We played yesterday against the first place team in the league and took another loss. The score resembles a game that was out of our control, but for three quarters of the game it was a close match. It was another long bus ride leaving at 7 am with a six-hour ride, but we came out strong. Along the way, we picked up a new teammate. One of the Americans on the team went back to the States and we acquired another U.S. guard. He was flying all night from the U.S. and played in our game. He did well - I don't know how he had any energy from the long trip though. A crazy turn of events for sure.
In the game I got elbowed above the eye and got a stitch in it today. This is the second time this season I've gotten elbowed on the face. I'll have plenty of beauty marks by the time I get back home.
We play again on Monday against a team lower in the league standings. It is a must-win for us. I'll keep you updated how it goes.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
One of these games...
We had an away game this past Saturday. It was a long day on the bus to the other side of Hungary. We left at 6:30 am and it took a little over 6 hours to get there. We ate lunch, had some down time in a hotel, and then played at 6 pm. Then we made the trek back to Debrecen. I didn't realize until one of my teammates mentioned it that we were right on the border of Austria. We started the game fairly well and hung with our opponent, who is in second place in the league, for the first quarter. The second quarter got a little out of hand and we were trailing by about 15 at halftime. The rest of the game did not go in our favor and we lost by a large margin. I didn't shoot well, which didn't help the team. Hopefully I can pick it up for next game.
We have another long day on the bus tomorrow when we travel to play the first place team in the league. It's about 6 hours away as well so I'm guessing we will leave early in the morning again. I give a lot of credit to people who need to wake up before dawn - it's not fun hearing the alarm go off when it's still dark. I also give credit to those people who cannot sleep past daybreak due to age (Mom and Dad, I love you both) and those who have newborns like some of my relatives. Hang in there :)
Until next time....
Take care and God bless,
Mike
We have another long day on the bus tomorrow when we travel to play the first place team in the league. It's about 6 hours away as well so I'm guessing we will leave early in the morning again. I give a lot of credit to people who need to wake up before dawn - it's not fun hearing the alarm go off when it's still dark. I also give credit to those people who cannot sleep past daybreak due to age (Mom and Dad, I love you both) and those who have newborns like some of my relatives. Hang in there :)
Until next time....
Take care and God bless,
Mike
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Close, but no cigar
Hello everyone,
I realize it's been awhile since I've written. We had a game last night at home, but before that we didn't play for two weeks. And I must say, not much has changed in those two weeks :) The team we played last night was in 5th place in the league. We lost a tough one by two points at the buzzer. They tossed up a three that rimed out and the ball bounced right to the opponent for a ten-foot tip in as the buzzer sounded. I fouled out with about a minute left in the game so I had to watch the last events unfold from the bench - not fun. I played well though - had 33 points and shot the ball well. It was great to have a good game, but heart-breaking that it wasn't enough.
I got to see an old friend and teammate last night which was great. Bryquis Perine, who I played with for two years at UW-Green Bay was on the team we played against. He was on another team in Hungary and I would have eventually played against him, but he switched teams two days ago so we ended up meeting earlier in the season. It's crazy how small this world is sometimes. Me getting to play against an old teammate in Hungary - I don't think that happens very often.
Other than ball we got some more snow a couple days ago. There are just piles of it around here. Today was fairly warm so it's starting to melt and make everything a mess, but that's the way it goes. I also wanted to find someway to spend some of my free time. Although we have two practices a day, I do have some time that I could use better. I looked online and found a Christian website where I could volunteer online. Last week I officially became part of the web prayer ministry where people send in their prayer requests and I write a prayer back to them. It's fulfilling and a great way to serve God through others.
I guess that's all for now. We play again on Saturday against another good team so we will have our work cut out for us.
Take care and God bless,
Mike
I realize it's been awhile since I've written. We had a game last night at home, but before that we didn't play for two weeks. And I must say, not much has changed in those two weeks :) The team we played last night was in 5th place in the league. We lost a tough one by two points at the buzzer. They tossed up a three that rimed out and the ball bounced right to the opponent for a ten-foot tip in as the buzzer sounded. I fouled out with about a minute left in the game so I had to watch the last events unfold from the bench - not fun. I played well though - had 33 points and shot the ball well. It was great to have a good game, but heart-breaking that it wasn't enough.
I got to see an old friend and teammate last night which was great. Bryquis Perine, who I played with for two years at UW-Green Bay was on the team we played against. He was on another team in Hungary and I would have eventually played against him, but he switched teams two days ago so we ended up meeting earlier in the season. It's crazy how small this world is sometimes. Me getting to play against an old teammate in Hungary - I don't think that happens very often.
Other than ball we got some more snow a couple days ago. There are just piles of it around here. Today was fairly warm so it's starting to melt and make everything a mess, but that's the way it goes. I also wanted to find someway to spend some of my free time. Although we have two practices a day, I do have some time that I could use better. I looked online and found a Christian website where I could volunteer online. Last week I officially became part of the web prayer ministry where people send in their prayer requests and I write a prayer back to them. It's fulfilling and a great way to serve God through others.
I guess that's all for now. We play again on Saturday against another good team so we will have our work cut out for us.
Take care and God bless,
Mike
Sunday, February 5, 2012
No wins and a bunch of snow
The games didn't go as planned this past week. This past Wednesday we lost a league game by 10 that we really needed. It was back and forth all game and we let it slip at the end. On Friday and yesterday we had Hungarian Cup games against the same opponent both games. Our game Friday was home with an unfavorable ending for us. It was a good team that we played and we held with them for about three quarters of the game, but we just couldn't keep up with them the rest of the game. Yesterday's game was a similar story. It was difficult for us to compete with them the whole game although we put up a fight.
Besides basketball news, we got a pile of snow Friday night and into yesterday. Our game yesterday was almost cancelled because of the snow. When it was all said and done and I think we got close to 10 inches. I was looking for an official reading, but I couldn't find one. I found it really surprising though on the lack of snowplows over here. Even today when I took my usual Sunday stroll to get groceries, most of the roads were not plowed. A person from the club said the city might only have two snowplows for the whole city. That is not much help for a city over 200,000 people. It was just crazy to see all of these little, compact cars spinning there tires on the streets and no snowplows as their aids. After the game last night, a couple of guys on the team helped one of our fellow teammates get his car unstuck. Pushing a car through the snow definitely reminded me of Wisconsin. Even thousands of miles away, there is always something to remind me of home.
We have a two-week stretch until our next game, just to inform you. I will let you know if anything exciting happens until that point. I hope all is well with you all.
Take care and God bless,
Mike
Besides basketball news, we got a pile of snow Friday night and into yesterday. Our game yesterday was almost cancelled because of the snow. When it was all said and done and I think we got close to 10 inches. I was looking for an official reading, but I couldn't find one. I found it really surprising though on the lack of snowplows over here. Even today when I took my usual Sunday stroll to get groceries, most of the roads were not plowed. A person from the club said the city might only have two snowplows for the whole city. That is not much help for a city over 200,000 people. It was just crazy to see all of these little, compact cars spinning there tires on the streets and no snowplows as their aids. After the game last night, a couple of guys on the team helped one of our fellow teammates get his car unstuck. Pushing a car through the snow definitely reminded me of Wisconsin. Even thousands of miles away, there is always something to remind me of home.
We have a two-week stretch until our next game, just to inform you. I will let you know if anything exciting happens until that point. I hope all is well with you all.
Take care and God bless,
Mike
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Upcoming games
Hello everyone,
We haven't played a game since our last win about 10 days ago. We have a game today and then we have Hungarian Cup games on Friday and Saturday. The team we play today is a solid opponent towards the middle of the pack in the league, but if we play well we can give them a fight.
I hope all is well with you all. I will let you know how the games go. I also attached a couple photos on the right of the blog of me playing in my first game over here.
Take care,
Mike
We haven't played a game since our last win about 10 days ago. We have a game today and then we have Hungarian Cup games on Friday and Saturday. The team we play today is a solid opponent towards the middle of the pack in the league, but if we play well we can give them a fight.
I hope all is well with you all. I will let you know how the games go. I also attached a couple photos on the right of the blog of me playing in my first game over here.
Take care,
Mike
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