LSU basketball teams are hitting the road for the holidays. While in different cities for Thanksgiving, their celebrations will look similar.
The women’s team and head coach Kim Mulkey are headed over the Gulf to the U.S. Virgin Islands to compete in the Paradise Jam. The men’s team and head coach Matt McMahon have a quicker journey, playing in the Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Florida.
Both teams play this weekend, but before the games begin, the coaches, players and their families are celebrating Thanksgiving in their host cities.
For most college students, Thanksgiving means going home, sitting around a crowded table and soaking up family traditions.
For the LSU women’s basketball team, it often means something a little different — a packed suitcase, a long flight and another tournament a long way from home.
But for the Tigers, traveling during the holiday never means missing out on the warmth of Thanksgiving. In fact, it’s become one of the most meaningful parts of the season.
Coaches and staff make sure the holiday doesn’t go unnoticed. The team always carves out time for a Thanksgiving meal, whether it’s in a hotel banquet room or a local restaurant.
“We never get to be at home for Thanksgiving; we’ll leave on Tuesday to the Virgin Islands,” Mulkey said. “Any time we go on trips, we are going to do fun things, but hopefully, they have turkey. I don’t know if they’ll have dressing, but we’ll definitely find turkey to celebrate Thanksgiving together.”
For LSU, Thanksgiving on the road isn’t a sacrifice. It’s a reminder of the family built through the game they all share a love for.
The Tigers play with a little extra joy, carrying the spirit of a holiday spent together.
Even though the staff and players of LSU men’s basketball won’t get to go home for Thanksgiving, they’ll spend it with their program and families who made the trip.
“Probably the one thing that isn’t great about being in college basketball, you never get Thanksgiving [off],” McMahon said.
When out of town on any family-centered holiday, men’s basketball shares the same tradition — players, coaches and their families will gather for a program-wide meal.
“It’s really a great blessing, and [I] look forward to it on Thursday night,” McMahon said.
The amount of time collegiate athletes spend in the gym builds a relationship that feels like a new type of family.
“[We are] definitely a family,” redshirt junior Jalen Reed said. “It’s a fraternity. I like to think these are people who I’m going to call my brothers for the rest of my life.”
One of the most familial traditions is simply sharing a meal together. The team will get that chance after the long week of putting in work to try to win the Emerald Coast Classic.
After Wednesday weights, the team started its trek to Destin, where it will practice Thursday morning. McMahon said this past weekend was crucial to improving the team and preparing for a busy 22 hours of games.
The Tigers will have a little over a day to move past their food comas and get on the court against Drake on Friday.
