Merry Christmas

Ok I know it has been a LONG time since I last posted a journal entry...my mom has reminded me of that fact every day lately. I have no good excuse as to why I haven't kept up better except that I really haven't had much to say. Since I last wrote, alot has been going on. So, here's a quick update to catch all of you up on what's going on in the lives of the Lady Highlanders. On Dec. 4th, we hit the road for what seems like our 10th road trip of the year to play Belmont University in Nashville, TN. The restaurant we ate at the night before the game had line dance lessons and then a chance to show off what you had learned. Needless to say, our girls are not at all shy and they quickly became the life of the party. I think everyone in the building knew who the best dancers were because they got somewhat of a large cheer when we finally dragged them off the floor to get back to the hotel. We then had a 13 day break in our schedule because the NCAA will not allow us to play a game during finals week. Our girls studied very hard and from what we hear from them, we should achieve our team goal of at least a 3.0 team grade point average. During finals week, we brought in our male practice team to give us the opportunity to play against some better competition and polish up or correct a few things we had noticed in the first 7 games of the season. All of us coaches made recruiting trips that week loooking for the next class of Lady Highlanders and came back feeling good about the players we are going after. We also attended the Hoop Group Christmas Party. That party is put on by a group of mens and womens RU basketball supporters and always means a great night of conversation and some very good food. The picture at the top is Corrie, Vandy, Kelli, Meagan, and Rachel at the party. After finals, we played a much needed home game against Appalachian State University. We won that game by 12 and had several players come out and play very well for us. Sarah led us with 17 points, Corrie had a double-double, and Johnette played very solid at the PG position in front of her Mom, Dad, and sister who made the trip to Radford. Our last game before Christmas break was once again on the road at East Tennessee State University. We lost a heartbreaker in Johnson City with a score of 54-52 and returned to Radford wishing we could have that one back. We know that we are more talented than our record shows right now and we hope that the lessons we are learning through all of these road games will pay off when conference play rolls around. As for now, it is officially Christmas Eve and I am very happy to be at home in Georgia with my family and my dog. My little brother and I have been watching christmas tournament games the past two days and doing some last minute shopping. The crowd at Walmart today made me promise to finish my shopping much earlier next year! Even though I can never fully escape from hoops and take my mind completely off basketball and our season, I love this short break and the chance to sleep in, see my family, and eat a few home-cooked meals. I hope this gets you all caught up and excited about everything that is going on with RU basketball. I, along with all of the RU Women's Hoops family would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy new year. Put in on your calendars now: we play 4 straight home games starting on New Year's Eve and we'd love to see you in the stands. See you then!
Merry Christmas,
JRA