Layshia Clarendon's journal: Enjoying the moment & loving the people around you

March 24, 2013

Although, we have staff members that have coached and even played in the Sweet 16 and beyond, no player on this California team has ever made it that far in the NCAA Tournament.

The President of the United States picked us to go to the Final Four, #2 is the highest seed in Cal history, the excitement around the possible Battle of the Bay rematch. The chance to go places we have never gone before, Lubbock, TX, Spokane, WA, New Orleans, LA, dust storms, rainy days, and beignets…no pressure right? It is easy to get distracted by what could be, what should be, where you want to be, and where you hope to be.

Thinking about tomorrow’s game, the expectations, the scouting report, stopping ball, chasing screens, media timeouts, fatigue, press breaks, zone offense, boxing out, rebounding, sideline out of bounds, referees, pressure situations, sad faces, and celebrations. Tomorrow is about enjoying the moment, about loving the people around you; it is about playing with some of your best friends in the world. It is diving for the loose ball because you can’t stand to let your teammates down, it is playing that ball screen right because you still want to play together, it is chest bumping after an and one because you have all worked ridiculously hard to get here, it is boxing out because you do not want to let this all go. It is blood, sweat, tears, and whatever else it takes because you are not ready to stop fighting, dancing, singing, believing, and dreaming with one another.

Tomorrow is about relishing in those pre-game cheers, and warm up shots; it is about embracing that burn in your legs and the sting in your lungs with 3 minutes left before the half, because you are not ready to let this dream go… tomorrow is about having fun and playing Cal basketball, the only way we know how.