Sept. 10, 2006

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -
Prior to game five:

Well what a week! We landed in Sacramento around noon Saturday after our loss and went straight to the gym for some film and a little bit of a shoot around to get our blood pumping. It was very laid back, but serious at the same time. With the series tied it was no time to take things lightly but we also couldn't get too ahead of ourselves and end up worn out. My mom came in that afternoon as well, so after practice I spent the evening with her just showing her the sights and whatnot of my new city. It was a lot of fun and very refreshing to have a family member to visit.

The next day was game day and since it was an afternoon game there was no shoot around. Everyone came to the gym ready to get after it and that's exactly what we did. The game very much resembled the first match up of this series and we ran away with a nice lead early in the ball game. The crowd was amazing and made the whole experience ten times better. For the first time all season it reminded me of the crowds we pulled in at Baylor or even during the Final Four. I think the official number turned out to be around 15,000 in attendance so that's fun. It's hard to understand how a Final Four championship game can bring out over 20,000 and a professional sports team not so many, but I think either way the fans that do come are pretty dedicated and intense about the teams they support. The gym was deafening and a huge part in the win.

One major difference in this whole WNBA championship run and a NCAA championship run is the whole idea of a series. The stress it puts on players and coaches to have to not only play the best of the best but to have to beat them multiple times is a big factor. It takes out the ideal of luck and puts a lot more emphasis on consistency and the better team coming out on top. However, the thought and urgency of having to win or you're going home also plays a big part of what makes March madness so crazy. I say that to make the point that since we lost the next game on Wednesday and Detroit tied up the series at 2- 2, we find ourselves in the position of win or go home, down to the final 40 minutes where there is no tomorrow and I think the mentality and importance of this game five will play in our favor. In a series setting it's easy to take some games for granted and that may have been the case in our last game considering we were up in the series 2 -1 and winning there in Sac would have been ideal but in not winning it wasn't the end of the world and I think we kind of played that way.

So, we are on a plane right now, headed back to Detroit for the final game of the season. Last time we came to Detroit I got to hang out and catch up with Sophia because she was in town doing an appearance for the league, which was a lot of fun but this time it's all business. It's been a long day of cancelled flights, connecting flights, sitting on planes and all that fun stuff with traveling across the country. Everyone is just really anxious and ready to hit the court. The game is bound to be a dog fight. I am very excited to be a part of something so rare. It's funny because I was talking to Jordan (Davis) the other day and she asked me if I ever thought I would be playing for a WNBA championship one day and it made me realize that a lot of things have happened to me in the last few months I never would have envisioned, but life is wonderful that way. Everyday makes me smile and no matter how this series turns out, the experience has been unbelievable since day one.

After game five:

Whew... Okay so after a few deep breaths, thrown objects, tears, couple plane rides and long needed day of sleeping in, the team is back in Sacramento and enjoying our last days together. The mental stress and all the emotions that go into a game five definitely took a toll on us last night as we got out of Detroit right after the game. I joked with Kristin Haynie that now I know how she felt in 2005 (Haynie played for Michigan State). That really did hurt, I mean I thought I hated to lose but to do it on such a big stage and with everything at stake... that tore a piece of my heart I think. But, I am still the happy owner of a NCAA championship ring and I also have the experience of a very impressive WNBA championship run under my belt. As fun as it would have been to win it all, we all kept the situation in perspective and realized that there is a bigger picture and we did a lot of things this season that no one expected us to, including even being in the finals.

So, I am actually writing this from the pool in our apartment complex where we are having a barbeque, before we all go our separate ways. Everyone is leaving sometime in the next month or two to head overseas for the off season and in the next couple days to at least get back home. Sort of like college, you find yourself seeing the same people everyday for months at a time and then one day its over. It's a little hard to deal with but nothing I haven't faced before.

We have two appearances on Monday to attend and then a lot of us are heading out on Tuesday, including myself. I will get to go home for a week or two before heading to Turkey to play for the next eight months or so. I recently got in touch with Dionne Brown (former Baylor teammate) who is also playing in Turkey so that should be fun. She can be my tour guide/translator. I am pretty nervous about going over there for the first time, but I have heard nothing but good things about the overseas experience.

Well, that's it from me, sorry I couldn't give you the storybook ending of this little championship but hopefully this won't be the last opportunity to do so. And when that time comes, I will encourage my team to remember this feeling and work harder to finish the job. ;)