Notes from a trip on the Titan route
Antoine Davis, a VN staff writer, plays for the Titans men’s basketball team. In this brief journal, he offers readers a glimpse into the hectic nature of a recent road trip.
BY ANTOINE J. DAVIS / VN STAFF WRITER
Our Detroit Mercy men’s basketball team redefined the term “road trip†in November.
The team began their non-conference season on November 10 in Wyoming.
The next stop was Toledo, Ohio.
The week of November 15 began a six-day period on the road to face Mississippi State on November 17 and Louisville on November 20, for which the team embarked at 6 a.m. for Alabama from Detroit on the 16th. November.
After landing at Birmingham Airport, the Titans took a bus to complete their two-hour journey to Starkville, Mississippi.
In Starkville, players and coaches checked into their hotel, received room assignments, and went to their rooms to relax before practice.
After an hour of training, the team had dinner at the hotel, then the lights were turned off.
The match day started with breakfast at 9 a.m. and preparation for the shootout.
On match days there is no full training.
Instead, there’s a reiteration of the game plan and a light practice of shooting drills for an hour.
The team returned to the hotel to relax, play video games, or catch up on school until the pre-game meal.
Pre-game meals typically consist of pasta, protein, and a variety of vegetables.
The Titans boarded the bus and exited an hour or two before the 7 p.m. kickoff against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Despite a tough game, the Bulldogs won 77-64.
Dinner was prepared at the arena for the team, then he was back on the bus to Birmingham to check in at another hotel closer to the airport.
Breakfast was early Thursday and the team flew to Birmingham Airport for a flight to Louisville, Kent.
Once in Louisville, we headed to the hotel for check-in and room allocation, then dinner at a local restaurant.
The next day, the players and coaches had some free time outside of the practice, the movie and the study table.
The day of play began with a pre-game breakfast / meal at 10 a.m.
The start was at noon for the departure to the Yum Yum Center for a 2 p.m. denunciation against the Cardinals.
The Titans failed and lost six points to Louisville.
Dinner was at the arena again after the game before a five-hour bus trip to Detroit.
We’ll be playing on the road until December 11, when we’ll announce at 1 p.m. at Calihan Hall against Western Michigan.