Stillwater first, now Louisville

The week long road trip with the Demon basketball team continued as we loaded up a Continental Express plane and flew from Oklahoma City to Houston, then Houston to Louisville Thursday afternoon.

The three days we're spending in Louisville began with a night practice on the UL campus in the volleyball gym. Freedom Hall, the home of the Cardinals, is not available due to a cattle show being held until Friday.

On Friday morning, the team loaded up into three vans and headed for nearby Seneca High School where the team practiced from 7:30 a.m. to 9. What was interesting about this practice, nearly 200 of the school's students filled the bleachers to watch the Demons go through their preparations for Saturday's contest.

Demetrius Bell joined the team later Friday morning after playing in the Demons' final football game of the season Thursday night at Stephen F. Austin.

On Friday afternoon, Patrick Netherton and myself headed to Churchill Downs to catch some live horse racing. After that, the team loaded up and headed off into different directions.

One group when with Coach Mike to Bowling Green and to the Corvette assembly plant while the other crew jumped in the vans with Coach Slessinger and Coach Moore to visit the Muhammad Ali Museum.

The team gathered for a meal at a local buffet restaurant for dinner before studying films for Saturday's game.

A local television station ran an interview with UL head coach Rick Pitino during its six o'clock sports segment, and this is what Pitino said about the Demons...

"This is definitely the toughest team I've played in a season opener in my 32 years of coaching."

Life on the road with the Demon basketball team

No one can argue the amount of time spent at the office in the sports information field. Weeknights, weekends, holidays, etc., etc., etc.

But there are times when “work” is anything but.

That time is occurring to me this week as I’m getting to make my first trip with the Demon basketball team in my three-and-a-half years at Northwestern.

It all started Monday night at 7 when we rolled out of the Prather Coliseum parking lot en route to Denton, Texas – halfway from our first destination, Stillwater, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

After a morning practice at North Texas on Tuesday, we packed up and headed north for Stillwater.

After arriving around 4:30 yesterday afternoon, I got to step foot for the first time in the ever-popular Gallagher-Iba Arena on the OSU campus. I definitely was not disappointed.

Positioned high into the air, 13-thousand plus orange seats are almost literally stacked on top of one another in steep fashion. Out in the lobby of the arena are a few memorabilia displays – one containing things from my all-time favorite football player, Barry Sanders.

While the team was warming up before the short practice, Patrick Netherton and I fired off some three-pointers, most, of course, didn’t go it. But Patrick did make more than he made last year (0-for-15 I think) and I rolled off three-straight 3s before tossing up an air-ball. That was my stopping point. BTW, Jermaine Spencer had a couple of assists off those treys.

After my play time, I was able to sneak away and make my way into the OSU football stadium that is right outside the basketball arena. OSU is playing host to Oklahoma this week, so outside of GIA was a tent city of students camping out, waiting to get their ticket to the big contest. Some said they had been there for 23 days.

It’s now 10:35 Wednesday morning… gameday! We’ll head to shoot-around at 11:15 then play tonight at 7:05.

We’ll head to Oklahoma City tomorrow to fly out for Louisville. There, the Demons will take on Rick Pitino’s Cardinals at noon on Saturday. But prior to then, a lot is to be seen and visited… Churchill Downs, Louisville Slugger factory, Muhammad Ali Museum and maybe even Valhalla Golf Course (site of the 2008 Ryder Cup).

Stay tuned for more.