Pirates In Paradise - Day 3
November 21, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2009
In some respects, it felt like Groundhog Day here in the islands. Much of today's schedule was the same as yesterday, and we were lucky enough to once again have perfect weather. We ate breakfast as a team here at the hotel, and headed off to the same high school for shoot-around and preparation for Northern Iowa. The Panthers returned all five starters from a team that won the Missouri Valley Conference last season.
The schedule for the afternoon was the exact same as yesterday. We returned to the hotel for pre-game meal and were able to relax for a while before heading across the island to the university. The trek to the gym takes us right past the harbor, which was especially busy today. A cruise ship was in port, creating some pretty heavy traffic on our way to the university. Our game at 4:30 was the first of two tournament games this afternoon, so there were less people in the gym when we arrived.
We played much better today against a veteran, physical team in Northern Iowa, but still trailed by 10 at the half. We trailed by as many as 14 in the second half before cutting the deficit to four with five minutes to go. Regrettably, we weren't able to pull it out down the stretch and suffered a tough six-point loss at the hands of the Panthers.
We headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at the Fat Turtle, located in the middle of Yacht Haven Grande, one of the nicest shopping and dining destinations on the island. The team enjoyed some local cuisine and a round of applause from some Pirate fans on vacation. A special thanks goes out to Nick, Kevin, Josh, Chris and their wonderful wives for their support tonight at dinner.
Tomorrow is an off day for us, which means no game, and no film study tonight. The team is instead enjoying some relaxation at the resort after two days of tough competition here in St. Thomas.
Thank you Pirate Nation for checking on us, and I'll continue keeping you posted.
Go Pirates!
