Tide Wraps Up First Day in Paradise
11/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2010
ST. THOMAS, USVI - The Alabama men's basketball team spent Thursday on St. Thomas getting acclimated to the lush Caribbean environment, staging a full practice and capping the day with 700-foot gondola ride to the top of Paradise Point for a panoramic view of the island.
The Crimson Tide touched down in St. Thomas late Wednesday evening and made the half-hour drive to the Frenchman's Reef Resort which will serve as the team's home for the duration of the Paradise Jam.
The Tide was able to catch up on some rest, adjust to being two hours ahead of central time, eat brunch and explore the resort area and nearby beach before departing for practice at 1 p.m.
"We walked around the resort, but I haven't gotten in the water yet," forward JaMychal Green said. "We've got some great views outside our rooms and it's some really beautiful scenery."
Green's veteran teammate Senario Hillman echoed those sentiments on the views and atmosphere on St. Thomas.
"This is my first time here and everyone has been enjoying it and taking pictures," Hillman said. "I'm hoping to get the chance to get in the water some and maybe ride a jet ski before I leave. That's something I've never done."
Following that brief down time for the players, two open-air `safari' buses served as the team's transportation and navigated the winding mountain roads, on which traffic travels on the left side of the road, to the Sports & Fitness Center on the campus of the University of the Virgin Islands. A spirited two-hour practice followed as the Tide prepared to face Seton Hall on Friday.
"There's a lot of distractions out there with the weather and the beaches, but we've got to maintain focus and remember we're here to play and win basketball games," Hillman said. "There is a great opportunity out there for us to try and win this event and get better as a team."
The practice was followed by a brief rest at the resort before the team piled back into the safari buses to visit Paradise Point, one of the island's top attractions. A 700-foot gondola ride up the side of a mountain welcomed some members of the team while those with a fear of heights boarded the eight-passenger cabins with trepidation.
"I was fine with the ride, but some of the guys were a little scared during the ride," Green said, declining to name his acrophobic teammates. "I spent most of my ride laughing and trying to calm them down."
At the top of the lift the team was greeted by a panoramic view of the island's harbor at sunset. A brief show featuring tropical birds performing a myriad of tricks entertained the team prior to dinner on the mountaintop as dusk settled on the capital city of Charlotte Amalie below.
While the quick team excursion was enjoyable, it did little to distract the squad from the task at hand.
"This was impressive to see," Green said of the views and entertainment. "But now we've got to focus on Seton Hall. They're a good team and we need to be ready to play them and hopefully get this tournament started off on the right foot."
That focus began upon the team's return to the hotel where a film study of the Pirates was the first thing on the agenda before the team settled in for a full night's rest in preparation for its second day and first of three games in St. Thomas.
