Basketball in mid-season can be a filled with fatigue, mental pressure and, of course, the semester coming to an end. Athletes competing in Winter sports are competitors who are fully dedicated, choosing to be around their teammates and coaches for what may seem like all of their spare time. Any extra time that is available to decompress and relieve anxiety is much needed for athletes to stay mentally sound in the midst of such a heavy schedule weighing on their shoulders. Luckily for Chico State forward Malik Duffy, having a single day to celebrate Thanksgiving was just enough to keep him encouraged and motivated in his sport and in school. Many other students do not make it as far as he has.

“We’re (playing) basketball all the time 24/7, so just to get a day, which Thanksgiving was, go home, spend time with your family, eat,” Duffy said. “It was just really nice to sit back, relax and take time to ourselves.”

With Thanksgiving break stuck right in the middle of the season during CCAA conference play, basketball players usually don’t have the time to go back home to regroup with family. This year, head coach Greg Clink allowed players a day off in the middle of the hectic year. It was a time definitely cherished by his players.

“We usually have practice on Thanksgiving, but this year he gave us the day off which was really nice,” Duffy said. “Usually Thanksgiving day and…seven, maybe eight days during Christmas break out of the five (weeks between the holidays). (It) doesn’t seem like a lot, but to us it’s a lot because we’re basketball 24/7. Those are really the only two times we have a break.”

The time spent back home is mainly focused on catching up with family and updating them on players’ recent journeys and struggles. Going home and receiving love and support from their families is powerful. Players and their families can mutually appreciate each others’ hard work.

“Mentally, (it’s helped) in how appreciative I am of my family,” Duffy said. “I love to spend time with them, sit down relax and just catch up. It made me feel really grateful. Doing what I do here is for them, so I’m just really grateful.”

After spending months having to take care of themselves during a tumultuous school year, having the opportunity to not slave in the kitchen and still have fantastic food is greatly appreciated. Duffy smiles when asked about his family’s Thanksgiving dinner.

“It’s the best,” Duffy said. I ate till I felt sick, honestly. “We had practice the next day and I was like, ‘I don’t care. I’m just going to eat all I can and burn it off tomorrow.’”

Luckily, the immense food selection didn’t cause too much discomfort for Duffy and his team as they were able to grab the next two games on their schedule after break. They dominated Dominican University by nearly 30 points and pulled out a win against rival UC San Diego on national TV.

“I don’t think it had that much of an effect because it was only a day,” Duffy said. “Maybe if it was a couple of days and I was eating bad. I didn’t really eat awful food, I just ate a lot of food. I got back in the swing of things pretty quickly and back to work.”

Wesley Harris can be reached at [email protected] or @jiggy_wes on twitter.