Last week, if someone asked one of the North Carolina Central University men’s basketball student-athletes what his plans were for the weekend, his likely response would be, “I am going to Colorado Springs with my team to play Air Force; then we’re flying to Detroit to play the Michigan Wolverines.”
On the surface, that sounds like a pretty nice trip. Some may even say it is another example of how today’s student-athletes are spoiled by the glitz and glamour of big-business college basketball.
Well, before you draw any conclusions, let me tell you about the day the Eagles experienced on Sunday.
The Journey Begins
After playing 40 minutes of basketball and battling the effects of thin air at an elevation of more than 7,000 feet above sea level the night before, the Eagles start their Sunday morning to the sound of a 5:15 wake-up call. Staggering to the bus for a 5:40 departure, the brisk Colorado winds complete the wake-up evolution.
Following a 20-minute ride to the airport, the wait begins.
While most would agree that the dreadful ordeal of checking in and passing through airport security is not among their top ten things to do (or the top 100 for that matter), just imagine multiplying that times 24 - the number of people in the men’s basketball travel party. After several uncomfortable pat-downs and a security hold because of a lost photo I.D., all 24 are accounted for at gate 12.
The team begins the boarding process for a 7:39 a.m. departure to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. About halfway through the procedure, however, the flight attendant informs the passengers about a revised “wheels-up” time of 10:15 a.m. (Mountain time). Everyone off the plane and back into the terminal.
While there is no snow on the ground in Colorado Springs, except for the white capped southern Rocky Mountains, there is a winter storm blanketing the Midwest.
Two hours later, let’s try again. With everyone now on board, the plan is to head to Chicago, but the course may be rerouted to Des Moines, Iowa.
Fingers crossed.
Two-and-a-half hours later and after 30 minutes of circling the airport awaiting clearance to land, the team and fellow travelers touch down in Chicago. The good news is that the plane did not end up in Iowa. The bad news? The squad’s connecting flight to Detroit is one of more than 1,400 flights cancelled out of O’Hare airport.
Even more bad news, as the coaching staff is informed that the next possible flight for the Eagles is not until Tuesday morning (the day of the next game against the University of Michigan), and that would be two separate airplanes. Well, that’s not going to work.
It’s now approximately 1:55 p.m. (Central time). Coaches and administrators orchestrate several alternatives. After a host of text messages, e-mails, phone calls and careful consideration, the revised game plan is to hop on a bus at 5 p.m. for a 249-mile journey from O’Hare airport to just beyond Ann Arbor, Michigan. The typical four-hour ride is approached with caution due to the snow-covered roads and strong gusts of Midwest winds.
With the sun now fading, only the gentle glow of blue path lights prevent the interior of the bus from falling into complete darkness. With the exhausted crew also fading, the only sounds are crunching snow under spinning tires, heavy winds shaking windows and beating music escaping from headphones.
A little more than nine hours later, the voyage finally comes to an end. The bus comes to rest at the team’s final destination at 1:18 a.m. (Eastern time) … early Monday morning.
The expedition covered two days and three time zones – one by air and two by bus – in a total time of more than 22 hours.
So, when you are watching the Eagles take on the Michigan Wolverines on Tuesday night under the bright lights of the Big Ten Network, look beyond the glitz and glamour portrayed on the big screen and think of the sacrifices and struggles the student-athletes endured to get there.
Oh yeah, one more thing… the luggage is expected to arrive sometime late Monday afternoon.
