Sophia was a rising senior basketball player, looking to find the perfect college fit, both academically and athletically, to spend her next four years. One of her stops on this pursuit was the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Sophia was expecting a low profile night. She hoped to get a better sense of the campus and school and if she fit well with the rest of the basketball team. What came instead was a shocking whirlwind which she could have never expected.
Arriving on campus after a long flight from Los Angeles, Sofia met with the coach and then was placed with her host for the night. Her host, Megan, a junior on the basketball team, said that the team was going to go out that night and show her around the campus and city. Excited to get a feel for the nightlife of the school, she hopped in the shower to get ready.
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The Visit Took a Turn
However, the visit quickly took a left turn. She got out of the shower to find Megan and her suitemates already drunk. At that point, she knew it was going to be an eventful night, but she still had no idea how outlandish it would soon become.
After more drinking, Megan and her teammates took Sophia out to a Mexican restaurant. Uncomfortably sitting in the restaurant with a bunch of loud, drunk people that she met just an hour ago, Sophia sat and watched as they ate copious amounts of guacamole.
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The House Party
From there they all squeezed into a taxi, traveling across town to a house party that was going on. The house was both tiny and overcrowded. To make matters worse, it was too cold to stand outside. So, Sophia had two choices; either freeze or fight your way inside and be surrounded by a bunch of drunk obnoxious college students, none of which Sophia knew. It was then when Megan suggested that they go to the bathroom. Thinking it would be a break from the chaos of the party, Sophia gladly accepted the invitation.
Once they were able to fight their way to the bathroom, Sophia realized that it was not just her and Megan, but five other basketball players also cramming into the bathroom. What happened next was even more bizarre; her host and teammates started getting in the shower and taking nude pictures while she was in the bathroom with them! At a house that was not even theirs! Obviously, this could not have been more awkward and offsetting for Sophia as she had just met these people, yet for some reason they felt like it was perfectly normal for them to take nude photos in her presence.
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The Decision
At this point, her mind had been made up: this was not the place for her, and all she just wanted was to go home. However, her time was not up at Catholic. She had to still play pick up the nest morning with the team that scarred her first college visit. She also had to express to the coach that this would not be the right fit for her, without revealing too many specifics.
This story illustrates why college visits are an important experience for athletes to go through. Experiencing a night out with potential teammates can be extremely revealing, whether positive or negative. While this story was an extreme example, you can often find out more about potential teammates when they are not surrounded by coaches or professors, but among their peers and away from these authority influences.
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* Originally published on January 18, 2022, by Brendan O'Shea
