Magic Johnson met with Casey Morris and
the team before the UCLA game.
Since the last time I wrote, the team has had its ups and downs. After defeating Oregon and Oregon State at home, we traveled to Los Angeles to play USC and UCLA. The best part of the trip -- besides beating USC -- was the plane ride there. It was my birthday on the day we left for the trip, so Mooch (Rachelle Federico) told the flight attendant when we were on the plane. They sang to me and gave me the coolest crown ever. It was made of bags of honey roasted peanuts held together with coffee stirrers. It was sick! I promised the flight attendant I would wear the crown the whole way off the plane and I kept my promise. Not only did I wear it off the plane, but I wore it all the way through the terminal, through baggage claim, on the bus and in the hotel.
On the trip, one of the most amazing things ever happened to me and I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life. Magic Johnson came to our hotel, ate breakfast with us and talked to us about how to be great players. Before the UCLA game, he explained to us how this would be one of the toughest and most dangerous games of the season and he was right. We had the chance to meet Magic because Angelei's (Angelei Aguirre) dad, Mark Aguirre, is good friends with him. Together, they told us stories about their time in the NBA. It was such an honor just to sit and listen to them speak. It was cool to hear stories about George Gervin, Michael Cooper and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They were such great players and it was obvious that Magic and Mr. Aguirre know so much about this game.
I am sure a lot of people are wondering what happened during our loss to UCLA and where we went wrong, but really there is no secret behind the results. UCLA played a great game. They knocked down their shots and played with heart. The best of the best have to lose sometimes and the most important thing for us to do as a team is bounce back and dominate. The season is definitely not over yet and we still have our mind set on success.
When we got back home, we had a day to bond a little bit. Throughout the season, we all have to do a presentation on a certain word. It was Ashley's (Ashley Walker) turn and her word was "roles." She gave a presentation about Mooch and explained how everyone has their own role on a team. Ashley said that Mooch sets the best example of how to take on a role and contribute in every way possible to make the team better. Not that Mooch hasn't already gotten enough public recognition, but she is really the best teammate you can ask for. She brings positive energy, heart, work ethic and a fun-loving attitude to our team. There is no teammate in the world like Rachelle and I wouldn't take anyone over her as a teammate.
Once Ashley finished her presentation, we made shirts to raise money for our friends in Africa. These shirts are to die for and they will be auctioned off during our game on Saturday versus Arizona.
