The Hello Blacksburg blog
The Hokies landed at Blackspatch International around 2:30 p.m. Sunday having completed their trip to the Bahamas.

Before telling you about the final day, I'll get you caught up from blogless Saturday. Tech had the usual game day shootaround and returned to the hotel to watch the first half of the VT-UVa football game. At the half, everyone enjoyed the pre-game meal at the hotel before returning to the second half of Tech's 33-21 victory.

The Hokies faced Prairie View A&M in the Junkanoo Jam Freeport bracket consolation game. Tech dominated early racing out to a 14-4 lead before the Lady Panthers made a run of their own to tighten the game. With the Hokies leading, 39-36, nearing halftime, Laura Haskins heaved a 40-foot shot that appeared to be after the buzzer. The ball swished through the net and the officials counted the basket giving Tech much needed momentum heading into halftime. The Hokies controlled the second half and built their advantage to as much as a 17-point lead before winning, 74-66. Haskins led five Tech players in double-figures with a career-high 14 points, including a career-high three treys.

Following the game, the players were on their own for dinner to enjoy the final night in the Bahamas.

Now for Sunday's trip home. We left the hotel at 9 a.m for the short bus ride to the airport. Here is where things got interesting. We checked our bags at the ticket counter after filling out customs forms. Next we proceeded to the first security check for the carry-on luggage. I'm sure most of you have experienced this wonderful process requiring you to empty your pockets, take off belts and shoes, pull out the laptop, etc. We went through this process and proceeded to baggage claim. Yes, that's right, BAGGAGE CLAIM! Now remember, we checked our bags at the ticket counter and here we are at baggage claim and we have NOT LEFT THE GROUND! After gathering the bags, it was on to U.S. Customs, then another security check.

Once we were finally on the plane, we headed down the runway for takeoff only to have the pilots shut down the engines and apply the brakes. Now this was not a sudden stop by any means, but we went from gathering speed for take off to slowing down and returning to the terminal. The pilots told us a warning light had blinked on and off, so they wanted to play it safe. After a few minutes, they determined it was a computer glitch and we were on our way with no problems. A few of the players did have worried looks on their faces following the aborted take-off.

Now we were headed to Wilmington, N.C. for, you guessed it, another visit to U.S. Customs even though we just did that in the Bahamas. I guess they though there was a duty-free shop at 25,000 feet where we purchased cuban cigars. Anyhow, upon landing two agents came out to the plane and said we had to get off and come inside to have our passports checked. Thank goodness a third agent ran out to inform the other two we had been "pre-cleared." After taking on fuel, we were off to Blackspatch with no further delays.

Now its time to prepare for a very busy week as the Hokies have three home games against Wofford (11/27), Minnesota (11/30) and UAB (12/2). This is all part of a tough five games in 10 days stretch as exams near.

Well, that's it for the Bahama blog. I hope you have enjoyed the blog and the great photos as we did our best to have you share in the team's trip. I can assure you a great time was had by all, even though a few of us, might be a little fuzzy on some of the details. Of course, this does not include any members of the team who were on their best behavior and had a great time. As for the rest, what goes on the road, stays on the road.

My thanks again to Jerry Massey for some great photos and to Jamie Meyer who also provided a few pics for the gallery. Also, kudos to webmaster Damian Salas for his assistance creating the gallery. You will see more of these special blogs, in addition to the regular hokiesports - the notebook, as we try to keep you updated on the Hokies, much as we have done this past week with the men's and women's basketball teams.

Bahama Blogger, signing off and heading for bed.

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Black Friday
Well, it truly was Black Friday. Today was the first rainy day since we have been here which actually was okay since this was game day. Following breakfast, the team put in a hour shootaround at the gym before heading back to hotel for the pregame meal and a short final film session on USC.

As you probably know, things did not go as planned in the matchup with the Trojans as Tech raced out to a 15-point first half lead only to see USC storm back in the final four minutes to win, 65-64. The game story and boxscore are available on hokiesports.com. In the Lucaya bracket, Eastern Michigan defeated Alabama,52-43, sending the Crimson Tide to their 19th consecutive loss dating back to last season. NC State routed Washington State, 77-51, and the Wolfpack will face the Eagles in the title game tomorrow at 3:20 p.m. In the other half of the Freeport bracket, Georgia easily defeated Prairie View, 78-44. The Hokies play the Panthers tomorrow at 5:40 p.m. in the consolation game.

Well, not much to be cheerful about today but the Hokies will look for better results tomorrow and try to come back with a split of the two games here. Hopefully the men's team will see better results against Butler and of course there is that little football game tomorrow in Hooville.

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Thanksgiving feast on the lawn
After having the morning off, the Hokies headed back to St. Georges High School for practice as they prepare for Friday's game against USC in the Freeport Division. Tip time is 5:40 p.m. and Jerry Massey will have all the action for your starting with the 5:25 pregame show. The game can be heard locally on Supertalk 101.7 and on hokiesports.com via Yahoo broadcast.

After returning to the hotel following practice, there was a three-point shooting contest with Brittany Gordon and Lindsay Biggs representing Tech. The competition was to see how many treys each contestant could make in one minute with each participant having one rebounder. It was a very spirited event and the winner from Eastern Michigan canned an incredible 15 baskets to win the competition while her teammate was second with 12. I'm sure the Alabama coaches and players were taking notes as they play the Eagles in the Lucaya Division tomorrow.

The Thanksgiving feast was held outdoors on the lawn of our host hotel, Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort. Tables were located all around the lawn with the buffet lines on each side with the entire lawn covered by bright spotlights. The meal was outstanding and many of us at the support staff table kept commenting that it had the feeling of a wedding reception without the adult beverages (I knew something was missing).

After several speeches by local representatives and members of the Basketball Travelers staff, a member of each team gave a brief speech. The Hokies were represented by Amber Hall, one of the team captains who demonstrated Hokies Respect with an outstanding speech based on sportmanship and enjoying the moment. After the speeches, the Junkanoo parade which I described in an earlier blog, took place and many of the players joined in the line. For some reason we kept hearing a kazoo in the band somewhere. The only downside to the event was an extremely strong ocean breeze that made conditions a bit uncomfortable. Okay, I know you are suffering from wind chills in the 20s back in Southwest Virginia and I feel your pain, but eating in windy conditions is not a fun thing.

The Hokies will have a shootaround at the gym from 10-11 then eat the pregame meal in the early afternoon. The three days of sun and sand have been fun but now its time for the real business portion of the trip.

Well, that's it. Kind of short and sweet tonight as I'm about to have a turkey coma which I'm sure many of you had at some point today after enjoying your Thanksgiving feast. Hope you all had a great day. I'll try to get a pregame blog in tomorrow which will probably be the only report. The game story and stats will be on hokiesports.com following the game.

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Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to Hokie Nation from all us in the Bahamas. We all have much to be thankful for and lets all remember the families who had relatives involved in the April 16 events on this special holiday. I hope you were all able to see the Highty-Tighties participating in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. That was a special moment for everyone associated with Virginia Tech.

In my eight years at Virginia Tech, I have spent Thanksgiving on the road each year. The locations have all been interesting. So since the early portion of today is pretty free, I thought I'd take this opportunity to take a trip down Thanksgiving memory lane with the Hokies.

Way back in 2000, this special day was celebrated in Tallahassee, Fla. where the Hokies participated in the Tallahassee Democrat Classic. Now normally you wouldn't think this would have been anything special but it was just a couple of weeks after the presidential election when we all first learned about the "dangling chads." Since Tallahassee is the capital of Florida, the certification of the Florida ballots and court decision was taking place and it was a media circus. We even met Ben Stein in the hotel. New radio announcer Cory Provus, now working with the Chicago Cubs, slept for 14 staight hours upon our arrival. Thank goodness he turned out to be a better roommate after that first day.

The next year the team traveled down south once more to Baton Rouge, La. for the LSU Crayfish Classic. That trip was memorable for the great food and a young Tech team taking nationally-ranked LSU to the limit before losing 66-65 in the championship game.

In 2002, the Hokies celebrated Thanksgiving in Miami, Fla. for the Florida International Thanksgiving Classic. The team took an evening cruise around the Miami Beach area and saw many of the homes and yachts owned by celebrities from around the world.

The 2003 trip to the Virgin Islands was the first time this boy from Mississippi had ever been out of the United States and flown over water. It was a great trip with the team doing many of the same activities as we are doing here in the Bahamas, including another snorkle tour. This was also my first trip with new radio announcer Tony Luftman, now working with the Portland Trailblazers. Tony's search for plantains is legendary and prepared me for the next two years with him. By the way, the Hokies defeated Iowa State and Mississippi State to win the tourney.

So you are probably saying it must be nice to spend Thanksgiving in such warm locales, however in 2004 we headed to Minneapolis, Minn. for the Subway Classic. It was not as cold as it could have been and didn't snow so we caught a break on this trip. The tournament was played in Williams Gym which was as old school as it gets, including a raised floor, so I spent two days looking at shoes from the scorer's table. Tony had to broadcast from high above the arena where the radio booths were located and I had to practically drag him up there as he was scared of heights.

In 2005, we traveled to Dallas, Texas to participate in the SMU Tournament. This was also the first road trip with Jerry Massey who had just taken the radio job. We got on the plane in Roanoke just as it began to snow and after settling into our seats, we noticed two assistant coaches were not on the plane. Apparently the flight had been overbooked and before Tech's Director of Operations Jill Jameson could get the words out of her mouth, I told Jerry to get his stuff because we were about to receive the Heisman Award. Jerry and I were rerouted to Chicago and then down to Dallas. While in Dallas we did enjoy a great outing at the home of Fran Recchia and her parents who were always great supporters of the program.

Last year was the trip to Malibu for the Pepperdine tournament. The scenery was great and our hotel was in Los Angles so we were able to see some great sites. The players were surprised by a tour of LA in a Hummer Limo and had stops on Rodeo Drive, Hollywood, and Venice Beach. A great time was also had at Universal Studios where the team enjoyed various rides and shows.

And now the Bahamas. So, while missing so many Thanksgivings away from family, this has become my second family where the players, coaches, and roommates have changed, but the great experiences continue.

I'll have a report on tonight's Thanksgiving celebration and Jerry will post a few photos of the event as well.

Happy Thanksgiving

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Hokies stay busy
Following breakfast, the team put in a 90-minute workout at St. Georges High School. The gym was air-conditioned but still a little warm and has metal bleachers on both sides of the floor. This is somewhat different than the old gyms that most of us had in high school except that back in my day there were peach baskets at both ends.

A quick bus ride back to the hotel followed and then it was off on the snorkel tour. Jerry has posted some great photos so I'll just let them speak for themselves. Also, many thanks to strength and conditioning coach Jamie Meyer for giving us access to some of her photos, especially the underwater pics. I, a non-swimmer, stayed high and dry on the boat so those photos would not have been possible without Jamie's assistance. Also, thanks to webmaster Damian Salas for his assistance in loading the photos to the website.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the effort during the snorkel tour of student trainer Tracy Pryor. All of those in the water had life preservers that they floated on, but Tracy is a non-swimmer and did not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After a couple of failed attempts, she slowly became more confident breathing through the tube and had a great time. There are also some great shots of members of the team going down the waterslide on the boat.

We saw some unbelievable yachts in the marina where the snorkel boat is docked. One yacht had Denver, Colo. on the stern just proving that people from all over the U.S. and the world have time shares or winter homes in the Bahamas. I think some of the yachts had more square footage than the New River Valley Mall.

Well, that's it for today. The travel party is spreading out again tonight to experience the local cuisine. I can only hope tonight's experience is half as entertaining as last evening.

Happy Thankgiving in advance to all Tech fans from the Hokies in the Bahamas and good luck to the men's team as well.

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Sour cream anyone????
Good morning. Jerry Massey took some outstanding photos of sunrise which are a must see on the photo gallery. Some members of the support staff, not including yours truly, went for a run on the beach to start the day.

Before I update you on what today holds for the Hokies, let's recap yesterday afternoon and evening. Several members of the team decided to try the jet skis which proved to be quite an adventure. Freshman Andrea Barbour apparently saw her life flash before her eyes when riding with Shani Grey. Lesson One for the freshman: Never let Shani drive.

Most of the group scattered last night for dinner but most went across the street to the Marketplace which has several restaurants. The support staff decided on Cally's which looked like a good place. Trouble reared it's ugly head early on when Director of Basketball Operations Jill Jameson attempted to substitute veggies for fries with her order. She received a polite Heisman from our waitress. Next we discovered that sour cream is the answer. I had a small side salad on my plate and the waitress put down a small cup and said "Here is some ranch dressing." It was sour cream. Trainer Megan Rittler asked for cucumber dressing and she received a cup of sour cream. So Jill decided to ask for some ranch dressing and received, you guessed it, a cup of sour cream. Jill, for lack of a condiment, began to cut up some onion slices to add flavor. She was cutting the onion up like it was a steak from Ruth Chris. A big laugh was enjoyed by all. Seinfeld would have been proud of the whole episode.

The team will practice today at 11 at St. Georges High School, the site of the tournament, then its back to the hotel for a 2 p.m. snorkel tour. We will be joined on the boat by USC, our Friday night opponents. Be sure to check the gallery tonight for pictures from practice and the snorkel tour.

Beach Note #2: ET don't phone home from the Bahamas. We received a note from our hosts at Basketball Travelers that dialing direct or with a credit cart to the US can cost $30 FOR THE FIRST MINUTE. They suggest buying a phone card so you know how much you are paying. Most of our cell phones do not have service here so you see many people walking around with their hands at their ears talking out of habit.

Well just enough time to catch some rays before practice. Now where did I put those orange speedos?

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Hokies arrive in the Bahamas
The team departed Blacksburg at 8:45 a.m. today and headed to Roanoke International for the charter flight to the Bahamas. The flight was supposed to originate out of Blacksburg International but those plans changed Monday afternoon when the charter service decided they wanted a longer runway. Fine by me and I am sure the team agreed.

The flight was smooth and we touched down in paradise 12:44 p.m. The players enjoyed a fantastic view of the island on our approach to the airport. We were greeted by a temperature of 78 degrees, or as I like to describe it, about 50 degrees warmer than my co-blogger Bill Dyer experienced as the Tech men's team landed in Anchorage, Alaska.

The team is free to explore the area for the remainder of the day as they get a much deserved day off following last night's come-from-behind, 73-68, victory over Liberty. The Hokies will head over to St. George High School tomorrow at 11 a.m. for practice and will have a snorkle tour in afternoon.

Jerry Massey, the voice of the Hokies, is assisting me and will be sending photos of our island adventure back at various times throughout the day. The scenery is beautiful so be sure to click on the "view gallery" often over the next five days.

Beach Note #1: Since the title of the tourney is the Junkanoo Jam, let's find out what Junkanoo is all about. The Bahamian festival of Junkanoo is an energetic, colorful parade of brightly costumed people gyrating and dancing to the rhythmic accompaniment of cowbells, drums and whistles (sounds like a normal Friday night in my home state of Mississippi). The celebration occurs on December 26 and January 1 -- beginning in the early hours of the morning (2 a.m.) and ending at dawn.

Well, that's it for now. Time to work on the tan and soak up some more of this tropical weather. Of course, I hear the weather in Blacksburg is very nice as well so everyone back home enjoy it while it lasts.

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