Written by Jim Lamar of the Tallahassee Democrat
NASHVILLE — A traveling party that numbered 114 people and included members of the Seminole Sound band and the Golden Girls made it obvious that this was no ordinary road trip.
But the Florida State men's basketball team did everything possible to make sure the 70-minute, non-stop flight to Nashville did nothing to distract from the business at hand.
From the comfort of their first-class seats on the Delta-chartered airplane, players slept or watched movies on their various portable electronic devices. (Senior guard Luke Loucks used the 70 minutes of free time to complete an essay for his "Sport in Media" class that is due this morning.) FSU coaches sat 20 rows behind the players — buffered by student assistants and team managers, support staff, administrators and a handful of boosters — watching game film of St. Bonaventure on their laptop computers. At one point, FSU coach Leonard Hamilton leaned across the aisle to grab assistant coach Corey Williams and say, "These guys are good."
Even as the group arrived in Nashville and headed directly to the Downtown Sheraton hotel — just a block or two away from the strip of bars and "honkey tonks" that helped earn the nickname "Music City" — players and coaches continued to keep their focus on the business end of this trip.
"It's a little bit different flying with the band and the media and the Golden Girls," Loucks said. "It's usually just the team and the support staff. Obviously there is a little more excitement in the air. But I think all of us guys are focused in that this is a business trip and we're here for a basketball game."
That basketball game tips off at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Friday, leaving the team a chance to absorb some of the Nashville atmosphere. A short break at the hotel gave players enough time to freshen up for a team meal at a restaurant in the downtown area that specializes in "Southern and country" cooking.
Afterward, the team returned to the hotel to continue mental preparations for Friday's game. A film session was scheduled as was a review of scouting reports.
That helped snap the players back into work mode, especially after a wild two days that followed the victory over North Carolina that clinched FSU's first ACC championship.
"With the veterans we have on this team, everyone knows what to expect in this tournament," Loucks said. "We'll be focused and ready to play."
Finding that focus hasn't exactly been the easiest of tasks the last few days. More than 100 fans showed for a special send-off celebration for the players and coaches on Wednesday and the buzz on campus has been even stronger.
"It's been crazy," senior guard Deividas Dulkys said. "We're trying to refocus. There is a lot of excitement still around campus. Everybody keeps talking about it. But you go to practice and try to stay focused and remember the task is to win more games."
FSU players will take part in an open practice session today at Bridgestone Arena, the site of Friday's game, from 2:15-2:55 p.m.
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