OT: From the Pound to Press Row

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 5:00 lounge. Sit back, relax and have a drink allow me to get off topic for just a minute.

In about two hours, the SIU men's basketball team is set to face Missouri Southern in its first exhibition game in front of its home fans this season.

But it won't be the only premier that will take center stage this evening. Even though this one won't get as much pub.

Tonight I make my debut as the SIU hoops beat writer for the Daily Egyptian, which is something I've been patiently waiting for, as many of you may know.

So when the P.A. announcer asks "Southern Illinois...are you ready?" I'll be asking myself that exact same question.

This is almost surreal, especially thinking about where I've come from, how much I've been through and how much I've done to get to this point.

It's crazy, I'm being linked. That's crazy to me because usually I'm doing the linking.

I digress.

There are parts of me that are excited. There are parts of me that are nervous. There are parts of me that will likely feel out of place as I sit high above the Dawg Pound cheering section in press row.

I've officially turned in my Dawg Pound membership card for a media credential.

Weird.

I guess now would be a good time to tell you all that I will be tweeting LIVE! from the SIU Arena for tonight's exhibition game. So follow the sidebar on the right side of your screen for updates throughout the night.

Wish me luck. I might be needing it. But there's a part of me that thinks that I'll be just fine.