University of Richmond Athletics
A Player's Perspective - Up-Close And Personal With Tanja Miranovic
10/17/2006 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 17, 2006
Editor's Note: The Richmond women's basketball team ended the 2005-06 season with a 13-17 mark, highlighted by the program's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent (Temple) in over 15 years and the program's first win over arch-rival George Washington in 23 years.
Junior Tanja Miranovic joined the Spiders over two years ago from Subotica, Serbia, playing 28 games in a Spider uniform. Miranovic has enjoyed the successes of the Richmond basketball program over the last two seasons from the 23-8 mark in 2004-05 and receiving the team's first national Top 25 ranking in over a decade to earning the program's first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and enjoying a string of three wins over an A-10 Top 2 opponent. Known and admired for her commitment to the team and exceptional work ethic, Miranovic has contributed both on and off the court to the success of the Spiders' basketball team.
How do the Spiders prepare to build upon the past years' successes? Tanja's weekly diary will provide some answers as she takes us to the weight room, the track, the dining hall, the campus and finally - the court - with several other stops along the way.
It's A Player's Perspective...
Entry One - October 16, 2006
After almost two months of pre-season conditioning, they are finally here. The official practices have now started and everybody is so excited! The pre-season conditioning has prepared us physically, but having the real basketball practices with all of our buddies and sisters and having everyone striving to reach the same goal is what brings me joy, especially knowing that the start of the season is close.
So far, we have had six practices and I am so impressed with the effort that everybody has given. You can see it in everybody's eyes that they want to make themselves better players and teammates, and most importantly, that they want to get better as a team. I'm not going to lie, practices have been tough. Everybody is exhausted because we've had a long weekend, but that is necessary to succeed and I don't think that anybody on the team regrets the hard work. Plus, a shower and a little nap will solve everything!
We still have a long way to go, but I see us grow with every day. The five freshmen are great, not just as players, but also as people, and they will definitely play a huge role from the beginning. Our team is a mix of completely different personalities, but we are all working for the same thing and that is what I like the most.
Coach decided to take us to a ropes course today and it was so much fun - I can't recall a time when I laughed so much. We had different assignments to do as a team and we all worked together to accomplish all of them. The tasks were challenging, but with good group tactic and cooperation, we were successful. The funniest part was when D and Kel had to climb 52 feet with the all of the security equipment. They were so funny and I laughed so much that my stomach hurt! At that moment, I realized that the moments in our lives when we are around the people we care about, are priceless. I was touched.
After the ropes course, Coach Shafer invited us to his house for a team dinner, and we acted like we had never seen food in our lives :). It is really nice to have such a nice group of coaches around us who always take care of us and are there to help make our college experience richer with things that go beyond basketball.
Now, with a full stomach, everybody is probably in their beds, getting some rest and preparing for the new challenges that are in front of us. I am ready too. Good night.
Proud to be a Spider,
"T"
