Midnight train bus to Georgia…

A big hello from the wonderfully scenic Interstate 85. As I write this we are currently passing through South Carolina en route to Demorest, GA, home of Piedmont College. We left the friendly confines of CNU at 6:00 am this morning, and our 500-mile trek will end up taking around nine hours. That's a long day in and of itself, but we'll also have practice at Piedmont later on this evening to get our last preparations in before tomorrow's 1:00pm tipoff.

Everyone on the team has their own ways of getting through these long bus rides. In my fifth year on the college sidelines, I've spent more time on these charter buses than I'd care to count. Although I possess the unique (and valuable) skill to fall asleep at will on these buses, there are other avenues to pass the time.

Movies are always the classic go-to, and so far on this trip ESPN 30 for 30 documentaries and Inception have been on the docket. The bus is also equipped with Wi-Fi internet, which is a savior – the guys have to maintain their hourly Facebook updates after all. The conversations on the bus range from the deep and philosophical to the outright goofy – and that's just while talking to 6'7” senior center Loren Farris.

My iPod has been on full tilt as well. If you think it's impossible for someone to listen to nothing but Bruce Springsteen for nine straight hours – think again. Baby we were boooornnn to run!

In my humble opinion, road trips like this one are one of the most enjoyable aspects of coaching college basketball. They are a fantastic chance to see new places and experience unique parts of this country. My basketball odyssey so far has brought me to places like the beautiful mountains of Provo, UT; the rural splendor of Manhattan (not that one), KS; and the bustling cities of Reno, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and after this weekend, Atlanta. That's an eclectic mix of locations, and I feel very lucky that this great game has afforded me many opportunities to lace 'em up and see the world.

Additionally, this is great team-building time. Classes and finals are over, so everyone's minds are free from those responsibilities. It will just be the twenty or so of us together for the next four days. It's a great occasion to focus on basketball and grow closer as a team – and hopefully win a couple of games in the process.

In the time it's taken me to write this, in between my procrastination and writer's block, we've zoomed through the remainder of the trip and are about to pull up to the hotel here in Georgia. We'll get settled into the rooms and then have a film/scouting session on Piedmont before heading off to practice.

Enjoy the rest of your work-week, and for all of you out there having office parties tomorrow: try not to overindulge on the egg nog. Feel free to start your weekend early by following along tomorrow afternoon on cnusports.com as we take on Piedmont. I'll try to check back in again sometime over the weekend. Until then: Go Captains!