It's been a long, strange trip. I expect things to get better this season. We're really high on coach Harris. He's going to be great for this program. There's an excitement again.

What a long, strange trip it's been.

It's strange because they have a good team and a good coach. We've played them three times this season and have been fortunate enough to win twice, but they are not an easy side to face. They are too good a team to keep losing games. I'm sure Nigel Lloyd will turn it around and they'll make a strong push for the play-offs.

The last thing any coach needs when they're going through a tough season is a road trip that might not make much sense. We've become more sensitive to team preference.

Not that I'm not excited for them (Harris and Birmingham), but they've been there before. As a coach, it's great to take a kid that's never been there. It's new for Cullen and we all get to live that excitement of going to your first state tournament all over again through his eyes.

That trip is always a very important part of our season. It's good for the team to spend a few days out of the water and bond. Everyone supports and helps each other while we're there and when we come back we're ready to rock and roll. I feel that our team is far ahead of anyone else.