Season Analysis: Coach Theus

Season Analysis: Jason Thompson

Season Analysis: Beno Udrih

My First Game

This first preseason game was one of the greatest experiences ever, and I know there are many more to come. Since this is my first year on the Sacramento Kings Dance Team, I was new to everything. I was so happy that our first game actually arrived. When we were getting ready in the locker room it finally hit me that I’m really part of the Sacramento Kings Dance Team. During all of our practices leading up to the game, I felt like we were just taking dance classes.

Before we made our first appearance on the court, we waited in the tunnel to take out the American flag. We all had the biggest smiles on our faces knowing that it was about to begin. After the National Anthem we rushed into the locker room and everyone began to rehearse the dances we were about to perform.

When it was time to perform our routines, we hurried out of the locker room, stretched in the tunnel and waited for our call. When the timeout buzzer went off, I felt so much adrenaline rushing through my body because the crowd was pumped up and ready to see the new look of the Sacramento Kings Dance Team.

The game was our big debut, so we worked it out during those two dances. I also enjoyed getting to interact with the fans by handing out the pizzas and participating in the Dance Cam.

This first preseason game gave me a sense of how the games work and how exciting this season is going to be. This season seems a little overwhelming to me right now, considering all of the practices and games we’ll have. But with the veteran dancers and the rest of the girls to help me out, I think everything will go smoothly. I’m excited for all that is to come and I hope Kings fans love the “new trend” of the 2008-09 Sacramento Kings Dance Team.

Sammie’s Marathon for Life

One  of the most rewarding aspects of being a Sacramento Kings Dance Team member is the community appearances the team does throughout the season. On Saturday, October 18, Gina, Kelly, Laura, Lauren and I attended “Sammie’s Marathon for Life.”

Sammie is a 16-year-old girl who’s been diagnosed with T-Cell leukemia and lymphoma. Even though she’s currently in remission from cancer, her immune system isn’t working properly, so she’s being treated at UC San Francisco and usually has six-to-eight doctor appointments every month. Despite her treatment, Sammie has developed several medical conditions, including Sweet’s Syndrome. There is no cure for any of her health conditions. Her family has private health insurance but it does not cover all the expenses. “Sammie’s Marathon for Life” raises money for Sammie’s family to make the process slightly easier.

The event took place at a coffee shop in her hometown of Woodland and consisted of an all-vehicle poker run, live music, food, lots of vendors and a blood drive. We arrived at 1 p.m. to a very welcoming and positive environment. Everyone was very nice to us, wanting lots of pictures and autographs. We asked if we could meet Sammie, but we were informed that she was not feeling very well, and she was exhausted. She was in a trailer that her family brought to the event so she could rest and get away from the crowd. Fortunately, they let us visit her in the trailer, and she was very pleased to see us. We chatted with her for awhile, answering her many questions about dancing and boys! She seemed like a very nice and normal girl, and I think most of us forgot that she was ill.

After about an hour, we were introduced by the event coordinator and performed a dance for the crowd. They loved it! A professional photographer then took pictures of us with people on some of the vendors’ motorcycles. They even had a pink bike for us to pose on! We felt like we were at a photo shoot, taking group shots and individuals, it was a lot of fun.

After the crowd died down, Sammie’s brother kept trying to get us to donate blood with Blood Source. All but two of us had never given blood before, so we were very nervous. We figured it was for a good cause, so we ended up registering with Blood Source and began the blood giving process. We sat in the Blood Source bus, registering one by one as the jitters increased. Finally, we got started and it was a pretty smooth process. A few of us got a little light headed and nauseous, but it was worth it! After getting our purple (of course) bandages and “Be nice to me, I gave blood today!” stickers, we headed back outside to the event. The photographer ended up printing out about 40 pictures he had taken of us so we could sign them and give them out. We had a line of people wanting to get our autographs, even though the event was over! After signing all of the photos, we said our ‘goodbyes’ to Sammie and the rest of the event staff, and headed home.

We had an amazing time and loved attending an event that was for such a great person and great cause. We each saved two lives by giving blood, and we put smiles on a lot of peoples’ faces! It’s events like this that make me feel lucky to have such an amazing job and to be able to make an impact on someone’s life. I feel very honored that Sammie invited us to her event and wish her nothing but the best on her “Marathon for Life!”

First-Year Journey

What’s good Kings fans?

The start of the season is finally here!

It’s exciting! It’s kind of crazy for the first game to come. The first four are going to be on the road. The last one against the 76ers is going to be pretty big for me. It’s going to be a hometown thriller so I have a little pressure. I have a couple sections saved for a lot of people that game — college, high school, middle school, family, friends and the neighborhood. I’m just real excited about that and the opportunity to finally play in the NBA.

Getting to the Season Opener has been a trip, though. It’s been an adjustment from college up to this point. But I gave you a little taste of it when we did the “Day in the Life” for Kings.com during Summer League. It was a great experience just to play with some of the guys and against some of the talent that I’ll be seeing today and throughout the season. I also worked out in Vegas with a couple stars in the game. Coming out here to Sacramento before training camp, learning the offense, playing with my new teammates and just becoming comfortable in a bigger court against stronger players has helped me in this transition, too.

I will say that training camp was way different than college with all the bumps and bruises and two-a-days. In college preseason, we might have two weeks and only one practice for only three hours. In the NBA, we’re practicing for maybe six or seven hours. It’s a little different when it’s your job and you’re getting paid to do it. In college, you have class and other distractions you have to worry about.

I guess going into training camp, you expect the worst when you’re coming into a different situation. You have to work your behind off as hard as possible and remind yourself that this is something you’ve always wanted to do as a little kid. As much as I’ve done to get here, I know I have to keep that same attitude and mentality that brought me to this point if I want to be in the League for awhile. Even though I’m getting paid to do what I love, that doesn’t mean I’ve accomplished what I want. I still have to get better.

I have goals for myself – to come off the bench and get minutes and hopefully become a starter as the season progresses. I’d like to be in the running for Rookie of the Year, too. In terms of team goals, I want to do whatever it takes to help my team make the Playoffs. I’ve always set goals for myself throughout high school and college. That’s the type of player I’ve always been.

Another big part of this transition has been getting used to having a game every night. I might have a great game against one team, but I have to forget about it after the horn sounds. I can enjoy it for a little bit but as a professional, you have to move on to the next team and scouting report. And the same thing goes for a loss. If we had a loss in college, we’d have three or four days to recuperate. But here, I have to learn to move on quickly and not dwell on defeats.

Some people say that when you get to this level, you become a big-timer. Or maybe you don’t express love for the fans. Even though I’ve made it to the NBA, I’m still the same person I’ve always been. I love meeting new people and I love doing what I’m doing. I hope when people read this blog, they understand that I keep it real. I’ll let people know whatever they want to know… as long as it’s appropriate.

To close things off, I just want to give a shout-out to a couple special people in my life – my mother and father. Also to my brother and Coach Dempsey – good luck this year at Rider University! They should have a good young team.

And I just want to throw a final shout-out to the fans — all the people that have supported me and are excited to see how I produce. I’m out to show that going to a small school has nothing to do with how successful I can be. I’ve been proving that to myself all my life.

I’m not here to stop. I’m here to continue getting better and hopefully be a franchise player in the next couple years!

Until next time, Kings fans.

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