By Jeremiah Rojas, Co-Managing Editor & Mia Garcia, Staff Reporter
The average day for a university student is a mix of classes, work, personal commitments, and extracurricular activities. For student-athletes, there’s the added dimension of training, practice, game days, and even travel.
Tomi Adesiji is a junior business and marketing student. He’s also a guard on the Toro men’s basketball team. Every day, Adesiji balances life between the classroom and the court.
On Oct. 29, The Bulletin shadowed Adesiji for 12 hours to better understand a day in the life of a Toro student-athlete. The following is a breakdown of some of the most notable moments of his day.
7:20 a.m.: Adesiji wakes up to the sound of what he calls the “doom alarm” on his iPhone. He brushes his teeth, sends a text message to his mom, and finishes a quick breakfast consisting of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a pre-bottled protein shake. He then rushes out the door of his on-campus apartment to start his day.
8:20 a.m.: Adesiji’s first stop is the I&I building for his finance class, the only one he has on Tuesdays – except this Tuesday. Class was canceled, apparently, so Adesiji decides he’ll visit the Toros Athletics trainer on the other end of campus. It will be a long walk for him, especially since he’s nursing an injured tendon in his left foot.
8:41 a.m.: He arrives at the sports medicine clinic to get his injury checked out by the assistant athletic trainer. Adesiji is one of six other student-athletes being treated that morning. The athletic trainer has Adesiji roll out his foot injury using the clinic’s equipment and then tapes up his foot.
9:30 a.m.: Adesiji enters the gymnasium for basketball practice. The two-hour session begins at around 10 a.m. under the guidance of head coach Steve Becker. The Toros achieved a lot of success last season, and Adesiji feels confident about the potential for the team to experience much of the same this year.
“I think we’re in pretty good shape right now,” Adesiji says. “We’re building every day, and I think we’ve been stepping in the right direction for the most part.”
Graduate guard-forward and team co-captain DJ Guest echoes the feeling. He says the team is good at pushing each other. “That’s one thing about [the team], we never want to be complacent.”
12:15 p.m.: After practice, Adesiji decompresses with a teammate for about 25 minutes in the gymnasium. The two settle down in the gym next to the entrance of the sports medicine clinic. The women’s volleyball team has begun their practice as Adesiji and his teammate help each other through some cooldown stretches.
12:50 p.m.: Adesiji heads over to the South Academic Complex for a one-on-one meeting with coach Becker. The meetings are a way for Becker to build stronger bonds with his players. The team is “one big family,” according to Adesiji. “At the top layer we’re teammates; we see each other every day. On a deeper layer, I’m getting closer with people that are eventually going to be like my brothers.”
1:15 p.m.: Adesiji returns to the clinic after his meeting to dunk his injured foot into an ice bath for about 30 minutes. The shock of the cold causes him to shiver, prompting a few of his teammates to jokingly add more ice to the tub.
1:55 p.m.: Adesiji briefly meets up with his cousin and some friends at the Loker Student Union. The conversation is chill and the jokes come easy.
2:03 p.m.: On the lunch menu for today is Panda Express. Adesiji’s order consists of chow mein, fried rice, and “Blazing Bourbon Chicken.” He grabs his order to eat at his apartment, where he’ll take a two-hour nap to recharge from the morning and afternoon.
5:50 p.m.: Back on campus, Adesiji finds a spot on the second floor of the Leo F. Cain Library to study. He’s taking five classes this semester, which he has no problem managing alongside his athletic schedule. “I took [a midterm] yesterday, it was a breeze. Easy for sure. But I got another one on Thursday … I’m a little nervous for that one, but I think I should knock it out.”
6:00 p.m.: Adesiji takes the time to write up a script for a management course. The assignment for the class is to create a commercial video, which Adesiji says will most likely be filmed in November.
7:01 p.m.: Back at the gym, the CSUDH Cheer Team has started practice. After changing and stretching, Adesiji sets up a practice hoop away from the squad so he can shoot around for about 45 minutes.
8:13 p.m.: With the day winding down, Adesiji heads over to In-N-Out for dinner: two hamburgers and a side of fries – his signature order, he says. Before heading to bed, he’ll shower and maybe play video games for a bit. “This is a very good day. I kind of built a little schedule today so this was very productive for me as well, but yeah, a good day all in all.”
