As the cold season approaches, recalling the warm, humid nights spent in the Virgin Islands is the best cure for the frigid nights of Southern California. Better than a cup of the richest hot chocolate, the trip to the Virgin Islands had revived the USC women's basketball team from its lethargy. As senior forward Aarika Hughes stated, the team was going to the Virgin Islands "to have fun... then handle business."
The fun started with a session of snorkeling in the warm Atlantic waters off the shore of an uninhabited island. The snorkeling session started rough as seasickness spread, but as soon as the players hit the water, by way of a waterslide off the side of the snorkeling yacht, any thoughts of sickness were washed away. Snorkeling brought back the fun to the team, as they swam, saw sea turtles swim alongside the yacht, and were awed at the sight of a sunken pirate ship meters below their finned feet.
The next day, the team prepared to handle business. After shoot-around at a local Virgin Islands school, the pregame meal was quiet and subdued, a stark contrast from the animated and giddy atmosphere of the team's snorkeling excursion. In the first game of the tournament, the Women of Troy would be facing a talented Rutgers University team. Led by sophomore forward Chelsey Lee, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights defeated the Women of Troy in a physical and a tightly contested game.
The new mood -- perhaps attributed to the braids that Jacki Gemelos and Stefanie Gilbreath had styled to their hair the morning of the Texas game -- carried on as the Women of Troy upset the No. 19 Mississippi State. The Women of Troy hit the floor with their routine pregame cheer, led by senior Hailey Dunham, as if they owned it. The time spent during individual practices, the time spent running laps for missed layups, and the time spent learning new plays had been worth it, seeing the Women of Troy perform one of their best basketball games of the season. And, at the last seconds of the game, the Women of Troy won on the most basic skill that the coaches had stressed all season: knock down your free throws.
The ending to the night was capped not when the Women of Troy received their second place award at the 2009 Paradise Jam, but when they celebrated the birthday of Marissa Main, the team's manager. And, they didn't even need Marissa's birthday candle to grant them the win.
As the team returned to Los Angeles, and to the coming winter, the Women of Troy knew there will always be more challenges to come. The coming Pac-10 conference games will test the newfound confidence they gained in the Virgin Islands. As they left the warm weather of the Caribbean, the Women of Troy look forward to facing conference play and are ready to handle business, seal the deal, and emerge triumphant.
