Whistled For Traveling

Basketball Rules

2011-11-23T02:45:00.000-08:00

There are a few different rules in European basketball that are different from American basketball. One rule that I would love for America to adopt is the flopping rule. I hate when players flop or act when they try to draw a charge or a foul. We were pretty big on trying to draw charges when I played for Marquette. If a player avoided or didn't try and draw a charge in practice, then the whole team was put on the line and we had to run. I remember trying to draw a charge during a game my Junior year at Marquette. The ref just looked down at me as I was lying on the floor and he said, "Seriously Grimm? Get up, you are twice his size."If this were to happen in Europe then I would have been issued a technical foul. The other team would have been awarded 2 free throws and the ball.

Greg Paulus should have received a technical and had his man card revoked.

Another rule I would love to see adopted is the goal tending rule. This rule would allow the offense to tip the ball in while it is still in the cylinder as well as the defense to knock the ball off the rim while it is still in the cylinder. I think this makes the game pretty exciting as it could lead to displays of exceptional athleticism with exciting tip dunks. I haven't really adjusted to this rule because it has always been in my head to not touch the ball while it is on the rim. The adoption of this rule would also lead to more uniformity in the global game of basketball.

One rule that I don't like is the unsportsmanlike foul on a fast break. When a player has a clear path to the basket, the defender is not allowed to touch him. So, even if you try to go for a clean swipe or a clean block and you happen to foul him, you are whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul. The foul gives the offensive player 2 shots and the ball back. Another reason I don't like the rule is because so much is left to the referee. One ref sees the rule one way and another ref sees it another way. I think American referees enforce our rule pretty well. We know what is an intentional foul and what is not.

Traveling is also a HUGE issue for Americans in Europe. Players fresh out of college tend to get whistled for traveling a lot during their first year. It seems that European fans of basketball think that all Americans travel with the ball. The frustrating part about the rule is that it is enforced differently in every country and sometimes with different referees. For example, I have seen in some countries that a player has to almost slap the ball down to the court when on a fast break instead of grabbing it with 2 hands and then putting it down. I was whistled once in Switzerland because I drove with my right hand and crossed over with my left foot. Another referee came up to me and told me it was a good move but the ref that issued the call was used to working in Italy and that it is always a travel in Italy. Being big is also an issue when it comes to traveling. If you look too big to make a good move, then the ref will almost always issue a travel. Very frustrating!

Traveling pretty much anywhere in world except Cameron Indoor.

Also, players can't call timeout in Europe. Only the coach can call timeout and only in a deadball situation. I am a little embarrassed to admit that it took me 2 years to learn this rule. I would always wonder why there were such long stretches with no timeouts during my first year.

I can go on and on about different rules but I won't go any further. With basketball being a truly global game, I think the rules need to be uniform across the board. This would help us Americans in global competition so we don't have to sweat out as many games in the Olympics or World Championships.

Sights Around Skopje

2011-11-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

Since the blog post about the Kumanovo game, some people might have a negative view of Macedonia. My wife and I really like living in Macedonia and living in the capital city of Skopje. I wanted to share some pictures I took around the city the other day to show how neat it is. I know a lot of people back at home know nothing about the country or city so I will offer some explanations and fun facts.

In the center of the square in downtown Skopje is a statue of Alexander the Great or more accurately "Warrior on a Horse" as it is officially called. There is actually a little bit of controversy surrounding the statue. There is a lot of tension between Greece and Macedonia which would take a long time to write about and understand. Basically Greece claims that the name Macedonia belongs to them because it is one of their northern provinces. They have even blocked Macedonia's entrance into the EU and NATO because of their differences. Obviously there is a lot more to it than that but this is a blog and not a complete history lesson. Anyways, Greece claims Alexander the Great as a Greek and not Macedonian so they view the statue as a slap in the face. I hope I got that right but that was how it was all explained to me.

There are many other statues in the downtown square. I can't tell you who any of them are but I can tell you that there a lot of men riding on horses. If I ever have a statue of me, then I want it to be me on a horse because I think it looks awesome.

The Vardar River runs through the center of the town and this stone bridge connects the square to the old town. The bridge is actually a symbol of the town as it is seen on the coat of arms of the city. Just below the bridge there is a statue of 2 women diving into the water and if you look hard enough you can see them. I thought it was pretty neat!

Did you know that Mother Theresa is from Skopje, Macedonia? This is the Mother Theresa Memorial House. It was built where the Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church once was and was the church that Mother Theresa was baptized in. If you look closely you can see 2 of my teammates in the picture as well.

There are many other great things to see and do around Skopje and the downtown area is very pleasant. Coffee shops and restaurants are plentiful in the square and I have spent a few afternoons sipping coffee there. Mountains surround the city and atop one of the mountains is the Millenium Cross. From the Cross you can see the whole city. There is also an old castle in the city called the Kale Fortress. I actually don't have any pictures to show of the cross or the castle but hopefully I will get them soon.

Haunting

2011-11-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

I know Halloween is over but I found something pretty scary on Macedonian television the other night. I was channel surfing with my wife after our game and came across the Wisconsin Badger football game on Macedonian television. The Badgers haunt me from 5,000 miles away.

Our television.

Living in Wisconsin during football season is pretty terrible for me. Every Saturday I have to deal with everyone wearing Badger gear and every Sunday I have to deal with the green and yellow Packer gear in church. It is like I am living in a nightmare.

Of course I am only half joking. I have a lot of friends who went to Wisconsin and my in laws are big Wisconsin football fans. My in laws have also been Marquette Basketball season ticket holders since the early 70's so I think that outweighs the Badger love.

My father in law is the Badger fan in the middle at the Michigan State game this year. I can't remember who won though?

I just can't get down with the Packers though. I have always not liked them. I just don't understand how people think the colors green and yellow look good together. My wife is a huge fan as well as the general manager of my team here. Unfortunately I can't talk a lot of smack being a lifelong Lions fan.

Culture Shock

2011-11-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

In my 6 years of playing professional basketball, each season brings new experiences and surprises. My travels have taken me to 19 different countries and there has been something surprising in everyone I have been too. I can remember asking for ranch dressing at a restaurant in Lugano, Switzerland during my first year. The look on the waitress' face was priceless as she just stared back at me. I can also remember my disappoint my first year when I couldn't find Lucky Charms in the cereal aisle. I didn't know if I would be able to survive without marshmallows in my milk. Also, most shocking of all, no Mountain Dew in Europe.

I learned to bring my own ranch dressing and of course I eventually got used to no marshmallows in my cereal. I still haven't gotten used to the no Mountain Dew. Those little things are nothing compared to the culture shock I have had here in Macedonia though. I am not saying it is bad, I am just saying that it is different.

The language is probably the biggest culture shock in any country that I have been too. I can study a language all I want but when I get around native speakers it is completely different. In my other travels I have been to countries with Latin based languages and my years of studying Spanish helped me understand a few things here and there. I have also made it a point to take classes or learn the language where I am so I can communicate at the store or with the fans. Last year I became pretty good with French and the year before with Italian. Here in Macedonia, they speak Macedonian which is a south Slavic language. It just sounds like white noise to me when I hear people talk. I understand absolutely nothing and that makes it really hard to tell a cab driver who doesn't speak English where I need to go. It is also impossible to read because they use the Cyrillic alphabet. Thankfully a lot of the people here in Skopje speak English.

There are a ton of stray dogs here in Macedonia. When the city catches a stray, they don't put it down but instead have the dog spayed or neutered so it can't reproduce. You can tell the dogs that are fixed because they have a yellow tag on their ears. I guess that's a good policy but it is really difficult for me to see all of these random dogs. The Grimm family always had a dog when I was growing up and we even had three dogs at one point so dogs hold a big place in my heart. My teammate and I were walking home one night and we actually had three dogs follow us home. It broke my heart when we had to shut the door on them when they were just sitting there wagging their tails.

Another thing that tugs at me is the people that are constantly picking through the trash. I can't take a short walk without seeing at least one person going through the trash. It is just tragic to see so many people doing it. I don't really want to say more on this subject.

Apparently a horse and cart are still an acceptable means of transportation here in Macedonia. This was the most surprising thing I have seen here. The Amish are the only people I have seen driving a horse and a cart back at home. I think it is even more surprising because of how urban Skopje is. This is the capital city of Macedonia and there are people riding horses around it. I asked my teammate what it was all about and he said that is just how it is here in the Balkans. So, I guess it is not just unique to Macedonia.

These are just a few of the things that I have encountered in my time here in Macedonia. I'm sure I will see more things on my travels and I will just learn to live with them.

Craziness

2011-11-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

I would say that I have had an uneventful basketball career and by that I mean that nothing crazy has happened to me in games. Yes, I have had a lot of personal and team success but nothing that makes a really good story. That was until last night.

We had been preparing all week long for our game against Kumanovo. It was a big game for them and for us as well. Kumanovo is celebrating their 65th year of having a basketball team and they picked our game for their big festivities. Their gym is big and holds 5,000 people but they wanted all of the room in their gym for their fans and banned the Family Aerodrom (our fans) from the sport hall. That was a little hard to believe too because our fans have not been banned from our other away games and just add to the great atmosphere at the games.

When our team bus pulled into town we had to stop at a police check point. I don't know the exact reason but I suspect it was because they didn't want any of our fans sneaking into the town. I have never had that happen to me before but I thought it was kind of cool. It just showed how important of a game it was.

The gym itself was old and for lack of a better word, crappy. There were holes in the walls, the chairs in the locker room were all broken into pieces and there was standing water in the bathroom that smelled terrible. I guess these things mean nothing to the fans because the gym was loud and packed.

I got dressed pretty quickly because I wanted to get out onto the court and get a feel for the rims. As I was walking out of the locker room one of the team vets stopped me and told me not to go out yet because I would get things thrown at me. I had to wait for the whole team to be ready so we could go out together.

We left the locker room after Coach's pre game speech and headed out onto the court to some of the loudest boos I have ever heard. It wasn't just boos either. Old men were spitting at us and little kids were flipping us the bird. The crowd also broke out into some pretty raunchy chants. My teammates told me they were just singing some fun songs when I asked them but after the game they told me what they were really saying. I don't know they age demographic of my readers so I won't put them on here but I would be afraid to tell my mother what they were saying.

We were ahead the whole game but the fireworks really started after halftime. The Kumanovo fans decided to give us a confetti shower while we were warming up after the break. It took awhile for the 2nd half to start because as soon as the custodial staff cleaned it up, the fans would throw more on the court. It was very frustrating because we just wanted for the half to start.

With 1:56 left in the 3rd quarter, a lighter was thrown from the stands and landed at my feet as we lined up at the free throw line and then the show started. The refs told both teams to return to their benches as they met at the scorers table. Macedonian rules states that if the game is delayed 2 times by the fans then the fans have 10 minutes to evacuate the building and the game will resume with no fans. If they fail to leave then the game is played the next day with no fans in the gym. We know this rule quite well because it happened to us once already this season at home.

The official at the scorers table packed his things up and returned to the locker room. The fans did not appreciate this gesture and pelted him with various objects as he was escorted out by security. The security guards also instructed us to return to our bench as things began to be thrown our way. We had a covered bench like the ones you see at soccer games. The security guards also surrounded our bench so we were not attacked by the fans. One of my teammates stood up briefly and an 8 inch piece of wood was thrown at his head and narrowly missed him. Things were getting really crazy.

We just assumed the game would be resumed the next day because the fans were obviously not leaving the stands. Amazingly the official came back out and ruled that only the 1st three rows of the stands had to be vacated and the game would be resumed. I guess this was not according to the rule book but I was happy that we would be playing again. We had 5 minutes to warm up and we would start the game with 1:56 left in the 3rd quarter after a 35 minute break. As we were warming up about 5 fans were flipping me the bird and kept calling for me to come over. I just averted my eyes and kept doing my thing.

We came out after the break and Kumanovo didn't score the rest of the quarter and we led by 11. The game was hot all the way to the end and we wound up winning 88-81. With about 3 seconds left in the game the fans started throwing more stuff on the court including full bottles of water, coins and lighters (a lot of people smoke here.) We were so hyped we won but left the court with our jerseys over our heads to avoid getting hit by anything big. The locker room was pretty rowdy after the game. We were high fiving and screaming. Our coach even handed out a few high fives which he never does so it must mean he was pretty happy.

I wanted to get out of Kumanovo after the game and return home to my wife. There was just one problem though, apparently there was a threat on the team after the game and we couldn't leave the locker room area without a police escort. I thought we were in the clear once we were on the bus but I was wrong about that too. Coach told us to pull the window shades and move to the inside seat of the bus. Apparently, the fans planned to attack the bus with rocks on our way out of town and he didn't want us hurt or cut if the windows were busted open. We had another police escort and thankfully nothing happened to us.

We had a team pizza dinner once we got back into Skopje which was very fun. Unfortunately it made Liz very nervous. She saw that there was a long delay in the game and was scared about that and when I didn't return right away she was scared something happened to us. I received a long hug once I walked into the door.

Skopje, Macedonia

2011-10-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

I have some exciting and important news as you all eagerly await Very Bad Trip Part II. I have signed a contract to play in Skopje, Macedonia for the 2011-2012 season. The whole process moved very quickly but I am here playing for MZT Skopje and have already played my first regular season game. It was a little bit of a process getting here so here is the story.

Last Sunday, October 9 I received an e mail from my agent saying that I had an offer from a team in Macedonia. It kind of took me by surprise because I didn't even know I was being shopped around in that part of the world. In fact, I had to look at a map to find out where Macedonia was. I remember learning about the area in Western Civilization but that was as far as my knowledge went.

I am married and of course I have to discuss the situation with my wife before accepting any job. Liz knew as much as myself on Macedonia which was basically nothing. We went around and around but the team needed to know that night and we came to the conclusion that we couldn't accept the job. We just didn't know enough about the situation to accept it and were comfortable turning down the job for this reason and I thought that was the last of it.

I had an e mail from my agent the next afternoon saying the team really wanted me and they had offered more provisions for my wife and me in the contract. They even said that I could come and check out the situation and if I didn't like it then I could return home. This seemed great to me but I still had to talk it over with Liz. After discussing everything with her, we both felt comfortable accepting the job and making the journey to Macedonia.

The team symbol.

Things have been great so far and I really like the country and the city of Skopje. It is unlike every other European city I have been in because it is Eastern Europe and I have spent my whole career in Western Europe. That being said, I think it is great. The city is surrounded by mountains which remind me a lot of the mountains in Lugano. There are even snow capped mountains far off in the distance.

The management and the team have also shown to be great. The club has very high aspirations of winning the league and are actually one of the league favorites. For those that don't know, basketball is HUGE in Macedonia. The national team finished 4th in the European Championships this year which has raised the level a lot. We even have a current and former national team players on MZT Skopje.

So, here I sit in an apartment in Macedonia writing out this blog. This game of basketball has taken me so many places in this world and now it has taken me to Macedonia. I never thought that I would live in or even visit Macedonia but here I am. I am so thankful to be back on the court after missing half of last season due to an injury and fortunate to get paid doing something that I love.

Here is to a championship season for MZT Skopje!!!

Very Bad Trip Part I

2011-09-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Very Bad Trip is what the Hangover is called in France. I love this movie and would love to write a blog about it but I just can't do it though with what recently happened in my life. Fortunately, Very Bad Trip describes my trip to Austria and gives me a reason to show the French movie poster from the Hangover.

Last Saturday I received a Facebook message from an agent telling me he had a job for me. This actually isn't a rare occurrence. I have received numerous messages from agents claiming they had jobs for me. I had never heard from this agent before and had no idea who he was. After checking with my real agent, everything seemed to be legit. My agent and I discussed the job at great length and decided to give it a shot. We didn't know anything about the team so we included in the contract that I could opt out if I didn't like the situation.

I started my very bad trip on Tuesday morning at 9:30 am taking the train from Nantes, France to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport for a flight at 3:30 pm. The train ride was 3 hours long and the seats on the train are pretty small but thankfully I had 2 of them to myself so it could have been worse. I passed the time looking at the beautiful French countryside and listening to my iPod. I think I even fell asleep for a little bit, which is crazy because I can never sleep when I'm traveling.

The train trip was just 1/4 of the journey. I had 2 flights to catch still and a car ride. My first flight was at 3:30 pm from Paris to Frankfurt, Germany. I arrived at the airport at 12:30 and had a few hours to kill so I stopped at the airport Starbucks and ordered a Chai Tea Latte. Even though I ordered a Chai Tea Latte, I received something completely different. That should have been a sign of things to come. I didn't care that much because I love Starbucks and was just happy to be drinking something.

I was booked on Lufthansa for my first flight and everything went great. It was my 3rd time flying Lufthansa and I like the airline a lot. The Germans are very efficient. As we were flying in we got a great view of the Frankfurt skyline. I haven't seen many skylines like that in Europe and I really enjoyed it. I guess the people in Franfurt like their skyline too because the basketball team in Frankfurt is called the Skyliners.

Frankfurt Skyline

My second flight was on Austria Air and was leaving at 6:00 pm out of Frankfurt. The flight was great and I was kind of excited to be in Austria. I have heard how beautiful the country was and I wanted to see a little bit of it but I also knew that this was a business trip and I was there for business.

I was met at the airport by the Coach, a national player and a player who was also there on tryout. I thought that it would be a short car ride to the hotel the team was staying at but I was wrong. I was very tired from my long day of travel but I was told that there was a 3 hour car ride to the middle of the Austrian Alps where the team had set up camp. What made this news even worse was that we were going to be coming back to Vienna in the morning to play a game. I wasn't very happy with the recent news but I wasn't in charge of anything so I just went with the flow.

I finally arrived to the hotel at 11:00 pm and was extremely tired and sore from my 14 hours of travel that day. It isn't easy or comfortable being 6'10" and 270 pounds and travelling in tiny planes, trains and automobiles. I was exhausted and had to get a good night of sleep because we had practice at 8 am the next morning.

I got up the next day at 7 am to a standard Euro breakfast of slices of lunch meat and rolls. I was excited to meet the rest of the team and for practice. It was a pretty easy practice and just consisted of walking through plays and getting a feel for the team. My legs felt very heavy from the previous day of travel. I was looking forward to getting on the touring bus and being able to lay down and sleep on the bus ride back to Vienna. I even had a dream of getting the back seat and being able to lay across all of the seats. That dream was crushed when I saw our means of transportation to Vienna.

Last year in France we took a bus with seats that converted into beds. It was by far the best means of transportation I have had. In Switzerland we took big busses too. The team I was with in Austria didn't even have a bus. They had a van! We fit 15 grown men into this big van for a 4 hour trip to Vienna. I have never been more uncomfortable in my life and would have welcomed an airplane seat. I would have even welcomed airline food because the team didn't feed us on the trip.

We arrived in the middle of Vienna around 2 pm. We got out of the bus and the assistant coach told us to be back there in 3 hours. I had no idea what was going on. Apparently we were there to do a little sight seeing as well as to play a basketball game. This gave me the opportunity to at least eat a little something. Normally I would never ever eat pizza before a game but the only other option was McDonald's and I didn't want that either. We did our walking around Vienna and it is a beautiful city. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures but I hope to take my beautiful wife there one day and do some real sight seeing.

After meeting back at the bus at 4:45 we set our sights on the gym to play BC Vienna. The game started out very well as we built a sizable lead of 20 points. I was playing very well too and then the tired and heavy legs started to kick in with the whole team. Our lead slowly sank away and we eventually lost in overtime. My legs felt like crap at the end of the game and to make matters worse I got hit 2 times in the same spot on my thigh. I knew that the van ride back to the hotel was going to be 2 times worse than it was going to the game.

As we piled back into the van, the teams thoughts turned to food. One of the players asked the coach if we were going to stop for food. The coach said yes but we had to pay for it ourselves. I have played professional basketball for going on 6 years now and have never bought my own meal on the road or after a game. Heck, my other teams even bought Liz meals when she traveled with the team. We stopped at a Burger King in Vienna and I purchased a double whopper value meal and opted for a salad instead of french fries. Since I had a slice of ham for breakfast and pizza for lunch, I skipped the fries and tried for something a little healthier.

On the ride home, as I was trying to get comfortable and listening to a foreign movie in a language I didn't understand, I was thinking hard about this new adventure. We arrived back to the hotel at 1 am and I only hoped that things would get better from here on out.

To be continued..............

Where in the World Am I?

2011-09-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

That is a good question and one that I am asking myself quite a bit lately. There is a saying that goes something like, with great risk comes great reward so let me take a little bit of time to explain my current situation.

For whatever reason I have not been able to find a job for the upcoming season. My ankle might have something to do with it but I can assure you that it is 100%. I spent the whole summer working out and doing rehab on it to get it to the condition it is in now. I was all ready to go in August but had no team to go too. I talked with my assistant coach from last year and he presented an interesting option to me.

Since I lived and worked in France last year for 10 months I am eligible to receive certain benefits from the government. My old coach explained these benefits to me and I was very interested in receiving them. He also called up his friend who is coaching in Nantes, France at the Pro B level and explained my situation to him and asked him if I can come and practice with the team. I also have another connection with the team because my old teammate from Marquette, Dwight Burke, plays for Nantes. With these 2 connections, the coach from Nantes accepted me to practice with the team.

So, on September 7 I packed up my bags and made the flight across the Atlantic to Nantes, France and began practicing with the team full time. Being in Europe does a lot of things for me professionally. Most importantly it proves to interested teams that my ankle is indeed 100%. It also makes me readily available to teams as it is a lot cheaper for a team to check me out when I'm already on the continent than paying for a flight from Milwaukee. Plus since I am already here, I wouldn't have to deal with the jet lag that occurs after the long flight. Practicing with Nantes also keeps me in great shape and I get to compete against good competition day in and day out.

The only negative to the situation is that Liz is not here with me. We decided that it was better for her to stay at home because I might get a call and need to leave at any moment. That is hard enough for 1 person, let alone 2. It is really tough being away from her but we will be together soon again.

The situation has been good so far. It feels really great to be back in France and playing basketball as well. I love this country and Liz and I have made some great friends here in the past year. Nantes is a little bigger than Blois but it is a great city as well. It is more vibrant and lively because it is a university city. It seems like there is always something going on and the streets are packed. There is even some crazy elephant robot machine that roams around the city occasionally. I haven't seen it personally yet but I have seen pictures and signs for it.

I have done a little exploring while I have been here but not too much. The downtown area is pretty cool and there is a castle here too which I love. My favorite part of the city though is the little side streets. There is even one filled with crepe shops. If that doesn't say France, then I don't know what does.

I think this is the crepe street.

Basketball is going really well too. Like I said it feels great to be back out on the court even if this isn't my team. The coach here is great and is really helping me out. The team had a few injuries a couple weeks ago and the coach asked me if I could help them out and play in a friendly game against Limoges. Limoges is a club with a great tradition in France and they recently moved down from Pro A. I of course said yes because it could be a great opportunity for me to get seen.

The game went really well for me. I played 17 minutes and led the game in rebounding with a game evaluation of 13 and most importantly the team won in a thriller with a score of 88-87! It was awesome to be back playing in a real game. Now I just need a job of my own.

An opportunity was presented to me last week that I took. It was one of the weirdest situations of my life but it deserves a blog of its own. I'll save that for next time.

Until then...........

How I Spent My Summer Vacation 2011

2011-09-15T11:32:00.001-07:00

Summer has pretty much come and gone for me and it was a very busy one. Usually, I take some time off from working out and basketball at the beginning of the off season but because of my ankle surgery I had to rehab and work out even harder to come back to my normal form. My first 2 weeks back at home I was still on crutches but when I got off of them I hit the ground running.

I was busy with rehab every day this summer. When I left France in June, my doctors were vague with what I needed to do. The initial protocol was non weight bearing on my right ankle for 3 weeks and then weight bearing with crutches for another 3 weeks. They said one month after surgery I could start swimming and riding the bike and after 2 months I could start running and after 3 months I could play basketball again. This was great but they didn't tell me how to rehab or things I could do.

When I got back to Milwaukee, I searched my contacts for people who could help me out. I called up my old teammate and friend, Tony Gries, and he gave me some great exercises to do for my ankle to improve my mobility and strength. The training staff at Marquette was also really great. Head trainer, Ernest Eugene, worked with me during the basketball camps applying treatment and doing crazy mobility exercises to my ankle. Ernest also referred me to Athletico Milwaukee and Luis Rivera. I owe Luis a HUGE thank you. He worked with me the most and really attacked my ankle and my rehab. I probably wouldn't have been able to come back to where I am now without Luis.

On top of doing my rehab I was also lifting and doing cardio everyday to stay fit for my return to the court. My rehab was going so well that I started running 1 week before July and only 2.5 weeks off of crutches. I started shooting again when I started running. It was just like riding a bike and it felt great to be out on the court again.

My agent called me in the middle of July to tell me that a team in Japan wanted to sign me but couldn't do so until they saw that I was healthy. There was a simple solution to this because the coach was American and from LA and the General Manager was out in California at the time. Technically it was before I was supposed to start playing but I consulted with my training team and they said I was good to go. So, I flew out to LA for this team to see me.

I thought the workout went well but the team thought otherwise. I won't go into the reasons for this because I still think its BS and the point of this blog isn't to bash people. So, for my sanity, I'll just let it be. C'est la vie.

I started playing 5 on 5 again at the end of July and was able to participate in the Milwaukee Summer Pro Am Championship weekend. The team I was on finished in last place during the regular season but we ended up with the consolation championship with the addition of myself and Dan Fitzgerald. It really felt great to be running up and down the court again with people in the stands. I even dunked on someone! I hadn't done that in awhile.

Consolation Champs

One morning in early August I received a text from my old teammate Wes Matthews asking me if I wanted to play some pickup at Marquette. He had said that D Wade was coming back and there were going to be some other good players there. I am not one to turn down a good pickup game so I came down. It was really fun to play with some old teammates again and there was an incredible collection of talent in the gym. After those pickup games I knew that I had recovered from my surgery and I was good to go.

August started and I didn't have a job. My agent had some leads but nothing worked out. I kind of suspected that was going to happen with the injury and the NBA lockout going on. Not that I was competing for jobs with NBA players but there is/was a trickle down effect. There were also enough NBA players saying they were going to head overseas that it slowed the markets up. While it is frustrating to not have a job at this time I just worked harder to keep my mind off of not having a job.

I traveled to Michigan in the middle of August for my sisters wedding. The wedding was by far the craziest wedding I have ever been too and it was soooooo much fun. Liz and I stuck around Michigan for a week and half after the wedding to see family and friends.

My sister and me on her wedding day!

Every summer in college I would come home after the summer school session and before the fall semester started. I would take the time to spend with my family and also to workout. I have some really great memories running the stadium steps and working out in the gym. I had the opportunity to do the same thing this summer and I took advantage of it. I treated it like I was in my own training camp. In the morning I would head to the track and in the afternoon I would head into the gym to shoot and do more conditioning with my dad.

The old stomping grounds!

I had a great time this summer and made some great memories. Liz and I lived back downtown on Lake Michigan and had a great view of the lake from our living room and bedroom window. I spent the mornings reading and drinking coffee by the window looking at the lake. I will definitely miss that. The summer was great and we got to spend a lot of time with our friends but it was time for something to happen.

In my next post I'll let you know where in the world I am.

Until then............

Summer Time Story Time

2011-06-14T09:55:00.001-07:00

I read an interesting blog about the least popular number in college basketball during my coffee this morning. It made me think of why I have worn the numbers I have during my career. Numbers have never been a big thing for me but there has always been a reason I have worn the numbers I have had. Lets take a little trip throughout my number career.

Maltby Middle School # 54 - This one is kind of funny. In middle school the bigger jerseys are the higher numbers. Well, I was always a big kid so I was destined for a higher number. I could have picked a few different numbers but I picked 54 because that was the channel number for MTV. Sounds like a good choice right?

Brighton High School JV #33 - I played JV basketball as a freshman in high school so I was low on the totem poll when it came to picking jersey numbers. I wanted #34 but someone had already taken that. My second choice was #32 but that was taken by another older player. My last choice was #33 because that was Grant Hill's number and I loved GH growing up (even though he was a Duke guy.) It was my last choice but a good one and one that would stick.

Brighton High School Varsity #25 - My sophomore year in high school I played on the Varsity team. For those unfamiliar with Brighton, there was a "superstar athlete" named Drew Henson that went to the school. He was drafted by the Yankees out of high school and was the starting quarterback at the University of Michigan before ultimately choosing baseball as his career path. Drew happened to play basketball too (big surprise) and he wore #25. Since I wanted to be successful like Drew, and #33 was taken, I decided that 25 would be a good choice to wear.

Brighton High School Varsity #33 - Since I was a sophomore playing varsity basketball I had a lot to learn. Jason Razavi and Eric Hutchins were 2 guys that kind of took me under their wing and helped me out when times were tough. I really looked up to both of them. They weren't the best basketball players but worked really hard and kept a great attitude. To honor Eric Hutchins I decided to wear his #33.

Marquette University #33 - I kept on wearing 33 after high school because I was successful in the number and I grew to really like it.

Lugano Tigers #11 - I had planned on wearing 33 after college but I found out that the numbers 4-15 are the only numbers that players can wear in Switzerland. It was kind of cool because I was starting a new chapter in my basketball life and I was able to start with a new number. I didn't really care what number I wore but when I saw the available numbers I knew I wanted 11. I thought it would be a good number because Isaiah Thomas wore it and I have no problem with Zeke.

Sion Herens #4 - I had to switch numbers again because 11 was already taken by another teammate. I decided to pick #4 because Chris Webber had worn it and I had wanted to take a low number since I had to pick a high number in middle school.

SAM Massagno #15 - I didn't get to pick my number this year because I came in as a replacement 2 games into the season. I really enjoyed my first year in Massagno and I played very well in the number so I had decided to keep the number for my second year with the club.

ADA Blois #15 - I enjoyed 2 successful seasons wearing 15 so I decided to stick with the number in France. It is not a very exciting or interesting story but that is what it is.

Numbers aren't very important in sports but they are kind of an interesting thing. I will try and stick with 15 the rest of my career but if it is not available then I will switch to something else and life will go on just fine.

Fun In Blois 2

2011-05-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

We are just a week away from returning back to the good ol' US of A. Ideally I would still be playing basketball right now and be leaving for Bordeaux to be playing in the Final Four of our league but that was not the hand that we were dealt. At the end of every year I/we like to go on a little vacation to see another part of the world and kick back a little bit. Last year we went to Tuscany and the year before I went to Rome, Florence and Venice with my teammate Brody. Because of how difficult it is for me to get around right now we are unable to go on any cool trips. So, in the meantime we are just trying to enjoy Blois a little bit in the last few days we have left.

I did some research on Blois when I first signed with the club back in July 2010. One of the first things I found was the Chateau de Blois. It is a big beautiful chateau that is the centerpiece of the city and was once the residence of 7 kings and 10 queens of France. If you would like to visit the official website of the chateau, you can click here.

The outside of the chateau is my favorite of all of the beautiful chateaus in the Loire Valley. The architecture is beautiful and represents many different styles from throughout history.

Gothic

Classic

Renaissance

During the spring and summer months, the chateau offers a light and sound show to showcase it's history. I have wanted to do see this ever since I found out about it. Now, that I am officially on vacation, last Wednesday night was the perfect night to check it all out. It was about 45 minutes and really cool. Liz and I learned some interesting facts about the chateau like Saint Joan of Arc prayed there before departing for Orleans to liberate the city.

Liz took some great pictures of it all. Check them out.

Fun in Blois

2011-05-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

Blois has a lot of fun and interesting things to do. The city has so much history and can be a little overwhelming sometimes. There is a big beautiful chateau that sits on the banks of the Loire River as well as ramparts that line the town. The Maison de la Magie is another interesting thing in Blois. Translated into English, it is the House of Magic and displays magic collections from all over the world.

My teammate Kai and I found the House of Magic way back in August of 2010 when we first arrived in France. We were out exploring our new home and wandered up into the square of the chateau. As we were taking it all in something strange started to happen to the building on the opposite end of the square. Windows started opening and dragons started coming out. It is a little hard to explain but it was surprisingly entertaining.

Check out the video below to see what it is all about.

My Life at the Moment

2011-05-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

After my surgery the doctor told me that I had to be on crutches for 6 weeks with 3 weeks of non weight bearing. It didn't sound so bad when he told me because I have always seen people on crutches and they made it look so easy. I am an athlete and 6 weeks on crutches seemed like nothing. I wish i could take those thoughts back.

I realized how miserable it was going to be as I was being discharged from the hospital and I broke out in a full sweat going from my room to the lobby. I thought that I could still carry out my daily activities but after that I realized the next 6 weeks would be a little bit more difficult.

For those that haven't been to Europe, beds over here are very low to the ground and since I couldn't put my left foot on the ground it was very hard to get up. Our guest bedroom had 2 twin beds that were higher up off the ground so we moved out of our bedroom and into our guest bedroom. I spent the first 2 weeks after the surgery in the guest bedroom with ice on my foot and my it elevated. Thankfully I had my nook, my computer and my wonderful wife to help me pass the time. I think I read 5 books and watched all of Friday Night Lights in that time.

The first week felt like 1 month. I thought I would enjoy being catered too but I found out that I don't like it that much. After 2 weeks I became more comfortable with the crutches and we moved back into the bedroom.

I am now 3.5 weeks post op and feeling really good. I am currently walking with the assistance of my crutches. It is still really difficult to get around with them but thankfully I still don't have any real pain. I am also limiting how much I am out and about. The doctor told me to be very careful and to respect the pain and my ankle. Only 3 more weeks and I can throw the stupid crutches away.

Ankle Update

2011-05-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Alright guys. It has been awhile since I have updated but I actually have very good and valid reasons. I have been extremely upset with the internet lately and I had to take a break. I couldn't stand reading my friends political opinions on Facebook or reading what they were doing for dinner. It was too much for me to handle so I had to take a step back. I have actually written quite a few blog posts in the time but just didn't publish them because of my disdain for the internet. I will try and get them up soon though.

I do have note worthy news though on my health. I actually had surgery on my ankle on April 28th. Way back in February I went to see a doctor in Paris. After examining my ankle as well as my x rays, we decided to try a cortisone shot to see if that would cure the problems with my ankle. The cortisone shot was unsuccessful so I went back to Paris in the middle of April to see what the next step was.

The doctor proposed a simple ankle arthroscopy to clean the joint out and remove a bone spur that had formed on my tibia. I was not too excited at the idea of having surgery but it would make my ankle better again so I had to do it. I went in for surgery a week later and I am currently resting.

The operation went great and the doctor accomplished what he wanted to get done. I have not really had any pain at all. Things went great and I am excited to start physical therapy and get back out on the court. The good thing is that I will be ready for the start of training camp next season so I am happy about that.

I actually have some stories about my hospital stay but those will have to wait for future blog posts.

St. Michel

2011-04-07T12:59:00.001-07:00

Sports teams in Europe survive by sponsorships and partnerships. Every team I have been on has had main sponsors and smaller sponsors. The main sponsors are the ones that get on the jerseys and the smaller sponsors have signs around the gym.

Here in Blois we have many sponsors and they are very important to the success of the team as they provide the money to pay us. After every home game we go to a tent to have a drink with the VIP's and every few weeks there will be a dinner held afterwards. I actually like going to these events because our fans and sponsors are great. Blois is a small town so we see a lot of these people around town and it is an opportunity to interact with them. It is also a great chance for me to work on my French.

The other day we had an event held at St. Michel bakery. I had never heard of this company before so I was intrigued about it. I had no idea what to expect but I knew it was important because all of our main sponsors were going to be there. I thought it would be like the other events with some drinks and a buffet of food.

I was expecting a little bakery but we pulled up to a huge factory. This was an event unlike one I have ever gone too and it was actually very cool. When we entered we were given a lab coat, face mask, hair net and booties for our shoes because we were going to go on a tour of the factory.

I won't bore you with all of the details of the company but St. Michel is a family owned company founded in 1905. It has 5 factories throughout France and we toured the factory and distribution center in Contres, France. The factory was very impressive. People were there for quality control but robots and machines were used to make all of the biscuits. In this particular factory they produce 6,000,000 Madeleine biscuits a day.

When we left the factory we received an assorted gift bag of their Madeleine biscuits. I had never had these before but they are delicious. I was planning on waiting to open them until Liz got back from the South of France but I couldn't wait. I don't even know if they are going to last for her. My favorites are the ones coated with sugar.

Overall it was a very positive experience as most of these functions are. I had the opportunity to learn about French businesses, interact with some sponsors and got a bunch of free desserts. Now I have to figure out if we have these back at home or if I can have them exported to the United States.

March Madness

2011-03-20T12:15:00.001-07:00

March is such a special time of year. I have always loved the month because of basketball and March Madness. I think I inherited it from my father because he used to tell me that it was his favorite time of the year and can probably thank him for being glued to the tv watching the tournament.

I have a lot of great memories of playing in the NCAA tournament and I would love to share them but I didn't intend to do that in this post. I wanted to let everyone back at home know that I am able to watch all of the games and have been doing so for the past 5 tournaments.

The NCAA and CBS have been broadcasting all of the games online since I have been playing in Europe. Most content broadcast online from the United States is usually blocked by location but thankfully the tournament comes in perfectly. This means a lot of late nights for me but it's a small sacrifice for the greatest time of year. Of course if I had/have a game the next day then I would not be up until 3 am.

I would rather watch the game on a big screen at home or in a bar back at home, but my computer screen works just fine for now.

Another Ankle Update

2011-03-11T08:48:00.001-08:00

I am slowly but surely making progress toward my ankle recovery and my return to the basketball court. It has been a long and frustrating process but I think that the worst is over. I went to Paris on February 16 to see a specialist to get another opinion on what the correct plan of action should be. The Doctor suggested another injection into the joint to try and relieve the inflammation and to regain the range of motion within the joint.

After discussing the plan with my agent, American doctor and my family we decided to move forward. Unfortunately the plan didn't move as fast as we wanted it too. I was growing frustrated very quickly but the team told me that the French medical system is slow and things don't move quickly. I had to wait a few weeks but I finally had my injection on March 9.

I had already had an injection in my ankle back in December and it went very smoothly without any pain. I wish the same could be said about the most recent injection. The doctor was nice and spoke excellent English but when he put the needle into my ankle it hurt like crazy. The needle has to go in about 2 inches to make sure that the fluid is absorbed into the articulation. Maybe I wasn't ready for it but it was not the most comfortable thing in the world.

I spent the next couple of days on crutches. Not because of pain but because it is best for the fluid to be absorbed into the ankle and I am doing great for the time being. It takes 3-5 days for the injection to work so I shouldn't feel a whole lot better until then.

We are going forward with my return to activity and therapy. We do not need to rush it like last time so we are going slowly. On Monday I will be back on a bike but only at 50%. The goal is to not put too much pressure on the ankle joint and to make sure the medicine is still working. I can resume shooting on Tuesday but not too hard and only taking spot up jumpers. The goal is to try running and jogging on Friday. I can do this right now but we want to try it and see if there is pain after the injection. I am very excited for this day because I have not run in over a month. It's crazy because I hate running but I want to do it again.

So, that is the ankle update for now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the last injection and things will be on the up and up from here on out.

Staying Ready

2011-03-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

While I am in my holding pattern right now because of my ankle injury, I am reminded of what Coach Crean used to say: always stay ready because you never know when your number is going to be called. I took this to heart while I was in school. I may not have always been happy with my playing time but I tried to do something about it. I wasn't playing a lot during my senior year so I used to get shots up late at night or when I didn't have class. When my number was finally called at the end of my senior year, I was ready and made the most of my minutes. If I did not stay ready back in 2006 then I would not be where I am today.

I am taking Coach Crean's advice right now. I don't know when I will be back on the court but I am trying to stay ready and be prepared for the comeback. I am eating right, working out and trying to watch as much basketball as possible just so I can stay around the game.

While it is not possible for me to run right now, I go to the gym every day and ride the bike. In addition to riding the bike at the gym, I am also lifting to keep up my strength and working on my flexibility.

I am also watching what I eat because I am not burning a lot of calories on the court. I eat a hearty breakfast of eggs, potatoes and toast every morning. For lunch I usually eat a chicken sandwich and soup. Finally for dinner I will have meat, pasta/potatoes/rice, and vegetables. The older I get and the farther I advance in my career, the more I realize how important it is to eat right.

I have an appointment next Wednesday in Tours, France to get an injection in my ankle. I hope that this works and if it does then I will be ready.

Louisville 2006

2011-02-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

With my newly found free time and absence from the court, I thought that I should share one of my favorite Coach Crean stories. I accumulated many good stories during my 4 years under Coach Crean. As many people know Coach was very intense and our practices were brutal. It wasn't out of the ordinary for us to have a 3-4 hour barn burner in the Old Gym or at the Al. It's an old cliche, but I came to Marquette as a boy and I left as a man.

Many people also know that Coach is a great motivator. We had a team meeting at the start of every school year and I always came out of that meeting amped up and ready to go. Everybody has heard the story of Coach taking us to the Super Dome when we played at Tulane in 2003 so we could feel and experience where the Final Four was that year. That's a great story and one that I will tell my kids and grandkids but I am going to share a different one.

I was a senior when we entered the Big East in the 2005-06 season. Our experienced senior class had graduated and we were coming off an embarrassing home loss to Western Michigan in the NIT. We were just 2 years removed from the Final Four but it felt like a decade. The expectations for my senior year were low and many people thought that it was going to be a rebuilding year. Coach brought in a great recruiting class but they were young and inexperienced. I think we shook peoples opinions when we destroyed UCONN in our first Big East game.

We had our ups and downs that year. The game after we beat UCONN, we lost at home to Cincinnati. We also lost at Rutgers in front of 200 people because of a snow storm that hit the east coast. It seemed like we had hit rock bottom and we had a choice to make. To quote Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday, "We heal as a team or we're gonna crumble." After the Rutgers game we beat #17 Georgetown and #18 Pittsburgh in a span of 3 days and then won at Notre Dame. We had hit our form and were playing well with a game at Louisville on the horizon.

Louisville is always a big game for Marquette. The games are well documented between the two teams. There have been buzzer beaters, blow outs and everything in between. The game in 2006 would be another classic Marquette vs Louisville game.

We did not have a good practice the day before the game. When I got married, people told me to never go to bed mad. Well, I think there should be a saying for a coach to never board a plane mad. Coach was not happy with practice and the only reason he ended it was because we had to leave and catch the plane. If it would have been a home game then we would have stayed until we got it right.

As usual, we had film that night at the hotel in Louisville. We usually watch player edits or clips from games to lock in mentally. Before film we were told to bring our running shoes and were handed practice equipment as we walked into the film room. That was unusual and seemed like a bad sign. Coach walked in the room and we watched a few clips before he told us to get our gear on to run through some things downstairs.

Our hotel in Louisville had a big open area next to the pool that was definitely big enough to run around and have a mini practice in. We all started walking to the open area but Coach made a bee line to the pool and screamed "last one in doesn't play tomorrow." I was shocked. Coach had just ran and jumped into the pool with all of his clothes on and glasses. None of us knew what to do. We were all on edge because we thought Coach was mad about practice. I can't remember who it was (I think it was Steve) but someone said screw it and ran and jumped in the pool too and the rest of us followed. We splashed around and acted like little kids until hotel security came.

I thought this was awesome. Sometimes teams do need that extra film session or those extra plays to run though. On this night we just needed to act like kids and chill out to prepare for the game.

We came into the game ready to go. It felt like 100 degrees inside Freedom Hall that night. The crowd in Freedom Hall was loud and obnoxious. It was a back and forth game with both teams giving their all. It was also senior night and Louisville wanted to send their seniors out on a high note. We were down 3 with a few seconds to go in regulation and had to take the ball full court. The ball was inbounded to Dominic James and he hit a 3 as time expired to send the game into overtime. We were going crazy and were confident heading into OT. Unfortunately we didn't have enough that night and lost the game 67-60.

The locker room was strange after that game. It felt like we had lost something more than a game. We had given everything we had and still came up short. That's one of the worst feelings you can have as a basketball player. Coach came in and gave a rousing speech to us but it still didn't help heal our pain.

We flew back to Milwaukee after the game and got in late. As we were leaving the coaches we heard the usual, "don't miss class tomorrow" from one of them. It was a sluggish day of classes that morning. We were tired and knew that we had practice immediately after. We also knew that practices after losses were usually tough and we were not looking forward to it.

We started out in the film room and watched the second half and overtime of the game. It was a great film session and we examined things we did right and things we did wrong. There was no yelling or screaming. It was just a learning session.

After film we made our way to the practice court. Coach put 60 minutes on the clock and we ran through some plays with no contact. The game took a lot out of us and I think my weight was down 5 pounds as a result. This type of practice was something Coach had never done before but it was just what we needed. We had a chance to sweat and run a little bit but not be overly exerted. At the end of practice we all had to hit a shot within a few seconds like Dominic had done the night before. It took some of us a few tries but we all did it eventually.

We all started to relax a little bit when we thought practice was over but Coach called us back up to the film room to watch some Providence edits. The beginning to Jamie Foxx's stand up special I Might Need Security started playing as Coach said, "Alright guys, really lock in." We all expected to see the usual beginning to our edits and didn't know what to think. We realized what Coach had done and then laughed for the next hour.

Coach shocked us twice in two days. This is one of my favorite stories from my playing days at Marquette. I think it really demonstrates how much the coaches cared for us as well as the family atmosphere in the program. Maybe we didn't get along all the time or agree with certain decisions, but Coach knew what was best for the team and I think he just did what he thought was best.

Update

2011-02-08T13:23:00.001-08:00

You may have noticed that I haven't blogged about basketball in awhile and I have a really good reason for it, there isn't a whole lot to talk about at the moment. On November 6 I rolled my ankle coming down from a lay up during a game against Le Puy. It was the worst pain I have ever felt on a basketball court and it caused me to miss the rest of the game and an additional 6 games.

During my absence, my team brought in a medical replacement for me while I took time to get healthy. The plan was for me to come back at full strength after the Christmas break. My ankle felt better day by day and I received a cortisone shot the week before I was about to leave for the United States.

I felt great after the shot and was very optimistic about my return to the court. I have been playing basketball every year for as long as I can remember and it was very hard to watch from the sidelines. My team had lost some games in my absence and I was eager to get back on the court and help the team. We have the goal of moving to Pro B and I want to be a part of it.

I used the Christmas break to kind of recharge my batteries physically and mentally because I knew it was full go when I returned to France. It was nice to get away from basketball and spend some time with my family. I could not take all of the time away from the court though because I wanted to return in good condition. During the break I went to the gym every day to get some conditioning in and to get some shots up. It was also good to test my ankle and see how it responded.

When I got back to Blois, the doctor told me that I was going to have some pain in my ankle but it would slowly go away. It felt great to be out running on the court and playing the game I love. I had a little bit of pain but I ignored it because the doctor had told me it was normal and because it felt so great to be out there again.

I was back playing basketball but I wasn't playing like I was before the injury. My ankle actually started to worsen the more I practiced and I wasn't playing like I was capable of. It was very frustrating and was in opposition to what the doctor had told me.

So, that brings me to today. It was impossible for me to continue playing with my ankle in this condition. In this situation I had to think of my career. I am still young, only 26, and I want to keep playing at least for another 2 years. I talked with several people and asked their advice. I had a meeting with the management and I told them that I wanted to see another doctor to figure out what the heck is going on in my ankle and I didn't want to continue playing with this particular problem.

It is very frustrating to be back on the sidelines but I know I made the right choice. It is just hard right now. I go to the weight room every day to keep my conditioning at a high level in anticipation to get back on the court. I also go watch practice every day. Watching practice is probably the hardest part. My teammates are great and I really enjoy playing with them but it isn't fun watching them from the sidelines.

On February 25 I have an appointment with a foot and ankle specialist in Paris. Hopefully I will get some answers and find out what the appropriate process is. Until then, I am just going crazy and waiting around.

Super Bowl

2011-02-06T07:03:00.001-08:00

The Super Bowl. The game that is by America and for America. Many argue that it is the greatest event in American sports (I disagree and think that the Final Four is the greatest event in American sports.) When I was growing up, I remember the Super Bowl announcers bragging about the Super Bowl being a world wide event. I believed it too and thought that there were huge Super Bowl parties all over the world and envisioned Chinese people eating nachos, pizza and drinking beer. I thought that everyone celebrated and cared about the game like we did and laughed along with the commercials.

This is my 5th year of being in Europe while our holy game takes place. I have managed to watch 4 games and only missed last years because we had a game that day and I fell asleep because I was so tired. While I was sleeping, my wife watched the game because that is what you are supposed to do as an American. I have watched the game in French, Italian, German and English.

Through my experiences, I have to say that the world does not care about the Super Bowl or American football in general. In fact, the only time you will see football highlights on tv is when there is a fight or when someone gets hurt. Through a recent conversation with one of my teammates, I found out that football is unattractive to them because it does not have enough action and it is too slow. I told him that he needs to stop watching the University of Wisconsin and Big Ten football games. Now this is just one European's point of view so don't criticize me for it. I also found the obvious lack of interest because the game is on so late over here.

My first year in Lugano I watched the game with my French teammate Zay. He went to school in the USA so he knew football and knew how big of a deal the Super Bowl was. Zay would randomly laugh at the French announcers watching the game and remark about the stupid things they would say. Apparently they would just explain the rules in very simple terms and talk about the fans with their shirts off.

Europe is however making strides towards the broadcast of NFL games and trying to create interest in the league and the sport. In Massagno, I was able to find games on an Austrian tv station broadcast in English directly over from the NFL Network. Likewise, I have found NFL games on the French tv station, Sport Plus.

I have no idea if the sport will take off in Europe but I think Roger Goodell hopes that it happens. I will be up late tonight watching the game for sure. I am leaning towards watching it on my Slingbox rather than French tv because I will be able to watch it in English and see the commercials. Win-win.

Watching the game is an easy decision but who I want to win is not. I am unfortunately a Lions fan and have been all of my life. Being a Lions fan, I grew up hating the Packers. I had never heard of Green Bay before and I thought that their team colors were terrible together. I also went to college in Wisconsin and saw the state's love for their Packers. All of these factors mixed in with my jealousy for their winning ways have caused me to not like them.

I have mixed feelings though now. One of my old teammates from Massagno is friends with Aaron Rogers. He speaks very highly of him and I really admire the way he handled the whole Brett Favre situation. I also like Charles Woodson because he played at Michigan and Greg Jennings because I played AAU with him. My wife is a Packers fan as well and if they win it will make her very happy. For these reasons, and only these reasons, I want the Packers to win the Super Bowl tonight. I never thought I would think this, let alone make it publicly known. If I ever buy a cheese head then I will have serious problems.

The question has to be asked. If the Packers win, it means the Lions could have won the Super Bowl this year right? That makes complete sense to me.

Playstation 3

2011-02-05T06:52:00.001-08:00

I have always had a video game system for as long as I can remember. I started out playing Super Mario Bros on the original Nintendo in my parents bedroom. The tradition carries on today but with the Playstation 3.

When I made my first trip across the Atlantic in 2006 to play for Lugano, I did not have a system with me. Everything was so new to me at first that I did not really need anything to occupy my time. The beginning of my first year I was making the transition from a student athlete to just being an athlete. The days of late night Pizza Shuttle deliveries were gone.

I was pretty set in my routine 7 months into the season. Liz was living with me at the time and we had built a beautiful and comfortable life in Lugano together but because of visa restrictions in Europe, she had to leave before the end of the season. After she had left, I found myself with a lot more time on my hands.

I had started to get the itch to play video games again. I still had my Playstation 2 back at home but it was outdated with the newly released Playstation 3. On top of that, the Wii had also burst onto the scene and I had a tough decision to make. My teammate Ed's decision to purchase the Wii, made my decision to buy a Playstation 3 a lot easier.

I found that playing video games helped pass the time greatly. On weekends, Ed would bring the Wii over to our apartment and we would play Wii Sports and hang out. During the week, I would play NBA Street and other games. Playing the games during this time also helped calm me down. My team was in the midst of a deep playoff run and anyone that knows me, knows that I get nervous for games.

I still have my Playstation 3 and take it with me everywhere I go though I did have to trade my Swiss one in for an American version. My American PS3 works everywhere and I can play my dvd's on it whereas the Swiss version could not do that. It has been great to take it with me. Playing games with teammates and having the ability to watch my movies on a tv and not my laptop is awesome.

Even though I am not a highly skilled gamer, I am extremely happy I made this purchase.

Nook

2011-01-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

I have decided to start a series of blogs based on things that make life easier in Europe. After 4+ years across the Atlantic I think I have adjusted very well but everything didn't come easy. It seems like every year I learn new things. Most of these things involve technology and without modern technology I don't think I would be able to deal with the European life.

So, my first thing that makes Euro life more comfortable for me is the Nook. For those unfamiliar, the Nook is an e reader that contains books. It is basically an i pod for books. This is a new addition to my luggage this year. I like to read a lot and every year it seemed I would struggle with the weight of my luggage because of the books I wanted to bring along or home. Also, I was really limited about the books I could buy in Europe. Most train stations have a small section of books and magazines in English but the options are limited. With the Nook you have more book options and can also purchase newspapers and magazines.

Now with my Nook, I can purchase books (cheaper than in the train station) and not have to worry about the weight of my luggage. The Nook is also great to take on road trips. It is light weight and very easy to carry as it is about the size of an actual book.

I recommend the Nook to anyone that likes to read. I didn't think I could make the transition from paper books to e ink but it was actually very easy. The writing looks just like writing on a book and is easy on the eyes. I just wish they would have came along with these earlier. It would have made packing a whole lot easier.

French Music

2011-01-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Music has always been an important part of my life. Some of my earliest memories are of me sitting in my grandparents living room listening to music with my Grandfather. He had a great appreciation for music. We listened to all kinds of music together and he would sing along to the tunes in his deep bass voice. I think he is the reason I love music so much.

When I entered the 6th grade I decided to try playing an instrument. My older sister Krista played the flute in high school and was the drum major for the marching band. It was only natural that I would try something. I don't know why but after considering percussion, the saxophone and trumpet, I chose the trombone. I really enjoyed playing it and when I entered high school I participated in marching band as well as wind ensemble. The time commitment proved to be too much though and I made the decision to quit playing so I could focus more attention to the game of basketball.

With my musical background, I enjoy all different kinds of music. I would say that my favorite type is hip hop but as I am getting older I am learning to enjoy music from all over the spectrum.

When I am in different countries, I am often asked if I like that countries artists. I have heard everything from German rap artists (Bushido) to Italian opera singers. After hearing them though, I didn't really care for them but now I think I am finally being European-ized. I was in the weight room with my teammates the other day and a song came on the radio and I realized I was singing along with it. Suddenly I felt like I had been hit with a bolt of lightning. I never thought I would appreciate French music.

It's all part of the journey though. I am extremely fortunate and blessed to play the game I love for a living. I don't think I would be making the most out of my life's journey or this experience if I didn't come to appreciate another countries qualities such as their music.

If you have the time I recommend checking out Ben L'Oncle. He has a great soulful voice and my favorite song of his is Soulman but his cover of Seven Nation Army is fantastic as well. Christopher Mae is another good artist. His song Pourquoi C'est Beau is great. The songs are available on youtube. I would link them but some of them are French and won't play in America.

Coach Raymonds

2010-12-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

On Monday December 6, 2010 I learned that Coach Hank Raymonds passed away after a long battle with cancer. For those that don't know, Hank Raymonds is a legend at Marquette. He began his career as an assistant at MU in 1961 under Ed Hickey and later under Al McGuire. Hank was Al's successor after he retired following the 1977 National Championship. During his tenure as head coach he compiled a record of 126-50.

Hank was obviously a great coach but he was an even better human being. Coach Raymonds was always around when I was at Marquette. He would stop by at practice and would be at all of the games. We understood what he meant to the Marquette basketball program but also to the Marquette community.

I obviously never played for Coach Raymonds but I always enjoyed the conversations we had. He would always greet me with a gentle handshake and the conversation flowed so easily. Coach would offer words of wisdom for basketball but our conversations would flow into life as well. He left a mark on me as I am sure he did on every other Marquette player he had met.

Coach Raymonds is Marquette Basketball but he is also one of the reasons why Marquette University is such a special place for me and to so many other people.

Bad Luck

2010-12-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

Being injured is no fun but they are just part of the game and you have to deal with it. Show me someone that is playing to not get injured and I will show you someone that isn't playing very good. Unfortunately, I have had a bit of bad luck this year. On November 11 we were playing at home against Le Puy. It was a game that we needed to win because we had lost 3 in a row and Le Puy was playing very well going into the game.

The game started out very intense and physical which seems to be the norm for our league. I had taken a few shots in the beginning of the game and got bumped on every one. I knew that nothing was going to come easy against Le Puy. Five minutes into the 1st quarter my point guard was doubled in the post, and I cut down the lane to go up for a layup. Like my previous shots I had gotten bumped. Unlike my previous shots I landed awkwardly and rolled my right ankle.

I have rolled this ankle many times before but I had never rolled it like this. All of my weight landed on my ankle as I was coming down from jumping. I hit the deck immediately and rolled around on the floor in pain. I had never experienced pain like this before on the basketball court and that includes playing with a dislocated shoulder and playing a half with a broken elbow.

Rolled ankles are a tricky thing to deal with. I rolled my ankle in college a few times and I was back on the court right away. Unfortunately it was not possible to get back on the court as quickly this time. After being examined, the medical staff and the management came to the decision that I would need some time to recover. The recovery was important for them because they want me to play at 100% and that wouldn't be possible if I came back earlier. The decision was made to keep me out 4-6 weeks.

Last Saturday was 4 weeks and I am almost fully recovered. The tendon in my ankle is healed and the stability is back in it. The thing that is holding me back right now is the pain from the cartilidge and bone bruises on the inside of my ankle. I am not a doctor but I understand it like this. When the injury occurred, the bones knocked into each other so hard that they caused deep bruising. It is taking a longer time to heal because the bruising is so deep. I only have pain when I do athletic movements but do not feeling anything when I walk around.

It has been extremely hard to sit on the bench and watch the guys practice and play games. I find myself busier being injured too. I still have to go to all of the practices but now I have to get treatment everyday and I go to the weight room to try and keep my endurance on the exercise bike.

I get to shoot tomorrow for the 1st time and I am extremely excited about it. Hopefully I have turned the corner and will be back on the court soon. Christmas break is right around the corner so I have some extra time to recover back at home in Wisconsin and Michigan. I should be back on the court on January 8 against Bayonne.

Remembrance Day

2010-11-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

Every November 11, Americans honor their veterans by observing Veterans Day. It is my opinion that we should thank our veterans every day for the freedoms that we enjoy. My grandfather and great uncle served in the Navy and Army respectively during World War II. Grandpa Max was in the Pacific Theater and Uncle Bill served in the European Theater. Every now and then my grandfather will tell me stories about the war and I really enjoy them.

While Americans observe Veterans Day, the French celebrate Armistice Day. It is pretty much the same holiday but it celebrates the ending of World War I, which ended at "the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. There are some differences in the way it is observed though. I didn't see any Veterans Day sales and the kids had the day off of school. This is the normal for the many holidays that Europeans celebrate but while I don't understand all of them, I understand this one.

The Armistice ending World War I was signed in Compiegne, France and was obviously a great victory for the country. Blois is no different than so many other French villages with a monument honoring the lives lost in the war.

The United States did indeed participate in World War I but not until April 6, 1917. While we did participate we also didn't suffer the amount of casualties or have our country torn apart like many countries in Europe did. France suffered 1,697,800 killed over the course of the war with 300,000 being civilians. In comparison, the United States had 116,708 killed with 757 of them being civilians. In total, there were 16 million deaths and 21 million wounded during World War I. A simple look at the numbers shows the significance of the holiday.

I should note that the numbers and figures aren't exact. It was certainly tried but impossible to keep exact figures because of the destruction caused from new war technology, firepower and trench warfare that was utilized. There are still fields around Europe that people aren't permitted to walk in because of the danger that exists from the amount of unexploded shells. My figures came from Wikipedia.

Cars and Driving

2010-10-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

How do you get around? That's a question that I get asked a lot. I also get asked if I drive on the left side of the road. Both questions have easy answers. Europeans only drive on the left in the United Kingdom. As it pertains to the other question, all of the contracts I have signed have had the use of a car included. In my 5 professional seasons I have had many different kinds of cars.

My first year playing for BC Lugano Tigers, the team gave me a new Volkswagon Passat station wagon. This was my first experience living in Europe and I was very nervous about the driving situation. European roads are smaller than American roads and European drivers are a little different than American drivers. They aren't bad but just a little different. I was worried that I would scrape my car against other cars parked on a narrow street or go the wrong way down a one way and wreck the car. None of these things happened and I really enjoyed driving the Passat. The station wagon wasn't a big deal either because hatch backs are far more common in Europe than back at home.

During my second season playing in Sion, Switzerland I had 2 different cars. My agent had a clause in my contract stating that I could not receive a car older than 5 years. The first car I had was an Opel Corsa. It was new and pretty nice but not my final car. I only had this car for about a month. My club was sponsored by a Volvo dealership and all the players were going to get brand new Volvos. My car was a Volvo V70. We had to drive 30 minutes to practice 2 times a day so it was a good thing that I had a nice car to do it in. Apparently I didn't wash it a whole lot though.

My 3rd year playing for Massagno was the first time that I ever had a problem with a car. Massagno was sponsored by Bemauto Citroen car dealership and the American players got to drive new Citroens. These cars though were stick shift and I didn't know how to drive a stick.Thankfully my teammate Brody Angley taught me to drive. It was difficult learning to drive in the mountains but he was a great teacher and had a lot of patience with me. I actually really enjoy driving a stick shift now. My Citroen C3 felt kind of like a go kart and I had a lot of fun in it.

The cars in Massagno had the decals of the club on them as well as the sponsor name and our names on the side. I thought that this was really cool but some players didn't like it. They felt that it was a way for the club to track their every move.

This year I don't have the pleasure of driving a brand new car. The club gave me a 1996 Renault Safrane. They wanted to make sure I had a big car and enough room for my legs. Apparently, back in the day, this was a very nice car. It has definitely seen better days but I don't do a lot of driving. I live right by the gym so I walk to practice every day.

One day they told me that I was going to get an advertisement put on the side of my Safrane. I was pretty excited about this because I thought that it could spice it up a little. The advertisement is for Landes Karting so I was expecting a race track around the car with karts racing around it. I was getting excited about the possibilities. Unfortunately the advertisement on the side just says Landes Karting. My disappointment was immeasurable.

All of this car talk really makes me miss my car back at home. I took advantage of the Cash for Clunkers deal and traded in my Ford Explorer and bought a Ford Fusion last summer. I have owned it for 14 months and have only driven it for 3. I guess it is just the sacrifice I make for getting to live out my dream.

All Access

2010-10-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

ADA-TV provides an all access look into our team and into our organization. They are always busy putting together different highlights and videos. In the pre-season they put together a video of our track workouts as well as individual player highlights from our friendly games. Now that the season is under way, they create highlights from all of our games. This is extremely useful to my father who can critique my game 5,000 miles away and in the comfort of his own home.

Ada Blois Basket - Case Basket 2010-2011
envoyé par Ngtuan. - Regardez plus de vidéo de sport et de sports extrêmes.

This is action from the first game of the year against Saint Ettienne. It was a very good game and back and forth throughout. Our crazy fans can be heard in the background with their horns, drums and whatever else they use to make noise.

In addition to basketball action, ADA-TV puts together all access looks into game preparation and the locker room. This is probably the coolest part of what they do because it provides behind the scenes action and a look into my life.

Coaching Nicolas Faure Ada BLois-Get Vosges
envoyé par Ngtuan. - Découvrez les dernières vidéos de sport.

ADA-TV was able to record a timeout during the game against GET Vosges. This is a typical timeout. Our coach speaks in french and then our assistant coach translates for me and Kai. I have to position myself on the sides so the assistant coach can kneel next to me and translate. It is a little different but I never leave a timeout wondering what I am supposed to do. Our assistant coach speaks perfect english and is a great translator.

Dans les vestiaires ada Blois-Get Vosges
envoyé par Ngtuan. - Découvrez les dernières vidéos de sport.

This clip is in the locker room after the victory against GET Vosges. I can only be seen near the end of the clip because I was busy doing an interview for the radio. This video is pretty good because I don't think the guys knew they were being filmed at the beginning. Everyone is happy because we got the win but the happiness faded when we realized someone forgot to bring beer for after the game. Our coach doesn't give a speech after the game so he isn't in there. This is a pretty typical thing in Europe. I haven't had a coach yet who gives post game speeches. As you can see, our locker room isn't the greatest but it gets the job done.

All of their work can be seen by clicking here. It is definitely worth the time.

Typical Week

2010-10-06T09:20:00.001-07:00

I get a lot of questions from back home about what I do during the day or what my week looks like. Our practice times are pretty much set in stone as far as times so my schedule doesn't change a whole lot. I figured my typical week schedule would make for a good blog. So here it goes.

Monday

I wake up at around 9 am on Mondays and prepare myself a nice breakfast of eggs and toast. Although we only hit the court once on Monday, it is pretty rough so I want to make sure I start the day off right. We have to go to to the weight room at 10:30 and lift for an hour. Coach didn't give us a specific program to work off of, so we can do what we want. I like this because I get to work on what I want to and what I feel like I need.

After weights, we head over to the gym for an hour and a half practice. This is a tough practice that includes a lot of running. We have Sundays off so I guess coach wants us to run off the rust. Practice always ends with sprints. Last Monday ended with 12 minutes of sprints. It is not very fun.

Mondays are also our shopping days. Liz and I head on over to Leclerc (the French Meijer or Wal Mart) and get what we need for the week ahead. While I love going to Meijer, I hate going to this store. Too many people! It is pretty terrible but the prices and quality are good.

Tuesday

We hit the court twice on Tuesdays. I wake up around 9 am again for breakfast and head on over to the weight room at 10:30. The team lifts on our own for an hour and then we head over to the gym for practice at 12. This practice isn't a team practice but like an individual. Coach breaks us up into guards and big men. We do a half hour of shooting and then play 1 on 1 for a half hour. The shooting isn't just getting shots up. We do drills and they are done with intensity. The games of one on one are intense as well. It is a great workout.

I relax in the afternoon before practice at 7 pm again. This is a team practice and we work on things that we need to get better at. If our fast break was poor in our last game then we would do fast break drills or work on specific plays.

Tuesday night is pizza night for Liz and I. The local Dominos offers every pizza for 8 euros on Tuesdays. It is a great deal and something we had to take advantage of. I love pizza night.

Wednesday

We just have 1 mid day practice on Wednesdays. I get to sleep in and usually wake up around 10 am. This practice is a lot like Tuesdays practice but more up and down. Coach likes to work us because it is the only practice we have that day. We go for around an hour and a half and end with 15 minutes of shooting.

Since I am so tired after practice on Wednesday, I relax for a few hours and head back to the weight room in the afternoon. I don't go there to lift weights though. I go there to relax in the sauna and the jacuzzi. I need to take advantage of the facilities and to take the proper care of myself.

Thursday

The team meets up at the gym at 11 am to watch film on ourselves and the other team. Our coaches do an excellent job of scouting our opponents. They have a breakdown on everybody on the opposing team as well as all of their plays. We watch these clips and then some game action. Sometimes we watch ourselves too.

After film we head to the court for an hour of partner shooting.

I relax on Thursday afternoons because for practice on Thursday night we play a game to 100. Coach splits the team up evenly and we go at it. The game is broken up into quarters, so we end the quarter when a team reaches 25, 50, 75 and 100. Each quarter is also a different situation. Coach doesn't say a whole lot and lets us play. I love Thursday because I feel like it gets us ready to play and we just play basketball.

Friday

Friday is the day before the game so we only have 1 practice at 7 pm. We do have the opportunity to shoot at noon though. I always shoot at noon. I work on post moves and then shoot 100 jumpers. It isn't too heavy but not too light either.

Practice is always the same on Friday. It isn't too light or too heavy. We get loose and work on us as well as the other team. We shoot at the end of practice as well.

Saturday

Saturday is game day and the day we prepare for all week. The day is usually spent just relaxing around the apartment. I do my pre game ritual of showering and having coffee and then I head to the gym at 6:40 for an 8 pm game.

I always say I get paid to practice and play the games for free. I love game day even though I get extremely nervous before tip off.

Hopefully Saturdays end with a win.

Sunday

This is our off day and I just take it off. Nothing is open in France on Sundays so Liz and I might go for a walk downtown or just sit around the apartment. Lately we have been watching football on Sunday nights.

So, that is it. That's my week. Nothing very exciting but it's my life at the moment and I love it.

The Season

2010-09-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well the season is well under way here in Blois, France. The NM1 championship has begun and it has been very exciting so far. We are 4 games in and I have quickly learned that there will be no nights off here in France. The league is very competitive and many teams have announced their intentions to move up to Pro B but there are only 2 spots available for promotion.

The start of our schedule was favorable to us as 3 out of our first 4 games were at home. Of those 3, 2 of those games were against 2 of the teams that are trying to move up including Brest who moved down from Pro B last year. We have an edge at home because the fans here in Blois are awesome. They are easily the loudest and most dedicated fans I have played in front of in my professional career. The stands were packed for our pre season games and it is standing room only for our regular season games. They really are the 6th man out on the court.

In our first game we played against St. Ettienne. They are a very talented team with some very strong inside players. The game was back and forth and tight throughout the whole time. We eventually pulled the win out with a score of 72-68.

Our second game was at home against Brest. This was going to be a tough game for us. Brest is a team that was built to move up to Pro B as they had no intentions of moving down last year. Sometimes teams are very talented and for some reason or another are relegated to a lower league because things just don't click. This was another game that started out very tight for us. We were up by 12 at the end of the 1st quarter. Our 2nd quarter didn't go so well. We didn't play very good basketball and were passive on offense and defense. Brest closed the gap a little bit and were only down by 2 at the half. We played better in the 3rd quarter and we blew the game open in the 4th and won by a score of 89-69.

Our 3rd game was on the road in Paris against Centre Federal BB. This is an interesting team because it is composed of the under 18 French National Team. The team is at a sports institute and the players practice basketball there as well as go to school. In addition to the basketball players, the best athletes in France practice and train at the facility in Paris. The basketball team is very talented but not physically there yet. Their talent alone will win them some games this year as they do every year.

We had a rough start with them on the road and just could not get it going on offense. We were down at the half and could not get things clicking. The young players hit some tough shots in the beginning and it gave them some confidence. We were down at the half but eventually won the game by a score of 65-61. A win is a win and we will take it any way we can get. So after 3 games we were 3-0 and sitting in 1st place with 2 other teams.

Our 4th game was against Saint Chammond and important because it was at home. Saint Chammond is a team that is a little difficult to prepare for because they are composed of a bunch of players that don't necessarily have positions. I wish we could say that we went out and played a great game and got the win but that was not the case. It seemed like our poor offense carried over from the Centre Federal game. In addition to the offense, we didn't defend the 3 point shot very well. It is a shame because our fans were very into the game.

I can't comment on the game without also comment on the happenings inside of the game. Our point guard was thrown out of the game for fighting while the other guy got to stay in the game. Our coach also was hit with a technical and a few other calls did not go our way. These things might have distracted us a little bit and thrown off our rhythm. As professionals we need to work through these things but in the heat of the moment it can really change the momentum.

We ended up losing the game 76-62. It was our first loss of the season and hurt a little bit. I hate losing and it really bothers me. Hopefully we can correct some things in practice and can get back on track in our next game against Souffelweyersheim. That game is on the road and if we can pull it out will be a big win. I am just looking forward to getting back on the court and get the ship steered back in the right direction.

The pictures were taken by our team photographer Tuan Nguyen. You can check out more of his pictures here. Also, you can go to our team website and see action from our games. It is a great site and very well run by the awesome people of Sidamo and ADA TV.

Teammates

2010-08-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have had the opportunity to play with some incredible basketball players. All of my old teammates from Marquette have at one point played professional basketball either overseas or in the NBA. Some of them have entered the coaching ranks and are sharing their knowledge and experiences with young basketball players and making them better.

As good at basketball as these guys are, they are even better people and I have formed great friendships with them. I try and talk to my old teammates as often as I can. Being so far away from home I have to use various forms of communication like Twitter, Facebook, e mail and BBM. When I haven't talked to someone in awhile, we just pick up where we left off.

Since we are located all over the country and all over the world we don't see each other very much. The summer of 2009 was definitely wedding season for my former teammates as 3 of us got married. Weddings are a great chance for us all to re connect and reminisce about the old times and talk about what's going on in the present and what is in store for the future.

As most of you know I was married on June 26, 2009 to my beautiful wife Liz. It was such an amazing day and I wanted a group shot of all of my old teammates that were at the wedding. These guys are like family to me and I wanted a picture with them.

Here it is. I just wanted to wish them all good luck as the season is fast approaching and the school year is starting back up.

Pre Season- Running, running and some more running

2010-08-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

A frequent conversation between Dan Fitzgerald and me last year was if we would ever be able to go through a Marquette practice again. We were very happy with our practice schedule last year and we thought we wouldn't be able to practice like we were 21 again. I now know that I was wrong.

Pre season here has been great but it has been pretty rough. Our coach has been testing our limits as far as how hard we can go. We started the first 3 weeks going to the track every morning and running sprints. I'm not talking about easy sprints either, I'm talking about multiple 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 meter sprints. My legs were completely dead the first couple weeks. Those sprints were just in the morning session too. During the afternoon we reported to the gym for team practice.

In the afternoon session Coach had a pre season conditioning test known as the beep test. I am familiar with this test because we used to do it at Marquette but unlike at MU, we had to reach a certain level for the test. For those who don't know, the beep test is a test in which you run 20 meters and have to touch the line on every beep. Each level is 1 minute and the beeps get faster every minute. The big guys had to get to level 12 and the guards had to get to level 14. On my first try I got to 8. It wasn't so much that I was winded as it was the terrible pain I felt in my legs. Coach had us run this test every day before practice until you passed your level. It took me 2 weeks to do it but when I finally did it, I was the happiest guy in the gym. My teammate Zaka also told me I was the luckiest guy in the gym.

I feel great physically here in Blois and I think that I will be in the best shape of my life. I am just glad that we have not been on the track in over a week. I don't know if we are done with it yet but I do know that if we go back, I will be able to handle it even if I don't like it.

If you go to the team website and click on the video "en piste" you can enjoy watching us run.

Swiss Hoop Dreams

2010-08-06T12:32:00.001-07:00

We had a great view from our balcony last year in Massagno, Switzerland. We could see the beautiful Swiss Alps that included Mt. Bre and San Salvatore as well as great sunsets. If you looked down from our balcony, there was a very nice park with a basketball court and playground equipment. While kids were always on the swings or the slides, they barely ever played on the basketball court.

One day we saw a young boy playing some basketball. I guess that's what you would call it anyways. He was playing with a soccer ball and he kicked it more than he shot it.

Swiss Hoop Dreams baby.

New Season, New Country, New Opportunity

2010-08-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

What's going on guys? It has been a long time. If there is anyone that is reading this and waits in anticipation for blogs then I'm sorry. I have been on summer vacation but the time has finally come to get back to work. I had a great summer and I plan on doing a few blogs about it over the next couple weeks while I am going through pre season.

I am currently sitting on the couch in my new apartment in Blois, France. I managed to finally make it out of Switzerland and take my game to another country. My new team is ADA Blois Basket and I am very excited about the opportunity to play in France. It has always been my opinion that France is one of the top basketball countries in Europe and now I am playing here. ADA Blois is not in the top French league (Pro A) but actually in the 3rd league (NM1.) The team wants to move up into Pro B (2nd league in France) and they hired me to help them to achieve their goal.

The team is very serious and professional as opposed to last year. In Massagno we only had 5 professional players and they were all Americans. My new team is made up entirely of professionals players and staff. NM1 rules state though that there can only be 1 American on the roster and that is me. The rest of the team is made up of French players. The guys are extremely nice and I have been very fortunate to have played with some great guys over the years and this appears to be the case again.

I arrived in Blois on July 27 and on July 28 we got down to business. The practices here feel more like Marquette practices than anything I have experienced so far in my professional career. Today for instance we went to the track to run sprints, then went to the gym to play 3 on 3 for an hour. After a 4 hour break we had a full team practice for 2 hours. Needless to say I have been very sore for the past 2 weeks. Even though it is a lot of work, our coach seems really good. He works us hard but he doesn't yell and scream. He seems like he genuinely cares about the team and it is easy to work for a coach like that.

The first week and a half here have been good even though Liz is not with me. We thought I was leaving in late August so she was going to come with me then. Unfortunately the team wanted me out here earlier and she had prior commitments to attend too. I can not wait for her to come out here and experience French life. I went downtown for the first time on Wednesday night and the whole time I kept thinking about how I can show Liz all these new things. It is going to be a good year.

That's all for now guys. I am excited about blogging again and I have some good stuff coming up.

Until next time.

Playoffs Part 2

2010-05-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long layoff in between posts. Last time I blogged I wrote about how big of a beating we took in the first game of the playoffs. After that game I thought it was going to be a long series but we responded very well.

The second game of the series was back in Vacallo where we had lost the first game. We didn't even look like the same team and I think we surprised Vacallo a little bit. Everything was clicking right away. The fast break was well executed and our jump shots were falling. Mid way through the second quarter we had built a 16 point lead. At that point the Vacallo head coach started to get on the refs a little bit and even got himself a technical foul. He warranted a second one but the wonderful Swiss refs didn't want to kick the reigning coach of the year in Switzerland out of the game. His technical paid off and they got the benefit of the calls from there on out.

Game 2 was a really fun game to play in with all of the lead changes and the atmosphere from the fans. It was kind of strange too. I think I got a little wrapped up in the game because I didn't realize when it was over. I remember playing and then all of a sudden hearing the final horn. I had one other game like that in my basketball career and that was when Marquette player Arizona in Milwaukee during my junior year. Those are just those fun games that you don't want to see end. Unfortunately both did and I lost both of them.

Game 3 was finally back in the comfortable confines of Palamondo. We found ourselves down 0-2 and needed to win to keep the season going. Being down like that in a series is definitely a weird feeling. I have been in that situation one other time and the vibe around that particular team was just to get the season over with but it wasn't like that this time around. We wanted to keep playing ball and I think it really showed on the court.

Our pick and roll defense wasn't very strong at the start of the game but we were able to make some in game adjustments to keep the score close in the first half. The second half was where the real action of the game took place and also where we made our attack. Our young guys didn't give us a whole lot during the season but they sparked the come back for us. They were crashing the offensive boards, pushing the ball on the break and playing tough defense. It was a tie game with 3 minutes to go but Vacallo hit some really big shots and their experience was too much for us down the stretch.

The loss in game 3 was the final nail in the coffin for our season. It was very strange after the game. After the first game everyone assumed we were going to lose every game by 30 but we came out and played hard and strong in the next two games and could have easily won them both. It was almost as if our management viewed them as wins. They came out onto the court after the game and offered their congratulations on a good season.

So, the 2009-10 LNBA Swiss basketball season and my 4th year of playing professionally has come to a close. Now is the time to relax for a little bit, go home, re charge and get ready for next year.

Playoffs

2010-04-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Playoff time is here in Switzerland! It has been a long season and we now have the opportunity to earn what we worked so hard for, a Swiss LNBA Championship. We won our last regular season game against Monthey (completing the sweep of our Valaisan opponents) guaranteeing us the 7th seed and playing defending league champion Vacallo.

One win was all that separated us from the 7th and 8th seed so we needed to win against Monthey. If we finished in the 8th position we would play 1st place Lugano. After the Monthey victory, a reported asked me if we were trying to avoid Lugano. I was a little bothered by the question. As an athlete and as a person, I never try to avoid any challenge put in front of me. Also, as a competitor, I always want to finish in the best possible position. I would never try to avoid anything if it meant winning or losing. We came in to Monthey to win and secure the 7th seed and that was what we did.

With the 7th seed secured and the match ups set, we had to prepare for Vacallo. The league schedule allowed us to have 2 weeks off. Coach took it easy on us in practice by having the conditioning coach came in so we could run and stay in shape without any contact. He also gave us a 3 day weekend so we could rest up and heal any injuries. During that time span we also played a friendly game against Lugano so we could shake the rust off and try some new things out.

Playing against Vacallo meant that we would have a derby for the first round of the playoffs. A derby is the Euro word for cross town rivalry game. The atmosphere at the derbies are always exciting. The fans are always banging drums, blowing air horns and singing. It is pretty cool to be a part of.

We started the best of 5 series on Sunday at Vacallo. Going into the game we knew that it was going to be tough without Dan but our awful play did not help the situation. Vacallo is a well coached team and they were ready for us. They disrupted our offense by ball pressure, getting into the passing lanes and double teams. It was probably our worst game of the year. Nothing went right for us.

The good thing though is that it is not a 1 game series. We have another shot at them on Wednesday and we had a great practice last night with a lot of intensity. I think we will come ready to play for Game 2.

Familiar Sights

2010-04-08T05:07:00.000-07:00

I met Nicolas Porchet 4 years ago while I was playing for Lugano. While we were playing against his team, I saw him warming up in a UW- Milwaukee shirt. I told him I went to Marquette and my girlfriend (wife now) went to UWM. Nic is Swiss but he was familiar with all the colleges because his brother lived in West Allis for a number of years. When we played his team, Monthey, at home earlier this year he came into the gym wearing a red Wisconsin sweat shirt. When I saw the shirt I asked him what he was thinking and he said he was just trying to get into my head before the game. He also said that the next time I saw him he would have his Marquette shirt on.

When we played at Monthey this past Saturday, I walked into the gym and Nic was shooting around in his gold Marquette sweatshirt. Liz noticed it first and she thought it was pretty awesome and snapped a picture. It's nice to get a little Marquette love 5,000 miles away.

I grew up in Michigan and Miller really isn't the beer of choice there. It was obviously different when I moved to Milwaukee to attend Marquette. Miller was everywhere and I lived a mile away from the factory. When I turned 21, I would enjoy an ice cold Miller product every now and then. That has all changed now that I am in Europe. Instead of having a Miller Lite or a Budweiser, we will have a Feldschlosschen, Lowenbrau or a Carlsberg. The Euro beers are alright but I would much rather have an American brew.

The other day I was at the local Coop (grocery store) and saw something glorious. While searching for pancakes I spotted a 6 pack of MGD's. I don't drink a lot but I knew I needed to get it. Drinking a MGD reminds me of home a little bit and being so far away, I will take anything I can get.

Injury Update

2010-04-07T06:15:00.001-07:00

Injuries are a part of the game. Everybody that plays any sport knows that they might get hurt during the course of training, practice or games. It could be anything from a jammed finger, sprained ankle or broken bones. These types of things happen. Two years ago I managed to break both of my thumbs in the same season.

The real challenge isn't the actual injury, it is how you deal with it mentally and physically. Being in another country adds a different variable to everything. You can sit there and feel sorry for yourself or you can do something about it.

Recently, my teammate and best friend (Dan Fitzgerald) went down with a season ending injury (the season is almost over so anything can be a season ending injury right now.) Dan was pretty upset about it as were all of us because he is our second leading scorer and we are about to start the playoffs. I have to say though, he is doing an incredible job of dealing with everything. He is not sitting around the apartment sulking or even giving off negative vibes. If it weren't for the crutches, I would think that nothing happened to him.

The injury is hard to deal with as it is but being in Switzerland makes it harder. As I mentioned in a previous post, finding a doctor that speaks fluent English is a challenge. It is a constant struggle to get the right response you are looking for. Also, Dan is far away from his family and friends and the medical treatment he is familiar with. His injury has been diagnosed but he is still waiting on what treatment options are available. It may be possible to go home and receive treatment through the team's insurance but he does not yet know the answer. Going home would be the best option because he will have doctors who speak english as well as having his family around him during the very important recovery process. If going home is not an option, then he would have treatment here for insurance purposes. In the mean time, Dan is waiting to find out the answer.

Unfortunately another former teammate of mine, Mike Kinsella, was recently injured as well. He hurt himself much the same way that Dan had. Instead of going home for treatment, he had opted to have the procedure done in Germany. A few days after the injury he had surgery by one of the top 5 surgeons in the country who frequently operates on the professional German soccer players. He is receiving phenomenal care in Freiburg, Germany and the team is doing a great job in assisting with his recovery. In fact, the German Olympic Volleyball team doctor is overseeing his recovery. For those that are familiar with Mike's basketball career, he is no stranger to unfortunate accidents. I am confident that he will return to 100%.

As shocking as injuries can be, I would say that how you deal with them mentally determines how you are going to recover. My friends have great attitudes and are both hard workers. I am impressed at how Dan and Mike are dealing with their injuries. I know that they will get back to where they were because they play the game and injuries are just part of the game.

Groin Bump

2010-04-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of ways to celebrate a good play. Many people prefer the high five. It is classic and you can't go wrong with it. The only way to incorrectly perform a high 5 is if your name is Mike Kinsella and you miss Coach Crean's hand 3 times in a row.

There is also the raising of the roof. I remember seeing the Red Wings doing it after a Stanley Cup win and thinking it was the coolest thing ever. I personally have never performed this move because I have never lived for a moment that called for the roof to be raised.

Throwing bows was the thing to do in high school. It seems pretty stupid now but it was pretty awesome then. Throwing a bow is just the touching of forearms between two friends, in case you were wondering.

Another popular form of celebration is the chest bump. In high school I used to chest bump Josh Beckett during warm ups. At Marquette we used to have the extreme celebration after wins. The extreme celebration includes 2 or more people running into a chest bump.

The thing is, anyone can high five, raise the roof, throw a bow or chest bump. Here in Massagno we are trying something new. We came up with the groin bump. It takes a little time getting used to but I think its going to be the next big thing. You be the judge. Photo courtesy of Dominika Dabrowski.

Adventures of the Boss: Part 2

2010-03-24T09:16:00.001-07:00

One of the really great things in college was never having to remember to bring things on road trips. Our great team managers always brought practice shorts, practice gear, game gear, socks and tights. The one thing that was left up to us to bring was our shoes. Since this was the only thing we had to bring on trips and since I have a mild case of OCD, I would check my bag about 50 times to make sure I didn't forget. I made all 4 years of college without ever forgetting my shoes. I am pretty sure though, that if someone did forget, one of the managers would have a solution.

It is a different change of pace over here and we actually have to be responsible for ourselves. We have to bring our own gear to everything. The team gave us 2 practice jerseys but it is on us to bring them and wash them. We don't even have a permanent locker room to keep our stuff in so we carry all of our stuff in a gym bag. Game days is the only day where we get a break. We just have to bring our shoes, socks and tights and the team brings the jerseys. If I were to forget my shoes I have no idea what would happen, but the Boss certainly does.

On December 6, SAM Massagno played against the Birstal Starwings in Basel. When the Boss went to put his bag on the bus he thought that it felt a little light but didn't think anything more of it. After the 3 hour bus ride we got off the bus and headed into our locker room. I was sitting on the bench and the Boss was sitting right next to me. While I am putting on my shoes, I notice out of the corner of my eye that the Boss is tearing through his gym bag and repeatedly calling himself an idiot. I ask him what is wrong and he stands up and proclaims that he is "a f***ing idiot" and forgot his shoes! The Boss then made his way back to his gym bag to check and see if his shoes magically appeared. They hadn't but he continued to look anyways. He tore though the back, taking stuff out and putting it back in. The Boss stood up again and repeatedly said that he is a f***ing idiot. This awkward routine carried on for a good 3 minutes.

While I did view the situation as hilarious, I couldn't laugh because I felt really bad for him. Stores aren't open in Switzerland on Sundays and even if they were, I hardly doubt that the Boss would be able to find a size 15 basketball shoe in them. Then a light went on in the Boss's head. I had worn my Air Force 1's to the game and he thought that he might be able to wear them. I told him that he was more than welcome to but I wear a 13 and he wears a 15 and the likelihood of him breaking his toes was extremely high. Apparently the Boss didn't care though because he was ready to suit up in my beat up, low top, and 2 sizes to small shoes.

Our team manager was freaking out. He could not have one of his Americans not play because he forgot his shoes and he wasn't going to take the risk of him breaking all of his toes and being out for the year. He also had an idea. There was a game before ours and he asked one of the teams if we could borrow a pair of 15's. They didn't have that size but they did have a 14 and they were basketball shoes. The Boss was saved! I still would have liked to have seen him hooping in my shoes but I guess that will never happen. The other shoes worked out well too because the Boss ended up being player of the game that day but he did earn him some nasty blisters.

Every once in awhile we make fun of the Boss for this little mishap but it did remind me to check my bag twice before leaving for a game.

Happy Birthday Marco!

2010-03-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

In one of my first blogs I talked about the birthday tradition for SAM Massagno. It basically consists of the birthday boy bringing in beer and everyone drinking in the locker room after practice. Today I experienced a real Italian birthday party.

A couple weeks ago Anna, my teammate Marco's girlfriend, asked us if we wanted to come to Marco's surprise 25th birthday party. Marco is a great teammate and an even better person so of course we wanted to go. The party was set for a Saturday afternoon at 1 o'clock. We didn't know how Italians celebrate birthdays so we didn't know what to expect. What were we supposed to wear? How big of a deal is it? Do we bring something? We even wondered if there was going to be food.

As usual we were one of the first people to arrive but that was ok because it is better to be early than late to a surprise party. It was also good because it gave us time to meet some of Marco's family and friends. We made sure we parked far enough away from the house because our cars have a big SAM Basket Massagno logo and our names on the side. We waited for about 30 minutes as more people and more food arrived. When the time came we hid in a smaller room to surprise him. We didn't know proper Italian surprise etiquette so we just screamed really loud when he opened the door.

Marco really appreciated all of the family and friends that came and was genuinely surprised. It was really cool. It was also time to eat and drink once the guest of honor had arrived. Marco is from Reggio, Italy and his family brought typical food from that region. I really enjoyed the parmesan cheese and a special spinach and cheese appetizer. They also brought salted and pressed pork fat that I am not a big fan of.

The beverages had a personal flair to them as well. One of Marco's family members owns a vineyard and makes wine so there was a lot of this wine. The wine was extremely good. I liked the sparkling white dessert wine the best. Marco said he began drinking it when he was 12 years old because it was so sweet. Unfortunately we had a game the next day so I could not drink a lot but I did have a little. All of the food that was laid out was delicious and I was completely satisfied.

There was a lot of food laid out for appetizers and I was shocked when they said that lunch was going to be served. When we had our food everybody told us bon apetito probably 15 times. Then they asked how to say it in english. So, we had to explain that we don't say anything when we serve our meals. I felt kind of bad about it. Marco told us to always keep food in front of you or someone might think that something was wrong. I kept going up and getting more. It was so good. I literally could not get enough.

The party started at 1 and just kept going. They kept bringing out more and more wine. One of Marco's friends even brought his own jug of wine that he had made. I stayed with my sparkling water while everyone else stayed with their wine. Someone broke out the Italian birthday song. Not to be outdone, Kam suggested that we sing our birthday song. We sang it and everyone joined in. This happened about 6 times during the afternoon. We just sat around eating, drinking and singing. It was really nice to talk to Marco's family and find out a little more about him too.

The appetizers and lunch were great but dessert had to be my favorite. Italian birthday cakes are not like American cakes but they are just as good. Marco's cake was huge and had various kinds of fruit on top. We sang the Italian and American birthday songs again except this time we sang the French and German versions as well. I guess this is what happens when Italians consume a lot of wine on a Saturday afternoon. They even brought out a little espresso machine. I love coffee and I had some but they were trying to get me to put some Italian liquor into it. I wasn't falling for that trick. When I went back to the dessert table, the grandmother bamboozled me into a huge bowl of pudding and some more cake. Marco was right when he said they would be concerned if you didn't have food in front of you.

The biggest surprise of the afternoon came when an hour after dessert, Marco said that they were going to serve dinner soon. We just ate all afternoon and they were going to eat again. This was definitely the best food I have ever had at a birthday party but we had made other plans for dinner. We had no idea that the party would last that long. I was sad that we had to leave early.

All in all it was an awesome experience. This summer I got to experience an Italian wedding and now I experience an Italian birthday. The Italians definitely know how to throw a party.

Swiss Fast Food

2010-03-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

I love to eat and I love the food in Lugano. Italian food is probably my favorite type of food which is perfect because of the Italian culture here. Even though I love the cuisine, there is something to be said for a good old American meal. The golden arches are known world wide and are a symbol of American culture. Fast food in Lugano is very limited. We don't have Taco Bell (my favorite), Wendy's, KFC, White Castle etc. Our choices include McDonald's or Burger King. Since the Burger King here is hit or miss, the biggest decision we have to make is whether to go to the McDonald's by the highway or the one downtown.

The menus at the restaurants bring an air of familiarity because the food is basically the same. We have the standards like the Big Mac, Whopper, cheeseburgers, and chicken nuggets. To make it even better, the fries at both restaurants are exactly the same. One particular thing I enjoy is that McDonald's has seasonal Swiss sandwiches. Earlier this year they had an excellent raclette sandwich.

While there are many similarities there are a few HUGE differences. I'll start with the beverages. Fast food restaurants only have one size for pop and they don't like to put ice in the cup. If your room temperature beverage didn't quench your thirst then you have to trek it back up the counter and order another because there are no free refills. Also, if you aren't in the mood for pop or water then you can enjoy a nice cold beer with your value meal. In my 4 years here I have never taken that option and I don't know if I ever will.

In America we enjoy ketchup with our fries and take the free ketchup pumps for granted. Here in Lugano they charge 20 cents per ketchup packet and 20 cents for mayonnaise packets. It blew my mind the first time I had to pay for ketchup. Not seeing a dollar menu in McDonald's also blew my mind. Since 2001, a dollar menu has been a familiar sight for me. I could enjoy a great meal for 5 bucks. No such thing exists here. If they have anything, they have a 2.50 menu. Right now the franc (swiss currency) and the dollar are almost the same so it is very easy to compare. A cheeseburger will cost you 2.50 and a Big Mac value meal will set you back around 12 bucks. This is not good for me because when I go out to eat I just don't get a value meal. I have to get some extra nuggets or a cheeseburger or some type of dessert. Over here that will cost around 23 bucks. For that type of money at home I can take Liz out to Chili's and eat a really good meal with free refills and all the ketchup we want.

Take Sunday night for example. We just beat a surging Lausanne team at home and are one step closer to making the playoffs. My teammates and I went out for a drink to celebrate. When the night was winding down we were all pretty hungry so Ross, Kam, Liz and I decided to listen to our stomachs and head over to McDonald's. We went through the drive through and our order was taken. I don't remember what everyone else got but I remember getting a Big Mac meal, a cheeseburger and a 6 piece nugget. I assume Kam and Ross ordered something similar. Our total was $85! We could have fed an army if we would have been in the states. It probably would have been more but we took it to go so we didn't have to pay for ketchup.

I have to say it was well worth it though. Best meal I have had in a long time. Thank god for all the McDonald's all over the world!

3rd Round vs Nyon

2010-03-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

We had a great 2 weeks off from games and had some intense practices during that time. We got down to work and put some new plays in and worked on our defense a little. Practice can get boring though and it was definitely time to get back to work. Our first game back from the break was against Nyon. They are one of the most talented teams in the league and one of the big budget teams as well. They have big names like Austin Johnson from Oklahoma and former Big Ten Player of the Year Terence Dials as well as a fantastic supporting cast. Despite their depth and money I felt like we could really go out and compete with them and win the game.

We expected a 5 and a half hour bus ride so left at 9:30 in the morning for a 5:30 game. What we didn't expect though was all the snow after the San Gottardo tunnel. It was snowing extremely hard and delayed our arrival. At one point we were even stopped for 45 minutes. There was talk on the bus of delaying the game and playing it at another date because of the weather and traffic but we forged ahead.

After a 7 hour bus ride we pulled up to Nyon's gym and had 30 minutes to warm up before the game started. This was in conflict with my usual routine. I like to get on the court early so I can get a feel for the rims and the court. I go through a series of post moves, short jumpers and free throws before getting ready for the game. Because of the time constraint I couldn't do my routine. When I finally did get out for warm ups I was stiff and my legs felt tight. I eventually loosened up but I noticed that the rims were tight and not very giving.

When the game tipped off I was ready to go and very excited. We were finally playing after 2 weeks off and I was expecting to win. Unfortunately, we had our worst offensive game of the year. We shot very poorly from the floor and I was also bad. My first shot was a right handed jump hook off of a dish from Dan that I can make in my sleep, except this time it rimmed out. My second shot was a left handed offensive rebound shot off the glass that rimmed out. My 3rd shot was a 2 dribble with the right spin back with the left that rimmed out. I finally made my 4th shot (contested lay up, go figure) off of a pass from Kam.

We didn't get any help from the officials in the first half either. I was called for the worst foul I have ever been called for in my life. My man went to screen on the ball and I stayed in the paint like I was supposed to. The man with the ball dribbled right into me and handed me the ball. Apparently this is a foul in Switzerland as the ref blew the whistle. I picked up a second foul soon after and found myself on the bench for the rest of the first quarter and well into the second. A minute later, Ross picked up his second foul and joined me on the bench.

Despite poor shooting and foul trouble we were only down by 9 at the half. During the intermission we talked about giving up too many points in the paint and about our mistakes on offense. If we could cut both of those down then we had a chance.

Apparently, we didn't have a chance. We continued our poor shooting all throughout the second half and Nyon continued to score in the paint. Nyon won the game 80-58. They responded well to the pressure put on them after suffering 2 straight defeats to teams below them in the standings.

As for myself, I just need to get back to work. A good friend of mine told me that missing easy shots is mental. I have to re-focus and get back on track and have a great game against Lausanne next Sunday. The game against Lausanne is a must win now. They are below us in the standings and if we want to make the playoffs then we need to win. As long as we bring it with the intensity we are capable of then it should be a good game with a good result.

Adventures of the Boss: Part 1

2010-03-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

I am proudly from Michigan. My whole family lives in Michigan and it was the only place I knew. When it was time to pick a college I chose Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Moving to Wisconsin was hard for me. Not only was I 360 miles from home but I had to get used to funny accents as well as people using words like "soda" instead of pop and "bubbler" instead of drinking fountain (I still don't understand that one.) I felt like I was in another world when I saw people wearing green and yellow Packer gear and thinking it actually looked good. I think Honolulu blue and silver look a whole lot better!

If moving to a different state was hard for me then moving to another country was even harder. Simple acts like going to get a haircut were a big ordeal. I just stopped going one year because the girl I went to could never get my hair the way Bob could. I found myself using sign language as much as possible and even acting deaf once just so I didn't have to talk to someone. True story.

Going to the grocery store is quite the experience. Not every product has a picture and the words on the label are in a foreign language. You just kind of have to rely on looks but this is not always the best thing to do. On my very first trip to the store I could not find milk for my cereal. I asked one of my teammates and he had to show me where it was. I was expecting a 2 gallon jug in a refrigerator but instead I saw a pack of 4 one liter boxes sitting at room temperature. Definitely very different.

This brings me to my first story in the Adventures of the Boss. I have a teammate who is in his first year of playing basketball in Europe and going through all the same things that I went through. I try to help him out as much as possible but sometimes I'm just not there. I won't disclose his name here but for the sake of the story I will just call him the Boss or Boss for short.

I will preface the story by saying The Boss is very intelligent and graduated from an Ivy League university. This could have happened to anyone, but probably not. Boss doesn't speak any Italian and had the same difficulties I had at the grocery store. As anyone knows, when the weather starts to get colder, your skin starts to get drier. Well, Boss's skin was getting dry at the first sign of cold weather so he decided a trip to the store was necessary to get some lotion.

Now, the Boss doesn't know how to say lotion in Italian so he just went off of looks. He knew what a bottle of lotion looks like in the states so he bought something that looked similar. When he got home he rubbed the lotion on his face. This was a daily procedure but something was going wrong. After 3 weeks his face was starting to burn. To fight off the burning, Boss put more lotion on but to no success. The burning was getting worse and his skin was starting to crack.

Something had to be done. The Boss jumped on Google Translate to find out what the heck was going on with his lotion. The translation was not what he expected but he was relieved when he found out. Instead of using lotion, the Boss was using hand soap. He was just relieved that his face wasn't melting off.

It just goes to show you that living overseas is not as easy as living at home. Here is the soap bottle that Boss thought was lotion.

Funny Things In Europe: Real Estate Agency?

2010-03-01T08:48:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Dan, Liz and I decided to take a trip to Basel. It was a great day and a great trip. While we were walking around the city we noticed the Condomeria store on one of the side streets . I have an immature mind and immediately thought that Condomeria was an adult store. Apparently Dan is more mature and said that it was like a real estate agency specializing in condos. I said no way and the only way to solve the argument was to actually check it out.

I decided against posting the pictures of the more explicit objects in the windows. This blog is not rated R but the look on Dan's face says it all. Definitely not a real estate agency.

Brutta Partita

2010-02-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

"Bruta partita." That was how our Technical Director described our game against Geneva on February 20. It means ugly match in English and I have to agree with him. Remember a couple of weeks ago when I was blogging about how important it was to beat Geneva on the road? Yeah, well it was an important game but we kind of threw the win away when we played them in the friendly confines of Palamondo.

It is safe to say that if we would have beat the Geneva Devils we would be a lot closer to clinching a playoff spot. Unfortunately, it appears it will come down to the final games of the season for SAM Massagno now.

It is funny because we started the game out so well. We were clicking with our pick and roll and with the defense. Dan was scoring at will and we went into half-time with a 17 point advantage and only holding them to 31 points while we had 48.

It was definitely a tale of two halves. At half-time we could hear the opposing coach screaming at his team and telling them what they needed to do in the 2nd half. We could also hear the players respond to their coach with enthusiasm. Maybe we came out to cocky and thought we had the game in the bag, I don't know. I do know though that we came out AWFUL! We only scored 6 points in the 3rd quarter while Geneva scored 26. All of our shots were missing. It was like the stars had aligned for Geneva and it was going to be their game. I even missed a wide open lay-up. I haven't missed an open lay-up all year but apparently I was going to miss against Geneva. We also got away from the things we were doing so well in the first half like moving the ball and defense.

We played the 4th quarter even but the damage had already been done in the 3rd and we weren't able to recover. A friend of mine told me after the game that we can't win them all. He followed that up by saying that we can't lose them all either. I don't know how it applied but it at least made me laugh a little.

I think the worst part of the loss is that we don't have a game for another 2 weeks. It is always tough to practice with a bad taste in your mouth. I didn't sleep for two nights after the game. We could have enjoyed our time off but now in the back of our minds we are thinking about how we just blew the game to Geneva. With the loss we are only 1 game ahead of them in the standings.

I hope the loss will serve as a little bit of a wake up call to the team. Hopefully it will bring us back down to earth and realize what our faults are as a team. I am sure we will fix them with some good old fashioned hard work in the gym. We have to fix them or the rest of the season is going to be rough for us. I have confidence though. Nothing bad can come from hard work.

Carnevale!!!!!!

2010-02-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

Oh geez! I do not even know how to start this post. Maybe I should do a little explaining. Carnevale is a festival that is held in Europe. All of the towns around here have their own festival but the big one is held in Bellinzona twenty minutes away. It is unlike anything I have ever experienced in America. I imagine that it is a mix between Halloween and Mardi Gras but I have never been to Mardi Gras so I don't know personally. Carnevale has Pagan origins. It was originally a Pagan festival where people were supposed to let themselves be free and have fun. It was also the final hurrah of winter before it became spring. From what I can tell, it is celebrated today by costumes and dancing.

My first Carnevale experience was 4 years ago with my teammates Edwin and Zay. We were extremely bored and had nothing to do on a Thursday night. Edwin had suggested going so we decided to give it a shot. Zay drove the 20 minutes from Lugano to Bellinzona and we were immediately impressed with the set up. The whole town was completely shut down. The castles were illuminated and dressed up. Tents were set up all around the city serving refreshments and food. There were also tents set up as mini clubs where you can go in and dance the night away. To top it all off, everyone was dressed up in costumes. The coolest part though was the marching bands that play in the streets. They play all kinds of fun songs and have really cool drum lines, but not nearly as good as Brighton High Schools. Though if it were Brighton High School you probably wouldn't be able to dance. Needless to say, the night was a complete blast and my first Carnevale experience was awesome!!!!!

My second Carnevale had a lot to live up to. Last year I was back in Ticino with SAM Massagno. When February rolled around I started looking forward to the annual festival. I told my American teammates, Brody and Noah, about it. They seemed skeptical at first but once they were there it was a blast. Brody also had some friends visiting to partake in the festivities. It is always nice to have visitors and they were awesome guys so it just added to the fun. The picture is Vinz, Brody myself and Noah. Apparently I was very excited to see a 6'4" grown man dressed up as a donkey.

As good as the first two times were, I think that this year was the best. If you have been reading the blog, then you know that this has been a rough year for us filled with many ups and downs. We do not go out very often and this was a perfect time for us to just get away from basketball and enjoy ourselves. Kameron Gray (pg from Oakland, CA) played for Lugano last year so he knew what to expect but Ross Morin (pf from Yale) and Dan had no idea. About two weeks before the festival we started planning on what to wear. We knew we wanted to dress up but we didn't want to spend a lot of money. The easiest thing to do was to buy a mask and a silly looking hat to go along with it. It was a group thing so we all bought the same mask but the hats were up to each person. Liz even participated and got a mask herself!

Once we had the masks, all we had to do was wait for the right night to go. We headed out on the last night (Tuesday) because we figured the crowds would be smaller and it was the night that was farthest from a game. We hopped on the train and were ready to have some fun.

When we got there we immediately met up with some teammates. We play with some great guys and they are really fun to hang out with. The costumes they were wearing were also hilarious. One of our coaches was dressed up as a baby and the other was dressed up in some tight black pants with butterflies on them and wearing an afro.

We spent the night walking around, dancing and just taking everything in. It is such an awesome experience playing and living in Europe. Sometimes, you just have to step back and let yourself become a part of things.

Shout out to Smooth Action

2010-02-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

It goes without saying but the financial crisis has affected the whole world. All sectors of the economy have been hit and professional sports are not excluded. Many European professional sport franchises rely on sponsors and local businesses to fill the salaries for their players. That's why our jerseys are far from looking like NBA teams and closer resemble a billboard on a highway. When the crisis hit, the last thing that companies/businesses thought about doing was sponsoring the local basketball club. Because of this many successful basketball players have sat at home this year waiting for a call. Teams just have not had the budget to sign as many players as they had in previous seasons.

I was blessed to get a job quickly this year but unfortunately one of my best friends was not. Marcus Jackson and I developed a close relationship while at Marquette. We both played the same position and competed with each other for minutes but the battles that ensued on the court stayed there. Maybe it is because we were going through the exact same thing that bonded us together or maybe it is because Marcus is one of the nicest people I know but our friendship grew. Smooth Action (as far as I know this is a self appointed nick name, he claims otherwise) was a part of my wedding this summer and I had the pleasure of being in his as well.

Marcus was an excellent rebounder in college and he has continued that success in his professional career. He has dominated every league in rebounding. I remember looking up his stats last year and at one point he was averaging 15 rebounds per game in Holland while the guy in second only had 9.

That is why I was shocked to see Marcus at home for so long, but as my father always says, good things happen to good people. Marcus just signed a contract with Namika Lahti in Finland. One of his teammates is former Wisconsin Badger Ray Nixon but I'm not going to hold it against him. Only kidding.

I am really happy for Marcus and his family and wish him luck the rest of the way. He also has a blog that you can check out here. In his blog he writes about basketball and a new health beverage he is marketing. It is good stuff and is worth it to check it out.

Day Off

2010-02-18T13:25:00.001-08:00

Days off are hard to come by here in Massagno. Because of the make up of our team we have completely random days off. Half of our team is made up of American professionals and the other half is made up of Swiss guys who have day jobs. The Swiss players will go to their 9-5 during the day and then go to practice at night. Some of them even drive 40 minutes each way every day. When we play on Sundays, the team will have Saturday off of practice because the Swiss guys would like a day off to themselves on the weekend. Just because the team will have the day off doesn't mean that I take the day off. I will either go and get some shots up or will go to the fitness center and do some conditioning.

Our schedule last week was pretty intense and I was pretty worn out. We played Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday with no days off in between and two of the games were against 2 of the top 3 teams in the league. Coach gave us Sunday off but he decided we needed another day off to make sure we are well rested for our game against Geneva on Saturday.

We definitely relaxed today. It was one of those days where I/we realized we are living the good life. My apartment has a great balcony overlooking the the Swiss Alps. Last year, my teammates and I would always sit on the balcony to eat, drink, surf the internet and just enjoy life. The weather has been a little cold for that this year but we decided today was a good day to re start the tradition. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the birds were chirping. We might as well enjoy what Swizzy has to offer.

After lunch, Ross and Kam came up to the room and we just sat on the balcony and hung out. We talked about a lot of things but we never once talked about basketball. The season is long and sometimes it is just nice to get away from it. I think we need that every now and then. It felt nice to enjoy a Coke (I have a serious pop addiction right now, I need help) and sit back and relax.

As we were sitting out there, Liz took the picture of us. I think it is pretty awesome and you can even get a glimpse of the sweet team Kappa jacket I am rocking. Good times here in Massagno.

Adventures at the Doctor and Physical Therapist

2010-02-15T09:27:00.001-08:00

After 4 years of playing in Switzerland I have come to accept the medicine here. I was very skeptical at first because of the whole unfamiliarity of it all. From the language barrier to different practices it took awhile to get used to the whole thing. I am completely comfortable with it now but every time I get a medical or physical therapy treatment it is quite the experience.

At the beginning of this year I had a calf problem. After around 15 minutes of playing/practicing, I would feel an intense pain in my leg. Sometimes it was so bad that I had to stop playing. Something needed to be done so I asked the training staff if I could see a doctor to figure out what was wrong. The team doctor here is an extremely nice guy but his english is not that great. After explaining to him my problem, I expected him to tell me that I strained my calf somehow or maybe tore something. Instead he told me that my muscle is "tired" and said I needed some physical therapy for it. I don't know what he wanted to say but I am pretty sure my doctor from back home would not tell me my leg was just tired.

It is very frustrating when words get lost in translation. The word "sore" for example. I was talking to the team massage therapist and I told him that my back was really sore. He did not know what I meant and wanted me to try and explain this to him. I told him it is like something hurting but it doesn't hurt. He still did not understand so I just told him my back hurt and then got a massage. Sometimes I just have to take little defeats here and there.

It seems like the most popular treatment here is just a simple massage. A couple years ago I rolled my ankle in practice and the next day I went to the physical therapist. I was expecting to ice and maybe get some electric stim on my ankle. Instead I got a painful massage on my ankle for 20 minutes. I would expect to get massage on my thigh or back but I have never heard of massaging an ankle. I am not saying I disagree with it, I am just saying I have never heard of it.

The massages tend to be painful too. When I had a little tendinitis in my knee the physical therapist was poking around and moving my knee every which way. I think they like inflicting pain on me so they do it any way they can. They even have a little tool to make it more painful. It looks kind of like a hook and they use it to dig deep into the muscle. Not much fun for me.

Another strange treatment I can only describe as acupuncture. It involves moving a needle in and out of the muscle. If it sounded like a sprained ankle massage hurt, then this hurts 100 times more. I have had this procedure done twice, once when I pulled my hamstring and one time this year for my calf. The physical therapist picked out where I pulled my hamstring and then put the needle right in. Even though there was a lot of pain, my hamstring felt better a couple of days later. I wish I could say the same thing for my calf. When he stuck the needle in my calf my whole foot felt like it was on fire and I told him to stop immediately. Even though it only worked once for me, I would still endorse this treatment because I have seen it work many times. The whole key is just to open your mind to the procedure.

Four years ago I had another procedure involving needles. I was experiencing back spasms when I played for Lugano. I went to get weekly massages to try and loosen the muscles up. When those didn't work, the physical therapist pricked my back with a syringe filled with medicine. After 20 pricks he would be done and then cover my back with a bandage. I had this done maybe 5 times. I have no idea if it worked or not but I would be open to trying it again.

I am sure that my adventures with the doctor and physical therapist aren't over but I just have to keep an open mind to them all and take everything in stride.

Game vs Meyrin Round 3

2010-02-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Every time SAM Massagno takes the court, two former Marquette alums (myself and Dan Fitzgerald) are playing. The bonds formed between teammates are strong and lifelong friendships are formed. Playing with Dan has been a great and special opportunity for me. I was only able to play with Dan for 2 years in college and one of those years he was a redshirt transfer. In those 2 years we developed a great friendship and Dan was actually one of the best men at my wedding this past summer. I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to play with him again. This season has had its fair share of highs and lows and I am glad that I have a friend to share it with.

Karon Bradley is another guy I played with in college who happens to be playing in Switzerland. We played at Marquette together for 2 years. KB was/is a stand up guy and someone that I connected with immediately, even if he is from Texas. In those 2 years we had a lot of great times highlighted by the Final Four trip in 2003 as well as a trip to Italy to play for the Nacel All Stars. Unfortunately, Karon transferred to Wichita State after our sophomore year but our friendship has continued on. The transfer worked out well for him as he enjoyed conference championships and NCAA tournament success with the Shockers.

On February 10, three former Marquette players took the court and played against each other for the 3rd time this season. Dan and myself for SAM Massagno and Karon for Meyrin Grand Sacconex. The season series was split at 1-1 with each team owning a win on the road and bragging rights were on the line this time. While it is awesome playing with former teammates it is weird playing against them. I wanted Karon to do well but I also wanted to wipe the floor with his team.

Karon is still the same old guy. He is a killer on the court (one of the top scorers in the Swiss league) and extremely nice off of it. We had trouble containing him on defense because of his exceptional athletic ability. KB ended the game with 15 points and 8 assists. Unfortunately for him, SAM came away with the win 104-94.

The meeting was most likely the last time we will play against each other this year. After the game we had a chance to catch up with Karon. It was great to see him again and I am really happy for him and the success he has had. We had another chance to get a picture together because the one from back in November did not turn out so good.

This one is a whole lot better even though we probably could have gotten a better background. Just 3 guys doing what they love to do.

Until next time.

On the Road

2010-02-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

I used to love road trips in college. What wasn't there to like? We had a charter flight and flew on the Milwaukee Bucks plane. On that plane we got to eat chicken fingers with every kind of dipping sauce imaginable, a ton of snacks and all the pop (I'm from Michigan, get over it) you could drink and that was only the appetizers. For our meal we enjoyed a steak dinner and a few times the steak was from Outback. When we got off the plane we took a bus to a 5 star hotel with heavenly beds. In my 4 years at Marquette I had the opportunity to stay in the heart of Times Square, the Waldorf Astoria and Monte Leon in New Orleans.

Once we were all settled in the hotel we either got pizzas or went out to eat. The favorite place was TGI Fridays and if we were lucky Coach Crean let us have milk shakes for desert. These are all great but the best part about being on the road was not having to get up early in the morning and not going to class. This was huge for me because in my 4 years of college I only skipped 2 classes and they were on the same day.

It was also awesome to go into other arenas and win. There is no better feeling than hearing 20,000 fans in Freedom Hall silent at the end of the game or to play at Notre Dame and come out with a victory. Oh, how things have changed.

Life in Switzerland is a lot different. I am playing professional basketball but sometimes it sure doesn't feel like it. I am sure it is not the same experience as my old teammates that are in the NBA have. On January 30th we took our longest trip of the season to Geneva. There were no planes, no 5 star hotels, no chicken wings, no steaks, not even a milk shake. Just a bus.

If you look at the map of Switzerland above you will notice that it is a small country and the distance between any two cities is not that far. What the map doesn't show though is the mountains that Switzerland is famous for. In fact, 70% of the country is covered in them and you have to drive around them and not over them. This is what makes road trips so hard and long.

So, at 8:50 am on January 30th we left Massagno (by Bellinzona on the map) and took off for Geneva on a 6 and a half hour road trip. It was a little rough. Thankfully though my designated seat on the bus is the back seat. For those unfamiliar with European buses the back seats are 5 across which means I can lay on all the seats in somewhat of a bed. I like the back seat and I was able to sleep the first 2 and a half hours.

About midway through the trip we stopped off in a little Swiss German town for our pre game meal. This must be standard all over the world because we had the same thing we used to have at Marquette. Our meal consisted of salad, pasta and chicken. The only thing missing was ranch sauce. I don't know how this has not made its way over to Europe. The Euros are really missing out. For desert they gave us apple pie. I now know why there is a saying called as American as apple pie. This was no American apple pie. I don't even know what to call it.

Anyways, we left the restaurant and had about 2 hours left in the trip. Now, you may be thinking that Geneva is a big city so they probably have a big arena with crazy screaming fans. The Geneva Devils moved to a new arena this year and it is terrible. They play in an indoor bike racing track that is around the court. The actual basketball court feels more like the infield at a track meet than a court. It also doesn't help that the lines are taped on either. I swear, I can not make this stuff up. The only regret I have is that I didn't bring a camera.

After the long trip our legs were a little tired so we started slow. Thankfully the 54 people in the crowd weren't really into the game so the Devils didn't have much of a home court advantage. It definitely wasn't pretty but after our slow start we controlled the rest of the game easily.

The importance of the game wasn't lost on us either. If we lost we went from 7th place all the way down to 9th. Thankfully we won 88-78 and held on to our position.

This was important too because the 3rd round of games are determined by the teams position in the standings. Since we finished in 7th place we play the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 1st place teams at home. As long as we beat the lower teams and take care of business at home then we should make the playoffs.

The long trip home feels so better after a win. Everybody was in such a good mood that we stopped at McDonalds for dinner and we even watched a movie in English. It made it go by so much faster.

Now it is on to the next one!

Buzz Williams

2010-02-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have been doing a good job of blogging in 2010. In my opinion I have had a lot of good stuff to blog about in the new year. I have some more good stuff coming too but I have to post this because we are in the middle of the college basketball season. Also because my team is coming off a HUGE win at UCONN. For those that don't know Buzz Williams is the current coach at Marquette University. I did not have the pleasure of playing for Buzz but I wish I did. Coach Crean did such a great job of creating a Marquette Basketball family. When Buzz took over after Coach Crean left in 2008 I was a little concerned about how my former teammates and myself would be connected to our alma mater.

On my first trip back to Milwaukee after returning from Switzerland in May of 2008, I made a visit to the men's basketball offices at the Al McGuire Center. Everything looked the same. I walked right in and was stopped by one of the office girls and was asked who I was. Hmmm, it had only been 2 years since I left and there was a picture of me on the wall directly to my right but ok. I said that I am Chris Grimm and I wanted to see Barb (Buzz's assistant.) The office girl kindly told me to wait right there and Barb would come right back. Ok, this was new to me but I can deal with it.

Instead of Barb coming out, Coach Buzz Williams came down the hall and introduced himself to me. He asked me the normal questions of where I was from, when did I play, and what am I doing with myself now. Then he invited me back to his office to just get to know me. One thing that really struck me was him thanking me for being a part of the University and for making the program what it is today. Buzz asked if I wanted to work camp and gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him anytime I needed him. He also asked me to come and play pick up with the guys in the summer. Needless to say, my first time meeting Buzz Williams was pretty nice and he made a great first impression.

Over the last 2 summers I have had the opportunity to know Coach Buzz a little better through different functions and working basketball camps. What you see is what you get in a good way. Coach always introduces himself and has a genuine interest in everyone. I was at the basketball banquet with my wife and he came up from behind her and said, "Excuse me, I haven't met you yet. I'm Buzz Williams." That is why I really enjoyed reading this article. Buzz always talks about how God is important in his life and from the looks of it he practices what he preaches. It was this line though that really stood out to me. It is in response to how he deals with the close losses Marquette has had this season.

The only thing you can do to fight back is to work. Make sure that you’re accountable in your work and efficient in your work. Make sure the things you’re working on are things you can utilize to not get your tails kicked. That’s all I know.

I love great quotes and I love this because this is how I have been taught to live my life. When I am going through a tough time in basketball I just make my way into the gym and work harder. If my shot isn't falling I shoot extra. If I am not getting rebounds, I go to the weight room and lift harder. It is so simple. Just hard work.

From what I know of Coach Buzz, this is why he is successful and will continue to be successful. I would have loved to have played for him. Unfortunately I don't think the way I play fits the offense he runs but I can still dream.

I support Coach Buzz and will continue to support him. Not just for the amount of games he wins but for what he is and what he is about. Also because the sweet baby blue jacket (see photo above) he wore last week. That was/is awesome and I think needs to be worn again.

Movie Night

2010-01-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

Lately the weather here in Lugano, Switzerland can best be described as blah. The temperature ranges from 28-45 degrees daily with clouds and fog. The clouds are so thick that one can not even see the mountains. Oh yeah, it rains and occasionally snow flakes fall but not enough to say it is snowing but just enough to tease me. I just wish the weather would make up its mind. We have been back for 24 days and have had about 5 sunny days. I guess I shouldn't be so upset coming from cold and dark Milwaukee winters but this upsets me.

The whole point of the weather report was to inform everyone of our cabin fever. We don't want to go outside but we want to do things. Going to the movies isn't an option because the movies are in Italian. So, I had a great idea of having movie night. I love watching movies so naturally I own a lot of them. I brought over 100 DVDs with me and told Liz to have an idea of what she wanted to watch so when I got back we could pop it right in. She asked me what I had so I read all of my DVDs off to her to see if she was interested in any. Liz had 4 picked out but she couldn't remember one of the other ones but she remembered it was in the beginning so I re-read the first 30 DVDs until she found it (it was Anchorman in case you were wondering.)

We came to a mutual decision that we would watch American Pie. It was and is still a great movie but as I watched it I felt a bit disheartened that this is one of the movies that defines my generation. I think one would be hard pressed to find a 25 year old American male who has not seen an American Pie movie. It made the word MILF famous. That is just awful but still really funny.

That is not really my point though. What is even worse is that the American Pie franchise has spread across the Atlantic and my Swiss teammates love it. We have spent many road trips watching these movies (too loud) with them laughing (too loud) and me trying to sleep in the back. The questions that they ask afterwards are classic. These range from "Is America really like this?" to "Do all American girls have fake breasts?" And my answer is the same every time, "Its exactly like this and better!!!"

Maybe I am a jerk for this but I can't help myself. The way their eyes light up when I tell them these things resembles the look of a child on Christmas morning. I just can't break their hearts and what their image of America is. Don't even get me started on what I tell them about college or how cheap everything is in America. I can write a book on that.

I know this post has been all over the place so I will summarize. The weather here isn't very nice. Liz and I have have movie nights and occasionally watch inappropriate movies. The effect American Pie has had on the world is amazing and I am an awful teammate.

Lausanne Pics

2010-01-25T15:21:00.001-08:00

This is the only picture of me in the set. Apparently the photographer wasn't able to snap any of my dunks (I had 2!) or my other sweet moves but was able to get the most un athletic move made by a player of the day. Oh well, it still went in.
This is of one of our younger players. He came in and did his thing. It is also kind of a cool look at our gym. I know the floor is blue and pink and there are hockey boards surrounding the court but it really isn't that bad.
This is the legend Sam Hines shooting the ball with me posting up.
This is Dan Fitzgerald shooting (and making) a shot off of a pass from yours truly.

Game vs Lausanne Rd 2

2010-01-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

Heading into our game against Lausanne, SAM Massagno was on a 2 game losing streak. It was the worst kind of losing streak too because we had played awful in both of the games. Nothing was clicking on offense and defense. We were all frustrated and we knew we had to get better and it showed in practice. After the Nyon loss we had some great practices. Everyone was locked in mentally and we really got down to work. It wasn't a very heavy workload but we came in and did what we needed to do and we set the game plan for Lausanne.

The Lausanne game was not only important to snap us out of our funk but also because it was a huge game with possible playoff implications. We were defeated by Lausanne in the first round and it was important for us to win this one. There is a pretty big log jam in the middle of the league right now. Heading into the game we were sitting in 7th place, if we win we stay in 7th but if we lose we drop all the way down to 10th (second to last place.) We could not lose this game because it would be an uphill battle to try and get back into the playoff picture and only the top 8 teams make it.

SAM Massagno came out blazing in the game and save for 8 minutes kept it on. I think it was the best game we have played together as a team. We must have started the game with 8 layups. It was awesome to be a part of.

As the old saying goes though, games aren't won on offense, they are won on defense. This was an area where we improved by leaps and bounds. Lausanne had the leading scorer in the league playing for them. He was averaging 20.5 points per game. I was concerned about this because this obviously hasn't been a strong point for us. We practiced rotating on the help side as well as keeping someone in the paint at all times. Another change we made for the game was to really attack the ball screens to slow them down. This worked very well for us because the league's leading scorer only had 9 for the game.

We had a few low points in the game but were able to rebound off of them very nicely. The final score of the game was 97-72 with us coming out on top.

I thought I rebounded for myself very well. Things were clicking for me. I felt like I did before the Christmas break. With the right mindset I will be able to maintain this and keep going into the 3rd round. I finished the game with 17 points on 8-11 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds.

Now it is onto Geneva on Saturday to gain sole possession of 7th place. Another tough and big game. This season is full of them.

Game vs Nyon Round 2

2010-01-21T06:11:00.001-08:00

After our loss to Lugano, we watched the game to see what we did good and what we did bad. There was a lot more bad than good. Our defensive movements were slow and in some cases non existent. We strayed too much from our offense which led to bad shots which in turn led to fast breaks for Lugano. All in all it was an awful game for us. After watching the game we decided that we were going to get better (couldn't get much worse) and go out and beat Nyon.

I really believed we were going to win. They are the team with the biggest budget in the league. They have an outstanding collection of players. They have scorers, rebounders, defense guys and play makers. The guys on their team know how to play basketball. Austin Johnson, from Oklahoma, leads their attack and we knew we were going to need to stop him. Despite all of this, I still thought we were going to win the game. I couldn't have been more wrong.

We started out even worse than we did against Lugano. Nyon's fast break made Lugano's look like a middle school team's. We turned the ball over and because of this weren't ever able to run an offense. Nyon must have had 30 points in transition.

I will admit to myself that I let the refs get into my head a little bit. I didn't get any calls against Lugano and I definitely didn't get any calls against Nyon. I was frustrated and I let that affect my game. This is the first year that I have let the refs get into my head and I don't like the path that I am going down with it. Truth is, if I get hit, I still need to make the basket. That is the approach that I am going to take with me for the rest of the year. I have to take advantage of the things I am in control over and not things I am not in control of bother me. Ok, there is my little self help motivator for the day.

I could write more about how we didn't stop anyone or how we gave up 27 to a guy who averages 10 but I won't. It won't help with my mental state right now. I'm not even going to post a final score but I will tell you we lost bad.

Good news though, we play Lausanne on Sunday and have a chance to right the ship. We lost to Lausanne earlier in the year but we weren't a very good team then. We need to get back on track and I hope we can do it against them. It won't be easy but it will be a good challenge for us.

Big Ten Network

2010-01-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

Thank god for the invention of Sling Box. For those of you who don't know, Sling Box is a little box that one hooks up to his/her cable and internet connection. Through this hookup, one is able to access their home cable television anywhere in the world as long as they have a computer and an internet connection. Needless to say, I watch Sling Box a lot on my computer.

One of my favorite tv networks to watch is the Big Ten Network. Growing up I loved the Big Ten and would watch as many Big Ten football and basketball games as I could. I dreamed of one day playing in the Big Ten. Shoot, if Ohio State would have offered me a scholarship in high school I would have jumped at the chance (they chose to give the scholarship to Charles Bass who later transferred, oh what could have been.) Being able to catch up with the teams and schools I grew up with is one of the reasons I love the Big Ten Network.

They constantly have replays on of classic Big Ten matchups. The only downside to this is having to possibly watch Wisconsin, in that case I change the channel or if I know the outcome I will watch the Badgers lose. It doesn't get much better than watching the Badgers lose. The only thing better would be watching Notre Dame lose. Anyways, the classic games are pretty awesome.

Also, I believe that the basketball coaches in the Big Ten are phenomenal. From Tom Izzo to Bruce Webber, there is a great collection of coaching talent there. I also have an added interest since Tom Crean is now coaching Indiana. Even though they are down it is great to watch the Hoosiers play and see the development of his team. I have said it before and I will say it again, the more success that Coach Crean has the more success I will have in my professional career on and off the court. I really believe that he will go to a Final Four within the next 5 years.

What really put me over the top for the Big Ten Network though is watching the Indiana vs Minnesota game this weekend. For those that didn't see or hear about it, Indiana won the game in overtime. To make it even better, Gus Johnson was calling the game. The man can make watching paint dry exciting. I love it and can't get enough of it.

If the Big East had some kind of agreement or network like this I would be writing the same thing. I obviously like the Big East (at least basketball) more than the Big Ten. I think it is a better conference top to bottom and has better coaches, teams, etc. I don't want to get into the Big East so much but I will in a later post.

I know the Big Ten received a lot of flack for the network but I think it is fantastic and other conferences should follow suit. I would love watching the Big East basketball replay on Sunday afternoons. The Big Ten also has great behind the scenes series. I just watched one on the basketball teams and it was awesome. They showed how teams prepare for each other and the struggles of being a student athlete, which I believe is not shown enough. Everyone always sees the games on tv but they don't see all the work in class, study hall, practice and the film room. I thought it was an excellent inside look at athletic programs.

If you haven't watched it yet or only watch it occasionally, I advise you to take a look into it. Thanks.

Christmas Time Part 2

2010-01-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

As I was saying about Christmas. Liz and I spent all of Christmas day on a train heading to Michigan. We arrived in Ann Arbor around 6 pm and my parents picked us up from the train station. We hadn't seen my parents in 4 months and I think they were pretty happy to see us. Shoot, we were really happy to see them. Living in Switzerland is hard sometimes because we are away from the ones we love for so long. That's what makes Christmas time so special.

Since we arrived so late on Christmas day and because of my sisters other family commitments, we were going to celebrate the Grimm Christmas on December 26th. Christmas night was really nice though too. We played Christmas music on the family stereo while my dad made a feast for us. I love American food.

On the afternoon of December 26th, all of the Grimm kids and my Grandma Kay came over to my parents house to celebrate Christmas. It was very nice and I can honestly say it was one of the best Christmases I can remember. It was also great to see my niece and my nephew. They are getting so big and are getting to the age where I can talk to them. They wanted to open the presents as soon as they saw them. I remember when I was like that as a kid. Those were the good old days.

The celebration continued until 2 am. Actually it continued later than that but that is when Liz and I went to bed. I showed my family that I am the dominant beer pong player and then decided to head to bed. My brothers in law and father stayed up later to talk and be merry. The jet lag was killing me though and Liz and I needed to hit the hay.

The rest of break was so much fun as well. I wish I could have seen some more people when I was home but the time just flew by. I really did enjoy the people I saw though. Especially my former high school coaches. It is always a good time when I am around them and I think our relationship has been past the player coach. It feels more like family to me so it is only natural that I see them when I come home.

During the rest of my break I shopped for cheap American clothes and ate all of the American food I could. Liz, my parents and I enjoyed a great night watching the Marquette vs West Virginia game at BW3's. I have been in Switzerland so long I forgot how cheap it is to eat at an American restaurant. The meal we ate there would have cost around $250-300 in Switzerland. It is just crazy.

We managed to eat at Outback, Taco Bell, Qdoba, McDonalds (breakfast only), Friday's, Rosie O'Gradys, BW3's, Chilis, Champps, and Jets while we were in the states. I might have missed a restaurant or 2 in there but that is what I remember. Now I'm back to eating Swiss food and the only American food I can hope for is the Hooters in Zurich.

We ended our break as a family eating at Rosie O'Gradys in Ferndale. All of my family made it out there for a New Years Eve dinner. It was so nice to see the whole family one last time before Liz and I headed back across the water. When we got back home we sat down on the coach and I think everyone was sleeping at around 11:30. We woke up though just in time to see the ball drop. My mom popped some champagne and then we went to bed.

Liz and I flew back on New Years Day on Lufthansa airlines. I was expecting long lines and a lot of security at Metro Airport. I was very wrong. Something on me set the metal detector off 4 times. I was not pulled to the side. I was not patted down. I got nothing. I just got a pass through. Good to see everything is working there.

We arrived in Milan, Italy (after one of the worst landings I have ever been a part of, apparently you can land with the wings tipping) and took the 45 minute drive up to Lugano on January 2nd. It was a wonderful Christmas break and one I will never forget. I can't wait to get back home in the summer so I can see all of the same people.

Game vs Lugano Round 2

2010-01-19T13:17:00.001-08:00

This is a game that I would rather not report on but since I am trying to keep up with the blog I have to do it. Going into the game we knew it was going to be tough. I think that on paper Lugano has the strongest team in the league. They are tough at all 5 positions and they go 9 deep. This might not be surprising to some, but there are few teams this deep in Switzerland. This is because Switzerland is not a big money league but Lugano is a big money team so they have the money to pay 9 guys.

Lugano also has a new coach. Since they have so many Americans on their team, the Lugano management decided they needed an American coach to relate to their players. So, they went out and found a good American coach who has had success in Switzerland and also Europe. The new coach, Joe Whelton, was very successful and led Bellinzona (a town nearby) to Swiss championships. To sum it all up, our game against Lugano just got harder.

SAM vs. Lugano is also a derby (Euro word for rivalry game) so there is added motivation for the game. We didn't come out with the right mental approach for the game and found ourselves down quickly. Our offense wasn't clicking like it had been in our past 3 wins. It seemed like we would make one pass and then take a shot.

Even though Lugano jumped out to a quick lead, we managed to fight our way back. Every time we made a comeback though Lugano answered. We, including myself, missed a ton of easy shots that would have aided in our comeback. It just wasn't our day and we ended up losing the game 104-88.

Here are some low lites from the game. It is mostly Lugano stuff so watch at your own risk.

After the game I had the worst feeling. I hate losing and I took the loss hard. We played so bad and I know that we could have played better. The good thing though is we play tomorrow against Nyon and have a chance to win the game. We could really use the win to create some separation in the standings.

Italian Basketball

2010-01-17T14:15:00.001-08:00

I have decided to hold off on writing about Christmas and our loss to Lugano for a little bit. Instead, I have to write about what I witnessed tonight while it is still fresh in my mind. On Thursday of this week, Patrick (a member of Massagno's management) asked us if we would like to see the NGC Cantu vs. Siena game on Sunday. I thought that it would be a lot of fun and give me an opportunity to see what Italian basketball is all about. Italy is such a beautiful country with great culture so naturally it is a country that I would love to play in one day. This was a perfect opportunity to see some Italian basketball. Plus, Siena is arguably the best team in Europe and definitely the best Italian team.

Cantu is about 40 minutes away from where we live and actually the home of our coach Massimo Aiolfo. It is a small town of about 20,000 people and a town that is very passionate about their basketball team.

NGC Cantu is also the team our new teammate Sam Hines (www.samuelhines.com) used to play for. Sam is a legend in Cantu and has had a very illustrious basketball career. He has absolutely dominated everywhere he has been and even belongs in Cantu's Hall of Fame, Piazza delle Stelle. I didn't realize how big of a deal this was until today. We immediately spotted Sam because he was surround by a bunch of people trying to talk to him. The man is an absolute star in Cantu and is treated like a god. I walked around the arena with him and everywhere we went people were saying hi to him and asking for pictures and autographs. Playing in Switzerland made me forget how big of a deal basketball is to some people.

I should also note that Cantu is famous for their crazy fans. I found this out on Saturday night in our game versus Lugano. Around 50 Cantu fans made the 40 minute trip to see our game against Lugano. They made their present known by singing and cheering loudly throughout the whole game. Unfortunately they sat next to Liz and she was unable to hear the rest of the night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fYORWavn28&feature=related

The Cantu fans occupy a section right behind the basket. They are so crazy that they were not allowed to attend the game vs. Varese because the local officials feared that a fight might break out between the two teams fans. I was about to experience what Italian basketball is all about.

Cantu fans vs Rome

While I was up talking with Sam I saw a bunch of police officers come in and surround an empty section in the upper corner of the arena. The officers were in full riot gear. Once they had the section surrounded I heard a roar moving up the stairs. Drums, horns and singing were all part of the roar. At the same time boos, profanities and everything else erupted out of the Cantu fan section. I realized that the officers were their so that the Siena fans and the Cantu fans could not make contact with each other. It was actually really cool to see. Most of the Siena fans gave a polite 2 finger salute to the Cantu fans and they were more than happy to give it back to them.

Once the fans had settled in, chants rang out back and forth across the arena. I didn't understand all of them but thankfully we had a translator. It was definitely not a place to bring a child as the game should have been rated R. The insults ranged from calling Siena sons of bitches to pieces of shit, and also saying how the Siena coach and president are married to a horse (apparently Siena is known for horse racing.) This continued for the entire game. It was definitely the best atmosphere I have ever seen at a game.

Unfortunately the Cantu fan section did cross the line at times. They were caught spitting at the Siena players and at one time they slapped one of them in the head. Some of the attendees also were smoking in the crowd and there was actually enough smoke for a thick haze to hang above the court. This was a little disheartening for me.

Putting the fans aside I suppose I should actually talk a little bit about the game since it was what we came to watch. Last year we had gone to see CSKA Moscow play Armani Jeans Milano in a Euroleague contest. This was definitely at the same level but it had more of an Italian flair.

One of the first things I noticed was the lack of post play between the 2 teams. I didn't see a post move by a post player until the 3rd quarter. In my opinion it wasn't because of lack of talent in the post either. I think that post play is just not part of the Italian game. Despite the lack of post play, the game was very physical. The intensity was also at an extremely high level. I expected this though as the Italian league is one of the most respected leagues in Europe.

The first half was very uneventful and unimpressive. Siena was only up 6 at the half in a low scoring contest. They turned it up in the second half and ended up winning by 30! They did it by playing great defense, great shot selection and playing extremely smart. I imagine that a lot of teams don't come into Cantu's gym and win.

Overall I liked what I saw from the teams and it is definitely a level that I think/know I can play at. In my head I was constantly comparing myself to the other players. I would love the challenge of playing in Italy. It would also feel good to play in front of more than 500 people every night.

Christmas Time

2010-01-13T07:40:00.000-08:00

As I already mentioned earlier, SAM was rolling into Christmas break on a 2 game winning streak. The first half of the season was the toughest one I have had to endure in my career. We have a great core of American players and we were losing badly. I have learned to handle losing when we are supposed to lose, last year for example. This year though wasn't supposed to be like this. The losses as well as the way we were losing took a huge toll on me. So, Christmas break was a great time for me to go home and re-fresh myself and it was fantastic.

My journey home started at 9:30 am on the morning of December 20. My teammates and I flew out of the Lugano airport and headed to Zurich. We were surprised to see all of the American players playing in Ticino on our flights. Even though we play against each other every night, there is a bond between all the Americans. It was nice to catch up with some of them on our long flight from Zurich to Chicago.

When the plane landed in Chicago I collected my bags and headed north on a bus to Milwaukee to spend my first few days back in the states with Liz and her family. It was great to finally spend a Christmas with the Schuelkes. Liz has come to Michigan a few times for Christmas and now it was time for me to see how the Schuelkes get down for Christmas. Unfortunately I had a nasty cold my first couple days back so I probably wasn't much fun to be around, though I had a great time with all the people I spent time with. The cold also affected my taste for things. I was so excited to eat American food again and my first time out I went to Qdoba. I couldn't taste anything. I left very disappointed.

I am getting a little spoiled living in Lugano the past couple of years. Even though we are in Switzerland it doesn't get very cold here. In fact, there are palm trees outside of my apartment building. I would estimate that in the winter we see highs in the mid to low 40's so it was a shock to me when I returned home. Liz did a great job of making a fire in the fireplace to keep me warm when I got too cold.

The Schuelke family Christmas was so much fun. We had a Christmas Eve brunch and then opened up presents in the living room. It was a little strange to have the kids around again opening up presents but strange in a good way. It was also nice to get to see Liz's brothers. That night we went over to Liz's grandpa's house and spent the night with that side of the family.

After the festivities were over, we went to the midnight mass at St. James church. It was so beautiful. This was my first time going to a Christmas Eve mass since I was just a little guy. The music was wonderful and it was such a joyous and peaceful celebration. Words can not describe the great time I had at mass. It is definitely going to be something I will do until the day I die.

Liz and I woke up bright and early on Christmas morning. It wasn't because of jet lag or in anticipation of opening up the presents that Santa had brought during the night. No, we awoke because we were going to spend all of Christmas day on a train travelling to God's country, Michigan.

Catching Up

2010-01-12T15:39:00.000-08:00

Well, is has been quite awhile since the last time I have blogged. It got kind of boring reporting on 20-30 point losses and trying to convince people that we really were getting better. Well, we did get better. SAM Massagno is on a bit of a 3 game winning streak. Before the Christmas break we took care of Boncourt at home and Meyrin on the road.

SAM vs. Boncourt was a high scoring affair with a final score of 113-105. This was a game that we really needed to win. I guess at this point in the season we need to win them all, but in my mind, we were better and definitely needed to win the game to qualify for the playoffs. I can't say a whole lot of defense was played obviously. I would like to say the game went into 4 overtimes but it wasn't the case. The American quartet of Dan Fitzgerald, Kameron Gray, Ross Morin, and myself scored a combined 104 points. Pretty astonishing.

Our last game before Christmas was at Meyrin. According to the standings, they are the worst team in the league. They only have 1 win and that came against us. We played an awful game. It was supposed to be a home game for us but we played the game in a room that resembled a gym but definitely did not feel like one. This was a revenge game for us and another must win.

After a long 6 hour drive (apparently the Swiss don't believe in going the night before on road trips) we came out blazing. We were up by 19 after the first quarter. We lost our momentum in the 3rd quarter a little bit and were only up 15. After half time was when the wheels fell off. Meyrin came out in a box and 1 offense on our point guard and we had no idea what to do. We had never practiced against it and it definitely showed.

Despite the tricky box and 1 we won the game by 2. If the game was 1 or 2 minutes longer we probably would have lost. As it was, Meyrin and my old teammate Ricardo Fischer got off a pretty good shot off at the end to tie it. Thank god he missed it and after a couple tips, the rebound was secured by Dan Fitzgerald and we went home for Christmas as happy as can be.

The Meyrin game was on December 19th and we didn't play again until January 10th. That is a huge gap between games. I was a little worried for the game against Monthey. They are a very good team that we managed to beat on the road after our first coach quit. They definitely wanted revenge on us. They even came down the day before so they were well rested for the game. I thought we were going to win but I thought it was going to be a slug fest.

The game was pretty much what I expected. Monthey is probably the most physical team in the league. Their center is Kareem Johnson from the University of Cincinnati. Every post up, every rebound and every loose ball was a battle. The day after the game my whole body was sore. I didn't think it was a particularly well reffed game but what game is?

Anyways, we never trailed Monthey during the game and I thought we played very well for our first game back. We were up by 10 at the half and ended up winning by 4. It would have been more but they made some shots at the end.

Now, SAM Massagno is on a 3 game winning streak and our next 2 games are against the 2 best teams (on paper) in the league. We play Lugano on Saturday in the derby at the Istituo Elvetico. A derby is a cross town rivalry game. They are extremely talented and are strong at every position and every position coming off the bench. They just fired their coach over Christmas and their point guard, Travis Walton (Michigan State.) I hope for a strong game and a SAM win.

It doesn't get any easier after that either with Nyon at home on January 20th. They too fired their coach over the Christmas break. Loyalty means nothing over here and it is cut throat. I'm sure they will be ready to play. We just need to be too.

Swiss Beauty

2009-12-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

When I re-signed with SAM Massagno this year, one of the things that I knew I had to do was to take Liz to Zurich during Christmas. Last year I had the opportunity to go with Brody (one of my teammates from last year) and his friend. Zurich might be the coolest Christmas city in the world and I wanted to show Liz how cool it was. One thing I did not anticipate though was the beauty of Switzerland on the ride to Zurich.

Our trusty little TomTom took us on a route that we do not normally take on the way to our games. We had a beautiful day of driving and when we got the opportunity to pull over we snapped these gorgeous pictures. It is sights like these that just take my breath away.

The picture at the top is our trusty Citroen C3. We don't leave home without it and maybe my Dad will stop complaining about how he hasn't seen my car yet and yes, it really has my name on the side so everyone knows where I am. Pretty sweet huh?

Hardly home but always reppin. Liz snapped this picture and it looks pretty gangsta.
Liz has a pretty big camera and it was hard for us to try and get a good picture. This was the best we could get.
Nothing really to say. Just amazing!

Thanksgiving Pics

2009-12-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

SAMerica eating dinner. Wish Liz was in this picture but someone had to take it. We need to learn how to use the timer on the camera.

All the food. It still looks so good.
The carved bird.
Un cooked bird. It's tiny!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

The holidays are upon us and it is a very exciting time to be in Europe. Everywhere you go you can see Christmas lights and trees and it is all so beautiful especially in the town squares. As Americans we rely on Thanksgiving to officially start up the holiday season in the US but unfortunately they do not have that over here in Switzerland. Liz and I took it upon ourselves to host a Thanksgiving dinner for the Americans playing for Massagno.

This was a pretty cool thing for us to do. Unfortunately, for the past 7 years I have been unable to celebrate Thanksgiving with my own family. The past two years I did not even do anything. Liz and I wanted to do a dinner so my teammates would feel more at home and have a right holiday.

We were very fortunate this year. We went to the local Migros and found a turkey. I have been in Switzerland for the past four years and have been unable to find a turkey. Needless to say, I was very excited about it. There was only one little (pun intended) problem with our turkey. It only weight 6 pounds. When I called home to tell my family about the turkey I was immediately shot down and told that it wasn't a turkey and to check the label again to make sure it was not a cornish hen. It wasn't. Our little turkey was pretty expensive so we decided to buy a bunch of chicken legs to round out the meat portion of our dinner.

Thanks to Barb Schuelke we had a delicious recipe for stuffing. We kind of had to scrounge up some ingredients but we did it. We even had home made mashed potatoes. I know this because I peeled them and mashed them! Green beans and salad rounded out our Thanksgiving meal. The only thing missing was pumpkin pie and that was pretty sad because that is my favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving.

The meal was a hit though and Ross even said he was surprised at the "real ass Thanksgiving." It was also pretty cool to do it too because it was our (Liz and I) first holiday together. It definitely had a different feel to it. A great feeling. I am looking forward to many more holidays and to having Thanksgiving dinner with the fam and in the States soon.

Game vs Geneva

2009-11-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

There is an old saying that goes something like this, "You play like you practice." This could not have been more true for us. Coach Massimo took over for us at a very bad time. We didn't have enough time to really know how he wanted us to play before we went out and played our first games with him. It also didn't help that we were scheduled to play against Lugano and Nyon right off the bat. I could go in depth about those games but I do not want too. They were awful. We played extremely poor and it carried over into our game against Lausanne.

After those bad performances we knew something had to change. The next week in practice was intense. We were all locked in and focused. Everyone was competing and there was a will to win during the practice. It felt great and felt like we were finally practicing.

That coming week we had Geneva at home on Sunday. I didn't know if we were going to win but I did know that we were going to play good. We just had to because of the way we practiced. In all honesty too, it was a game we should win.

The hard work during the week really paid off and we played a great game against Geneva. We were clicking on all cylinders. The on ball defense was great and if someone was beat then the help defense was there too. The help on the help defense was even there which is something we haven't had all year. We were getting stops on defense which translated well onto the offensive end and resulted in fast break buckets.

Our offense was just as good as our defense. We pushed the ball when we could in transition and when we didn't have anything we set the offense and ran the plays. Everything we worked on during the week was there. We looked like an actual basketball team. I haven't seen the game yet but I am sure it was a beautiful game to watch. The final score of the game was 86-71 with us coming out on top.

It should have been a great start into the second tour of the season but that was not the case. More on that next time.

Until then.....

Pictures from Zurich

2009-11-16T07:00:00.001-08:00

The glorious Hooters sign. I have never been happier to see a Hooters anywhere in the world!
Ross, Dan and I in front of Hooters. Looking fly!
Ross, Dan and I in front of some fountain in downtown Zurich. Liz was there I promise. I just don't think that we took a photo together.
Us goofing around on some bridge in Zurich.
Look at all that food!!! It was so good!!!!!

Zurich

2009-11-16T06:41:00.000-08:00

One of the many cool things about living here is the ability to explore other cities. Switzerland is pretty centrally located in Europe and has easy access to Italy, France, Austria and Germany. Those countries are great but there are some really cool places to go in Switzerland. One of my favorites is Zurich. I made the trip for the first time last year with Brody during Christmas. The snow was falling, lights were everywhere and I saw a singing Christmas tree. It was pretty awesome and I knew that I needed to take Liz, Dan and Ross.

American food has been dominating our conversations lately. Topics such as burgers, what would eat right now, where is the first place you are going to eat at when you get home, etc. have all been brought up numerous times. I recently found out that there is a Hooters (yes a Hooters) in Zurich. There is also Dominoes and many Starbucks there as well. After our big win in Monthey on Saturday, Zurich seemed like the best option to go celebrate our win.

So, Ross (6'7") Dan (6'9") Liz (5'6") and myself (6'10") packed into the Citroen C3 to make the 2 and a half hour trip to Zurich to enjoy wings, pizza and coffee. It was the best idea we had in awhile. I typed in the street address of Hooters into my TomTom and off we went. Unfortunately, the address was off so when we arrived there was no Hooters in sight. We were determined to find our fine American restaurant so we drove around for about 30 minutes when the street we were on opened up into a square and right on the corner the most glorious sign I have ever seen were the orange letters of Hooters. The car erupted in cheers and we had finally made it.

We parked the car and walked over to the restaurant. Not surprisingly it wasn't packed. They had the World Series on the tv and we sat down to watch the game that had already been decided 16 hours before. It was pretty awesome. We ordered the giant platter of wings as well as burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches and mozzarella sticks. Needless to say we were stuffed.

After Hooters we decided to walk around the city for a little bit. It is so beautiful there. We walked and I met a friend I went to high school with for coffee at one of the 50 Starbucks in the city. It was so nice to be able to sit and sip on some coffee that wasn't in a thimble. I decided that we are going to go back sometime around Christmas so Liz can see all the lights and the Christmas market. It is a special time of year.

It was getting to be late and I was getting hungry again so we decided that we needed to stop at Dominoes and get some American pizza. We went on the lookout for a Dominoes and after a couple of minutes we found one. I ordered a Dominator size cheese pizza, cheese bread, cinnamon bread and chicken fingers. The other guys got two pizzas as well. That must have been some of the best pizza I have tasted. It was delicious.

Overall it was awesome to get out of Lugano and enjoy another part of Switzerland, even though we made it as American as possible. I look forward to doing it again soon.

New Coach and Monthey

2009-11-15T14:54:00.000-08:00

Ok. So, it has been awhile since my last post and I said I would update it more frequently but I haven't. I'm sorry. A lot of stuff has happened once again but that is to be expected when I post every three weeks. In the last post we had just suffered an awful loss at home to Meyrin. A team that we should never lose to. Apparently this was too much for our coach to handle because he quit after the game. He had said that coaching our team had become too much for him to handle and he felt like he had lost the team.

Basically, he didn't want to deal with the team because he is not a professional coach and he can't deal with the pressures of coaching. I was actually ok with this. I liked our coach a lot. He was a nice guy and he let me do my thing on the court. What more can I want? I also respect the fact that he is not a professional and coaching a basketball team is a huge commitment and takes time away from him and his two young children. I can get that. So whatever. No big blow to me. I have been through this situation before when my coach was fired in Sion. I am more grown up now and I can handle the situation better and like a professional.

We were all wondering who was going to be our next coach. The coaching search was extremely intense. People were jumping at the chance to coach one of the bottom dwellers or the Swiss basketball league. I would like to think our coaching search was like this but it was not. There were two candidates. Both individuals were fully qualified to coach us. I just really wanted to find out who it was going to be so we could get on with our season and win some basketball games. When we didn't know by Wednesday we knew that the new coach would not coach us for the game on Saturday. So, we were going into a big road game (in Monthey), coming off of a bad loss without a coach. Welcome to SAM Massagno.

We did find out who our coach is the next day. They promoted Massimo Aiolfo (not as easy to pronounce as Phil Jackson) from our B League team to the head job. Coach Mass worked with Cantu Basket (one of the top teams in Italy) for a number of years. While working with Cantu he worked with Bootsy Thorton, Shaun Stonerook and other top Italian players. The experience he brought with him from Italy had/has me excited to play.

Now that we knew who our coach was, we could prepare for our game against Monthey on the road. Coach Mass wasn't going to be coaching us though. That task was left up to the assistants from the team. We knew going into the game it was a big game. Monthey has some good professional players and a very good coach. The gym also has a great atmosphere to it. There is nothing to do in the town of Monthey so all of its residents come out to support the team. It is not like Louisville or Wisconsin but it is still good for Switzerland.

It took us 7 hours to get to the game. Traffic, distance and weather prevented us from getting there 2 hours before the game like normal. We got to the gym with an hour to go until game time. It was a little different because our pre game routine was different. I expected a slow start from us. Boy was I wrong. We were clicking on all cylinders. Our defense was great. The ball was moving on offense. There was hustle and enthusiasm from the team. It was definitely a fun game to play in. We won the game too. SAM Massagno picked up the first road win of the season in convincing fashion with a score of 78-65.

I played pretty well in the game too. I had 12 points (6-8 from the floor)and 14 rebounds. I have been rebounding pretty well this year. I think at a higher level than I was at last year which is very encouraging. I feel more athletic and powerful in grabbing the boards. I figure as long as I go hard to the glass and jump I can get any ball.

After the game we were riding high off of our victory. The team purchased us a bunch of beer for the bus ride home. Unfortunately after a game I have no desire to drink beer. So, I stuck to water for the 5 hour ride home. We were all happy though and excited to start on Monday with our new coach and hoping that we were going to be on a roll. Hoping is the appropriate word here.

More on that next time. Until then........

Swiss Cup and Meyrin

2009-11-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

Ok. So I know it has been a long time since my last post but there has been a ton of things going on and I hope to fill you in soon. Since my last post we have played 3 games, had 3 different sets of visitors, made an awesome trip to Zurich, changed our head coach and picked up our first LNBA road win. It has been pretty hectic. I'll start off though with the Swiss Cup.

The Swiss Cup is a tournament with all of the basketball teams in Switzerland. It is a one game elimination format. Switzerland actually has 4 different leagues and the lower leagues have been playing in the Swiss Cup for two months now. Those teams battled it out to have a chance to play against the LNBA (top Swiss league) teams. So, for our first round Swiss Cup game we drew Swiss Central Basket located in Lucerne, Switzerland. They are a League B team and one of the better ones at that. The game was supposed to be an easy win for us so we played the game in Lucerne.

It actually was an easy win. It was kind of nice to watch the game from the bench for a little bit. Ross played a cool 32 minutes and put in work. Vinz also played very well. One complaint I had with the game though was the officiating. By far the worst I have ever seen in Switzerland. I was called for 3 travels after not having 1 in our first 4 games. It was unbelievable. Oh well, I guess the refs felt sorry for them since we whooped up on them pretty bad.

It seemed like we were on a roll and prepared for Meyrin on Sunday. That statement couldn't have been farther from the truth. This was a game we were supposed to win. Meyrin was coming into the game with zero wins and sitting in last place. We were also playing the game at home. Well, the game was kind of at home. It was in Massagno but not at the gym we usually play at. We couldn't play in Palamondo because there was a hockey tournament going on there for the weekend and apparently they has priority. The gym was pretty awful and kind of embarrassing to be playing a "professional" basketball game in. I'm pretty sure that the gym at Mohawk Elementary School in Macomb, Michigan is nicer. Besides the point, we were supposed to win the game.

An added bonus for me was playing against my friend and former teammate Karon Bradley. I played with Karon for 2 years at Marquette before he transferred to Wichita State where he had a successful college career. Playing against a friend is a bit of a strange experience. You want to beat them so you can hold the bragging rights over them. So, I wanted to beat Karon for this reason.

We started the game strong. Our offense was scorching but the same couldn't be said for our defense. Dan came out and had 14 points in the 1st quarter. He was perfect and every shot was falling. All of their shots were falling too. It was pathetic. They were driving at will and nailing 3 pointers. We would have help but there would be no secondary help. The game continued like this for 3 more quarters and we lost 95-87. It was bad. I ended the game with 15 and 11 but I would have rather had the win.

Apparently our coach would have rather had the win too because on Monday after the game he quit the team. He felt that he had lost control over the team and it was a lost cause. I can understand what he was saying but he never tried to re gain control. I really like Coach Fabrizio but I know he is not professional and if he felt like it was too much then I can understand that.

We do have a new coach but I will talk about that in another post.

I really wanted to take a picture with Karon after the game. It's not very often that you play against a friend and former teammate so I wanted to capture the moment a little bit. This is after the game. Notice the huge smile on my face after the defeat. Maybe we will be able to take a better one later but if not then I will have to settle for this. Oh well.

Until next time.........

Game 4 vs. Boncourt

2009-10-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a great fall day for basketball. I know, fall is about football but hear me out on this one. I have been playing basketball for a long time now and I love fall and winter. A lot of people think I'm crazy when I say something like this but I associate fall and winter with basketball season. So, I love the start of fall. The start of fall in college brought Midnight Madness at Marquette and fall brings the start of professional basketball in Europe and a chance for me to make some money. Fall has been pretty good to me.

So, Saturday was a great day to play basketball in Switzerland. It was cold but not too cold. The leaves had started to change and SAM Massagno (my team) had our first real Swiss road game. Yes, we played Vacallo on the road but Boncourt was our first road game because Vacallo is 20 minutes down the road and Boncourt is a little farther.

A little geography on Switzerland is needed to understand this statement. Massagno is located in the south of Switzerland close to the border of Italy. Boncourt is located in northern Switzerland on the border of France. In fact it is so close to the border that we walked to the border of France from our bus so we could stretch our legs a little bit. In total, Boncourt is approximately 5 hours away.

This would be no problem if we had chartered a flight the night before and stayed in the Marriott the night before but this is Switzerland and not Marquette University. We left at 10 am to play the game at 5:30 pm. To add to our travel situation we took the tiniest bus that I have ever traveled on. The seats in the bus made airline seats look like lazy boys. So, imagine 20 grown men in a tiny bus for 5 hours getting ready to play a basketball game.

Also, Boncourt is one of the toughest places in Switzerland. Boncourt is a little town with nothing to do so on Saturdays the whole town comes out with their drums and air horns and makes a lot of noise in the gym. The team is also very well coached and they are tough. All of these factors led us to our first real road game.

Needless to say, we didn't respond very well. We came out the first quarter and played very sluggish. It was as if we did not have our legs. During warm ups I thought to myself that I might not have any legs this game, they just felt so heavy. At the end of the first quarter we were down 28-14. Definitely not a great start.

It didn't get much better from there either. We went on runs but whenever we were to cut the lead down, Boncourt hit a big shot or got a steal. At halftime our gracious hosts were up 46-27.

I could talk more about how the game went but I think my brain has blocked most of the details out of my head. I'm pretty happy about that too. My final stats for the game were 23 and 11. I had played pretty well but I wish we could have come out of the game with the win. I really want to win more games this year and play like we are capable of.

At the end of the game, Boncourt has a player of the game for both teams. The prize is usually from a sponsor of the team and is many times wine, chocolate or some other Swiss specialty. I received the award for this game. It was pretty interesting to say the least. Apparently Boncourt does not have anything cool in it or does not have any good sponsors. I received a basket that resembled a grocery basket from Kroger. In my "award" I had: Special K cereal, black cherry jelly, pasta, biscuits, orange juice, iced tea, some kind of cookie, canned mushrooms and a chocolate bar. It was pretty awesome because I do not need to go to the grocery store this week.

Anyways, we have two games this week. One is against Luzern on Wednesday for the Swiss Cup and then we play a regular season game on Sunday against Meyrin Grand Sacconex at home. I'll provide a game preview some time this week because my friend Karon Bradley plays from Meyrin. Until then........

Italian Class

2009-10-15T16:16:00.001-07:00

One of the really cool things about playing in Massagno and overseas is the different languages. In Ticino Switzerland (where Massagno is) they speak Italian. Italian is one of my favorite languages to listen to. It is also pretty awesome to watch as well because you can follow a conversation just by watching the hands of the people speaking. Very entertaining.

I make the most out of the experience of playing overseas. I think to some people living here the language is probably a big problem and they hate it. I love it because it gives me a chance to learn another language and sound cool.

It always seems like the first words I learn in a new language is the curse words and I think this is the same for every player playing overseas. I have every Italian phrase down, most of french, and some serbian. I will not repeat the words because my mother reads this and even if she can't understand I don't want her to think of me negatively. The funny part about some of the phrases is that they don't necessarily translate very well to English so when one of my foreign teammates will curse in English it is something we never say.

Curse words aside, SAM Massagno offers us an Italian class one day a week. It's pretty awesome because we get to pick out what we want to learn. Since this is my second year here I am a little more advanced than some of my teammates and wife but teaching them helps me learn more. Maybe I'll blog one day in all Italian, probably not though.

We study basic things in our class like basketball phrases, food, greetings and how to tell time. I'm looking forward to the verbs because then I feel like we are really learning. Hopefully by Christmas I will be able to speak pretty well.

Anyways, it's about time to go to bed. Questo sabato abbiamo una partita in Boncourt and I need to sleep.

Happy Birthday Vinz!

2009-10-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite memories of elementary school were my friends birthdays. I think we all remember the days when it was Bobby's birthday and he brought in those funfetti cupcakes for everyone in the class. We all sang happy birthday and then played heads up seven up or some other game. I thought those days were all over. Apparently not.

Today was my teammate Vinz's (pronounced Vince) birthday. I don't know if this is a Euro tradition or just a SAM Massagno tradition but, Vinz walked into the locker room today with 2 cases of beer, 3 bags of chips, and other various snacks for after practice. All the Swiss guys let out a cheer like the Berlin wall had just been torn down.

When practice was over, we went into the locker room skipping the usual post practice half court shots and proceeded to celebrate Vinz's birthday. Everyone said "auguri" (best wishes) and we cracked open a few cases of beer and passed out delicious cookies that one of our assistant coach's wife made. There are many beverages that I would love to have after practice but unfortunately Feldschlossen beer is not one of them (in case you were wondering, milk is at the bottom of the list.)

So, 15 grown sweaty men sat around the locker room drinking beer and eating cookies, chips and pretzels. I was eating a cookie when Dan asks me, "Who is going to be the guy to get naked first and then take a shower?" Legit question. I sat back, looked around the room and realized this could be a scene from a gay porno. It wasn't but it was very interesting. Then it got weird because I didn't want to just sit around anymore because my stomach hurt from eating 10 cookies in 5 minutes. I slipped into the shower while my teammates enjoyed beer and chips.

I guess I have grown up a ton. Gone are the days of cupcakes and heads up seven up. Beer and naked men have replaced the good old days. Oh well, I guess it's just another awesome experience of playing basketball in Europe and to top it all off, I took the extra cookies home!

Pics from Vacallo

2009-10-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my favorite pictures my wonderful wife took from our game against Vacallo. Enjoy!

Posting up. Notice the intensity in the eyes!

The Vacallo dance team. I thought it was pretty funny and they thought it was funnier when I saw them a couple of days later at the Vacallo-Boncourt game. I will give $100 to anyone who can correctly guess their ages!
Jump hook!

Jump shot! That went in. I can't remember if the hook did or did not........

RIP

2009-10-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my previous post about how I had some other things on my mind the night before the Vacallo game. That night I had received an e mail from my friend Jaclyn about how our friend Josh's father had passed away that afternoon. Now this is one of the things that sucks about playing basketball and being so far away from home. Josh is one of my best friends in the world and he was a groomsman in my wedding. We have known each for 14 years and I have known his dad for all of them. Being so far away I really wish I could have been there for Josh. Thats one of the things that sucks about this. I hope he knows that I am there for him whenever he needs it.

I would like to just share some things about Mr. Beckett and what a great guy he was.

Mr. Beckett and I had a great relationship. Our relationship started when he became my very first basketball coach when I was in 6th grade. It's funny because I think of him every time I shoot a ball. When I was learning how to shoot, he had told me that a perfect shot will always come back to you after it goes through the net. I can't remember if we were any good, we probably weren't but we had a lot of fun with him and apparently learned some things about basketball.

Mr. Beckett was also an accomplished journalist. He covered the University of Michigan basketball team for the Ann Arbor News during their 1989 NCAA championship. Mission Accomplished is the book that he wrote telling the story of the team. It is a great book and I own an autographed copy.

On top of covering U of M he also covered the Brighton High School boys Varsity team when I played there. I had the pleasure of having many interviews with him and he was the easiest person to talk to. Sometimes I had to remember that I was talking to a reporter and not someone else. I remember him coming into the locker room after games and saying "what a game" or "Im sorry." There were more what a games than Im sorrys. I was looking through my high school scrap book earlier this year and was re reading them and he made me sound like I was a really good basketball player. Thanks.

His passion and interviewing had me interested and possibly thinking of a career in journalism after high school. He encouraged me to do it and was always there to offer advice or encouragement if I needed it. I did not end up pursuing a degree in journalism because of the demands of the degree and the demands of basketball at Marquette. Last year I had talked to Mr. Beckett about possibly writing a book or starting a blog. He had told me that they were great ideas and my blog would be something he would add to his website. I never got the opportunity to share my blog with him but he definitely gave me the courage to start one up.

Thanks Mr. Beckett for everything. I and many others will always remember you.

Games 2 and 3

2009-10-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry. It has been awhile since I have blogged but I have a very good excuse. I have been busy. That's always a good excuse right? OK. We have played 2 games since the Fribourg game and I have good news, SAM Massagno has won their first game of the season. On Sunday October 11, we beat the Birstal Starwings. Please don't ask me what a Starwing is because I have no idea. I just sit back and enjoy Euro team names.

I have to be honest though, we picked up another loss before we got the first win. We played Vacallo (reigning Swiss Cup and LNBA champions) on October 7. It was a very good test for us. I would have preferred for us to play the game at full strength but that was just not possible. We were down some important players in the game and it hurt our depth and our game. I hope that its not a sign of things to come because it is too early in the season to have so many injuries.

Poor defense, bad offense and missed shots were added to our troubles against Vacallo. It was a good learning experience though. We gave them a scare in the second half but it wasn't enough to beat them. The final score of the game was 79-64.

As for myself. I could have definitely played better. I had my mind on other things and I slept very poorly the night before. I missed some easy shots that I normally make. I finished the game with 8 points (4-8) and 10 rebounds. A solid game but definitely could have played better.

The good thing about this year is we play more games so we had a chance to rebound. We took full advantage of this opportunity and beat Birstal on Sunday. It felt so good to get that win. I/we didn't win a lot last year but we have a much better team now and I feel that we can finish in the top 5 of the league and we took our first step on Sunday.

If I can take positive things out of losses then I can take negative things out of wins to get better. Our offense is not up to par. We are not utilizing our weapons on offense. I am not going to get into specifics but I feel that we are no where near scratching our potential on offense and it would be better to find it sooner rather than later.

Our defense could also get better. Too many times we don't know what we are doing on the pick and roll our cross screens. Also, there is not enough help side. I say this with myself being included. There are a lot of athletes on the court and I know we can make some athletic plays.

We won the game 82-76. It was a close won and came down to the final minutes. In standard anything can happen in European basketball fashion, Coach told us 15 minutes before the game that we would not have a clock or scoreboard for the game. Something happened and they couldn't get it up and working in time before the game. So, they pulled out the old flip scoreboards and had on official clock at the scorers table. It was difficult to keep track of the time to say the least. We were constantly asking how much time was left. You would have thought that the announcer could announce the time on the speaker in English rather than Italian (because everyone playing can speak English) but hey, this is Europe. We are in their country.

I played pretty well in the game. The official stat line for me is 12 points and 10 rebounds. I call shenanigans on the rebounds though. I cant tell you how many I had but I'm fairly positive that I had more than 10. Our stat keeper this year likes to watch rather than keep stats. He only had me for 3 offensive rebounds at the end of the game when I scored off of 4. Its pretty frustrating but hopefully it will get better as the season progresses. And if not then there will be complaints from one angry center.

We only have 1 game this week and I'm pretty happy about that. I'm pretty beat up after the 3 games last week and I'm going to try and rehab and get back to 100%. We play at Boncourt on Saturday. Ill try and post a pre game report before then.

Until then......

Fribourg Pics

2009-10-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my favorite pics from the game. All but 1 of these were taken by my beautiful/wonderful/amazing wife Liz. Enjoy!

Dan and I talking on the bench during warm ups before the game. It looks like we are talking about something important. Probably not though.
Let the season begin! Tip off. I won this but definitely tipped it to the wrong team. It happens
One of my jump hooks during the game. This went in.
My dunk that brought the house down. I have to admit, it felt really good.
This is the after picture of the dunk. I didn't pull myself up either. My hops have increased significantly since I left Marquette.

Game 1 vs Fribourg

2009-10-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

Well, game 1 is over and done with. I really wish I had happy news to report but unfortunately I do not. It was a very good game but we (Massagno) were not able to pull it out. We lost 78-85.

One of the many things I learned from Coach Crean at Marquette was to focus on the positive and not to dwell on the negative. There were many positives to the game. It was the most competitive and best we have played thus far. We came out of the gate very strong. We led 24-18 at the end of the first quarter. Everything seemed to be clicking at the beginning of the game. Our defense was strong and the offense looked very well.

Our offensive rebounding is another positive. Coach is very encouraged by this and he said that we had 19 for the game. That's pretty impressive. We have a lot more size this year and that definitely helps out. Our front line is 6'10", 6'9" and 6'7."

It felt really good to be playing basketball competitively again. So many times last year we played to keep the score close and yesterday we were playing to win. We played hard last year but this is different. Unfortunately, all the emotions that come along with that were inside me and I was not a very fun person to be around after the game. That happens I guess. I try very hard to leave basketball at the gym and not to bring it home. This is especially important right now because I am married. I do not need to bring my bad attitude home to Liz but she is such a good wife that she understands.

We play more games in the league this year so we play another game on Wednesday. This is a good thing in my mind because a win can help us forget the loss and its another chance to play basketball. That's never a bad thing. It should be a very good game for us because we play Vacallo. They are the reigning Swiss champions and only 20 minutes away which means its also a derby (european word for rivalry.)

They are very talented and well coached. This game means a lot to me because I have a lot of friends playing for Vacallo. I want to play well against them and of course beat them. They also have some very good American/foreign players. They return a very solid point guard that has led them to 2 Swiss Cup championships and 1 league championship. Matt Schneidermann (Northern Iowa) is a 3 point shooting threat and a match up problem because of his height. The only new face this year is Duane Erwin for University of Memphis. I played against him when he played for Memphis and also in Switzerland when he played for Lugano. He is a terror on the boards and a very good team player.

Vacallo should be a great test for us and I can not wait for the game.

Some Things........

2009-10-02T16:27:00.000-07:00

I'm in my 4th year of playing overseas now and some things still amaze me. I thought that I have seen it all but apparently I have not. We are two days away from playing our first official game against the most successful club (Fribourg Olympic) in Swiss basketball history and we do not have practice the day before the game. I'll say it again for affect, We do not have a team practice the day before the first game of the Swiss LNBA season. The Americans, if we want too, can come in and shoot on Saturday but the rest of the team does not have to come.

Somehow I can not picture this flying with some of my past coaches. I will not name any names but I have had 2-4 hour blood baths the day before games and sometimes the day of the game. Oh well, I just got back from enjoying some wine with my best friend and my wife in beautiful downtown Lugano. I guess we just have to focus on the positive.

Until next time.........

Way Too Much Time on My Hands

2009-09-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

I fully acknowledge that I have a pretty awesome job that I love. Fortunately or unfortunately it is impossible to do my job for 24 hours. Being away from the comforts of home I sometimes have a lot of time on my hands. The other day I was going through my DVD collection and realized that I never watched season 3 of 24. That was a huge mistake on my part because it was a great season not to mention an awesome show.

For about a week I watched the 24 episodes of the season. My teammates got annoyed at me and my idolization over Jack Bauer and how he is the man. So I asked them, who would you want to get you out of a tough situation if you were ever in one. That led me to think who I would want to get me out of a tough situation. Those of you who know me already know who I would trust and want but I came up with a great idea. I figured I could blog my Top 5 movie/television characters that I would trust to get me or the great US of A out of a jam.

There were a few criteria here. No super-heroes or people with super powers. So, while I love X Men and comic characters, they are not on the list. I also only chose shows that I watch or have watched. Some people may argue that their beloved character should be on the list but this is my list and not yours.

Here is my Top 5 people I would want to help me or America should trouble happen.

Horatio Caine from CSI Miami- I know he has not worked on a national scale but he always solves cases on CSI. It's amazing. The man is a genius and his one liners would just make me laugh. You have to love that and you have to love the mans glasses and his style. Horatio Caine ladies and gentlemen.

Batman- Here we go! This is the type of action guy I'm talking about. But wait, isn't Batman a comic book hero with super human powers. WRONG! My teammate Ross reminded me that Batman is a regular human being that just decided he needed to fight the evil of Gotham City. By the way, this is Christian Bale Batman and not the others. He is my favorite Batman and the one I want on my side if something were to ever go down. Maybe I could even get my own spotlight to shine in the sky if I were to get in a jam. Now that would be awesome! But in all seriousness, Batman is the man! He is a rich guy that fights evil for good. That's the type of guy I want on my side!
The A Team- I can remember watching the A Team as a little guy growing up. They had that really cool van and they had Mr T. Need I say more?
Jason Bourne- The Bourne movie series might possibly be my favorite move series of all time. Bourne speaks every language known to man and every fighting style ever invented. He is also ridiculously smart. He might have to be my European contact though considering all of the movies took place in Europe except for the third one to end in New York. There is the possibility that he might not help out the USA in a jam but I have to believe that he would because he has a good heart.
Jack Bauer- I think everyone saw this one coming. I think Jack could take every other person on the list by himself. This is truly a man that loves America. He is a patriot. After watching all the seasons of 24 I can say that Jack is the person I would want to get me out of a sticky situation. Once he has the Jack Bauer bag it's game over. Literally for all characters involved. I could keep going on and on about Jack but it might look like I have a man crush on him so instead I will just link a site here so people can know all the facts about the man.

http://www.jackbauerfacts.com/

So there it is. I hope you enjoyed the read and look forward to more pointless posts in the future because there are many more to come.

Until next time.........

Game Week

2009-09-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

I really need to do a better job updating this blog but apparently I am too busy reading perezhilton.com, watching 24 and playing video games to do it. I guess it's just the life of a lazy person with way too much time on his hands. I promise I will try to update this a little more.

Anyways, game week is upon SAM Massagno. Yes, after one month being in Switzerland, we get to play our first Swiss LNBA basketball game against Fribourg. A little background information on Fribourg. They are the most successful Swiss basketball club over this history of basketball in Switzerland. In my 3 previous years in the league they have completely dominated 2 of them. In my first year playing for Lugano, Fribourg won the League Cup, Swiss Cup and the Swiss Championship. We lost to the in the League Cup by around 30 points (the picture to the left is me playing in this blowout) and lost in the Swiss Championship in 4 games. Two years ago they won the League Cup and the Swiss Championship and last year they won the League Cup. That's not too shabby.

All that being said though, Fribourg appears to be a different team this year. They only have 2 import players (American/non Swiss.) That's unusual because they usual because they are allowed to have 7 and they usually have the allotted number. They are definitely going to be a very good team though. They have great coaching and veteran leadership. It will be a good test for us as our first game. I would rather play them now rather than later.

As I said earlier, we are in game week. It feels good to be finally working on an opponent. I was out of action last week because of ankle tendinitis. It was extremely painful and not very fun to have. Coach kept me out of practice for about a week and half while I went to the physical therapist and rehabbed and got better. The physical therapist here is extremely good and while at times they use questionable methods, I put all of my trust in them to get me better. With an open mind, Swiss medicine is excellent.

So, I'm close to 100% right not and feeling great. I also have good news because my friend Dan Fitzgerald is playing with me again. It felt great to take the court with him in practice for the first time in years. He looked great on the court tonight and apparently we didn't miss a beat because Coach told me that we worked very well together tonight. So that's a good thing. I just want to play some basketball.

Is it Sunday yet? Ill try and write some more later this week. Until then........

Pictures against Nyon

2009-09-15T14:32:00.001-07:00

This is me throwing one down before the game versus some German team.
AND ONE!!!!!! Bucket and the foul against Nyon. I made the free throw in case you were wondering.
Jump hook against Wisconsin's own Michael Southall of Nyon.
Team picture. Probably the weakest picture ever. We definitely need to take a new one!

Pre-season

2009-09-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since my last post. We have just been going through the grueling pre-season. Its definitely a change from last year. Thats good though. It is more of a professional environment and it feels like a job this year. I like it but I think my body hates it.

We finally have a complete team now. Our point guard Vernon Hamilton finally came. Its good to have all the Americans here. We are still trying to get a feel for each other. This past weekend we played in a tournament in Basel. It was my first game situation since March 21 so it felt really good to get back out onto the court in a real competitive situation. Our opponent was Nyon and they are going to be very good this year. They have some familiar faces from last year and also some nice additions. The game was a little bit of a blowout but I guess that is to be expected since it was our first game action as a team. By comparison Nyon had already played 5 times and 3 of those games were against Euro League teams. We definitely showed some promise at times though but we have a lot to improve upon.

As for myself, I played pretty well considering the circumstances. My body is going through the usual pre season aches and pains. In our second game of the tournament I only played the first half because I had extreme pain in my legs. It was no fun. The good news is that I felt fantastic in practice tonight. I hope Im turning the corner. I went to get a massage last night and I have been taking Magnesium. Thats what the coaches tell me to do at least.

Im really looking forward to feeling great and playing great basketball again. I think its just right around the corner.

This was just a post about basketball but in the next post I will post about the fun Liz and I have had so far here.

Until next time. Keep fighting the good fight......