Christmas Break Class

by Monica Frede

Hello to everyone.

This past week was a long week for many of us. As many people know, final exams were in full swing, and our minds were put to the test. There were some of us on the team who had up to four or five exams, and there were some of us who only had one or two. No matter what our exam schedule was, we knew this was also a very important week for basketball.

Having a full week of practice and tests at the same time does challenge us mentally, and we rose to the occasion with a big win over VCU Sunday. This was a game that our team wanted, because a record of 6-1 sounds much better than 5-2. VCU is a good team, and we were fortunate to have a full week to prepare for them.

Of course having a full week of practice does test our mental focus, even Terri's. A couple of times throughout the week, Terri would call out a drill or a play that left us confused. "It's been a long week for me too, but I only have one exam left." Terri is always able to provide all of us a reason to smile or laugh during practice.

Exams are over, a very important part of our season is beginning, and we are preparing for our next road trip to St. Bonaventure and Toledo later in the week. With classes over, we have much more time to be focused on basketball. All the "I had a really rough test today, so I'm a little out of it coach" excuses ended last Friday! Now it's time to test our basketball I.Q. Class is in session (no falling asleep here), the teacher is not a push over (this one can make you run if she wants), and we want straight A's for our exams (Thursday and Saturday)!

Happy holidays to everyone.

This is the fourth in a series of diary entries by junior forward Monica Frede. Her diary will appear every Tuesday on www.gomarquette.com.