Wat's Words, Day Three
Mar 10, 2003 | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2003
Tulane senior guard Waitari Marsh will be checking in with TulaneGreenWave.com periodically during the C-USA Men's Basketball Tournament in Louisville, Ky.
Wednesday, March 12
I'm feeling real good right now. We have that first "W" under our belt and now we are getting ready for the next one. Anytime we get a win, I always feel good.
My family made it down for the game and it is always good to see my family. I didn't think they would be able to make it; it's a long drive and I didn't know if they had the funds to stay overnight, but they worked it out, so it was great to have them here to see our win.
We started real well today, we jumped out early and had a good lead, but it always crosses your mind that they can catch up. Everything was going good, we were clicking defensively and everything was going well for us. After awhile I did feel comfortable, but I never know the game is over until the buzzer sounds. I don't like to take anything for granted.
After the game Coach Finney told us it was a good effort, but that's not what we came down here. We didn't come to just win one game; we have the first one under our belt, we have three more.
Since the game, everybody has just been hanging around the hotel, resting and relaxing. We have another game in a few hours. We've been watching the other games on tv, seeing the scores from the other tournaments going on, pretty much chilling.
We just had a meeting with the coaches at 10:30 tonight; we went over the game plan for our next game, against Louisville. We have a big challenge on our hands, but we're well prepared and we know what we have to do to come out on top.
The basic game plan for tomorrow is to handle their press, Pitino teams press all game. He gets the most out of his players. He has good guys and he makes them play hard. We have to match their intensity and contain their two big guns, play good defense and handle their press.
Now I plan on getting a good night's sleep so I will be fully ready for tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 11
We had a good trip up here last night. Everybody has just been anxious to get here in anticipation for the first game. Being here and not having to play this first day is just making everybody more anxious, but everything has been good.
We practiced for about an hour at noon today at Freedom Hall and when we got there, the adrenalin was just running through me. The tv people were setting up and everybody else was in the arena getting ready for the tournament. I am very excited to get this first game underway. I felt real good at practice today and everything went well.
The game is at 3:30 [Eastern Time] tomorrow and it will be on ESPN2 and I know I will have a lot of family and friends tuned in, both back in New Orleans and back home in Chicago, so we have to come out and play hard and have a good showing. Hopefully my parents can make it down to the game, but it will depend on the situation with my brothers being in school. They will try to take some time off and come down here, but if not, I know they'll be tuned in.
After practice today, we went to Applebee's just to get away, to get out of the hotel. We got a change of scenery and didn't have to settle with the hotel food. Since then, we have just been relaxing. It's after 10 now, so everybody is pretty much asleep, but I have been reading. I am reading a new book I am interested in called "The Killing of Pablo Escobar," about the big drug lord in Columbia.
We've also been watching ESPN a little bit and see teams getting into the tournament, like Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who just won the Horizon League. They played in our tournament over Thanksgiving and I see that and it makes me that much more eager to be in that situation. I could get a chance to play in The Tournament. I'm happy for them, but I want to be in that position also.
It's a countdown, every day, somebody else is getting knocked out and another team is getting added. I just want to be part of the 65.
Monday, March 10
We beat Southern Miss on Saturday and it's always good to end on a winning note, but overall I don't think our season was as good as we had hoped, but I think with the conference tournament coming up and our seeding and the way things could go, I think it could all finish up pretty good for us.
On Saturday, we had Senior Day and it was everything I expected. It was a real nice way for the seniors to go out, with the fans giving us a big ovation and showing their respect for what we brought to the program. I wouldn't have changed anything about that night. It was real nice.
Now we have to get ready for the tournament. This is what we've been waiting for. Right now, everybody is focused. We're all on the same page. We let a couple of games get away from us that we shouldn't have, but we all know what's ahead of us and what's expected of us. We're all ready to play.
We will play Houston in the first round on Wednesday. We already beat them twice and I think it could be easy for us to take them lightly for the third game, but I think everybody is focused. Coach Finney and his staff are going to have us well-prepared for the game. I think we will just approach this game like it's our last game, because for the five seniors, it will be our last game if we lose.
To beat Houston, I think we have to do what we did the first time we beat them. The last time we played them at home, we didn't execute and carry out the game plan as well as we did the first game. In that first game, we buckled down and we defended Andre Owens and forced him into a real difficult shooting night. The big guys did a real good job on Louis Truscott, doubling him big-on-big, keeping him off the glass. Our biggest thing is to lock their two main guys out and hopefully we'll be all right.
With five seniors on the team, we all know what's expected. We've been here before. We have to bring the younger guys along and get them prepared for this time of year. I'm ready; I'm focused; I am not ready for my season to be over, so I'm going to play it like it's my last game.
