Tuesday - Dawid Czerniawski

Today we went to the Dixie Stampede where we had the time of our lives. For me this was my first time and it was an experience that I will never forget. We started the night off with the choice of some beverages that you do not see on a usual basis. Then we enjoyed a mix of some comedy along with a juggling act that was extravagant. Then all 32 teams walked up the stairs to an arena where we enjoyed a feast with no utensils. It consisted of a whole chicken, half a baked potato, a slice of ham, and to top it off a warm apple pie pastry. The whole arena was split into the North and South side, and basically there were different events that consisted of a competition. At the end of each event, the victorious side received a ribbon. Some of the events were pig and horse races and they even choose volunteers where we were lucky enough to have Coach Heatherly and Coach Garner compete, which of course they won. In the end it was an overall great experience with the team before we start that National Tournament.  

The team at the pre-show...there was a juggling comedian

After the great show on the horse walk

Coach Heatherly and Coach Garner in their big horse race!

Monday - Damacious White

Monday was actually our first full day in Branson. We started off with the complimentary breakfast, then got right to work afterwards with practice. Since time on the court is limited, we had to cover every detail of our game plan very rapidly.  This was one of our better and promising practices, with everyone having a sense of urgency and focus. A tornado hit various parts of Missouri last week, so we  checked out the unfortunate damage after. Since we are student athletes, a mandatory two hour study table was soon to follow. Next, we went to the Tanger outlet malls to see what Branson shopping had to offer. They had many different stores ranging from Nike to Ralph Lauren. Soon after we went to check out the most important building of the entire trip, the Ozark's gymnasium. This is the place where we hope to win Davenport's first national championship. A great conclusion to the day was when we met up with our sponsors, Mr. & Mrs. Foreman, where they prepared a scrumptious meal for us. We also came bearing gifts for them and their two children. The son was extremely thrilled about the basketball shirt and tattoos. We then had a film and personnel study session going over our future opponents, becoming even more prepared. After this long day, everyone was tired, so it was surely time to call it a night for another long day awaiting tomorrow. 

The coaches were all focused and ready to go!

The team spent about 30 minutes checking out the gym where all the games will take place.

This is an example of some of the tornado damage...some buildings were totally demolished.

The Hilton hotel in downtown Branson had windows blown out and extensive damage inside.

Saturday & Sunday - James Nelson

An exciting trip so far, as we left at 12 noon on Saturday and reached our destination in Branson, Missouri late last night (Sunday) around 1 a.m.. Along the way we’ve done some very exciting things, first stopping in Chicago at the Nike Town outlet followed by dinner at the Rain Forest cafe. Lots of laughs and memories made in such a short time. Then we left Chicago and drove several hours until we reached St. Louis were we finally got to get some rest after a long day. Sunday morning we woke up for a great breakfast before we went to visit the famous St. Louis Arch. It was a great experience as some of the guys had never been to the top.  It was also a great bonding experience! Following dinner we got an opportunity to attend the MVC (Missouri valley Conference) Championship game at the Scott Trade Center between Creighton and Illinois State.  It was an intense game and yet another chance for us to enjoy each others company in a nice environment. And the last stop of the day was at Lambert's restaurant, famous for throwing their rolls across the restaurant to diners. Then a 4 1/2 drive landed us to the final destination here in Branson!

The team at Rain Forest Cafe in Chicago

In the St. Louis Arch

Enjoying the MVC Championship game

At Lambert's

WHAC Tournament Champs!

They hung their second banner on Monday night with a win over Lourdes College in the WHAC tournament championship game!  The Panthers will take their momentum into the NAIA national tournament next Thursday against William Penn University.  Stay up to date on the team via this blog to catch all the behind the scenes action!

Check out the photo gallery from Monday night: http://dupanthers.com/photo_gallery.aspx?gallery=699

WHAC Tournament begins tonight at 7:30 p.m. vs. Siena Heights in the DU Student Center.  This preview video should get you pumped up!

Senior Night

As we begin the countdown to Nationals (20 days until Round 1 begins), we're going to stay building the hype for Davenport men's basketball.  Currently ranked No. 3 in NAIA D2, the Panthers are focused on a national championship. They celebrating Senior Night last evening with a 64-45 victory over crosstown rival Aquinas. Here's a highlight video of the four seniors: James Nelson, Lonnie Fairfax, Damacious White, & James Humphrey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJkM0IJeYVA&list=UUOzGaKD06rj8OHY3XggU3pw&index=1&feature=plcp