Opening 'The Al'

by Monica Frede

This past weekend was a historic weekend for the women's basketball program at Marquette. We opened the Al McGuire Center, the first time our program has ever had a true home court. Our team has been practicing in this arena for a month now, but the gym was not ready to hold a large crowd until this past Sunday when we played Columbia.

No longer do we have to pack thirteen players in a Marquette van and drive to the U.S. Cellular Arena for a home game. No longer do we have to practice in this arena during the week to get a feel for the rims. We are now able to practice, shoot, condition (Scott, our strength and conditioning coach, intends on using each and every bleacher, corner, and floor panel in that entire place) in the same gym every day. This is an opportunity that most teams across the country have, and we feel very blessed to have this opportunity as well.

We all knew that opening day would be filled with a lot of joy, and some fear (none of us knew that the confetti "tossed out" after the game would be shot from a cannon!). Traditions started ("Kelly Schwerman for.... THREE!), the seats were filled, and the band was as energetic as always.

If I have failed to make it clear thus far, thank you to everyone who helped make the dream of a home arena, with thousands of seats that we will fill with fans each game, a reality. Our win over Columbia starts the tradition of winning at home that we intend to keep!

Next up: UW-Milwaukee, Tonight! Now this is a big game!

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