Long Trips Mean Lots of Sleep
November 07, 2017 08:55 PM | Men's Basketball
What do you do for seven hours on an airplane? Some watch movies; others catch up on their reading.
Bob Huggins has a pretty good idea how his West Virginia University men's basketball players are going to spend their time traveling to Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany for Friday's season-opening game against 25th-ranked Texas A&M - looking at the backs of their eyelids.
"They'll sleep," he said earlier this week. "They ought to be well rested when they get there. That's generally what they do on a plane. Even on the bus they go to sleep."
Senior guard Jevon Carter backed up his coach. "Sleep, eat, watch some film, I go right to sleep on those planes," he said.
Huggins said assistant director of operations James Long will have video tape for the players to watch when they're awake if they want.
Sophomore forward Lamont West said he doesn't have a lot of experience traveling to foreign countries, mentioning excursions to Jamaica and to Hawaii as his only trips off the mainland, but he does know enough to keep his body hydrated.
"It's going to be a long plane ride so we've got to drink a lot," he said. "Take a lot of fluid; we've got to eat like yogurt and stuff like that. Some people get sick when they travel too far so we've just got to take care of our bodies."
And when they get to Germany? Are they planning to take in some of the sights?
"I haven't really looked into it," West admitted. "I've just been worrying about basketball."
Carter said he's excited about the opportunity of getting to meet U.S. servicemen and servicewomen when they arrive on the base.
"Seeing their life and the things they go through and the things they go through to protect our country …," Carter said.
There are some joint functions planned for West Virginia and Texas A&M once they arrive, but Huggins said he's more concerned about getting his young basketball team ready for Friday's game against a formidable Aggie team coming off 72-49 exhibition victory over Tarleton State and predicted to challenge Kentucky in the SEC this year.
Both teams dropped their closed scrimmages, however - West Virginia last weekend to Purdue and Texas A&M to Texas late last month.
"There has been no conversation about (team activities) whatsoever," Huggins said.
Friday's game will tip off the 2017-18 college basketball season and will be televised nationally on ESPN (Karl Ravech, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams) at 6 p.m. EST.
Tony Caridi and Jay Jacobs will call Friday's game from the press box at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas.
Caridi will be there to broadcast Saturday's West Virginia-Kansas State football game and will describe the basketball game from Germany with the aid of a television monitor set up in the press box.
Normal pre- and postgame shows are planned.
Be sure to check back here and also follow the team's official Twitter account and Facebook page for more updates from Germany.
Bob Huggins has a pretty good idea how his West Virginia University men's basketball players are going to spend their time traveling to Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany for Friday's season-opening game against 25th-ranked Texas A&M - looking at the backs of their eyelids.
"They'll sleep," he said earlier this week. "They ought to be well rested when they get there. That's generally what they do on a plane. Even on the bus they go to sleep."
Senior guard Jevon Carter backed up his coach. "Sleep, eat, watch some film, I go right to sleep on those planes," he said.
Huggins said assistant director of operations James Long will have video tape for the players to watch when they're awake if they want.
The fellas are about ready to head to Germany. It's times and experiences like this that continue to make me love this game. pic.twitter.com/V1kHXBDIzq
— Bob Huggins (@CoachHuggs) November 7, 2017
Sophomore forward Lamont West said he doesn't have a lot of experience traveling to foreign countries, mentioning excursions to Jamaica and to Hawaii as his only trips off the mainland, but he does know enough to keep his body hydrated.
"It's going to be a long plane ride so we've got to drink a lot," he said. "Take a lot of fluid; we've got to eat like yogurt and stuff like that. Some people get sick when they travel too far so we've just got to take care of our bodies."
And when they get to Germany? Are they planning to take in some of the sights?
"I haven't really looked into it," West admitted. "I've just been worrying about basketball."
Carter said he's excited about the opportunity of getting to meet U.S. servicemen and servicewomen when they arrive on the base.
"Seeing their life and the things they go through and the things they go through to protect our country …," Carter said.
There are some joint functions planned for West Virginia and Texas A&M once they arrive, but Huggins said he's more concerned about getting his young basketball team ready for Friday's game against a formidable Aggie team coming off 72-49 exhibition victory over Tarleton State and predicted to challenge Kentucky in the SEC this year.
Both teams dropped their closed scrimmages, however - West Virginia last weekend to Purdue and Texas A&M to Texas late last month.
"There has been no conversation about (team activities) whatsoever," Huggins said.
Friday's game will tip off the 2017-18 college basketball season and will be televised nationally on ESPN (Karl Ravech, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams) at 6 p.m. EST.
Tony Caridi and Jay Jacobs will call Friday's game from the press box at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas.
Caridi will be there to broadcast Saturday's West Virginia-Kansas State football game and will describe the basketball game from Germany with the aid of a television monitor set up in the press box.
Normal pre- and postgame shows are planned.
Be sure to check back here and also follow the team's official Twitter account and Facebook page for more updates from Germany.
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