Victory!

As the title insinuates, yesterday (Saturday, February 14) we successfully defended our home court  in the first game played there in over 2 months. It wasn't very pretty, especially in the beginning, but at this point in the season all that really matters is the end result. 

The game was the highest stakes game that I've played in since last year's NCAA tournament. If we won, we'd be playing the following week for first place and the right to move up a league; If TuS Lichterfelde (TuSLi) lost, they would be forced to move down a league. Finally, we were playing for something we could actually see on the horizon. 

TuSLi signed two American import players recently to help them stay afloat: a 6'4 guard and a 7'0" center. The 6'4" guard walked into our gym and onto our floor in street clothes, took a ball that we were using to warm up, shot on our basket as we warmed up, and ignored our not-so-polite requests for him to keep it moving. I didn't know much about his playing style but his demeanor told me it'd be an interesting game one way or another. 

The first half wasn't my best work. We were down 3 points and I had only scored 3 points. Nick kept us in the game well with 20 pts in the first half, but other than him, no one really scored very well. Our offense was stagnant mostly because the 7-footer did a pretty good job early in challenging shots.

The second half was much better. A couple of offensive rebounds got me going and a few post isolations helped me to find my rhythm again. I had 16 points in the second half  including a stretch of 4 or 5 straight scores. The American guard decided to defend me in the 4th quarter and ended up getting two quick fouls. He responded by storming off the court and into the lockerroom for the rest of the game. There was no shaking of hands for him at the contest's end. 

I finished with 19 and 15ish. The best part is that the first place team, Hermsdorf, lost in overtime. This means that if we win the rest of our games, we will the league outright. No needing to score by a certain point margin or anything. Woo!!

Shout out the the 'Herst boys for holding down their homecourt on Sr. Day. I'm proud of them.

Up and running

My other Blog is now up and running! You should check her out if you get a chance. I appreciate it.

Hi there...

How are things? It feels like forever since I have posted. Almost an entire month later, I can finally give an update on basketball related events. I'll start there.

On Saturday, February 7, we traveled to Berlin to play the 4th place team our league. Even though we beat them by 30 at home, we knew it would be a tough game because we'd only have 6 eligible players. Between injuries and people deciding that practice was optional, I knew I wouldn't really have a viable substitute and would have to log 36+ (out of 40) minutes.

Just as advertised, the game was even the entire way. With :23 seconds remaining the other team was down 3 with the ball. We bore down defensively and corralled a long rebound as time expired to secure the win. In 37 minutes of play, I had 19 points and 10ish rebounds. I was prepared for bad officiating, so I wasn't super surprised that I didn't get the calls that I should've gotten. My numbers weren't spectacular, but I was satisfied with my play because I made some tough shots down the stretch. Nick finished with about 12 points and 8 rebounds.

The first place team lost last weekend so we have a chance to win the league without any outside help. I'll mention more about the particulars of that when the time comes; but for now, the focus is winning next week in our (insert triumphant music here) home debut of the new year.

In other news....

I am now an independent business owner. It was just a little investment and my short term goal is only to make some extra change to help with student loans, but other people have been able to retire after 5 years. I am going to start another blog that will go into more detail and I will link it to this one.

Oh yeah.....
GOOOOOOOO STEEELERS

..Back again.

Well, after a much anticipated break from German life, I've made my way back to Cottbus and life has returned to normal.

First off, We won two games between my last post and when I flew back to NJ. Nick was definitely the shining star in each of them. I think he had 30 points and 24 points respectively. My numbers didn't stand out as much, but I played well in both games. The opponents were definitely scheming to take me out of the offense so I had to defer a bit more than usual. I finished the first game with 18 and the second with 14.

On December 19th, I flew from Berlin to Newark with a short layover in London. After a brief interrogation by US Customs, I was warmly greeted by my parents, sisters, and Kim. It was such a relief to hear American music that wasn't Rihanna's "Bom Bom Bee Dom Bom Bom Bee Dom Dom." Exit 28 never looked so good.

My time home was filled with Christmas decorations, movies, food, egg nog, monopoly, and more food. I got to help out with MKA's boys' basketball and see some old teammates and friends as well. My second weekend home I got to see Kim's family. That was good stuff, too.

Kim and I spent New Year's Eve in NYC with all but one of my former roomates, Rachael (one of my best friends and aspiring singer/songwriter), and a bunch of other people from Amherst. It was great to see everyone again.

Unfortunately, I had to head back across the Atlantic on New Year's Day. Sadness.

After pit stops in Berlin and Amsterdam, Kim and I arrived in Paris. We experimented with the Parisian subway system enough to figure out how to get to the Eiffel Tour, the Louvre, St. Michel Notre Dame, and the Grand Arch.

After Paris, it was back to Germany for us. It was nice to be able to share my life over here with someone from home. It was back to work for me as I had individual work outs and practice all week long, but it was great to come home to a familiar face.

On Saturday, before my game, Kim and I did a little bit of sightseeing around Berlin with Yogi and Martin. It wasn't exactly my idea of getting mentally ready, and my coach wasn't thrilled with the idea , but that's okay. We saw some gorgeous architecture among other great sights (not including a scary Palestinian demonstration).

The game itself went well. For most of the game we had a 15 point lead. It was my first game wearing contacts since forever. It was something special to be able to read the scoreboard. I finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds with one of the best cheerleaders in attendance (I may need make a quick, shortlist to do everyone justice. Maybe that will be my next post.)

All in all, the past 3 weeks have been 3 weeks filled with countless memories.

I guess I'll have to start the countdown until I come home again.

Big gulps.

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..