espnW Blog: Elena Delle Donne
My days leading up to the draft were spent with 11 other rookies going to meetings to help ease the transition into the professional sports world. Rookie orientation was only three days long and as you can imagine, there is a lot of information that can be helpful in preparing to enter the WNBA.
John Woike/Hartford Courant/MCT via Getty ImagesAs I walked off the court in Bridgeport on Saturday afternoon, it hit me that my college career was finished. I would never again suit up in a Delaware uniform and take the court with the girls I had played with for the past four years.
AP Photo/Patrick SemanskyAfter Tuesday night’s game against North Carolina ended, I spoke to the media and celebrated with my teammates. Finally, I was able to sit down in my locker and check my cell phone.
AP Photo/Danny JohnstonIn less than 48 hours, my team will take the court in the first round of the NCAA tournament. As if the expected excitement that comes with the "big dance" isn't enough, we have had the privilege of watching the preparations for the tournament take place right before our eyes.
After the excitement, adrenaline and celebrations from our CAA championship began to slow for the night on Sunday, I was able to lie in bed and really soak in the feeling of being a champion. Eventually, I dozed off and my thoughts shifted to whatever my dreams for that night brought.
Nelson Chenault/US PresswireAlthough this season ended far sooner than I ever wanted, the NCAA tournament was a journey that I am extremely glad our team was able to take part in. The state of Arkansas showed us nothing but hospitality and treated our team so well. Little Rock is rich in history, which was fun to explore with such a close-knit team.
Evan Habeeb/US PresswireYesterday was finally game day, which overall was a fun and exciting day. The nerves were high since this was our first time in the NCAA tournament, but Coach Martin helped lighten the mood by doing her little duck scene at the hotel.
AP Photo/Nick WassYesterday, we had a very early flight, but we were so excited just to get going and get to Arkansas. We had a charter flight, which was incredible because we could just spread out, get our own row, and sleep through the whole flight. We were exhausted by the time we arrived in Arkansas, but luckily we had time to nap before heading off to practice. When we finally arrived at practice, it was nice to touch the ball. We were so excited to be practicing in the gym together and refocus a little bit after a day of traveling.
I woke up this morning thrilled after the day my teammates and I had together yesterday. Making history by being the first CAA champs at Delaware was everything we were hoping for, and we couldn't have been more excited.
As the day progressed, I tried to take in everything that was ahead of us for tonight's show. I talked to my brother a lot about where we might end up because he does so much research on bracketology.