(JRN504) Go 'Cats

My dad was a cheerleader at Villanova.

That sentence alone is enough to make my friends like him more than me.

I grew up watching the team change year after year and listening to my dad try to coach from the couch back home. I witnessed his reaction to their 2016 championship win where he practically danced around the living room.

As I began to learn more about the sport, I started to develop my own favorite players, understand the rivalries and join my dad when he's yelling at the TV.

When I came to Quinnipiac and began to photograph basketball, that’s when my love for Villanova peaked. I dreamed of seeing them play and maybe even shoot a game one day.

Well, the call came.

“Villanova will host Quinnipiac on November 11th as part of its 2018-19 non-conference schedule, per a source. Baker Dunleavy returns to his alma mater.”

That tweet and others like it sent Quinnipiac fans into a spiral. The small-town school that people can’t even pronounce was going to start their season against the defending National Champions.

I was ecstatic, so you can imagine how I felt when I was given the opportunity to go cover the game with QBSN.

The stage was set, the weekend came and we took our trip to the Wells Fargo Center.

As a member of student media, you need to remain unbiased when covering a game. However, when I stepped onto the Wells Fargo court I couldn’t keep it together. I couldn’t let go of my friend’s arm and nearly tripped over a wire because I just looked up to take in the view.

I took my usual place on the sidelines and got to work. My favorite Villanova players were a foot away from me at points and I captured absolutely everything. By the end of the game, I had over 1500 photos in total. About 300 of them were focused on Villanova, because who knows if I’ll ever get this opportunity again.

The ride to Philly was six hours, we left the next morning at 5:30 a.m. and it was all about getting content out.

For some of us, it was just another great opportunity that our student organizations give us.

But for me? I got a taste of the dream.

It’s always dream-chasing season.