Editor's note: Louisiana Tech's Brooke Lassiter, a senior guard and two-year co-captain, will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season.

Jan. 28, 2002

Hello again everyone! I hope your week was as enjoyable as mine was. I was glad to be at home for a change and visit with some of my friends and "family" here in Ruston. We took two steps closer to winning a conference title this week by beating both Tulsa and Rice at home.

	Brooke Lassiter averaged 10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season.

It was "Parent's Night" on Saturday for the Rice game, and it was so good to see all of the players' families at the game to be recognized at halftime. I always love this night because I get to walk out on the court with my family, and it is truly a special moment. The crowd was full of energy and helped us make an emphatic statement to start the game.

We have now completed the first round of conference play and will start the second round this week as we travel to Texas-El Paso and Boise State. I know teams will make adjustments this time around, but so will we. We will have to be ready for each opponent because everyone will be giving their best effort in order to beat us.

Because we were in Ruston for the week, I was able to take in a little area basketball. Coach Budke's daughter, Sara, and her teammates were in action on Wednesday in a tournament and picked up a good victory. The daughter of coach Richardson, Tech baseball coach, also hit the hardwood this past week. Way to go, girls!

Watching those young girls play brought back some great childhood memories. Those days were the best because of the simplistic, carefree attitude we tend to have growing up; I cherish those days but relish the opportunity I have now!

I learned a new card game Friday night at the Renshaw's house. Beginner's luck didn't find my hands; I finished in last place but had a great time visiting with them. Malcolm Butler, our SID, is still ragging me for my defeat. I will have to teach my teammates my newest card game; maybe I can beat them!

The weather in Louisiana is just ridiculous. It is the end of January but I have on shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals. I took a nap at the Cox's pool after church today! We are in Ruston, not Hawaii, but you can't tell because most people are wearing sweaters and a jacket this time of year but we are instead working on our tans in Louisiana.

A couple of my friends (Christie and Katie) and I became involved in a deep conversation one night this week about trends of the 1980s. It was quite comical and brought back some awful memories of some of the ridiculous outfits my mother let me wear. I obviously had a few screws loose back then to think that I had any sense of style. But thinking back, everyone wore those silly outfits. According to some of my teammates, I wasn't the only one caught up in the fashion-disaster '80s!

For those of you out there who wore some of the following outfits -- you know who you are -- don't be ashamed. Here are some of my teammates' favorite trends of the woeful era:

"Bird" Walker: Kris Kross (can't you just see her with her clothes on backwards?)
Coach Johnson: Feathered hair with banana clips!
Katie Cochran: Tretorn shoes (PLAID!)
Keisha Lewis: Michael Jackson
Kenya Bibbs: "Daisy Dukes"
Amber Obaze: Boyz II Men
Malcolm Butler: Tight rolled jeans
Ovlina Lewis: Salt-N-Pepa
Brooke Lassiter: The Cosby Show
Christie Sides (former Techster): Coca-Cola shirts

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll tell you all about our latest trip next week!

Brooke