October 25th

This week, things got back to normal... playing basketball and working out.  We had our first official game of the season this past Wednesday.  It was a "cup" game which is a tournament with all the teams in Israel regardless of division.  The bus ride down to Be'eri was about 3 hours.  Not a pleasant ride considering the seats were not made for tall people.  One nice thing the team did though was to stop about an hour away at a Hotel so the team could lay down in some beds and rest before the game.  We left a little extra early in order to give us this extra rest time.  also, we got to see some of the countryside of Israel.  It was nice but a little interesting when I found out the game was to be played only a few kilometers from Gaza.  We played a second division team and had little trouble with the game.  We ended up winning by 40+.  I got to play some minutes but a lot of my minutes came when the game had already been decided.  It is really tough just watching the game but it is something that I will have to get used to..  hopefully not too much though.  The next day in practice the coach talked with me and told me I have to improve my rebounding and some aspects of my defense.  Rebounding never used to be a problem with me but sometimes I feel like the rebounds are never falling in my direction.  I'll need to be more proactive in getting some more rebounds in the future.  We also have our first league game tomorrow.  It should be a good test for our team because it will be the first time our team has played in the first division in Israel in a number of years.  

Another issue that came up this week before one of the practices was our christmas break.  They were talking about giving us a break but having to be back before christmas.  What kind of christmas break is that?  I guess not a christmas break at all, just a break..  It would be from about the 15th of Dec to the 22nd of Dec.  this would be so we could have 2 weeks of practice before our next game. Most of the guys on the team, especially the Americans, say we don't need that much preparation.  The coach may think we'll be out of shape though with a longer break.  Of course, this all depends on if we win our next cup game.  It's all very complicated but I think if our team keeps winning games we might have a better chance to argue our way to get to stay home for christmas.  If we're losing, we might not have the luxury of arguing our way.  Anyways, I hope we get a chance to be home for christmas because my whole life I have never missed a christmas with my family.  It is a very big deal for most everybody so you can see why I'm curious about what might happen.  I'll just have my fingers crossed and hope for the best..

A feeling of home..

This week was filled with many emotional highs and lows.  First lets talk about the high's.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, my long time friend Caleb Kimbrough and girlfriend would be making visits to Israel this week.  The visits were amazing.  Kelly and I drove down to Tel Aviv to pick Caleb and two teammates up and bring them to Haifa for a night.  It was such an amazing feeling to have two people who are so close to you in the car with you half way across the world.  I felt like I was on top of the world in that car ride..  who wouldn't?  After a night in Haifa I drove Caleb and his teammates back to Tel Aviv the next day so they could play against the Globetrotters.  Kelly and I continued to have a great week.  I felt like I was on vacation and not working with her there.  We went to all the "tourist" spots in Haifa and even went on a suspended cable car ride over part of the city.  Sadly, all vacations have to come to an end.  This is where my emotional lows came in.  After being so happy with these people here, I was equally as upset when they had to leave.  Thats just what happens when people you are close to you have to leave..  I can't dwell on the negative feelings though and focus on the positive.  Nobody can be ever satisfied if they always want more.  Take whats given and be grateful.  Easier said than done.  

Now on to a little basketball..  We had two scrimmages this week and both of them were won by us.  We played the same team both games and had better success the first game.  we won by about 20.  the second game we snuck by with about a 7 or 8 point win.  Still, we look to have a very strong team.  My playing time varied between the two games.  I had many more minutes in the first game than in the second.  Don't really know the reason but what else can I do besides keep playing and trying my hardest.  This coming week should be a good test to see where we're at as a team.  Real gamest start soon and our first league game is in about a week.  These are the games that really matter and I think our team is up to the challenge..    

October 10th

The past week has been exciting/different for me for a few reasons.  First, the holiday of Yom Kippur.  In Israel, nobody drives from 6pm in the evening til 6pm the next evening.  This was very different for me to have a "curfew" during the day.  I thought to myself,  if I'm not jewish or Israeli, why do I have to not drive?  After talking with some of my teammates about it though I decided not to drive and respect the holiday.  It almost seemed like a ghost town with NO cars on the road.  Quite an odd sight to see these days.  Anyways, this week was also the first time I got paid!  I have been here for a little over a month now and it was a good feeling to get paid.  This will allow me to better show some special visitors around this week. 

2 people who are very close to me are coming to Israel for the first time.  First, my longtime teammate and great friend Caleb Kimbrough will be coming to Israel while on tour with the world famous Harlem Globetrotters.  He plays with the Washington Generals (the team they play and always beat... sorry Caleb).  I know how competitive he is and I'm sure he doesn't like losing but he's getting paid to lose.  Not a bad job at all.  Last(but surely not least), my girlfriend Kelly will be coming Tomorrow!  I'm very excited about this :) We have been talking on video chat while here but it's just not the same as being with the person.  I will definitely show her a good time on her fall break.  I am extremely excited about my visitors this week.  I can't wait to show them around my new country and take them to the spots that I have learned. As for the basketball..  We are still practicing and getting ready for our first game.  We have another scrimmage this Sunday and it will be another chance for me to show the coaches what I've got.  I'm just starting to get more comfortable on the court even though I have to go against the two "bulls" (the other two big guys on our team) every day in practice.  I find new bruises and sores on me everyday.  It will only help me get better though.  Ido beats me up in the lane every day but when he's done, he tells me its all out of love. 

 Can't wait for this week..  should be a good one.    

First Month in Israel

When I first landed in Israel after a long 10.5 hour flight I thought to myself, "what have I got myself into"?  I was now in a desert land far away from home and everything that I have ever known.  Since then however, Israel has grown on me.  Getting used to a different culture is not the easiest thing to do but it is slowly getting easier as time passes.  So much is different over here.  Most of the signs are written in Hebrew which is basically impossible to understand to someone who has never known another language other than English and a little Spanish.  The good thing about Israel is about 80% of the people here speak english.  So after all, it turned out to be one of the easiest countries to go to and feel at home.  

After I drove an hour north to Haifa from Tel Aviv I finally got to settle down in my new home.  I was given an apartment and a car to use while here.  Having your own place is nice but is quite different from living with 3 other roommates.  My whole college career, I had roommates and this is the first time that I have actually lived alone.  It is somewhat peaceful and an adjustment to somebody who is used to having others always living with him.  Anyways, on to my teammates..  

Total, there are 7 players from America on my team.  Brooks, BJ, Tamir, Todd, Doron, Davon and myself are the Americans on the team.  This is nice because it makes me feel more at home with a good few others in the same shoes as me.  Also, all of the Israeli players on the team are easy to get along with.  All but one speak perfect english as well as the coaches.  It basically feels like an American team playing in Israel.  Not too bad for my first job after speaking with some of the other American guys who have played in other countries including some Eastern European countries where nobody speaks any english.  Now on to some basketball..

This experience on the court is going to be different from what I've grown used to.  Going from being the star on the team to a role player has been a little tough for me so far.  In college, my teammates would pass me the ball almost every possession.. not the case here.  I am now forced to learn to play a lot without the ball and to have a "full" defensive responsibility.  I used to be able to just sit in the paint and wait for the rebound.  Now I am forced to constantly run out and defend pick and rolls because that is how many of the teams play over here.  It should be a great learning experience gaining tips from all the experienced guys on my team this season.  It will be a difficult time spending most of the game on the bench but it's what must be done right now.  My motivation has kicked up a degree though because watching the game for me just isn't the same.  We'll see what happens..