Pirates In Paradise - Day Four
November 22, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2009
Today was a special day for the Pirate basketball team. We had the opportunity to once again have breakfast on the patio, where we first got accustomed to the iguanas earlier in the week. In what has seemingly become a trend for our team meals this week, we had another great view of St. Thomas harbor before loading into the open air taxis and heading up the mountain for practice. Tomorrow's opponent is South Dakota State of the Summit League. They gave Purdue, the sixth ranked team in the country, a tough game Thursday only losing by 11.
We returned to the hotel briefly before enjoying a meal at the Paradise Gate which was located just down the mountain in the harbor. Many of us played pool and watched some football as our group finished up. I'd like to tell you I was undefeated on the tables, but that would be untrue. While I did embarrass Howard Hurt (twice), I turned around and lost a tough one to Brock Young. I'm telling you this partly because of my conscience, and partly because Brock will check to ensure I told the whole story.
This afternoon, we were lucky enough to take a catamaran to a nearby island to go snorkeling as a team. We departed from the dock here at the hotel and set a course for Turtle Island. For the majority of the team, it was their first time out on a sailboat of this size, let alone snorkeling. The crew dropped anchor, and after a crash course in the art of snorkeling, we were spread all over the cove. We spotted sea turtles, sting rays, and a wealth of other underwater creatures during our time in the water. The captain sounded the conch shell to call everyone back, and we spent some time relaxing on boat before sailing back to the hotel. Players and coaches alike commented that snorkeling today was one of the more enjoyable experiences of their lives.
For the second night in a row, dinner had a Pirate connection. Jason Stapleton, manager at Mallory Malone's, has a younger sister who attends ECU. The team enjoyed some local cuisine while relaxing after what had been an enjoyable, but tiring day. Before leaving, everyone signed a T-shirt to be displayed in the restaurant. Since tomorrow is yet another game day, we had film study and scouting report downstairs in one of the banquet rooms. South Dakota State will be yet another tough test, but we'll do all we can to prepare for what we might see tomorrow afternoon.
I hope everyone in Pirate Nation had a great weekend, and we'll talk to you tomorrow. Thank you for all your support for Pirate basketball.
Go Pirates!
