As soon as we arrived backstage, I felt shocked. I had never been behind the scenes of the Target Center. There was an odd sensation of feeling like I was in a place where I shouldn’t be but as soon as we got those media passes, all that nervousness sort of went away. I had never been to a basketball game, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to enjoy my night as a potential new fan as well as a reporter.
When we got our passes and were about to begin a tour, I saw a person running saying, “I’m not late!” In my mind I thought it was maybe a player or a staff member until we turned the corner, and I saw that it had actually been the Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders, who was running to catch up with an interview with the press.
Immediately we were thrown into being reporters. Once, we had finished the interview, we were taken to another part backstage where a backdrop had been set up for the Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger’s interview, so reporters could get his side of the story.
While we waited for him to show up, I felt like the nerves kind of hit me once again. There was a feeling of shock within me realizing that I was meeting all these incredible people, and it was all because I loved journalism. Another thing that surprised me while hearing the coaches and the players speak was how incredibly quiet they were while talking to the reporters.
While we kept walking around seeing all the backstage areas, I felt oddly comfortable being there, seeing the players on the court practicing and how the court for the first time was surreal. There was a feeling of awe and amazement, observing how everything was coming together and it looked amazing.
About a half hour before the game began we had the opportunity to have a reporter meal, and it was so nice to just take a breather and talk to Aaron Seehusen and Joanna Stang about how they got into their careers and mentioned our future plans for college.
Then before I knew it, we were being led to our press seats, where we were going watch the game. I felt so important at that moment, and the game began.
It was a fast start, in my opinion. The game started with the Sacramento Kings leading, but it didn’t last long. Something that I found different than most other sports was seeing how much crowd involvement enhanced the game. It was wild. I wasn’t used to seeing that much crowd engagement, but it was interesting seeing the different types of fans all around.
By halftime, I felt very drowsy and worried about where the Timberwolves were going to end up. Suddenly it felt like something began to turn as the Timberwolves solidified their lead and secured 112-105 victory.
After the game, I had the opportunity to talk to Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones in the locker room.
I asked them what their weeks would consist of before their next game. Towns said, “It’s always about getting back to your rhythm…I’m gonna do the same exact thing as I did before, working on my game, getting massages, doing little things.”
Being in the locker rooms, I could feel a vibe of how everything just felt chilled out, and the players just relaxing after a win.
Jones said he planned to just play with his dog and spend time with his family between games.
After we were dismissed and leaving the backstage, I felt like it was a complete dream. There had been so many first times in one night, when it felt strange. I had never been really into sports, but there was a part of me that felt that basketball was something I want to follow.
The experience felt so unique, and I am so thankful I met all the people I did on that night as well as all the people who made that special night possible.
Heidi Sanchez is a senior at Hiawatha Collegiate High School and a ThreeSixty Journalism student who is considering attending the University of St. Thomas in fall 2019.