CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — (AP) — (Editor's Note: The Associated Press was granted exclusive access to the Columbia women's basketball team for this behind-the-scenes look at the Lions' journey from New York to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this week in search of the school's first NCAA Tournament win.)
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Columbia coach Megan Griffith began working on plans for the Lions' return to the NCAA Tournament immediately after they heard their name called on Selection Sunday. She has been here before.
This behind-the-scenes look by The Associated Press at the team's journey from New York to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this week provides insight into managing what is a business trip for any school in the tournament and allowing players to enjoy the ride.
Griffith has turned Columbia into an Ivy League power over the past few seasons. The former Lions point guard has led the program to three consecutive regular-season conference titles, including this year's outright crown.
A year after earning the first NCAA bid in school history, the Lions are back in March Madness again. Now Columbia has its first victory after beating Washington 63-60 on Thursday night in a play-in game.
The Lions held one final practice and did interviews before departing New York for the two-hour charter flight to Chapel Hill. While there's usually a handful of reporters at Columbia's scheduled media availabilities, this one was different. Nearly every TV station in the biggest media market in the country came to talk to the team and the coach.
For a day, the Lions were the center of attention in a sports city that has the Knicks, Yankees, Mets and St. John's vying for coverage.
The players took it all in stride, patiently answering questions and seemingly enjoying the attention.
Nonetheless, it was a relatively subdued sendoff.
Yes, there was a huge media contingent in attendance, but the school is on spring break right now. The campus is also difficult to get onto because of the pro-Palestinian protests that have loomed over the campus the past year.
The Lions took the 45-minute ride to Newark Airport, where their chartered flight awaited. It was only the second time that the team had flown on a charter — the first came last year when Columbia made its first trip ever to the NCAA Tournament and they traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia. Thursday's contest came on the one-year anniversary of the loss to Vanderbilt in the play-in game.
The players were in awe of being able to drive straight up to the tarmac where the plane was waiting.
“It was cool going to the charter and we’ve been taking it all in,” junior Perri Page said. “But it’s a business trip and we have a goal in mind.”
After enjoying the amenities of their charter flight — larger seats, a little more leg room, just teammates, cheerleaders and staff on board — the Lions arrived in Chapel Hill and took a short ride on a coach bus to their hotel, welcomed by March Madness signs all over to greet the team.
The players had a bit of downtime before dinner and a film session on Washington.
Players went to their rooms and hung out, unwinding after the travel day. With the school on break, there was no studying to be done.
The Columbia players' eyes lit up when they got to Carmichael Arena for practice.
They walked into the locker room where nameplates were on the lockers with each players' name and number and March Madness signage. There was also a snack table filled with fruit, granola bars and other energy lifters.
On the seats in front of the lockers was NCAA swag. Hats, socks, playing cards, sweatshirts, a fanny pack and a banner awaited each player. They tried on the hats and sweatshirts and unfurled the banners which said March Madness on it.
“I have one of these at home from last year so now I can put this next to it," Page said.
After a quick media session, the Lions were eager to get to work and practice. A little bit too eager.
They ran onto the court to warm up and stretch before they were allowed to by the NCAA. Every team has allotted practice times and they can't be on the court before or after that time slot.
They started stretching a few minutes before the official start time and a site rep came over and had them leave the court for a few minutes until they could start.
Columbia made the most of the time, stretching in the hallway.
The NCAA only slots 90 minutes for practice and Lions seniors Cecelia Collins and Kitty Henderson wanted to get some extra shots up. So after a phone call was made, the pair — along with Griffith and two other staff members — took the five-minute ride to the Dean Smith Center, where the North Carolina men's basketball team plays, to put up some shots.
After a quick stop for photos on the court of the 21,750-seat arena, the duo worked out for 30 minutes.
“I grew up as a kid watching a lot of college basketball and it was cool to see that place,” Collins said.
The Columbia women's team needed a place to do its walkthrough Wednesday evening.
No problem. The good folks at the Courtyard Marriott where the team was staying had a conference room available. The student managers put a court down with tape in the 20x20 space. It wasn't a full court — but it did the trick.
Using a tennis ball as a basketball, the team went through plays on defense that they would need against Washington. The space was tight, but the Lions made the best of it, even going out into the hallway for a few of the plays.
After the on-court review was finished, the Lions spent 10 minutes playing a fun communication game to work on talking to each other.
The Lions watched the Princeton-Iowa State game during dinner, cheering on their Ivy League counterparts. Columbia is one of a record three Ivy League teams playing in the NCAA Tournament, along with Princeton and Harvard.
The team started watching the game as the Tigers were in the midst of a 23-5 run to close the half and go up 38-25 at the break.
“Are we good luck?” Griffith quipped, drawing laughter from her teammates.
But it wasn't the luck of the Ivy for Princeton; Iowa State rallied in the second half for a 68-63 win.
Collins said that she and Henderson were trying to enjoy every minute of her final time playing for Columbia.
“I think this being my and Kitty's last we're just trying to soak in every possible thing, even if it's just like warmups before practice,” Collins said. “Team dinners, everything. It doesn't have to be anything too fancy. We're just kind of like trying to have fun in those moments.”
The Lions were feeling no pressure Thursday morning.
They had a quiet morning, eating breakfast and watching more film on Washington before heading to the arena for their final shootaround before Thursday night's game.
“We feel good, we're focused and ready to go," leading scorer Riley Weiss said. "We feel we're well prepared.”
Weiss has made the biggest improvements this season, seeing her scoring rise from 7.1 points a game as a freshman to 17.8 this year.
Columbia rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to pull off the first NCAA win in school history. It came on the one-year anniversary of last season's NCAA loss to Vanderbilt.
When the players got back to the locker room they jumped up and down with Weiss in the middle of the celebration.
“We belong, we belong,” Griffith said in the locker room. “I can't reiterate how proud I am of you and the way you represent the name across your chest.”
The team celebrated when they got back to the hotel with the cheerleaders and dozens of fans giving them a loud ovation when they walked through the hotel lobby. They went straight to the giant March Madness bracket and Henderson filled in the team's name in the empty space opposite the Lions next opponent, West Virginia. Her teammates called out each letter of the school's name as she wrote it on the bracket.
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AP Sports Writer Doug Feinberg has covered women’s basketball for the past 19 years and is a 1995 graduate of Columbia.
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