It's roughly 4:30am and I'm almost certain that I am the only student on Marist's campus up at this hour. I'm also certain, however, that I am nowhere near the only manager in the country up at this hour, as teams are traveling to their first destination of the season. Even though it's the first week of the true basketball season, this can be a very stressful time for managers, as they have to make sure that they are on target from the start and, as I like to say, prepared for the worst. Between packing extra uniforms, gear, and equipment, the opening road trip may very well be just as difficult for the managers as it is for the players.
After spending countless hours in the McCann Center the last couple of days preparing for our season opener / first trip to South Florida and Kentucky, I can finally say that this pre-season has been a successful one and that we are ready to be tested. I am excited to get my senior season underway and see what this year's journey brings, and I am confident to say that this will be one of the best seasons in my managerial career. Our team has prepared extremely hard this preseason, and this looks to be a brighter year than the previous two both on and off the court. In addition, we have definitely come closer in terms of team chemistry.
In the next couple of hours, Greg Fahey (another Marist manager) and myself will be rolling out the travel bags, loading them onto the team bus, triple checking the equipment, and making final head counts. Then we will head to Stewart Airport in NY for an early morning departure to Lexington, KY and will play the #2 Wildcats this Friday Nov. 11th in front of 24,000 screaming blue and white fans in a sold out environment. I have never managed a game with this amount of fans or been inside an arena this big, so I really look forward to seeing the crowd and the NBA style arena.
What better way can you ask for than to open in an arena - Rupp Arena - with one of the greatest atmospheres in college basketball? I can't wait to see what the arena looks like in person. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on my experiences during our first road trip of the '11-'12 season making stops in Kentucky and Florida.
Friday's season opener will be broadcasted on ESPN3 as well as FS South.
As always, Go Red Foxes!
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