The Bear's Den

     It is here, my senior year of college basketball. Typing that first sentence is already emotional and it is just getting started. Every day when I wake up, I tell myself, "just enjoy the ride," and it keeps me going. Not many people get the chance to play a game they love for an extra four years with great people, so I cherish it every morning. I remember playing my first ever basketball over 12 years ago, and now I am in my last go around, time flies.      We officially began practice on October 15th, and have already had a scrimmage. It is crazy to think how fast my senior year of college basketball came along, but I wouldn't trade friends and memories for anything in the world. This year, we got a new coaching staff and it has been amazing so far, and we have made great progress. Everyone loves each other, has bought in and is doing their role, which is amazing to be a part of. I am beyond excited to see how this season goes, and no matter what happens, I will for

    The Guardiac kids, also known as the Cleveland Guardians, were one of the most fun teams to watch in the league this year. A team made up of the lowest payroll, lowest experience and the youngest team in the league made the second round of the playoffs and took the "best" team in baseball to a final game in the American League Division Series, before losing last night. I watched over 50 games this year, and every game had so much life and excitement to it.      This past Sunday night, I attended game 4 against the New York Yankees in Cleveland and it was an experience of a lifetime. I got free tickets and a parking pass and had fantastic seats for a chance to watch history. We arrived early and explored beautiful downtown Cleveland. Cleveland is a place I have always loved and enjoyed being there and exploring. Once in the stadium, it was so great to be back. The smell of baseball was in the air, and it was contagious. With over 38,000 people in attendance, it was the day

     Fall break is a much-needed break from academics and athletics. This past weekend, we had our fall break; it was my first time home in seven weeks. This break couldn't have come at a better time. I was starting to get tired mentally and physically and being able to go back home helped me out so much. I could go home, hit the reset button, and get re-focused. I feel like I have come back more positive and ready to rock for the rest of the year.   Also, we start official practice this upcoming Saturday, so it was great to be able to reset and reassure myself. As I have gotten older in college, my homesickness has gotten less, and the chances I get to go home are also less. When I went home as a freshman, it was really hard for me to get the motivation to come back to school, but I now thoroughly enjoy being here. I went home Friday afternoon and came back Tuesday night. It was fantastic and being able to have family movie nights and go to eat as a family are some things I will a

    It is the time of the year and semester when your attitude becomes super important. The person with the more focused and positive attitude tends to exceed right now. I am saying this because I have struggled with my attitude until recently, and it can affect everything you are trying to do in life. If you let one thing bug you throughout an entire day, you will not have a successful day.      I had struggled the first couple of weeks of the semester with my attitude. I was being negative and letting one bad situation bother me for a whole entire day, which is not good. It wasn't until recently, and that changed. I had an extended talk with my coach about attitude and demeanor and it changed my whole outlook on life. First, he told me to start planning out my weeks and writing down things I am thankful for, and what to improve on that week. This may sound little, but it has helped an incredible amount. Being a captain of the basketball team, I can't afford to have a bad atti