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Callan McClurg
THE POINT: There are many emotions that run through me whenever I drive onto campus here on the point at PLNU. It almost feels like whenever I work a Baseball broadcast or Basketball stats that it feels like a mini-vacation away from the hustle and bustle that is my jammed packed day to day schedule. I've gotten into a habit of standing at the top of the parking lot at the athletic complex and snapping photos of the sunsets at Point Loma. Each and every time I snap a photo or just let my iPod music play as I look out towards the ocean, it allows me to breathe a bit easier, relax and puts me in a comfortable place, and that's at peace.
Those emotions were a bit twisted this past Thursday as I made my way to the point for the last home game for the Basketball season. My mom and I were babysitting my one-year-old niece and we had to bring her for the ride down. My niece had cried from the time we were on Morena Blvd until we got to Lomaland Drive. It was one of three things, either she isn't quite ready for car trips, because it was the last home game for the graduating seniors...or was it tears of joy because of a genuine surprised waiting for me on campus?
If you guessed "Was there a genuine surprise waiting for me on campus?" You are correct. I got to Golden Gym at roughly 4:30 for the Women's game. After visiting my spot to snap another sunset photo, I made my way inside the gym and started setting up shop at the scorer's table next to my colleague, PA Announcer Chris Davis. Little did I know that he had done and incredible deed for me before that Thursday night.
As you may recall, the first story that I wrote from the point was about Jessica Escorza, the senior guard for the Women's team and how her personality and game on the court struck me back in November at the first home game of the season. Without me knowing, Chris had sent Jessica the link to the story I wrote. As I'm getting my computer setup for the game, I hear my name being called and what seemed like a flashback to me, it's Jessica coming over to me during warm-ups and giving both her trademark smile and a huge hug, she told me that she had read the story and that loved, appreciated and that it was so thoughtful for me to write the story. She shared it with her entire family across San Diego, Arizona and back home to South Riding, Virginia.
We talked for about five minutes or so exchanging the amount of high praise we have for each other, I appreciated the fact that she left her warm-ups to assist Chris with the roster back in November and for always treating everyone with every ounce and pound of courtesy, kindness, professionalism, respect and class. She appreciated the fact that I took the time to write a story about her, how much that November night has stayed with me and my work with both the Baseball and Basketball teams at Point Loma.
Like it was mentioned in the story, after having my rear handed to me in the staff H.O.R.S.E. game, once more those Southwest corner doors of the gym swung open with her leading the pack as always down the stairs and onto the floor to receive a warm-up ball from me where the trademark smile comes out again and I tell her in my head "Hey Jess! Here you go, now go do your thing."
As the warm-up period began I made my way from the court upstairs to the snack bar for a soda and Snickers. As I'm waiting in line, a lady asks for my name and it was Jessica's mom. She also needed to give me a hug about the story written. She told me that the story was so amazing that she got a bit choked up reading in towards the end.
I visited with Jessica's family during halftime of the game from her parents, brother Matt and current Delaware basketball player Kelsey Buchanan who's been a lifelong friend of Jess since kindergarten and was a teammate of current Chicago Sky Forward Elena Delle Donne. They couldn't stop thanking me and showing their gratitude and appreciation for me for writing the story.
Jessica would score 19 points and three other Sea Lions (Roya Rustamzada, Riley Abraham, Madison West) were in double figures as PLNU dominated Notre Dame de Namur from the opening tip to the final buzzer for an 85-51 victory. In between the Women's game ending and the warm-ups for the Men's game, I hung with Jess for a bit before she left to be with her family and friends. I basically thanked her for reading the story and sharing it with her family and friends. She reinformed me that her and her family adored the story and that it was so thoughtful of me to write it.
Thursday was a day where you wished the sun didn't set over the point and it could be like a Snap Chat story that you could replay for another day.
I cannot express how thankful, and grateful I am for Jessica and her family for taking the time to read and share the story. They are the FIRST people to tell me that they've read a piece that I've written on the site. I've had plenty of feedback about broadcasts or shows I've done, but I never had any feedback about a story I wrote until Thursday.
In closing, Jessica was kind enough to take a photo with me before she left and she flat out told me that Thursday wouldn't be the last time I'd see her on campus and that our paths would in fact cross again even after the Basketball season ends.
There's an old saying "The faces fade as the years go by." If there's anything that I will remember about Jessica Escorza as the years go by...it will forever be those five values that she possess, that we wish ALL athletes had towards not just their teammates and coaches but to everyone:
COURTESY - KINDNESS - PROFESSIONALISM - RESPECT - CLASS
