The question was about family Thanksgiving traditions, but Caleb Daniels wanted to make a point. He’s a proud New Orleans native, and the city, he said, is home to the best food in the country — especially when it comes to serving Thanksgiving dinner.graduate student and men’s basketball guard said with a smile, “but it’s not arguable. There’s no debate on that.”
So there will be no “mean” Thanksgiving meal in New Orleans for Daniels. Villanova plays at 3:30 p.m. in Portland, Ore., on Thursday against Iowa State. The same fate for fellow graduate student Brandon Slater, a Virginia native who will be missing out on his mother’s collard greens, turkey, ham, and macaroni and cheese. He has become used to this setup, however. The Wildcats played in Orlando, Fla.
The team’s strength and conditioning coach, John Shackleton, makes sure nutrition and recovery are top of mind. The players have surrendered their dining preferences. “You’re playing basketball and it’s a business trip, but at the same time this is your family,” Slater said. “This is your new family. I love my parents, but I’m not with them every single day. It’s a cool trip. It’s cool to be away from everything and just focus on ourselves, our teammates and our coaches.”