University of Delaware Athletics
Stephanie Leon Final Four Blog: Day 4
4/8/2015 12:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
In early February, senior Stephanie Leon was just one of five NCAA Division I women's basketball student-athletes selected for the prestigious 2015 Allstate WBCA Good Works Team®, which pays tribute to college basketball players for their impressive commitment to giving back to their communities and positively impacting the lives of those around them. Over the next few days, Leon will be contributing in events surrounding the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship in Tampa and will blog exclusively for BlueHens.com.
Day Four: Tuesday, April 7
It's championship day!! That game between UConn and Notre Dame was so intense and I'm so excited that I was in the arena to witness history as Geno Auriemma won his tenth national 
championship and joined the ranks of John Wooden.
Before today's festivities began, my family and I made the quick drive over to Busch Gardens and enjoyed the roller coasters and animal exhibits. I love elephants and giraffes so being able to see them while plunging from the top of a roller coaster and screaming my head off was quite interesting! It was great being able to spend some time with my whole family in such a beautiful park and my dad managed to get some awesome pictures of my sisters and me on the coasters.
We had to leave the park early so that I could get back to Tourney Town to meet up with the rest of the team for an autograph signing which was a lot of fun. Everyone that came through was so talkative and ready for the game. Additionally, there were a few Blue Hens fans and Delawareans mixed in that I was able to meet!
The girls and I are had a blast running around to all the different tents setup throughout Tourney Town trying out the various activities but eventually we had to go get cleaned up for dinner. Our meal took a bit longer than expected, so we ended up literally running from the restaurant to the arena to make it in time for tip off! This was quite a workout as we had to run up all the stairs to the top tier in the arena and we had started out from across the river!
Hearing the national anthem being sung in that setting with the military holding a flag the size of the court was so powerful and a great way to start off the game.
It was a tight game and while I'm sure the players thought it was quite long enough, I know I wanted to see more action and was not ready for the final buzzer to sound after 40 minutes! Seeing two amazing teams play the game that I love was awesome and definitely made me miss my playing days of just a few weeks ago.
The celebration on court was pretty tame compared to the Duke men's from the night before, but seeing how emotional Breanna Stewart get while speaking really showed how much winning her third straight championship meant not only to her but to her program and their fans.
Back at the hotel afterwards the Good Works Team hung out in the lobby one last time with the wonderful people that had been making sure we got where we needed to be and planned the trip out for us. I'm so appreciative for everything that they did to make sure our experience was all it could be while in Tampa as I know my family and I loved every minute of our first Final Four.
It's hard to believe I only met the other members of the team a few short days ago as I feel we have gotten to know one another really well and have more than our desire to help others in common. We're already making plans and hopefully at least a few of us will be able to meet up over the summer!
I'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone that helped make this weekend possible, from the people at Allstate and the WBCA as well as Tamika Catchings for making the final selection to make me a part of this year's team to Maggie Hayon and the UD media relations department for nominating me.
Also to the UD coaching staff for recruiting me all those years ago and continuing to provide opportunities and support to better myself while obtaining my degree and playing basketball at a competitive level.
Lastly, I'd like to formally thank my family for teaching me so long ago to always put my best self out there, to help others every opportunity I get and for making sacrifices along the way to get me to where I am today. This has been a great trip to the Final Four in Tampa and I am so humbled and appreciative to have been selected as a member of the 2015 Allstate WBCA Good Works Team!
Day Three: Monday, April 6
Happy Monday Blue Hens! Today was the Allstate WBCA Good Works Day and another early morning as the team went to the Moffitt Cancer Center, a center that the Kay Yow 
Foundation supports.
As we are being recognized for our contributions to our communities and the effort that we have personally placed on community service, this event was highly anticipated and a time for all ten of us to work together. The Moffitt Cancer Center treats adult patients who are fighting cancer and the specific branch we worked with at the Center, Families First, strives to ensure that the children of the Moffitt's patients are being helped emotionally and physically through their loved ones diagnoses.
While at the Center (where we ran into Mr. Moffitt himself!) today we helped put together backpacks for different age groups as well as for parents to help spark conversations that will explain in an age appropriate way the changes that are taking place in 
the children's lives. We also met with a few of the families apart of Families First during this time and made Beads of Hope with them. The Beads of Hope are a wonderful project in which individuals write encouraging and supportive messages on a strip of paper that is then rolled together and glued shut with a space left for a band to go through. The bracelets serve as a mental support to the patients and loved ones they are gifted to and are a visible reminder that they are not battling alone and are in others thoughts and prayers.
We had the opportunity to visit with in-patients a little bit later in the day and delivered the Beads of Hope we had made as well as mini basketballs we had all signed. The emotions on many of the patients' faces as we talked with them and let them know that we are pulling for them was moving and showed how taking just a few minutes out of ones day can brighten another's considerably.
Tamika Catchings was with us throughout the entire day and seeing the passion and energy she brought to every encounter she had with the patients as well as with us as members of the Good Works Team was inspiring. It is clear that she is driven to be the best in everything she does and pushes those around her to achieve their best as well which is an awesome quality to have in my opinion!
We had some free time after our visit to the Moffitt Cancer Center so that we could prepare for the WBCA Awards Show. I was really happy to see Coach Lochner, who came down to support me and loved getting to catch up with him for a little bit, it's been a while since I've gone without seeing the coaches for more then two or three days!
The awards show was fun to attend as the awards fo
r national coaches and players of the year were announced for all divisions as well as other named awards such as the Nancy Lieberman Award and the Carol Eckman Award. We were also recognized again as the Good Works Team and received a standing ovation, which was very humbling as coaches that many of us consider to be superstars and top of the line were honoring us!
My grandparents and aunt and uncle who live in Orlando also drove over for the awards show and it was great being able to spend time with them afterwards at dinner.
I finished off the night watching the men's championship game between Wisconsin and Duke with a few of the other girls on the team and it was great being able to hang out and get to know one another a little bit better!
Tomorrow looks like another promising day and I'm so excited to attend the UConn-Notre Dame game in the evening!
Day Two: Sunday, April 5
What a day it has been here in Tampa! The Good Works Team started off the day meeting Danielle Donehew, the Executive Director of the WBCA. During this time we heard about how she has gotten to be in her current position and we each had the opportunity to share a little about ourselves. Her statement of “It's not what you're doing but who you are learning from” really meant a lot to me as it speaks of the importance of having a strong mentorship 
as did her advice on how to choose what to pursue in life. She called it finding your sweet spot and it's where your passion and your talent overlap. Listening to the other members of the team speak about what they have accomplished and the impact they have had in their communities both locally and internationally I can tell that many of us are on track to finding our sweet spot and basketball has played a major role in progressing that path.
After speaking with Ms. Donehew we headed over to Tourney Town to help hand out trophies to the various participants of the Community Champions Celebration. There wasn't a large crowd as it was Easter Sunday, but we still had a lot of fun meeting with Anucha Browne, the NCAA's vice president of women's basketball championships, and a few of the participants.
Ms. Browne loves taking selfies and we were all more than happy to keeping striking poses! As a team she challenged us to each become a mentor, if we aren't already, and to stay 
in touch with and use one another for the next 10 years. We promised we will and are already starting to form friendships with one another.
A little bit later in the day we went over to the Amelie Arena for a quick walkthrough of our order for when we walk out to be recognized later during the game and it's a good thing we were allotted a half hour there because we took about twenty-five minutes worth of pictures on the court, which is absolutely beautiful!
With a little gap of time before we needed to be back at the arena for the first game, my family and I were able to get a nice Thai Easter dinner and to our surprise when we got back to the hotel the Easter Bunny was there. Naturally, we had to take a picture!!
There has been so much energy in our hotel with what seems like every college coach b
eing in attendance for the WBCA convention and walking over to the arena you could feel the electricity as all the fans prepared for some great basketball.
South Carolina and Notre Dame played a real close game to start the evening off and Notre Dame won on a rebound off an air ball to go up by one and advance to the championship where they'll be facing UConn.
At halftime during the UConn-Maryland game, the Good Works Team moved down to the court and had the opportunity to meet with Tamkia Catchings (who is absolutely one of my favorite players from the WNBA!) as she led us out to be recognized.
It was so cool to be recognized at half court in front of so many fans and I just couldn't stop grinning! We got to stay on court on the baseline for the rest of the half and some of the girls were able to meet Tom Cruise who was there enjoying the game as well!
It was a busy, fun, picture filled day and I am so excited to be going to the Moffitt Cancer Center tomorrow morning as a part of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Day!
Day One: Saturday, April 4
Hello from Tampa Blue Hens!! I am so excited to be here at the Final Four being honored as a member of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team and can't wait to see some great basketball 
over the next few days.
My day started with a beautiful sunrise as I said goodbye to my friends as we finished up our spring break trip in Miami and I headed to the airport for a quick flight north.
Once in Tampa, I met with an Allstate representative who took me to the hotel we'll be staying in. It is very conveniently located right across the street from
Tourney Town and the Amalie Arena, which my room has a great view of!
After checking in I took a quick nap and then headed to a meeting that introduced the 10 members selected to be a part of the team to one another and the staff that has worked so hard to put together our trip. I am so proud to be able to represent UD and the Blue Hen family among people who are doing so much for their communities!
After our meeting I walked along the boardwalk to find some dinner and found a great Mexican food place where I was able to watch the men's semifinals game and enjoy the wonderful weather. The city is geared up and ready to go for tomorrow and I can't wait to get things started!
PHOTO GALLERY:
In early February, senior Stephanie Leon was just one of five NCAA Division I women's basketball student-athletes...
Posted by University of Delaware Women's Basketball on Saturday, April 4, 2015
