Redshirt

Wow its really hot on this plane, and uh is that rain

2011-06-12T07:35:00.004-04:00

As i left venice i was flying Ryanair which is the low budget airlines of Europe. You can get flights from 20 bucks to 100 dollars to any of there destinations. Problem is that if you check a bag that charge you 15 Euros. Your carry on can only be a certain size and can only weigh 10 kg. I have watched people try to fit there bag, i have even took pictures as a guy jammed his bag into the rack to see if it would fit and 3 guys had to help him get the bag out. Well karma got the best of me, i should have know because im an advocate of My Name is Earl. Anyway so when i weighed my bag it was 15 KG. I then started to put the clothes on my body, Every jacket, shorts and long sleeve shirt i owned was then on. That alone got me down to 11Kg. I then switched my shoes, and put the basketball shoes on and my lighter Nikes into my bag. This plan actually worked, i then waddled my way to the plane and took my seat and sweated the entire trip

When i got to Paris it was almost 11 and i had nowhere to stay, so i did what anyone would do slept outside. I found a residential area and laid down behind a bush up against a gate so i was not visible from the street. It was pretty cold that night but i had a blanket from one of my flights.( the thinnest thing ever) As i was sleeping i was having a dream that i was getting rained on, i then woke up to realize it was raining. Not to bad, but i was prepared and already had my rain gear on so it was okay. I had some cover from a tree and the bushes so i went back to bed. I then had a dream that a dog was peeing on me. I woke up to find out the sprinkler went off next to me, i grabbed my stuff and took of. At 4 30 am i was now ready for the day of Paris. Thanks to the 2 football players they told me to go to Paris early i dont think they meant this early but i was off.

What a beautiful city to walk around and see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame before anyone was even awake. While at the Louvre i found out that on Tuesday its actually closed(hmm should looked that up) I then headed back to the eiffel tower to climb to the top. It was about 8 30 and it didnt open until 9. Problem was that they do not have a bag drop and i had all of my stuff with me. I found a restaurant to store my bag and told them that i would then come back and eat there. They charged me a ton for a soda, but at least i got to the top of the Eiffel tower. The view is amazing, the way Paris is laid out is amazing to see. I will say something else that was wild to see was people fears of heights, to see them clinging to walls and not wanting to be near the edge.

Well im hoping to write another at the airport tonight, we shall see how that goes.

Milan no wait Venice

2011-06-07T19:29:00.005-04:00

After Germany i was booked to go to Milan, on the way i decided that i no longer wanted to go there. So when i got to Milan i got on a bus for Venice. So off i went to a city i had no idea what i was gonna do when i got there. I found a camp site that for 9 euros a night i could stay. The tent is actually pretty nice, has a bunk bed and a twin bed. It was a short bus ride outside of venice. When i arrived i headed to the city and walked around, its somewhere i think everyone should visit. however if your not on a honeymoon or a trip with a special someone Venice is ahh okay. Still cool to see how people live there lives without cars everyday. The gondola rides i would say are at best a tourist thing. You see on movies how great it looks, the guy in his outfit rowing the boat and the music is playing. Well all i saw was a guy rowing but definitly wasnt playing any music, usually they were talking on a cell phone and rowing LOL.

This was the halfway point of my trip, the campground had a pool and a bit of a workout room. I took advantage and laid out by the pool and got a workout in. At night i talked through the walls to my neighbor tent and talked to a couple from canada. They had quit there jobs as engineers and were traveling for one year. They were great, and so was a American couple that i met from Vegas. That night we had dinner at the restaurant, they had drinks and cooked some sausages on the grill, really a great time. I have been very fortunate to met some great people. My luck on the trip continues to flow.

Brr- Lin

2011-06-03T17:58:00.006-04:00

My time in berlin and were a great success thanks to the people that hosted. Couchsurfing went great, i didn't have to stay at any hostel, and had great experiences with the people. In hamburg it was very cold, i did a lot of walking. To be honest not to much to report on this city, i had a great host who made homemade pasta which was amazing. After hamburg it was off to Brr-Lin.

In Germany i was really hoping to drive on Auto-bahn, but i do not have good news to report on that. Most people dont have a car, most have bikes and travel faster then a car in the cities. When they travel they use public transportation, its more of a privilege to own a car here. The couch surfing host i stayed with in Berlin were a crew to say the least. 4 American girls and 1 guy who basically have a revolving door of people come through there house. They definitely embrace the idea of couchsurfing to the fullest. The guy andrew who lived there gave me a pass to get into almost any museum in Berlin for free, so i took advantage of that. I loved that guys were on the street selling bratwurst for 1 Euros. then at night we all went out to a bar that had Belgium music. That was something to see, that music is definitely not for me. The best part about the night was after you drank your beer you took it to the bar for a 50cent refund. Andrew and I were rounding up bottles off all the bar, most were empty, some not as much but we dumped them out. So i ended up making money that money after going to the Bar.

In Germany you can return any bottle, water, beer and get anywhere from 5cents to 25 cents back. On way home from bar Andrew and i decided that it would be best to walk for some reason. We somehow stole a shopping cart and went around collecting empty bottle we could find. The cart after the 30-45 minute walk was pretty full. Not gonna lie i was pretty proud of myself, think of the chocolate milk i was gonna buy with that money. Unfortunately certian bottles do not give you money back. So for our hours work of collecting bottles that night we each got 20cents. Whomp Whomp Whomp.The next day we took off early to a concentration camp. That was an amazing experience, people talk about Osama bin Laden but he cant hold a candle to Hitler. What he did was ruthless, is unreal and to see a taste of that first hand was something to see. Later in the day i went to a Holocaust Museum, to read the stories of the people was touching. That day i also go to see what is left of the Berlin Wall, another site to see. The artwork that is up on the wall is awesome to see. The wall being that gives you a glimpse into what life was like only 20 years ago. Right now I'm in Dublin enjoying that, hopefully another blog tomorrow to catch up.

Way behind. Dont take home strangers

2011-05-29T11:38:00.004-04:00

First the things i left out from the last blog. when i went to the beach i neglected (how i have no idea) that half of the women were topless. The more i think about i think this is a good strategy to try in the States. The guys are all pratically in underwear as well. Also i forgot to mention that i drove a moped. The whole time i was thinkin oh boy if i crash this will mess up my trip.

I feel like in my lfie that things just have a way of working themselves out. I probably have to much faith in that philosophy and im sure it will back fire on me during this trip at some point. As i was leaving Rome for Florence i got a email on couchsurfing to inform me that i would not have a host. When i got to Florence i looked around the train station for maybe an hour trying to figure out where to go. I then decided to go find an internet cafe. While in route i asked 2 american girls for directions(changed my entire trip to Florence). They then decided to take me to one. 15 minutes later we were all lost, they then decided that i passed the test of not being a creeper and let me use there computer. While using there computer we decided that we would all hang out that night. One of the girls friend suggested a hostel and i was able to find a place for cheap with an amazing view of the city.That night we walked around Florence which was beatiful city, we saw none other then Jersey shore taping for there show. I was watching the episodes before they aried,sweet.Later that night we made homemade pizza, which was awesome because i have not been eating a lot and it was a bunch of girls so i had a hearty meal. The next day we all got lunch and off to Pisa for me. I cant thank the girls enough, made my trip to Florence awesome.

I have to give the abbreviated trip to Pisa because my hour on this computer is running out. I had to sit around the train station beacuse Italian trians decided to strike that day. I finally got on a train to Pisa after a hour or so, could have been a lot worse. When i made it to Pisa i met two Idaho football players. Went to the tower with them which turned out to be great. Because i had no idea how hard it was to get the exact picture of pushing the tower over. My favorite part of the trip was after the guys left i asked a chinese man to take the picture and he handed me the camera and i was literally in the middle of the tower. after that i went to the airport and spent the night at the airport. I met two great american girls that passed teh time a lot faster, problem was the airport was closed from 1am to 4am, so i had to sleep outside for a bit.Well the internet cut out and i had to do this last paragraph all over. K im off, hopefully i will update my german experience, i just finished eating pizza in venice yummy.

When in Rome hang out with the Palestinians

2011-05-21T16:55:00.000-04:00

Well a lot has happened since the last post. Unfortunately i dont have a lot of time to post so trying to recap. Ive seen a lot of historical things in Rome,such as the Colliseum, the Cathedral. the same square from the movie angels and demons. I went to the Couch Surfing meeting on Tuesday night in Rome, and was able to find a host Piettra.I met Saad and Amrite and Tom from Poland and Moriah from Chicago, meeting then changed my whole trip to Rome.Pietrra was great, and walked me to a few spots in the city.My plan was to go see a few historical sites then play basketball with Saad and Amrite. Problem was i didnt know what park, as i was done at the Colliseum i was walking to a bus(in the wrong direction)i saw Tom and Moriah. Moriah pointed me in the right direction and Tom walked with me. Moriah got a text from Saad saying which park. In Rome the buses cost money,i found out no one pays for a bus, so i did not pay at all. So that was great not paying money for that, the subway i rode for free the first two days, until we got busted at the station. Not to big of a deal, except then Saad had a huge argument with the guy.

I was hosted by two great guys in Rome, they helped me out more then anyone can imagine. Took me around the city, took me to pizza, took me to the beach. The beach was a great experience, went with my friends from the CS meeting. We went with a girl from Chicago named Moriah. Went to the beach, we ended up playing american football with 3 italians, having to explain the rules was a great time. Easy to say that i won, i could make the rules up as i went, they had no idea haha. My favorite part of Italy, had to be the FREE water everywhere. I had my canteen with me, filled up every time i saw one. I was gonna stay in a hotel one night and i guess you have to be back at a certain time and was locked out. Luckily amrite stepped up and i stayed at his old apt by myself.

While walking downtown Rome i met the Rudest 6 cofc girls ever. First while walking they pointed and said look an American, then the first question was hey can yall get us Weed. Typical CofC student,ha the guys im with said they didnt have it but couldnt get it for them. They bought food the next night and supplied the girls with what they want. I went out to eat with some people that i met the night before, thats a blog in itself. I went to eat with 3 spanish people that spoke very little english. That night was great but i got stuck till 5am at the station because certain trains don't run that late at night. Back to the CofC girls, they went to Saad and Amrite place, where Amrite paid. Enjoyed dinner and got thier weed, then gave fake fbook names because they thought they were to cool for everyone else. I didn't hang out with them that much, but from the time i saw them they WERE nothing to write home about, maybe a 5 at best. They thought they were to good and gave Saad and Amrite fake names on fbook. Id like to let them know that they are not that cool,a picture is posted of the girl on my facebook (if you go or went to CofC check that out). My last night in Rome we had a big dinner, Many different nationalities represented at the table from the Nigeria to the US. The dinner was the best, spaghetti in some kinda tomato chunks was awesome.

Travel Day..zzzzzzz

2011-05-17T06:19:00.004-04:00

I had to be at the airport at 3am for my flight at 4 50. Luckily i waited till the last minute and was up packing because the alarm on Sams phone never went off,the alarm she set ha. I got a ride from the taxi to the airport only to find the airport was packed, i was shocked. The Tel aviv airport must be the safest in the world. They scan you and your bags at 3different times in the trip. I guess they think after your scanned the first time that someone at a restaurant will slip you something and then scan you again before the boarding area, on some flight you get scanned before you get on plane and are placed in a special waiting area. The flight itself was great, noone was in a middle row so i got to stretch across 4 seats and was out cold the entire time.I was supposed to fly into Dusseldorf Germany and have a 2 hr layover and off to Rome. Of course thats not how it worked.

When i got to Dusseldorf, im sure im spelling it wrong but i just dont care enough to get my ticket out and check. I realize that i now have an 8hr layover. I surveyed the situation and went to where i do my best thinking the bathroom. There was a lobby in bathroom and then a door you enter to actually go to the bathroom. When i was finished a man was in lobby in shocked that he had left his bag there in lobby and it was now gone. This then became a very awkward situation as i think he told me in 3 different languages that i cant believe this would happen right here. It was as if he was telling me/accusing me. So i hot to the streets to find a Hotel. Luckily there is a huge maritim here. I walked in and went straight to the business center to kill time. Then headed for the workout room. Took me two different elevators and 6 doors only to need a card swipe that i didnt have. I could have waited for someone to either enter or leave but i saw a Sheraton across the street. I headed there, walked in and straight to the workout room that did not have any key access needed. After that off to the bathroom to freshen up and change my clothes. I am disappointed i couldnt get into the Maritime, it had a pool, a Sauna and a great workout room. Im now headed back to the airport to catch my 4oclock flight. Then i will need to decided where to stay tonight :)

Whats the difference between schneitzel and scheckels

2011-05-16T17:32:00.003-04:00

The night before my trip to Jerusalem, yes my family all has gone been paid top dollars for an armed security guard. This guy was going with himself and no map of anywhere. I learned Jerusalem is a bit of a tourist trap at least the part i was in. Walking the streets of the old city, vendors on each side and everyone looking to help out for some money. I will say a few locals offered help and i almost shut them off because i was thinking they were out for money, and some were just being considerate. Ive posted pictures of my journey, but unless your there its hard to really describe the pictures. The church of Seplcher is a place all Christians need to be. The Tomb that Jesus was buried,(the line is very long but i bypassed it by accident, i helped a guy pick up a wheelchair up steps and then followed them in. When i came out i saw the line wrapped all the way around the Tomb. Then you can go to Golgtha or the Rock of Calvary the spot where the cross was placed and also the Stone of Unction where Jesus body was laid out after he was taken down off the cross. I took the train to Jerusalem and then taxis to the Old city. Israels are the worst drivers ever, they dont care about turn signals, or pedestians in the street, they will just keep going. As for the taxi drivers they all want to get you in the car without turning the meter on so they can charge you whathever they want. I guess they see an American and assume they are going to get over on him.

Also before i go i must give shout out to Chuck and Sam for not only letting me stay in there house this year but for watching out for me this week. Sam may give me a hard time but ill let her slide. Its now 1 05 in the morning here and im in the process of packing. My taxi picks me up at 2 30, then off to Rome. When i arrive in Rome i do not know where im staying, which i think is pretty cool. Im armed with rain proof gear just in case the situation calls that i need to sleep outside. I do not know when the next time i will blog is, im going to try to keep writing notes so i dont forget anything that happens

Schneitzel is chicken and schuckles is the money. Tonight at dinner the waiter gave us on the house some Plum wine. I must say it wasnt bad. Hopefully in each city i visit i will try a different drink and report back on that. The schneitzel is breaded chicked fried,with chips and chips here means fries and i refuse to admit that.The picture of the bottle with the rest of my photos is on facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=518508693192&set=a.518494317002.2014574.93100042&type=1&theater
Sean

I got to Pet a Zebra today, what did you do with your day?

2011-05-15T18:01:00.004-04:00

Chuck, Sam the twins and i went to the open air market the other day in Israel. It was a neat experience to say the least to see the different food,art,candy,toys and anything else you can think of at this place. Reminded me of a booths corner in pa just an outside verison. I learned an important lesson, is that Israelis have 0 concept of personal space. They will walk right into you, not say a word and keep going like its no big deal. The first few times i thought i was being pick pocketed but turns out they dont believe in personal bubbles for each person to have there space. Again at the market the theme of Chuck a star continued. People would spot him and ask for autographs, we were at a stand and the owner wanted to know why they kept takin his picture. I didn't want them to say that he was a basketball player because i thought the guy would try to drive up the price. Instead Chuck tells him he is a very famous rabbi, cracked me up, not so sure about the store owner. While they i continued with my steady diet of a pita, with a mystery meat,somewhat cooked and Hummus and pickles. So far i haven't gotten to sick from it so we shall see.

The Israeli Zoo and Safari was sweet to say the least. I was skeptical going in, boy was i wrong. To see a Rhino and a Hippo with nothing but the Nissan in between you it gives you a small rush. To reach out and pet a Zebra while its eating the watermelon and drooling on chucks jean is priceless. You dont get that at the Philly zoo thats for sure, and trust me im a big fan of the philly zoo, pops used to have the pass for FREE. The lions that we saw they did have a wire around them keeping them in a area for the most part, there was a gap or two in the wire, but last i checked lions can jump. The zoo inside was cool, but paled in comparison to Safari. It did seem a little better because we had the twins, they get excited to see any animal. We went on a Sunday which you would think would be crowded. Sundays here are like mondays in the states so we had the place to ourselves to cruise around on a golf cart. As we took the golf cart back schools started dropping kids off. As we drove through crowd it started with hey there is Chuck Eidson. Then broke out into Israeli kids running alongside golf cart singing and chanting Maccabi songs and saying Chucks name. Not gonna lie i was on the back of golf cart with Tripp, i was thinkin does he think this is normal for people to just chant his dad name and ask for autographs lol. Well off to bed i stayed up to watch game 7 which was a dud. Staying up was hard because today was first day i didnt get a nap. Then i had to retype this because i couldnt copy and paste from gmail so probably not very good overall but its done.

Chuck, please stay

2011-05-13T17:12:00.005-04:00

Since my last blog we checked out the cliffs of the medeteriann, went to the mall, saw the kids school and the biggest thing was Chucks game on Wednesday night. Basically Chuck is a star, Chuck and i went to the game alone since the games start after the kids bedtime. My seat was probably 12 rows up not bad at all. In warm ups Chuck goes and tells a guy in a Maccabi shirt something and points at me. Next thing i know im being escorted to the baseline for floor seats. The game itself was great, it was just a domestic league game so the place was not sold out. The arena holds 12,000 i would estimate that 8,000 were still there. But the atmosphere with that many fans was still amazing. I can only imagine the place being full,felt more like a crazy soccer game then a basketball game. Chuck has a good game all around, 13pts 9 boards and 6 assist, after the game is when it got crazy. The same guy that escorted me to the floor seats then took me down by the locker room. I was watching the other league game on T.V. in the weight room of Maccabi with Chuck and 5 teammates. As the game were watching went to commercial, i looked up at the Tv and saw myself and the maccabi players. They were showing the maccabi players because they played the winner of that series and then there was this guy from philly rocking his Philadelphia phillies hat on a television in Israel ha

After that Chuck went to the locker room to shower, then it got crazier. Reporters that saw me talking to chuck started asking me how i knew Chuck? Then the question that is on everyone mind in Tel Aviv is Chuck coming back. I had one reporter say 'freind to friend you can tell me if chuck is coming back" My response was i do not know you must ask him(and boy did they ever). But i thought it was funny that this is the only thing people seem to care about here. As chuck came out there was maybe 3o ppl waiting for autographs and pictures, not gonna lie I was expecting more outside locker room. Chuck then had a few interviews, he defered to answer any questions concerning his decision for next year. Then was asked if he was concerned about the lockout looming in the NBA. Reporter wanted him to say that he hopes to go to the NBA. Instead he redirects and says I guess I will be out of a job bc the NBA guys will come over here and i'll have a long vacation next year.

Finally i think were off to eat. We go up the steps to leave the building, this is probably an hour after the game. Again another 10 people were waiting there and Chuck again signed autographs and posed for pictures. When we stepped outside the door, there was a Roar CHUCK,CHUCK,CHUCK EIDSON,CHUCK CHUCK over here, can i have an autograph, can i have a picture. Probaly 500 or so Maccabi fans lined up. Security has to escort him through the crowds as he continually stops to sign autograph after autograph. They then follow us to the car and now Chuck keeps signing by the car door as security pleads with Chuck to please leave. Finally we get in car and another guy leans in window begging for a jersey of Chucks. Chuck being nice leaves it at will see. I wanted to take the kids number and be like dude ill sell it to you haha jk. I have kept everyone of Chuck jerseys given to me for the record.

We then went and have free food and drinks at a restaurant called 206. David Blu (Southern Cal), Chuck, Richard Hendrix(Alabama) and Doron Perkins (Santa Clara). The amount of food was consumed was unreal. Steak, shrimp, Chicken, Hummus, Salad, and more shrimp was on the menu. Everyone continued to order more food at drinks at the expense of the restaurant. Sitting around getting to know the guys was awesome. Four great players from all over the United States, then this guy. Getting to sit there and talk basketball was enjoyable. We had a great game unfold before us as well. A league game against teams that had played this year. Team went up 3 with 5 seconds to go. They fouled as the team got over halfcourt 2 seconds to play.Guy makes the first, misses the 2nd gets his own rebound and scores. Fouled on the play makes another free throw with . 4 seconds. Probably one of the best finishes ive seen to a game in a long time. Ok this blog went way to long. Hopefully i will have time to write tomorrow. 1 i am writing for people to keep up with what im doing. 2 so i will have a record of this forever.

Landed

2011-05-11T14:50:00.000-04:00

I landed in Tel Aviv today and was greeted by the twins running up to me in the airport. After a 12hr plus trip, in was 5 pm here Which meant that it was 10am back in the states. The flight last night was exhausting. I watched True Grit actually not that bad. Knight and Day with Diaz and Cruise, also an enjoyable movie and finally Due date which had some parts i was laughing so loud im sure the people around me were wondering what was wrong with me. The biggest thing is it helped past the time. I Didnt do much tonight in Tel Aviv, played with the nephew and niece. Had dinner, steak, potatoes, hummus, shrimp and chicken it was actually pretty good. After the kids went to bed me and my cousin Sam went for a walk. As we walked people would recognize her and say we love Chuck, hes our favorite. Which is cool to see that the town embraces his family in the way that they do.While walking we stopped at some different shops in the local stores.Tested different candies and got some Gatorade, They were different but the one i had was great. We walked down the the medetterian sea, the view was amazing, i look forward to ging back. After we got back to the apartment we decided to drive around Tel Aviv, this is where it got exicting. We drove around to see the herds of prostitutes. I swear to you it looked like a meat market. Maybe 20 women standing around in a big open field as men drove looking for a women that they wanted. They dont go anywhere, they get in the car and do the service right there and then the women is back in the lot working, Really a sight ive never seen before. The strangest part of it all is that its right in the middle of the town. You dont have to go far to see it. When we left there we went one block and saw restaurants and shops. Well the jet lag is killing me right now so im gonna go off to bed.
Hopefully ill post in the next few days or so.

Sean

Im Off

2011-05-10T18:39:00.002-04:00

Im hoping to update my blog on my trip of everything that i get to see and do. Im off of my flight tonight to Israel. Ill Be in Israel for a week. From there i go to Rome,Florence and Pisa. Cant wait to get my picture with the leaning tower of Pisa. From Pisa its Hamburg to Berlin. Berlin to Milan. Milan to Paris then Normandy. Then i fly to Dublin to met with my dad for 10 days in Ireland. If your asking yourself how i'm affording this trip. Donna Corrigan of Summerville who smashed into my car back in September. Thanks to her i had the money to buy my plane tickets. Even though she tried to say it was not her fault, luckily state farm put her in place. Then while in Europe ill be using a website called Couch surfing to stay in the different cities.

Seating Re-assigment

2011-02-18T18:50:00.006-05:00

Almost a year since the last blog. Im reminiscing as yesterday was the 1yr anniversary of tearing my ACl 2-16-10. Also, A lot of the teams at CSU have tried replicating the success the redshirt year and beyond had and failed. Trick number 1: Have a large family and beg them to read it and comment. Trick 2: Sell it on facebook, twitter, text message,fliers - whatever it takes. The more people that read it, the better chance someone will enjoy it. Trick 3: Speak on the perspective of a college athlete that 99 percent of people don't get a chance to experience. I write this because baseball now wants to follow in the footsteps, so the brains behind the Sports Information Department has sent him to me for advice.

As for myself, I have ventured far from my days as a CSU basketball player. I'm now the Director of Operations for the basketball team - for short the DBO. That means i went from the locker room, to a breezeway of shared office space with our graduate manger and Sloan the women's assistant. This job has MANY responsibilities and more then I could have ever imagined. Most of those responsibilities fall under the category of tasks, no one else wants to do. I went from the guy hoarding Gatorade's last year to the guy making sure the players only take one. I used to get on the bus, grab my chick fil a sandwhich and a Gatorade, and go to sleep. Now I'm the guy that makes sure all of that is done perfectly before the players arrive. I'm always at the mercy of others. I arrange all of our meals as a team. I get the guys orders and have to relay that to the restaurant. Then I spend the rest of the bus trip going over the details for the trip I already planned to make sure it goes smoothly.(at the mercy of the restaurant to have the food ready when we arrive) But when the game starts, I have made a serious upgrade on the assigned seating chart, I must add. Last year I was either in the last or next to last seat on the bench. This year I'm the second seat on the bench and can see both sides of the floor much better. GREAT UPGRADE

As far as the team goes we're .500 overall and 8-8 in the league, which puts us in a tie for 4th in the BSC. Uncharted waters for CSU basketball considering we haven't finished .500 overall since 1997, which happens to be the last time that CSU went to the Dance. Coastal was dominating our league, but has come back to reality. Three starters are out for the rest of the season. They had the longest win streak in Division I, but I believe the conference tourney is totally up for grabs now. Don't want to write to much in my first post back, mainly because that means I will have to edit that much more.(AKA find someone else to edit that much more)

Update on my boy Glenn Self. He's going to WVU and is a server assistant. That is how I make that sound professional. If you ask him he will tell you the truth: bus boy. Check him out on Twitter. Hself490 for his new ink work. Check me out at S_sweeney11 to see the days I had bounce before the ACL tear. As always i miss the NHC club. All of which have moved on Billy Blackmon, Big Pat, AJ, Glenn, and now LAMBO

Sweeney

1,2,3, Cheese

2010-05-18T01:19:00.014-04:00

Well looks like my future holds a lot of uncertainty, and another blog. After writing the last blog I realized I had three things I wanted to talk about. One was the final four; another was my different divisions of NCAA schools that i went to. Also, to update if I did anything memorable at graduation like I said I would.

As far as being at a Division 1, 2 and 3 schools, it all came at different points in my life. The division 2 school, I arrived at 17 years old and was not ready. I was on a baseball scholarship and it didn't take me long to realize I loved basketball more. My division 3 school was a blast. I played a lot and everyone played for the love and pure enjoyment of the game. Division 1, I learned is a business. Yes the guys love it and it's fun, but its also a job. Hopefully after reading this blog people understand the full time commitment that goes into college athletics. After going to school for baseball I ended up sitting out a semester. Then I played Division 3 basketball for two years. Finally I finished up at Charleston Southern for two years. I wonder how many people can say they were a part of an athletic team at all 3 levels of NCAA sports.

My next adventure after the season was going to the Final Four. The final four was an experience that I will never forget anytime soon. It started with a road trip with the 2 graduate assistants from Georgia State. I left Charleston early Tuesday morning headed for Georgia, this is 4 weeks out of ACL surgery mind you. After arriving in ATL I got in the back seat and we drove to Kentucky. We meet up with one of Claude(Georgia State ga) buddies, who was one of the video coordinators at THE University of Kentucky. While there we got a tour of the facilities, the locker room and weight room, which are out of this world. The lodge where the players stay is unreal; I don't know how that is allowed by the NCAA. Seems like an unfair advantage for Kentucky. We spent the night on a couch at Claude's friend's apartment. The next morning we headed out early for Indy. Our goal on this trip was to spend the least amount of money as possible.

So the 3 of us were cruising down the road in a Cadillac with over 400,000 miles on it, and it required premium gas, which was a killer. While driving we would eat PB and J so we didn't have to spend money. On the way I found out that where i would be staying, fell through. So on the way to Indianapolis I was without a place to lay my head at night. A lot of people would panic in this situation, but i figured that i would always have the car at the worst. I decided that since the other 2 guys had a place to stay, I would offer to buy them each a Buck Double to help my cause later in the trip( i used straight coins to pay for this). The first night there I ended up crashing on the floor of Coach Smalls from Georgia State. Who I met earlier that night, luckily I thrive on awkward situations. The next night, I again didn't know where I would be staying. But i didn't let this slow me down during the day. I went to the Coaches Convention and was able to sneak in with help from my buddy Clint, who had an Athletes in Action booth. He was my tour director from the Athletes in Action trip i went on in 06. I was on a mission to meet as many coaches as possible. That night Coach Powell got me the hook up on his floor with Earl Grant who was at Wichita St., but is now at Clemson as an assistant. Again another coach that I had never met up until that day. The next day was a lot of the same, going around meeting coaches and trying to network. But I decided that I needed to do a knee workout because my leg was tighter then my wallet. Which is impressive, because up until this point i spent 0 dollars, I did spend 3 dollars in change at BK (Three buck doubles on me). This is where I found a hotel weight room that I snuck into. After working out I found a bums heaven. In the bathroom there was mouthwash, toothbrush, shower, shampoo, toothpaste and towels. The problem was you needed a key to get in, but I was pretty good at standing around and acting like I couldn't find my key. Then I would slide in behind then the person going in and set up shop. As that day unfolded I didn't know where I was going to sleep. I was hanging out in the Hilton lobby and couldn't get a hold of anyone. I ended up sleeping in the Cadillac that we drove in. This wasn't as bad as it sounded, minus having to keep my leg straight. The positive was when I woke up, I took the elevator to the hotel's free breakfast.

Yes the car was a good story, but it gets even crazier from here. That day I ended up not being able to get a hold of Claude, the guy I came with. I just wanted to get back into the car to get some PB and J and some chips. After calling him repeatedly, I had to open my wallet for the first time, and bought a meal at Ruby Tuesday. I was able to not spend money because at the final four there is coaches parties and they seemed to always have free food. Just had to finagle my way into the party, usually I found a way in somehow. After I spent 10 dollars at Ruby Tuesday, I walked back into the hotel lobby and found a 10 dollar bill. Life is good at this point. Since I slept in the car the night before i made my way back to the hotel I found the day before. I worked my knee out and then enjoyed a luxurious shower. As the day turned to night I was again wondering where I was going to sleep. I was in the hotel lobby meeting coaches the best that i could, this is when I met Art Hamm. He heard me say that I was going to stay in my car and he offered to let me stay in his room, because he had an extra bed. I love doing crazy things such as hitchhiking, but this had me worried at first. I went and Art was a very nice guy and was gracious enough to let me stay in the extra bed and didn't ask for any money in return. Turned out to be a great guy, and i love random encounters such as these. Really shows you that there is still good people out there. His son is the Amherst baseball coach, because he was a gracious host, I am now a Amherst baseball fan for life.

The next day I met up with the 2 guys I came with and drove back to ATL. Now we're all still looking for jobs. I hope that someone will be willing to give me a chance. I am officially a college grad. Yes, I did something at graduation that was memorable to me. As my name was called I walked across the stage without a limp and reached out and took a picture with a disposable camera. I didn't get in trouble, and the picture came out great. As Rob the radio guy said" I called my shot and then got it done" Hopefully people will remember I was that guy that took a picture of himself getting his diploma. What a way to be remembered.............

Closing Time

2010-05-08T19:18:00.001-04:00

In finishing the season up we unfortunately lost at home on Senior night. It seemed fitting that the last games as a Buccaneer I was in street clothes, considering that half of the games at Charleston Southern I was on the bench, because I transferred and got hurt. However, I was given a framed jersey and recognized before the game as a senior. Since then my life has been about graduating and getting my knee back to healthy. Anyone who is friends with me can see on facebook that I documented the injury step by step. The pictures many not be for the faint of heart. Since the season has been over I have had plenty of time to do things as a regular college student. If I want to skip a class, then I would do it because I couldn’t be punished. If I wanted to go to a function at night I could because I didn’t have to go to pick up. I was even able to go to the final four in Indianapolis, which was a great time. All in hopes of landing a job in coaching, which hasn’t worked out yet.

The only real responsibility that I have is showing up for rehab. Every day at ten a.m. I have to meet with Brad, and twice a week with sports south. I have been able to play Frisbee golf, which was a great time, something different anyway. The best thing that I have done is announce a baseball game on the Big South Network with Rob Walden. Which was a great experience and good time in the baseball booth with Blake, Ryan, Cedrique and of course Rob. The best thing that I do now is ride my bike everywhere on campus. It’s the best bike on campus, not a Harley or Yamaha but a Huffy. Yes it’s a purple huffy with orange splashed paint, a basket on the front and a horn. So if you see me riding around be sure to honk, and ill most certainly honk back.

Finally the biggest reason I came to college was to get my degree. As of May 8th I will receive my degree in Criminal Justice. It has taken me three schools: Coker College, Penn State Brandywine, and finally Charleston Southern. I went for nine semesters and even took a semester off after my first semester. I was told by many that I would never go back if I quit now. (Well so much for them) I took a semester of summer school that helped me graduate in 5 years. It took a lot of long hours studying, and pleading for good grades. I’m hoping to do something memorable at graduation so we shall see how it goes.

In summing up my college athletic career, as I ate at Outback the night before graduation, I saw a younger kid sitting at the table next to us. It was Jon Davis’ son and I said hi to Pastor Jon. His son said, "Yeah I knew he was on the team, I saw his picture on the front of the program." There it is folks....

I’d like to thank my parents for paying for my college and allowing me to be a walk on, my aunt and uncle for giving me tons of free meals at their house and letting me just get away and relax. Ms. Kennedy who made my first year a breeze with treating me like a son whenever I came over, CP for his experience as a walk on and motivating me, Coach Padilla who helped me get through this ACl injury by taking me out to eat once a week. Mr. Sheridan for all the calls asking me how I was doing and kept telling me that I was fulfilling the dream I set for myself at his kitchen table a long time ago..... Believe it or not I'm going to miss CSU and all of the people there.

Thanks for reading who knows what my future holds……….

Change at CSU

2010-03-11T12:47:00.001-05:00

Some great things are happening here at CSU. We have been fortunate enough to have Adrian Despres come and speak at FCA twice now. This is a revival he’s starting on Campus, leading many athletes to the Lord. This has encouraged and renewed my own faith in wanting to spread the Word. Bible studies are sprouting up all throughout campus now everywhere you look.

Now back to the action, or lack there of on the court. Against North Greenville I was placed in the game for the first time in 58 days to see live action. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we got out to a big lead and I sat on the bench waiting for my turn. There were some cheers throughout the BUC DOME for put in Sweeney echoing through as I sat and waited. Hindsight being 20/ 20, should have done a bit more to stretch.

I was put in just before the last media time-out, so I got to sit in the 5 seats in front of coach, as he tells us what defenses we are in and what to do on offense. As we broke the huddle, I left with 2 good knees in tact.

I knew that I needed to get a stat if I was going to be playing 4 minutes; I didn’t want to record a 4 trillion. That would be 4 minutes played and no stats all 0’s. After 2 offensives possessions where I was making crisp passes we were back on defense. I helped off my man and recovered back when they pitched it to him and I blocked his shot, ensuring my stat for the game.

After we came down on offense, we were moving the ball around and trying to get it inside. As the shot clock was running down, AJ passed me the ball and said something to the effect of “go get a bucket”. I drove from the right wing towards the lane and across the foul line. I jump stopped and went to jump up to shoot the ball. That was when I heard what sounded like my knee ripping away from everything. At the 52 second mark, I laid in a heap on the floor, knowing I blew my ACl out and maybe more.

I believe God has a plan and did this for a reason. It definitely altered my life in a significant way. I learned a lot in my time at CSU; I’ve done some stupid things and I’ve done some great things while here and while learning. The biggest lesson is to trust God and rely on his power and knowledge and not my own understanding. Knowing he wont give me anything that I can’t handle and to worry about today not tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 says, Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Plenty of Fun

2010-02-22T20:46:00.000-05:00

A lot has happened since the last post. On a recent road trip we had some down time and were able to go and see the Book of Eli, which was a great movie. I was skeptical going in but really enjoyed the story and the purpose of Eli throughout the movie.

Before the movie we ate at the World famous Beacon in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Most of the guys ordered the double cheeseburger plenty. Plenty means onion rings and fries piled higher then you can imagine. A lot of the guys were saying that they could eat all of the food. Needless to say I took it as a challenged to eat all of my food, including the onion rings that I do not really like. Lucky for me when I set my mind to something I usually find a way to get it done. (Lucky for me that I have that mentality because in the next blog you will see why I will really need this)

The most important thing we have done all season and in my time at CSU was what we did on an off day while on a road trip at High Point. We visited the children’s hospital where we wanted to go see Spencer. Spencer is a kid that came to our camp this summer and was a great basketball player, but an even better kid.

Shortly after camp he was diagnosed with cancer. He has been battling that since September and going through Chemo. When he doesn’t have Chemo treatments, he has to stick himself with a needle everyday in his thigh. Spencer is such an inspiration with his faith and toughness to me. I think of him everyday now and consider myself soft for ever complaining. Spencer and his family’s Faith to know that God has a plan and a hand on this all, is truly an inspiration. I hope to stay in touch with Spencer as he continues to battle this and on his road to recovery.

On another note, at the game at High Point, the game of Pass the Rock was resurrected. It started with the ball landing on Jo’el’s lap. We haven’t played in so long he forgot, but then passed me the ball. I flipped it to Austin at the end of the bench. I knew that he had to get a touch. (He had been in earlier and failed to get an offensive touch of the ball) Austin had it and decided to take a dribble. He then flipped it to me and I sent it to Jo’el who passed it all the way up the line and made it to the coaches. At this point the ten players on the court lined up for free throws and so did the refs. The only thing missing was the ball at this point. Then after 11 passes of the rock, the ball was thrown back into play marking the greatest game of pass the Rock EVER….

SWEENEY

Standing Room Only

2010-02-04T16:26:00.001-05:00

To get right into the action, we were on the road at UNC Asheville in the 2nd half and were down 8 with minutes to go. To describe the situation, it was cold, we were on the road and Coach Richey wasn’t at the game. The old CSU would have crumbled in this situation, but this is the new CSU. In this game we battled back and took the lead and then eventually won in overtime.
This was the closest I have come to my time at CSU to getting a technical foul. If you’re thinking, “did he get in the game?” No, not at all. But we had a player dive on a loose ball in front of our bench and call a timeout. I rushed out to the court and bumped into an Asheville player. At that time the ref blew his whistle and made the international sign for a T. At this point my heart sank. But then I realized he was giving the Asheville player a technical, because he had been complaining about a no call.

The good news in that we had a ten game home winning streak stretching back to last year. The Bad news is that we lost to Coastal Carolina at home. But it’s still not all that bad considering we are still in the hunt for a home playoff game. Two other positives were 1. If you were at the game you would have seen the Buc Dome was out of control and was standing room only. 2. You would know that we didn’t play our best game and we still had a chance to win at the end of the game.

Finally, I take pride in our bench and being loud during the games and standing up to cheer. The past few games I have been meaning to keep a count of how many times I get up and down during a game. Unfortunately I get caught up in the game and forget to count once the game gets going. For the Coastal game I employed the help of Stan to help me count. We still forgot but he kept me on track from halftime and on. I got up and down 49 times in the 2nd half. Considering I don’t have stats on anyone else getting up and down during a game. I am proclaiming myself number one in the country in cheering chair squats.I will recap our latest road trip against Winthrop and Presbyterian in the next blog.

Sweeney

Road Woes

2010-01-12T13:11:00.000-05:00

Since the last blog I have played in two more games. The First was against Toccoa Falls. If you asked yourself “who is that?”, so did the rest of our team. Either way, I knew that I was going to get to play in the game. This was a record night for my personal stats and the CSU record book. I got my first, first half minutes of my career, and recorded a career high 5 rebounds (which helped set a team record for CSU: 70 rebounds), and scored my first collegiate points. It took me a few shots but my number was called, and I posted up inside. Faked right, went left and scored on a bank shot to break the scoreboard and hit 100 for the team.(Redeeming myself from the previous let down in my previous shot for the 100 score mark) In the other contest against Southeastern I played 3 minutes and hit a floater to go 1-1 for the game and score my second bucket of my career. This was a game that we were supposed to win and I should have received more minutes. Sometimes I think the starters deliberately play bad so they can play all of the minutes.

Now I want to talk about some of our road experiences. We have had 9 away games. Our only win came against the Citadel which really isn’t a road game. It’s just down the road and we had a decent CSU crowd. Either way, we have flown to two games and traveled in style to other games. The bus we travel on is more like a home on wheels. It’s a sleeper bus that has couches and tables that fold into 18 beds and at least a 40 inch TV (satellite tv) that we hook up the PS3 to and play FIFA, college football, and everyone’s favorite, call of duty. We have traveled up to 9 hrs for a game but when we arrive at the hotel, you can usually find 4 of us in the back trying to finish one last game even though we have played 9 hrs straight. We stay at nice hotels and eat great. (something I will address later) The problem is we keep losing on the road. We lost to G Webb in a heartbreaker the other night. We were up 13 with ten minutes and lost, that one really stung. We have this great bus with all the amenities, but we don’t get to enjoy because we are usually bummed about the loss. Before the game there was a girl that was about 6 years old and apparently she could tell that I was not an important player on the team. Every time I was headed back to the layup lines I would look up and she would be standing there giving me a thumbs down. The next time I would come back she would stick her tongue out at me. Then finally to top it off she had her hand in the shape of an L on her forehead.( I bet most of your just busted out singing that song, I know I did while writing this) I must say all of this shook me, I think mostly because of how young she was and that she could point out that I was not good. I was relieved to see that she was sitting behind the G Webb bench and not ours because that would have mentally taken a toll on me.

Now back to eating well while on the road. I admittedly eat fast, no doubt. And maybe even a bit more than most of the guys on the team (ok maybe a lot more). I’m a 22 year old guy. I’ve never seen people comment about the way a guy eats before. I take it as a compliment. Anyway, we went to Fridays and most guys ordered the 3 for 12.99 meals and when I did coach scoffed and made a comment similar to “you’re going to be 300 pounds once the season over and practice ends.” Apparently that meal would only make me gain weight, I’m not really sure. I strongly disagree because; yes I enjoy food, and think it’s one of finer things in life. But that night after dinner I went and worked out because I knew the next day was game day and they are usually equivalent to off days. I know that the way I eat I will have to continue to work out to keep my weight down. I also disagree with coach because I don’t see myself gaining 82 pounds anytime soon to be close to 300 pounds.

Time To Play

2009-12-21T17:39:00.000-05:00

As promised I said I would recap my first 2 nights of playing time. My First game that I played in validated me as a Division one Basketball player. The team: Stetson University, the night: November 21, 2009. It was an even matched game throughout the night.( making me believe I would not be making my first appearance in the game. With four minutes to go we were down 2 points and all I was hoping for was a win at this point. Then miraculously with 1:30, to go we were up 8 and the Barclay Believers (Rowdiest fans in the Big SOUTH. Shout out to the football team) were chanting “we want Sweeney”… With 35 seconds left to go, Coach Rade called my name. At first I was stunned, like who? Me? Then I sprinted to the scorer’s table. After two years of division 3 basketball, one redshirt year, approximately 100 practices, countless weightlifting sessions, numerous 6am pickup games on Friday and Saturday morning, incalculable times shooting in the gym, and 5 years after I committed myself to playing division 1 basketball at the dinner table at my neighbor’s house in Pennsylvania, I accomplished my goal. Those 35 seconds was nerve-racking to say the least. I didn’t want my first collegiate outing to be a trillion. This is 1 minute played followed by 0 in the stat sheet for everything else. Luckily I was able to make the most of my time and secure a precious rebound.

My second collegiate experience was a game that I knew I was going to play in because it was against an inferior opponent, at the Buc Dome. The anticipation to get more then 35 seconds of playing time was quite exciting. Before I knew it, the game was passing by like a blur. It was the second half with 14 minutes to go and we were up pretty big. I was thinking my time would be coming in a few minutes, then coach called my name and I was in. The first time touching the ball, I drove baseline and skipped the ball to a wide open teammate who missed the shot, blowing my assist. (I will not name the teammate due to the respect I have for my team) Next time I pumped fake and went around the defender and shot a floater off the glass that was ¾ the way in then bounced out. Then I had a steal on the defensive end using my cat like quickness. (or probably just got lucky) My goal was to get a 3 pointer up and I did right in front of the student section and it was just short. At this point I was subbed out, (Thank God because I needed a breather at this point) that was more minutes than I get in practice some days. Just before the 4 minute mark I was subbed back in. This may not mean much to some people but it meant a lot to me. This meant at the next dead ball with less than four minutes there would be a media timeout. The team comes to the bench and the players in the game sat down and everyone else goes behind the bench. For the past year I had always had to go behind the bench, but I got to sit down and coach told me the strategy. I ended up with 2 rebounds in the final minute and our team had 99 points with less than 30 seconds to go. The crowd is now chanting because they want our team to score 100, and me to score. I am exhausted beyond belief at this point. The ball was passed to me and I’m telling myself to just get it to the rim. I let it fire and at first I thought it had a chance. Then I realized that it was way long. The remorse I felt by letting down the student section was immense. Some say that I couldn’t have made that shot if I wanted to. But in reality my good friends Austin and Joel (AKA Drogba) had both fired air balls and I didn’t want to out due them. Luckily in the last 25 seconds on the defensive end I was able to redeem myself and record my first blocked shot of my short division 1 career.

So in the first 5 games I have played in 2 games. (not bad) The only problem is in the other 3 games if I didn’t wear my jersey under my warm-ups no one would know because I keot the bench warm the whole night. But hey, someone has to do it.

As for no shave November, it was quite a success in my book. I grew out a decent beard then shaved it off and had the dirty Sanchez moustache for the last game of the month against Trinity. The problem is my upper lip moustache is so light I have seen middle school kids with a darker and more filled out moustache.

Merry Land Trip

2009-11-27T17:57:00.002-05:00

The Maryland trip was far from Merry for CSU and myself for our first game of the year(First Glenn was not on the road and that’s my boy so thats a bad start). We came out of the gate strong and were down 12 at the half. After that it fell apart fast for us in the 2nd half, but were still a young team that’s maturing. Being on my first road trip was nice but, I happened to break one of my cardinal rules as a walk on. Don’t draw any extra attention to myself and just go about my business. Friday afternoon we were done shoot around at one and had off till pre-game meal at 4. At 2 I decided to take a nap and set my usual 6 alarms for 3 30 so I could get up and shower. When the alarms went off I turned that off and reset them for 4 50 and went back to sleep figuring an extra 20 minutes of sleep would help me cheer a bit harder on the sideline.(forget the shower it doesn’t matter how I look) The alarm that I did reset was great if pre game meal was at 5 unfortunately it was at 4 and in my sleepy haze I showed no mental toughness and entered the wrong time. When I heard the knock at my door and saw coach Powell standing there telling me that it was 4 12 I thought about every excuse possible as I struggled past that sick to my stomach feeling. You may wonder what happened to my roommate’s alarm, I have been so solid on waking him up he decided not to set one. After the meal the coach called us over and told me that I was suspended and my roommate would not be starting the game. That doesn’t meant that I would have gotten in but it works out great as my excuse. If anyone has ever sat in the seats at the Maryland bench they may have thought I was late on purpose. These quite possibly were the nicest seats I have ever sat on. Don’t ask Big Pat Shaunnessey if he liked them somehow he managed to hit the floor twice while trying to sit in them. After the game I was able to see some family, friends, and 2 older guys that I play pickup basketball with at 6 am over the summer. They had seats in first row practically on the end of our bench. It was great to have the support at the game.

My last point is some great news for all walk-ons around the country. I don’t know how many schools put their walk-ons the media guide, but I was lucky enough to be placed on the front of it with the other 2 seniors. This I feel like is a great stride for anyone who has ever sat the bench on any team. I may not play but if you have the media guide you will get to see me at least looking like I play…. There will be another blog coming soon because I have actually got into 2 games now. Its amazing but ill update on next blog that I write.
SWEENEY

And the season begins...

2009-10-30T22:29:00.003-04:00

Sweeney here to inform any of you who saw the Big South Media Day please don’t believe everything that you hear. We were picked to finish 9th out of 10th but this year will be different I promise you that, if we don’t have a winning record I will never write another blog. Some of you may rejoice at this news, but either way it’s my senior year and I’m not going to be writing anymore anyway.

I’ve been thinking about things that I want to do this year with the blog, the first is November I will not be shaving. Glenn is also going to participate with me in the effort to see how thick we can grow our beards during this month. My fear is this may make ourselves a target to the MD student section, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take.( hopefully we will update with pictures but no promises) Another thought I’ve had is that I won’t be seeing many meaningful minutes during the games this year. Some may think that this is negative thinking, but I am just basing that on the minutes I am getting in scrimmages when there are only 7 guys on my team. I’m figuring when we combine the teams to have 15 players that the little bit of time I have been getting is going to dwindle. As a result I am going to have to record different stats, so in any game that I actually get in I will update with a blog that gives you my stats that may not show up in the box score. To help fill my stat line I will keep track of any time I touch the ball. (This does not include the game pass the rock if you don’t know what that is go back to the It’s Over blog on Jan 28th)Also I will be keep tracking of any screen that I set. Finally this year I will be keeping track of hockey assists, which is if I pass the ball to the guy who passes to the guy who scores I will be counting that as a HA in my score book.

Now for a word from Glenn...

Before one of our film sessions last week, coach Radebaugh went around the room and asked a few players on the team what the funniest moment in practice had been. We have been through about 15 practices and there has definitely been plenty of funny moments that make us all fall out of our seats laughing. But there are two moments that stand out the most. We here at Red Shirt Year and Beyond want to get the fans/readers involved by having our first ever poll to decide on which moment was in fact the funniest.

During one of our first practices, we were doing a 5-on-5 drill in the half court and then running in transition back on defense. K-Mart (Kelvin Martin) got a steal and was heading in for the basket when an extremely frantic coach Radebaugh appeared out of nowhere yelling, “Stop K-Mart! There’s a wet spot!” Someone had fallen under the basket the play before and their sweat hadn’t been wiped up yet so coach was trying to keep K-Mart safe. I must admit, coach Radebaugh did a great job of picking a spot on the floor, beating K-Mart to the spot, and building a wall, just like he teaches us. But it was too little too late. K-Mart neglected to listen to coach’s warning and took off right in front of coach and proceeded to dunk directly on top of coach Radebaugh and his outstretched arms, quite a sight if you ask me. In a post practice interview, K-Mart had this to say about the dunk. “Right when I got the steal at half court, I saw coach Radebaugh and decided at that moment I was going to dunk on him. I wasn’t worried about the wet spot at all… I have never seen coach get dunked on before and I wanted to be the first to do that. It relieved a lot of stress and I wouldn’t hesitate do it again if the opportunity came again.”

After a long morning practice, we found ourselves back in the gym for the evening practice during our stint of 3 two-a-days in a row. We were doing a 4-on-4 ball screen drill. Austin Johnson was on offense, wearing blue. The drill was designed for him to come off a ball screen, read his options, and then make the correct pass. After being scolded for dribbling the ball too much on the first attempt, Austin figured he’d make his reads quickly and get rid of the ball as soon as possible. It just so happened that Coach Radebaugh was wearing his all blue coach’s attire (bad decision). Austin proceeded to come off the ball screen, made his reads, and apparently none his teammates were open at the time. He then ball faked to the corner, and fired a pass to the top of the key. Where an unsuspecting recipient stood, wearing his all blue coach’s attire. To get first hand perspective of the play, we asked Mr. Johnson to take us through the scenario. “On the previous play, Coach Richey sternly suggested I get rid of the ball quicker and not dribble as much. As I was coming off the screen, my first 3 options were completely unavailable, my final opportunity to get rid of the ball was to quickly reverse the ball before the defense recovered. While looking at my first 3 options, I saw an all blue blur out of the corner of my right eye… With the thought of Richey’s instruction still in the back of my head, I swung the ball with Randy Johnson-like velocity… As I was following the flight of the ball, I soon realized it was on a path of destruction… In the way, was an unaware Radebaugh, and there was no going back.” Needless to say, Coach had a few words for Austin, and then practice went on.

Please do not be afraid to voice your opinion and be heard throughout the Red Shirt Year and beyond fan base. Yes, I do realize that the poll also has a vote counter visible to the public so everyone can see how much of a success or failure our first poll is. So if you would be so kind and vote to prevent Sweeney and I from running through the computer lab voting on every computer to get our numbers up!

Sweeney and Self

Were Back At It Again....

2009-10-07T19:57:00.001-04:00

Hello redshirt year and beyond fans. It seems that we have dusted off our keyboards and decided to keep the blog going for another season. I am deeply sorry for the enormous delay and lack of dedication on our part. It was a hectic summer and already a busy fall. But I realize we haven’t updated since Sweeney’s cruel April fools prank. So I’ll try to catch you all up to date.
Spring workouts consisted of waking up at 5am for 530 lifting and conditioning four days a week for 8 weeks. I feel like we could have gotten up around 8 or so and still gotten just as strong and in shape, but then again it’s not my call. Anyways, we were rewarded for this rigorous schedule by going paintballing against the coaching staff for an afternoon. Coach Powell took home the heart and hustle award when he decided to jump into a nearby pond to avoid being shot. Only to get pummeled with paintballs the second he got out.

The freshmen came in for the June session of summer school. We have added six new players this year, four of which joined the team in June. After dealing with strength and conditioning coach for a month, we were finally let go and allowed to go home until August 24th.Upon our return, Coach Radebaugh declared he would beat one of us in the mile run when we got back. That statement motivated many members of the team to stay in shape while we were home. The guards had to run a 5:35 mile, the wings a 5:45 mile, and the posts a 5:55 mile.
Sure enough, when we lined up to run our mile, Coach Radebaugh himself lined up beside me with the look of the eye of the tiger. He then gave the cadence, “ready, set, GO!” Unfortunately, that was the last time I saw Coach during the whole run. But that wasn’t the last time he saw us. K-Mart and I had the opportunity of lapping him on the final turn of the final lap, but we had more class than that. I won’t mention coach’s mile time because I’m sure he’s an avid follower of the blog and we don’t take shots at our own fans. Coach failed to beat a player that day, with hard work and a hope. (one of coach’s building blocks of the fall season)

Now a word from Sweeney…

To all the new fans I would like to say WELCOME! To the loyal fans who have stuck with us through our 6 month hiatus from blogging, I would like to sincerely apologize and say THANKS.

For a quick recap, this summer was amazing, to say the least. I lived in a 2 bedroom apartment with Austin, while Jo’el rolled a double bed in the corner of the kitchen, and Glenn occupied the living room with an air mattress. Needless to say, the electric bill way through the roof, and that’s not OK with me considering that money comes out of my pocket. Lots of video games were played and seasons of lost were watched. Probably too many, but many memories were made, far too many to recount.

Since being back to school in August, I have been traveling on the weekends. The first week I went to Gainesville to see the Bucs play in the swamp, for a recap we got our $450,000 check and went home. The next weekend I went to Wofford University and unfortunately the mighty Bucs fell again. I’ve been to Columbia twice with Jo’el and Austin, some great weekends of football.

Now back to the subject at hand, basketball. As promised last year, I told everyone that I would be back as a walk on, and I AM. The scholarship was great if you like free tuition, books, and room and board. Let’s get this straight, all that is nice but that’s just not for me. I feel like I connected with the average redshirt year and beyond fan last year as a walk on before I earned a scholarship. If you’re thinking I get to run less or go to weights whenever I feel like it, that is completely false. I still do everything I did last year as a scholarship player, and everything everyone does this year. So in conclusion with this blog, I hope to chronicle the up and downs of life, basketball and academics of a Division 1 walk on in the Big South.

Finally a New Blog

2009-04-01T15:06:00.001-04:00

Well it took us over a month to write a new blog and well April Fool's because were still entirely to drained from the season to write a newblog. Hopefully everyone reading this was fooled, and they have a great April Fools Day.
Sweeney-Self

Wait Who Me

2009-02-26T17:16:00.005-05:00

First, this is not the guest blog, our guest writer is talking a big game about a great blog that he will write. Just one problem, he’s not typing it. Next I want to thank G num 41 and JT agent 0 for their contributions to the team this year. I realize they, along with everyone else would have hoped for more wins, but speaking for myself, I am learning so much more about life this year then basketball. So please come out and support your seniors in their last home game at the Buc Dome Thursday night at 7:30. This is also a very sad night for Glenn and I. We are sad to see them leave, but this also marks the last night of free Zaxby’s. Whoever came up with this idea, I hope that it is renewed next year, a truly novel idea.

As I promised before, I will talk about the day in the life of an average (well in my case below average) College Basketball Player. I picked a Tuesday to describe for you. It begins with my 6 alarm clocks going off from 8 52 to 8 55 waking me up for 9 am mandatory breakfast (punishment is dished out in the form of running). Yes I said 6 alarm clocks, I have 3 alarms set on my phone, one alarm next to my bed, a boom box that wakes up the whole hallway, and finally my ipod deck that I have across the room. I keep that across the room so I have to get out of bed to turn it off.(I guess you could say that I have phobia of oversleeping and missing a workout) It’s kind of a sickening feeling laying in bed hoping that I don’t oversleep. I would hate to be the first to miss a workout or anything because I was sleeping. This hasn’t happened to anyone on the team and being a walk- on I sure don’t want to be the first to mess up. I then brush my teeth put on my shoes and out the door headed for my bike. Yes, I cruise around campus on my bike. If you hear the horn, you know it’s me. Please go to the left so I can pass you without any confusion.

So I walk into breakfast at 8 59 and get my food. I then sit there and find a way to talk about how I don’t want to lift weight’s today (this is an everyday conversation that we engage in, I think it makes us feel better to say we don’t want to do it). Weights are at 9: 45, which isn’t a bad time but you don’t know who our weightlifting coach is. I’m going to take a stroll down memory lane to my first experience with Coach Jacobi. It was August and I was late (only because I had to be cleared by the Brad the trainer). So after working camp this summer at Clemson, Wake Forest, South Carolina, University of Penn, and the Citadel all of my clothes are camp related. Not having any CSU gear as of yet, I walk in wearing a South Carolina Shirt. That was mistake number two, mistake number 1 was walking in late. Mistake 3 was reaching my hand out to shake his, apparently he thought he wanted to start out on a power trip and told me to turn my shirt inside out. Needless to say he never shook my hand, but deep down he’s a big bear, you just have to get through all of his layers. After weights it’s a quick shower and off to class. I have a class from 11:00 to 12: 20 then from 12:30 to 1:50. That brings up another serious dilemma in my life, I love food. The cafeteria opens at eleven and closes at 1: 30. When is there time to eat in that ten minute window of going from class to class? Usually on a Tuesday I will have practice at 2:30, this means all I do is after my class is walk over to the gym and start to get ready. One of my favorite parts of my day is 15 minutes before practice when we pray in Coach Radebaugh’s office and anyone on the team is welcome. We usually have a steady 3 or so and a few different guys show up. We then have film at which I sit there preparing for a team that I know I’m not going to play against. Then practice from 3:00 to 5:00. Which two hours isn’t bad at all now that were late into the year. During the two hours of practice, I just try to hold my own the best I can and try to make coach not mad at me. Then it’s another shower and off to dinner ( another great meal in the cafeteria). Then after all of my exciting activities of the day it’s off to the Library at 7:00 for Study Hall for two hours. We usually get out at 9pm then it’s off to the room for some video games. Then off to bed and do it all over the next day. But for some reason I LOVE it and wouldn’t trade being a part of a Division 1 team for anything.

Now as some have filled up my inbox asking me what the good news is that I talked about in my last blog, I finally have the answer. It was a normal day of practice I was sitting on my stool preparing to watch film on a school that I knew I would never see the floor against. Then coach started talking about me. This caught me off guard (coach doesn’t talk about me in the meeting's to much); I thought for sure that I was in trouble. I had missed Study hall (first time I’ve ever missed study hall) that day because my dad was in town and I was a little nervous about that. Coach’s line was “Sean has been great but tomorrow is his last day”. In my head I was thinking wow, I miss one thing and they’re getting rid of me, not cool at all. But to my relief Coach said that he was just kidding and he was actually putting me on scholarship for the rest of the year and they had my books for me in the locker room. First I was in shock; I then thought it was some mistake. I went from playing Division 3 to earning a Divison 1 scholarship. I probably didn’t earn this because of my ability to knock down wide open 3’s. Nor was it for my killer crossover that I still haven’t developed. Nor for my defense or lack thereof. It was the luck of injuries that have made me the number 10 player in practice and valuable to the team. So basically my ability to show up and not get injured earned me a scholarship. For all of my faithful fans, don’t worry I will be back in my traditional role of” walk on” next year. But I do want to thank coach because he didn’t have to do that, and it is truly appreciated.

My last few closing comments, we played Presbyterian college at home. I know what you’re thinking, a home conference game probably a loss. Wrong! I was there and I got to taste the sweet victory of success. Did we have some secret game plan? Did we do something that we hadn’t done all year? No, we just went out and executed and played defense and believed that we could win. After the game it was great to get to jump up and down in the locker room celebrating a victory. It was also great because I was in the blue travel suit opposed to the shirt and tie. What a great change coach made to let everyone who is hurt or not eligible to wear the blue travel suit. It helps with the confusion of me being a manager and a player. Finally I was able to see the Liberty girls game against our girls. Wow they were fun to watch, they have triplets, and there all 6’3(what in the world did they feed these girls?). Being triplets and great at basketball, they then became my target of heckling. So I tried my best with my bike horn (the ref asked me twice to put the horn away) and dry erase board to get in their head with messages. But the one sister Megan, unshakable. You’re going to see her in the WNBA, mark my words. I also showed loved to the girl at the end of the bench, the only one that didn’t get to play. Liberty was up 25 with 40 sec, I yelled at the coach to ask him how she could mess up the game at this point. He then proceeded to finally send her to the scores table when I yelled how can you sleep at night knowing you’re not playing a senior? Unfortunately by the time he sent her to the scorer’s table there was not another stoppage in play and she didn’t get it. I’m going to have to talk to guys on my team to tell them to foul so I can get in the end of games like that next year. After the game I then got the triplets autographs, and facebooked them that night of course. Only to find out that they have a blog, sponsored by the NCAA, which is big time. To check that out you can go to http://www.ncaa.com/blog/liberty_wbk/. Lastly a shout out to my international readers, my boy Tyler in Iceland playing ball( Athletes in Action trip to Mauritius together) keep doing your thing, and my cousin Chuck and his wife Sam who live in Lithuania where chuck is playing ball.

yours truly,

Sweeney

Time-Out intervention

2009-02-19T02:36:00.002-05:00

I want to start this post off by expressing my disappointment in myself for the lack of posts in the last week. One reason for this is the lack of time. We have a tough conference schedule and spend many hours on the practice floor. Another reason is the lack of wins our team has gotten. It’s not fun and very difficult to write after losses but I’m going to try to look past it and keep a positive attitude. Since Sweeney’s last post, we have lost 4 more games, extending our losing streak to 5 games. As of right now we are 2 games out of the conference tournament which means we’re going to need a miracle on 34th street if we’re going to continue our season past our last regular season game.

Enough of the negativity, despite our losing efforts we have had great successes on the bench the past 6 or 7 games. This of course is because of the never failing to impress, “Pass the Rock.” During our drought of posts, there has been a lot of action in the “Pass the Rock” world. I’m not quite sure if it’s because the publicity Mr. Spalding has been receiving due to the blog, or if it’s just sheer luck. But this rare opportunity is almost becoming a once a game episode. For all you readers back home, yes we have been executing to perfection. Perhaps we took it too far at UNC-Asheville when Kenny was threatened to be kicked out of the game because of his dedication to the game. Kenny solidified his spot in the “Pass the Rock” hall of fame by denying the ball to a ref that was right beside him, ordering him to hand the ball over. Kenny showed his true love for the game by ignoring the ref and sacrificing himself for the team, and gave the crowd what they had all been waiting for. The ref abruptly ended the game when he said the unthinkable, “son if you do it again, you’re going to the locker room.” I wasn’t sure how to react, I sat there in shock for about 30 seconds and was forced to shake it off as a media time out was called and I was required to get up once again, which brings me to my next point.

Unlike Sweeney, I enjoy media timeouts. It seems as if every media timeout I am pinched out of the huddle. Maybe it’s because I don’t hustle to the huddle quick enough after hi-fiving the players that have been on the court, or it could also be the fact that it really makes no difference whether I see or hear what coach Radebaugh has to say. I am not upset or holding any grudges against the people who have pinched me out of the huddle (coaches, players, trainers, and sometimes managers), I just look at it on the bright side. This gives me an opportunity to do one of two things. I can stare into the back of a teammate’s jersey and make it look like I have a view of the clipboard, or I can take a step back, and observe my surroundings. Usually the ladder is always chosen. Not because I don’t care what is being said, I just can’t hear it, I’m a terrible fake listener, and suffer from ADD. But this has given me time to observe the surroundings and take a look at what I missed during my high school career. There are a lot of funny things that can happen and some not so funny. I have witnessed everything from cheerleaders being mishandled to kids falling on their faces after spinning around on a bat for 10 seconds and trying to run down the court and make a layup. Those kinds of things always keep me coming back for more. At away games there is always the element of surprise, who knows what crazy games they play and the kind of dangerous stunts the cheerleaders take part in? And there is always the possibility of an uncoordinated fan dropping one of the t-shirts that were catapulted into the stands, therefore giving me an opportunity to make the snag and possibly receive a standing ovation from the opposing crowd. (I’m still waiting on that moment) I also find it quite funny that I more often than not find people in the huddle doing the same thing I’m doing. We’ll make quick eye contact and they feel like they have been caught and quickly look back into the huddle as if they had been doing that the whole time. I cannot disclose their names but they know who they are and we can keep that our secret.

I highly dislike making promises or commitments, but unless everyone is ignoring the blog, our next post will be another guest blog celebrating our 2000th visitor. That would be 1990 more people than we ever expected to read this. I guess we can consider this a success, but we’re just here to give our perspective and whatever comes with that, we will embrace with open arms. Our next game is against Presbyterian on Saturday as we will try to make moves to get into that sacred last spot in the conference tournament. Come out and support the team if you’re able to.

Yours Truly,

Self

I'm really on the Team I promise

2009-02-06T00:38:00.007-05:00

To recap we have had two games since our last blog. In the first we got a Conference win on the road against Coastal Carolina. I would love to say that I was able to watch a great game, but then I remembered I don’t travel, so I don’t know how the game went(Except when Glenn texted me to say that we got W). Coastal is not a far drive and I was hoping to make it, but I listened to the guys on the team who said it was on Fox Sports South (big mistake listening to them, I knew this and I did it anyway). One of those teammates was Glenn, who even mentioned the game being on fox south in the last blog. So at 9 I turned the T.V. on and sure enough it wasn’t on. The game was actually on the middle Atlantic network which I have never even heard of. So that prevented me from enjoying the win from a distance with the team. The second game was at home, we engaged in a battle with High Point University. We were winning the game late and to say it lightly we let the game slip through our hands like Bill Buckner (for all of you who don’t know who Buckner is follow the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMbJ6UhK7pE). Then after the heartbreaking loss we had to walk through the line shaking hands. This is a demoralizing feeling as you have to look at the guys on the other team knowing you should have beat them. This is also a terrible thing because I wear at tie and don’t sweat at all. But when you shake hands you are forced to get your hand all sweaty .This loss pushed our record to 0-5 in the Conference at home. For all 10 faithful fans of the blog that are realizing that I haven’t seen a conference win. This is correct because both of our wins were on the road in confrence play. Yes this is an awfully frustrating ordeal; I would love to taste the success of victory in the locker room with my teammates. This is a truly unique experience that I can’t describe men jumping around celebrating, high fiving, hugging, yelling and showering in a non homo way of course. I do have complete faith that this day will come sometime this year. FOUR HOME games left I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated on our progress.

Next I wanted to clear up for all of my loyal fans that I’m a walk on NOT a manager. I can see how some people would get confused during media timeouts (the point in the game where the players sit on the stools while there is a break in the action for T.V. or radio, mostly radio for games at CSU). This brings me to my second point of that I hate media timeouts, all 8 of them. For everyone who doesn’t know what they are after the 16, 12, 8, 4 minute mark in the first and second half there is a media timeout. This is where there is a stoppage in play and the managers bring out stools. But the managers sometimes quit or are sometime M I A (they forget to do laundry, late to practice, but if there is free food they are all there nice and early) this puts myself into action carrying stools. A reasonable person would say but isn’t there 3or 4 guys that can’t play who can take turns with the stools. Yes that would be the reasonable response but those 3or 4 guys who can’t play, all feel as if there to important to carry a stool. Kenny will tell you that “Ken is too good to carry a stool”(Yes Kenny will talk in 3rd person very often)….Billy feels since that he has already played but know has a broken hand that he doesn’t need to carry a stool….Glenn feels that he is on scholarship and sits on the bench in warm up’s so that entitles him not to carry a stool. That leaves Tracy and me, the other walk-on on the bench. This is where I actually practice and he doesn’t (because of ncaa clearing house issues) so I feel like I can pull a little rank on him. But a lot of times there is only 1 manager, that leaves Tracy and I both carrying stools. So I swallow my pride and carry the stool because if that’s what it takes for me to help the team, then I guess that’s my role. Basically I am just happy to have a seat on the bench of a Division 1 game.

Finally after all of the hate mail and death threats I would like to formally apologize in my role of dropping the ball in the game of Pass the Rock. I would also like to point out that later that night after the drop, I redeemed myself passed the ball down the bench like Steve Nash dropping dimes (Glenn failed to mention this in his blog). Also I don’t know if the fans really realize how rare it is for the ball to actually roll over to the bench. Sometimes we will go through a 4 game drought without ever sniffing the ball. This past game at home against High Point not only did the ball come to us once but twice. The first time the ball came I snagged the ball and we passed it back and forth down the bench and it was a game of pass the rock for the ages. The 2nd time the ball bounced right in to my lap. I passed the ball to Glenn who passed it to Billy who fumbled it and as I watched in slow motion the ball fall to the ground (I knew the pain of dropping the ball) and hit his size 16 shoe. It then rolled right to the referee, GAME OVER... Then faithful fans of the blog (all 2 of them) in the crowd even started booing. This then gave me the idea to play a joke on Billy. I will provide a direct link to his facebook (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1104690022&ref=ts ALSO DONT TELL HIM THAT THIS IS ON HERE) and everyone can send him a message to let him know that he disappointed all bench warmers and fans of Pass the Rock across the country. In the next blog I will talk about the day in the Life of a CSU basketball player and I have G-R-E-A-T news to inform everyone of. (No it’s not that I will be writing my last blog, it’s even better then that). Lastly there is another guess blog scheduled to be up sometime soon, so keep checking back to see if it's up.

Sweeney
P.S. Just to update my horse game, i havent played anyone new yet. The game will still be called H-O-R-S-E we will not sell out as the NBA has in changing HORSE to GEICO probably because GEICO gave them a fat check.NOT COOL AT ALL NBA

Not So Silent "Knight"

2009-01-29T14:44:00.003-05:00

When we began searching for a guest blogger, we thought there would be no better way to go about it than to keep it within the team. J.T. Knight, a senior from Pensacola Florida, is without a doubt the leader of this team. He has provided laughs, motivation, and a passion for this team that we (the team) cannot put into words. So without further due, we here at Redshirt Year and Beyond present the first ever guest blog.
Enjoy.

As happy as I am to be a guest on my main men Sweeney and Glenn’s blog, I can’t say our season has been such a walk in the park. After getting off to an o.k. start we suddenly began going downhill. Even through our turmoil, there still has been many things that we all laugh and joke about. Maybe its Sweeney’s windmill dunk that he can never seem to complete, or Giedrus’s vulgar language in Lithuanian that no one can understand.

On a personal note, I have been haunted with the challenge of hitting a three pointer in a game. Actually, this is a streak that has been going on for about two years now. My jumper use to be wet like a bottle of Aquafina water in high school, but I think when they moved the three point line back it hurt me just a “tad”. (Yea right it hurt me more than it hurt to watch Warren Sapp on Dancing with the Stars) I mean I haven’t given up hope yet; I actually stepped out on faith in a game against Liberty and attempted one. It didn’t go so well. The release felt good, I didn’t rush it, but some how it landed in the security guard’s lap. (No comment) In practice though, I have a tendency to feel LUCKY and I’ll make a few, but there is always that one that travels off my finger tips and lands directly in my other teammates hands and off on the fast break they go. So since I have a handicap of shooting the three pointer, I just decided to become a very good passer.(I gotta be able to do something) So to help my teammates, I have became the league leader in assists of passed water bottles to a teammate, and I always manage to hit them right on the spot. I figured since I wasn’t playing, I had to help my team in any way possible. I mean, it’s nothing compared to the speed in which Sweeney and Glenn hustle the stools out on every timeout, but I’m trying. After playing two minutes, you have to occupy the other 38 minutes and since I can’t bring my cell phone on the bench, I decided to drop dimes with the water bottles.

In all honesty, I actually have had my opportunity to display my talents on the court, ( in practice that is, don’t be confused) but there have been spurts where I was so deep on the bench that I felt like I was still in the locker room. But through all the rain there has been sunshine. Yes viewers, there is a bright side to my bench warming. We had Morris College come to town……………..hip hip hooooorrrrayyy!!!!!!!! That was a great night. Get the sparkling wine out Dickey V this one is going to be sensational baby. Morris College taking on Charleston Southern was not even close to a night to remember. But for me, let freedom ring. I have been released from those mighty strong shackles of the bench and even though it was in moderate duration. I sprinted to the scorer’s table and impatiently waited for somebody, anybody to make a mistake so I could taste the sweet joy of the real game even though it was only for a whopping 1 minute and 38 seconds. Thanks for having me Glenn and Sweeney. Yes Ladies and Gentleman, its true, Sweeney is kicking butt in H-O-R-S-E. I know it’s hard to believe, but hey, the Cardinals are in the Super Bowl right?

Yours Truly,

J.T. Knight

It's Over!

2009-01-28T15:27:00.000-05:00

Last night, the Charleston Southern Buccaneers defeated Morris College in convincing fashion, ending our losing streak at ten games. It was a team effort and Omar Carter seemed to return to form, hopefully for good. We take on Coastal Carolina Saturday, in an effort to extend our winning streak to two games.

Whenever the ball rolls or bounces to the bench, everyone who knows they won’t be seeing any action that game should know what to do. That’s when “Pass the Rock” comes into play. For those of you who don’t warm the bench, or simply have been left out of the loop, I’ll explain the rich tradition of “Pass the Rock.” Now let’s be honest, everyone wants to touch the ball. And we redshirts often go games without touching Mr. Spalding. So we like to spread the wealth when the opportunity arises. The game is simple. When the ball exits the court of play and comes into contact with a benchwarmer, it is their duty to pass the ball down the bench, one by one, until the referee asks for the ball. I’m explaining this because last night, the amazingly rare opportunity arose and someone literally dropped the ball. I don’t like to put my teammate/friend/fellow benchwarmer down, but this issue must be addressed. The ball was blocked out of bounds by J.T. Knight. The ball then landed in Kenny’s hands, beginning the classic “Pass the Rock” entertainment. Kenny (redshirt), who’s reflexes immediately kicked in, flipped the ball to Billy (redshirt candidate), who swiftly tossed it to me. I then handed it off to Sweeney (redshirt), who for some reason wasn’t paying attention, and dropped the ball. Mr. Spalding bounced off the floor, by the time he regained possession, the referee was standing in front of him demanding the basketball. Thus, ending the short lived episode of “Pass the Rock.” We all shook our heads in disappointment. All Sweeney had to do was catch the ball, pass it to Tracy (redshirt) to complete the highly sought after “quintuple redshirt handoff.” The redshirts will be holding a hearing later today to determine his status on the bench for the rest of the season.

As I’m sitting here in art class, trying to think of other things to write about, I can only think of one thing, and that’s how sore I am. I’m sure you avid readers are thinking, “Why is Glenn sore? The only time I ever see him move is when he stands up after a big basket is scored.” But that’s where you’re terribly wrong. As of yesterday, I am now being included in weight training. Due to my surgery, I am restricted to only lower body lifting. I can’t be sure who gave Brad (our athletic trainer) this idea, but whoever it was, I’m very disappointed in them. Because my last visit to the weight room was roughly four months ago, it was quite a shock to be thrown into that environment on such short notice. Billy (another redshirt candidate) and I were put to work immediately. Coach Jacobi had us doing lunges, box jumps, sit ups, and leg raises for what seemed like an eternity. For those of you who do not know what lunges are, look them up, do them with a 50 lb weight in your hand, and see how your legs feel the next day. Needless to say, my legs feel like rubber and are on the verge of catching cramps with every step I take. If Brad’s intention was to put me in pain, he succeeded. In my honest opinion, I believe he is extremely jealous of my jumping ability and was tired of seeing me put them on display.

I want to conclude this blog with some great news. The Redshirt Year and Beyond has eclipsed the one thousandth visitor mark. To celebrate, we will have a surprise guest blogger for one of our future posts. I’m not sure when this will be, but I will not torture you readers by going on another seven day drought without a post. The game vs. Coastal Carolina will be on FSN South. GO BUCS!

Yours Truly,

Self

It's been a W-hile

2009-01-27T18:25:00.008-05:00

It has been a few days since our last post, but like we said we don’t know how often we will be posting. Believe it or not, we do try to have a life outside of school, basketball and the blog . After the Gardner Webb game ended they had more points than we did as the clock hit 00:00, we just ran out of time. I think this is rock bottom for our team; that loss pushed our losing streak to ten games. I feel as if anyone reading this whether an athlete or not can relate, when nothing in your life goes the way you hope, no matter how hard you try to make it work. Now for the good news, no matter how the rest of the season goes it will not be cancelled. The New Jersey Institute of technology picked up a win the other night to snap there 51 game losing streak(that was almost two full seasons without a Win, they did not have any games cancelled). Congrats to them, hopefully we will not come anywhere close to their Division 1 record of losses in a row. We are hoping to turn the ship around tonight against Morris College at 7:30 hopefully the gymnasium will be full to capacity with students dressed in blue.

Now to recap on my quest to beat every player on the team in a game of H-O-R-S-E. Glenn’s comment was “Sean Sweeney will never defeat all the scholarship players on the team in horse due to the fact he has to go through “the” Glenn Self.” Glenn and I started playing a game and were going back and forth making absurd shots. Then, out of nowhere, Coach Richey snagged the basketball we were using. (Yes that’s the life of a redshirt) He wanted to get Omar Carter on the shooting machine. Some of you may ask were there any other Basketballs? Yes there was. But that would have required Coach Richey to walk up to his desk to get his keys, and then go to the ball room (it was just easier for him to take the ball from us). Anyway, later that day after practice, we started our game over. If the media had been present, this game of horse would have been on ESPN classic immediately. It was an epic battle between two experienced players. Glenn got out to a commanding HORS to HO lead. This is when I used my experience being 21 years old and took over (hint for all kids at home, when you’re losing you just need to make shots to keep the pressure on). I went back to my clutch shots that I knew I could make. I then had it tied up at HORS to HORS. I went to my patented bank shot from a ridoncoulous angle which I made. This put all the pressure on Glenn to make his shot. He eyed it up and fired, it was a miss, and I took off running around the gym doing my airplane celebration. Hopefully I will have more post updating you on my many wins to come in H-O-R-S-E. Glenn will be updating tomorrow hopefully celebrating our win streak of 1 game.

Sweeney

SELF-MADE

2009-01-21T02:37:00.004-05:00

Game Recap: Tonight we lost a heartbreaker to Winthrop University. I feel as if we are on the brink of turning this season around. We have been a couple plays away from winning our last 2 games. I want to thank all the students and fans who came out to support the team. A special thanks goes out to the wild and crazy fans that caused Winthrop to miss some key free-throws. I can only hope that our fans keep up the enthusiasm and provide a fun atmosphere to play in. There is no humor in our record or losing streak, nor will I try to find some. I pray that the team will not lose confidence and keep fighting to persevere in this long, grueling season.

On another note, those of you who were at the game tonight, I was in my warm-up with my white long-sleeve T-shirt under it. This tactic is used to distinguish myself from the rest of the eligible players and to make myself look less like a water boy/towel boy, while still looking like I’m part of the team. If anyone has any other ideas on how to look less like a water boy/towel boy, let me know. Also, yesterday during practice I was glancing through the media guide/program and realized that it does not have me listed as a Redshirt. Instead, under my name it reads, “Has not dressed in a game this year”. This upsets me almost as much as it upsets my fans. But don’t panic, I have not been lying to our readers. I’m not sure who is responsible for this mistake, but I promise I will get to the bottom of it and correct it.

Due to the overload of emails and text messages asking me why I didn’t mention my super high hops (jumping ability for those of you who don’t know basketball lingo) in my previous blog, I shall answer that now. I was under the impression that I had lost my super high hops due to the 3 month stretch of inactivity caused by my surgery. However that is not the case. Today after shoot around, the team was teasing me and Sweeney by telling us we couldn’t dunk. We’re still not sure why they would assume such a thing. They kept uttering the phrase “white man can’t jump”, I just don’t get it. Sweeney started our dunk session off with a powerful 1 handed jam off 2 feet. I then followed with a 1 handed haymaker off one foot that caused the gym erupt with ooohs and aaahs. Then we decided to take it to the next level. I took off from the Big South logo and threw down a monstrous 2 handed flush, receiving 10s from all the players and coaches. Now the stage was set. In order to represent the white race and go down in the history books as the best tandem of Caucasian dunkers CSU has ever seen, Sweeney needed to complete the 2 handed dunk to validate his dunking status and to prove to coach Radebaugh that he wasn’t the un-athletic white boy from Brookhaven, Pennsylvania he was known to be. Needless to say, Sweeney put his nerves aside; tossed the ball in the air, and seemed to defy gravity as he lifted his body off the ground, gliding through the air like a baby bird leaving his momma for the first time, and threw down the infamous 2 handed dunk. Once again the gym erupted and Sweeney and I gave a bow, the manliest chest bump you’ve ever seen, and made our way to the locker room, avoiding all autograph seekers. Although this was a historical day for the African American race (congrats president Obama and may you have the wisdom to lead our country), it also marked an important day for the white race as we plunged into the record books with an enormous boost of swagger. After the adrenaline wore off, I looked down at my hands and noticed blisters forming on my hands and a bruise developing on my forearm from the rim. I guess this is the price you pay for “playing above the rim”.

In closing, I cannot say when the next post will be. But please comment, tell your friends, and if you're experiencing withdrawals, re-read the previous posts and enjoy.

Yours Truly,

Self

Triumph As A Walk On

2009-01-19T23:16:00.006-05:00

Due to the overwhelming fan support and demands of another blog, I am back. (Thanks mom,Sam, and coach Richey) With a game against Winthrop University and our team desperately needing a win, I don’t want to take the attention off of the team but I’m just trying to keep the fans happy by writing my blog.

After the last blog I feel as if I only touched on the negative side of being a red shirt walk on at a Division 1 school. I will say that I am very grateful for this opportunity; there are lots of perks being an athlete such as free gear. This is probably the reason I still go to practice every day , items such as: book bags, shoes, sweats , bags, underwear, socks and shorts( I just got a pair of Lebrons from Coach brooks, I’m going to look fresh in practice). This explains my frustration this year when I was home for my 6 day Christmas break and half of my presents were socks and underwear. (I was still very grateful for these MOM and Dad, but I thought I made it clear that I got free socks and underwear) The only problem with being a walk on is when the team gets free gear; they’re not exactly making sure that you get your clothes first. I can say I have gotten everything the scholarship players have gotten (except for the free tuition and books) just sometimes I am stuck with the XXL attire. At 6’3 and white I’m just not crazy about my clothes hanging off of my body like some of my other teammates.

After I told my story of my worst day of a walk-on the previous blog, I wanted to share my greatest triumph. No, it wasn’t in the scrimmage when I knocked down the game winning 3pt shot over K-mart, our most athletic player. No it wasn’t when I was on our team’s poster after not being sure if I would be included since I am a walk -on. No it’s not the free Zaxbys after home games, which is a very close second. (Thanks Zaxbys) The highlight of my still short and hopefully long walk on career (walk-ons are not guaranteed a spot on the team from year to year) happened at the Moore’s house, a friend of our coaching staff. One night they had the team over for a delicious BBQ dinner. No disrespect to the CSU cafeteria, but the same food 3x’s a day 7xs a week get’s old. So when people have us over for dinner it does mean a lot. If anyone reading this wants to have the team over we would be sure to come over please contact Charlie “C-dub” Whitt. If the team cannot make it, Glenn and I will be there for sure. Back to the point, we were at the Moore’s house and Glenn was waxing Coach Powell in ping pong. Austin and I were on the Wii. Coach Powell decided he wanted to be funny and kept running into me so we started boxing each other out. This is when I grappled him up and had him in a head lock. He then used his famous “chill” so I let him go. At that point he tried being sneaky as a snake and tried throwing me over his hip. I then grabbed him and picked him up and leg swept him to the ground like hulk Hogan manhandling a small child (I love coach Powell and I hope he doesn’t make me run an 8 for this Blog). Glenn then came down and gave him the 3 count sealing the victory. At this point Coach Powell gets up and challenges me to a rematch in the half court circle the next day at practice explaining he didn’t want to mess up the family’s furniture. (I’m still waiting for him to challenge me on the court)

Finally I don’t want to give out my big secret to other teams in the big South, (our basketball conference) but I want to make it known that I hate Velcro. It makes me sick to my stomach to see it, to touch it and to see it being ripped. Some may wonder why this is a big deal but if I was on the road, the opposing team’s student section could really distract me if they had Velcro in the stands. The two reasons I decided to go ahead and post was first, I don’t travel this year so I won’t be leaving the friendly confines of the BUC DOME. Second, it probably won’t be to big of a deal if they distract me in warm-ups as I will still be on the bench next year even when I’m eligible. Back to the BUC DOME, which is our small gymnasium and it’s the smallest division 1 gym in the country, (I think there is elementary schools in the state of Texas who have gym’s twice as big) but we call it our home. Don’t be fooled by the size, we will pack it out wall to wall and it will be rocking. The only complaint I have is the fans need to have chants. I sometimes feel as if I would be more valuable to the team in the stands leading the student section. But then I remember that coach Radebaugh could ask me what play would work, or more realistically Omar or Jamarco maybe be thirsty and need a drink. Anyone in the Charleston area please come out and support CSU basketball and our boy Jo’el Lamb(#15, Glenn’s roommate and our homie) as they take on the eagles of Winthrop on Tuesday January 20th at 7:30pm. I will take my usual seat at the end of the bench in a tie. Much to Glenn’s dismay, he will not be in his usual attire due to the slight healing of his shoulder. He has been asked (told) to warm-up with the team. He is still redshirted and not able to play. The only change is that he now breaks a sweat and has to take a shower after the game (delaying his arrival to Zaxbys which delays my arrival since I am his ride). Glenn will also post tomorrow after the game and my next post will update my knocking players off my still to beat list for horse, there has been some breaking news, I have beaten another scholarship player just no room in this blog.

Yours Truly,

Sweeney

IN THE BEGINNING

2009-01-17T01:01:00.001-05:00

This blog is meant to show you the life of junior Sean Sweeney a walk on basketball player and freshmen Glenn Self. We both play at Charleston Southern University, well actually we both sit on the bench for Charleston southern. This year the season is not going as anticipated were are 5-10. We will recap the season in a minute, but so far this year Glenn and I have not missed a single shot in a game. True we haven’t been on the floor for even a second nor taken one shot this year,but we like to find the positives during this long grueling season. Sean hasn’t played yet this year due to transferring from a Division 3 school and has to sit out. Dumb because no one in the Big South could care if he plays and no one back at the division 3 school could care either, just another dumb NCAA rule. Glenn is sitting out this year due to a subluxation of his shoulder (basically he dislocated it) suffered during a pre season drill called “four man war”. The injury was not able to be fixed through rehabilitation, therefore he underwent surgery early November, giving him his “redshirt year”.

For all six of you reading this, it’s now Sean Sweeney and I am going to tell you about the blog, about my story and how I got to Charleston Southern University. First the blog was inspired by mark Titus. (shout out club trillion) Glenn and I began reading his blog a few weeks ago and he’s just hilarious, we in no way shape or form hope or anticipate being as funny as his blog but this is our story. Nor do we anticipate it being as popular because we sit at Charleston Southern and Mark Titus sits at the Ohio State University. My dream to be a division one player basically started after watching my cousin play at South Carolina (Chuck Eidson). Ever since then I have wanted to be involved with a division 1 basketball program. I played two years at a Division 3 school and I wasn’t a standout player just did my role made open shots, rebounded and hustled. This summer I was given the opportunity to be a walk on player at Charleston Southern and I jumped. I thought that I was just going to cruise on through after talking to other walk-ons at various schools who said most of the time they don’t even practice they just keep stats. Not many people talked about the 6 am lifting or the 6 am running at the track but most people are rewarded by playing time but walk-ons reward's comes in practice when no one is around. Needless to say this year our team along with not winning as much as we would like, have been killed by injuries. We have 2 players out for the year and a big man who just broke his arm. Thus making me the number ten player at practice meaning I get every rep of every practice. I went from being a role player who subbed to give guys a break to be the superstar and by superstar I mean the 10th player so we can scrimmage 5 on 5. We wish we would have started this blog earlier with all of the funny things that have happened but we are both procrastinators. Oh well, better late than never. During this blog I am going to keep a running count of all scholarship players that I beat in horse with my nasty left handed shot and super wet nothing but net shots. To date Austin Johnson BEAT. Geidrus Knysas BEAT, Tovi Bailey (starter) BEAT. So that’s three and now I will be challenging every player, yes I will even go after Ja’marco Warren after lots of practice.

For my parents and fellow relatives whom I have now informed of the blog, this is Glenn Self telling his side of the story. Now I’m sure you’re wondering how a 6’0 162 lb. Caucasian guard made it to the division 1 level on a scholarship. Quite frankly I ask myself that question every night in bed while either my shoulder is throbbing or in fear of the 7am individual workout that I will be taking part of in the morning. I guess you could say I was somewhat of a standout in high school in West Virginia, but that’s not saying much. I was enrolled at High Point University (also in the Big South) as a regular student with some aspirations of walking on but not very serious about it. Then during an AAU tournament in my home state of West Virginia, Charleston Southern apparently liked my game and offered me a scholarship. I simply couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this. Maybe it was my super wet jumper or my sick handles or possibly my intimidating stature. Who knows, all I know is that I’m here at Charleston Southern and it has been quite the experience. During a fall workout we were doing a drill called “four man war” which consists of a coach throwing a ball at the basket and the four players try to score in the paint for the next four minutes. The catch is there are no fouls and the losers have to run (this creates immense amounts of competitiveness) and needless to say, I tried to grab a rebound and my arm was pulled out of socket (resulting in unbelievable amounts of pain and a dislocation) and sadly put me on the bench right next to Sweeney for the rest of the season. Hopefully this blog will give you a better understanding of the life of division 1 athletes that may not get on the court, but still do their part to make the team go.

Also if anything happens on the road this year Glenn will be reporting because not only do I not dress with the team, I do not travel with the team either. One disadvantage of not traveling resulted in me staying in the dorms over Christmas break alone with only the security guards being here. Luckily I stayed in Glenn’s room because he would leave me the key so I would have access to the Xbox 360 and a super sick TV. The all time low in my short walk on career was when we played Covenant College at home on the 13th of December and Coach Powell (a former Clemson walk on) told me I could go home after the game. I had my bags packed, my pillow and tooth brush in the car ready to go. As I was walking out Coach Powell informed me that I would have to wait until Tuesday for practice in case someone got hurt they would need me as the 10th player. Crushed by this I went to Coach Radebaugh the next day and asked him if I could leave right after the game Monday night. Me thinking I could get a head start, I left at 6 p.m. while the team was in Cincinnati and drove for three and a half hours. I then received the dreaded text message from Glenn (who travels) informing me that Jamarco turned his ankle in the last minute of the game. Thinking he was joking I laughed it off, I then received a phone call from Coach Powell who told me that I had to be at practice the next day then I could go home. That three and a half hr drive back to Charleston was one of the most demoralizing drives of my life. Mainly because I was playing with fire, trying to get a head start home, and I got burned. I went to the hour and a half practice the next day. Yes an hour and a half practice, then got in the car and drove ten hours back to Philadelphia.

P.S. Sean Sweeney will never defeat all the scholarship players on the team in horse due to the fact he has to go through “the” Glenn Self.

In closing we don’t know how many blogs there will be. Hopefully it’s not a dud and someone actually reads it, enjoying it or not, and will provide us with motivation and inspiration for future posts.

Yours Truly,

S 2

(Sweeney and Self)