monkey66
June-21st-2004, 07:31 PM
An older article from the post, but a classic...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A17819-2003Jul6¬Found=true
My favorite section of the article...
One of the biggest problems, however, was the team's practice facilities at Bowie State University, where there was a single court, with old, wooden backboards that had creaky rims on the side of the courts. Dingy. Hot. Dark. Players recall tiles occasionally falling off the ceiling and windows covered with paint or soot, blocking out the light. There was an auditorium stage, which players joked was there for a production.
"The bottom of the food chain," said former Bullet Jim McIlvaine.
"A dump," Price said.
"Disgusting," said former Bullet and Wizard Tim Legler.
"A bad place," said former Bullet Rex Chapman.
Legler, who was with Washington from 1995 to '99, recalls the court at Bowie State being so small that there was no room to maneuver, and once it resulted in a wrist injury that caused Legler to miss a game. The worst part, players said, was a locker room in which 14 players had to share four showerheads, then three, then finally one working showerhead and its squeaky handle. The drainage was so poor that the water from the shower would fill up around the players' ankles. Because of the shortage of showers, players operated on a seniority system. In the 1987-88 season, for instance, Malone would shower first, forcing the others to wait up to 20 minutes for a chance to clean up. Many players would give up and go home, braving the winter weather while still sweating from practice.
:pooh:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A17819-2003Jul6¬Found=true
My favorite section of the article...
One of the biggest problems, however, was the team's practice facilities at Bowie State University, where there was a single court, with old, wooden backboards that had creaky rims on the side of the courts. Dingy. Hot. Dark. Players recall tiles occasionally falling off the ceiling and windows covered with paint or soot, blocking out the light. There was an auditorium stage, which players joked was there for a production.
"The bottom of the food chain," said former Bullet Jim McIlvaine.
"A dump," Price said.
"Disgusting," said former Bullet and Wizard Tim Legler.
"A bad place," said former Bullet Rex Chapman.
Legler, who was with Washington from 1995 to '99, recalls the court at Bowie State being so small that there was no room to maneuver, and once it resulted in a wrist injury that caused Legler to miss a game. The worst part, players said, was a locker room in which 14 players had to share four showerheads, then three, then finally one working showerhead and its squeaky handle. The drainage was so poor that the water from the shower would fill up around the players' ankles. Because of the shortage of showers, players operated on a seniority system. In the 1987-88 season, for instance, Malone would shower first, forcing the others to wait up to 20 minutes for a chance to clean up. Many players would give up and go home, braving the winter weather while still sweating from practice.
:pooh: