Feb. 1, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- As the Wildcats boarded the bus on Saturday to head south to face Illinois, they noticed two new members of their travel party. Patrick and Courtney Kramer earned their seats to Champaign after they won the Supreme Court auction prize of joining the team on a road trip.
The package included the opportunity to travel with the team, stay at the team hotel, attend team meals, go to practice and shoot-around, sit on the bench, hear the pre-game talk and observe team scouts and film sessions while on the road.
"Personally, one of the highlights of the trip was when Coach Combs invited Courtney into the huddle during shoot-around to say "1, 2, 3, 'Cats," Patrick said. "That moment was something special to see your child with a smile that would last forever. Personally, it made me feel very proud to be associated with a fine group of women."
One of the things that was impressive to Courtney was how everyone "worked so hard not only playing basketball but reading and studying" as well.
Patrick noted the exactness of the preparation and itinerary.
"Something that surprised me was the work and preparation leading up to the basketball game," he said. "Everything was on schedule. For instance, we were scheduled to arrive at 2 p.m. When we arrived in our hotel room, I asked Courtney for the time. It was 2:01 p.m. Courtney laughed so hard. It was something I will never forget."