Feb. 28, 2005

Wow what a past couple of weeks! Time is definitely a valuable thing and has been the reason for my delay yet again. We left off with the three-game homestretch coming up. The first of the three being televised, which is always fun.

We jumped out early on OSU hitting like the first six or seven shots we attempted. It was a great game and everyone got a chance to play, which is rare during conference. Everyone made some contribution to the victory and that makes for a happy team! So with that game behind us we moved our focus to Missouri, another north team we haven't faced yet.

They had some size inside and out that we had never really seen before, so we worked on defending that aspect of their game. They played a very physical game and we bumped and crashed into each other for 40 minutes! It turned out to be a wake up call game for us, because we didn't really play up to our expectations and we knew we had to step it up before the next game against Iowa State.

Speaking of which, was another great game in terms of play and our home crowd. We knew it was the last of our three-game home stretch and we wanted to go out with a bang before we give the fans a break! Not to mention is it was family night, so there was plenty of motivation there to play hard. Iowa State came out pretty strong and jumped out 6-0 to start the game, which kind of made us step back and reevaluate some things! I think we came out a little slow, or so it seemed, but that always makes for a more dramatic comeback game.

We weren't able to make a run of our own during the first half and for most of the second half but we pulled it out in the end and hit some pretty big shots! Our post players were solid and Chelsea Whitaker was absolutely amazing. She stepped up big time and really showed some heart out there. Every chance I got while they were shooting free throws or in a time out, I told her how proud of her I was and to keep shooting the ball! It was motivating! So we wrapped that game up and enjoyed time in the VIP room with friends, family, and fans! It's always a lot of fun to mingle, especially after a win like that one. But we still had some work to do.

We headed out on Tuesday to Lawrence, Kan., which is ironic because that day in one of my classes that I have with Jordan (Davis) and LaToya (Wyatt), we started watching a movie called The Day After, where Kansas City gets attacked in a nuclear war! So yeah, that was interesting!

Anyway, we got to practice that night in the historic Allen Fieldhouse which I thought was one of the coolest feelings ever. Every time I have been there I get an extremely motivated just thinking about all the greats that have passed through and played in that gym. So we took some pictures afterwards and walked around the facilities before heading back to hotel. The game was a great start for us but unfortunately that led to a great comeback for Kansas. They had some big time plays in the last minutes of the first half that made the game a lot closer than we had intended. So with that we came out in the second half and took care of business for the most part, in that we came out with a win! We got in around 12-ish and we managed to salvage some of the night to sleep in our own bed, only to head out Friday afternoon to Colorado.

Now I heard the weather in Waco wasn't all that appealing, but Boulder was absolutely gorgeous. It was something to watch as you flew over the snow-capped mountains. The weather couldn't have been better and we soaked up as much of it as we could while there. We had a lot of time Saturday to kill and so we had a really nice breakfast, then shoot around and finally went to the mall and walked around a bit.

It was finally game time and after a long day we were ready to get the show on the road. Unfortunately, in Colorado the scenery isn't the only thing that takes your breath away because the altitude hit me right around the fifteen minute mark...in the first half! It's almost like you think it's not that bad and then it sneaks up behind you and squeezes your lungs. We had a good rotation of people going in and out which helped with the breathing situation. Besides our bench was very productive, it was almost like we didn't miss a beat. That's always a good feeling!

I know the paper quoted me as saying I shot lights out in Colorado but that is not true, it was actually another reporter who said it and she gave most of the credit to Emily (Niemann) anyway, who was amazing from the perimeter. Besides, I believe credit is something meant to be given, not taken so I am pretty sure I didn't say that. As everyone knows, Colorado's coach Ceal Barry announced her retirement before our game and so there were a lot of emotions in the gym that night, for us and for the Colorado team. I think they played great and left everything they had out on that floor. After the game Chelsea, Monique (Jones) and I went up to Coach Barry and shook her hand and got a chance to talk to her for a while, which was really cool. She is a very nice woman and I appreciated her taking the time to talk to us in such an emotional situation.

So here we are a beautiful Monday in Waco, counting down the days until our last home game. It seems like only yesterday we were getting started and having our home opener. But we are finally looking to top off the amazing home season we have put before ourselves. I don't even think I have to ask for the fan support this time, we all know the importance of this game alone and hopefully you understand the importance, to us as a team, of the crowd and the home court advantage. So without saying too much, I will just say...see you Thursday.

-Chameka