May 21, 2008

Hello Panther Fans,

"WE MADE IT!" Literally and figuratively - We made It! We've worked hard - all of us - at raising the funds to make this European Tour a reality for our student-athletes. And for all of your support - WE THANK YOU for helping us "MAKE IT HERE!"

We arrived in Amsterdam at 10:30 a.m., which was 2:30 a.m. Milwaukee Time. It was a red eye - 7 1/2 hour flight from Chicago direct to Amsterdam. Although, many of us didn't get much sleep; and had cobwebs in our heads; we still found the will, the determination and the stamina to beat the U20 National Team of The Netherlands.

It was a hard-fought victory for our team. Their team had two athletes, a strong power forward and finesse off-guard, who will be playing in America next season. They were a physical team who executed an open style offense. They set a lot of on and off the ball screens and did a nice job of attacking the basket off the dribble and with the pass. I was proud of our student-athletes focus and determination in the victory.

Amsterdam is a bustling historic city with narrow sidewalks and an unbelievable number of bikers. When we arrived at the hotel we took a walking tour of their Centrum (City Center) that had cafes, restaurants, shops and crossed canal after canal. We are all still in awe at the fact that "We are Actually Here."

We are so grateful for this opportunity to represent UW-Milwaukee, our Athletic Department and our Women's Basketball Program here in Europe. At this point, I can promise you that they are making you all proud!

Thank you again for your support of the Panthers.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog of our tour of Anne Frank's House and the trip to Mechelen, Belgium.

Panther Proud,
Coach Sandy Botham