Emory Men's Basketball Checks In From Ireland
Joey Friess and Jake Davis are the lone sophomores on the Emory
me's basketball team. First meeting in July of 2010, the
two hit it off like no one could have predicted. Raised from two
extremely different backgrounds, it was a long shot that these two
would become the spaghetti to the other's meatball. These two have
done so much for the team in such a short year. They both bring an
added charisma, individuality, and Southern flare to a more than
dominant northeastern influenced team. With this diversity,
and break from the New York City extreme, these two have been
easily identified as the right fit for this blog.
First Entry:
Date: August 11, 2011
Time: 2:16 PM (1 Hour 45 Min prior to take-off)
Team morale is at an all-time high as we sit awaiting our
connecting flight to Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s hard to
sit still with the anticipation of a new country running ravenously
through the minds of each and every player. Even Coach
Zimmerman’s kids, usually very subdued, are bouncing off the
walls of the Harfield-Jackson Terminal D Gate 21. What seemed like
such a simple idea at the time, to bring a group of fine young men
on a journey to Ireland for the simple game of basketball, is
starting to turn into so much more. This could be an adventure not
of basketball, but of a team finding their true inner nirvana. A
trip like this can only signify one thing, a team’s
unrelenting commitment to each other.
Over the past ten days the Emory Men’s Basketball Team has
been holding two-a-days in the Woodpec to prepare their bodies for
the highs and lows of the strenuous games that the Irish will
surely bring. With 16 practices in only ten days, it was a tough
task covering all that a collegiate basketball team needs to know
for games. With the unwavering guidance of Head Coach Jason
Zimmerman and Assistant Coach Christopher Murphy the Eagles, being
a veteran oriented team, were able to further progress their
system. Trainer John Dunham played a pivotal role in keeping
the squad healthy, as he saw over eighty percent of the team
in the training room before and after each practice. With the
majority of the team healthy and the morale high, Emory enters
Flight 1436 to Charlotte, with heads held high and anticipation
ever rising.
Second Entry:
Location: Runway of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport
Date: August 11, 2011
Time: 4:53 PM
Anticipation anxiety has set in. We are sitting on a delayed flight
and won’t fly out for over another hour. At one point the
starting shooting guard Alex Greven (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
woke up from a nap and was trying to figure out where in the world
we were. We must take off soon for the thought of missing our
flight to Ireland could devastate this team.
Third Entry:
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Date: August 11, 2011
Time: 7:03 PM
Our plane from Atlanta to Charlotte was delayed, and by the
good grace of Mother Nature our flight to Ireland was as well. As a
result, upon our arrival to Charlotte, we sprinted from our arrival
gate to our departure gate. We barely made it through the walkway
doors and as we settle in for the seven-hour trip we just hope the
ride goes a little smoother than the transition between flights.
Cheers!
Fourth Entry:
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Date: August 12, 2011
Time: 7:07 AM
Finally! Making it to our destination has the
team's spirit back on the rise. Everyone is groggy-eyed and
sleepy, but excited to have finally reached our destination. We met
our tour guide as soon as we made it through customs, a young chap
by the name of Cathal. A part –time history teacher and
lifelong citizen of Ireland, Cathal was no slouch when it
came to facts and attractions regarding the Emerald Isle. After a
quick stop at the convenience store we made our way onto the bus
and to the hotel. After a hasty stop, which involved dropping our
bags off and receiving our roommates, we were off to our first
Irish meal in downtown Dublin. The team split up and the usual
crowds ventured off together.
While searching for a place to dine, *my group noticed many a new
sight as we traversed the crowded bricked streets of
Ireland’s biggest city. Such architecture was soon noted by
both my blog mate and I as having a striking resemblance to one of
the great hidden cities of the United States -- Savannah,
Georgia. More than one story can be told about the time we
have spent together in the Deep South; however, those tales are out
of place and kept for another time. After breakfast, we
toured Trinity College and rounding out the early morning portion
of our tour saw the Book of Kelles, the oldest and most prized
literary work in Ireland. After touring a little more of downtown
it was back off to the hotel and then to practice.
* When the word “my” is used, it always
refers to both Jake and Joey simultaneously due to the fact that
they are never separate from one another.
Fifth Entry
Location: On bus en route to Practice number one
Date: August 12, 2011
Time: 2:30
Team Morale is steadily dropping as exhaustion and hunger
begin to set in. Many players who did not choose to sleep on
the plane are now pushing twenty-four hours of sleep deprivation.
Nevertheless, as is the will of the mighty Eagle, the Emory men
continue to combat sleep with songs and stories from their summer
vacations. Our bus driver “Gosh Dernit” had
little trouble finding the gym and soon enough the merriment from
the bus was replaced by the stoic seriousness of a team on a
mission. At this point in the trip, team morale is still very low,
but we push on through a sweaty but routine practice. After
the final whistle is blown everyone is feeling good about our
chances of tomorrow night's game. It should be a classic case
of David and Goliath as little old Emory looks to slay the
formidable International Foe that is the Dublin Thunder. Till
tomorrow, too-da-loo.
-JnJ
