Trojan Candy arrived early at the USC Basketball Trojan Tip-Off in Galen Center. The first thousand fans each received a goodie bag. In the bag was a Jack-in-the-Box coupon for a free hamburger. Not bad!
The Galen Center lobby looked empty, but only because there was a long line for the free personalized hats.
After the first five hundred kids received their basketballs, the lobby became very noisy. In spite of the now "chaos" in the lobby, I was able to take pictures of the USC Dance Force Team and the Song Girls.
Trojan Candy walked inside the arena to find where my husband Jim was saving our seats. I saw two friends.
I followed the team out to the lobby where fans surrounded the players for pictures and autographs.
The Women of Troy exhibition featured practice sets. They were very precise. FIGHT ON, Women of Troy Basketball!
After the Women of Troy exhibition, there was a three-point shooting competition between the men and the women. Each person could shoot up to five balls from five three point shooting locations.
Aliyah kept it close but Bennie prevailed in this competition.
Now, it was the men's turn on the court.
What a fun, exciting day!
Fortunately, it wasn't over yet. After the Tip-Off ended, my husband Jim and I went to the Women of Troy "Taste of Italy" in the Founder's Room. Coach Cynthia Cooper spoke about the upcoming team trip to Italy next year. Then, she took us on a tour of the Women of Troy locker room.
At the north wall are the two banners that my husband Jim and I donated to hang in the arena to commemorate the two championships. They were hung in the arena for only three games in 2013.
Back in the Founder's Room, two new Women of Troy players sat at our table. They were Aliyah Mazyck and Temi Fagbenle. Naturally, Trojan Candy interviewed both of them. Freshman Aliyah was pursued by several other universities, among them were Stanford, Texas A&M, Louisville, Rutgers and Florida State. Aliyah said that she was very close to her mother, but she wanted to be more independent. So she left Charlotte, North Carolina, to come to USC. She hasn't decided on her major yet but hopes to work in some capacity of sports marketing after graduation. More personally, Aliyah's favorite food is shrimp Alfredo pasta. She told me that her hobby is to play ball. Aliyah likes scary movies. Another new friend after my own heart! Her favorite music artist is Beyonce. FIGHT ON, Aliyah!
My second new friend, Temi Fagbenle, is a graduate student majoring in Strategic Public Relations at USC. She earned an undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Harvard. She was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, where her family still resides. She has eleven siblings! Temi told me that, when she was young, her favorite sport to play was tennis. She lived most of her life in London and came to the USA when she was fifteen to play basketball. She has two brothers and some other family who live in Los Angeles. More personally, Temi said that she likes to sing, dance and act. She has moved to the perfect city to pursue her dreams! Her favorite music is jazz and soulful blues. Another dream is to play in the WNBA. Lastly, her favorite food is Nigerian food, because it is more tasty and flavorful. Perhaps, Trojan Candy can try some one day! FIGHT ON, Temi!
My husband Jim and I found a parking space about a block from Shane Foley's home, where the first Spirit of Troy Pep Rally was being held.
After checking in, we walked around the side of his home to the back yard. Shane's back yard is massive and terraced at many levels.
We got our hamburgers at the top level and sat down under one of the tents at the bottom level. Some of the furniture was wet because of the showers earlier in the morning.
