April 11, 2005

Well looking back at this season as of right now, and our list of things to do... I think it's safe to say that we have in fact, FINISHED THE JOB. It has been an incredible journey from start to finish and I think we finally are coming to terms with all that we have accomplished.

When we arrived in Indy, our bus was waiting for us as usual right outside the airplane. However, there we also about 3 motorcycle cops waiting along side of it. I immediately thought about the speeding ticket I got in December and if I paid it or not. Luckily they weren't concerned about that issue, turns out we were getting a police escort to our hotel! It was so much fun running red lights and watching cars pull over on the highway so that we could get by. It definitely was a reminder of how import this weekend was and how special of an experience it was going to be. We arrived at the hotel and went straight downstairs for a welcoming meeting with our tournament host, hotel staff and NCAA people. We got a few gifts there too so that was fun. Then it was upstairs to our rooms to get settled in for what we hoped to be a long weekend.

Friday morning came quickly, and lasted forever. We got to the RCA Dome at about 11 and went straight to a studio to do ESPN tease shots for the games. It was a lot of fun getting to act and be treated like a star. Coach Mulkey had the lead role with all the lines so it was much easier for us to be the supporting cast. After it was all said and done I think we decided that the acting life wasn't for us, but was fun while it lasted. When that was over some of the girls, including myself, went to do individual ESPN shots while the remainder of the team went to the locker room to hang out. When we arrived at the waiting room for ESPN, we found Stacy Dales, Lisa Leslie, Rece Davis, Ann Myers, and a whole crew of people I had been watching on T.V. non-stop for the past month. I was kind of star struck, but after all the attention we had been getting I felt like maybe they were too. We sat down and talked while players went in and out of the interview room. They asked a lot of questions about us individually outside of basketball which I thought was cool. We took pictures with them and everything, but it really turned out to be a very casual atmosphere, like we were all friends or something. After we finished with the fun stuff, we had to leave the dome and go to another gym for practice. It was a pretty hard-nose practice, everyone knew that with all the fun comes a time to be serious. Mainly because part of the fun is winning and you can't do that without focus. So we got up and down the court and really worked on some important ways to win the game.

Friday night was back in the fun category for us, because we got to get all dressed up and attend a Final Four banquet. Once again in the spotlight and center of attention we left the hotel with a police escort. It took us forever to get ready though, I was in and out of my room and Sophia's trying to get everyone to do their part of making me look good. Sophia did my make up, Abi helped with my outfit, Chisa helped with my hair, Jordan I guess helped me with my outfit too considering I wore her shirt ( it looked so much better on me). Everyone ended up looking really nice, I was so proud of how well we clean up. We first went up stairs to a waiting room, to get our ring sized and fitted. When we arrived there was LSU in line getting theirs done, we thought it was awkward at first but then we got over ourselves and mingled a bit. Eventually all four teams were in attendance and we were kind of forced to communicate. Sophia and I decided to take it upon ourselves to break the majority of the ice by going around and taking pictures with everyone from different teams, players and coaches. We ended up with a whole roll of film filled up. It helped that Peyton Manning and a few other Indiana icons walked in and we got to get their picture as well.

It was a pretty fun event but the fun really hadn't started. We then went to a huge room across the hall where the actual banquet awaited us. We were escorted in with a huge BU banner and taken to our table. The theme of the banquet was the Road to Indy and it was pretty cute. There was an actual road we had to walk on to get to our seats. There were mini highlight films and pictures flashed across the screen during dinner and even an interview show at the end with all four coaches and four players. Chelsea was on stage with Coach Mulkey, which was fun cause they played on the whole point guard issue between the two. After the banquet we were pretty much worn out, the day was incredibly long and me with no nap, that's trouble.

Saturday rolled around and part of me felt like it was game day, but we still had to wait. We went to an autograph session first in the concourse which was like speed writing. It was poster after poster coming as fast as they could send them. I got to the point where I could only sign Chameka, but I felt too much like Prince and went with Chameka S. We had another practice but this one was unlike any other before. It was an open practice so anyone and everyone was welcome to come and watch. We estimated (by we I mean the girls) and decided there were about three or four thousand people there. It was like a mini game or something. There wasn't much you could go over about the game with that many people in the stands, especially the ones wearing purple. So, we went through a lot of drills one after the other. It turned out to be a pretty tough practice as well. Afterwards we had the afternoon to hang out before we went to dinner. A lot of the girls went to the mall right after practice, but I needed a power nap. After I got up, Abi, Sophia, Angela and I went to the mall and did some shopping of our own. Dinner was great as well and then we finally went to bed to get ready for the big day.

Without going into detail about the LSU game, because I assume you all were watching, the after game celebration was amazing. I felt like the feeling I felt then couldn't get better but then I remembered that the next step was definitely going to be the opportunity to do so. So we celebrated but kept in context the days to come. Monday might have been one of my favorite days just because of all the attention and fun we had. We spent a lot of time at the gym, but it was mostly press conference and interviewing. It was weird because we all had to come to terms with the fact that this was going to be our last official practice of such an amazing season. It went about as smooth as we could of asked for, everyone was focused enough to get the job done, but we had a lot of fun as well. Coach Mulkey got in a couple drills with us and we pretty much just had a good time. We got a bit of free time after practice but I was definitely about resting and staying off my feet for as long as possible. I think we all pretty much had that same idea, so it was a laid back night before hitting the sheets for real, for the last time, for the big game!

We went through the game day ritual like it wasn't a big deal. I personally went down for breakfast and couldn't eat. I just kind of sat there reading the paper and realizing that it was finally time. At that point Sophia and I started the countdown, until tip off. Shoot around was productive, there was an overall feeling of confidence and focus. We went through the plays and ways to attack their offense and pretty much took care of business on the strategic side of the game. All that was left was to just go out there and play the game like we know how and how we had been doing all along.

So it was time for the nation anthem, the choir was wrapping it up... "home of the braaaaave"...and I looked at Sophia and said, "this could either be the worst day ever or the best day ever." Just something we have said to each other before every big game we have played this season. She laughed and agreed and we went to the bench. Names were announced, last second words were said, we had our last beginning of the game huddle and then the next thing I knew the ball was in the air and we had 39:59 minutes of the best basketball we could play. It was pretty rough at the beginning but I think once all the nerves settled in it was back to the basketball we were familiar with. So we played our last game, and played our hearts out. Everyone was amazing, from the people in the crowd, the students who all came out to support us at the last second, the girls on the bench and everyone who stepped on that court. It was such a group Baylor effort to get that far and to see all the people who got to have a piece of that win. Even the students who went to the Sub or local restaurants or even the ones who couldn't be on campus and were watching from all over the place - it was fun to realize and find out all the support we really had. It was pretty much one of the best feelings I have ever experienced in my life and to top it all off it wasn't over.

We all hung out that night and even the girls that went their separate ways to be with family and friends met up later and we celebrated as a team Tuesday night. It was great, Wednesday morning came around and I was still smiling from ear to ear. We slept in a bit, I got up and packed all the cool stuff we had received throughout the tournament. All I can say is that I came with one bag kinda full and left with three bags packed to the brim. I guess it didn't help that there was a mall down the street from us again. But regardless it was time to leave the place we worked hard all season to come to. Then we walked right into the welcoming party of a lifetime. Once again Baylor had come through and made it obvious just how serious they were about supporting the Lady Bears this season. There were so many people and T.V. cameras and people, and oh yeah, people. I think at that point we all kind of started to figure out we had accomplished something bigger than just winning a basketball game.

It's still a lot to swallow, this season, but it gets closer everyday I think. We really appreciate everyone who was involved with anything this season, the good and bad part is that there are so many people to thank that I don't know where to start. Just know that we are completely aware of the fact that winning a national championship is not something you do alone. With a community of people and businesses and family behind you is what I think made more difference than I could ever explain. Thanks again for everything, Baylor!

- Chameka