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.

Feb. 12, 2002

This past week was an interesting one because we were actually in Ruston and I was able to attend every single class for the whole week! It was the first time that had happened in quite sometime.

	Brooke Lassiter is a starting guard for Louisiana Tech.

We picked up two more wins this week over a very sound defensive squad from Hawaii and an athletic team from San Jose State. This week we only have one game and it will also be played in the friendly confines of the Thomas Assembly Center. Our home games are dwindling away, meaning we seniors will have fewer opportunities to play in front of the Ruston fans.

I have to congratulate our men's basketball team on its huge victory at home against Hawaii on Saturday! It was a hard-fought and well-deserved victory for them, not to mention a fun game to watch. The crowd was awesome and there were a good number of students, even though many had already left campus for the break. Keep up the good work guys!

Surprisingly, my parents stayed over with me on Saturday following our game. I thought my mom would not be able to recover after some of our fans had our band sing "Happy Birthday" to her during one of the second-half timeouts. I was too consumed with the game to notice, but heard the episode was quite hilarious! She got over the embarrassment and we had dinner and visited with our friends, the Renshaws, late into the night.

Growing up in Arkansas, Mardi Gras never really had any great significance in my life. Now that I live in Louisiana, it is a big part of my year; we are out of school for three days! Our game schedule and class schedule could not have been more conducive this week. Coach Barmore decided to give us a few days off from practice to help prepare us for a stretch run to end the season. No class and no practice makes for a nice, little road trip home. I still am not that familiar with the whole Mardi Gras deal, but I sure am appreciative of the holiday this year!

It has been a refreshing couple of days at home and I could not have been more pleased to get the break. I visited my mom's school today and hung out with a first grade classroom for the majority of the day. It was quite a treat to listen to some of them read to me; how many first graders can recognize and flawlessly pronounce the word "radiator" in their story? I was amazed at the children and commend the teachers and administrators of all schools for their dedication to educating America's youth.

Because Valentines' Day falls this week, I thought I would share a few memories I have from this special day. Who could forget those little carnations you could send to friends at school, and each color had a certain meaning? How about the awesome boxes we used to decorate to hold our Valentine cards? Those were always impressive. The gifts became a little more expensive the older I got, but I think it was those early days that were the most enjoyable.

I think the best Valentine's Day gift I ever received was an electric water gun. It had to be one of the coolest things ever, even though the toy got me in trouble numerous times. Flowers die and candy is eaten, but an electric water gun is truly something special! (How goofy we can be as children!) I guess my future husband will remind me of that statement when he brings a toy home instead of some diamonds.

Well, I must end for now. I wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day on Thursday! Those of you who have a special Valentine, show him/her every day of the year their significance, not just Thursday. Those of you who do not have a special someone, hang in there, because your time will come!

See you all next week.

Brooke