When Volvo initially asked me to participate in their "Biggest Fan" promotion, I wasn't sure what to make of the offer. I know that VUhoops readers want to read posts about Villanova athletics and moreso than that, they want to discuss the teams, the games and issues related to the athletics programs. The last thing most of you wanted was to hear me shill for some Swedish car company.
Nonetheless, the people at Volvo were very impressive in their insistence that this contest would be about basketball and basketball fans. It wasn't going to be a shameless distraction from what we do here at VUhoops, and in that regard, they have done a fine job.
From helping me get to the Big East Media Day, to sending me to the Holy War, to asking me to give an "Off-Court Excellence Award," the contest was about basketball all-around.
Media Day was a great experience and I thank Volvo for helping me to step up the level of coverage that we provide to our readers. I was able to talk to our players as well as Jay Wright about the program, line-up, strategy and even about the football team. Wright is a great interview and he was very excited about the coming season back then and was very forthcoming with answers to just about any question he was asked.
The Biggest Fans of the Big East
In addition, I was able to walk around and hear what other coaches had to say around the conference. What an opportunity for scouting! I learned about Rick Pitino's 24-second shot clocks in practice and Jim Calhoun's man-crush on Kemba Walker (highly-warranted, it seems).I got to see Steve Lavin holding court for the first time at the Garden, and it seemed that the media-love he inspired was sure to be strong all season.
When it came time to go to the Holy War, I was very excited to be provided a ticket to the Pavilion game and to see the Wildcats take on their Big 5 rivals. I was provided with a hotel and a Volvo S60 to drive around town -- which I used to check-off a list of local-favorites around campus -- and I had a great time.
I was greatly impressed with the whole experience, and I hope you all enjoyed the great coverage that Volvo helped to facilitate for us this season.
I can't believe they trusted me with this car for a weekend
The S60 was a wonder to drive when they were kind enough to let me borrow one, and if any readers are in the market for a sporty sedan with a lot of bells and whistles, the Naughty Volvo S60 is absolutely worth a look. They have come a long way from the rectangular safety-boxes I remember from childhood.
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Please check out MyBigEastVolvo.com and vote for me in their fan poll — the alma mater of the winning blogger will receive a donation from Volvo to it’s scholarship fund.
VUhoops.com believes that all affiliation with Volvo has been noted in this or prior postings regarding Volvo, and is in compliance with The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising that have been in effect since December 1, 2009.