Happy Birthday to me.

Today is my birthday (woo) and I am 22 years old. Even though this is the first time I haven't seen my family on or within a few hours of my birthday, I refuse to be depressed. I have too many things for which to be thankful.

For starters, Thanksgiving Day turned out a whole lot better than anticipated. Many of the Germans whom I am around routinely poke fun at American culture, but Thanksgiving's feast is one they fully embrace. What started out as suggestions to try and thwart homesickness quickly became expectations of a gourmet meal hosted in mine and Nick's apartment. I've secretly fancied myself a pretty good cook but my only experience with preparing Thanksgiving dinner had been helping my mom snap peas and grate cheddar. Given this, I was excited to test my mettle.

After roughly 12 hours of work, Nick and I stood proudly and patted each other on the back for successfully completing our task.
In other news, despite playing blind for the past 2 weeks, we have picked up 2 more wins and I have been playing well. On November 23, we played our weakest opponents. We were only up by about 10 at the end of the first half, but we stretched it to about 30 by the end of the game. I think I finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
This past Saturday, we traveled to Berlin and played one of our tougher opponents. We raced to an early lead and finished the first half up by 11. During the beginning of the second half, our opponents stormed back to cut the deficit to 3. I hit a buzzer beating, step-back 3-pointer at the end of the quarter to squash their momentum and push our lead to 9 points heading into the final frame.
In the last quarter we outscored them 30-17 and won going away. I think I finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Happy Birthday to me!

Who knew I didn't have to see to shoot well?

The weekend before last, we travelled to Berlin (once again) to play a league game versus a below .500 opponent. We played them once in the preseason in a game that was far from exciting. This game didn't prove itself any different. I think we won by close to 30 points. I played alright, though I didn't get as many shot attempts as I would have liked. I think the "official" record has me down for 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. 

This past Friday, I woke up with my eyes the color of ketchup. I had to wear sunglasses inside because light felt like a hit with a sledgehammer. I called the VP of the basketball club and scheduled an appointment with the doctor. They gave me eye cream, yes cream, that burned and didn't work. I went in for another appointment Saturday morning before our game. The doctor strongly advised me against wearing contacts for a while, so I was resigned to playing blind. 

We travelled 3.5 hours to play the Ascherleben Tigers. The car ride was a special experience because the new medicine they gave me dilated my pupils. The combination of the pitched  blackness of the country night and bright headlights on the autobahn meant lots of squinting and looking away. Thankfully, the lights in the arena didn't bother me. 

We were up after every period, and up 11 with 2:30 to go but still managed to lose. Our starting point guard left the game because he was "dizzy", our back up point guard had 4 straight turnovers that resulted in break away lay-ups, and we missed 6 straight free throws including  the possible game winning ones.  Daggers. I probably played my best game since being over here but it was wasted in a losing effort. The stats aren't official yet, but my coach thinks I had somewhere between 25-32 points and 15 rebounds..

Oh yeah. Amherst plays their first game next week! Let's go Jeff's. Terras Irradient.

like a raisin in the sun?

I think Presidential elections often give valuable insights into the disposition of a country. The notion of an African American being chosen as the candidate for a major political party prophesied that change was on the horizon, that the country was embarking on new journey. But what kind of beginning lie ahead? Would this mark the beginning of finding solutions to various social and economic issues that were typically divided over phenotypic differences or would this just be the final schism during a turbulent time? With last night's results, America authoritatively responded with the former. 

I wish I could have been home to feel the vibrations of triumph that resonated across the land or to take part in the collective sigh of relief when CNN officially declared Obama the victor. I can only imagine the gamut of emotions that must have swirled within different families. I wasn't emotional until I realized how not-so-far removed I was from different times. Times when my Grandparents had to provide for my parents during the Civil Rights Movement. How could they have imagined then, when race was a determining factor for everything, that it would become a cursory detail? And, wow, how amazing is it for my 10 year old sister? She doesn't have to dream about the day someone who looks like her is President. Pause. That's not true, but this must make that vision more than a dream deferred.

Change doesn't usually happen radically and abruptly. Typically, it happens step by step then one day you look back and see how far you've walked. Since its inception, America has been a beacon to other countries. And with this election, it can start to erase some of the stains that marred it over the past eight years. 

What else is changing in America? There is a saying I found on the internet that I kind of like:

"Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Barack could run. Barack ran so our children could fly."

In Harlem during the 1950's, Langston Hughes (famous African American poet, novelist, short story writer, columnist, and playwright) asked, "What happens to a dream deferred"? On November 4, 2008, an entire country finally answered. 

PS-

A dream deferred. (Langston Hughes)

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode? 

PPS- We won our last game and I had a double-double.

Okay, so as requested: 

The Cottbus White Devils are now 3-1. After last weeks disappointing loss, we responded with a decisive 34 point victory over an undefeated team. Since we had been struggling to score points, my coach started me at power forward, moved Nick to center, put in another a shooter at small forward, and benched our former starting center. 

I finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds on a pretty efficient performance. We put in a few new sets on offense that aren't really designed for me to score, so I did not get many looks early; however, I managed to sneak in a few offensive boards and put backs and a few transition post ups to get going. My defender started heading straight for the paint after that so I was able to get some trail three's also. All in all, I feel much better about my/our play than I have in a few games. 

Our team lacks some leadership and dedication, but I think this game did a lot to establish confidence. It's a lot easier to put in the hard work when there is a reward, so hopefully knowing we can win in this fashion will take us to another level.

I did split my lip a little bit, but it's healing quickly.

Wellps..

Our first L

Three games into the season the White Devils of Cottbus picked up their first loss. We were up 10 at half time but ended up losing by about 11. We gave up 72 points, so the problem was definitely more of our offense. I am pretty sure we only had 5 guys out of the 12 who played score.  I played well, but 12 of the 18 points I had came in the first half.  For some reason we were far less disciplined in our offense and the only person to get quality scoring opportunities was our point guard. Hmm. 

Perhaps as frustrating as the loss itself was the way my coach handled the adversity. Every timeout was incessant yelling. Not once did he ask a question; every sentence he uttered was an imperative command in a self-righteous tone. I am quickly developing a deaf ear for 90% of the things he says to me during games. 

The pinnacle of his attitude problem for me was when we were down 9 with 40 seconds to go in the 4th quarter. I asked him if we should foul twice (in an effort to prolong the game and hope we make some shots). Both times he sat with his legs crossed, arms folded, and pouted. He didn't even use his words, all he did was shake his head. 

Next weekend is another game, so we can't dwell on this one. We will also get the chance to play them again... I'll have that day circled on my calendar.

Wie geht es dir?

Here I am! Sorry I am late, I was caught in traffic on route 80. There was an accident. 

So, what's happened since my last blog? Well, let's see:

Two weeks ago, Nick and I started German lessons. Every Friday afternoon between individual workouts and team practice, a team manager comes over with a workbook and we try and gain a new "tool" to use in typical German life. The first week was pretty much about initial interactions with strangers. We went over how to ask what someone's name is, where they are from, their age, what they do for a living, how they are doing (that's the title of this post), etcetera. Our second lesson took us beyond saying "I would like to have..." at a restaurant. I am a picky eater, so asking if I can have something different than what is on the karte will come in handy. 

Lessons have been the only things recently to remind me of the cozy safety bubble of college life. Within the last eight days, I installed my own shower head holder, had to break my bike lock (twice), had a flat tire fixed, and deal with a vice president of a certain basketball club that wasn't forthcoming with important monetary information.

At the beginning of last week, I had to saw through my bike because some stranger broke their key off in my lock. I chose to think that someone got confused and tried to unlock the wrong bike. It helps me sleep at night. I obviously had to go to the store and buy a saw myself because that's what you have to do if you want to get things done. At the end of that week, I got a flat riding to practice and broke my own key off in the lock after practice.   I didn't even break it from side to side , I twisted it broken. Keys shouldn't be that malleable- especially not with finicky locks. 

The crown jewel of dealing with things myself happened yesterday when I received an email saying that I half of the recent phone bill would be deducted from my pay next month. I wrote a harsh email saying that I didn't use the phone equally, and that when I did use it, it was at no cost. So, that a pay deduction was unacceptable. Feeling pretty good about standing up for myself, I continued to keep it funky via email and said that it's unfair to make up some magic number that we have to start paying for when our contract said the club would be responsible for the phone.

She responded with a dagger of a response. Evidently the club is responsible for providing the phone- not the service. Real cool. I wasn't happy, but ultimately it was my fault. Live and learn.

Wellps, we play our second game this weekend in Berlin. I am excited to play another game that counts.  

Big gulps, huh?

Wellps, the first game came and went. It was a real barn burner, too. With 30 seconds to go we were only up 39 points. After the game, our coach expressed his disappointment to the media saying that we "should have won by 100" against our opponent. 

Please excuse my sarcasm, but my coach did actually say that. While on the topic of things my coach did, I feel the urge to make a list- 

My coach said:

When I am open to shoot the three on the ball reversal, to not shoot.  

When I catch the ball against zone defense to try and score.

Don't shoot the wide open three off of one pass against the zone.

Shoot a challenged jump shot, instead. (Mostly because it's about two feet closer despite it still being one pass against the zone.)

Don't throw a skip pass to someone for a wide open shot that wasn't a lay-up.

Don't shoot an open shot because we can get them whenever we want.

There are a host of contradictions that I'd rather not discuss at the moment. Talking about them right now will only put me in the wrong mindset for practice in a couple of hours. 

Tough times pass, tough people last. He can kiss my grits. 

Sorry about the typographical errors earlier. Haste makes waste. 

..game day.

..T - 4.5 hours until game time. I think it is still too early to start playing "lock-in" music.

Ahem.. let me clear my throat.

I need to get something off my chest quickly. 

I haven't taken an economics class since my sophomore year of college (and I didn't do as well as I would have liked to say the least, lol), so I'm not even pretending to be any kind of authority on the best solutions to America's current financial situation. That being said, something doesn't seem right about the bail out plan the American government is leaning towards.

Monetarily beneficial or not, I think ethics should be applied to the economy because something is wrong when the profits of speculators (individuals and entities who invest in stocks, property, etc) are kept private but their losses are paid for publicly. Smells like capitalism when the rich do well and socialism when they don't. Somebody wake me up when the government decides to pay for my student loans. 

That's all I got.

Internal squabbles

Shout out to one of my older brothers, Fletch, for reminding to diversify my posts. Everyone should check out his blog at: fletchsports.blogspot.com. While you are at it, everyone should also check out a blog that all of my older siblings [hopefully] and I will be doing together at keepinitlive.blogspot.com.

I took lots of good courses during my tenure at Amherst (and I few miserable ones), but one psychology class made such an impact on me that I almost want to call it a great class. Semantics prevent me from using the label "great" in describing the entire class, but I can say that at least its premise was great. In this class, the psychology of race, we discussed (to simplify) the nature of racism. A challenge that we continually faced as a class was classifying racism. It was usually easy to figure out whether a particular issue or occurrence "felt" racist but it proved much more difficult hammering out why exactly that was. 

After individual workout this morning, I had one of these internal conflicts while eating lunch with Nick, and Thomas (the best German player on our team). Before I describe the scenario and how it made me feel, I'd like to stress that I am not writing to pass judgement or to imply how others should feel. I'm simply saying what I think. I welcome and encourage anyone to respond. 

Anyway, during lunch Thomas mentioned American politics. The conversation started with his views on President Bush but eventually morphed into a discussion of the upcoming election. He said that he supported Sen. Obama because he seems to have a clue about foreign policy. Nick agreed with Thomas' support by saying, "Yeah. Black man for president." Thomas asked if Nick was for Sen. Obama just because he's Black. Nick confirmed that this was true. Even though Thomas expressed a little bit of resentment for Nick's views, he was polite and the conversation transitioned to a Dave Chapelle skit on race. The particulars of the skit escape me at the moment, but what stuck out with me was that Nick used the N-Word incessantly. What stuck out with me even more was that Thomas began using it just as much. What stuck out with me the most was that neither seemed bothered by the other's use of the word or in the least way hesitant to use it themselves. 

So, with my head cocked to the side the way it does when I am trying figure something out, I tried to resolve some issues:

On one hand, the word is extremely loaded with negativity and it's very mentioning calls to mind the terrible struggles and hardships many people sweat, bled, and died fighting to overcome. I also admit that being a Black American makes this issue much more salient to me and consequently sensitive to it. On the other hand , neither used the word maliciously or towards me. Nick being Black and using it sort of minimizes it's impact as well.

Ultimately, I think it's a step in the right direction when people of different backgrounds can speak openly about things that were once extremely volatile and taboo. However, I also realized through my discomfort that certain things command a certain level of respect. Prejudice of any form, whether it be based upon ethnicity, creed, or personal preferences is serious. It has been at the root of many of the World's greatest human disasters and should not be minimized. 

All in all, I think lunch was a defining moment for me. I realized that education and tolerance are as important to me as my faith, personal integrity, and family. That's quite the cocktail, haha. 

..'tis all I got.

7-0

Another weekend down and another three wins to add to the wins column. 

Yesterday everyone on the team who lives in Cottbus got up at the crack of dawn to head up to Berlin for a six team tournament. The way we piled into a minivan and drove for a couple hours reminded me of AAU- especially the way my knees hurt at about the 3/4 mark of the journey. We arrived about 10 minutes before tip-off so we really had to scramble to be ready.

Our first game was certainly our easiest. The team didn't have too much size, they weren't great shooters, they took quick shots, and played a zone. Amherst has suppressed my conscience when it comes to attacking zones, lol. I took two in our first two possessions of the game just to send a message. I am just glad they went in, haha. That makes the message much more clear than two quick clankers.  The quarters were eight minutes long (they are usually 10) and Coach tried to save my legs some so I didn't play as much as I am used to. I am not exactly sure what my stats were from any of the games this weekend, but I think I had 22ish and 7ish. I am find that it's a lot harder to get rebounds as a small forward when coach keeps telling me to get back.

Our second game was tougher than our first, but we were better than them as well. They had a center who was pretty good, but other than that they didn't have anyone special. The details of that game are kind of a blur. Being a psych major has taught me that primacy (when stuff happens first) and recency ( when stuff happens last) dictate what gets remembered well when something significant hasn't happened. Anyway, I think I had 24ish and 7ish. 

Our third game was certainly our toughest opponent. Before we played, Coach said all the things that coaches tell their teams when they are getting ready to play someone who is at least as talented as them: Stay in the moment, think about what we want to do, don't let them do whatever they want, yaddayadda. This squad had size in the post (one guy's arms were literally as big as my legs) and versatility on the wings. All of that being said, we were up 11 at half time. Coach, in his infinite confidence, says that we are "still in the game". I wanted to slap him with a wet sock.  First of all, don't say "still" like there will come a time when we won't be. There was nothing to indicate that at all. Stupid. And secondly, there was no magic or miracle that's allowed us to be winning. That's what we were out there to do, wasn't it? There should be no surprises. We are good. Period. Own it. Anyways, we won by 20 something. They got Wash U-ed. I had 30ish and 7 ish I believe. 

Overall I'd give my self a B+/A- for this weekend. 

What's up, Berlin?

So yesterday a few teammates, a couple others, Nick, and I travelled to Berlin and Bernau. During the 2 hour train ride, I saw a few noteworthy things. The first is the endless countryside. There is farmland for kilometers in between bigger cities. Sprinkled in there are lots of huge three-armed windmills. I also saw the tropical "island" about halfway between Cottbus and Berlin.  The "island" is pretty much an enclosed, man-made biome.  It has its own climate and everything- complete with weather, plants, and animals. I will have to put it on my checklist of places to go. 

A little later on, we passed the new arena called O2(as in oxygen) World. In an effort to promote the NBA in Europe, the Hornets will play the Wizards there in October. Hopefully I can catch that game.

Speaking of which, after we sight-saw in Berlin for a couple hours , we rode to Bernau to catch a 4th league team play a 1st league team. 'Twas pretty crazy because one of the American import players on the team from the 4th league  (one of Nick's best friends) replaced an American player who played for half a season  before moving up to the 1st league team...both of whom played D-III. Craziness.

Anyway, I walked away from the game confident that I can play at 1st league level. Seeing them play has helped give me a sense of where I need to be and I think it's a very attainable goal.

Good, better, best....

Ugly wins are better than losses.

We just wrapped up this weekend with two more victories (4-0 in le preseason). The first club we played was the second team of Alba Berlin. Alba Berlin's first team won the championship in the highest league here in Germany last season. Their second team consists of guys who are 21 or younger and are supposedly the most promising prospects Deutschland has to offer. They were actually the first team to have more size than us. I think they started 6'10, 6'9, 6'5, 6'3,6'2. I certainly didn't play my best that game. I shot poorly in the first half, I don't know how I managed to be the high scorer...wasn't very pretty. The second half was better, though. It's an adjustment for me to have to shoot through bad spells...but that's okay because it builds character. I don't know about the boards, but I finished with 15 points. On the bright side, we had 5 people in double figures. I think we won by a hard fought 30. It felt like a 3 point game until the last 2 minutes... weird.

The name of the second club is too hard to spell, and I can't find them on the schedule so I won't try. Their best two players were very good. One 6'6 or 6'7 muscle-head had super boost. He pinned my teammate's first lay-up against the backboard about as hard as I have ever seen. I played much better that game though I didn't get a whole lot of touches. As a team, I think we need to do a better job of running plays for the guys who are the best scorers. We had a lot of dead sets because the ball ends up in the hands of the wrong people in the wrong position. I had an efficient 18 and we won by almost 20 I think. 

Overall I'd give myself a C+ for the first game and a B for the second. My body hurts. The American diner we are getting ready to go to will make me feel better.

Guten Tag

Green light

We just had pre-game practice with only six people. That is definitely an adjustment coming from the army of a team we had back at Amherst. That's alright, though...just means a lot of individual attention. Speaking of which, Coach Schilling told me that the only time I shouldn't shoot is if by some miracle a defender is in my shirt as I catch the ball...and in those situation to drive and try and score. Being a primary option will be something special, lol. 

Here come the night-before-a-game jitters. Nothing a little online chess won't solve. 

Welcome to the 21st Century

Two and a half weeks in and I am finally connected to the real world. Nick (my American roommate and teammate) and I have had to spend the past week splitting time on the computer using dial-up.  Waiting 4 minutes for Google mail to load is zero fun...not to mention we couldn't use the phone while the other was online. Patient family, friends, and girlfriends are blessings, lol.

So, here is to modern technology. Hopefully this will keep my brain from becoming lard..and sharing my thoughts won't be a bad thing either. Practice tonight, and game day tomorrow!