Once or twice a week, the local Nashville media comes to Memorial Gym before one of our practices. They come to interview the players and Coach Stallings about past or upcoming games, and to shoot some video as well. Yesterday was like any other day for the media. They came to the gym, interviewed our players and coaches, but then they asked our Sports Information Director, Andy Boggs, if the program had any seniors. They knew we didn't have any senior players, but were wondering if there was anybody who was going to be honored at tomorrow's game. Boggs replied that there was a manager (me), who was a senior and the media expressed an interest in speaking to me. They had no clue what they were in for.
I have always been a big fan of media and multimedia. I wrote for my high school newspaper, write for The Vanderbilt Hustler, and interned at Dime Magazine in the summer of 2010 and still write for them today. I'm also pretty big on Twitter and have always loved reading the newspaper and magazines. However, up till today, I've never really been featured in media, so this was big for me. I wasn't nervous though because I have always been a natural on camera, dating back to home movies from my toddler years. I was such a cute kid, the signs of future stardom were always there. I also am never at a loss for words and love to tell stories, my friends consider my stories to be some of the best they've ever heard, so I was ready for my moment.
I got up in front of the cameras from Channel 2, Channel 4, and The Tennessean's Jeff Lockridge, and was an immediate hit. I'm not the type of person to give tired platitudes or use cliches, I just go with my gut on what to say, so I was honest with them and they ate it up. They asked how I got into mopping and why I enjoy it. They asked about my major and if I provided any type of leadership to the younger guys on the team. We covered a wide range of topics and I'm not going to lie, I had a blast.
It was a lot of fun, and a nice change of pace. The season can be a grind for players, staff, and coaches. It's long and a lot of the time the days blend together and you get into the same routine day after day. It can be overwhelming at times, and doing the same thing day after day is something I'm just not great at. I need to change things up and keep them interesting, otherwise you lose sight of the fact that this is just a job, and in the grand scheme of things basketball really doesn't matter much. It can be easy to get bogged down in wins and losses or the daily tasks that come with being a manager, but you have to keep perspective and remember that basketball is just a game. It's supposed to be fun, so I had some fun today.
Check out the finished product from Channel 4 News. Thanks to Chris Harris for the feature. Then there is the nice feature in The Tennessean, courtesy of Jeff Lockridge.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
AJ Astroth
The relationship of AJ to the Gold Team is a somewhat complex one, and I am going to use a metaphor to describe it. In high school, during your freshman year you begin to form a group of friends that you hang out and do things with. The people you hang out with are never set in stone, but usually there is a core group of guys that always hang out together. Then at the end of freshman year, when you have this group of friends, at the beginning of sophomore year you hang out with the same people. But then a new kid comes to the school in 10th grade, and he's cool, but you aren't really sure if you want him to be a part of the group. After getting to know the new kid for a few months, the group decides they like him and he just becomes a part of it like everybody else.
Well, AJ Astroth is the new kid who moved to town in the 10th grade. He started off the season shifting between the Black and Gold teams in practice, particularly when Dai-Jon Parker was ineligible. After injuring his hamstring and then the return of Dai-Jon, AJ went to the Gold Bombers. At first the Bombers were skeptical of his true allegiance. Nate Watkins and Carter Josephs wondered if AJ's heart was truly in the right place and if he could really become a member Gold For Life or G4L. This period of suspicion lasted into the new year, but then AJ slowly became accepted by his fellow Gold members. Now he is an integral part of the G4L Family, and he brings a lot to the Golden table.
AJ and I have always had mutual admiration for one another, and I think that stems the fact that neither of us has a filter. For instance, AJ tweeted something the coaches didn't like earlier in the year and was reprimanded for it, while my dad has requested the deletion of numerous of my own tweets much to the dismay of my loyal followers. AJ also pitched on a legendary locker room joke last week I pulled off last week. I usually speak my mind, and I'm a terrible liar so even if I wanted to lie, I really couldn't. People on the team know that if they want an honest, no BS answer they can ask me for one and I will give it to them. However, I can be quiet and reserved at times, I don't always speak my mind just usually when asked.
AJ, on the other hand, is always talking. He is the second most talkative and loud member of the team behind Kyle Fuller. If you walk into the locker room at any time and don't hear one of their voices, it is likely we either lost or they left the gym. I always have these visions of myself walking somewhere in ten years and hearing AJ's voice because it would stand out in any circumstance. AJ is a happy go lucky kind of kid and always smiling. He always brings positive energy to the locker room because he never gets down. He always lifts my mood, particularly when he sings Eye of the Tiger, "Dan's the Mannnn..... Going to Work", it always gets me going. He has also called me an "inspiration" and "his hero" on a few occasions, and he might be the first person to ever say I'm his hero outside of my mother so that's nice.
Since AJ talks quite a bit, he opens himself up to the ridicule of others but AJ always defends himself ferociously. He has a response for everything, sometimes even to the coaches during practice, but he has toned down on those since the start of the year because those never end well (YOU! YOU! YOU!). AJ is also not afraid to ask the tough question. If he doesn't know the answer to something, he will ask. A great example of this is when Rod Odom brought a cardboard poster into the locker room and AJ asked what material it was made of. Rod replied, "Cardboard, what else would it be?" to which AJ said, "I'm not sure I thought maybe tile cause I didn't really get a good look." Penetrating stuff. Investigative journalism could certainly be in his future.
So AJ, since I know you read the blog, I want to conclude by saying: you're my everyday Superhero. I know this song isn't J. Cole or Drake, but I think you'll enjoy it. Keep inspiring AJ.
Well, AJ Astroth is the new kid who moved to town in the 10th grade. He started off the season shifting between the Black and Gold teams in practice, particularly when Dai-Jon Parker was ineligible. After injuring his hamstring and then the return of Dai-Jon, AJ went to the Gold Bombers. At first the Bombers were skeptical of his true allegiance. Nate Watkins and Carter Josephs wondered if AJ's heart was truly in the right place and if he could really become a member Gold For Life or G4L. This period of suspicion lasted into the new year, but then AJ slowly became accepted by his fellow Gold members. Now he is an integral part of the G4L Family, and he brings a lot to the Golden table.
AJ and I have always had mutual admiration for one another, and I think that stems the fact that neither of us has a filter. For instance, AJ tweeted something the coaches didn't like earlier in the year and was reprimanded for it, while my dad has requested the deletion of numerous of my own tweets much to the dismay of my loyal followers. AJ also pitched on a legendary locker room joke last week I pulled off last week. I usually speak my mind, and I'm a terrible liar so even if I wanted to lie, I really couldn't. People on the team know that if they want an honest, no BS answer they can ask me for one and I will give it to them. However, I can be quiet and reserved at times, I don't always speak my mind just usually when asked.
AJ, on the other hand, is always talking. He is the second most talkative and loud member of the team behind Kyle Fuller. If you walk into the locker room at any time and don't hear one of their voices, it is likely we either lost or they left the gym. I always have these visions of myself walking somewhere in ten years and hearing AJ's voice because it would stand out in any circumstance. AJ is a happy go lucky kind of kid and always smiling. He always brings positive energy to the locker room because he never gets down. He always lifts my mood, particularly when he sings Eye of the Tiger, "Dan's the Mannnn..... Going to Work", it always gets me going. He has also called me an "inspiration" and "his hero" on a few occasions, and he might be the first person to ever say I'm his hero outside of my mother so that's nice.
Since AJ talks quite a bit, he opens himself up to the ridicule of others but AJ always defends himself ferociously. He has a response for everything, sometimes even to the coaches during practice, but he has toned down on those since the start of the year because those never end well (YOU! YOU! YOU!). AJ is also not afraid to ask the tough question. If he doesn't know the answer to something, he will ask. A great example of this is when Rod Odom brought a cardboard poster into the locker room and AJ asked what material it was made of. Rod replied, "Cardboard, what else would it be?" to which AJ said, "I'm not sure I thought maybe tile cause I didn't really get a good look." Penetrating stuff. Investigative journalism could certainly be in his future.
So AJ, since I know you read the blog, I want to conclude by saying: you're my everyday Superhero. I know this song isn't J. Cole or Drake, but I think you'll enjoy it. Keep inspiring AJ.
Gold Bomber: Nathan Watkins
Over the course of the next week, I will be unveiling profiles of the Gold Bombers. The Gold Bombers is the self given nickname of the Gold Team in practice. Each day in practice, we divide the team into Black and Gold with the Black team made up of the starters and those currently in the rotation and the Gold Team being everybody else. The Gold Team serves as a pseudo scout team for us during practice and they take a lot of pride in their role. They may not play very much, but they work hard every day to make the starters better, and are a great group of guys. The current incarnation of the Gold Bombers is: Eric McClellan, Nate Watkins, AJ Astroth, James Siakam, Carter Josephs, Andris Kehris, and Alex Gendelman. I'll start off my series on the Gold Bombers with a profile on their leader: Nate Watkins.
Nate is the undisputed leader of the Gold Bombers. He bleeds gold and would do anything to keep up the integrity of the Gold Bombers or G4L (Gold For Life) Squad. Nate is the executive authority on who gets membership into the Bombers, and monitors all Bomber activity. He makes sure that there are no traitors in the mist thinking about jumping ship onto the Black team on any given day. The members of the team that go from Black to Gold and back, don't gain membership into this elite unit of walk-ons, transfers, and others. It is a motley crew of characters but nobody talks their role on the Gold Team more seriously than Nate Watkins.
While other players on the team are busy preparing for the Archie Goodwin's and Nerlens Noels of the world, Nate studies the tendencies of opposing walk ons who get playing time, and seeks to emulate them. Jarrod Polson of Kentucky has proven to be a potent inspiration for Nate this year. A walk-on actually playing major minutes, it's something Nate aspires to. He also looks at guys like Kikko Haydar from Arkansas and Skylar McBee from Tennessee, to see what his future holds. Nate makes no qualms about his dreams of playing in the NBA one day. He has a high basketball IQ, a semi-consistent jumpshot, and weighs about 180 pounds. Scouts are drooling over the potential he's shown in shootarounds and pre-game warmups.
While Nate dreams of going to the NBA, he also has a dream of being the Club Trillion leader. For those of you who don't know what Club Trillion is, it's a collection of walk-ons and end of the bench players across the country who compete for who can enter the most games with their only recorded statistic being minutes played. It is called a trillion because, the player has 1 in the minutes column then all zeroes, and the name was coined by former Ohio State walk-on Mark Titus who is like a God to Nate.
Nate is currently in the top 30 of the Club Trillion rankings, but well behind the leader: Baxter Price of Mississippi State. Due to injuries and suspensions, Miss St's available players have dwindled for each game, so Baxter has been playing minutes but not recording stats (he hates to shoot). On February 23rd, Nate got to compete with Baxter in the last 2 minutes of our game vs Miss St. Nate dominated the match-up clearly intimidating Price. It was the first step in Nate's conquest of the Club Trillion leaderboard, and what makes him so perfect as captain of the Gold Bombers.
Nate is the undisputed leader of the Gold Bombers. He bleeds gold and would do anything to keep up the integrity of the Gold Bombers or G4L (Gold For Life) Squad. Nate is the executive authority on who gets membership into the Bombers, and monitors all Bomber activity. He makes sure that there are no traitors in the mist thinking about jumping ship onto the Black team on any given day. The members of the team that go from Black to Gold and back, don't gain membership into this elite unit of walk-ons, transfers, and others. It is a motley crew of characters but nobody talks their role on the Gold Team more seriously than Nate Watkins.
While other players on the team are busy preparing for the Archie Goodwin's and Nerlens Noels of the world, Nate studies the tendencies of opposing walk ons who get playing time, and seeks to emulate them. Jarrod Polson of Kentucky has proven to be a potent inspiration for Nate this year. A walk-on actually playing major minutes, it's something Nate aspires to. He also looks at guys like Kikko Haydar from Arkansas and Skylar McBee from Tennessee, to see what his future holds. Nate makes no qualms about his dreams of playing in the NBA one day. He has a high basketball IQ, a semi-consistent jumpshot, and weighs about 180 pounds. Scouts are drooling over the potential he's shown in shootarounds and pre-game warmups.
While Nate dreams of going to the NBA, he also has a dream of being the Club Trillion leader. For those of you who don't know what Club Trillion is, it's a collection of walk-ons and end of the bench players across the country who compete for who can enter the most games with their only recorded statistic being minutes played. It is called a trillion because, the player has 1 in the minutes column then all zeroes, and the name was coined by former Ohio State walk-on Mark Titus who is like a God to Nate.
Nate is currently in the top 30 of the Club Trillion rankings, but well behind the leader: Baxter Price of Mississippi State. Due to injuries and suspensions, Miss St's available players have dwindled for each game, so Baxter has been playing minutes but not recording stats (he hates to shoot). On February 23rd, Nate got to compete with Baxter in the last 2 minutes of our game vs Miss St. Nate dominated the match-up clearly intimidating Price. It was the first step in Nate's conquest of the Club Trillion leaderboard, and what makes him so perfect as captain of the Gold Bombers.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Anatomy of a Coach Rich Scouting Report
I firmly believe that we have the best assistant coaching staff in the country. We have four coaches, who are all different but bring a lot to the table individually. Our lead assistant, Tom Richardson, is very detail oriented. Rarely does anything slip by Coach Rich, he is incredibly sharp and notices everything. While that is great for the team because he does a great job of preparing and teaching the guys, when it comes to his scouting reports, it can be a bit tedious.
Each of the four assistants, at the beginning of the season, are assigned teams to scout on our schedule. After watching the team play, and picking up on trends they turn their observations into a 6 to 8 minutes scout tape. The 6 to 8 minute tape is if you let it run from beginning to end without stopping, but Coach Rich is not really into a free flowing scout tape. The DVD remote that allows him to control the pace of the scout tends to nestle into his hand like a baseball into a worn in glove. The remote becomes a part of his hand, a true extension of it. And his thumb and the pause button develop an intimate relationship as the two interact every few seconds. This constant stopping and pausing of the scouting report can be cumbersome as the scout tape starts to turn into a short film that might be eligible for the "Best Short Film" award at the Oscars. I'll file the paperwork for next year's awards.
I love watching the scouting reports because it is interesting to see the tendencies of the players on film show up in the game, but there are only so many times I can see Archie Goodwin use a jab step to get to the rim. We do the scouting report at the end of team meals so after I've eaten a lot, and the eating part of the meal tends to last about 15 minutes before we delve into the scout which can last another 15 to 20 minutes. So being on a full stomach, with the lights dimmed and a hotel bed screaming my name can sometimes lead to drowsiness during the scouting report, but overall they are really well done.
This post is all out of love for Coach Rich (all of my posts are really, I love the opportunity I have had to meet different people throughout the program) and the job he does, especially since he complimented me on the blog the other day, but felt it was timely given that I nearly dozed off during the Auburn scout this past weekend.
Each of the four assistants, at the beginning of the season, are assigned teams to scout on our schedule. After watching the team play, and picking up on trends they turn their observations into a 6 to 8 minutes scout tape. The 6 to 8 minute tape is if you let it run from beginning to end without stopping, but Coach Rich is not really into a free flowing scout tape. The DVD remote that allows him to control the pace of the scout tends to nestle into his hand like a baseball into a worn in glove. The remote becomes a part of his hand, a true extension of it. And his thumb and the pause button develop an intimate relationship as the two interact every few seconds. This constant stopping and pausing of the scouting report can be cumbersome as the scout tape starts to turn into a short film that might be eligible for the "Best Short Film" award at the Oscars. I'll file the paperwork for next year's awards.
I love watching the scouting reports because it is interesting to see the tendencies of the players on film show up in the game, but there are only so many times I can see Archie Goodwin use a jab step to get to the rim. We do the scouting report at the end of team meals so after I've eaten a lot, and the eating part of the meal tends to last about 15 minutes before we delve into the scout which can last another 15 to 20 minutes. So being on a full stomach, with the lights dimmed and a hotel bed screaming my name can sometimes lead to drowsiness during the scouting report, but overall they are really well done.
This post is all out of love for Coach Rich (all of my posts are really, I love the opportunity I have had to meet different people throughout the program) and the job he does, especially since he complimented me on the blog the other day, but felt it was timely given that I nearly dozed off during the Auburn scout this past weekend.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Stuck in an Elevator With You
This past Saturday, there was a bit of a scare in the men's basketball program. At around 10:22 AM Central Time, myself, walk-on Andris Kehris, and strength coach Curtis Turner boarded an elevator on the second floor of The Hotel at Auburn University. As the elevator was attempting to close, Kevin Bright stuck his arm in the door but the door did not open fully, it only paused before shutting again. We pressed the button to go down but the elevator didn't move. We tried going up, but nothing. Occasionally, when someone called the elevator on the second floor the door would open a bit and we would see more members of the team heading to breakfast before eventually everyone had gone down without us.
We ultimately used the elevator phone to call the front desk and someone came to fix the elevator, but not before 20 minutes of captivity. During those 20 minutes, I really wasn't afraid of being stuck, I'd been stuck before and I had great company in Coach T and Andris, my biggest fear was our status, or lack thereof in the organizational hierarchy. The three of us exist somewhere towards the bottom of the hierarchy because we could all be pretty easily replaced and the team will still function fine without us and I will explain why that is so. It't not like the team was missing it's starting point guard or head coach, it was missing a senior manager, walk-on, and strength coach
I'll start off with Coach T. Curtis was the least expendable member of the travelling party. He actual had a valuable function to perform that day: stretch the team before the game, but before then his role was limited. He wondered aloud how long it would take for anyone to notice he was missing. While Coach T was needed for the game, we could have brought in a temp strength coach that night or had the players lead their own stretching. It would have been tough to survive without Coach T motivating the team during stretching, but again not an absolutely essential loss.
Some members of the team (i.e. Nate Watkins) would have been fine if Andris stayed stuck in the elevator, but I was glad he was with me. Andris is incredibly confrontational, he sees a debate or argument in almost every statement made by someone else. He and Nate often get into arguments as Andris spews pro-Latvian propaganda while Nate retorts with conservatism, Southern Pride, and a dash of American exceptionalism. Andris has said, "Nate still believes the Confederacy won the Civil War despite historical fact disputing such non-sense." I find the debates highly entertaining, but Nate was probably relieved Andris was stuck in the elevator while Andris was relieved he didn't have to hear Nate talk about the South being the center of the Earth.
In addition to his confrontational nature, Andris is expendable because he is the 14th man on a 15 man roster (he's not 15th because Eric McClellan is ineligible this year). Andris is our scout team center, but he really only stands at 6'6" or so, so he's not really a center. Andris claims he was a great wing scorer at the Rec Center prior to joining the team, so clearly his skills are not being maximized as the scout team center. Due to his lack of size as a five-man, and the coaching staff's reluctance to unleash him on the perimeter, Andris is probably the least likely walk on to appear in a close game, making him the player least needed on gameday.
I'll finish off with myself, I am easily the most expendable member of the program at this point and it is not even close. I have about a week and a half left with the program, so I'm essentially dead weight at this point. I still go through the motions of productivity, but consider this like senioritis for managers. I've worked hard for three and a half years and put myself in a good position to get a job going forward so I'm just kind of coasting to the finish. The once great appeal of doing team laundry has faded with time, while the desire to just chill and do whatever the hell I want has increased. Though the desire to do what I want has always been strong, I'm pretty independent and don't really do things the same way a lot of others do them. Really, I'm just saving whatever gas I have left in my managerial tank for this blog and senior night.
Without me, the team easily could have found someone else to get stats during timeouts at the game that night. Unlike the mop, my role on the road is not highly skilled or hard to learn. I go to the scorer's table, pick up four stat sheets, and hand them out. It's not that difficult. While my current value was low, my future value was nil because I'm not returning for a fifth year as a manager. I easily could have been left behind and while the team would lose a valuable source of entertainment, they'd be fine, and I would get to go on a Spring Break cruise after being released from the elevator. I was quite expendable in that elevator and really questioned if there was some deeper meaning behind my captivity.
Ultimately we all returned to the team and took on our traditional roles with the program. They didn't throw a party upon our arrival at team breakfast, though there were croissants there and those were a really nice touch. Haven't had a good croissant in awhile, so I was glad they thought to include those in the meal. Next time, I'm stuck in an elevator though, I'm taking Kedren with me.
Myself staring at Andris, while Coach T snaps the photo
We ultimately used the elevator phone to call the front desk and someone came to fix the elevator, but not before 20 minutes of captivity. During those 20 minutes, I really wasn't afraid of being stuck, I'd been stuck before and I had great company in Coach T and Andris, my biggest fear was our status, or lack thereof in the organizational hierarchy. The three of us exist somewhere towards the bottom of the hierarchy because we could all be pretty easily replaced and the team will still function fine without us and I will explain why that is so. It't not like the team was missing it's starting point guard or head coach, it was missing a senior manager, walk-on, and strength coach
I'll start off with Coach T. Curtis was the least expendable member of the travelling party. He actual had a valuable function to perform that day: stretch the team before the game, but before then his role was limited. He wondered aloud how long it would take for anyone to notice he was missing. While Coach T was needed for the game, we could have brought in a temp strength coach that night or had the players lead their own stretching. It would have been tough to survive without Coach T motivating the team during stretching, but again not an absolutely essential loss.
Some members of the team (i.e. Nate Watkins) would have been fine if Andris stayed stuck in the elevator, but I was glad he was with me. Andris is incredibly confrontational, he sees a debate or argument in almost every statement made by someone else. He and Nate often get into arguments as Andris spews pro-Latvian propaganda while Nate retorts with conservatism, Southern Pride, and a dash of American exceptionalism. Andris has said, "Nate still believes the Confederacy won the Civil War despite historical fact disputing such non-sense." I find the debates highly entertaining, but Nate was probably relieved Andris was stuck in the elevator while Andris was relieved he didn't have to hear Nate talk about the South being the center of the Earth.
In addition to his confrontational nature, Andris is expendable because he is the 14th man on a 15 man roster (he's not 15th because Eric McClellan is ineligible this year). Andris is our scout team center, but he really only stands at 6'6" or so, so he's not really a center. Andris claims he was a great wing scorer at the Rec Center prior to joining the team, so clearly his skills are not being maximized as the scout team center. Due to his lack of size as a five-man, and the coaching staff's reluctance to unleash him on the perimeter, Andris is probably the least likely walk on to appear in a close game, making him the player least needed on gameday.
I'll finish off with myself, I am easily the most expendable member of the program at this point and it is not even close. I have about a week and a half left with the program, so I'm essentially dead weight at this point. I still go through the motions of productivity, but consider this like senioritis for managers. I've worked hard for three and a half years and put myself in a good position to get a job going forward so I'm just kind of coasting to the finish. The once great appeal of doing team laundry has faded with time, while the desire to just chill and do whatever the hell I want has increased. Though the desire to do what I want has always been strong, I'm pretty independent and don't really do things the same way a lot of others do them. Really, I'm just saving whatever gas I have left in my managerial tank for this blog and senior night.
Without me, the team easily could have found someone else to get stats during timeouts at the game that night. Unlike the mop, my role on the road is not highly skilled or hard to learn. I go to the scorer's table, pick up four stat sheets, and hand them out. It's not that difficult. While my current value was low, my future value was nil because I'm not returning for a fifth year as a manager. I easily could have been left behind and while the team would lose a valuable source of entertainment, they'd be fine, and I would get to go on a Spring Break cruise after being released from the elevator. I was quite expendable in that elevator and really questioned if there was some deeper meaning behind my captivity.
Ultimately we all returned to the team and took on our traditional roles with the program. They didn't throw a party upon our arrival at team breakfast, though there were croissants there and those were a really nice touch. Haven't had a good croissant in awhile, so I was glad they thought to include those in the meal. Next time, I'm stuck in an elevator though, I'm taking Kedren with me.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Shootaround
As I mentioned in my last post, being a manager is not the most glorious job in the world. We don't get to play and we have to do a lot of busy tasks, errands, and laundry and so on but that is not the worst responsibility we have as managers in my opinion. My least favorite part of the job is pre-game shootaround, and it is not even close. The only thing that is close is which I hate more a home game shootaround or an away game shootaround? They both have their fair share of minuses, and I will detail them for you.
First I will take you through the worst part of a home shootaround. We are required to be at the gym 45 minutes before the shootaround begins. I wouldn't mind coming to the gym that early if there was actual stuff to do but we literally have to put five items on the court and shootaround is set up: gum, a few towels, balls, and water. That's it. We get set up in like 30 seconds, then just watch TV till shootaround is ready to begin. At an away shootaround we don't have to set anything up, it is all set up for us, but having to go to shootaround means leaving the hotel bed, and that is something I just hate to do. HATE. TO. DO. Sleeping in comfortable hotel beds as opposed to the broken egg crate mattress I usually sleep on is one of the great parts of travelling, so I cherish every moment I have in a hotel bed (I will dedicate a whole post to hotels later on), and shootaround deprives me of those precious moments.
Now for the similarities between the two. The one part of shootaround I do really enjoy is rebounding for the guys. I will sometimes joke around, sometimes clap, and always get hit by a flying airball at least once (Carter I'm looking at you). We shoot around for about 10 minutes then move into groups: post guys and perimeter guys. I always rebound for the post players, not because I can identify with playing the post, but because I occasionally get called into run the pick and roll. I think I do a pretty good job of emulating a game speed pick and roll, but the coaches don't always feel the same way myself and the players do about my abilities. We also have only 4 true post players on our team so there's so much less chaos, much more relaxed vibe on that end. It's also worth the price of admission just to see the inevitable Andris (Kehris, our walk-on from Latvia) horribly missed reverse layup when we work on post moves.
After we finish the 20 total minutes of shooting, that is when utter boredom sets in. The managers have no role in the shootaround for the last 40 minutes, our presence there is highly questionable, and I look for any alternative activity to sticking around for those last 40 minutes. During the last 40 minutes, the team typically runs our plays 5 on 0, go over the other team's plays, shoot free throws, and other non-live activities. There is nothing exciting to watch because I've seen us run the plays since October and our free throw shooting hasn't exactly been a sight worth seeing this year (no offense guys).
At home during those last 40 minutes, I usually go downstairs to set up game coolers, team meal, or do team laundry. Those activities aren't exactly stimulating, but compared to the alternative they are actually quite exciting. On the road, I get much more adventurous. My first order of business is hitting up press row or scout seating. I always look to see if anyone cool is coming to the game that I might want to talk to later, so that's the first thing I look at. Second, I will usually tell Rob our head manager that I need to use the bathroom and while that is true most of the time, I turn a trip to the bathroom into an aimless wander around the arena. I always poke around underneath looking for any stray T-Shirts, hoping to catch a peak into the locker room, or if I'm lucky running into someone to talk to.
After those two things have been done, we are typically 20 minutes away from finishing and that is when I look to socialize with others. My go to socializing option is our strength coach Curtis Turner. Coach T is the best in the business and not only because he gets our guys jacked up, but he has some penetrating insights into the team and life in general. One of the top people I've met to shoot the shit with, no subject is off limits with Coach T and we cover them all during a standard road shootaround. It can range from whether the sideline reporter for the game is hot to what food we hope is included in pre-game meal. If Coach T is busy, I'll usually talk to Tim Thompson our radio color guy and exchange thoughts on the team or basketball in general. Our radio staff is fantastic. If Tim and Curtis are unavailable, I'll make the reluctant decision to chat with my other managers. The decision isn't reluctant because I dislike my fellow managers, I actually love them, but more because if I'm chatting with them there's a much higher chance of me being asked to do something than if I'm with Coach T or Tim. So I typically try to avoid those interactions in an effort to conserve all of my energy for the game (that's not really the reason at all, but that's what I'm going with).
So to sum it up, I don't enjoy shootaround because it is a lot of time being committed for not a lot of responsibility. Whether it's the 40 minute early arrival time to set up five items or being dragged out of a wonderful dream in a magnificient hotel bed, shootaround just isn't my thing, but if that's the least favorite part of my job, then I have a pretty damn good job.
First I will take you through the worst part of a home shootaround. We are required to be at the gym 45 minutes before the shootaround begins. I wouldn't mind coming to the gym that early if there was actual stuff to do but we literally have to put five items on the court and shootaround is set up: gum, a few towels, balls, and water. That's it. We get set up in like 30 seconds, then just watch TV till shootaround is ready to begin. At an away shootaround we don't have to set anything up, it is all set up for us, but having to go to shootaround means leaving the hotel bed, and that is something I just hate to do. HATE. TO. DO. Sleeping in comfortable hotel beds as opposed to the broken egg crate mattress I usually sleep on is one of the great parts of travelling, so I cherish every moment I have in a hotel bed (I will dedicate a whole post to hotels later on), and shootaround deprives me of those precious moments.
Now for the similarities between the two. The one part of shootaround I do really enjoy is rebounding for the guys. I will sometimes joke around, sometimes clap, and always get hit by a flying airball at least once (Carter I'm looking at you). We shoot around for about 10 minutes then move into groups: post guys and perimeter guys. I always rebound for the post players, not because I can identify with playing the post, but because I occasionally get called into run the pick and roll. I think I do a pretty good job of emulating a game speed pick and roll, but the coaches don't always feel the same way myself and the players do about my abilities. We also have only 4 true post players on our team so there's so much less chaos, much more relaxed vibe on that end. It's also worth the price of admission just to see the inevitable Andris (Kehris, our walk-on from Latvia) horribly missed reverse layup when we work on post moves.
After we finish the 20 total minutes of shooting, that is when utter boredom sets in. The managers have no role in the shootaround for the last 40 minutes, our presence there is highly questionable, and I look for any alternative activity to sticking around for those last 40 minutes. During the last 40 minutes, the team typically runs our plays 5 on 0, go over the other team's plays, shoot free throws, and other non-live activities. There is nothing exciting to watch because I've seen us run the plays since October and our free throw shooting hasn't exactly been a sight worth seeing this year (no offense guys).
At home during those last 40 minutes, I usually go downstairs to set up game coolers, team meal, or do team laundry. Those activities aren't exactly stimulating, but compared to the alternative they are actually quite exciting. On the road, I get much more adventurous. My first order of business is hitting up press row or scout seating. I always look to see if anyone cool is coming to the game that I might want to talk to later, so that's the first thing I look at. Second, I will usually tell Rob our head manager that I need to use the bathroom and while that is true most of the time, I turn a trip to the bathroom into an aimless wander around the arena. I always poke around underneath looking for any stray T-Shirts, hoping to catch a peak into the locker room, or if I'm lucky running into someone to talk to.
After those two things have been done, we are typically 20 minutes away from finishing and that is when I look to socialize with others. My go to socializing option is our strength coach Curtis Turner. Coach T is the best in the business and not only because he gets our guys jacked up, but he has some penetrating insights into the team and life in general. One of the top people I've met to shoot the shit with, no subject is off limits with Coach T and we cover them all during a standard road shootaround. It can range from whether the sideline reporter for the game is hot to what food we hope is included in pre-game meal. If Coach T is busy, I'll usually talk to Tim Thompson our radio color guy and exchange thoughts on the team or basketball in general. Our radio staff is fantastic. If Tim and Curtis are unavailable, I'll make the reluctant decision to chat with my other managers. The decision isn't reluctant because I dislike my fellow managers, I actually love them, but more because if I'm chatting with them there's a much higher chance of me being asked to do something than if I'm with Coach T or Tim. So I typically try to avoid those interactions in an effort to conserve all of my energy for the game (that's not really the reason at all, but that's what I'm going with).
So to sum it up, I don't enjoy shootaround because it is a lot of time being committed for not a lot of responsibility. Whether it's the 40 minute early arrival time to set up five items or being dragged out of a wonderful dream in a magnificient hotel bed, shootaround just isn't my thing, but if that's the least favorite part of my job, then I have a pretty damn good job.
Friday, March 1, 2013
FREE FOOD and its Effect on My P-Bod
One night during my freshman year, I went out with some friends to what was then called Varsity Grille and has since changed names about seven times. On this night there was this really hot girl who was pretty into me, if we are being quite honest and at one point during the night she told me, "you have the perfect body for my type. Perfect". She was pretty drunk when she said that, but hey, drunk actions are sober thoughts right? Needless to say, it is not every day that I got comments like that on my 5'10", roughly 170 pound physique. It was quite an honor, and it is something I have tried to live up to ever since.
In my attempts to live up to that Perfect Body (or P-Bod for short) reputation, I have attempted to eat healthier at times and work out a decent amount. I've never been overweight or totally out of shape, but I've had some periods of pseudo-intense fitness that last somewhat long, I still workout a decent amount and eat relatively healthy. The biggest obstacle though to my P-Bod maintenance has been the free food I get from the program, particularly on the road. If there is food in front of me, and it's free, I'm going to eat it.
A given road trip starts off with a pre-flight meal before we leave for our destination. The food at this meal varies from Famous Dave's BBQ to Outback Steakhouse to Amerigo's restaurant. My personal favorite is Famous Dave's. Fantastic ribs, great cole slaw, and a killer banana pudding. I always feel bloated after eating it, but that is part of the appeal. Amerigo's comes in second just for their garlic crackers with the Spinach and Artichoke dip. It is absolutely phenomenal.
After we leave the gym, once we get on the airplane they give us a bag of snacks. I usually don't eat much eat on the plane but I am a sucker for the rice krispie treats. Upon arriving at our destination, we have a snack that consists of sandwiches and chips... and ice cream sundaes. I of course skip over the sandwich and head right to the Sundaes, the best ones come with strawberry sauce and rainbow sprinkles, indulging in a late night treat.
The next day we have a team breakfast, I usually go with eggs, hash browns, and 3 to 4 pieces of french toast, then a pre-game meal which is like chicken, steak, mac and cheese, etc with more ice cream for desert. Then after the game we usually each get our own box of pizza and then there is more food on the plane. That is a lot of food over a 24 hour period, but it's always so good.
The real killer is Tournaments. The SEC Tournament last year was just a shit show for me. We had 4 meals a day, all buffet style and I was just eating. And eating. And shitting. Then eating some more. It was like being in heaven, just surrounded by free food at all times. I couldn't get enough. I put on 6 pounds in 5 days at the Tournament, it was really bad, but so worth it at the same time.
So as my time with the program winds down and my access to free all-you-can-eat meals goes to zero, I'm hoping I make the maintenance of my perfect body a full-time priority. There are girls out there just waiting to see what I have left to sculpt, and I just can't disappoint them.
In my attempts to live up to that Perfect Body (or P-Bod for short) reputation, I have attempted to eat healthier at times and work out a decent amount. I've never been overweight or totally out of shape, but I've had some periods of pseudo-intense fitness that last somewhat long, I still workout a decent amount and eat relatively healthy. The biggest obstacle though to my P-Bod maintenance has been the free food I get from the program, particularly on the road. If there is food in front of me, and it's free, I'm going to eat it.
A given road trip starts off with a pre-flight meal before we leave for our destination. The food at this meal varies from Famous Dave's BBQ to Outback Steakhouse to Amerigo's restaurant. My personal favorite is Famous Dave's. Fantastic ribs, great cole slaw, and a killer banana pudding. I always feel bloated after eating it, but that is part of the appeal. Amerigo's comes in second just for their garlic crackers with the Spinach and Artichoke dip. It is absolutely phenomenal.
After we leave the gym, once we get on the airplane they give us a bag of snacks. I usually don't eat much eat on the plane but I am a sucker for the rice krispie treats. Upon arriving at our destination, we have a snack that consists of sandwiches and chips... and ice cream sundaes. I of course skip over the sandwich and head right to the Sundaes, the best ones come with strawberry sauce and rainbow sprinkles, indulging in a late night treat.
The next day we have a team breakfast, I usually go with eggs, hash browns, and 3 to 4 pieces of french toast, then a pre-game meal which is like chicken, steak, mac and cheese, etc with more ice cream for desert. Then after the game we usually each get our own box of pizza and then there is more food on the plane. That is a lot of food over a 24 hour period, but it's always so good.
The real killer is Tournaments. The SEC Tournament last year was just a shit show for me. We had 4 meals a day, all buffet style and I was just eating. And eating. And shitting. Then eating some more. It was like being in heaven, just surrounded by free food at all times. I couldn't get enough. I put on 6 pounds in 5 days at the Tournament, it was really bad, but so worth it at the same time.
So as my time with the program winds down and my access to free all-you-can-eat meals goes to zero, I'm hoping I make the maintenance of my perfect body a full-time priority. There are girls out there just waiting to see what I have left to sculpt, and I just can't disappoint them.
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