The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Between the Brackets
03.10.2010 | Women's Basketball
March 12, 2010 -- 12:17 a.m.
There are Fridays, there are gamedays, there are birthdays -- and then there are laundry days. If someone wants to become rich very quickly, invent an instantaneous laundry process. Until then, jerseys must be cleansed of the blood, sweat, and tears (or any combination of the three) from the previous game.
The upside? There is another game.
Each victory means the team advances to another round, and that also means another trip to the laundromat.
For home games, the luxury and convenience of not having to do the laundry myself cannot be stressed enough. For away games, it means collecting the girls' dirty uniforms and practice gear, finding a local laundromat, walking or taking a cab, doing the laundry and returning back to our hotel.
If only it were that simple.
Each trip to a laundromat is different from the last. Thursday's journey started with magic. After bagging the laundry and heading down to catch a cab, one of the hotel staff asked if a cab was needed. Confirming the question, he pulled out a whistle, produced a unique noise and pattern, and within seconds a cab came out of nowhere and rolled up next to me. I don't care how close the cab was or how loud the whistle was, there's only one explanation: magic.
Each laundromat is also different from the last. After loading the laundry, putting in the quarters, and pressing the start button, nothing happened. Two guys noticed our concerned and puzzled looks and graciously apologized for not warning us ahead of time that our machines of choice were not in working order. We got our money back from the employee on duty, and the two guys suggested "Mighty Margaret" was the machine of choice (the name not my own, but bequeathed by a sign overhead).
After Margaret and the nameless-dryer, we folded the laundry, headed back to the hotel, and laundry was finished.
Until tomorrow.
-- Michael Bohme, manager extraordinaire
March 11, 2010 -- 6:34 p.m.
Hey Longhorns fans,
We just finished playing our first game in the Big 12 Conference Tournament and captured a victory against the University of Missouri. It wasn't an easy win by any means, but as Coach G said, the tournament is all about "surviving and advancing." We started the game being aggressive on defense and attacking on offense, but allowed Missouri to claw back and claim the lead by halftime. After making some adjustments in the locker room, we entered the second half and regained the lead. We did this by attacking the rim, playing pressure defense, rebounding and making reads on both ends of the floor. By doing these things, we finished off the game with a win!
After the game we had to wait in the locker room for the required 30 minutes for media. After that, we visited with family and friends before we returned to the hotel. We showered, ate and fit in a study hall session -- no matter where we go, we are always trying to stay on track with our classes.
Tonight we will start preparing for tomorrow's game by going over our scout and refreshing ourselves with what we think Texas A&M will do. We'll have the rest of the night to relax, which includes getting snacks and massages! Then it'll be lights out and we'll get ready to do all the same things tomorrow.
Well, that's all for now Longhorn fans.
Hook'em!
-- Yvonne Anderson, #12
March 11, 2010 -- 10:55 a.m.
Special Assistant Shaeeta Williams debuted a highlight video of the 2009-10 season to put the Longhorns in "game mode" for today's first round contest.
Each player had about 45 seconds of highlights, and each individual's video started with an action picture of the player shaped like a puzzle piece. Lauren Flores, who did not make the trip due to a season-ending ACL injury, was the first player to be highlighted, and cheers resounded through the room. Towards the end of the video, all of the "pieces" came together to show a completed puzzle.
At the conclusion of the video and after much cheering and clapping, assistant coach Mickie DeMoss declared in her Louisiana accent that "Avatar has nothing on this highlight video," but requested that it be shown in 3D next time.
March 11, 2010 -- 10:24 a.m.
Yvonne Anderson was the first player to arrive for pregame breakfast. When her teammates settled down at their table together, she was able to describe in great detail most of the Missouri/Nebraska men's basketball game from Wednesday. Listening to her recap, it's easy to tell that she's still close to many of the players on the Mizzou men's team ... and maybe the head coach, too.
The team is in good spirits three hours before tipoff. Everyone had a hearty breakfast of omelets, breakfast tacos, bacon, ham, potatoes, oatmeal and fresh fruit. Cokie Reed, whose father is a chef, declared that the breakfast spread "smells just like home."
The team will head to the Municipal Auditorium at 12:15 p.m.
March 10, 2010 -- 5:17 p.m.
Hey Longhorn fans,
Well, we've finally arrived in Kansas City for the 2010 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship, and it means the postseason has finally arrived. Everything we've been working toward all year is here, and I can tell you that we're all excited to get out on the court tomorrow and play like we know we can.
We had an early practice this morning in Austin before heading north. It was a good practice, we had some ups and downs, but I think we got all of the kinks worked out and are ready to go. After practice we headed straight to the airport and hopped on our chartered flight to Kansas City. It was a nice, smooth flight topped off by authentic Austin breakfast tacos.
Once in Kansas City, we headed straight to Municipal Auditorium for a light shootaround. It was good to see the arena and get familiar with the court. This building has held some of the most famous women's college basketball games in the history of the sport so it was really cool to get a chance to finally see it and know that we'll be playing on the same floor as so many greats before us.
On top of playing in such a storied arena, it's really exciting to be here for my first Big 12 Championship. In high school, I always wanted to come and watch as a spectator. Now, just to be a player competing in this tournament is a great feeling, and it's going to be a lot of fun.
Tonight we're going to get some rest, study the scout and just stay focused by limiting our distractions. We will of course be cheering on our Men's Basketball team, which is playing Iowa State at 8:30 p.m. CT. After that, it's time to get some rest for our 1:30 p.m. game against Missouri tomorrow.
Thanks for all support and Hook'em Horns!
-- Cokie Reed, #45
March 10, 2010 -- 11:32 a.m.
All of our bags are packed and we're ready for Kansas City. The Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship is like most other road trips for us, except for the fact that we're prepared to play up to four games. In preparation for the possible four-day duration, here's a sneak peek of the items support staff and managers have brought along:
100 DVD spindle
75 media guides
65 rolls of athletic tape
50 pairs of socks
30 protein shakes
22 sets of uniforms
20 pairs of shoes
15 boxes of granola bars
9 mouth guards
5 knee braces
5 homemade ice baths
4 cartons of snack crackers
4 loaves of bread
3 coolers
3 DVD players
3 video computers
1 jar of peanut butter
Enough Gatorade to quench the thirst of a small army
Upon a thorough review of the list, student manager Michael Bohme provided the quote of the day: "Let everyone know that we wait to build the ark when we get to Kansas City."
