It's Senior Week all over the college hoops nation, as graduating players are feted by their schools in their final home games. It will come as no surprise that we greatly enjoy the ceremony and the emotion of the moments.We were particularly moved last night when G:TB fave Elena Delle Donne played the last home contest of her spectacular career at Delaware. The 6'5" do-everything forward scored 24 points in 17 minutes as the Blue Hens pummeled Georgia State, but it was the pregame that stole the show.
In addition to her parents, Delle Donne was accompanied by her sister older Lizzie, whose cerebral palsy and autism have left her blind and deaf. Delle Donne's difficulty being separated from Lizzie and the rest of her close-knit family was one of the major reasons she transferred from Connecticut to Delaware at the beginning of her college career. (See the 1:10 mark of this video, that I can't figure out how to embed, for footage of the Delle Donne family's on-court moment.)
We also learned yesterday of yet one more reason to root for Delle Donne. She's one of us. According to former teammate Vanessa Kabongo, "She's not a quiet kid; she is silly. She's definitely a silly person off the floor; I can say that." (If Greg's looking to settle down, I think we can arrange a meeting.)
Big ups to Elena Delle Donne and the rest of college basketball's senior class. As we prepare to get overly geeked for March, thanks for giving us so much to love over the past four years.
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