June 1, 2012
Woke up this morning and had a good breakfast before a 10-minute teaser film session. After last night's game, I had to accept that I was only in maybe one minute of the entire 10-minute video.
After film we went to Disney World! Let me tell you a secret - it is not the happiest place on earth. It rained today … a lot. But, we still managed to have a good time.
Once we were finished at Disney, we had a pizza party with several AAU teams at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. We signed some basketballs for the AAU girls and it was a good time.
Following the pizza party, we went back to Disney. The second go-around was much better. My teammates and I had a dance off in front of so many people, and that is totally out of character for me. But it was too good of a time to pass up!
The countdown is on - tomorrow at 10:25 a.m., I'll be on a plane to Austin! Hook'em Horns!!!
May 31, 2012
I stayed up until 1 a.m. talking to my roomate last night, and I definitely felt it this morning.
Despite my fatigue, I was determined to be more confident on offense today. Practice was light, since we were scheduled to play Brazil on ESPN3 in the evening. Rebecca Lobo was the commentator and she came and watched our practice.
Coach Meier said that I know the right things to do, but I just need to trust in myself. Coaching and getting on to me is her job with the USA team, and she's doing a good job at both.
We won our game tonight, but I played the least amount of minutes and still lead in rebounding. I think i was 1-of-4 from the field, which isn't good, but better than 0-for-0.
I'll be on my new campus Saturday, but before that, we're visiting Magic Kingdom tommorow. I am so excited, I feel like a little kid again!
All in all, today was fun. I'm still not satisfied, and I have to come back better.
May 30, 2012
Another morning practice. I was pretty sleepy today, probably because I'm still not adjusted to the time change. I ate the last of my blueberry mini bites for breakfast while waiting for the bus and trying to conserve as much energy as I could.
Practice was hard, all competition, and my body hurts as a result. I have to get used to this pain, because I know college basketball will be the same level of competition.
My defense is there, but I'm still working on my offensive game. I don't like hearing "she's the kid in the gym with the most potential." I want to reach my potential and know that is only possible by continuing to give my very best effort. Coach (Kelly) Graves told me after practice that he wishes he had my potential and the sky is the limit. Coach (Katie) Meier said that I fire her up and she sees my hard work. I just want my offense to pick up so I can see for myself that I'm improving.
We scrimmage the U17 team later tonight and I refuse to be scored on.
If you get a chance to tune into ESPN3 tomorrow, be sure to watch us play. I promise you'll see some good defense from me, and I'll do my very best on the other end of the court for my fellow Longhorns, too.
May 29, 2012
I was back up and at it at 9 a.m. this morning for the team bus to take us to practice. I have to admit that this three-hour time difference from California to Florida is starting to get to me. We ate breakfast at the gym to fuel our bodies and then began practice at 10:30.
Today's practice was much harder than yesterday's. Individually, I think my practice session was a little more up-and-down than I'm used to. We put in a zone offense and defense, and I was called for goaltending. Hopefully that doesn't happen again!
Lunch came next and was pretty good, but I call myself a hungry, hungry hippo, and crave constant nourishment. I can't help it - I'm 6-7!
After a quick nap, we had a second practice where we mixed with Brazil. We basically did a bunch of drills together.
My offensive game frustrated me today. I was 3-of-3 for defensive stops and 0-of-3 on offense. It's just confidence, and like I said yesterday, I need to improve that. I also had some good blocks and was all over the boards. It's a good sign that my body hurts - must mean we're working as hard as possible!
May 28, 2012
Last night was my last night in California and I stayed out much later than usual with my friends. My grandmother wasn't too happy, but it was worth it to watch movies, grab dinner and drive around Los Angeles one last night with my friends.
Earlier today, I flew to the East Coast where I'll be in Orlando for the next five days to train with the 2012 USA U18 Natioanl Team. My first impressions of Florida compared to California? There is a lot of humidity here. (My hair is not a happy camper.)
I was so thankful that I had the entire row on the plane to myself so I could stretch out and catch up on some needed rest! My flight landed in Florida one hour before practice, and I had just enough time to eat in the car before hopping on the court.
Practice was defense, defense and defense. Defense is definitely my bread and butter, but I'm looking forward to working on my offense because I know Texas needs me to be an offensive presence next year. I have the tools, but still need to work on my confidence when on offense.
I am so honored to represent my country on the basketball court this summer. During tryouts, I realized I had never wanted something so much in my life. I wasn't breathing during the selection - it was like I literally forgot that I needed to breathe. My nerves were going crazy, and I knew I had worked as hard as I could for a position on the team.
That's all for now. We're back at it early tomorrow morning again. Five more days until I'm in Texas - I can't wait to be on the UT campus, proudly wearing my Longhorns gear after my first workout!
