Dec. 18, 2000

Friday, December 15

6:00 a.m - Woke up for trip to Mississippi. Time to go.

7:00 a.m. - We depart for LaGuardia Airport. In the back of the bus we pass around the Newsday article that Sherry (Jordan) is in. The rest of the team falls asleep. I'm not really sure how because the bus driver was terrible and almost killed us several times. I think I fell out of my sleep at least five times.

10:15 a.m. - We arrive to the airport safely and are on the plane ready for takeoff to Memphis. We had a few problems at check-in. First, Northwest couldn't find Jessica's (Burch) ticket. Then, we weren't allowed to bring our carry-on bags onto the plane because they are too big. So, there is a risk that we may not have our uniforms and practice gear if any luggage gets lost. Can you imagine? We could play in our dressy oufits we brought for the banquet tonight. Now I'm sitting between Sherry (Jordan) and Jill (George) - this is going to be a long flight.

Sherry recognized some people on our flight. They are in a group called O-Town (it's kind of a wannabe boy band). We decided that they wear makeup or something because they don't look that great in real life. We tried to get their attention by singing one of their songs. We got their attention - but they just laughed.

10:50 a.m. - Still sitting on the plane waiting to depart. We were supposed to leave at 10:15, but there is a long line of planes before us. Right now we are 10th in line, so that means we have another 35-40 minutes before we are off the ground.

11:30 a.m. - We're in the air and I have to make a few observations: -Tim (Szlosek - Media Relations) has earphones on that make him look like he works for air traffic control. -Silver (Shellman - Assistant Coach) is being greedy with her brownie. -Jill's feet stink. -Tonya (Swick- assistant coach) like to sleep with her mouth open. -Coach Roberts said that Tamika (Cox) snores.

1:42 p.m.- We are taking off on the second flight for Starkville, MS. No exaggeration - the plane is absolutely tiny - a puddle jumper. Our team fills almost every seat. One more observation - Mr G. (Gandolf - video) likes to flirt with the flight attendants.

2:50 p.m. -We land in Columbus, MS -about 10 miles from Mississippi State. Nothing in site except one building , trees, and empty land. There is only one plane - the one we are on.

5:00 p.m. - MSU Tournament banquet. We sit in the room that the VIP people sit in during MSU football games. The view is beautiful as it overlooks the football stadium. The food at the banquet is delicious. Jessica's eyes lit up when she saw the macaroni and cheese. Tamika, Kelli, Sherry and Theresa try to smuggle cookies to the table, but Lisa (Cantara - trainer) caught them before they could even take a bite. Oh well, at least the coaches got to enjoy them. The MSU team put on a little skit for everyone. It was called "The Hump Is On Fire." The Hump refers to the arena that we will be playing in called the Humphrey Coliseum. The banquet was really good - everyone was so hospitable and I could definitely hear the Mississippi accent.

7:00 -9:00 p.m. - Practice! It is pretty productive and the facility we play in is gorgeous.

9:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. We hang out at the hotel and watch television and relax.

11:00 p.m. - What a long day - Lights out. Time to start thinking about Howard.

Saturday, December 16

7:05 a.m. - Another early morning wake-up. Our shoot-around is scheduled for 8:00 so we have to leave early.

7:35 a.m. - We arrive at Mississippi State for our shootaround at the Hump - a facility that seats about 10,000 people. It takes us about 20 minutes to get in once we arrive. No one is there yet to let us in. I guess this is why Coach always wants to leave early. Our team seems to never have luck when it come to airplanes and locked doors.

9:00 a.m. - We get back to the hotel and eat breakfast in the lobby, pancakes, eggs, cereal, fruit. No sausage or bacon allowed.

9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Go back to the rooms, get dressed and ready to play.

11:30 a.m. - Back to the Hump for game time. We play at 1:00.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Shipley scored a career-high 18 points in a 79-74 loss to Howard Saturday.