UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- While most people were home with their families on Thanksgiving, the Lady Lions basketball team was in California taking part in the Cal Classic. Penn State went 1-1 in the tournament with an eight-point loss to Long Beach State and a 92-68 win over North Carolina Central.
However, the trip was more than just about playing basketball, it was a time for the team to spend time together during the Thanksgiving holiday. For many of the freshmen, including Anna Camden, this was the first time away from family during the holiday. She is appreciative of the opportunity to spend her time with her second family, the team.
"I'm super tight with my family, so obviously, my first Thanksgiving away was hard," Camden said. "But again, this team is like my sisters, these coaches, we like to call them our aunties, so it was amazing having them to support me. There was still a lot to be thankful for, to be surrounded by so much love and support."
Head coach Carolyn Kieger knew the role she had on the trip, acknowledging the potential struggle of players being away for Thanksgiving.
"It's especially an adjustment for the freshmen," she said. "It's their first time away from their families and now we're their home away from home."
Possibly more than anything, the six-day trip was an opportunity for the team to grow closer together. The team spent a lot of time together and they took advantage of the chance to learn more about each other.
"It obviously is going to help us tremendously in that we're spending more time together," Camden said. "We're just getting out of five games straight where we're just on campus, so traveling and spending time in the hotel and having everything together, you just start to learn so much more about each other and you start to bond really closely."
Keiger also believes the trip was more beneficial than just spending time on the court together could be.
"I thought we had some good moments and a lot of time to teach and time to learn [there was] a lot of time for bonding," she said. "It was our longest road trip and will be for the year, so the time for us to be together as a family and learn about each other and just get to know out strengths and weaknesses a little better is vital."
Outside of spending quality time with teammates and coaches, the team also got a chance to meet some of coach's families during the time in California.
"I got to be closer with some of my coach's families that were there," Camden said. "Coach [Keiger]'s sister and nieces were there who I got to meet and I got to spend more time with Coach [Boggess]'s fiancé which was amazing."
Although the players couldn't get to see their own families, the experience of being with the coach's families was an eye-opening experience.
"It definitely puts things into perspective that this is all real life and everyone's working hard for something that they love," she said. "It's a nice reminder, especially on Thanksgiving."
As the team bonded on their trip to the west coast, the group hopes it can take that deeper connection off the court and only improve on the court as the season moves into conference play over the next few weeks.
