Scenes From Columbia, S.C.: The Diary Of Paco Figueroa

June 6, 2002

The morning started with us waking up at 9:30 am. After a quick shower, it was time to go to breakfast. Over eggs and bacon, my brother and I talked about how much we’re looking forward to this series. It’s amazing to see how some guys react differently. But when you look at the guys who were on last year’s National Championship team, they look at complete ease. There’s a belief that when it’s playoff time, Miami teams turn on a switch and take it to another level. I’m starting to believe that. All year long, we played against the best competition that the NCAA had to offer. Now we’re seeing the benefit.

It’s now 11:00 am. I’m now back in my hotel room after a very filling breakfast. We’ve got to be on the bus by 1:30 pm for a 2:45 pm practice. I’m going to catch a little nap before practice.

What a busy day. I’m writing this diary entry at 10:15 pm. We had practice until 4:30 pm, and then we went back to our rooms. I had just enough time to take a quick shower before my brother and I left to get something to eat. We went to Cracker Barrel’s where we had a big dinner. I think I ate a bit too much. From there, we went to one of the malls near our hotel. I was in the mood to shop a bit, but I also needed to walk some of this food off. We actually stayed there a bit longer than I thought we would. We got back into the room at about 9:45, and I just finished getting out of the shower.

Some of the guys are going to come over and play cards for a bit. We have a midnight curfew. It’s a big day tomorrow. We’ll go through the usual routine (9:30 am wakeup, 10:00 breakfast), but my adrenaline will be running for most of the day. It’s game 1 of the Super Regionals. So far, this will be the biggest game of my collegiate career. One thing’s for sure, though. I guarantee you that when we step out onto the field; we’ll give it all we’ve got.

Have a good night.