As the fall semester came to a close, Mason students, faculty members, and staff members shared the whirl of exams, projects, and papers that fills the last harried weeks before break. For the team in the Global Affairs Program, however, the season also included a celebration of George Mason University women’s basketball.
Global Affairs director Lisa Breglia joined the Patriots at their December 11 game against the Retrievers of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as a Guest Coach. The honorary coaching program, introduced to the team by Coach Nyla Milleson in the fall of 2016, invites faculty members to practices, team meals, and a seat on the Patriots’ bench during a game.
Amber Easter, Mason’s director of women’s basketball operations, explains that the student-athletes nominate faculty members for the distinction, and the team works with the professors’ schedules to ensure that they will be able to participate.
For Breglia, the experience was eye-opening. “From my experience with my students, I know what it takes to be an outstanding student. But after spending this time with the team, I am equally impressed with the time and dedication it takes to be an athlete at Mason.”
And the experience was exhilarating. The Global Affairs team supported the Patriots’ win (which contributed to their best season start in thirty years), with faculty, staff members, and their families in the stands at EagleBank Arena. They were able to cheer Global Affairs master’s degree student (and new Patriots women’s basketball team member) Natalie Butler as she scored her thousandth career point, and were proud to spend the evening with, in Breglia’s words, “an amazing group of women.”
“It was a great way to end the semester!”
December 15, 2017