And So It Begins!

Find out what Sharkey had to say about practice beginning and her senior teammates...

October was definitely one to remember! Over the last couple of weeks we have been working extremely hard on the court and in the classroom to get ready for the 2010-2011 season. I am so excited to see how our hard work will pay off!

On October 4th we had our first official practice! This was especially memorable for Margeaux, Rachel and I because we are freshman and this was our first official practice as Division I athletes. My motivation going into this practice was thinking about how hard I worked to get to this point and that if I keep it up the possibilities are endless. The intensity at every practice is nothing like I have ever experienced before. In high school not everyone wants to take basketball to the next level so it is hard to get everyone excited and ready to work at every practice. At Buffalo we are working hard every second of every practice to reach that common goal to win! It has been quite the ride!

This month we also had our Bulls Madness event where the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams participated in events such as the three point competition, knockout, shooting and a dunk contest. It was a great way to kick off our season with our fans. The best part about the whole night was when Coach Mac rapped for the crowd with Ephesia Holmes laying down the beat behind her. It was inspirational and the fact that she did that got us all excited! After we signed autographs for the fans and got to meet some of the faces that we will see in the stands this season.

Practices have been extremely intense!! I have the most respect for the seniors on this year’s team (Kourtney Brown, Jessica Fortman, Bridgette Kendricks, and Ashley Zuber). Each and every one of them has contributed an immense amount of their time and sweat into becoming better basketball players and bringing this team together. Kourtney is the hardest working person I have ever met and to be able to learn from her each practice has helped me personally become a better basketball player. Jessica Fortman will always have her teammates back on and off the court. The way she communicates on the court makes it so much easier for us all to play as one. Jessica also happens to be my mentor so she helped me a lot with my adjustment to college and balancing basketball and academics. Bridgette is an amazing defender! In practice she frustrates the offense with her speed and quick hands. She works extremely hard as well and I am excited to watch her pick a part opposing teams’ offense this season. Zuber is a great leader as well and she has helped Margeaux become a better basketball player with the pressure she puts on her each day at practice. Every day she works extremely hard and leads by example. All of them have brought our team to where it is right now. Our team is going to do big things this season and I believe that the seniors will lead us to victory!

As you may know our home opener will be on November 12th at 7pm in the Alumni Arena. This is going to be a season to remember because we believe in our talents, hard work, and each other to become victorious!!!

Sharkey #25 ('14)