Yep, it’s been a different world. For instance, when Medved walks the halls of the team hotel, he’s seeing players and coaches from other teams in the tournament, including Buffalo. The Bulls are a major difference, too, and that’s of primary concern at the moment.
They play with a tempo the Rams have yet to face this year, ranking 11th in that category. Add to the mix they are second nationally in offensive rebounds per game (14.88), led by Josh Mballa, who pulls down 4.33 by himself.
This is a formidable opponent, and Thursday morning’s practice gave Medved the feeling his team was really getting locked in to the opportunities which await the team Friday, and with a win, the following week.
And if they need a push, the Rams just may get it from the crowd. Medved knows the ticket allotment has already been sold out, but he’s not sure of the mix. He figures some of it is just local basketball fans wanting to see the game live again. There will be some from other teams. But he also knows there will be green and gold in the mix.
Quite a bit, actually, and not just Pat, either.
“She is the best, and we’ve got great families. That’s a great thing,” Medved said. “I hope we can hear the families cheering, and be as loud and proud as you can, because, again, we haven’t had that all year. I think that’s going to be awesome. One of our former player’s fathers, Stuart Creason’s father, Warren, he’s loud and he said, ‘don’t mind me, I’m going to be loud and obnoxious.’ I said, well, that’s great. We haven’t had that all year, so be loud and obnoxious.”
Knowing his family is there, Isaiah said he’ll definitely walk to the court and find where they are at, if just for comfort. Once the ball is tipped, he won’t look up again. He’ll have to help steer the Colorado State offense through the pace of play, knowing when to accelerate and when to find the breaks.
That’s his job.
And when it’s done, he’ll find them again. And that may be the hard part of a great thing.
His mom is going to want to give him a hug.
“I have played that through my mind already,” Pat said. “I know it’s going to be hard, so the next thing I will do -- which he hates -- is seeing me come with my phone, because I’m always taking pictures. I tell him I have to have the memories; you’ll thank me later. I will definitely at least do a selfie with him in the background or something.
“But that’s going to be hard. I’ll just have to give an air hug, but I definitely understand.”
If not for the pandemic, Pat would have seen her son play quite often this season. She’s spent 25 years teaching and coaching at Schimelpfenig Middle School in Plano, Texas, and in May, she’s going to retire. She would have taken days off from work to go see her son play, but that wasn’t possible.
Each time, she would have wanted to take a photo. Each time, Isaiah was likely to roll his eyes.
This day will be different. Her son is coming back home to play for the first time in college. And he’d love that hug, too. Or the chance to sit with his family – his father, Barry, and his brother, Barrington, will be there, too -- in the stands and talk, face-to-face, not screen-to-screen via FaceTime.
He’s so happy about it, when – not if -- mom has her phone ready for the selfie, he’s ready to smile.
“For sure,” he said. “We haven’t had one in a while. It will definitely be worth it.”
It will definitely be a memory to cherish.
"crowd" - Google News
March 19, 2021 at 06:27AM
https://ift.tt/38VPaVU
Rams Ready to Perform for the Crowd - CSURams.com
"crowd" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YpUyMI
https://ift.tt/2KQD83I
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Rams Ready to Perform for the Crowd - CSURams.com"
Post a Comment