Rivier.

Lately, I've been reading a book called "Can I Keep My Jersey", written by Paul Shirley, a NBA Journeyman that has played in various countries, flirting with the NBA here and there, writing a journal as he does it. It is one of the best books I have ever read, but in doing so I've realized one of the reasons I wonder if this blog will ever be everything I want it to be.

The details he releases are extremely personal, which has both positive and negative effects. The positive effect is we truly get an inside look on his life, from events on the court to the politics that run off of it. The negatives, and part of the reason I feel I can't do the same thing, is that it shows a vulnerability in some forms, as well as certain things that I'm sure his teammates/coaches woudln't appreciate (as he never stayed in one place too long, I suppose that was never a worry of his).

This is not to say that I have dirt on teammates/coaching staff that I'm just DYING to release, but feel wrong in doing so. However, the thought of giving any opponent any sort of edge has made me very hesitant to put specific details that if I was on the other side reading, would help me in any shape or form when writing up the scouting report on my team.

However, certain details of this past week should be noted.

After a 14-game win streak and 16-1 total record, we dropped 2 matches in a row, one to Harvard in 5, the other in a sweep to Endicott (and boy did they hand our asses to us. No other way to say that).

A couple things that should be noted. In the past few weeks, we have experienced EIGHT players battling the flu, as well as various injuries here and there. It was a matter of time before we had an off night, and Harvard turned out to be that night. After coming out flat the first two sets, we bounced back in sets 3 and 4, only to have their middle (athletic, 6'9, plays all the way around) Brady catch absolute fire and lead them to a 15-12 victory.

Although it was disappointing, everyone shook it off and had a good practice Wednesday. It was very competitive, and the energy was strong. Unfortunately, with about 15 minutes to go, a tight ball led to one of the teammates accidentally going under and I proceeded to land on him, somewhat horrified at how far I felt my ankle roll.

Being stubborn, I tied my shoe as tightly as possible and asked coach to continue the drill before my adrenaline wore off and I had any chance to think about what may have just happened. Things went well, and afterwards we couldn't find any swelling, so I had hoped that I was just lucky.

The next morning, the side of my leg was stiff, a bit higher up than the actual ankle joint. Pain I can deal with, but my concern was with the actual strength of the joint. We arrived at Endicott early, I stretched as much as I could, took some ib profun, and hit the court.

Endicott proceeded to destroy us, while I played arguably the worst game of my collegiate career.

The funny thing about playing the "worst" game of your career is you're not quite sure how to react. I was pretty much a zombie for the next 1/2 hour, with my mind going a mile a minute, thoughts about the past, the short-term effects, even how I'd react long-term. The aggravating aspect of the performance was my ankle's decision to buckle during my last step of my approach, making me re-adjust my body for a split second which killed all my momentum built up by the previous steps. While I usually see the set, then the block, then back to the ball, I was putting so much effort into making sure I was under the ball that I didn't have the court vision I normally have. Call it the "anti-zone" if you will.

I began texting coaches/friends back at home whom I usually go to for advice, and lo and behold, I get this gem from Mike Landa, a man I've met a total of 2 times at an open gym that's near my house:

"That just gives you more ambition for your next match. Be the leader that your team knows. Everyone has bad days... it's how' you bounce back from them to show your strength"

Sometimes I wonder why I'll randomly make friends with a stranger at an open gym, but moments like that seem to justify it.

With the sexual assault at the school (and that'll be discussed in a later post), the two losses, and issues with my shoulder/ankle, there's been a lot weighing my mind down the last week. Add that to the fact that my sleep has been awful as I keep waking up with either my arm or ankle flaring up, and I've been a bit on edge.

Luckily, I slept DEEP last night, similar to the night before the Elms match (where I had one of my best games of the season). I woke up with a sense of confidence about today like I felt the day of Vassar, although I'm not sure where it came from. I'm certainly not upset about it. I went to the trainer at noon at got some extra work done on my ankle, and feel that it will do just fine for this match. Rivier is a very talented team, but they certainly aren't flawless, and I still feel we're built to accel against a team of their make-up.

I can't say for sure what's going to happen, but this I know for sure: Both teams will be fired up. Their crowd will be ferocious, as they've been advertising this match for almost a match. Although we aren't in the same conference anymore, pride is on the line, and neither team is going to want to swallow theirs.

I look forward to doing some damage. Bus leaves in 7 minutes. If we get back early enough I'll update tonight.