Knockout in Nottingham

Not since my freshman/J.V. glory days at Sioux Center High School or last spring during Droppin' Dimes' reign to the Res Hall Championship game have I been able to say, "It's game day."

Today was game day.

I woke up at 5:30, grabbed some breakfast, packed up my gear, and headed to the Union to grab a ride down to Nottingham, England. I met the guys on the team: Scott (the captain), Ally, Dade (pronounced 'Daddy'), Julian, Calum, a guy whose name I keep forgetting, and Akees. All the guys are from Scotland except Akees, who is from Greece. They're all really nice guys. I rode with Scott, Ally, and Dade, and I learned the offense on the car ride there. It took about four hours, so we got a little bit of sleep and chatted. It turns out that Scott is a D.J. in his spare time, so he was playing us some awesome music for the whole ride. Here's a sweet one: I was chatting with Dade about music, and it turns out that we're both in worship bands and are both really into Hillsong United! It was crazy. I told him all about Iowa, 24/7, and the fieldhouse; he thought they were the sweetest things ever! We arrived at Nottingham University around noon and just shot around/played knockout for a while, then we changed into our uniforms. I hadn't worn an actual jersey since high school, so putting one on was a bit nostalgic... *tear* It was hilarious, though, because the shorts were totally short, but we didn't care. We warmed up a bit more then took the court. The other team came on, and they were an average of about five inches taller than us, so we were a bit intimidated. I was also surprised when Scott said the starting five were him, Dade, Ally, Julian, and Pat. Starting? I was hoping for a few minutes! When the game started, though, we picked up the defensive intensity and ran fast breaks like it was our job. Before we knew it we were up ten points and completely in control. We all scored a fair share of points and won by 18! We were so happy that our 4-hour trip wasn't for a loss. I ended up with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. It was loads of fun! The drive home was okay. Slow, but okay. I think we have a game at home next week, so I'm really looking forward to that!

On another note, I booked a trip to Spain tonight for next Friday. I get to see Cassandra, which will be a blast! It'll be warm and I won't understand anybody. I'm so excited to go! Before then I'll have to get cracking on my essays and reading, but that shouldn't be a problem. That's all for now. Cheers!