Troy University Athletics
Trojans On Tour: WBB Visits Europe
Day 1: From Troy to Paris | Day 2: Effiel Tower | Day 3: Culture | Day 4: Vamanos | Day 5: Gameday | Day 6: Toledo | Day 7: Trains & Boats | Day 8: Win | Last two Day Nine: Serve and See | Day Ten: There’s No Place Like Troy!
As the Troy women's basketball tour France and Spain, TroyTrojans.com will serve as your home for updates along the way. Check back soon as the team continues its journey in Europe.
Day 1: From Troy to Paris
By Chanda Rigby
Like children on Christmas morning, 29 Trojans boarded two Trojan Trolleys with hearts full of hope, excitement, and wonder for the adventure ahead. After a three-hour bus commute to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and an eight-hour flight on Air France, we arrived in Paris. Though arrival time was close to midnight Troy time, it was around 7 a.m. in Paris. There was no time for catching up on missed sleep, however, as the tour bus and tour guide were waiting to begin showing us around the city.
Day 2: Effiel Tower
By Chanda Rigby
Day one rolled right into day two with no night of sleep separating them. We spent several hours touring Paris. We saw sights such as Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge, and the Opera District. Hotel check-in was next, hot showers and a brief rest was much appreciated. A welcome dinner was served at the hotel, and we ended our night with a trip to the Eiffel Tower.
Day 3: Culture
By Chanda Rigby
Today we were immersed in culture. We visited Place de la Concorde where over 1,600 people were beheaded during the Reign of Terror. We toured Sainte-Chapelle which once held an extensive collection of relics including the crown of thorns worn by Jesus. It’s walls and ceiling are one of the most extensive stained glass collections in the world. We viewed the Arc de Triumphe, which honors all who fought and died for France in the Napoleonic and Revolutionary wars. We spent time in the the Louvre Museum where we took selfies with the Mona Lisa. After experiencing the Louvre, which is the world’s largest museum, we enjoyed eating crepes, and ended our evening with a riverboat cruise on the Seine River. Senior guard, Harriet Winchester, commented on her Paris experience by stating: “I was surprised by the differences in the manners and mannerisms of the people.” Senior post player, Jhileiya Dunlap, commented that the main emotion she feels in wrapping up the Paris tour is “grateful.”
Day 4: Vamanos
By Chanda Rigby
Today was a travel day from France to Spain. We took a two-hour flight from Paris to Madird. As soon as we landed, we checked into our hotel and went to the gym for our first basketball practice of the trip. We all agreed that it felt really good to reunite with basketball after being surrounded by unfamiliar things for the past few days. It took a while to get the "travel" out of our legs, but the team got better and better as practice progressed. We went to sleep feeling excited for tomorrrow as it will be packed with more sight seeing and, most importantly, our first game of the trip.
No picture could adequately capture the beauty of the stained glass windows in the Sainte Chapelle. #TrojansOnTour pic.twitter.com/6CKbhdM3aI
— Troy Trojans WBB (@TroyTrojansWBB) August 1, 2019
Day 5: Gameday
By Chanda Rigby
It’s gameday!!! But first, we toured Madrid. Our first stop was the bull fighting ring. Learning about the art of bullfighting was one of our favorite activities of the trip thus far. We also walked the streets of Madrid where we saw and experienced many truly amazing things, including as a restaurant that has been open 24 hours a day, every single day since 1725. Next, we took a guided tour of the Royal Palace which is arguably one of the world’s most opulent royal residences. But the main event of the day was, of course, the game we played against the Madrid All-Stars. Our opponents were a mature and very skilled team. Several had played college basketball in the United States and are currently enjoying professional basketball careers. The Trojans got off to a slow start trailing by as many as 13 points early in the game. In the final two minutes of the first half, though, Troy, led by the efforts and experience of senior guards Kayla Robinson and Harriet Winchester, stormed back to tie the contest. At halftime, we discussed how well our opponents were moving the ball and stressing our defensive rotations. We planned to communicate more and play with more urgency when rotating out of help-side defense to defend the shot. We also determined to start every offensive transition possession with more urgency and put pressure on Madrid’s defense by pushing the tempo. We did great executing those adjustments and led the Madrid All-Stars for most of the second half. The game was tied in the final 26 seconds, and the Trojans properly executed one of Coach Neil Harrow’s end of game sideline plays. We got the shot we wanted, but it didn’t fall. The game went to overtime with the score tied 86-86. The Trojans fought hard in overtime, but our shots kept hitting the front of the rim while the Madrid All-Stars hit their best shooting stride of the game. We fell with a final score of 99-93. In the postgame locker room, the team commented on how much we learned from the game including how we need to work on our defensive rotations. The players congratulated newcomers, Alexis Dye (18 points and eight rebounds) and Tiyah Johnson (11 points and five rebounds) for having a great first game as Trojans. The coaches also talked about the valuable contributions from our senior post players: Amber Rivers (13 points), Jasmine LeBlanc (13 points and 13 rebounds, and Kate Rodgers (eight points and five rebounds). Overall, the game was a priceless learning opportunity that will surely advance us toward our goals.
Tiyah Johnson’s put back to tie the game during regulation. #TrojansOnTour pic.twitter.com/tfX8IbOK1x
— Troy Trojans WBB (@TroyTrojansWBB) August 2, 2019
Day 6: Toledo
By Chanda Rigby
Today we traveled by bus for an hour to tour Toledo, Spain. Toledo was the capital of Spain until it was moved to Madrid in 1561. It was important to keep the group together here because it is really easy to get lost in this city. The streets of Toledo were purposefully built in a giant maze-like formation to confuse and disorient intruders. Arabs, Christians, and Jews coexist in Toledo and form a type of cultural tapestry that can be clearly seen and felt throughout the city. The team returned to Madrid in the late afternoon to enjoy one last walk through the streets of Madrid before packing our bags for tomorrow’s early morning departure for Barcelona.
Day 7: Trains & Boats
By Chanda Rigby
On our seventh day of the trip, we rode both a train and a catamaran boat. We started our morning making our way to the Madrid train station where we boarded a high speed train that took us to Barcelona. The trip, which I’m told takes eight hours by car, took us a short two and a half hours. The train ride was quite an experience for the Trojans as very few of us had ever traveled by train. It provided a great opportunity to see much of the countryside which is a stark contrast to what we are accustomed to in Alabama. After arriving in Barcelona and checking in to our hotel, we took a catamaran boat ride in the Mediterranean Sea. After a beautiful and relaxing fifty minute ride, the boat anchored, and we jumped in the dark blue water and cooled off. On the ride back to the marina, the team had a great time listening to music popular in Spain, and learning a few line dances that are common in Barcelona.
Set sail on a catamaran across the Mediterranean Sea: ✔️ #TrojansOnTour pic.twitter.com/nLRaonTQX0
— Troy Trojans WBB (@TroyTrojansWBB) August 5, 2019
Day Eight: Win!
By Chanda Rigby
We began the day with a tour and ended it with a win! We spent the morning touring several beautiful, iconic places in Barcelona including Parc Guell which is a famous public park, the facilities where the 1992 Summer Olympic Games were held and the very lavish and culturally rich cathedral known as Sagrada Familia. We rested at the hotel after touring to get ready to play the Barcelona All-Stars. The Trojans stormed to an early lead and never looked back. Senior Jasmine Leblanc led all players with 25 points and 19 rebounds while newcomer Alexus Dye had 18 points and eight rebounds and senior Harriet Winchester added 13 points and nine boards. The Trojans showed much improvement from their first game with both their defensive rotations and their offensive spacing. Of all the wonderful things we have experienced on the trip, nothing tops the feeling of claiming a victory for Troy!
Tip off against Barcelona All Stars is less than three minutes away! #TrojansOnTour pic.twitter.com/RL8KsEyHzB
— Troy Trojans WBB (@TroyTrojansWBB) August 5, 2019
Final score 88-78. The Trojans get a win against Barcelona All-Stars during the last leg of the European tour. #TrojansOnTour
— Troy Trojans WBB (@TroyTrojansWBB) August 5, 2019
The sights of Sagrada Familia is a must see in Barcelona! #TrojansOnTour pic.twitter.com/rXvBJwzxq1
— Troy Trojans WBB (@TroyTrojansWBB) August 6, 2019
Day Nine: Serve and See
By Chanda Rigby
Today began by serving the local youth in Barcelona and ended with seeing a colorful flamingo show. This morning we were taken to an outdoor basketball facility in Barcelona where we met with around 75 of the city’s young people. The children were divided into groups of around ten to fifteen and two players and a coach were assigned to each group. For two hours, the Trojans interacted with them by teaching basketball skills and leading them in games. Language was a barrier between the Trojans and the children, but basketball transcended the confusion and each group eventually found ways to conquer the initial divide between them. The Trojans were surprised at the advanced skill level that many of the young people possessed, and we learned that it is common for young people in Barcelona take their skills training very seriously. The interaction ended with an autograph session where our new young friends asked the Trojans to sign their jerseys, shoes and take pictures with them. That evening, which was our last night on the tour, the team was treated to a delicious meal at an authentic Spanish restaurant. The entire meal lasted almost three hours, and we learned that, in Spain, it is customary to spend long periods of time enjoying a meal with friends. Between courses we were treated to beautiful, intense flamenco dancing. The team interacted with the dancers by clapping to the beat, cheering for them and even joining them for dances when asked to participate. It was a lovely evening and a perfect way to end an incredible trip.
We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to give back to a city we instantly fell in love with. Community service in Barcelona has to be the highlight of our trip!! #TrojansOnTour pic.twitter.com/r7DwWK5wmf
— Troy Trojans WBB (@TroyTrojansWBB) August 7, 2019
Day 10: There’s No Place Like Troy!
By Chanda Rigby
Day 10 began early and in a rush to get to the airport. After checking in and making it through security, we had a two hour wait before boarding our plane. I took the opportunity to gather some information from the players to capture some of their thoughts about the trip. When asked what was their favorite thing they saw on the trip, an overwhelming majority of the players revealed that climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower and looking out over Paris topped their list. Amber Rivers said that seeing the bull fighting ring was also on the “favorite” list. Tyasia Moore and Shawnta Shaw stated their favorite thing that they saw was the very famous Mona Lisa painting in the Louvre Museum. When I asked each player about her favorite experience, it was difficult for them to name just one. Newcomer guard, Emely Roserio, said her favorite experience was getting to compete against teams that play different styles of basketball from what we are accustomed to playing in the states. Jasmine Leblanc said her favorite experience was the interaction with the children during community service. Janiah Sandifer and Tiyah Johnson both favored the experience of facing their fears and jumping off the catamaran into the Mediterranean Ocean. Amahni Upshaw enjoyed getting out of her comfort zone to try new foods. When asked about what they learned, Jasmine Robinson said she learned so much about the history, culture and religions in each of the cities we visited. Alexus Dye said she learned that there are over 3,000 rooms in the Royal Palace in Madrid. Harriet Winchester and Makayla Robinson said they learned how different cultures can be from what ours is in the United States, and Harriet said she even tried to learn as much of the French and Spanish languages as she could. When asked to sum up the trip, Kate Rogers said, “It was the best trip of my life.” Jhileya Dunlap summarized her feelings about the trip with these words, “It was a once in a lifetime experience and I learned so much about other countries as well as my teammates. I’m grateful.” From my perspective as the head coach, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that Troy University provided this priceless gift to me and to so many who matter most to me. We will never be the same for what we experienced. We will forever have broader perspectives, and those broader perspectives will enable us to make more informed life choices, as well as give us the ability to dream bigger and see life through a broader, more beautiful lens. As we completed our 10 hour flight and boarded the Trojan Trolleys, we are reminded that, for all the wonderful places we have been, there is no place like Troy, and we will be glad to make it back to our #OneTroy family.