The Lady Demons have been here since Wednesday for the Maggie Dixon Classic, hosted by DePaul University. Friday, NSU played what Head Coach Jennifer Graf called their best game of the year (and I agree), despite losing to the Blue Demons 93-56. Had the Lady Demons not given it everything they had against a much-taller DePaul squad (6'3, 6'2, 6'2) it could have been a repeat of the Texas game. But NSU put together some nice runs, had some open looks, and deserve an "A" for effort. This afternoon (Saturday), the Lady Demons will take on Morgan State for third-place in the tournament. You can listen to all the action beginning with the pre-game show at 4:45 on 100.7 KZBL in Natchitoches, and around the world at nsudemons.com.
I interrupt this post to ask a question. How did I end up on the last row from Alexandria to Houston, AND Houston to Chicago? I thought Coach Bob Austin (who coordinates travel) was my friend???
For some players, like Ronikka Drake and Jordan James, a trip to Chicago is nothing new. They are both from the Midwest. Ronikka has been our tour guide, and has a large group of family and friends here cheering her on. How large? When we pulled up to the arena Friday, there was a bus out front. One of the other teams? No, it was full of Ronikka's family and friends! Jordan's parents are here as well, and let me just say this--her mom can cook! Meredith Graf's family flew up from Natchitoches to spend the Thanksgiving holiday watching Meredith play. It's nice to see the players receiving so much support. It must pay off--Ronikka led the team with 13 points Friday!
For others, this is their first trip to Chi-town. It was neat to see the look on their faces as they starred at the skyscrapers and squealed over the shopping possibilities. For those of us who have been blessed to travel over the years, we are tempted to take for granted just how fortunate we are.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, it's tough for everyone to be away from home. However, Head Coach Jennifer Graf and her staff do all they can to make it as pleasant as possible. She came through big time, hooking us up with Thanksgiving Dinner at Ditka's in downtown Chicago, named for legendary (at least in this town) Bears head coach Mike Ditka, now an ESPN analyst. With 21 in our group, we had a room and waitstaff all to ourselves, complete with a HD, big-screen TV showing the Cowboys-Saints game! It was neat to walk around and look at all of the Ditka memorabilia.
It's been a nice trip (despite the single digit wind chills). Just one more thing, and it will have been a really nice trip. Let's get a win Saturday and come back home! See you on the radio!
Tony Taglavore
Voice of the Lady Demons
