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Share on FacebookThe Monarchs took to the road/air, heading to Texas for the Texas Two-Stop. They will be facing the San Antonio Silver Stars Thursday evening and the Houston Comets on Saturday afternoon.
The players boarded the plane early Wednesday morning after defeating the Washington Mystics 87-81 the night before. Upon taking their seats, a scouting report for the San Antonio team was handed to each of them and they quickly settled in to studying their next opponent while the crew prepared for the flight.
Before long, the team was back to doing their own thing. Some read the paper or some magazines that a they brought on board, some chatted quietly with the person next to them and still some were busily tapping on their portable electronics in what seemed like a desperate attempt to perform some last-minute communication before everything 'with a power button' had to be turned off so the flight could begin.
After a short stop in Albuquerque, the Monarchs were on their way again, their final destination today will be San Antonio and they'll remain in the same plane for the duration.
Note:
I hadn't noticed this before, but Rookie forward Laura Harper sat in front of me and I saw she has a tattoo on her left shoulder. It is done in black and white and it's a basketball with angel wings. Not really here nor there, but just interesting to me.
Soon after the team landed, they were whisked away to the Antioch Sports Complex where they quickly changed into their practice attire and took to the hardwood.
Throughout the routine, Laura Harper, Charel Allen and Adrian Williams-Strong all took turns in the circle, while Ticha Penicheiro could barely contain herself on the outside, performing some robotic moves of her own. Williams-Strong may have tried to twist in a way her body was simply not meant to go. I caught her leaning on Nicole Powell, who helped Adrian off the court and to the showers. All-in-all, it was break dancing at its finest!
When the music died down, the players grabbed their things and headed for the bus which would take them to their hotel for the night.
After this busy day of travel, practice and boogie, the Monarchs will do more of the same - minus the plane - Thursday. They will be up early for shootaround. Then they'll battle the Silver Stars and leave on a bus shortly thereafter to get into Houston that same night.
The next morning, it starts all over again.
The Monarchs were up and ready to go early this morning. Some, myself included, needed a bit of a pick-me-up. I followed Ticha Penicheiro to a local coffee shop where we ran into other Monarchs players, coaches and staff. Along for the walk was Monarchs Broadcast Analyst Krista Blunk, who splurged and added a pastry to her morning routine.
More awake than when we began the trek, we all headed back to the hotel, boarded the bus and took off for the AT&T Center, home of the San Antonio Silver Stars. But for this morning, it was home to the Sacramento Monarchs shootaround.
The team took to the court and ran through several drills before the home team arrived for their scheduled practice. Prior to leaving the court, however, a few of the Monarchs made sure to give their "Hellos" and hugs to former Monarchs player and current Silver Stars forward, Erin Buescher. Buescher ran over to greet Manager of Basketball Operations Jill, Monarchs Athletic Trainer (also named Jill), Monarchs Media Relations Manager Rebecca, Kara Lawson and Nicole Powell. Erin was making some arrangements to meet up with a few of the players prior to the game this evening. She said that she would be arriving at the arena, probably earlier than the Monarchs. She is still as dedicated as ever. Monarchs fans will likely remember Erin's tenacity and perseverance. Not many players in the League train or play as hard as Erin Buescher.
| Scholanda Robinson slaps Ticha Penicheiro's hands during player introductions Thursday. |
The San Antonio game and the upcoming Houston Comets game are both included in the annual Monarchs Season Ticket Holder's Road Trip - "The Texas Two-Stop" - so there were several Monarchs fans in attendance. This turned out great. The Monarchs fans were so loud I often forgot I was with a visiting team in another arena.
After the game, the Monarchs had a brief team meeting and a quick dinner in their locker room, then we all boarded the bus once more and headed into the night. Our destination, Houston.
On the trip, the players, coaches and staff busied themselves in a variety ways. The coaches had laptops and game notes and were reviewing the game. Some of the players tucked in their headphones and listened or watched whatever portable device they had. Some took time to check in with loved ones across the globe. Soon, rookie Crystal Kelly was elected to be the DJ, which in this case means 'DVD Jockey'. She was given a DVD and instructed to put it in and play it. Seems easy, I know, but it was dark and late and the player was circa 1990. Watching her try to perform one of her duties as a rookie, I noticed it took her a bit more time to figure out how to navigate the onboard electronics.
But navigate it she did! Before we were out of San Antonio city limits, the passengers who wished to do so were taking in the newest Martin Lawrence movie. It was actually pretty funny and helped pass the time on the near three-hour ride.
Shortly after the final credits rolled and the outtakes finished, I saw something I have never before seen. I almost wanted to stop the bus, jump out and take pictures...just to prove I saw it. It was a coffee shop. Open - both drive-thru and inside. It was 1 a.m. and this coffee shop was open! Not only was it open, but it was packed. The tables outside were pretty full and there was a line in the drive-thru about six cars deep.
1 a.m.
Houston may just be the NEW town that never sleeps.
Game Day at Silver Stars gallery
| Rebekkah Brunson tries to shoot around Assistant Coach Monique Ambers Friday. |
Right after that, the bus dropped them at FOX SPORTS Bar and Grill at the Galleria Mall, where some of the Monarchs Season Ticket Holders that came along for the trip were able to share a meal and some time with their favorite team. Rebekkah Brunson worked through the room, Chelsea Newton was comical, as usual. Whenever there was laughter in the room, you were sure to find Newton and / or Adrian Williams-Strong. Nicole Powell and Kim Smith were quick to grab a seat at a table filled with their fans, as were rookies A'Quonesia Franklin, Laura Harper, Crystal Kelly and Charel Allen. Kara Lawson put her broadcasting experience and knowledge to use as she talked hoops with just about everyone around her. The entire Monarchs team of coaches and staff took time to thank the Monarchs fans - arguably some of the most loyal fans in all the League. The players hung out with them, signed items and t-shirts and whatever else the STHs were able to bring with them, then they posed for pictures and took in some wishes of good luck for the upcoming Houston game.
| Monarchs Season Ticket Holders brought several items, such as this 2007 team poster, for the Monarchs to sign during their lunch. |
Photo Galleries: Day 3 - Practice | Day 3 - STH Get Together
| Charel Allen wams-up before the game. |
There was a slightly different agenda for the team this morning. They did not need to immediately board the bus! Instead, there was a team breakfast set up in one of the conference rooms at the hotel. While the team enjoyed a vast selection of foods including granola, different types of cereal, fruit, egg beaters, regular and turkey bacon and sausage, and a variety of different breads, the coaches went over some more game film and discussed different strategies to be implemented during the game that was now only a few short hours away.
After the meeting wrapped, the players had time to head back to their rooms and gather their things before checking out and heading to the bus. When the teams board the bus on the way to a game, they are already in full uniform. They do not change in the lockerroom upon arrival. They enter the facility, head to the lockerroom to get any kind of preparation they need, such as ankles or knees taped or different braces put on. Then they make their way to the court for shootaround.
After about an hour or so of shootaround, the team heads back to the lockerroom to take care of whatever needs they might have. Then they'll come back out onto the court shortly before game time and player introductions.
Today is the first time the Monarchs players, staff, coaches and broadcast team have come to play at Reliant Arena. This is the first season the Comets have played in this venue, and this is the Monarchs first time to meet up with the Comets in their hometown this year.
The arena is much smaller than the Toyota Center, the Comets former home court. It looks like there are no bad seats here, either, which is nice. Every fan has a great view and nobody is too far away.
Photo Gallery: Game Day at Comets
| A'Quonesia Franklin's sister and mother attended the game. |
The players that did drive away in the bus made a stop which dropped them off in the middle of several restaurants. There was a little bit of something for everyone. Steak, seafood, burgers, mexican and vegetarian. The group split up, with smaller groups heading off to partake in whichever type of food they fancied at the time. Everyone met back at the bus after dinner and took off for the airport where the rest of the team awaited our arrival.
After a long flight, the Monarchs left the plane and headed towards the bus for the last time during this trip. Everyone, that is, except the rookies. Laura Harper, A'Quonesia Franklin, Charel Allen and Crystal Kelly all stood by the opening of the baggage carrousel, grabbing all of the team's bags and helping to get them loaded onto carts for transport to the bus. The group quickly and efficiently detached all of the tags from the bags as they transferred them from the moving belt onto the waiting cart. Once the number of tags matched the number of bags checked for the team, they joined their teammates on the bus while their bags were loaded. The system seemed so natural and it was interesting to watch. It's as if the rookies are they're own little team while performing this duty and it went so smoothly. They've had practice, I guess.
Once the bags were on board, the bus headed for ARCO Arena to drop the players off. At that time, each player grabbed their bag, loaded their cars, said their goodbyes and headed to their final destinations for the night. Coach Boucek announced the team would have Sunday off, so they would not meet up again, officially, until Monday.
As I stood in the light of the practice facility parking lot, I watched the team disperse and go their different directions. I was glad to be home and looked forward to having Sunday to recuperate from this whirlwind of a trip before returning to my 'normal' job on Monday morning. I've learned a lot on this trip. About the team, about the process of going from home to another town to practice to a game and then repeating those steps once more before reversing it and coming back to Sacramento. From behind the scenes, it was all very interesting. I look forward to having the opportunity to do it again.
If I do, I hope you'll join me again here on SacramentoMonarchs.com!
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