Stranded Pitt players hitch trip with UTEP coach
Numerous Pitt football players and UTEP basketball coach Joe Golding and his family discovered themselves in a real-life variation of the vacation traditional “Airplanes, Trains and Autos” on Christmas Day after flight cancellations left them stranded in Dallas prior to starting a journey more than 600 miles long.Pitt coach
Pat Narduzzi told reporters on Monday at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, where Pitt is playing No. 18 UCLA on Friday, that Samuel Okunlola, Jake Frantl and Hudson Primus were stranded when they ran into Golding, who remained in a comparable dilemma attempting to get home to El Paso.
“Joe Golding, head basketball coach at Texas-El Paso here in the area … him and his other half and child, they got and took our three guys and drove them since the flight was delayed to get them here for practice,” Narduzzi said. “They got here late last night. Just want to provide a shoutout to those men.”
Golding spoke to KTSM in El Paso about the unscripted carpool adventure, saying Narduzzi had authorized it which he called the players’ parents and traded info to ensure everybody was comfortable with it.Golding, whose sibling, Kate, is married to TCU football coach Sonny Dykes, and whose grandfather and father were both Texas high school football coaches, stated he comprehended the pressure of travel concerns that occur with sporting events and simply wished to help nevertheless he could.
“I see these men, they have Pitt bags on. They start talking about playing in the Sun Bowl and needing to get to El Paso and there wasn’t any cars and trucks left, and I resembled, ‘Hey, if we can discover a big adequate vehicle, I’ll take you guys house,’ and they resembled ‘Who are you?'” Golding said, laughing.” [The rental cars and truck employees] appeared with a minivan first off. It was too small, and we couldn’t all fit in it. Then they had like a huge Ford Explorer. I said, ‘Who’s utilizing that a person?’ He said, ‘Nobody right now, however you can’t pay for that a person, it’s too much money.’ I said, ‘Simply provide it to us, we got to get house, male.'”
Golding stated his partner, Amanda, and sons, Cason and Chase, got in the back, while Frantl got in the front seat and Okunlola and Primus got in the middle seats.
“We went to the gas station and filled up for supper about 9:30, 10 in the evening,” Golding stated. “Made one drop in Pecos [Texas] at the Pilot for some fresh coffee and a couple Red Bulls and made it all the method back, guy.”
Golding stated he didn’t think twice about the journey and simply wanted to leave a great impression on behalf of El Paso and the Sun Bowl, which has constantly been known for its hospitality.
“Out here in West Texas, that’s what we do,” he said. “I would hope someone would do that to Cason and Chase if they were stranded someplace on Christmas night.”
Golding stated the players told him they had 9 a.m. conferences and a 10:30 exercise and he assured them they ‘d exist in time. He stated they arrived in El Paso at 5:58 this morning and had the ability to make all their scheduled occasions.
“They even got a two-hour nap, I think,” he said.Narduzzi stated he did
n’t understand Golding prior to today.”Great task by Joe and we value it,”he said.