Sept. 18, 2006
Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Itoro Coleman writes to the Tiger women’s basketball team about her experiences playing for Nigeria at the 2006 FIBA World Basketball Championships.
Greetings from Brazil!
It is about 11 pm here and I just got a hold of the computer! It’s amazing how much I depend on a computer for everything. In basketball terms, I was five down to use the computer. In other words, I had to wait behind five people to use the computer (smile).
Today (Friday) was an off day. I spent most of the day resting my aching body. The highlight of the day was lunch. We met some local Nigerians that cooked a beautiful Nigerian meal for us. I must say it was quite delicious. Okay, it was more than delicious, it was phenomenal!
As for the game, we lost to China 71-59. Those girls can flat out shoot the ball. Every time we made a run, it seemed like they would answer with a three. Now we have two more games. While some of you will be sleeping, we will be playing Taipei. The game starts at 8:45 am. We played them earlier in a scrimmage and lost by one. At this point, we are so hungry to get a win. We had a team meeting and everyone said some really good things. The challenge will be to put those words into actions!
Even though we are not winning, many more people are aware of Clemson. When I go to the press conference, a popular question is how am I able to balance coaching at Clemson with my international obligations? I tell them that Clemson is first and foremost. They have been very gracious and very supportive in allowing me to continue to represent Nigeria. I have also worn my Clemson attire every chance that I get. GO TIGERS! (smile)
Good luck to the football team at Florida State. Congrats to the soccer team for defeating North Carolina.
I look forward to seeing you in Tiger Town very soon! Take Care and GO TIGERS!
Coach Coleman
April 17, 2024
