season championship. So naturally, we are some happy campers right now. We’re gonna hang a banner!!!!! Now I’m writing from the bus (what else is new?). We’ve got a long drive home and should arrive back on campus somewhere in the area of 6 A.M. – any of you readers own a private jet, for future trips, by any chance? But boy, is this the sweetest bus ride we’ve ever taken! In true social-media-generation fashion, we promptly held a postgame Facebook battle. After launching confetti all over the locker room (and spending half an hour cleaning it up), we loaded up the bus and proceeded to update all our Facebook and Twitter statuses. (Is there such a thing as a Twitter status?) We were competing to see who could get the most “likes.” You’ll have to check out the winner for yourself. :)
Tomorrow is an off day. We’re leaving for Asheville for the Southern Conference Tournament on Thursday evening after practice. We have a bye during the Friday tournament games, but we’ll be there to watch (we play the winner of Wofford vs. College of Charleston), plus it’ll be good to get a quick practice in on the court. This regular-season championship is only our first. We have a tough road ahead this weekend, but we’re confident and so excited! For now, it’s bedtime – we’ve got class tomorrow. Yikes. Gotta get some sleep. I’m about to put my computer away and squeeze onto the floor with my pillow. But you know what, we can’t even complain. Life’s pretty good right now.
Peace, love, and championship #1,
Otto
February 27
Well, in case you haven’t heard, today was a great day to be a Wildcat.
It was an incredible weekend for Wildcat basketball, actually – the men clinched the regular-season title with their win at Georgia Southern on Saturday. Congratulations, boys – here’s carrying the momentum to the weekend in Asheville! Go ‘Cats!!
The women lost a tough one at Chattanooga Saturday, but we recuperated and drove to Birmingham Sunday morning to prepare for tonight’s game at Samford, who beat us in Belk Arena in January. It was a low-scoring first half tonight – the score was 19-19 at the break. I’m frankly surprised all the fans didn’t leave for the lack of offensive displays! But, Samford is an insanely well-disciplined team with solid sets and fundamental defensive skills. Fittingly, then, the game eventually came down to a grinding battle of the defenses, which is good because that’s what we’d been focusing on in practice and shoot-around. We hit some huge buckets and managed to keep them at 22% shooting in the second half.
Chattanooga and Appalachian State, the other two teams in the top four, played each other tonight. Because we were on Alabama Central Time, the Chatt-App game (Eastern Time) ended before ours did. We knew all of the following going in: that if we beat Samford tonight, AND Chatt beat App, we’d win the regular season title because we beat App twice. But if App won, they’d be regular-season champs, regardless of whether or not we beat Samford. And if we let Samford beat us, we definitely wouldn’t get the title. (Hopefully you could follow that.) So both matchups were crucial games. We didn’t know the score of Chatt-App while our game was going on. At least, us players didn’t know. But with about ten seconds to go in our game, we had things in hand and Coach Kira (Mowen) turned to the bench and said, “We won!” We knew right away what that meant, and just went absolutely nuts. Turned out Chatt had beaten App. St., which put us in first place! (Some say we’re co-champions with App. Just to be diplomatic, I’ll put that in here, but as far as we’re concerned, we beat them head-to-head.)
This is the first time in school history that the Davidson women’s basketball team has won a regular-season championship. So naturally, we are some happy campers right now. We’re gonna hang a banner!!!!! Now I’m writing from the bus (what else is new?). We’ve got a long drive home and should arrive back on campus somewhere in the area of 6 A.M. – any of you readers own a private jet, for future trips, by any chance? But boy, is this the sweetest bus ride we’ve ever taken! In true social-media-generation fashion, we promptly held a postgame Facebook battle. After launching confetti all over the locker room (and spending half an hour cleaning it up), we loaded up the bus and proceeded to update all our Facebook and Twitter statuses. (Is there such a thing as a Twitter status?) We were competing to see who could get the most “likes.” You’ll have to check out the winner for yourself. :)
Tomorrow is an off day. We’re leaving for Asheville for the Southern Conference Tournament on Thursday evening after practice. We have a bye during the Friday tournament games, but we’ll be there to watch (we play the winner of Wofford vs. College of Charleston), plus it’ll be good to get a quick practice in on the court. This regular-season championship is only our first. We have a tough road ahead this weekend, but we’re confident and so excited! For now, it’s bedtime – we’ve got class tomorrow. Yikes. Gotta get some sleep. I’m about to put my computer away and squeeze onto the floor with my pillow. But you know what, we can’t even complain. Life’s pretty good right now.
Peace, love, and championship #1,
Otto
Friday, February 24, 2012
Senior Night and Hitting the Road
By Amanda Ottawa
February 20, 2012
Just wanted to thank everyone who came out on Saturday for our game against Appalachian State. It was the most fun I’ve had playing in Belk Arena probably in my whole career. The men had a great atmosphere for their game vs. #24 Wichita State, and more fans than we expected stuck around for our half of the doubleheader. It was a competitive game in front of an awesome crowd, and with the win, we moved into first place in the Southern Conference!
Tonight was Senior Night. We played Wofford, which beat us in January, so we were eager for revenge. The fire worked in our favor as we pulled out the win, 63-39. Before the game, our freshmen decorated the locker room for KJ (Kristen Johnsen) and me, and I’m convinced that they should all go into careers in interior design. It looked SO good! They got tons of red balloons, black and white streamers, and made us posters. After all that, how could we not play well? Postgame, we had a little reception in the Hall of Fame room for our families, friends, and loyal fans from The Pines retirement community. President Quillen, Jim Murphy, and Katy McNay were there, and so was almost everyone who has taken care of us these four years. There was also cake. Lots and lots of cake – my roommates and I have been eating it all week…
Neither KJ nor I did very much crying that night. Okay, okay – KJ didn’t cry at all. (I may or may not have burst into tears when my teammates gave me their present, pictures in a frame with the “I Will Always Love You” lyrics printed on top.) Both of us feel the same way – mostly, it simply hasn’t hit us yet that this was our last game in Belk Arena. We’ve been playing there for so long; why should we expect it to end now? “It’s very surreal,” says KJ. “I can’t believe I’m a senior!” Also, we both figure that our season is far from over at this point. We want to go deep into postseason play; KJ says she thinks we’ll be playing for a long time. “I’m excited to see where that takes us.”
All in all, it was a very special night. Thank you to everyone who made it so wonderful! We’re traveling this weekend, so we’ll spend the week preparing for Chattanooga and Samford, our last two regular-season games. More later!
February 24, 2012
It’s 1:21 PM Friday. We’re on the bus to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Just drove through Asheville, where we stopped for lunch at a Texas Roadhouse – and where we’ll be in a week for the SoCon tournament!!!!! We can’t wait – but we’ve got a couple things to take care of before we go: UT-Chattanooga, at 5 pm ET Saturday, and Samford (Birmingham, Ala.), at 8 pm ET Monday. Both games are on the road. Both are huge in terms of seeding for the tournament. If we win both, we’ll get the #1 seed. If we don’t win both – and depending on how a couple other top teams do this weekend – we could get a #2, behind Appalachian State. Obviously we want the top seed, because that would make us regular-season conference champions. Also, if we get a 2 seed, we’ll play at the same time as the men in our first game of the tournament – no fun for anyone if we have to split the fans!
Because it’s a long drive to Tennessee (5 hours and 33 minutes, according to our itinerary), and because we wanted to practice on Chatt’s court today, we missed classes and left at 10 am. We’ll miss class on Monday, too. Most of our professors are really accommodating when this happens. Our administrative assistant, Terry Gilliland, gives us letters to hand them at the beginning of the semester, specifying which class days we’ll be out of town. As long as we hand in our assignments ahead of time or e-mail them from the road, we can usually stay on top of things. Plus, my teammates are all such good students that everyone plans ahead and gets all their work done. J Lots of people are working on the bus. Some are playing games on their phones – everyone’s really into “Scramble with Friends” right now. Others are napping or watching Moneyball, which someone must have brought. I’ve never seen it, and I’ve got headphones in, but it’s been enjoyable just watching Brad Pitt move around the screen.
Speaking of staying on top of homework, I’d better do that. Wish us luck this weekend! I’ll update again next week.
Peace, Whitney Houston, and the beginning of a good road trip –
Otto
February 20, 2012
Just wanted to thank everyone who came out on Saturday for our game against Appalachian State. It was the most fun I’ve had playing in Belk Arena probably in my whole career. The men had a great atmosphere for their game vs. #24 Wichita State, and more fans than we expected stuck around for our half of the doubleheader. It was a competitive game in front of an awesome crowd, and with the win, we moved into first place in the Southern Conference!
Tonight was Senior Night. We played Wofford, which beat us in January, so we were eager for revenge. The fire worked in our favor as we pulled out the win, 63-39. Before the game, our freshmen decorated the locker room for KJ (Kristen Johnsen) and me, and I’m convinced that they should all go into careers in interior design. It looked SO good! They got tons of red balloons, black and white streamers, and made us posters. After all that, how could we not play well? Postgame, we had a little reception in the Hall of Fame room for our families, friends, and loyal fans from The Pines retirement community. President Quillen, Jim Murphy, and Katy McNay were there, and so was almost everyone who has taken care of us these four years. There was also cake. Lots and lots of cake – my roommates and I have been eating it all week…
Neither KJ nor I did very much crying that night. Okay, okay – KJ didn’t cry at all. (I may or may not have burst into tears when my teammates gave me their present, pictures in a frame with the “I Will Always Love You” lyrics printed on top.) Both of us feel the same way – mostly, it simply hasn’t hit us yet that this was our last game in Belk Arena. We’ve been playing there for so long; why should we expect it to end now? “It’s very surreal,” says KJ. “I can’t believe I’m a senior!” Also, we both figure that our season is far from over at this point. We want to go deep into postseason play; KJ says she thinks we’ll be playing for a long time. “I’m excited to see where that takes us.”
All in all, it was a very special night. Thank you to everyone who made it so wonderful! We’re traveling this weekend, so we’ll spend the week preparing for Chattanooga and Samford, our last two regular-season games. More later!
February 24, 2012
It’s 1:21 PM Friday. We’re on the bus to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Just drove through Asheville, where we stopped for lunch at a Texas Roadhouse – and where we’ll be in a week for the SoCon tournament!!!!! We can’t wait – but we’ve got a couple things to take care of before we go: UT-Chattanooga, at 5 pm ET Saturday, and Samford (Birmingham, Ala.), at 8 pm ET Monday. Both games are on the road. Both are huge in terms of seeding for the tournament. If we win both, we’ll get the #1 seed. If we don’t win both – and depending on how a couple other top teams do this weekend – we could get a #2, behind Appalachian State. Obviously we want the top seed, because that would make us regular-season conference champions. Also, if we get a 2 seed, we’ll play at the same time as the men in our first game of the tournament – no fun for anyone if we have to split the fans!
Because it’s a long drive to Tennessee (5 hours and 33 minutes, according to our itinerary), and because we wanted to practice on Chatt’s court today, we missed classes and left at 10 am. We’ll miss class on Monday, too. Most of our professors are really accommodating when this happens. Our administrative assistant, Terry Gilliland, gives us letters to hand them at the beginning of the semester, specifying which class days we’ll be out of town. As long as we hand in our assignments ahead of time or e-mail them from the road, we can usually stay on top of things. Plus, my teammates are all such good students that everyone plans ahead and gets all their work done. J Lots of people are working on the bus. Some are playing games on their phones – everyone’s really into “Scramble with Friends” right now. Others are napping or watching Moneyball, which someone must have brought. I’ve never seen it, and I’ve got headphones in, but it’s been enjoyable just watching Brad Pitt move around the screen.
Speaking of staying on top of homework, I’d better do that. Wish us luck this weekend! I’ll update again next week.
Peace, Whitney Houston, and the beginning of a good road trip –
Otto
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Big Games Ahead
By Amanda Ottaway
February 15, 2012
Hey people!
So sorry I’ve been slacking on the blog posts lately – things are crazy around here! We just finished a stretch where we had five games in ten days, and we’ve been busy scouting and playing, traveling, rehabbing, eating, scouting, and playing. Oh, and going to class and doing our homework, of course. ;)
I wanted to shoot y’all a quick update before our busy weekend. Last night, I went on a wonderful Valentine’s date. My thirteen Valentines made it a very special evening! We worked out together, got the endorphins going, had some fun, and then ate pizza and watched TV. (Translation: We played at UNCG, won, then ate postgame meal on the bus ride home.) Special report: we got to see Alex Thompson ’10 (A.T.), who is in grad school at Greensboro and managed to make it to our game. It was such a treat to catch up a little with her and hear about her life beyond basketball – she’s doing wonderfully, and we miss her very much!
So today was a relaxing off day before tough games on Saturday and Monday. In other news, we only have FOUR GAMES left in the regular season! Where did February go?!...
These four are big games, though. All of them will be tough – we’ve got App State and Wofford (conference loss #1) at home, then Chatt and Samford (conference loss #2) on the road. I just got back from a film session in the Union with a couple of teammates. We watched the film of the first time we played the Mountaineers, in Boone. At 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, we’ll battle App. here in Davidson for first place in the SoCon. We’re their only conference loss this season – they’re first in the league and we’re second – so it’s definitely going to be an EXCELLENT game. Saturday’s shaping up to be a pretty fun day in Belk Arena, actually – at noon, the men play #24 Wichita State on ESPN2 in their BracketBuster game, and then we follow with our one-two matchup! We’d better see you at both; it doesn’t get any better than that, folks!!
Monday, Wofford, is (gosh) Senior Night. I’m not going to comment on that right now, because I’m still in denial that it’s actually gonna happen. In my head, KJ and I are still freshmen. More to come on the aging crisis later.
OK, well, I have to go now. My roommates keep piling Valentine candy on my lap and I’m finding it difficult to type. Also, there’s that whole chocolate-fingerprints-on-the-keyboard thing going on. Also, we have weights at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday morning with Coach Rowan, so it’s almost bedtime. I promise I shall write again soon, my friends!
To doubleheaders, pizza, and free iPads (come to our game Saturday and you can win one!) –
-Otto
February 15, 2012
Hey people!
So sorry I’ve been slacking on the blog posts lately – things are crazy around here! We just finished a stretch where we had five games in ten days, and we’ve been busy scouting and playing, traveling, rehabbing, eating, scouting, and playing. Oh, and going to class and doing our homework, of course. ;)
I wanted to shoot y’all a quick update before our busy weekend. Last night, I went on a wonderful Valentine’s date. My thirteen Valentines made it a very special evening! We worked out together, got the endorphins going, had some fun, and then ate pizza and watched TV. (Translation: We played at UNCG, won, then ate postgame meal on the bus ride home.) Special report: we got to see Alex Thompson ’10 (A.T.), who is in grad school at Greensboro and managed to make it to our game. It was such a treat to catch up a little with her and hear about her life beyond basketball – she’s doing wonderfully, and we miss her very much!
So today was a relaxing off day before tough games on Saturday and Monday. In other news, we only have FOUR GAMES left in the regular season! Where did February go?!...
These four are big games, though. All of them will be tough – we’ve got App State and Wofford (conference loss #1) at home, then Chatt and Samford (conference loss #2) on the road. I just got back from a film session in the Union with a couple of teammates. We watched the film of the first time we played the Mountaineers, in Boone. At 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, we’ll battle App. here in Davidson for first place in the SoCon. We’re their only conference loss this season – they’re first in the league and we’re second – so it’s definitely going to be an EXCELLENT game. Saturday’s shaping up to be a pretty fun day in Belk Arena, actually – at noon, the men play #24 Wichita State on ESPN2 in their BracketBuster game, and then we follow with our one-two matchup! We’d better see you at both; it doesn’t get any better than that, folks!!
Monday, Wofford, is (gosh) Senior Night. I’m not going to comment on that right now, because I’m still in denial that it’s actually gonna happen. In my head, KJ and I are still freshmen. More to come on the aging crisis later.
OK, well, I have to go now. My roommates keep piling Valentine candy on my lap and I’m finding it difficult to type. Also, there’s that whole chocolate-fingerprints-on-the-keyboard thing going on. Also, we have weights at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday morning with Coach Rowan, so it’s almost bedtime. I promise I shall write again soon, my friends!
To doubleheaders, pizza, and free iPads (come to our game Saturday and you can win one!) –
-Otto
Friday, February 3, 2012
As Promised: Training Room Day!
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| Brian Wheeler keeps the 'Cats on the court. |
Wednesday, February 1
It’s 3 p.m., and the training room is PACKED. Division of the day starts at 4:30, so athletes from all sports are in getting their pre-practice treatment and rehabbing every injury from torn ACLs to ingrown toenails to dislocated fingers. Our practice time is scheduled for 4 today, and about half of us arrive an hour ahead of time to get ready. P.S. – Are you a Davidson outsider and perhaps unfamiliar with this “Division of the Day” lingo? Luckily for you, Davidson people like to explain things: In order to maximize both student and athlete potential, official class hours run from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is when we (student-athletes) belong to our professors. Before (eek!) and after those hours, we belong to our coaches. When everybody respects division of the day, you don’t get as many student-athletes missing class for practice and vice versa, and coaches and professors don’t get into any fistfights. Time conflicts still happen on occasion, but overall it’s an effective policy. (And I was just kidding about the fistfights. But the professors would totally win.)
Anyways, so everybody who doesn’t have class at 3 p.m. is in the training room. Like, everybody. Football, lacrosse, field hockey, cross-country, basketball, soccer. Every table has an athlete on top of it. The big great new hot and cold tubs are splashing with chattering lacrosse players and runners. Davidson athletic trainers Gerry, Beth, and Brian (our guy), and several UNC-Charlotte students (athletic trainers in training) are bustling around stretching people, teaching them exercises, and applying ultrasound and ice-compression and electric stim treatments.
Hannah is doing some rehab exercises in the backroom to strengthen the leg muscles around her knee. Soph comes in to fill up her water bottle. I begin my own rehab exercises. By 3:30, things have calmed down a bit. Shannon (Eriksson, freshman guard) crutches in. She had surgery right before Christmas. She says she’s “feelin’ good” today, because she might get to put 50% of her weight on her injured leg for the first time! Barb, who took a knee to the thigh in the Furman game, gimps to a table. She said she’s feeling a lot better, too, and she seems to be thoroughly enjoying her “limp swag.” Jess, Brian’s student-assistant, applies stim and heat to what she calls the “contusion” on B’s leg (some medical jargon for you). Kat is sprawled on another table with a heating pad. Laura naps on a table with heat. Peaches (who’s actually Sarah, in case you forgot) comes strolling in, and B calls her out – “Peaches looks like she just woke up!” Sarah scowls and shoots back, “I’m coming from class!” (Peaches is a great student. We promise.) She heads for the warm bath to heat her foot.
“Aw man, why can’t I go in the hot tub?” whines Barb.
Jess laughs. “Uh, because you have electricity on you.”
“If you went into the hot tub right now you’d light up like a Christmas tree!” Soph adds, helpfully.
Lillian, who’s in here filling up her water bottle, goes up to Brian. “I just wanted to apologize for saying I hated you while I was in the ice tub last week,” she tells him earnestly, because Lil is a very earnest sort of person. “I don’t actually hate you.”
Brian knows this. He’s well aware of the ice-bath phenomenon that makes the cheerfulness of his athletes drop accordingly with their body temperatures. He laughs.
Mel (Giegerich, freshman forward) brings her water bottle to the sink. “Kat, let’s chat,” she says. “How was your day?” Kat launches into a story about her bike. The chain had broken that morning, and Kat left the bike outside Chambers while she was in class, planning to walk it to the bike shop on Main Street afterwards. But when she came out, the chain was magically fixed! One of the more beautiful parts of Davidson – the mysterious bike-fixing fairies. (She’d like to say thank you, if you’re reading this, bike fairy.) Mel braids her hair. She calls this process “taming the mane.” Why? Ask Brian. “’Cause she’s got the hair of a lion,” he informs us.
On that ferocious note, we’re all about to head up to the court. This is as healthy as we’re gonna get (knock on wood), and the practice players are coming at 4 p.m.. We’ve got a big road trip coming up this weekend – College of Charleston Saturday, and Georgia Southern on Monday. Bus pulls out Friday evening at 5:30 – I’ll be sure to keep you updated! Go ‘Cats!!
Love, ice baths, road trips, and Super Bowls,
Otto
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
After the Whistle - Jan. 23-24
By Amanda Ottaway
January 23
Chatt day! After a bitter home loss (our first this year in Belk Arena) to Samford on Saturday afternoon, we did the one-day-turnaround thing again to face then-first-place Chattanooga, tops in the SoCon standings, Monday night. The day we lost to Samford, Chatt lost to App (Appalachian State) – so on Monday, both the Wildcats and the Mocs were tired and itchy for a win. The game was anything but pretty. They’d scouted the heck out of us – they really keyed in on our two top scorers, Laura (Murray, sophomore guard) and Soph(ia Aleksandravicius, junior forward), and played some great defense on them. Being the steady, complete players that they are, though, both Laura and Soph contributed in ways that don’t always show up on the stat sheet – Laura flew through passing lanes like a butterfly dodging semi-trucks on I-77, and got her hands on plenty of passes. With her height and wingspan, Soph was a huge presence underneath, blocking and altering Chatt shot after Chatt shot. Kat (Chiemeka) crashed the offensive glass like the ball was a slice of vegetarian pizza, and eventually hit the foul shot that sealed the win with thirteen seconds left. (Excuse the excessive metaphor use.) Peaches (Sarah Davis, junior forward) added a lot to our on-court dynamic too. It was the first game in awhile in which she’s seen significant minutes – she’s rehabbing a foot injury, and hasn’t been able to practice much lately – but it was great to have her back! She’s such a reliable player. Oh, and in case you were wondering, we call her Peaches because 1) in her words, she “just really likes peaches”, and 2) she bruises super easily. Jazz (Jasmine Calin, junior guard/forward/one of those identity-confused swing player positions) bestowed the nickname upon her initially, but we all picked it up and have become quite fond of it. (But you’ll have to ask Peaches how SHE feels about her new name!)
Anyways, back to the game. Yeah, that important one. The first half was not our best work, offensively speaking – we only shot 29% from the floor. But we played good defense and were only down two at halftime, 27-25. Then our home court advantage kicked in. Laura, Barb, and Kat all hit some big buckets and, with some good hustle and some crowd and bench encouragement, we pulled out a 56-52 win! We especially loved the support of the practice team. It’s made up of a group of super-great guys who pretty much come to every practice, dutifully play with a girls’ ball, and provide us with bigger, stronger, and faster competition than we can physically give each other. They are so good-natured, especially on scout days, where they work with the scout coach to learn the other team’s plays and run them against our defensive sets. (The best part is when they wear the other team’s jersey numbers and pretend to be specific girls on opposing teams, and they don’t complain when we call them by the opponents’ first names!) They come to all our games too, and yesterday they all sat together at halfcourt and brought umbrellas, which they whipped out and popped up every time one of us made a long shot. It was the cutest thing EVER!!!! (Hint: keep up the good work, guys!)
January 24
Today is a crucial day for the Davidson women’s basketball team. Today is an off day.
We generally get off days once a week – no practice, no lifting, no mandatory gym time – and as much as we love our sport, they’re SUPER important. These are days when we sleep in, occasionally don clothes other than sweatpants (also known as: “real clothes”), get minor medical treatment on various body parts (explanation coming soon in: “A Day In The Training Room,” a future post), get our homework done (or at least pretend to make a somewhat concerted effort to do so), and hang out with friends. Our bodies and minds need the break. We return from off day refreshed and already missing basketball, and ready to go back at it. Let’s find out what DCWBB does on their off days…
Here’s what Mason (Jeffries, freshman guard) did on her off day: Woke up at 7:35 to get ready for 8:15 class: “because,” Mason says, “despite stereotypes – (presumably those that imply that female student-athletes never wear ‘real clothes’) – “I love to look good in class.” Did some homework. Went to lunch with Laura. 12:15 class. Drove home to Charlotte to watch The Bachelor with her mother.
Here’s what Shneeka (Center, sophomore guard) did today: Got up at 11. Took an hour to get ready. Went to the Union. Played Scramble with friends (including Seth, one of our practice players). Lost “against everyone.” Sat in dorm lounge and “read.” Dinner. Friend time. Roommate time (she lives with Laura). Bedtime.
Jazz’s day: Woke up at 8am. Ate breakfast. Showered. Got dressed in real clothes. 9:40 class. 11:00 meeting with a Campus Outreach advisor about summer plans. Worked in Career Services office 11:30-2:30. Worked out with Coach Rowan (our strength and conditioning coach) at 3 (good for you, Jazz, getting in a workout on an off day!). Ice bath with Lil(lian McCabe, freshman guard). Lil’s first experience in the cold tub. (49.6 degrees F, submerged to the waist, 10-15 minutes. More details in the Training Room episode.) Dinner. Dessert at Red Mango with a friend.
The Tuesday of Hannah (Early, freshman guard): Class. Watched Gilmore Girls. Did homework. Went to watch a high school basketball game at Hopewell, where she graduated last year.
Peaches’ Busy Day: Class. Clorox-cleaned her dorm room. Did laundry. Opened birthday presents from her family (she turns 21 tomorrow!). Homework. Target. Dinner. Homework. Shower. Bedtime.
Okay, I’ve gotta run – (not literally, of course, not on off day). We’ve got a busy week of practice getting ready for the Furman game, so there’s lots to do. Stay tuned for more fun with the ‘Cats!!
Peace, big wins, and off days,
Otto
January 23
Chatt day! After a bitter home loss (our first this year in Belk Arena) to Samford on Saturday afternoon, we did the one-day-turnaround thing again to face then-first-place Chattanooga, tops in the SoCon standings, Monday night. The day we lost to Samford, Chatt lost to App (Appalachian State) – so on Monday, both the Wildcats and the Mocs were tired and itchy for a win. The game was anything but pretty. They’d scouted the heck out of us – they really keyed in on our two top scorers, Laura (Murray, sophomore guard) and Soph(ia Aleksandravicius, junior forward), and played some great defense on them. Being the steady, complete players that they are, though, both Laura and Soph contributed in ways that don’t always show up on the stat sheet – Laura flew through passing lanes like a butterfly dodging semi-trucks on I-77, and got her hands on plenty of passes. With her height and wingspan, Soph was a huge presence underneath, blocking and altering Chatt shot after Chatt shot. Kat (Chiemeka) crashed the offensive glass like the ball was a slice of vegetarian pizza, and eventually hit the foul shot that sealed the win with thirteen seconds left. (Excuse the excessive metaphor use.) Peaches (Sarah Davis, junior forward) added a lot to our on-court dynamic too. It was the first game in awhile in which she’s seen significant minutes – she’s rehabbing a foot injury, and hasn’t been able to practice much lately – but it was great to have her back! She’s such a reliable player. Oh, and in case you were wondering, we call her Peaches because 1) in her words, she “just really likes peaches”, and 2) she bruises super easily. Jazz (Jasmine Calin, junior guard/forward/one of those identity-confused swing player positions) bestowed the nickname upon her initially, but we all picked it up and have become quite fond of it. (But you’ll have to ask Peaches how SHE feels about her new name!)
Anyways, back to the game. Yeah, that important one. The first half was not our best work, offensively speaking – we only shot 29% from the floor. But we played good defense and were only down two at halftime, 27-25. Then our home court advantage kicked in. Laura, Barb, and Kat all hit some big buckets and, with some good hustle and some crowd and bench encouragement, we pulled out a 56-52 win! We especially loved the support of the practice team. It’s made up of a group of super-great guys who pretty much come to every practice, dutifully play with a girls’ ball, and provide us with bigger, stronger, and faster competition than we can physically give each other. They are so good-natured, especially on scout days, where they work with the scout coach to learn the other team’s plays and run them against our defensive sets. (The best part is when they wear the other team’s jersey numbers and pretend to be specific girls on opposing teams, and they don’t complain when we call them by the opponents’ first names!) They come to all our games too, and yesterday they all sat together at halfcourt and brought umbrellas, which they whipped out and popped up every time one of us made a long shot. It was the cutest thing EVER!!!! (Hint: keep up the good work, guys!)
January 24
Today is a crucial day for the Davidson women’s basketball team. Today is an off day.
We generally get off days once a week – no practice, no lifting, no mandatory gym time – and as much as we love our sport, they’re SUPER important. These are days when we sleep in, occasionally don clothes other than sweatpants (also known as: “real clothes”), get minor medical treatment on various body parts (explanation coming soon in: “A Day In The Training Room,” a future post), get our homework done (or at least pretend to make a somewhat concerted effort to do so), and hang out with friends. Our bodies and minds need the break. We return from off day refreshed and already missing basketball, and ready to go back at it. Let’s find out what DCWBB does on their off days…
Here’s what Mason (Jeffries, freshman guard) did on her off day: Woke up at 7:35 to get ready for 8:15 class: “because,” Mason says, “despite stereotypes – (presumably those that imply that female student-athletes never wear ‘real clothes’) – “I love to look good in class.” Did some homework. Went to lunch with Laura. 12:15 class. Drove home to Charlotte to watch The Bachelor with her mother.
Here’s what Shneeka (Center, sophomore guard) did today: Got up at 11. Took an hour to get ready. Went to the Union. Played Scramble with friends (including Seth, one of our practice players). Lost “against everyone.” Sat in dorm lounge and “read.” Dinner. Friend time. Roommate time (she lives with Laura). Bedtime.
Jazz’s day: Woke up at 8am. Ate breakfast. Showered. Got dressed in real clothes. 9:40 class. 11:00 meeting with a Campus Outreach advisor about summer plans. Worked in Career Services office 11:30-2:30. Worked out with Coach Rowan (our strength and conditioning coach) at 3 (good for you, Jazz, getting in a workout on an off day!). Ice bath with Lil(lian McCabe, freshman guard). Lil’s first experience in the cold tub. (49.6 degrees F, submerged to the waist, 10-15 minutes. More details in the Training Room episode.) Dinner. Dessert at Red Mango with a friend.
The Tuesday of Hannah (Early, freshman guard): Class. Watched Gilmore Girls. Did homework. Went to watch a high school basketball game at Hopewell, where she graduated last year.
Peaches’ Busy Day: Class. Clorox-cleaned her dorm room. Did laundry. Opened birthday presents from her family (she turns 21 tomorrow!). Homework. Target. Dinner. Homework. Shower. Bedtime.
Okay, I’ve gotta run – (not literally, of course, not on off day). We’ve got a busy week of practice getting ready for the Furman game, so there’s lots to do. Stay tuned for more fun with the ‘Cats!!
Peace, big wins, and off days,
Otto
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Davidson Women's Basketball Diary
By Amanda Ottaway
Hey Wildcat fans and family, fellow Davidson people, & all you random folk piddling around online and stumbling across our website! I’m pleased to make your virtual acquaintance. My name is Amanda Ottaway, and I’m a senior forward on the women’s basketball team at Davidson. My teammates and coaches call me Otto. (Check the last name.) I’m an English major with a phobia of ketchup and a love of the Beatles. I possess the uncanny abilities to trip over anything and get sunburned in two minutes through a car window. I’ll be blogging about our experiences in 2012 through the end of the season!
Like most other teams at Davidson, we compete in the Southern Conference. In the men’s game, the SoCon is split up into a North and a South division. But ours is just one big group – eleven teams from the Carolinas to Georgia to Tennessee to Alabama – and we play every team twice, giving us twenty conference games. (Hint: that’s a LOT of basketball. Just the way we like it.)
Friday, January 13
Today we hosted Western Carolina in Belk Arena. We’d beaten them 64-46 at their gym in Cullowhee in December, but they’d improved a lot since the last time we played, and Friday’s game was a catfight, excuse the bad pun. We pulled out the win, 58-45, but it was a (literally) bloody battle – one of those intense, heady games where everybody’s diving on the floor and out of bounds, hard-fouling each other and shoving a little extra. Things got pretty heated. It was a blast! We had more fans than I can remember ever having in our gym because it was Education Day. A thousand students from local elementary and middle schools took the time out of their school days and came to Baker Sports Complex for a morning of basketball-themed lessons. Before the game, they did math with our season statistics and geography with our hometowns. Kat (Chiemeka, junior guard) won the furthest-away-from-home award – she’s from France! Hannah (Early, freshman guard) is the closest (she lives in Huntersville).
Saturday, January 14
Tomorrow we play at Appalachian State, the top team in the conference. It’s a quick turnaround for what will definitely be a tough game, so last night our coaches split us into three groups and had us watch film of each time we played App last year. This morning, we came in for another film session at 11 AM before practice, this time with the whole team and all our coaches. Coach J (Jamie Thomatis) was the scout coach for this game, and she put together clips of their half-court offensive sets and of each of their key players. App is the best defensive team in the conference, so we also watched a lot of their defensive schemes. They run every kind of defense you can think of – most dangerous is their 1-2-1-1 full-court trap. They’re super athletic and they’re all workhorses, and they love to press and run the floor, so that’s mostly what we’ll have to watch out for – we need to limit our turnovers and move the ball quickly.
So right now we’re on the bus to Boone. It’s about a two-hour drive, and it’s a beautiful one – over and around the Appalachian mountains. The movie Just Go With It (Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, so far unoriginal but mildly amusing) is playing on the TVs. A couple people are sleeping, some are listening to music, others are talking on the phone. The coaches, Brian Wheeler (our athletic trainer) and Gavin McFarlin (Assistant Sports Information Director) and the coaches all sit way in front. The rest of us have “unofficially official” assigned seating – and yes, the upperclassmen do get first choice! Taylor, Coach J’s nine-year-old daughter, is sitting back here with Sarah (Davis) and me, cuddling a stuffed husky named Digo who apparently loves graham crackers, a quality for which she has re-christened him “Grammy.” Last time we all had a bus trip together, on the way to Furman, Taylor came back here and we played all the hand games we could remember from our elementary-school days: “Down by the Banks of the Hanky-Panky,” “Miss Mary Mack,” etc., and even stumbled through some new ones when Tay caught us up on what the kids are playing these days.
Well – I’m more intrigued by this movie than I expected to be. So I must go; Adam Sandler and his nose are calling. We’ll spend the night in a hotel down the street from the arena, get a 7:40 AM wake-up call for shoot-around, and then come back and eat pregame meal here in the hotel restaurant. Then it’s GAME TIME!!
Wednesday, January 18
I’m writing post-App-game to proudly report that we won by 3, 55-52! The first half was pretty ugly, from an offensive standpoint. We shot 19% from the floor, and ten minutes into the game, we only had four points! Fortunately, our defense has been improving every game. We knew we had to stop Anna and Courtney Freeman (not sisters!), who are each averaging about 20 points per game against SoCon competition. We got Anna Freeman in foul trouble early, which was a huge plus because she had to sit most of the first half. We managed to contain Courtney as well thanks to some great perimeter D by our guards. The second half was one of the most intense we’ve had this season, as both teams started shooting a little better and the score seesawed back and forth for awhile. Finally, we took a five-point lead with four minutes to go. They eventually cut it to one, but KJ (Kristen Johnsen, senior forward) sealed the win with both ends of a one-and-one with 17 seconds left, and B (Barbara Sitton, junior point guard) played some fantastic deny-the-inbounds-pass defense, so App couldn’t get a decent shot off.
This week we’re working solely on preparations for Saturday’s 2 pm home game against Samford. Then we’ll have Sunday to get ready for Chattanooga – one thing about this conference is that you’ve gotta get used to quick turnarounds! But I have to get to bed now. Little-known fact: sleeping regularly is highly recommended for student-athletes. More updates coming soon! Keep following this blog and your favorite Davidson Wildcat women’s basketball team! Go ‘Cats!!
Hey Wildcat fans and family, fellow Davidson people, & all you random folk piddling around online and stumbling across our website! I’m pleased to make your virtual acquaintance. My name is Amanda Ottaway, and I’m a senior forward on the women’s basketball team at Davidson. My teammates and coaches call me Otto. (Check the last name.) I’m an English major with a phobia of ketchup and a love of the Beatles. I possess the uncanny abilities to trip over anything and get sunburned in two minutes through a car window. I’ll be blogging about our experiences in 2012 through the end of the season!
Like most other teams at Davidson, we compete in the Southern Conference. In the men’s game, the SoCon is split up into a North and a South division. But ours is just one big group – eleven teams from the Carolinas to Georgia to Tennessee to Alabama – and we play every team twice, giving us twenty conference games. (Hint: that’s a LOT of basketball. Just the way we like it.)
Friday, January 13
Today we hosted Western Carolina in Belk Arena. We’d beaten them 64-46 at their gym in Cullowhee in December, but they’d improved a lot since the last time we played, and Friday’s game was a catfight, excuse the bad pun. We pulled out the win, 58-45, but it was a (literally) bloody battle – one of those intense, heady games where everybody’s diving on the floor and out of bounds, hard-fouling each other and shoving a little extra. Things got pretty heated. It was a blast! We had more fans than I can remember ever having in our gym because it was Education Day. A thousand students from local elementary and middle schools took the time out of their school days and came to Baker Sports Complex for a morning of basketball-themed lessons. Before the game, they did math with our season statistics and geography with our hometowns. Kat (Chiemeka, junior guard) won the furthest-away-from-home award – she’s from France! Hannah (Early, freshman guard) is the closest (she lives in Huntersville).
Saturday, January 14
Tomorrow we play at Appalachian State, the top team in the conference. It’s a quick turnaround for what will definitely be a tough game, so last night our coaches split us into three groups and had us watch film of each time we played App last year. This morning, we came in for another film session at 11 AM before practice, this time with the whole team and all our coaches. Coach J (Jamie Thomatis) was the scout coach for this game, and she put together clips of their half-court offensive sets and of each of their key players. App is the best defensive team in the conference, so we also watched a lot of their defensive schemes. They run every kind of defense you can think of – most dangerous is their 1-2-1-1 full-court trap. They’re super athletic and they’re all workhorses, and they love to press and run the floor, so that’s mostly what we’ll have to watch out for – we need to limit our turnovers and move the ball quickly.
So right now we’re on the bus to Boone. It’s about a two-hour drive, and it’s a beautiful one – over and around the Appalachian mountains. The movie Just Go With It (Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, so far unoriginal but mildly amusing) is playing on the TVs. A couple people are sleeping, some are listening to music, others are talking on the phone. The coaches, Brian Wheeler (our athletic trainer) and Gavin McFarlin (Assistant Sports Information Director) and the coaches all sit way in front. The rest of us have “unofficially official” assigned seating – and yes, the upperclassmen do get first choice! Taylor, Coach J’s nine-year-old daughter, is sitting back here with Sarah (Davis) and me, cuddling a stuffed husky named Digo who apparently loves graham crackers, a quality for which she has re-christened him “Grammy.” Last time we all had a bus trip together, on the way to Furman, Taylor came back here and we played all the hand games we could remember from our elementary-school days: “Down by the Banks of the Hanky-Panky,” “Miss Mary Mack,” etc., and even stumbled through some new ones when Tay caught us up on what the kids are playing these days.
Well – I’m more intrigued by this movie than I expected to be. So I must go; Adam Sandler and his nose are calling. We’ll spend the night in a hotel down the street from the arena, get a 7:40 AM wake-up call for shoot-around, and then come back and eat pregame meal here in the hotel restaurant. Then it’s GAME TIME!!
Wednesday, January 18
I’m writing post-App-game to proudly report that we won by 3, 55-52! The first half was pretty ugly, from an offensive standpoint. We shot 19% from the floor, and ten minutes into the game, we only had four points! Fortunately, our defense has been improving every game. We knew we had to stop Anna and Courtney Freeman (not sisters!), who are each averaging about 20 points per game against SoCon competition. We got Anna Freeman in foul trouble early, which was a huge plus because she had to sit most of the first half. We managed to contain Courtney as well thanks to some great perimeter D by our guards. The second half was one of the most intense we’ve had this season, as both teams started shooting a little better and the score seesawed back and forth for awhile. Finally, we took a five-point lead with four minutes to go. They eventually cut it to one, but KJ (Kristen Johnsen, senior forward) sealed the win with both ends of a one-and-one with 17 seconds left, and B (Barbara Sitton, junior point guard) played some fantastic deny-the-inbounds-pass defense, so App couldn’t get a decent shot off.
This week we’re working solely on preparations for Saturday’s 2 pm home game against Samford. Then we’ll have Sunday to get ready for Chattanooga – one thing about this conference is that you’ve gotta get used to quick turnarounds! But I have to get to bed now. Little-known fact: sleeping regularly is highly recommended for student-athletes. More updates coming soon! Keep following this blog and your favorite Davidson Wildcat women’s basketball team! Go ‘Cats!!
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