Editor's note: Purdue forward Laura Meadows, a 6-foot-3 fifth-year senior who transferred from Kentucky in 2000, will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season.

Nov. 19, 2001

Before relaying some tales of Purdue basketball life, I thought it might be considerate to introduce myself. Otherwise, I am certain no one reading this will have a clue who I am (except for you, mom -- hopefully you'll know).

	Meadows

My name is Laura Meadows, and I found myself amidst the black-and-gold world of Purdue last year after transferring from the University of Kentucky. I sat out last season, but had the opportunity to tag along with the girls throughout their incredible run to the Final Four. Though my only contributions to their success were to practice every day, dress nicely for the home games and talk strategy with their families during the away ones, I diligently tackled these responsibilities. Needless to say, I feel a bit more useful this year.

We opened our season a little over a week ago against Oklahoma in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic. It did not go exactly as we planned (the Sooners won), but playing in Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke was awesome, and I think we learned enough to justify our trip to North Carolina. The film sessions we were a part of upon our return to the great Midwest opened our eyes to a few ghastly offensive and defensive execution mishaps.

We also solved some riddles that plague every team at the beginning of the year. For instance, our seating arrangements for bus rides have been settled. I think everyone feels good about her choice. On a personal level, I have finally settled on an appropriate sock selection. I tried out long socks, but received enough negative feedback from friends and family to retire them and move on to some footwear of lesser length. Overall, excluding the final score of the game and one frightening dinner salad (there was a spider in Erika Valek's salad), the trip to Durham was cool.

I think it needs to be mentioned that the Currys' daughter, Kelsey, is adorable. Every once in a while they let her come to practice to be mobbed by my teammates, and today was one of those days. E.V. always takes it upon herself to include the little one in our stretching routine. Kelsey will allow E.V. to position her legs in whatever contortion ours happen to be in, and I think she shows remarkable dexterity for a 15-month old baby. It's also nice to have her around to give Kelly Curry, her dad, someone to play with.

Although I am nearing graduation and a slight case of academic burnout, I am still attempting to complete the work my professors assign. Shakespeare is begging to be read, so I will sign off. I promise to be observant during the next week, and hopefully this will translate into something worth writing.

Have a good week.

Laura

For more on Laura Meadows and the Boilermakers, visit Purdue's official athletic site.