 |
|
| Thursday, March 9 Getting sentimental about the seniors |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
(Editor's note: UC Santa Barbara junior forward Erin Buescher will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season. For more on the Gauchos, visit UCSB's official athletic site.) March 9, 2000 Greetings! I know it has been a while. I'm sorry for that. Things get very hectic at this time of year. All the Gauchos are doing well, other than the fact we can't seem to shake this coughing bug that has lingered around our team this past month.
We had Senior Night a couple weeks ago, which happens annually on our last home game. We honored Kristi Rohr, Tawnée Cooper and Stacy Clinesmith. All three will be moving on to a different stage in their lives after this season. I think all year I have been in kind of a state of denial about that, and now I have to face it. Those three add so much to our program in so many ways. I sometimes wonder, "Hmmm, how are we going to do it next year?" Thank goodness for Tony and Cori and their recruiting skills, because everyone is in for a treat next year with our incoming freshman class. There is some incredible talent in that class. There will be only one blond ball of hair running around the T-Dome next year. I am convinced that coach Mark French is just tickled to the bone about his new look and will use any excuse to keep it. Our last two games have been cause for concern among the coaching staff and us players. We beat Irvine by only four points, a team which didn't even make the trip to Reno, and we beat Idaho today in a first-round Big West tournament game by a small margin as well. Needless to say, we have to pick it up, or things could get extremely ugly. My family is here in Reno, and it is so good to see them. We also have a lot of boosters and fans who made the trip as well. It means a lot to us players to have people in the stands cheering for us, even when we put out a nasty debut as we did today.
It's hard right now because it's an important time in school, and with basketball, it can be quite a juggling act. We have study time on the road, but it's not quite the same as being in class. I am really lucky, though. I have very understanding professors and TA's, which makes it a little bit easier. I had the privilege of speaking with an extremely wise woman the other day, a member of one of Santa Barbara's great families. This woman has experienced life in a way that most people never get the chance to. She is older, and has been through a life of communist rule, WWII, the Iron Curtain and much more. I was in complete awe of this woman's incredible faith in God. She is so close to her Jesus, and I long for that type of reliance and faithfulness as well. Someone else told me recently that I should make it a habit to have weekly conversations with someone over the age of sixty, and I agree 100 percent. I have to go study now, - but I hope all is well with everyone - and thank you guys for your support. The verse of the day: "We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts." -- I Thes. 2:4 Short and sweet, and to the point. Love, Erin |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
