Florida State redshirt sophomore sensation Alexa Deluzio will periodically give fans a glimpse in on the life of a Seminole basketball player. Here is her latest diary entry:

Wow, what a summer! I think I could sit here and literally write hours upon hours about our past summer. It’s no secret that last season we reached new heights by going to the Elite 8. That was/is school history. For most teams achieving such a tremendous goal would mean it’s okay to get a little comfortable, to relax, or to sit back and bask in the glory. Our team did the complete opposite this summer. While we did enjoy and recognize our amazing accomplishment, we also knew that the expectations for the 2010-2011 season had gone up.

We don’t just want to reach the Elite 8 again this year. Even though that is an awesome triumph, we believe that would be settling for our team. Why not make the choice to push yourself from a really good team to a great team? Even though “good” and “great” on paper doesn’t seem like much of a difference, when you apply that concept to the basketball court it’s a huge difference. “Really good” are Elite 8 teams and “Great” are champions. We want to be great!

This summer has been a summer of selflessness, hard work, and dedication. Out of all the post/preseason’s I have been apart of, this has by far been the most productive. Every single person evaluated themselves and figured out what they can improve on to better help the team. For some it was conditioning, for others it was skill work or mentality. Whatever it was, we went above and beyond to make sure that was our focus for this summer. We realized by strengthening our own individual abilities it would actually strengthen, help, and propel our team to our goal.

I believe that our selflessness, hard work, and time that was put in this summer will separate us from “really good” to great! Can’t wait for the season!!

- Alexa “Lex” Deluzio

Ten Questions with the Seminole Freshmen

What did you expect moving to Florida?

Tay’ler: That it was going to be hot!

Olivia: It’s a lot more humid. When you walk out side, you sweat. But I like it.

What has been the best part so far?

Natasha: Spending time with my teammates and getting our gear. It is crazy how close you get with your teammates in such a short time.

Lauren: Spending time with my teammates. We go over to Cierra and Lex’s a lot and hang out.

Olivia: Being able to bond with my teammates and get some workouts in.

What is the most fun thing you have done with your teammates?

Olivia: Homemade dinner and movie nights with the team. I also made Tacos for the upperclassmen. That was a lot of fun.

Natasha: The photo shoot we did for the website. It was fun dressing up. I can’t wait to see the pictures. It was something I have never gotten to do before.

What are you most looking forward to about the season?

Lauren: Having more fun with my teammates and winning games. I am sure it will be really intense, but I am excited about it.

Tay’ler: I’m excited to start the season and play games. It will be fun to get on the road and bond with my teammates.

Who is the goofiest coach?

All: Coach White!

Who is the goofiest player?

All: Cierra!

Who is the best dressed player?

Olivia: Tay’ler.

Lauren: Tay’ler

Tay’ler: Me!

Natasha: Me!

What has been the biggest challenge so far?

Olivia: Time management, and making sure I get all my work done. There is a lot of responsibility to juggle, but it has been a good experience learning how to balance school and basketball.

Natasha: Managing my time so I can make sure I get school work and basketball work done. It has been a lot of work, but I know it will pay off.

What has been the biggest adjustment from high school to college been?

Tay’ler: It’s a lot faster pace as far as basketball, and coming from a small catholic school there are way more people. I think I have adjusted pretty well though.

Lauren: More responsibilities, and more independence. I am up for the challenge, though.

When did you know you wanted to be a Seminole?

Olivia: The first time I came on campus it felt so right, but I am pretty indecisive so it took me a while to say it.

Tay’ler: When I had a dream that we won a national championship.

Lauren: The first time I came here for team camp. It was such a cool place and I really felt like I could grow here.

Natasha: When I came here for my visit. Everything felt right. The coaches really do care about me as a person, and I knew that this was the best place for me academically and for basketball.

Hey Seminole Fans!

Woooo!! Washington DC!! We definitely are getting our workout done!! Monuments, tours, walks, walks and more walks! If you want to burnt calories, DC is the perfect place!!

Day 1: got lost on our way to the airport, but as soon as we arrived we got to c-ward’s uncle’s house and enjoy our first boxing party. Chas and cint met us there and we hung out together playing some pool.

Day 2: We visited the Museum of the Holocaust and walk around DC exploring the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

Day 3: We used our third day for a little of rest and family time.

Day 4: Shopping day! We spent more than 3 hours walking through a hugeee mall. We went out the mall with bunch of bags, and little money….We had a nice dinner at Olive Garden with Courtney’s family.

Day 5: 11.30 a.m. First exhibition game for Cint’s WNBA team: Washington Mystics. Unfortunately she couldn’t play because she is she is on treatment to make her knees better.However, we were still able to enjoy the game, her new home court and all the fans that came to see them play.

After the game, we went to discover Washington DC by foot. We walked so much!! But it was worth it because we got a lot of really nice picture. Then, Cint picked us up and we went to hang out at her new apartment in her new car. We are so happy for her and we think she deserves the best!!

Day 6: We woke up early, drove to the city and started our metro day!  We to see the inside of the pentagon and the pentagon memorial, where the plane crashed on 9-11 in 2001. After that, we took the metro again and came to a tour inside the capitol. Now, we are waiting to start it.

The rest of the plans for today is to go the tour of bureau of engraving money at 5. And after that, to finish our day, we will go to see our first baseball game. The Washington Nationals play against the Atlanta Braves.

And tomorrow more DC!!

So happy to be here!

-Leonor “Leo” Rodriguez & Courtney “CWARD” Ward

Seminole Fans!

We are so excited to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend! Here is everything you need to know about the three other teams playing at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Saturday.

14- Seed: Lousiana Tech Lady Techsters

Record: 23-8 (11-5 WAC)

Bid: WAC Tournament Champions

Leading Scorer: Shanavia Dowdell (18 PPG)

Head Coach: Teresa Weatherspoon

6-Seed: St. Johns Red Storm

Record: 24-6 (12-4 Big East)

Bid: At-large

Leading Scorer: Da’Shena Stevens (14.2 PPG)

Head Coach: Kim Barnes Arico

11-Seed: Princeton Tigers

Record: 26-2 (14-0, Ivy League)

Bid: Ivy League Tournament Champions

Leading Scorer: Niveen Rasheed (15.6 PPG)

Head Coach: Courtney Banghart

Wow, where do I even begin with this one? Monday night we had our Selection Show party in the Presidents Box and it was amazing. I have never felt so many emotions all at once. While waiting, as patiently as possible, for ESPN to reveal Florida State’s seeding in the NCAA tournament, emotions raced through my body. I felt anxious, happy, and extremely excited all at once…… Phew, the wait was finally over. We got a 3-seed and are scheduled to play Louisiana Tech Saturday at 2:30 pm.

I think I can speak for the team when I say that our emotions quickly changed from anxious and excited to determined. I am not saying we aren’t happy or still excited, but we know that in order to go as far as we possibly can in this tournament we must be focused and determined. We have to block out silly talk and just believe in ourselves. You have people who are going to bring negativity, talking about the fact that UConn is in our bracket…..So???… While I would love the opportunity to possibly get a rematch with UConn or Duke or even get to face Ohio State, it is really important for us to stay focused at what is in front of us this weekend. This is why we as athletes love playing, for the challenge and competitiveness.

I am confident that our team will rise to the challenge this time around. This tournament is not about records or number of wins throughout the season, it is about who wants it more on that day. When we play Louisiana Tech, us being regular season champions and ranked No. 10 in the nation doesn’t matter. The only thing that does matter is who is determined and wants it more Saturday at 2:30PM. When our team comes together, plays hard and and plays relentless (props to Coach Close for that great vocab word …) we are unstoppable. Its going to be a fun and exciting tournament! Please come out and cheer us on Saturday!

- Alexa “Lex” Deluzio

Hey Seminole Fans!

The No. 10 Florida State women’s basketball team will host an NCAA Selection Show Party Monday evening in the President’s Box located inside Doak Campbell Stadium. The doors will open to fans at 6:30 p.m. as there will be light food and refreshments available. Admission is free.

The Seminoles are coming off their second straight co-ACC regular season title and own a 26-5 overall record on the year and have been ranked in the top 10 throughout the season for the first time in school history.

FSU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season a year ago with its 83-71 win over North Carolina A&T before suffering a 63-58 loss to Arizona State in the second round.

The selection show will be televised at 7 p.m. on ESPN as the three other teams headed to Tallahassee for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be announced.

Seminoles! Do you have your tickets yet? Be on the look out for Coach Sue! The three time ACC Coach of the Year is diving into the Tallahassee community to make sure everyone has their tickets for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament! She has already dropped in on Shane’s Rib Shack and Moe’s on the Parkway this week for lunch. Don’t miss out on March Madness coming to Tallahassee!

Here is the rest of the schedule:

Thursday, March 11

Chick-Fil-A (Capital Circle NE) – 12-1 p.m.

Friday, March 12

Starbucks (North Monroe) – 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

FSU Baseball (First Pitch) – 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 13

FSU Softball (First Pitch) – 1 p.m.

Monday, March 15

NCAA Selection Show (President’s Box) – 6:30 p.m.

NCAA Tournament Ticket Information (First Two Rounds at the Civic Center)

Hey Seminole Fans! Florida State is the No. 2 seed in this week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament after sharing the regular season title with Duke. Here is all you need to know about this week’s ACC Tournament:

GAME SCHEDULE

 

Thursday:

 

Game No. 1 - Seed No. 5 Wake Forest vs. Seed No. 12 Miami 11:00 a.m. (RSN, Fox HD)

Game No. 2 - Seed No. 8 North Carolina vs. Seed No. 9 Maryland, 3:00 p.m. (RSN, Fox HD)

Game No. 3 - Seed No. 7 Boston College vs. Seed No. 10 Virginia Tech, 6:00 p.m. (ACC Select, theACC.com)

Game No. 4 - Seed No. 6 NC State vs. Seed No. 11 Clemson, 8:00 p.m. (ACC Select, theACC.com)

Friday:

 

Game No. 5 - Seed No. 4 Georgia Tech vs. winner of Game 1, 11:00 a.m. (RSN, Fox HD)

Game No. 6 - Seed No. 1 Duke vs. winner of Game 2, 3:00 p.m. (RSN, Fox HD)

Game No. 7 - Seed No. 2 Florida State vs. winner of Game 3, 6:00 p.m. (ACC Select, theACC.com)

Game No. 8 - Seed No. 3 Virginia vs. winner of Game 4, 8:00 p.m. (ACC Select, theACC.com)

Saturday:

 

Game No. 9 - ACC Semifinal 1, 1:00 p.m. (Fox Sports Net – HD)

Game No. 10 - ACC Semifinal 2, 3:30 p.m. (Fox Sports Net – HD)

Sunday:

Game No. 11 - Championship Game, 1:00 p.m. (Fox Sports Net – HD)

RSN - Fox Sports Net South (FSNS), ComCast Sports Net (CSN), Fox Sports Net Florida (FSNFL), New England Sports Network (NESN)

Click HERE for the tournament bracket in a .pdf file.

VENUE

 

Greensboro Coliseum

 

TICKETS

Tickets are now available at TicketMaster. Full session books are on sale for $99.

Hey Seminole fans!  It’s Alexa Deluzio here, and I have some thoughts from last night’s big winover Virginia I wanted to share with you.

 

Despite our lackadaisical start and nail biting finish to Monday nights game against Virginia I walked out feeling pretty darn good for two specific reasons. The first reason being that we came out with a win, a big win at that! That game secured our number two spot in the ACC standings and if we take care of the next two games that puts us in a great position for the ACC tournament.  The second reason I walked out of that game feeling great was because I had an unbelievable thankfulness that Courtney Ward is on MY team and not the opposing team.

 

Not taking anything away from Monica Wright, but as she had a quiet 23 points “C-Ward” topped it with a LOUD 29 points.  If people didn’t know who Courtney Ward was prior to this game they sure know who she is now and she definitely demanded and earned respect Monday night.

 

As if scoring your career high and shooting over 72-percent overall isn’t enough, “C-Ward” managed to bring down five rebounds and dish out 3 assists. To many, the 29 point performance alone would have been enough to excuse numerous errors that happened during the course of the game. The “many” I was referring to clearly did not include Courtney.

 

Since this is my blog I guess that means I’m entitled to share openly how I truly feel. Its hard to talk about the Virginia game and NOT mention “C-Ward” and “selfless” all in the same sentence.  Her selfless attitude started way before the game. To be exact, it started on the bus ride over . Courtney so kindly decided to share her lovely voice (just a little sarcasm ..) with the team and sing numerous songs out loud on the way to the gym . It would have been pure selfishness if she kept all her amazing vocals to herself. I’m glad she decided to share it with the team. Watch out Beyonce!  Haha!

 

It doesn’t stop here though. On a more serious note C-Ward continued to be selfless all throughout the game. just watch it and the game speaks for itself. For me the most respectable part of her performance was  not during the game, but after during post game media press conference.  When asked about her spectacular shooting  night and 29 point performance she responded with this….. “I’m not really worried about that right now. I’m more worried about these 10 turnovers.” I didn’t put that in here to draw attention to Courtney’s turnovers , I put that in here to draw attention to her wanting to do better for her team instead of bringing glory to herself.

 

Talk about selflessness. She is a perfect example. It would have been so easy for her to soak in all the glory and allow her head to get a little bigger. I mean shoot she deserved it, but she chose to go another route. I don’t know a lot of players (if any) who come off having a game like she did and the first thing that runs through their mind is how they could have done better and what they need to work on for their team. 

 

That truly showed me her humbleness and heart for this team. As a teammate you couldn’t respect her more, she places the team before herself. Whether she has another 29 point performance or goes 0-for-20 from the floor (knock on wood), I know that she puts the team first and not herself. To me that is amazing. Good Job Courtney!

 

- Alexa “Lex” Deluzio

The Seminoles are currently projected as a No. 3 Seed in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme.

Check out the whole bracket HERE.