We got our first win since I arrived here in Hungary. The game was about three hours away; we take a bus for every road trip and leave the day of the game. Since Hungary is quite a bit smaller than Romania, it's great that we never have a long road trip. It was a fairly close match the whole game. We were up by about 10 points in the beginning of the fourth quarter and let that lead slip away. The other team took the lead, but I was proud of the way we stayed together and didn't loose our composure. It came down to free throws at the end and we won by three. I played pretty well and ended up with about 20 points and hit some shots down the stretch when we needed them. I was glad my shot was coming through - it felt like there was a little weight lifted off my shoulders from my own expectation to play well.
I wish there was more to tell you, but I guess that is all for the moment. Check out my pics and video on the right if you haven't already. Thanks again for the support!!
Take care,
Mike
Monday, January 23, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Debrecen pics
Hey everyone,
I added some pictures of Debrecen. There is a link to the photos on the right side of the blog. I hope you enjoy and I will write again soon.
Take care,
Mike
I added some pictures of Debrecen. There is a link to the photos on the right side of the blog. I hope you enjoy and I will write again soon.
Take care,
Mike
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Another Shot
After much delay, I have started writing again. This year I am playing in Debrecen, Hungary. It is only about an hour away from Oradea, Romania, where I played last season. My apartment is close to the city center so I am fairly close to grocery stores and the mall. I am about a 25 minute walk from the gym, but I have been getting rides from one of my teammates so that is nice of him.
I guess I should start off by explaining the quick turn of events that landed me back overseas playing ball. I believe it was this past December 30th when my agent contacted me about some interest from a team in Hungary. He kept me posted as he continued to be in contact with the team's management. The next day I was informed I was the leading candidate to fill their opening for a forward and that if I was interested they would get a contract together. I said I was interested, they got a contract together that day, and they were wondering if I could leave tomorrow because they wanted me to start practicing as soon as possible to be ready for their game on the 7th.. My agent told them that I need at least one day in advance because I needed to inform my work of me leaving. The agreement was finalized and I left on January 2nd. So within about three days of hearing about this deal I was on a plane to Hungary. It was a crazy process to say the least. The thing I felt the worst about was not giving my employment a larger advance for me leaving. My boss and the guys were really supportive and they handled it the best they could, in my opinion, so I was blessed about that.
This past fall I had just been working at a rent-to-own place called Rent-A-Center that rents out everything from living rooms to computers. I was hoping I could get another chance at playing ball because I felt like I still had an urge to play. I also didn't want to have any regrets years from now that I stopped playing too soon. Being blessed to get this opportunity to play again was amazing. Andrea and I discussed it greatly and we decided to give playing another shot. I wouldn't have wanted to do this without Andrea's full support.
The flight got into Budapest later in the afternoon on the 3rd and then it was another 2 hour drive to Debrecen. I met the team that night and watched practice that night. My first practice with the team was the next morning - they definitely wanted me to get in the swing of the offense and playing with the guys right away. The first couple of nights I stayed in a hotel until my apartment was ready. It reminded me of last year and staying in a hotel the whole year so I was greatly appreciative to get an apartment with a kitchen and my own little washing machine. The washing machine looks like it came from 1950 and it's all in German, I think, but I figured out how to work it and my clothes seem to be getting clean. All the experiences of living over here quickly came back to me - from grocery shopping to the vast language barrier. Some experiences are okay, while I don't miss others.
We have already had three games since I have been here. We have lost all three. It doesn't help that we are towards the bottom of the league and the first part of our schedule involves playing the top teams in the league. We are still getting used to playing with each other - there are three other Americans on the team, one arrived here just two days before I got here and another is injured. I have not been playing the best as of yet. My shot feels good, but it's just not falling. I feel like my defense has been good and consistent for the most part so I just have to keep that up. I am a firm believer that everything will work out according to God's plan, whether I score 20 points or 5.
I will try my best to keep you all updated on everything that's going on over here and I will try to get some pictures up soon. Much love to you all.
Take care and God bless,
Mike
I guess I should start off by explaining the quick turn of events that landed me back overseas playing ball. I believe it was this past December 30th when my agent contacted me about some interest from a team in Hungary. He kept me posted as he continued to be in contact with the team's management. The next day I was informed I was the leading candidate to fill their opening for a forward and that if I was interested they would get a contract together. I said I was interested, they got a contract together that day, and they were wondering if I could leave tomorrow because they wanted me to start practicing as soon as possible to be ready for their game on the 7th.. My agent told them that I need at least one day in advance because I needed to inform my work of me leaving. The agreement was finalized and I left on January 2nd. So within about three days of hearing about this deal I was on a plane to Hungary. It was a crazy process to say the least. The thing I felt the worst about was not giving my employment a larger advance for me leaving. My boss and the guys were really supportive and they handled it the best they could, in my opinion, so I was blessed about that.
This past fall I had just been working at a rent-to-own place called Rent-A-Center that rents out everything from living rooms to computers. I was hoping I could get another chance at playing ball because I felt like I still had an urge to play. I also didn't want to have any regrets years from now that I stopped playing too soon. Being blessed to get this opportunity to play again was amazing. Andrea and I discussed it greatly and we decided to give playing another shot. I wouldn't have wanted to do this without Andrea's full support.
The flight got into Budapest later in the afternoon on the 3rd and then it was another 2 hour drive to Debrecen. I met the team that night and watched practice that night. My first practice with the team was the next morning - they definitely wanted me to get in the swing of the offense and playing with the guys right away. The first couple of nights I stayed in a hotel until my apartment was ready. It reminded me of last year and staying in a hotel the whole year so I was greatly appreciative to get an apartment with a kitchen and my own little washing machine. The washing machine looks like it came from 1950 and it's all in German, I think, but I figured out how to work it and my clothes seem to be getting clean. All the experiences of living over here quickly came back to me - from grocery shopping to the vast language barrier. Some experiences are okay, while I don't miss others.
We have already had three games since I have been here. We have lost all three. It doesn't help that we are towards the bottom of the league and the first part of our schedule involves playing the top teams in the league. We are still getting used to playing with each other - there are three other Americans on the team, one arrived here just two days before I got here and another is injured. I have not been playing the best as of yet. My shot feels good, but it's just not falling. I feel like my defense has been good and consistent for the most part so I just have to keep that up. I am a firm believer that everything will work out according to God's plan, whether I score 20 points or 5.
I will try my best to keep you all updated on everything that's going on over here and I will try to get some pictures up soon. Much love to you all.
Take care and God bless,
Mike
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