Blips not on the FAA radar but noticed on the Demons' journey to Smoky Mountain country for Saturday night's game at Tennessee Tech...
... Thanks to NSU Alumni Association board member Jimmy Williams and some hard-working Delta employees, the team avoided missing its flight from Alexandria even though a new charter bus company never showed up to take the team to the airport.
With the bus already 10 minutes late for our 3:45 departure Friday and word coming that the bus wouldn't be in town anytime soon, the team split into seven cars and headed south. There was a time, before 9/11, that a late airport arrival wasn't such a big deal, but those days are gone.
Williams, who is the economic development director for the England Airpark which oversees the beautiful new terminal at Alexandria, was able to pave the way for a quick transition for the team when we arrived about 45 minutes before departure. Thanks, Jimmy!
... We had a super stewardess on the Delta commuter flight from Alexandria to Atlanta. Her welcome enthusiasm made everybody smile. She also led a cheer for the Demons as the flight taxied toward our terminal at Hartsfield Airport.
... On the plane from Atlanta to Nashville, Centenary president Dr. Ken Schwab, who said hello ... and on both the flight to Atlanta and to Nashville, and in fact all season long, it's been fun and fascinating to see people recognize the NSU logo and express excitement at being around the team that had the big first-round NCAA Tournament win last year.
....While waiting on our bags in the Nashville airport, coach Mike McConathy noticed a taller fellow who he said looked a lot like former Demon guard Alann Polk. He was right. There's a strong resemblence, if you discount the broad shoulders, between Alann (who lives in Dallas with his wife Angela, the former SLC Women's Basketball Player of the Year for NSU) and retired NFL star Eddie George.
Always outgoing Jermaine Spencer approached George, who said he was picking up his son. Spencer, by the way, was wearing a T-shirt that read "SportsCenter, No. 6 Plays of the Day" ... to the amusement of his teammates and coaches. Michael McConathy has one, too.
... The team practiced this morning at Vanderbilt in a gymnasium, not their unique arena. Discussing that iconic college basketball venue last night, Coach McConathy told me he likes the idea of relocating the benches at Prather Coliseum along the baseline as they are at Vandy's arena. Hmmm, more prime seating courtside, more fun, more revenue? ....
...Now we're in Cookeville, and the team is relaxing before a 8 p.m. shootaround at the Eblen Center tonight. The drive over from Nashville took about 80 minutes and carried us into the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. It is beautiful country on a crisp, picture-perfect February afternoon. We may wake up with a blanket of snow, they say. We'll let you know!
No comments:
Post a Comment