Brittany Graham's Diary Report
Season's Greetings!
I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season as much I am. Finals are officially are over which means for the next three weeks or so we can rest our brains academically and focus solely on basketball.
This week we had our first true road tests facing Delaware State and Iona. Tuesday morning we had a short practice followed by lunch in the Sports Arena before we headed out for the airport. After a short delay in Atlanta, we finally made it Philadelphia, and then made the drive over to Dover, Delaware. The plane ride was exciting because not only it was our first flight of the season, but it was also the first time flying for Tiffany and JT. Tiffany and JT did very well for first-time flyers, and the rest of us either fell asleep or relaxed and colored in my coloring books I brought along. After we checked in to the hotel, we ate dinner at 8 p.m. at Applebee's and relaxed for the rest of the evening. We sang happy birthday to our athletic trainer, Kristen, for her birthday dessert. This road trip I stayed with Tiffany and despite our difference in age (freshman and senior), we have similar personalities and got to know each other better off the court this week.
Wednesday, we got our sixth win of the year over Delaware State, 66-42. After somewhat of a slow start we pulled away toward the end of the first half with a 29-to-14 lead going into halftime. We changed our defense to 2-3 zone, which gave DSU a lot of trouble. We stuck with it in the second half and continue to roll as everyone on the team makes a contribution. As usual, Danyiell had another amazing game, scoring a career-high 26 points.
Thursday morning we woke up around 7:30 a.m., loaded the buses and departed from Delaware heading to New York. After a bit of a long drive due to the typical New York traffic we made our way to New Rochelle, NY. The drive was beautiful coming in as we passed the city skylines of New York and took pictures from inside the bus of scenic views.
After arriving in the hotel, we headed straight to Iona College for practice. Practice was shorter than normal because the evening was going to be filled with fun in city. After practice, we drove down to the city and walked around the streets of New York City.
As soon as we walked around the corner, our mouths dropped in awe of how bright the lights of Times Square are. It was unlike anything I have ever seen before, thousands of people walking the streets, and the biggest and brightest lights and advertisements I have ever seen. For most of us, it was the first time going to New York City, so it was quite the experience.
But it didn't stop there, after a couple hours of sight seeing we saw The Lion King on Broadway. It was absolutely amazing. We had great seats and it was really cool to see one of my favorite childhood films come to life. The show was well put together and the actors, singers and dancers were very talented. My favorite part was seeing the actors dressed up as animals running down the aisle of theater.
After the fun night out in the city, it was time to get back to work. Friday night we achieved school history by beating Iona College, 64-56, improving to 7-1, the best start in school history. Early on, we were down but we stayed together and kept our composure to take a six-point lead at halftime. We continued our run at the start of the second half, going up as much as 16 points. Iona went on a run of its own coming within six points late in the second half. But, once again, Danyiell was there to lift us up and scored 25 points in the win as it was a very exciting game for us being a part of history.
Friday was also Jylisa's 20th birthday, and a win against Iona, a 7-1 record, and the best start in school history is exactly what she wished for.
This has by far been the best road trip we have had in a long time. Being able to see the streets of New York, a Broadway play, but more importantly to get two huge wins on the road, was more than enough. Being able to travel is one of the best parts about being a student-athlete because it allows you see parts of the country you wouldn't normally get to see. Our coaches always make sure we stay in nice hotels, eat at good restaurants, and get to see as much as possible every time we travel.
But just as we were about to head back to Atlanta, we encountered major engine issues with the airplane. Less than five minutes into take off, the captain came on and said one engine had failed and we were going to turn around back to LaGuardia for an emergency landing. My heart dropped along with my teammates as we looked down and saw the fire trucks and ambulances and police cars surrounding the runway. The pilot landed us safely and we were relieved to be back on the ground. He told us we were lucky we didn't have to land in the Hudson River like that other plane had done recently.
Our next move was to find a way back to Atlanta, but a massive snowstorm was vastly approaching the northeast. Our options were to try to drive to Philadelphia, or to try to bus all the way back to Atlanta, or drive to Atlantic City. The staff tried other options, too, but with the holiday travel and approaching blizzard that had shut so many other airports down, we didn't have too many other ways. After several hours of waiting in baggage claim, taking pictures and playing Uno, we decided to head to Atlantic City, NJ hoping to catch a flight to Atlanta later that evening. Soon after we loaded the bus, snow began to pour and the bus driver was not allowed to try to take us any further on the dangerous roads. So, the staff scrambled to find a place to stay and we pulled over in Edison, NJ and checked in to the Sheraton for the night.
Despite the circumstances of being stranded, this experience has turned into the ultimate team-bonding trip. As much as I want to get home to Atlanta, it is actually somewhat nice to be at the hotel with my team. After we checked in, we loaded up on snacks and took a long nap to regroup from the long morning in the airport.
After we woke up, a few of us headed outside to try to enjoy the snow, something we don't get to see in much in Atlanta. We took pictures, threw snowballs at each other, made snow angels, and attempted to build a snowman. We had a huge a snowball fight, Crys, Jylisa, and Me vs. the freshmen (Cody, JT, Erika, and Tiffany), and my team won the battle. With me being from Colorado, I'm a pro at making snowballs. It was a lot of fun, and took our minds off not being able to get home. It feels like were on a basketball retreat and I am definitely enjoying this trip bonding with the team.
Sunday, we got up and headed on the snowy roads to try to get to Atlantic City to catch a flight. This is our sixth day on the road and we're running out of clothes, so we're ready to find an airplane to take us home.
We have no time to rest as we have to practice and get focused for our next game.
This last game before the break is Tuesday December 22 against in-state rival Georgia Tech at 12 p.m. We hope you can come out and support us in this big game. You don't even have to battle the snow and ice like we did to get to the Sports Arena.
Happy Holidays & GO PANTHERS!
