Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Reflections On The Women's Basketball Trip To California
December 26, 2011 | Women's Basketball
The Princeton women's basketball team was in California from Dec. 15-20. Team managers Amanda Roman and Jordan Seni wrote the following reflections:
It's been as close to a home trip as you can get for the Tigers when you're 3,000 miles away from Jadwin Gym. When we took off from Newark to San Francisco, six of our players, one coach and one manager were flying back home - either to their native coast or temporary coast in the case of Kristen Helmstetter. There was no shortage of bragging about the "best" coast vs. the "least" coast and, after much arguing, it was hard to make a case against the warm California weather. Of course, we East Coasters were quick to remind the Westerners that they chose to go to school on the East Coast.
Day 1:
The first stop on our trip, post-Olive Garden of course, was Lauren Polanky's house for dinner, after a good day of practice at Maples Pavilion. After a photo-op at the Golden Gate Bridge, our coach bus battled up a maze of hills to reach the Polanksy residence - itself perched atop a large, almost 90-degree driveway. It was widely determined that merely walking home is the reason LP is so well conditioned. We tentatively approached our welcoming hosts until we finally recognized Cindy and Bob dressed without their tie-dyed tiger shirts on. Then we enjoyed a beautiful organic dinner, surprisingly including some non-vegetarian options. Once we finished eating dinner, we were able to sing "Happy Birthday" to LP since her 21st birthday fell on Dec. 24th - a few days before the Tigers were to return to campus to resume practice and play their remaining two games in 2011. While it was great to spend time with LP's family and friends, we had to tear ourselves away to get a good night's rest before meeting No. 4 Stanford the following afternoon.
Day 2 (Gameday):
Even in Maples Pavilion, the presence was palpable with Team Rasheed and Polansky taking over the bleachers behind Princeton's bench and local LAers and groupie travelers filling out the Princeton section. We had to be corralled off of the court as our fans were mobbing our players with hugs and pictures. It felt about as good as a 19-point loss could feel - the team played with great toughness for the entire 40-minutes, never giving up on plays against a well-coached and disciplined Stanford team. In fact, down by seven at half, the Tigers could sense how their hard work had been paying off. After battling the likes of Delaware and DePaul to close losses, they were hanging with one of the top teams in the country. And though it didn't go our way, the Tigers showed heart in every second of that game and earned the respect of the fans and even the Stanford community and twittersphere (Chiney321: "Thnx for the great crowd today @ Maples! Played a gr8 Princeton team! We may not always have it together... But together, we have it all!!") After the game, we went to a post-game reception packed with family and Princeton alums. Without a doubt, the highlight of eating at Jimmy V's on Stanford's campus was finding the picture of Coach Flores on the wall of Stanford women who have played in the WNBA. Who knew she was so jacked?! In terms of local heroes, Rasheed, Polansky, and Flores really drew a following. After the Princeton reception held at Jimmy V's, the team was shuttled off to a new hotel in San Jose in preparation for the second game of the Bay Area trip against the Santa Clara Broncos.
Day 3:
The team was up early for a 9 a.m. practice at Leavey Center on Santa Clara's campus. Following a few hours of rest in the hotel post-practice, the team boarded the coach bus en route to Danville for a dinner at Niveen Rasheed's home. After a beautiful 45-minute drive through the undulating hills scattering the East Bay region, we pulled up to the Rasheed residence, where Princeton signs and the entire Rasheed family welcomed us. We were able to catch up with Team Rasheed, sift through photos of Niveen before her Princeton days and have some comfortable downtime before the second game of our California trip. Those that were lucky even got a fist bump from Niveen's niece, and our favorite Rasheed, Aliya. Beyond that, it was also an incredible culinary experience with a number of Middle Eastern options for appetizers, entrees and desserts throughout the entire evening (Thanks Rasheed family for the ensuing food coma!). Luckily, this team is made up of seasoned veterans when it comes to indulging in delicious, home-cooked meals. It's all about the pace - eat, rest, then eat some more.
What was especially rewarding about travelling to Danville was that the team was able to enjoy the Rasheed family's company on their home turf. At any given point during the season regardless of the game or location, we can always expect to find at least one member of the Rasheed clan in the Princeton crowd. If anything, this experience reminded the team that the support for our team is extensive and long lasting. Rasheed's mother, Hanan, even added "WE'LL BE PRINCETON FANS FOREVER" so it's comforting to know that our women's program will have this level of support even beyond #24's days of wearing the Princeton jersey.
Day 4 (Gameday 2):
The Tigers were finally able to break out their bright orange jerseys for the second game of the California swing and won in convincing fashion, beating Santa Clara 77-61. Santa Clara was a welcome win after a few tough challenges ended up in losses. After the game, the team split up with about half of the women staying on the west coast while the rest headed to the airport to catch red eye flights back to N.J. or their respective cities. After the team returns from the break, the Tigers will head to Hempstead, NY to play Hofstra on Dec. 29th. This will serve as a home game for junior manager and local hero, Amanda Roman. In fact, the game will be on the site where Amanda Roman delivered her valedictorian speech in the spring of 2009.
All in all, it was a great trip and if it wasn't for the possibility of earthquakes, we would be convinced that everyone in their sane mind would live in Cali. For now, at least half of us managers are happy right at home on the East Coast and can't wait to open up play again after a nice, long holiday break.