May 22, 2009

Check out all the "Posting Up" Entries Here

All-American center Jenna Smith is once again keeping Illini fans up-to-date on Illinois basketball during the off-season. In this year's second installment of "Posting Up," Smith talks about the semester wrapping-up, says goodbye to a coach and looks forward to summer.

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End of the Semester
Toward the end of the semester we finished workouts and tried to get our bodies in good shape before summer started. Everyone improved their times dramatically and it was good to see my teammates finish the year strong. Congrats to the freshmen for finishing your first set of postseason workouts! Hahaha! Now you are officially no longer freshmen.

It also means that Lacey and I both finished our last postseason, which is very bittersweet! It's a great feeling to look back and see how far we have come and what we have accomplished since our early years here. I can't believe we have finished our last one! We are officially seniors now! We've been through three years of ups and downs together. All the lifting, the morning conditioning and the sweat and tears that have made up these years have made the highs feel that much better. There are so many smiles and friends and games that I'll never forget! Plus, I still have one more year to add to that. I can't wait!

Anyway, back to the topic, before everyone left at the end of finals, we had a team BBQ at Lacey's. Everyone just hung out, cooked, ate and played games. Then we all watched the NBA playoffs (so mad Boston is out!) and just laughed and enjoyed each other's company. It was fun to see everyone and say bye before people headed home.

Good Luck Coach Middleton
The day I found out Coach Middleton was leaving was a sad day for me. She was always fun to be around and had a big smile on her face at all times. I remember looking at her when things got rough and she would just say "You got it, J" and that was exactly what I needed. She is a great coach and she always had a different perspective that you might not have thought of, but that you needed to hear. She would show me things on the court that I didn't see and they always worked. We always had Chipotle competitions and exchanged CDs of our favorites songs. Though I will miss her a lot, I am very happy that she got a head coaching job. She has an amazing knowledge of the game and will make a great head coach. She will be truly missed here in Champaign and I want to wish her the best of luck at Western Carolina!

Summer Is Here!
Most of my teammates are at home for a few weeks to start off summer before returning to campus in mid-June, but I am here working out and taking classes already. I hope they are all enjoying home right now. I can't wait until June when all my teammates come back to town and when we'll get to welcome all the new freshmen to campus. I hope they are all excited, because I know I am!

Have a good day and take care! Enjoy summer :)

JJ