Funkerstation » Heck, I was relaxed, despite the overload of a

No. 8 Gonzagas primary objective heading into Thursdays nonconference home game against Mississippi Valley State is to fine tune itself for an anticipated matchup two days later with No. 16 Arizona.Mississippi Valley State enters the game 0-8 in the midst of a 14-game road stretch before playing its first home contest on Jan. 7. The Delta Devils already have sustained lopsided losses to Northwestern (94-63), West Virginia (107-66), Michigan State (100-53) and Indiana (85-52).My guys continued to play hard, Mississippi Valley State third-year coach Andre Payne said after the loss to the Hoosiers on Sunday. I know Indiana has a great program. So, when they stepped on the floor, they were going to bring their A game because they were not going to let another upset happen (after the Hoosiers lost to Fort Wayne in overtime before playing the Delta Devils).Gonzaga is 6-0 after defeating No. 19 Iowa State on Sunday to earn the AdvoCare Invitational title in Orlando, Fla.The Bulldogs have shown balance with their lineup with seven different leading scorers in each of their games. There are seven in six games because power forward Johnathan Williams and reserve post player Zach Collins each had 13 points to lead the Bulldogs against Quinnipiac in the AdvoCare Invitational opener last week.Gonzaga has been led by guard Silas Melson (17 vs. Utah Valley), guard Jordan Mathews (17 vs. San Diego State), center Przemek Karnowski (22 vs. Bryant), Williams and Collins (13 vs. Quinnipiac), guard Josh Perkins (18 vs. Florida) and point guard Nigel Williams-Goss (18 vs. Iowa State).We definitely wanted to play inside-out, give our bigs touches, AdvoCare tournament MVP Williams-Goss said about the Bulldogs inside-outside productivity. (Gonzagas centers) did a great job kicking it out when they were double-teamed (against Iowa State). As guards, we have to stay ready on the 3-point line, either catch-and-shoot or drive.Mississippi Valley State senior guard Marcus Romain is his teams lone scorer averaging in double figures with 12.7 points a game, but he has missed the last five conests with a knee injury. His status is uncertain against Gonzaga.Power forward Michael Matlock is the Delta Devils top rebounder with 6.3 a game. He stands at only 6-foot-6 and 221 pounds. Their tallest player is 6-9 center Terence Traylor, who has started three games and is averaging 1.1 rebounds in 10.3 minutes a contest.Gonzaga counters with a starting front line consisting of Williams (6-9, averaging 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds a game) and Karnowski (7-1, averaging 11.5 and 7.0). The Bulldogs also have Collins (7-foot, making 69 percent of his field goals) and forward Killian Tillie (6-10 with 5.3 rebounds a game).An example of the Bulldogs versatility was on display last week in Orlando: They relied on 40 points in the paint with 12 second-chance points to offset 27-percent 3-point shooting against Quinnipiac. Their guards contributed 48 of the teams 77 points and survived Karnowski fouling out against Florida.It caused us difficulties, but of any of the recent teams weve had this one can probably absorb it as well as any, Gonzaga coach Mark Few said of losing Karnowski, Williams-Goss and Tillie to fouls against Florida. Were deep and somewhat balanced. Air Max 720 Cheap Sale . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. 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Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. Camp Dad launched, not unexpectedly, as a result of standard #daaad-level buffoonery.Last July, tasked with securing a place at summer camp for my then-9-year-old and then-6-year-old, I completely missed a week. Didnt register them. Flat-out forgot.The evening before the camp week was to start, I was frantically surfing through camp option after camp option -- the ones the kids wanted to do were sold out (or way too pricey for our budget).I was consulting at the time and able to take the week off from work (a luxury a lot parents dont have, short of investing their own vacation time). So partly out of desperation, partly out of price-sensitivity, partly out of the creative challenge and partly out of blissful ignorance, I decided at 11 that night to create my own camp -- a weeks worth of fun and creativity, directed by me.The kids would have no idea whats coming -- in large part, neither did I. I gave myself a budget of slightly less than what I would have spent on normal camp for them to cover a week of programming and started making a list of activities wed normally never do.The next morning, I didnt tell them what we were doing or where we were going, but it started with a surprise trip to the bulk-candy store. The kids jaws dropped -- then were stuffed with the kind of absurd candy Id never typically let them have. Camp Dad was so on.I knew regular dad Dan Shanoff could never handle the kind of fun that Camp Dad director Dan Shanoff, so I channeled a muse: Tripper Harrison, Bill Murrays seminal camp-counselor character from Meatballs, the greatest summer-camp movie of all time. If you have never seen the pivotal It... Just... Doesnt... Matter! speech by Murray, this succinctly showcases my inspiration.?*Candy overdose? It just doesnt matter!*Chuck E. Cheese? It just doesnt matter!*Sketchy water park 40 miles away? It just doesnt matter!*Quasi-harrowing parkour lessons? It just doesnt matter!*Abandoning bedtime routines by binge-watching all six Star Wars movies over six nights? It just doesnt matter!There was more -- so much more. Ice skatingg.dddddddddddd Being the only non-family members at the local high school varsity basketball summer league games. Pizza. Ice cream sundaes. Screen time on all of the apps Id never normally let them use. Every day was filled with new adventures. The kids had no idea what was coming but approached every day with a glee like I had never seen before.At the end of the week, both kids said it was the best week of their lives. And if Im being honest with myself -- no offense to the attendees at my wedding or the folks who helped deliver our children -- it was the best week of my life, too.I could attribute their (and my) enthusiasm to the epic lineup of fun activities that I barraged them with -- what parent doesnt want to see their kids having such a great time or get feedback like This was the best week ever, Dad!But as I figure out what kinds of fun activities I am staking out for this summer, I realize it wasnt the mayhem -- it was my mentality.What mattered most was It just doesnt matter.When I fully embraced that idea, all typical parenting pressures evaporated in the July sunshine. I wasnt Dad -- I was Bill Murrays Tripper Harrison. The kids were relaxed. Heck, I was relaxed, despite the overload of activities and sensory inputs. (I even had patience at Chuck E. Cheese -- what bigger testimony could there be?)Im not sure I can live the Camp Dad lifestyle all the time -- it was summer, I took the week off, it was all new for the kids (and me). There were a lot of things that made it unique.But applying even a little It Just Doesnt Matter to my life worked wonders, and I had as much fun as the kids did. We may or may not have another year of Camp Dad this summer, but there is nothing stopping me -- or any of us -- from easing up just enough to make the summer more awesome.Dan Shanoff writes about parenting for espnW. Continue this conversation on Twitter by following him at @danshanoff or by liking espnWs Facebook page. ' ' '