July 22, 2005

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

Traveling with national team an adventure for Stanford's Wiggins

by Candice Wiggins

Courtesy usabasketball.com

Where do I start? I could write about what a beautiful place Tunisia is or about the very interesting people we've met so far. I could write about the life lessons I've learned, or about what it means to be American. I could write about what a huge impact my teammates and the USA staff has had on my life and how I'll never forget my time spent in Tunis. But I'm really boring so I'll just write about my day.

I woke up today at 10 a.m. for breakfast and we had practice scheduled today (Monday) because no game were being played. The only thing I remember from today's practice is the new zone offense we put in called "baseline" and I also learned that it actually is possible to break a press when you're going five against eight. After practice and lunch I do what I do best, which is sleep, and usually I'm out until Marissa (Coleman) wakes me up or our wake up call (which has yet to be accurate) gets me up. We were scheduled to meet for a reception at the Ambassador's house at around 6 p.m. so while we were waiting in the lobby of the hotel it was time to give up the "P.P.P. Award" (which Candice had won for her 28-point performance versus Congo). For those of you that don't know, the P.P.P. Award stands for "Pink Passion Purse" award (note: the award is an actual pink purse which usually contains a few treats) and after every game it is given to the player who plays with the most passion and truly exemplifies what it means to compete and play with heart. Apparently I'm the only one who thinks the purse is actually cute and everyone teases me about it, but that's okay. Sharnee (Zoll) was the next to get it as she had an awesome game (against Serbia & Montenegro) - eight assists and one turnover (can I please have a game like that?). I think the best part about this whole thing is that it's not an easy decision as to who plays with the most passion and that's the sign of a great team. It's so refreshing to practice and play with girls who bring so much energy and are so motivating. The trip to the Ambassador's house was amazing. His home has an astonishing view of Gulf of Tunisia and the Mediterranean Sea. For the most part, we mingled with the people there and presented the Ambassador with his own (autographed) USA jersey and his wife, Mrs. Hudson, with a USA Basketball polo shirt. Like Abby mentioned before, it's amazing how much patriotism exists and how much it means to be American. After Essence (Carson) wowed us by playing Alicia Keys, John Legend and Destiny's Child "Say My Name" on the piano (incredible) it was time to leave. We got a great surprise on the way home and stopped at an American sports restaurant for dinner. Everyone was so happy they chanted "Carol! Carol!..." (for USA Basketball Assistant Executive Director and team leader Carol Callan) on the bus as it pulled up to the restaurant -- Joe's All-American Cafe. We ate chicken, hamburgers, milkshakes, and fries and it was great to taste American food again. We got back to the hotel and usually we all watch a movie before we go to bed, but everyone was pretty tired so everyone is in their rooms now. It's so hard to capture all these moments and the great memories that I've had since I've been here. I've learned so much about myself and have truly grown as a person even during this short time. And most importantly, I've stopped having panic attacks from lack of a cell phone! America Yeah!!

E-mail a friend a link to this story.