AAU 12U D-II Nationals 2008 (Day 3)

Bloomington IN is about 185 miles from Centerville OH and has been a pretty cool place to visit so far...

Given the 11U team did not attend a Nationals this year, Naddiyah was ecstatic to get the opportunity to join the Dayton Lady Hoopstars 12U White team at the D-II championships in Bloomington. It has been a great nationals already and we are not even into the bracket play yet. What makes it so great is the closeness of the girls and the parents on the team.

We came up on the 4th of July (Happy Fourth!!!) and found a way to enjoy the night despite a lack luster opening ceremonies. The cool thing was that the girls were given t-shirts, bags, and traded for other memorabilia on the first night. I don't remember all that at Disney, but maybe I just wasn't taking in each moment as I was this year.

Oh yeah, we are here for basketball. The pool play was up and down. We played the first two games in a shooting slump (I mean bad -- even on layups and free throws), but still found a way to split 1-1. Then at the 6:00p game today, the girls put together a pretty good win that should boost their confidence going into the championship brackets. All the girls seemed to be firing on all cylinders and Naddiyah even got to a play a fair amount which was cool for her as she really enjoys playing with these girls. They are a great group. I am glad this last game was so successful as I think they were mentally beaten in middle game.

Anyway, back to Bloomington. We went to Lake Lemon yesterday, which was very fun. Afterwards, we enjoyed the night some more in the cozy area behind the Quality Inn we are staying at. Speaking of which, we ended up in the Presidential Suite thanks to Zayannab's wisdom (a lot of years put into...ok I'll stop there), which isn't as big of a deal as it sounds in a small hotel; however, it is very nice. We have a jacuzzi in the master bedroom and our own TV, so we actually feel like we are on vacation.

Well, I will have to keep you all posted, but the girls are on their way.

Peace.