WAKE UP BABY!

For those of you who know me, you know napping is a huge part of my every day routine. I love taking naps, and there are certain days when I wake up after going to bed very late where the first thing I ask myself is when I can lay back down to sleep. Naps are very rejuvenating for me especially because I keep really bad hours. I usually go to bed late which is something I've tried to change, but it is easier said than done.

Napping is also a crucial part of my gameday routine. After we have our team meal four hours before tip-off for home games, we have about an hour and a half of free time before we have to be back at the gym. During that time, I always take a nap, but not in my dorm. If I went back to my dorm to nap I'd be able to sleep for less of the time because I would have to account for the time it takes to go from the dorm and back, so I just nap in the gym.

There are two potential napping spots for me at Memorial. The first is the Rebounder's Room. This is where our basketball alumni can meet and greet during Games. It has drinks, popcorn, and sometimes other food for the alumni, but its key feature is two soft leather couches. The couch cushions on this couch kind of sink, and they are really comfortable. The second place I nap is the Coaches locker room, right across from the team locker room. This room has one couch and a few leather chairs. The couch in here is really firm, quite the opposite of the one in the Rebounder's Room.

Last year, after our team meal and before we played Kentucky on ESPN, I was taking my customary nap, this time in the Rebounder's Room. I was in a deep sleep because it had already been a long day with College Game Day, shootaround, and all the other festivities. I was tired and needed the nap. It was going well until about 45 minutes into the nap, the light in the room went on. At first I thought I was dreaming and tried to fall back asleep but then I opened my eyes and saw cameras and a whole crew of people. I was totally unaware of what was going on.

When I moved past the initial groggy stage of waking up from a nap, I heard someone say "Dick, I think this will work. We just have to wake the kid up on the couch". So the next thing that happens is Dick Vitale, Dickie V, comes over and says "WAKE UP BABY!" and one of the producers says we need to borrow the room to shoot this video. Despite waking up earlier than I would have liked, Dickie V does make for a better alarm than my phone.