FREEPORT, BAHAMAS - The University of Denver women's basketball team left late Tuesday evening to travel to the Bahamas to participate in the Junkanoo Jam. The Pioneers will be providing daily entries in a blog that will be updated throughout the duration of the trip.

Updated entries will be added daily.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Long Day, Fun Night

Junior Jesse Spittel (Yorba Linda, Calif.)

Today may have been the longest day I've had in a while. We departed campus around 9 p.m. last night for our red-eye flight, visions of the sandy beach (and basketball of course) in our eyes. KC (Head Coach Kerry Cremeans) passed around her legendary rice Krispy treats as we prepared to board, so we were sugared and ready. Thankfully, American Airlines placed the two largest people on the plane next to one another--6-foot-5 Chris Smith, our media guy, and 6-foot-2 me. I was sandwiched in the middle with Chris on my left and a middle-aged gentlemen on my right who looked about excited as I was for the three hours ahead together.

Thankfully, we made it through the night and arrived in Miami around 5 a.m. for our four hour layover. Attached is a picture of our team sprawled out on the floor of the Florida airport--we were quite the scene. A great characteristic of our team is that we can sleep anywhere, anytime. It's actually an acquired skill, and I am proud of each of us for maximizing our time.

Eventually, we swam across the Atlantic for our warm up and made it to the island of Freeport in the Bahamas. Slightly kidding. Quick side story: A man in the Denver airport asked Coach K if we were planning to drive or fly to the Bahamas once we arrived in Miami. I hope this encourages you to refresh on a world map at least once a year.

Anyways, we settled into our hotel, took a quick power nap, and headed off to practice. We practiced at the gym where all the games for the tournament will be hosted, a modest court at a local high school. With some of the most talented teams in the country playing in this tournament, it felt good to know we were all playing on a court with antiquity and history. In the states, we are fortunate enough to play in some incredible venues. I know this court makes us all appreciate what we have while also reminding us of where we each picked up our first basketball and the journey we have taken to get where we are today.

With school in session, the students at the high school waved and smiled at us and were peeking through the windows throughout practice. The surrounding locals are some of the kindest and sincerest people I have met. We concluded the day with a superb dinner at a local place near the resort.

All in all, I could not imagine a better way to celebrate this Thanksgiving holiday than be surrounded by an endless list to be grateful for. This opportunity is truly something special and I feel incredibly blessed to be able to experience it with my team. Family, friends, and fans, thank you for reading. We all wish you a Happy Thanksgiving from the Bahamas!

Stay blessed,

Jesse

#piosinparadise

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Sophomore Avery Queen (Boerne, Texas)

Thanksgiving in Paradise

The hardest part of today was probably getting up for 9 a.m. breakfast. We were all so tired from traveling that the 8:40 alarm came quicker than ever. We ate breakfast as a team, we watched film as a team and we headed to practice as a team. It was an awesome Thanksgiving in paradise.

Today was our second day on the island and by far the most fun. We got to take advantage of the beach by jet skiing and banana boating together in the wonderful Atlantic ocean. The whole beach party was a blast, from the start of watching a teammate getting thrown off the banana boat, to driving a jet ski with a teammate screaming for their life in your ear was all such a great experience to be apart of.

I'm we are all most thankful for was the opportunity to come to such a nice place, such as the Bahamas and play with such a great team.

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll

-Avery Queen

Friday, November 27, 2015

Junior, Jacqlyn Poss (Shoreview, Minn.)

Gameday

Today the squad woke up for a 9 a.m. shootaround to prepare for tip-off with Notre Dame. We grabbed a few breakfast snacks before heading to the bus to sharpen our game plan.

After a productive shootaround, including a fan base of local school kids, we headed back to the hotel to eat our pregame meal. We had our traditional menu filled with chicken, pasta, salad, veggies, fruit and of course, our favorite - lemonade. After getting fueled for the game, we all went to prepare ourselves mentally for the contest. Some went to take naps, some went for a calm walk on the beach, and some went to spend time with family. After some relaxation and game prep, we all suited up in our jerseys and matching attire to board the bus at 1:30 to head to the gym.

One of the neatest things about this tournament are the bus rides to and from the gym. Every time we pull up to the gym, all of the school kids are standing outside in lines greeting and waving to us. It is quite a special sight; they see us as superstars.

Once we arrived at the gym, we watched a quarter of the game prior to us before lacing up our shoes and warming up. Before we knew it, it was time for tip-off against Notre Dame!

We were thrilled to have to opportunity to compete with one of the best teams in the country! Despite a losing score, we competed the entire 40 minutes, and didn't quit on ourselves. A tough-scoring second quarter was the difference in the game. Looking at just the second half stats, we were within 7 points of the fighting Irish, something that we were proud of and something we can build on going forward from here.

We improved today and are excited to take our second-half play into tomorrow's game against LA Tech.

After the game we returned back to the hotel for quick showers and ice baths before a refueling dinner at Giovanni's. It will be an early bed time for all of us as we will need to get some rest before another battle tomorrow!!

GO PIOS. #PiosinParadise #proudtobeapio

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