Senior captain Claire Sullivan returned from injury to lead Lehigh in assists during the 2007-08 season. Entering her final season in the Brown and White, Claire has dished out 349 career assists, good for sixth most in school annals. The Connecticut native is a multi-year member of the Dean’s List and the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and is currently working towards her master’s degree. Check back soon for her latest update.
Patriot League Champions…the aftermath and the NCAA Tourney preview!
Friday, March 20th
Holiday Inn, Somerset New Jersey:
Hello to all of my loyal readers out there! If you are a loyal reader, than you already know the fabulous news….Lehigh University, Patriot League Champs for the 2008-2009 season, as well as regular season champs and an undefeated record at fan-friendly Stabler Arena! It has really been a remarkable season for us, and the fact that this is my last year has just made the experience all the more meaningful. The Patriot League tourney was amazing. We earned the number one seed, and played Colgate in the first round, winning by a fairly wide margin. It was a good game for us because we got to get the tournament jitters out and get acclimated to post-season basketball. We played Army the next day, after they advanced with a win over our long-time tournament nemesis Holy Cross. Army is a very tough, physical team, so we knew the game was going to be challenging. The game was very close through the first half, but the second half proved to be another story, as we started the second held on fire and never looked back. So after the game we watched to see who our opponent in the championship game would be, and, drum roll please, Lafayette pulled out their second victory of the tournament to set up the match-up that everyone was hoping for. Even though there were only a few days separating the semi-finals from the championship, it seemed to be an interminable amount of time, and it was incredibly difficult to focus on anything else but Wednesday night. So to my professors I offer my apologies for paying little to no attention in class Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The championship game certainly lived up to its billing. Stabler Arena was the loudest I have ever heard it, and the energy of our fans really helped carry us through against a Lafayette squad that played a very solid game. The first half was all about Alex Ross, the tournament MVP. She dropped 20 first half points, with six three pointers. The second half was much more of a struggle for our team, and it was a classic grind-it out victory that was not at all pretty, but we made plays when we needed to and pulled out the win. Fans rushed the court, I ended up at the bottom of the dog-pile, and it was one of the absolute best moments of my life for what it symbolized. Winning a championship this season, with this incredible group of people, just totally validated my career at Lehigh, and was the ultimate culmination of a five year career filled with myriad highs and lows. As I was cutting down the net all I could think about was how “lucky” I was to have gotten hurt, because without that injury I would not have been standing on top of a ladder in Stabler Arena, cutting down a piece of the net after a championship victory.
We basked in the championship glow for four glorious days off, reconvening on Monday for practice and then the selection show. We were hoping for a 13 or 14 seed, based on our record and the fact that we had not lost in our last 12 games. When it was announced that we would be a 15 seed, playing against Auburn, there was initially some disappointment. But we realized that we would be playing at Rutgers, which is very close to Lehigh, so we would be able to get a lot of family and friends at the game. We started preparing for Auburn, a two seed and one of the best teams in the SEC. They are certainly a faster, more athletic team, and this week one of the men’s basketball coaches, Bryan White (Lehigh ’08), practiced with us to try and show us the level of strength and athleticism we would be facing.
We left for the NCAAs on Thursday afternoon, and stopped in New York City, where we had a chance to walk around as a team and have dinner. It was nice having a chance to make the stop in New York City to add a sense of occasion to the trip, so that it wasn’t just a regular road trip. Today Erica Prosser and I attended the NCAA press conference, and were asked some fabulous questions such as, “How will you be able to compete with Auburn?” Clearly, we are serious underdogs. We practiced at Rutgers for an hour, and are now back at the hotel, hanging out until dinner at 7. Our team is having fun, taking it all in, and we are all pretty loose and excited to play tomorrow. We know that no one believes that we can actually win besides ourselves and our family and friends, but I think that is helping us stay loose and we will go out tomorrow and just play. We aren’t here to do anything but win.
I’ve waited five years to be in this position, and it’s been an incredible journey. I hope we have started a Lehigh tradition this year!
“If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?”
-Vince Lombardi
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2008 Coming to a Close - December 28
First of all, Happy Holidays to everyone! I know that there has been a long time between posts, and I apologize for the delay. I promise to be timelier in the New Year.
Our record now stands at 8-3, and we have four games coming up this week, three of which are at Stabler Arena. We play North Florida on December 29 in the Christmas City Classic, and will then play December 30 as well, with the time of the game and the opponent contingent upon the outcome of the North Florida game. We are really looking forward to this tournament because we have not won it in many years, and these are our first games since December 20. Hopefully we can build on that win, in which we beat Binghamton by a large margin and played very good basketball at both ends of the floor. In that game Alex Ross was unstoppable, scoring 29 points and breaking the single game mark for most three-pointers in a game with nine. So hopefully we can carry the positives from that game over and keep improving every game as we prepare for league play, which is fast approaching.
The five days we received off for Christmas were the most we have had off since I have been at Lehigh, and they were greatly appreciated by all of us. We all left after the game on Saturday, and I drove home to Connecticut with Kristen Iafolla (aka “KI”), a sophomore who is from Massachusetts. My car, a 1996 Jeep, is not exactly the smoothest driving machine. It has a laundry list of lovable flaws, such as no working radio (I rock out to cassette tapes-yes they still exist), doors that can’t be open from the inside, and temperamental heating and cooling. Needless to say, it is always an adventure to drive. But KI and I made the most of our road trip together in the Jeep without any mishaps; although she chose to drive her own car back to school after Christmas rather than drive with me…I blame the Jeep for this!
The time in Connecticut with my family was wonderful, and it was the longest I had been home in a year. We have a Christmas Eve party at my house, and Christmas Day at my Uncle Danny’s house. Santa was good to our family this year, as my poorly functioning cell phone was replaced with the iPhone. My sister, who manages to get lost every time she gets in to the car, was given a GPS. We’ll see if that works. But the older I get, the more I appreciate Christmas for the fact that it brings my family together for two straight days, and this is really the most I could ask for.
As I think about the close of 2008 and the start of 2009, I can’t help but focus on the fact that my career as an athlete is quickly coming to a close, and that my last semester at Lehigh is just around the corner. I literally could be anywhere in the world a year from now. But I’m trying not to get too far ahead of myself, and just enjoy every moment I have left at Lehigh and as part of the basketball team. Hopefully we can end 2008 on a high note by winning the Christmas City Classic!
I wish everyone a very Happy New Year!
“New Year's Day - Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.”
-Mark Twain
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Games have finally begun! - November 19
Our season tipped off against Penn on November 14th at our home court of Stabler arena. After a slow start, we pulled away from Penn and never trailed, putting up 83 points and showing the promise this team has. On November 16th, we faced St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia. We did not play well in the first half, and trailed by as much as 15. But our goal was to cut the lead to 10 by the end of the first half, which we were able to do. At halftime we talked about playing harder, smarter, and executing consistently. We were able to chip away at the lead throughout the second half, coming back to tie the game up with a little over 3 minutes to go in the game. Unfortunately, St. Joseph’s made some huge shots down the stretch, and we were unable to counter with scores of our own. So although moral victories are not what this team is about, the loss to St. Joseph’s carried with it some positive lessons that we can use in moving forward.
Hopefully those lessons learned in Sunday’s game will carry over to tonight’s game against FDU. We need to play a full 40 minutes of basketball; consistent, well-executed, and defensively sound.
Through these first two games there have been some really great individual performances, and it is exciting to see so many people open the season on really positive notes. Erica Prosser was just named Patriot League Player of the Week, Alex Ross has been scoring in double figures, Haly Crites had a career high in our game against Penn, and Alexa Williams has gotten off to a strong start in her Lehigh career. It has also been a huge positive to have Ryan Ingalls and Kristen Dalton back on the court with us, as they missed all of last year with injuries. The best part of this team is the true collaboration we bring to each game and practice, as everyone brings some unique skills to the group that can help differentiate our team. As the season goes on and people get more comfortable with their roles I think that will be even more evident.
For me personally, this season has started off well because of my comfort level with my role and with my physical and mental status. I am not worrying about my knee, I am not questioning my skills as a player, and I am just trying to focus on enjoying my last year of competitive basketball and making the most of my opportunities on the floor. These first two games have excited me so much about this season, and we have only scratched the surface of how good this team can be.
School is going well, but now is the time when papers and projects are due, and finals are fast approaching. So from now until the end of finals will involve a lot of late nights in the library and copious amounts of caffeine. I can’t believe I am down to my last semester at Lehigh!
Note: If you were upset over Obama’s victory, stop reading now.
I also want to briefly mention the historic election of November 4 and Barack Obama’s victory over John McCain. I know this event has been reported, written, and talked about non-stop, but it left me feeling very proud to be an American, and passionate to work for desperately needed change and reform in this country. As someone who is leaving the safe environs of academia very shortly, the turmoil of the economy is fresh on my mind, but I think the right man is now in place to start re-shaping this economy for a more sustainable future.
“To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.”
-Anatole France (French novelist, 1844-1924)
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October 6 - Pre-season; week 6. Time flies when you’re having fun!
This semester has flown by, and the start of practice is a little over a week away. After the way this team has attacked the challenges of pre-season, I am certainly excited and anxiously awaiting the start of practice and a more competitive day to day environment. Our pre-season consists of lifting workouts three days a week, two small group basketball workouts with our coaches that are position specific, three sessions of informal “pick-up” basketball in which we scrimmage each other for an hour and a half without the coaches present, and one on-court conditioning workout, one speed workout, and one session of yoga. The diversity of the workouts keeps us busy, but it also prevents us from getting bored or complacent. Our team has been very focused on working hard and improving, and there have been very few days this fall when I felt that the group was just going through the motions. This type of approach to workouts, if carried over to practice, is what has excited me so much about the upcoming season. Not only do we have talent, but we have talent that is willing to work, compete, and improve everyday.
For the most part this pre-season has been devoid of any major injuries (knocking on wood right now), as in years past early season injuries have set our team back to a certain degree. One of the best parts of the last few weeks of pre-season has been watching the four newcomers get acclimated and start to assert themselves on the team in a positive way on and off the court. They are such a gifted group, and will be making big contributions to the program over their careers. This team is so much fun to be around, and I feel so fortunate to get the opportunity to be a part of the group for one more year. It has really hit me in the last week that my career as a basketball player has an expiration date, and I am trying to not take a thing for granted (although I can’t say that I am very wistful after on-court conditioning workouts). This is a theme I know I will be touching on a great deal over the course of the year, because it is a feeling I have never felt as an athlete.
In terms of the scholar portion of my life as a student-athlete, my biggest issue has been trying to not procrastinate so much, and finding that goal to be nearly impossible. My classes are great though, especially my Politics of Authenticity class. The class is taught in the Socratic Method, so being prepared for class is key. So far we have discussed works by Plato, Marx, Freud, Marcuse, Montesquieu, and just recently an assortment of poems. It is a class in which I enjoy learning simply for learning’s sake, because it is both fascinating and thought provoking. This class alone is reason enough to be getting my Masters this year.
This past weekend was young alumni weekend, so I was able to see a few of Lehigh women’s basketball alums, including my four year roommate. It was great to see all of them and reconnect, and it just reinforced the fact that Lehigh basketball is a family, a family that stretches far beyond one’s four years at school.
“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul”.
-from the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley (1849-1903)
TO RETURN TO THE LEHIGH STUDENT-ATHLETE BLOGS HOME, CLICK HERE.