As I entered day 2 of a whirlwind blitz for UMES Basketball, I realized how fortunate I am in a lot of areas. First and foremost this morning, I realized how fortunate I was to snag one of the last rooms at the Holiday Inn South Kingstown. With 29 different schools competing at the National Prep School Invitational, hotel rooms around the University of Rhode Island are at a premium! A 6 AM wake up call leads to a quick workout and allows a couple more hours to watch film on North Carolina A&T. In scouting, you have to be as prepared as you can for any possible contingency and watching as many game films as possible gives you a chance to see a lot of the finer details in a team’s approach. The extra time before our 10:00 AM tipoff proved to be most valuable.
The order of the day was evaluating talent, and fortunately at an event like this, there was plenty! NCAA rules prohibit me from publicly commenting on a prospective student-athlete before he signs a National Letter of Intent. What I CAN tell you is that I saw a lot of good young basketball players that could be excellent future Hawks!
After a busy day in the gym, I jumped back in the car to begin making my way back to Princess Anne before our Friday departure for Norfolk State. I’m very fortunate to have a brother and sister that live in New York City, which dramatically shortened my drive home last night!
Here’s some facts and figures from Day 2…
Tipoff of Game 1: 10:04 AM
Number of Basketball Games Watched: 8
Number of Trips to the Concession Stand: 3
Number of States/Countries Represented by Competing Teams Yesterday: 9 States and 1 Foreign Country (New Jersey, Maine, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Arizona, and The Canary Islands)
Final Buzzer of Game 8: 10:23 PM
Departure Time: 10:29 PM
Miles Traveled: 175.7
Water Consumption: 40.0 fl. oz
1st Radio Song of the Night: U2, Vertigo
States Traveled Through: 3 (Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York)
Shell Gas Station Fill Ups: 1
Number of Billy Joel Songs that were heard on the radio: 3 (Piano Man, My Life, You May Be Right) – New York LOVES Billy Joel!
View of the Day/Night: The lights of New York City at 12:30 AM as I crossed the Whitestone Bridge
Last Radio Song of the Day: Usher, Papers
Food Suggestion: No great culinary experiences here, but the concession stand workers at Keaney Gym were very hospitable, and it’s always great to find a McDonald’s right before your exit to I-95!
Arrival in Brooklyn, NY: 1:17 AM
Tomorrow brings an early rise and a full day of driving ahead! More stories from the road coming soon…
-Coach Blaine
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