(Editor's note: Texas Tech senior forward Plenette Pierson, a former Big 12 Freshman of the Year, will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season.)

Nov. 4, 2002

	Pierson

On Oct. 30, Jolee Ayers, Natalie Ritchie, Jia Perkins, coach (Marsha) Sharp and me all attended the Big 12 Media Day in Dallas. The trip started off great. We got to see some of the players from different schools. For me, it felt weird to be at media day. I did not know what to expect because of my suspension last year, but guess that I made it through.

After that, we headed to the West End in Dallas for dinner at the Butcher Shop. We had the most interesting cab driver there ever was. First, he was speeding and driving out of control. Then his cell phone starts to ring. The cell phone was playing "Ole Susanna." It was becoming annoying to all of us that he would not answer the phone, so I asked him if he was going to answer it. He replied, "I am not allowed to while I have customers in the cab."

Well, finally the phone stops ringing -- only long enough for someone else to call. So once again he just lets the phone ring and ring and ring. Since he said that he could not answer the phone I asked him if he would like it if I would answer the phone. Of course his reply was NO!! So as it is ringing, I turned and said, "Do you have a silence button on that phone?" Well, he looked at me as it he had no clue as to what I was talking about so I explained it to him. I said, "Do you have an end button, you know, the one you press when you are done with a conversation?" Again, he replied, "No." So after the phone rang for a while, I guess he got tired of me harassing him so he decided to answer. But by the time he answered it the person had hung up.

Once we arrived at the restaurant everything was great. The Butcher Shop was great. Here you had the option of cooking your own steak or letting a professional cook it for you. Of course we all chose to have the professional cook our steaks. After that it was back to the big city of Lubbock.

	Plenette Pierson is averaging 14.2 points in her career at Texas Tech.

Earring loss
This week had it moments of being funny, but especially when our freshman point guard Erin Grant lost her gold earring on one of the campus buses. It all started out with me riding the bus from the parking lot to the building that my class was in. At one of the stops along the way Erin got on the bus. We were talking and then the bus came to my stop. So as I am getting off the bus, I see a gold hoop earring lying next to the bus driver. I am thinking in my head that whoever lost that earring is going to mad when they realize it.

But the day went on and I just totally forgot about the earring until practice, when Erin comes to me and asks me if I remembered seeing her with two earrings on earlier that day. Of course I replied with a smart remark like, "I was staring at you that hard to notice if you had on two earrings." Then I remembered the earring next to the bus driver, so I asked her what it looked like. She told me that it was a gold hoop earring and then pulled out the other one to show me. I then immediately laughed because it was the exact same earring that I saw next to the bus driver. So at this point, Erin is mad that I did not pick it up and give it to the bus driver or ask if anyone lost an earring. So we all suggest that she call the Citibus place (the place that sends the buses to campus). Well, we are thinking that she is just going to call the buses that are on campus. Oh but no, she calls the main headquarters for the buses. She asks them if they could dispatch a message to all the bus drivers that are driving buses on our campus to look for the gold hoop earring. After all was said and done, she did not get her earring back and we all told her to chalk it up as a loss.

Enjoying every minute
On Sunday, we held an intrasquad scrimmage at the arena. I enjoyed every minute of the it. We had a great turnout to see us showcase our talent before we hit the road to our first game. We were all very grateful that so many fans came out to see us because it gave us a game-like atmosphere. Everyone played exceptionally well, but we still have a great deal of things to work on before we go to Tennessee and play Louisiana Tech.

I am very excited that we are opening up our season in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic next Sunday against Louisiana Tech. I believe that it is an honor for us to be picked as one of the four to play in this season-opening classic. It is great that we were picked two years in a row. We are very excited to get to Tennessee and play La. Tech.

I am also very excited for this year to start. Not only because it is my senior year, but because I only played in four games last season before I was suspended. I think that I have a lot to prove to my teammates, fans and coaches. I am excited because throughout last year I worked on my game everyday and I am very interested in how my hard work will pay off.

I would like to end today's journal by saying that I am very thankful that I was chosen to do this weekly journal and I look forward to giving you some more inside news on the Texas Tech Lady Raiders.

For more on Pierson and Texas Tech, visit the Lady Raiders' official athletic site.