Ruth Riley has been extremely busy since the Detroit Shock’s season ended; she can hardly call the past few months an “off-season.” In January, Ruth returned for a second season with the Colorado Chill of the National Women’s Basketball League. However, she returned to Detroit Wednesday, February 9th, for a very special occasion. Ruth Riley went back to school, as part of a commercial shoot for the upcoming 2005 Shock season. Ruth visited Chesterfield Elementary School, in Chesterfield Township and brought along two very special objects—the Shock’s 2003 WNBA Championship Trophy and the gold medal she won as a member of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team that competed in Athens, Greece in 2004. The shoot lasted 9 hours, but everyone who was involved had a great time. Here’s a run-down of the day:

6:04AM
The hallways of the school are quiet for now when the production crew and members of the Detroit Shock organization arrive and begin to set up. Director Paul Riccio from New York organizes his plans for the various shoots throughout the day. From the looks of it, Ruth and the kids are going to have a very busy day!

6:33AM
Ruth Riley arrives and is greeted by signs and banners welcoming her to the school. She meets with Riccio to discuss the day’s events and begins getting ready for the day, getting her make-up done and changing into her Detroit Shock uniform. While Ruth may not have much acting experience, she is no stranger to the limelight. She was named MVP when her University of Notre Dame women’s basketball team won the National Championship in 2001, and was again named MVP when the Detroit Shock took the 2003 WNBA Championship.

7:42AM
There is a buzz in the air as teachers and the first busloads of students arrive at the school. They have all been anticipating Ruth’s visit for quite some time. On the way to class, kids look up and down the halls, wondering if Ruth has arrived yet. After all, it isn’t an everyday occurrence to see people with cameras and microphones mingling with book bag-clad nine-year-olds.

7:50AM
The bell rings and that means it is time to get to work! The day’s shoot is part of a series of television spots that represent the WNBA franchise’s re-branding effort, ‘Experience The Shock…It’s Personal.’ Incorporating the community in its commercial spots delivers on the Shock’s brand promise to be accessible and to relate to fans and the community on a personal level. “I didn’t ever think a professional basketball player would come to my school – an author, maybe, but never a basketball player,” fifth-grade student Raymond Lubinski said.

8:15AM
Ruth makes her first appearance of the day. She visits with Spanish teacher Mrs. Formento, who is working with a first grade class. As part of the shoot, Ruth teaches the students how to say some of her favorite phrases in Spanish, including “No en mi casa!” Translation: “Not in my house.”

8:45AM
Everyone gathers in the gymnasium for a school-wide assembly. Principal Susan Strickler introduces Ruth. The students have the opportunity to “interview” Ruth during a question and answer session. Third grader Brooke Arnold participates in the assembly, “At first I was nervous," Brooke said, "I asked her where she grew up and she told me, 'Indiana.' She's really a nice person."

9:31AM
The students return to their classrooms, and it’s time for the real work to begin. The first stop Ruth makes is to the Media Center, where she has the opportunity to read to a kindergarten class as a part of the shoot. The kids are all ears as Ruth shares stories from coaching legend Red Auerbach’s autobiography.

10:15AM
Ruth’s next stop is the art room and she jumps right in, donning a smock and creating her own masterpieces out of clay and watercolor paints.

10:37AM
The WNBA Championship Trophy and Ruth’s Olympic Gold Medal arrive on the scene and begin to make rounds through the classrooms. "For the kids, she's somebody who's well-known and as a woman role-model, offers something special to the children," third-grade teacher Nancy Corsetti said. "It's awesome for the kids to see her and hold an Olympic gold medal."

11:22AM
Ruth and one of the first-grade classes begin to get hungry, but there is still one more scene to shoot before lunch. The cameras follow Ruth as she heads towards the music room, where she and the students brainstorm some ideas for a Shock fight song.

11:53AM
The trophy is spotted in the lost and found basket. Fortunately, Ruth claims it before anyone realizes it’s missing!

12:07PM
Finally, it’s time for lunch, everyone’s favorite part of the day, but Ruth and the students have to pull double duty while eating. The shooting continues. After serving hot lunches to students, Ruth sits down and opens her own lunch box. Not pleased with what she saw, Ruth attempts to trade with other kids.

1:26PM
Everyone’s favorite quote of the day comes from the mouth of a little girl, whose friend attempts to say hi to Ruth when they pass in the hallway. Ruth must not have heard the first girls greeting, so her friend informs her that Ruth “is so tall, she can’t even hear you!”

1:45PM
After the camera and production crew take their own break for lunch, they are back in action, shooting some miscellaneous shots with Ruth. She’s chided for dribbling in the hallway, which helps teach a lesson to a 4th grade class, and is told to head to the principal’s office for her first ever visit.

2:14PM
A special group of students get an extra special surprise! Their bus arrives early so that the director could get some shots of Ruth on the bus with the kids. While waiting in line, Ruth signs some autographs and receives an invitation to one student’s pool party.

2:45PM
After an eventful school day the students are dismissed from class. Ruth gives high-fives all around as the kids file out of the school and onto their buses. Everyone is excited and can’t wait to get home to tell their parents that they got to hang out with a professional basketball player.

3:42PM
The long day of shooting is finally complete. Ruth had a wonderful day interacting with the students. “You can touch their lives. This is a great experience. It is so much fun to be at school with the kids,” Ruth told a reporter from the Macomb Daily who was present for the shoot. “Kids are a big target audience for the WNBA. Being able to interact with the kids is one way of promoting the league.”

Fans can expect the commercial to begin airing in early March.