Coach Green's African Recruit (aka the Manager Blog)

My name is Steve Tuan and Coach Green recruited me all the way from South Africa (don't let my skin color fool you!). Coach Green's daughter was teaching at my high school and during the summer Coach Green came to Africa to visit his daughter. He brought basketballs and gear with him to conduct basketball clinics with the local kids. As a student at my dad's school, I volunteered to help out with the clinics. During that time, I was in my junior year and had no clue of what God had next for my life. While helping out with Coach Green, I got to know him a little bit more and he told me about the university that he coached at and said I should apply to study in America at Liberty. It's hard to imagine living and growing up in Africa and ending up studying in America. Little did I know, though, that through prayer and faith I would end up coming to Liberty.

When I came here, we had a campus tour that brought me to the Vines Center and I ran into Sam and he took me to see Coach Green. Right then and there Coach Green offered me a job to work with him and be a part of this program. I am so blessed to be a part of this program and it is only by God's divine intervention that I am here in America.

Enough about me; now on to some stories about the team!

A lot has happened during my years as a manager and throughout the years I've found out that our girls tend to forget things very often. But the most outrageous thing happened last week when in Charlottesville when we stopped at the hotel and I was passing out the room keys. I passed Jasmine's key to her and went on to the next person. A few second later I turned around and Jasmine was on the floor of the bus looking up and down. I asked her what happened and she said she lost her key. It was pretty outrageous, because I had given her the key less than 30 seconds earlier!

I am pretty proud of my managing career and have not messed up drastically during my time here until this semester. A month ago, I put the clothes in the dryer to dry and after I took them out, I found that I melted all of the practice jerseys, so the numbers were all smeared. So now all the practice jerseys look like they are tie-dyed! I thought it would help our team be in style, and really I just wanted us to be trendy, but I am pretty sure that we are now the only team in the country with tie-dyed practice jerseys!

Go Flames!

Steve Tuan

Christmas is Coming!!!!!

Christmas is coming!!!!! Well, actually Christmas has been coming to my quad for quite awhile! I live with Ashley, Catherine, and Reagan, and Catherine and Reagan have listening to Christmas music since October! Over Thanksgiving, Catherine decorated our quad – putting lights everywhere and hanging decorations from the ceiling. She even put up a Christmas tree!

Now that it’s after Thanksgiving, I feel like it is acceptable to talk about and decorate for Christmas, and I have to say that I am really excited as well. Reagan’s mom made us all stockings with our initials on them, and we are going to fill each other’s stockings with goodies – how fun is that??

Our plan is to have a Christmas dinner together right before we leave for break. I’m not exactly sure what we’re going to make for dinner, since we are all from different parts of the country and have different family traditions. However, I think I am going to make an executive decision right now and say that we will create our own traditions, since we are like our own little family. ☺ I guarantee you that there will be some ugly Christmas sweaters at the dinner, though, just because ugly sweaters are pretty much a universal Christmas treat!

In preparation for Christmas, we have been watching all of the Christmas movies on TV. There are soooo many good movies on, but obviously, the classic is Elf. I’d tell you what my favorite line of that movie is, but there are just too many great lines to choose from! I will say, though, that I love it when Buddy is singing with Jovi and when Buddy first experiences New York!

I hope that you are as excited for Christmas as I am! I also hope that during the holidays, you will remember the real reason for Christmas, because we wouldn’t have anything to celebrate if it wasn’t for Jesus’ birth!

Go Flames!

Katelyn

Our Favorite Shooting Game - "Taps"

Coach Sherard here...

For all of you that don’t know, this is my 5^th year on staff with Carey Green and Liberty Women’s Basketball and I'm loving every minute of it. The staff, players, support staff and managers make it a joy to come into work everyday.

I wanted to talk about a few things behind the scenes that a lot of you may not know. Every day before practice we play a shooting game called “Taps”. Basically, the objective of the game is to make as many 3s as you can, and if a 3 is missed, you have to Tap (alley-oop) it in, in order to get another chance to shoot.

Our head manager, Steven Tuan, could not make a 3 ball to save his life 2 years ago, and today is a lights out shooter…probably the best shooting manager in the country.

Our Director of Basketball Operations, Sarah Boruta, despite her soft demeanor and slight frame, is a sharp-shooting terminator!

It is so interesting to have people like this on staff, because the fans would never see them on the court, but little do they know, they could shoot with the best of them, even on our team!! LOL!!

In addition to shooting stars in our office, our graduate assistant, Sam Choi, serves as my personal chiropractor...he says he has no background in this profession, but I beg to differ…he can crack a back with one hand. ...There are not too many places you can witness big time shooting by non-players and compete against them, and have your back adjusted anytime you need it!

LIBERTY WOMEN'S BASKETBALL has a place for everyone, and I'm glad I found where I belong! It's a blessing to be part of this program; come to our games and check us out!

Grace and Peace,

Coach Sherard

A-DUBB Here!

WHAT'S UP! You are now tuned in with A-DUBB, formally known as AVERY WARLEY #23.

It feels amazing to be back with my team and coaches here at Liberty. If you haven't heard, I was blessed with the opportunity to play for the USA in Guadalajara, Mexico about a mouth ago. An amazing experience, but I must say it feels good to come back to toilets that you can actually flush your poop tissue down! (long story but know that just to do that is a blessing!) ☺

Moreover I'm having a blast kicking off my senior year with amazing coaches and teammates who I love like a fat kid loves cake. ☺ For those who have been watching, though, things for the Lady Flames have been a little rocky with the adversity we are facing this early in the season, but I want to give you a verse that is very dear to me and I read daily that gives me a peace and calms my spirit. I hope that it can help you with your trial and tribulation you are or going to be facing as much as it has helped me. The verse is James 1:2 (NIV) it says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

(deep breath)

Just writing this is enough for me to be at peace, but I want you to always remember nothing is bigger than God and trust Him in any and every aspect of your life. Thanks so much for listening and supporting the Lady Flames. I look forward to seeing you this season. Be blessed and we love you.

Go Flames!

AW #23

On the Road Again...

...Just can’t wait to get on the road again!

Hellooo Everyone, Coach Blood here! ☺

Welcome to our 2011-12 season! I’m happy to say that we are a perfect 1-0 this year with an opening win at UNCG on Friday night. It was awesome to see the girls’ hard work and teamwork result in a victory.

That brings me to the meat of what I wanted to share with you…a glimpse into Lady Flames road trips. They start with the best bus driver, newly “Santa-ized” (beard and mustache) Ron. ☺ …It’s always interesting to see what seat each person adopts for the year – and what each person does during the bus ride.

Napping is a favorite of Danika, Devon and Kendra. Homework is common for Brittany and Tolu. And, I caught freshmen Reagan and Katelyn watching Gilmore Girls and Raising Helen on their laptops. You can’t forget Internet surfing/facebook/twitter fun as our bus has wireless Internet available. Sarah, Theresa (our athletic trainer), Steve (our head manager), and Jamie Hall (Lady Flames radio announcer) had a competitive card game of Spades going (I’m feeling some Euchre on future trips!).

And last (and probably least – lol) is Coach Green’s favorite – the HUNTING Channel on our bus television! For probably the first time in my 5 years at Liberty, I think we were ALL watching the other day while driving to pre-game meal! A female sniper lured a coyote out of the desert and when the shot rang out and connected from 800 yards away, we were all shocked…and impressed. We all laughed at our in-unison response, similar to seeing Reagan’s first punch on film on her And-1 play. …Film sessions and reactions to big plays…maybe those will be future blogs…until then, I’m looking forward to many more fun and successful road trips this season.

-Coach Blood
Heb. 12:1

P.S. Be sure to come watch our home opener tonight at 7pm vs VCU!!!

DWTS vs Monday Night Football

Fact: 86% of my college friends are now married and either have kids, started blogging or became a Bachelorette or Bachelor fan… (Thank you Liberty University!!)

Interesting, huh? Well here is another one for ya!

Did you know 83% of regular blogger/blog readers consider themselves as passionate fans of god-awful shows such as, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and DWTS?

Well, when I made up both of these stats I immediately did not want to be in any part of WBB’s blog. I was a little skeptical about myself becoming a blogger...

What’s next?

Am I going to give up watching the Eagles’ Monday Night Football game because Dancing With the Stars is on?

I have seen too many of my manly friends fall in the trap of getting married just to trade in their Sportscenter for their wives' Dancing With the Stars.

It kills me to see our conversations go from “Did you see the Top 10 plays from yesterday?” to “I cannot believe Ashley picked J.P?!?!!”

Well, here I am...My name is Sam and I am the video coordinator/practice squad coordinator for our wonderful team...I am a die-hard Philadelphia Sports fan with a weird dedication that only people from Philly would understand.

I am a coffee drinker, Black please...by Black I mean no cream and sugar...

I am an occasional dog walker, tweeter (@Samjchoi) and a BananaGramer.

I am also a lover of Modern Family! ..."Brotha from a different motha" – Phil Dunphy

What I am not is that I am not a blogger, so please bear with me as I attempt to give you a different perspective on the things around our team. It’s not always going to be about basketball; I will occasionally throw in Jesus here and there, also known as a Jesus Juke, but I promise, you will learn something new about our team!!

By the way is anyone else besides me already listening to Christmas music???

-Sam

To Wear Kneepads or Not...

I’m Jasmine and I’m currently debating whether or not to wear kneepads this season.

Here’s the deal: I play pretty hard in the post and I find myself on the floor a lot battling for the basketball. I get a bit bruised and banged up, but nothing I haven’t been able to bounce back from. Coach Sherard thinks I need to protect my knees, though, and he has a valid point.

However, I am the team fashionista and I have a reputation to uphold.

I mean, my teammates look to me to be their fashion leader. I love to shop and I’m known for having super cute clothes, which are only complemented by my pretty smile that lights up whatever room I am in (and no, I am not short of confidence!). My teammates count on me to paint my nails a different color each week depending on my mood and the season of the year. For example, during the summer I love painting my nails neon colored, because it’s summer—it’s fun, exciting, bright, and cheery!

Back to my original point, though...I am not sure that I can wear kneepads, because they are just not the greatest fashion statement. I mean, do you see kneepads on the red carpet? It just doesn’t happen. And maybe that’s an extreme statement, but I just feel like as the team fashion captain, I am letting down my teammates if I step onto the court with huge, dowdy pads covering my knees. Coach Sherard laughed at me when I told him this, but I didn’t expect him to understand.

That being said, I really think you should come to our first home game on Tuesday, November 15, at 7pm at the Vines Center. It’s against VCU and it will be a good game – and not only that, but you’ll get to see if I actually decide to wear kneepads or not!

Go Flames!

Jasmine

The Season Is Almost Here!

Well, the season is almost here! In preparation, we have been training very hard in the weight room with early morning workouts and heavy weight lifting. The daily practices have been intense and full of energy. Although we are still trying to learn several offenses and defenses, the team is working very hard to improve in one area or another each day in practice. Amidst our hard work, Coach Green keeps it light by breaking up each practice with someone telling the joke of the day. Below is my joke from last week!

Why did the teddy bear reject dinner? …hmmm….ponder that as you read my blog!

I am so excited for this upcoming season! I love my teammates and coaches so much! Each of the girls and coaches bring something unique and special to the team that is turning us into one unit. One of the many things I appreciate about my teammates is that they know how to laugh and have fun (we laughed a lot at my joke…don’t you wish you knew the answer??). Even in the midst of a hard and challenging practice, the girls stay positive and try to build each other up from trials and frustrations. I pray this team seeks to become selfless in their decisions on and off the court and understands that the focus needs to be on Christ alone and enhancing His kingdom even in the moments when we do not understand. This is so much easier said than done especially in the midst of thousands of burpees over and over or running 22’s until our legs fall off, but I pray this team is different in the sense that no matter how tired or frustrated we get in the moment that we will grow in maturity and seek to fight through pain, understanding that is for our benefit to achieve the goals we have set for this team. Together we will become a bigger and better team. We are getting work done in the weight room and in practice; let’s stay consistent and grow into a championship team!

Okay, okay, here's what you've really been waiting for…so why did the teddy bear reject dinner? Because he was stuffed!

Go Flames!

Emily

The First Post

I feel like I should write something astounding in the inaugural post of the Liberty Women’s Basketball blog. The page is empty and inviting, and it’s exciting—kind of like opening a new jar of peanut butter and realizing you get to make the first mark on the smooth, flawless surface. Whether it’s a deep, thick gouge of the knife because your sandwich demands it or a thin slice to spread on a banana, you have the first cut and it’s thrilling.

While that might be an overly dramatic introduction for this blog, I promise the posts that follow will not disappoint. Each week throughout the season, a player or coach will post an entry. Stay tuned to read about things like the strategy behind a game day hairdo, the necessary elements of a great New Year’s resolution, and the managers’ secrets to keeping the team in line. The blog is an empty slate now, but just wait until the Liberty Lady Flames carve it up!

Go Flames!

Sarah