JANE LEE
Assistant Sports Editor
The ball was tipped, and there they were.
The Pepperdine women’s basketball team was running down the court against a nationally-acclaimed basketball program that is Oklahoma.
No one thought the Waves from Malibu would make it to the NCAA Tournament, which hosts 64 teams every year.
After covering and closely following their season, I honestly even thought the chances of them crashing the Big Dance were pretty slim.
But they made it, and there was I, sitting across from the Pepperdine bench, in the midst of my first big assignment as a sports reporter.
As a college freshman sitting alongside the media courtside section, I was more in awe of the fact that I was there with a media press pass around my neck than the fact that our woman’s basketball team had accomplished the improbable by making it to Denver.
Just one year ago I was editing the one-page sports section of my high school newspaper. Now there I was sitting next to a San Francisco Chronicle reporter. On the table in front of my seat was a sign that said, “The NCAA welcomes Jane Lee.” Talk about the real deal. That sign is now sitting in my room as a souvenir, so I’m hoping the NCAA didn’t need it back.
I had already been flown to Denver and then given my own hotel room. I was, in all reality, living the life of a professional reporter for a couple of days, and that was fine by me.
By being given the opportunity to travel to Denver to cover a big-time event, I knew I had to seize every minute of it.
At the hotel I got to catch a glimpse of life away from the court for some of the basketball players and coaches. Sure, the team had its hands busy watching endless rolls of tape of Oklahoma phenom Courtney Paris, but more times than not, there were other matters to worry about, like why a strawberry shortcake hadn’t been delivered to Head Coach Julie Rousseau’s room.
The team exchanged laughs and even joked about forgetting to get a wake-up call in the morning, something I had worried about myself.
They mentioned how exciting it was to hear their names being called over the loud-speaker during practice, something that reminded me of my amusement with the sign that had my name.
The game itself was an unforgettable experience despite the loss. It was an almost indescribable feeling to be surrounded by the professional media, which included the likes of ESPN. I was given access to all locker rooms, press conferences and the working media room. Heck, I was even given free pretzels and a Diet Coke, which I wasn’t even allowed to serve myself.
And no, I didn’t ask why Coke products were being served in the Pepsi Center. I just sat back and took in everything.
In all honesty, I did have my little slips here and there. After taking about 30 pictures, I was told I had been sitting on the wrong end of the sideline the whole time; the cheerleaders were given one side and the photographers were given another. So for about 20 minutes, I was a cheerleader without a uniform but armed with a camera.
After the game, I even managed to leave that camera in a rental car. Even though the keys had already been returned by the time I took notice, it was eventually returned to my possession, but not before a mini heart attack had hit me.
The trip was an experience I don’t think I will ever fully be able to describe. Just days before the game, I was given an hour to decide if I wanted to go. The thought of spontaneously flying to Denver to cover the NCAA Tournament was overwhelming, but I can’t even begin to imagine if I had passed down the opportunity.
I was given the royal treatment at the Big Dance. Although it all feels like a dream now, I know I sure felt like the Cinderella in the story.
03-23-2006
