The more workouts, practices and games I go through, the more I realize that I have no other clothing/gear that is not Princeton stuff or summer league/Philly gear. I was apparently easy to spot at the airport because of my Princeton Athletic sweatshirt that I was wearing, and I was recognized by a few coaches at the tournament because of my Princeton t-shirts I was wearing around. The amount of clothing I have that represents school or Philadelphia is ridiculous, and I wouldn't have it any other way... after all, I was asked to rep PA and Princeton Ballers and that is totally what I intend to do.
Since my last entry, we had our first preseason tournament. I was given a uniform with my old number 15, and much to my surprise, our colors were black, white and pink. We only had one 'Think Pink' game a year back in college, and now we 'think pink' every game and I'm very excited about it.
Our first opponent was a tough team from the top league in Germany. I was expecting to come over here and crush it right away on the court, but much to my dismay, we got crushed in the first 20 minutes of the game. They were a very tall team and played a run and jump defense. We not only struggled to break the press and score, but we struggled guarding their pass and cut offense. Though it was not the way I envisioned my first half of basketball over here, I was very proud of how our team responded in the second have, just outscoring the other team. Two things that made me feel better about this game were, one, that team ended up winning the tournament, and two, my teammates made me a birthday cake and we celebrated after the game. Over here, there are bars connected to the gym and the players, coaches and fans all mingle after the game. The basketball community here is very tight. Everyone knows everyone and I enjoyed meeting and sharing the cake with some fans and coaches.
In our second game the next day, we fared better. We ended up winning the game, and I personally performed better which made me feel good. After, a local restaurant had all of the teams over for a delicious pasta lunch before the next game. It was definitely delicious and much better than anything I have cooked for myself so far... though I know I will eventually/have to become a better cook!! After lunch we came back down to the gym to warm up for our next game against a good team called Esch. This team was very tough. They had a tall American post player, a Canadian shooter (she was considered Luxembourgish due to marriage), and a EU point guard. Because this league only allows one American and one EU player, it gives them a big advantage. We hung in there, however, and I think that we have a great chance of winning the game during the season.
That night instead of going to the fair for dinner, I stayed in, cooked for myself, and tried to catch up on a tv show Friday Night Lights. Much to my dismay, hulu doesn't work in Europe. I was devastated! How am I supposed to catch up on my favorite shows without hulu!?!?! I know you were wondering what I would do and how I would survive :) ... and thanks to a tweet from Dan Mavradies, a Princeton '11 baller playing in Greece, I was able to find a site that streams our shows.
Our tournament ended on Sunday afternoon with a loss to a Belgium team whom I think that we should have beaten. A poor third quarter was our downfall, but at least we learn now in the preseason that we can't play like and expect to win. I stayed at the gym after our games to watch the finals where the German team went to school on one of the top teams in our league. Though it was not fun playing against the Germans, watching their play was amazing. They were a team of almost all professionals (our league allows 2 or so per team) and they just played the right way. They ran on makes and misses, they found the open player every time, and they had no let downs when subs came in. They looked like a great team and it was very good to see. Though we went 1-3, we made some strides this weekend. The tournament was also very helpful in introducing me to the other Americans over here.
Once again, we went to the fair for dinner and a little fun. We rode a crazy ride that flips and spins you around and it was a lot of fun. I had a Luxembourg specialty from the fair for dinner. They were potato pancakes of sorts and were absolutely delicious. I'm definitely glad that I tried them.
Week 1 has gone pretty smoothly so far. I might speak/call my sister and my parents more now thanks to skype than I did when I was home!! I really like it here and can't wait to do more exploring. Though basketball might be my 'job' now, I am still having a lot of fun with this team, and I cannot wait for the season to start.
For now, it is back to practice... with my Princeton gear and all.
No comments:
Post a Comment