Marshall University Athletics
Men's Basketball Prepares for Rutgers; Visits Ground Zero
12/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Men's Basketball Prepares for Rutgers; Visits Ground Zero
12/1/2002
New York, N.Y. - Marshall University's men's basketball coaching staff took time out from preparing for Rutgers Sunday and took their team on a short trip to New York City for an inspirational lesson in recent history.
The Thundering Herd basketball team arrived in Newark, New Jersey, for Monday night's 8:00 p.m. contest at Rutgers early Sunday in order to accomodate an outing to the former site of the World Trade Center.
Assistant coach Charlie Hagley said that the opportunity to let Marshall's student-athletes see "ground zero" was too important to pass on.
"Coach White felt that it was very important to have our team visit the site and see first hand something that has effected us all and to pay our respects to those who lost their lives," Hagley said. "To see the giant depression where the towers once stood makes you realize all the things you take for granted in your life and how amazing and brave our firefighters, policemen, and emergency rescue workers are."
Team members spent an estimated two hours viewing the site from the observation deck and looking through the memorials that have been established at St. Paul's Chapel and Battery Park. Amazingly, the wall's surrounding St. Paul's Chapel still contain a plethora of pictures, flags, prayers, poems, and signs from around the nation and the world in memory of those lost.
Several players took notice a banner hanging in the sanctuary of St. Paul's, which has been converted into a walk-thru 9-11 museum, that contained words of hope and love from school children at Doddridge County Middle School in West Union.
"Its inspiring," freshman Mark Patton said. "Its remarkable what happened here and the tremendous resolve our nation has showed."
The Thundering Herd's attention now turns toward a talented Scarlet Knights squad that has already posted a big non-conference win over Temple and fell on the short end of a near miss at North Carolina.
Marshall (2-0) will face off against Big East member Rutgers (2-1) at 8:00 p.m. Monday. The game will be televised live by WSAZ in the Huntington-Charleston market.