No Quebec City
January 30, 2004 02:29 PM | General
(MSN play-by-play announcer Tony Caridi kept a diary of the Mountaineers’ very eventful trip to play St. John’s on Wednesday, Jan. 28. The following are his observations leading up to an important Mountaineer road win against the Red Storm)
Mountaineer coach John Beilein prepares to sit in his seat before bussing from Morgantown to the Pittsburgh airport (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks)
Tuesday
5:15 pm: Our Central Cab charter bus is loaded and ready for a trip to Pittsburgh. The travel attire is “Dress One” in John Beilein code meaning shirt, tie, dress paints and shoes. Unaware of the “Dress One” alert, I provided an extra tie to MSN radio analyst Jay Jacobs, who puts it on before being exposed as a rule breaker.
5:18 pm: We depart the Coliseum. On the way to Pittsburgh the team watches last week’s Mountaineer Jammin’ which included the win over Marshall. Snow begins to really fall near Waynesburg, Pa. It was just the beginning of what was to become a snow-filled Odyssey.
5:47 pm: Basketball sports information director Bryan Messerly tells me about the incredible trouble Virginia Tech’s basketball team had making it back from Seton Hall last weekend. The Hokies departed New Jersey early Sunday morning and didn’t make it to Blacksburg until Sunday night at 8:30 pm. I’m thinking, wow, I’m glad that wasn’t us. Always be careful of what you don’t wish for.
6:20 pm: A few miles from the Pittsburgh Airport Tyler Relph comes to the front of the bus to inform the coaching staff that our flight to New York’s Laguardia Airport has been cancelled. He received the information via cell phone from teammate Jerrah Young, who was already at the airport waiting to rejoin the team after attending the funeral of his cousin in Chicago. In the meantime, Messerly has already beaten Relph to this key piece of information but is instructed to sit on his intelligence until travel coordinator Tammy Cavender can come up with an alternate plan.
6:23 pm: Cavender takes over and in a matter of minutes discovers that all flights to New York are cancelled. Beilein and his staff discuss different options including one of bussing half way and spending the night in Harrisburg, Pa. Thankfully, Cavender secures a flight to Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love hasn’t been hit yet by the storm that blankets the Big Apple. It’s on its way, though.
8:33 pm: After being informed that our flight would depart at 9:15, there is a change of plans. In an attempt to beat the storm the flight will board immediately. That’s not good since the players have headed into the food court for dinner. Cell phone rodeo begins in an attempt to get all players and staff to the gate immediately. The plan of a nice sit-down dinner has been erased in favor of subs and pizza which are purchased and brought onto the plane.
8:45 pm: The plane pulls back from the gate and heads to de-icing.
9:00 pm: We’re in the air and on our way to Philadelphia. Down below on the ground somewhere on the Jersey Turnpike is our bus driver who was waiting to pick us up at Laguardia. It will take our driver nearly four hours to make the 120-mile drive from New York to Philly. At times he’s forced to travel at 20 mph due to the incredible blowing snow, poor road conditions, and traffic. We know the driver very well. His name is Peter but we call him Bruce. That’s because his shaved head makes him look a little like Bruce Willis … at least that’s what we tell him. Our boy Bruce has two incredible talents. He is the Michael Jordan of bus drivers and the Babe Ruth of eating. Bruce can drive through anything and eat his way through anything as well. We’ll see him display both gifts before our trip is finished.
10:34 pm: We land in Philadelphia. A beautiful landing considering the runway is packed with about four inches of compressed snow. Meanwhile, the white stuff continues to fly.
11:07 pm: While waiting for our bus to arrive for the trip to New York, Mountaineer players spread out around the baggage carousel: Six cell phones going, five walkmen singing and a Partridge in a pair tree.
11:14 pm: Knowing the trip to New York could take up to four hours, MSN radio engineer John McKinney makes a preemptive strike by purchasing two diet Cokes. Note that McKinney is very sponsor conscious.
Trainer Randy Meador needs to treat Kevin Pittsnogle’s ankle which he sprained in practice earlier in the day. Randy gets a plastic bag from his kit, then heads outside and fills it with snow. The makeshift ice bag is just what Kevin needs as he lays on his back and ices down what he says is his first-ever ankle sprain.
Coach Beilein chuckles as he recalls a game his LeMoyne team once played against Philadelphia Textile. He had brought his Dolphin team out into a parking lot for a pre-game walk-through. He was ordered to leave the lot immediately. The rent-a-cop told him there was a rule against public demonstrations. Coach B told him we’re trying to practice a pick-an-roll. “Not on this lot,” said Barney Fife. And so the Dolphins hit the road.
Wednesday
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| Tony in his best "Dress One" attire gets ready to board the team bus. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
12 am: Wednesday has arrived and so has our bus. Our buddy Bruce greets us and we hit the road. What transpired over the next two hours and forty minutes was kind of like a sight out of the Winter X games bus division competition. Bruce rolled down the Jersey Turnpike like a man on a mission. Despite up to four inches of snow on the road he successfully navigated us into New York where we arrived at 2:40 a.m.
2:48 am: Check in complete. Team is informed that they’ll receive wake-up calls at 10 am, report to breakfast at 10:30 am and team meeting at 11 am. To give the players an opportunity to get more sleep the game-day shoot-around is cancelled.
9:55 am: Coach Beilein arrives first for breakfast. He scans the USA Today where he sees long time friend Jim O’Brien has resigned as coach of the Boston Celtics. O’Brien was an assistant at Wheeling when Beilein was a player.
Bruce the bus driver arrives in full eating mode. He eats and drives with the same voracity. Bruce informs me that he wants to drive the Mountaineers this coming weekend when they play at Villanova. If not, he’ll be assigned to a five-day trip to Quebec City with a group of screaming middle school children. I tell him I’ll put a good word with the coach only if the Mountaineers beat the Red Storm. Bruce instantly becomes the biggest Mountaineer fan in New York City.
10:57am: Team members arrive for their first meeting of the day. A lively debate erupts between Tyrone Sally and manager Wes Brooks. Sally contends that Orlando Magic point guard Tyronn Lue is better than Jason Hart. Brooks is shocked by the notion and attempts to shout Sally down. The normally quiet Sally will have no part of it and informs Brooks that Lue may in fact be the NBA’s best point guard. Brooks needs oxygen. Fortunately team meetings end the discussion
11 am: Team meeting includes 30 minutes of video clips from Tuesday’s practice. Each short clip has been edited for a specific reason, either to praise a player or correct a mistake. The mode of operation is business-like but there are a few laughs. To keep matters loose Beilein has inserted clips of D’or Fischer attempting to play the point guard spot and a sweet Jon Curran’s shake-n-bake basket over Tyler Relph. Both clips get the players laughing.
Pittsnogle and Frank Young continue to ice their tender ankles.
11:30 am: Beilein dismisses the team with an advisory: He suggests they hit the hot tub or workout room to get loose during the day.
11:35am: The coach instructs manager Brooks on how to create a foul lane using athletic tape on the carpet of the hotel meeting room. They’ll use that make-shift lane late in the day during their walk-through.
3 pm: The team reassembles in “Dress Two.” That’s shirt with collar and dress paints. No tie. In case you’re wondering, there are three Dress levels: I have already described one and two. Dress three is a team issued sweat suit. That’s worn when the team travels by bus or after a road victory.
Beilein walks the players through various offense and defensive sets they’ll use during the game. Players wear those mesh pennies over the dress clothes to signify offense and defense. That’s quite a look: a mesh penny over a button down shirt.
3:20 pm: Assistant coach Jerry Dunn, the one responsible for the St. John’s scouting report, shows video clips of each St. John’s player pointing out their strengths, weaknesses and tendencies.
3:30 pm: Great meal -- heavy Italian. Hey, it’s New York: Rigatoni, breaded chicken, sausage peppers, onions to go with a Caesar salad. Superb.
3:50 pm: Team is dismissed until we meet on the bus at 5:45.
6:10 pm: We arrive at Alumni Hall. It is the oldest gym in the Big East and you wouldn’t be surprised if George Mikan walked out of a locker room. In a small old locker room, Beilein writes on a grease board his final instructions while the team shoots around. Pittsnogle returns to get his tender ankle re-taped.
6:30 pm: I tape the pre-game interview with Coach Beilein that will air on MSN radio about 40 minutes later.
7:30 pm: It’s game time. Instantly you can sense the Mountaineers have picked up where they left off against Boston College. Their hustle and intensity is there and their shots are falling. The Red Storm has a one-point lead at 13-12, but that’s the last time they would lead all game.
9:35 pm: Mission accomplished: win number three in a row. Great balanced effort by the Mountaineers with five players scoring nine points or more.
10:00 pm: Bus to the airport to board a charter flight to Clarksburg. In the back of the bus, D’or Fischer argues to his teammates that he is the team’s best pure shooter but doesn’t get the opportunity to show that side of his game. I’m brought in as a third party voice to settle the dispute. I settle it by telling D’or that Patrick Beilein is the best shooter on the team, but it’s only a matter of time before you show the world you’re a marksman from beyond the arc, too.
10:37 pm: After a lengthy delay awaiting a security escort we roll onto the airport and find our plane.
11:13 pm: Upon entering our 50-seat ride home, each passenger is given a warm package of chicken tenders. A full deli bag awaits each player at their respective seat.
11:25 pm: Although we still haven’t taken off, John Beilein officially begins his preparation for Saturday’s game at Villanova. He receives a comprehensive report on the Wildcats from assistant coach Jeff Neubauer, who is in charge of scouting the game. The report comes complete with detailed bio information on each player and every statistical breakdown you can create. The multi-colored report is studied by the coach who begins to breakdown the Cats’ stats and tendencies. I get a sense Neubauer used to do a great job with those salt-map projects and clay volcanoes in the sixth grade.
11:41 pm: Now it’s time to live up to my promise I made to Bruce the bus driver. I ask the coach if he’ll give Bruce the nod for our upcoming trip to Nova. Always the humanitarian and not wanting Bruce to deal with the trip to Quebec City Coach B gives the green light.
11:43 pm: We streak into the sky on our way back home to the Mountains. All four members of the coaching staff get to work on their laptop computers. Beilein and Matt Brown begin to analyze and break down the game against St. Johns. Neubauer cuts up clips of Villanova, while Jerry Dunn is breaking down tape on Seton Hall -- the Mountaineers opponent seven days later. It’s a process that never stops and it’s a big reason why the Mountaineers are showing signs of continued improvement.
12:31 am: We land in Clarksburg and are greeted by our buddy Tim the bus driver who had driven us to the Pittsburgh airport on Tuesday night. Tim informs us that when you add the trip to Pittsburgh and the trip from Philadelphia to New York we ended up driving about 170 miles. The total distance from Morgantown to New York is 360 miles. In reality we drove almost half the way to New York in our winter trip. No one really seems to care. The Mountaineers won and all is good.
1:30 am: We arrive in Morgantown and make our way home, knowing that in just about 38 hours, we’ll all reunite to do it again. And, yes, Bruce the bus driver will be waiting for us instead of those screaming kids in Quebec City.
