Thanksgiving with Belmont Basketball
- By Donald Turnbaugh
Thanksgiving is a time to relax, spend quality time with relatives
and take in a good meal. As the name says, it is also about
being thankful for the opportunity. At most colleges,
students flee campus to go back to their respective towns to get a
break from homework and tests. The people who do not get a
break are student-athletes and sport administrators, who tend to
play on holidays to give the general public something to do
together. It can be challenging for 18 and 19 year olds who
are away for the first time to have to miss a family tradition, but
thanks to Belmont men’s basketball coach Rick Byrd, his
players have the opportunity to embrace Thanksgiving by having a
two-day break.
Everyone has their own rituals so they head home, while others
live too far away and are taken in by their fellow teammates.
Here is a look at what some of the players have done in the past
and are doing this year. And most importantly, they break
down their favorite dish.
Spencer Turner: Freshman – Bloomington, Ind.
On how he spent Thanksgiving before coming to
Belmont…
“I’m from Bloomington, Ind., which is a big
basketball area. Traditionally we would get one day off from
basketball so we had a family gathering with my mom and dad’s
side and have a family dinner. That night I’d go shoot
with my dad to get a lot of shots off and practice. Usually,
that weekend is our first game so it’s a pretty big
deal. All four years I was there we would play the No. 2 or
No. 3 ranked team in the state.”
On what he will be doing this year…
“I’ll go back home to Bloomington; it’s
about a four hour drive for me. I’ll spend Thursday and
Friday there to spend time with family that I haven’t seen in
a while. It will give me a chance to spend time with my dad
and brother. Just good quality time with everyone and taking
in those moments.”
On what thanksgiving means to him…
“First, I want to give thanks to God for giving us
everything we have. Giving him thanks for my abilities and
surrounding me with great people, great teammates and
coaches. Just giving me everything I could ever ask
for. It’s about giving thanks to the people around
me. It’s about giving thanks to the troops who are
overseas giving their lives for us over here. They really
deserve it.”
On what his favorite dish is…
“Definitely the stuffing. I’ll get a plate
of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and corn but then my second
plate is just stuffing.”
Ian Clark: Junior – Memphis, Tenn.
On how he spent Thanksgiving before coming to
Belmont…
“Normal week was helping my parents out with whatever
they need. We had a lot of family come in to town so I would
spend time with them. We would have a big dinner and have a
good time.”
On what is usually served for his family’s thanksgiving
dinner…
“I have a big family back in Memphis so we usually have
two turkeys, ham and all the other usual items. My favorite
course is sweet potato pie.”
On how he celebrates Thanksgiving now that he is at
Belmont…
“It can be a breather. We go so hard so
it’s good to get a little bit of a break to see family.
I really like the fact that coach Byrd lets us be normal students
and gives us the chance to go home for the break. It’s
a relaxing time for me.”
Drew Hanlen: Senior – St. Louis, Mo.
On how he spent Thanksgiving before coming to
Belmont…
“Every year there is the annual Turkey Day Football
Game where my high school [Webster Grove] plays Jeremy
Maclin’s high school [Kirkwood] in an annual football game
that has been going on for 103 years now. They get about
12,000 fans each year and then our parents cook and do the
traditional things. But at noon, everything shuts down in
Kirkwood and Webster Grove.”
On how he celebrates Thanksgiving now that he is at Belmont...
“Coach Byrd is great and understands that we do need
some time with our family and he gives us Thursday and Friday off
which is something a lot of other college students don’t get
to do. It’s a great way for us to get home to spend
time with families, recover and do what we normally do on
Thanksgiving.”
On what Thanksgiving means to him…
“It means a lot to me. I feel very blessed to
have a great family and I think it’s a time to go back and
spend time with family and friends. It’s about the
little things. Thanks is in the holiday name but we
don’t necessarily give thanks enough so this puts it into
perspective.”
On his favorite dish…
“I love the turkey. My grandpa started it and my
dad took over the tradition of making a gravy-stuffed turkey that
goes really well with mashed potatoes and corn and everything
else. It’s untouchable to anything else I eat the rest
of the year.”
Trevor Noack: Junior – Keller, Texas
On how he spent Thanksgiving before coming to
Belmont…
“We always have a big meal with a lot of family.
We watch football games and I’m a Cowboys fan so we have to
watch that.”
On how he spends Thanksgiving now that he is at
Belmont…
“I haven’t had a lot of chances to go home since
it’s far but I’ve been able to spend it with guys on
the team whose families have allowed me to join. This year
I’ll be going with Reece [Chamberlain] to his family’s
house.”
On his favorite dish…
“That’s a tough one but it has to be the
turkey.”
