Utah Women's Basketball Italy Blog #3

May 18, 2009

The Utah women's basketball team is on a tour of Italy through May 19. Today, Sasha McKinnon and Josi McDermott share their thoughts on the trip.

Hello all the way back in Utah. We have done and seen so many amazing things, I don't know where to begin. We just had two games on back-to-back nights and were able to pull out the win in both. Unlike the first game, we came out strong from the get-go in the second game on the night of the 14th. The floor of the gym was different then anything like I have seen in Canada or the US. It was super dark and looked almost like a hardwood floor...maybe not something I would put in my own house personally, but it was different to play on. The refereeing style is so different that is has taken all of us some time to get used to. It seems like every time we try to attack for a lay-up or make a move such as a shot fake or jab step then dribble, we get called for travels. Then, the other team can pick up their dribble and take a ten step running lay-up with no call at all. At first this was frustrating, but we knew it would be this way. As annoyed as we got, we just had to laugh it off and play through it. Another major difference in play that I have noticed is the toughness. Both sides get away with a lot more physical pushing and shoving. I think it's good for us to be able to play at this toughness level. If you get bumped and miss a shot, there's no bail out foul to put you on the line. It's important that we toughen up and go strong into the contact finishing or shots. The second team was not that great at shooting and yet the entire game involved drive and dish plays. We wanted to stay strong side and not give up the dish to the shot on the wing. Our defense was pretty good but we still have quite a bit to work on. It's always good to have room for improvement.

With that all said and done, I can move on and talk about some of the sight seeing we've been fortunate enough to do so far. Something that was exciting from way back on our way to our first game was being able to stop at a beach and dip our feet in the Mediterranean Sea. The sand was nice and white but littered with garbage, which was unfortunate. The water was pretty cold but not cold enough to keep many of us from taking off those shoes and running in... I guess once our feet and legs were numb, we didn't notice how cold it was anymore. Ha-ha. Just kidding. It wasn't near that bad. The other day before we left Florence, we went to the famous leaning tower of Pisa, which was crazy to see in real life. It had been closed for years and finally it was reopened to the public 8 years ago. Many, many tests had been done by experts to ensure it was stable and safe with no possibility of a collapse. It leans 5 degrees and how its still standing is beyond me. They allow only 40 people to climb the stairs to the top, every half an hour. I am very grateful I got to experience seeing and even climbing to the top of it; which was a little scary.

Another jaw dropping moment was seeing the "David" up close and personal. He is 17 feet tall and everything about him is huge. The detail put into his every body part is incredible. Every abdominal muscle looked real and he even had the veins in his arms and hands. Michelangelo was only 26 when he started sculpting it and 29 when we finished. It shows how advanced he was for his time. He was so young and brilliant. The fact that the "David" still amazes people today says it all.

Now onto the fun part we've all been loving equally...SHOPPING! I just wanted to touch base on the shopping experiences we've had. I have avoided stores and shops and done all my shopping from the street vendors. There will be streets with shops set up side by side and one just right after the next. It is such a different and exciting way to shop. It's nice being able to barter with the vendors until they give you the price that you want. We are nearing Venice now, so in closing I just wanted to make it known how grateful and fortunate we are to be experiencing this different country and all that it has to offer. Hope all is well back home in Salt Lake City.

Ciao- Sasha

Ever since we've been here, I have been so completely disoriented with the time and date, so I apologize in advance for this mashed up version of the last couple of days.

So let's just say "the other day" we went to the Mediterranean for a little bit before our game. Although it was brief, it was absolutely beautiful with views of the town behind it. But the most epic part of this quick trip to the beach was when I gave Kalee a piggie back ride all the way across the sandy beach and up a flight of stairs. I am getting freakin' strong, no matter what coach E tells you! Sometime within the next couple days, we went to the leaning Tower of Pisa. I enjoyed the view from the ground, but it was insisted that we go up to the very top. After the terrifying climb, in a tiny marble staircase, slippery at times too, we took in the view. Beautiful. Then we snapped some quick photos and got the heck outta there. Even though several of us were slightly scared, I think we're all learning to take every opportunity to learn and take in the culture. We realized that we're extremely lucky to be in the situation we are in.

Somewhere in the mix of things we were fortunate enough to go to the museum where the huge statue of David is. Something I didn't know is the reason he's looking to his left is because it was always said that danger comes from the left, so he's holding his weapon (a sling shot) and looking out for danger with pure concentration on his face.

Last night we had our third game and once again, we made Utah proud. This team was by far the best we have played. If we were to help on a drive or post-up, you could be sure that they would kick it out and hit a shot. Thankfully, as the trip has progressed we've become more and more ready to play this style of game. With only 24 seconds on the shot clock, there is no time to waste and you don't have a choice but to run, run, run. Another difference that is very noticeable is the officiating- it's absolutely horrendous. And you can believe me when I say that last night's game wasn't any better when we had our very own Steve Farley (the manager) as the second ref.

So far, this trip has been more than amazing and we're all so thrilled be here. But, we can't wait for regular season to see all our fans. Take care and keep reading our blogs. We are off to Venice for a day.

Josi McDermott

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