The routine hasn’t changed for Wasson, who supervises the team’s student managers. Wasson’s staff makes sure the players’ game day and practice attire is ready before games and each practice session.
“Game day is the same for me,” he said. “Nothing changes for me and my staff. We’re here a day earlier and there are a couple of extra practices, which means for a couple of nights we have to do laundry, but our routine stays the same. The uniforms still have to get steamed and cleaned and the shoes have to be cleaned up and put in lockers.”
Wasson hasn’t had time to get caught up in the hype surrounding the event and said he “probably won’t until I leave here.”
“You look back next week and look at highlights, read newspaper articles that you missed and you’d be like ‘Wow, that was pretty cool, I was there.’ It should have already hit me, but I’m here to do a job. I can’t let anything fall through the cracks, and I just try to stay focused on what I have to do.”
One of those duties is to make sure each player has their proper game-day attire.
“I have to make sure Brandon Knight’s shoes are here,” he said with a smile.
Wasson hasn’t noticed a difference in the players’ demeanor, either, since the team arrived in Houston Wednesday night from Lexington.
“Everything has been like the same,” Wasson said. “Like I’ve said, they follow the same routine and they’ve been relaxed. The fans started arriving at the hotel and it got a little crazy there, and it will continue to be that way, but I think the players have handled it well.
“This is their goal, and so now they’re here, and they’re embracing it, but at the same time realizing that we need to win a couple of games (to win the national championship). We want to play on Monday night and put ourselves in position to get a win. If everybody does their little part, the players will decide it on the court.”
Although the approach is business as usual for the Wildcats, Wasson said the biggest difference involves one change on the team’s uniform.
“The only thing that changes (on the uniforms) is that instead of a NCAA patch, it’s a Final Four patch,” “It will be pretty special to put those on. That will be pretty cool.”
Contact Keith Taylor at ktaylor@winchestersun.com.
