Injured Bradley men's basketball players Mason Alwan (foot) and Ka'Darryl Bell (shoulder) will not be able to play during the team's trip to the Bahamas Aug. 11-16, but the two guards both are contributing to Bradley's blog coverage of the trip.  Below is Alwan's second entry, recapping Day 1 of the trip Sunday.

It was a long day yesterday dealing with the early flight and all the travel. Most of us slept on the flight, even though our knees were smashed against the seat in front of us. The lady in front of me even put her seat back!! However, the taller players, such as Nate, Pross, and Xavier, had it way worse than me, so I really can't complain. Ka'Darryl won the battle of the armrest, but I had the window seat so in reality he had it worse! As our plane was landing we saw some of the most beautiful views of the island: it was something that many of us will never forget and sharing this experience with teammates is an added bonus.

We did not get settled into our rooms until about 3 PM and, by then, none of us had eaten all day. A few groups walked around the resort; others took a nap until dinner at 7 PM; and some explored the island. I did some exploring because I like to know where everything is. There was so much to see that I forgot to eat and by dinner time, it felt like Thanksgiving Day, because of my anticipation to finally get a meal (it was buffet style too!). Most of the guys got super dressed up just to walk around the resort: I found it hilarious, because the girls did not seem to be noticing!!

We have our first game tonight and the guys are just excited to play another team. Tonight will most likely be a little sloppy to start, but hopefully, we can get a win and, more importantly, learn what type of team we truly are. This game will be important for the returners and new guys for different reasons. Tonight will help us show our strengths and weaknesses, which is a big part of moving forward as a team. I know I am excited to see how we play tonight!

We have most of the day off until we leave for the game, so basically, everyone is going to be hanging out relaxing, not doing anything strenuous. If my foot was not broken, I would try to go ride the jet skis, swim with the dolphins or do something else (maybe I can get cleared for some of these activities). I will most likely go read a book on the beach or something relaxing. Everyone else will be hanging out by the pool or beach and just relaxing.

Wish us luck tonight!! Thanks everybody!

Mason Alwan

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Blogging with the Braves
Aug. 10, 2013:  Ka'Darryl Bell makes his first post
Aug. 7, 2013:  Mason Alwan makes his first post

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