A very bad Weekend

So, this weekend I played a game and coached a game and both were not very successful. I played the worst game of my basketball career on Saturday. I scored 13 points they were the most annoying and hardest 13pts I have ever gotten. Now, I know basketball isn't all about scroing and stats but this game really made me mad. I scored 13pts on 4-16 shooting with 3ast 4rbs and 10TO...yes you read that right 10 Turnovers. Now to my defense, 5 of the turnovers were travels because I still havent seemed to grasp the Euro Refs and how they make calls. But still that leaves me with 5 TO that were forced. The game just seemed to be a big giant snowball effect. I made a mistake the first play of the game and from there everything went down hill. We lost the game by 15 or so to a team we should have beaten by 10 or more. The funny thing is my whole team played AWESOME except me. Robert Dill our center was 11-12 with 24pts and 18rbs. Max Rosenberg, our team captain, had 21pts and 8rbs. We had other guys played great on defense and some others played great on offense. So I take full responsibility for this loss and I will make sure of it that when I get back from Christmas break its all business again....No Letting Up. Like my dad always told me; "Take no prisoners!"

However, I did learn a couple very valuable lessons from this game and that is to never rest on your laurels, keep working hard, I'm not as mentally tough as I thought I was and God has a great way of showing us his power when one may be off the beaten path. The whole of last week I kind of cruised through it, only working out twice and not giving 100% effort in practice. I'm not sure why my mind frame changed this last week,. Maybe it was the thought of going home next week or maybe it was that we were playing a really bad team. Who knows, but I do know this; Ernest Wayne Rama is never going to stop working as hard as he can because thats what got him here and thats whats going to keep him here/achieving his goals.

The 16u had a game in Padderborn, a team we already beat, and they lost. The game started with us jumping out to an 11-0 lead. We continued to control the first quarter and basically the first half. We went into half time with an 8point lead but it should have been more because we missed a couple easy shots and FT's.

The second half our defense seemed to relax and our offense seem to dissapear. I think I counted 10 missed lay-ups in the second half and 2 of those were wide open ones. We also missed 12 FT's for the entire game.

We lost by 6points to a team we should have beat by 10 or more. If you do the math, 10 layups is 20pts and 12 FTs is 12points. So, that 32 points we should have had but we didnt. Now even if we make half of those layups, so 5, and half the FT's, 6, to make 16points then we win by 10. I didn't even mention the 22 TO we had and I pretty sure 16 came in the second half. The TO were all unforced, meaning we jsut threw the ball to the other team with out have any pressure or anything like that.

The loss put the 16 team in second place behind Padderborn because they beat us by more points that we beat them by. I hope the kids get refocused during the break and come back ready to kick some but the second half of the season. I know I am!!!!

Road Game in Berlin

Today we had an away game agains ALBA Berlin, a team which has a lot of financial backing and is now the leader in our division with a 7-0 record. Berlin is about 3.5 hours north of Goettingen where i'm at. ALBA is a very young team , their oldest player was 24, but they are a very diciplined team. Their coach played at North Carolina and was a great player here in Germany a while back.

When the game started we tried to get the ball inside to our new center, former 1st league player Rober Dill, and use his experience and size against the younger ALBA team. However, the refs called Robert for two early fouls, one offensive and one defensive, within the first 3-4 minutes and it forced him to the bench for the rest of the first quarter. We played well with ALBA trading baskets but by the end of the 1st quarter we were down 1opts 21-31. I had 9 first quarter points. The second quarter ALBA really pressured us and we lost our heads, taking bad shots and not running our offense. By halftime the score was 34-51 ALBA, and the game looked as though it might get ugly from there.

The second half we came out with a little press back to a zone and it really bothered and frustrated the ALBA players, which helped us creep back into the game. However, the refs again called fouls on Robert and our second leading scorer Max Rosenburg. Forcing them to the bench (Robert 4 fouls, Max 3 fouls). The ALBA guards were not very quick on defense and they had trouble staying in front of me so I continued to penetrate and either shoot or pass to a teammate for open shots. By the end of the third quarter we had cut the lead to 10 points, 50-60.

In the fourth quarter we continued out press and ALBA continued to struggle. Halfway through the fourth quarter we had cut the lead to 8pts, 61-69. We had everything going our way. Our shots were falling and we were stopping them on defense by holding them to one shot. However, just like earlier in the game, the refs decided that they wanted to control the outcome and called Robert for his 5th foul on a "bogus" offensive foul. Robert finished the game with 9pts 5fouls in 14min. After Robert fouled out Max picked up his fourth foul and Hans subed Max and I out for a quick breather. ALBA took full advantage. By the time Max and I came back in ALBA had built their lead to 18 with just under 4miutes to play. ALBA eventually won the game by 19points 66-85. I lead us in Points (20), rebounds (6), Assists (4), while shooting 7-9 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line. ALBA really pressured me and it was hard for me to get the ball back once I passed it to set up our offense.

Our next game is at home against Wolfenbuttel. They are next to last in the league right above us.

First win!!!!!

We won our first game this weekend against Rostock, a team from northern germany. We beat them 79-69 at home bringing our record to 1-7. It feels good to get our first win. I had 12pts 7ast 4rbs 2stls and 3TO. We picked up a new center because one of our centers went down with an torn knee ligament a couple weeks back. The new center is experienced but out of shape. We played very well as a team having 5 guys in double figures with the leading scorer having 14pts. It was a total team effort and if we continue to play this way we are very hard team to beat. It's just a relief to get the first win and get that weight off our shoulders. It's all down hill from here. Our next game is in Berlin agains the second best team in our league ALBA Berlin, who has a lot of money and can pay to get the best players. The picture is from the newspaper and I thought I would put it in there to show how happy I am to get a win and to add flavor.

Last Weekend.....

I forgot to let everyone know about our game last weekend in Magneburg. We lost in overtime 90-93. The team wasn't even that great but we were missing 4 starters due to various injuries and illnesses. I lead us with 30points 3ast 4rbs 2stl and 3TO. That put our record to 0-7, not happy about that. the picture is of the Arena we played in.

Back in the winners circle

Today, my 16U team played in Hannover, against the Hannover YMCA. The first quarter was a back and forth battle with us having the lead after it ended. My team came out very soft and passive which really irritated me and I let them know I wasn't pleased. During the second quarter they played even more passive and soft and we went into halftime tied 34-34. We only shot 4 free throws in the first half and I told them thats because they played soft and passive. Two starters inparticularly were playing bad and I didn't start them the second half. One of the two didn't play the second half due to disrespect to his teammates. The second half they came out fired up and ready to play and I think it had to do with the two new players inserted into the starting lineup. The two new players brough energy and toughness that the others fed off of. We controlled the whole second half, holding them to 21 second half points and only 9 in the fourth quarter. We won the game 72-55 and I was pleased with the second half play.

Their next game is against their rival ASC of Goettingen. The game is at our place so I know we will have a lot of fans and we'll be "amped" up for the game.

Their record is now 4-1 and they are in first place in the 16u Norther Division.

First Loss as a Coach in Germany

On Sunday, November 15, my birthday, both the teams I coach played games. My 14u team played a lesser foe, beating them pretty easily by 40 points.

My 16u team played a very good team called UBC Munster. My 16u team has a horrible problem of over looking teams before they play them and thinking that they can just show up and beat them.

The game started with us scoring at will but we couldn't stop them on defense. We battled back and forth with them throughout the first half. However, we went into half time down 5 points.

We came out the third quarter very strong again on offense but we just couldn't seem to stop them on the defensive end. They had a very good player who was 6'6 and could bring the ball up, post up and shoot the 3 ball. He is the best 16U german player I've seen so far. By the fourth quarter we were down 11points and during the break the heads of my guys were down as though they had already lost. During the fourth quarter they battled back to cut the lead to 3points with a minute left. A technical foul by one of my players gave them a couple FT's and the ball back, increasing their lead to 5 points. We got a steal that turned into a layup cutting their lead back to 3. Another TO by them led to another score for us, putting us down 2 with 15 seconds left. I told the guys to fould but they waited to long and the time ran out. We lost by 1 62-63 to a team we should have beaten by 10points. I wasnt very happy with their play on the defensive end until the last 2 minutes of the game. They play again next weekend against a very good Hannover team. So, lets see if they can bounce back after this loss. The 14u team is 3-1 and the 16u team is 3-1.

Birthday Weekend....not so happy

This weekend was my 26th birthday and I was looking to get a win. This weekend I had a game against Itzahoe, which is 4hrs away and the leagues number one team and leading scorer. We made the trip without 2 starters, Max and Tobi, who were out with sickness and injuries. Then, :09 seconds into the game our starting center, 6'10 Jan Both, tore a ligament in his knee. So, now we're down 3 starters for one of the biggest games of the year. The game started with us hanging right there with Itzahoe. After the first quarter we were only down 15-17. During the second quarter, the game went back and forth with many lead changes. I was playing good but so was their American. Him and I were going back and forth and by half time we were down 35-38. I had 14pts at the half, but their American had 17pts. The third quarter, they made a couple runs pushing their lead to 10 points by the end of the third. I played very poorly during the third quarter, forcing shots and missing easy shots. Their American however, began to get hot and he score 17pts in the third quarter. During the fourth quarter, we made a couple good runs but in the end their American was too much. He finished the game with 43points and only one other player on their team scored in double figures. I finished the game with 21points, 5ast, 6rbs, 2stl and 5TO, while shooting 9-21 from the field and 2-4 from the FT line. We ended up losing the game 76-87. We are now 0-6. Our next game is away against BG Magdeburg.

16U Game Today

Today my 16U Team played an away game against SG Bad Essen/Osnabruck. We arrived at the game late so we were limited to a 10 minute warm up, which is fine with me, but the kids just didn't seem focused. I told them to not underestamate any team they play and come out and send a message. The other team was little and not real talented so they just thought they could coast to a victory. SG came out hard and ready to play and we came out flat not ready to play. By the end of the first quarter the score was tied 13-13 to a team we should have been beating by 20points at that point. The second quarter went the same as the first with us just on cruise control and them playing as hard as they can. At halftime the score was 27-29, them. Walking into the locker room at halftime I told my assistant coach things were about to get ugly. I lost my mind during halftime, I yelled at every single player about every single thing they were doing during the game. I told them, AGAIN, you can't just show up and beat people. They think because they're 2-0, at the time, they just show up and win. They are getting too "cocky" and arrogant for me. But, boy did I let them have it during half time. They came out in the second quarter with a 12-2 run, eventually putting the game out of reach. We continued to pressure them into misstakes and bad shots and we were running our offense and finishing at the rim strong. We ended up winning the game 66-52 but I am still not satisfied about their efforts during the game. When they want to they play great defense and run the offense to a "T". But when they just cruise and relax they look like garbage on offense and even worse on defense. Our next game is next weekend and we must win, because its my birthday..haha.

Away Game Against BSW Sixers

Today we played our first game in two weeks against the BSW Sixers of East Germany. The same team we played in our last game but this time at their place. The game started out with me getting an and one layup, however I missed the free throw but we still had the lead 2-0. That would be the last time we would have the lead. The Sixers controlled the whole game. They dominated us in every aspect of the game. I'm not one to blame or make excuses but we did get screwed on a lot of calls by the refs. I stuggled with my shooting in the first quarter missing easy open shots that I normally make. After the first quarter we were down 19-29. The Sixers came out in the second quarter with a lot on energy and they pushed their lead to 34-62 by halftime. I had 13 points at the half but I was still struggling with my shooting. We came out in the third quarter with a lot of fire and energy on defense that lead to us going on a 9-0 run to start the third quarter. Then a series of horrible calls by the refs put the Sixers in the free throw bonus and us not having a single foul drawn. I give that credit to home court advantage..haha..Anyways, after those fouls killed our run, the Sixers continued to control the game. By the end of the third quarter the Sixers we still leading 62-89. The fourth quarter went the same as the other three with the Sixers sticking the "nail in the coffin" and putting the clap on any comeback we had. I finished the game with 25pts 5ast 4st 2rbs 3TO to lead us. I however didnt shoot the ball very well going 8-20 for the game. I did however go 7-8 from the free throw line, which I could say, in that atsmophere is pretty good. The crowd for the Sixers was pretty good. I believe they had 300 or more people there and I think every one of them had a drum, cowbell, horn, siren and/or some kind of noise maker...haha...The gym was so loud during the game, that during huddles, timeouts and face to face conversation we couldn't hear each other talk. We resorted to hand signals to call plays and communicate to each other.

Our next game is on Saturday Novemeber 14 away at Itzahoe. Itzahoe, has the leading scorer in the league, 27.9ppg, who score 47pts in his last game...So it's going to be a fun challenge for us. Hopefully we can get rid of our "goose egg" and win a game. We are 0-5 on the season.

The picture are of the gym and us in our new uniforms.

2nd Game as a Coach

Today, Sunday, November 1, 2009 my 16u team had its second game against Team Braunschweig/Wolfenbuttel (BW) at home. The boys practice hard all week, but they began to get a big head after their win last week against Padderborn. I made sure to push them and let them know that they won one game and not to get a big head. So, I broke them down by letting them know all the mistakes they made during the game and practice. They responded with hard, intense and energetic practices.

Todays game started with BW coming out to a 0-7 lead. I called a timeout and I let them know you can't just "show up" and beat teams. After that they began to play better but still not what I wanted. Not even close! We battled back to cut their lead to 1 at the half, 31-32. During halftime, I had to let them know again that they are not very good when they want to do their own thing. I told them that if they listen to me, play hard and execute then they could beat anyone in Germany.

The second half started with us full of energy and we used it to pressure them into make poor decsions. My guards pressured the ball the whole game causeing the BW guards to become tired and make silly mistakes. At the end of the third quarter we had a 4point lead 45-41 and we never looked back. We held them to 2points in the fourth quarter and 11points in the second half. We won 64-43. I was please with the second half play but they need to learn to play that way the whole game. Our next game is away on November 8 against SG Bad Essen....I wish I could tell you the city but I can't. haha.

The picture is of the 16u team, me and my two asst coaches.

1st Game as a Coach

Most of you know I have been asked to coach the 16u team out here, because they know Americans have a little better understanding of the game and how to teach it. I have been coaching the 16u team for about a month and today was our first game. But before I get into the 16u game I must first tell you about my 14u team. The 14u coach quit about 2weeks ago and the team was being coach by a parent. My 16u team had been giving everyone great feedback about me, so the president of the club asked me if I wanted to coach a second team for a little extra money. So, I decided to take the second team as another challenge. Today the 14u also had a game which was their first of the season too. I have only been coaching the 14u team a week so all my systems and things are new to them. We ended up losing the game by 18pts but we had cut the game to 1pt before they made run to break our backs. They played hard but they need a lot of work. Teaching basketball is a marathon not a sprint, so I have to be patient and understanding to these kids. Plus the language barrier is a little different for these younger kids so I must speak slowly and make sure they understand what I am saying and asking of them.

When I took over the 16u team they had little to no idea about how to play the game of basketball. All they knew was play as hard as you can and shoot whenever you can. I have slowly been teaching these kids how to play basketball with ones head not just ones skills. I have also been working on their fundamentals and skills because for their age they are far behind where they should be skill wise for their age. Slowly now, they have learned how to read screens, read a defense, rotate on defense, pass correctly, play under control and dribble with pressure to name a few. Their knowledge from my first day to now it is night and day.

In todays game the 16u played a team called Paderborn, which looked like a mens team because of their height. I have been asking around to find out what they have in the water out here in Germany, that makes the kids so big...haha. We used our speed and quickness in order to counter Paddleborn's size. The game was back and fourth with many lead changes. In the end we won by 4 points, 53-49 after being down 12points at halftime (19-31). The boys played hard but they still have a lot to learn. Their next game is in a couple weeks and we have a lot of work to do until then.

Game 4

Tonight we had our second home game against BSW Sixers. The Sixers are one of the favorites to win the league because they have 3 Americans who can really play. They have a guard, Elton Coffield, who is the leading scorer in the league with 25ppg and they have a big guy(American) who is very athletic and skilled. The last American they have is a 6'5 wing who can shoot and slash to the basket. We however, have a couple injuries to some main guys. Enoch Wolff, our 7 foot left handed center, was out with the flu. Sebastian Born, who was injured last game, is still out with a hip pointer and Tobias Welzel, our other starting guard, was out as well. We did add two new players to our roster for this game, Jakob Klimek, who came off the DL from an ankle injury and Marcus Bernhart, another guard, to replace Tobias.

When the game started we came out with a lot of energy and jumped out to a 8-2 lead. We continued to control the whole first quarter, winning it 25-13. I came out this game very relaxed which helped me to focus on what I had to do. The second quarter started with us continuing to control the game. We were executing on offense and defending and rebounding on defense, which is usually our weak points. At halftime we were up 45-38 after they made a little run to close the quarter out. I had 13 points at the half. The third quarter started with us having a lot of energy and fire, but so did they. We continued to keep our lead throughout the third quarter but the Sixers continued to chip away at our lead. By the end of the third quarter we were only up one point, 63-62, and they had a little momentum. I tried to keep us fired up and motivated during the break between the third and fourth quarters but it didn't seem to work. The Sixers came out with "fire" in the fourth quarter and we kind of played not to lose instead of playing to win. The Sixers controlled the whole fourth quarter by limiting us to one shot on offense and then scoring at almost at will when they were on offense. We tried to battle back but we just were out matched in the end and we ended up losing 74-84. I finished with 24pts 4ast 4rbs 1stl and 2TO to lead us. We did get great play from Jan Both, our 6'10 center who usually isn't a presence in the post, but played big and strong tonight which is good to see. Hopefully he can continue to play like he did tonight. We did hold Coffield, the leading scorer in the league, under his average, but he finished with 20points. Their three americans combined for over half their points. We had a pretty good home crowd tonight and I'm upset we couldn't get a win for them. They love to support BG74 basketball and we owe it to them to win more game than we lose. The Sixers brought some good fans as well. Their fans had 7 large drums that they beat on during the whole game. It actually hyped me up more rather than distract me from playing.

We have two weeks off before our next game. I'm going to use these two weeks to rest my knee and fully recover.

Game 3

Saturday October 10, 2009 we played our third game of the year agianst ALBA Berlin of Berlin. Berlin is 3.5 hrs from Goettingen and is the capital of Germany. Berlin has a great part in German history, from the Berlin wall, to the Nazi's and the cold war. Berlin is a major city in the world and I am glad I had the opportunity to see it even though we didn't stop and site see. Anyways, bakc to the game. We played ALBA Berlin, which is one of the top teams in Germany's first division, who doesnt have the best players but they play as a team really well. The gym, as you can see from the pictures, sucked because it had WOOD backboards, dead spots in the floor and rims that were older than dirt. We started the game out pretty intense but soon became a little over confident. In the first quarter I didn't shoot a shot but I was being a pure point guard and playmaker.Which I thought was what my coach wanted and had asked of me when I first got here. I was giving perfect passes but my teammates just werent making their shots and finishing their layups. The second quarter began and I was getting frustrated because of how many missed shots and lay-ups had happend. Coach Hans was frustrated too and pulled me a side and asked if I would be more aggressive and shoot more. Following that he moved me to the 2guard spot, which normally wouldnt bother me but I thought I needed to keep the ball in my hands and keep creating. During the second quarter I began to "force" my shots and it really through myself and my teammates out of rhythm, which is not my game. At half time I only had 2 points on about 1-9 shooting, because of my forcing and taking bad shots, but luckily we were only down 5 points, 31-36. When the third quarter began I thought I would get my rhythym back by drving to the basket and/or taking mid range jumpers. However, me being the leading scorer in the league, at the time, they began with a box and 1 and were not letting me get the ball. This causing more frustration with me, my coach and my teammates. The fourth quarter came and we were still right in the game but down 47-52. I scored 10points in the fourth quarter to finish the game with 12 but it was not enought. We lost the game by 1 point 63-64, and we didn't even get last shot up because we turned the ball over with 6 seconds left. I finshed the game with 12pts 4ast 3rbs 2 stls and 4 TO. I can honestly say it was one of my worst games, mentally and physically in my whole career. We play again this Saturday at home against one of the bestter teams in our league. They have 3 Americans and one is "now" the leading scorer in the league. It will be a tough game but it should be fun. My knee is still about the same, so please continue to pray for me. Thank you.

League Website

Here is the league website that shows Teams, Standings, Stats and Rosters. Click on the Regionalliga Nord and that is my division. My team name is BG 74 Goettingen.

http://basketball-bund.net/

Second Game of the Year

Today we had our second game of the season away against SG Oslebshausen. It was about a 2hr drive to the city of Bremen where the team is located and we got to the gym about 30 minutes before tip off because of traffic. We started the game out slow, but so did they so it was pretty even early. The first quarter ended with us being down 4 21-17. I had 5pts in the first quarter. The second quarter was pretty even until about half way through and they made a run to push their lead to 16pts at the half. I sat out the last 5 minutes of the second quarter with foul trouble after I picked up my third foul. It was a bad call but oh well. I had 12pts at the half but we were down 35-51. We came out in the third quarter with a lot of fire and we made a little run to cut the lead to 6, 50-56, but agian I picked up a dumb foul and was forced to the bench with four fouls. The fourth quarter started with them making a big run and they never really looked back after that. We ended up losing the game 94-77, to a team who we should have beat. However, to the other teams credit they did shoot the piss out of the ball. I mean they almost made every shot they took. They finished the game shooting 51% from the field and 55% from the 3pt line. We, however shot 38% from the field and 28% from the 3pt line. I finished with 31pts 1rb 3st 2ast and 4TO. I shot 9-16 for the game, 4-8 from the 3pts line and 9-9 from the free throw line in only 28 minutes because of foul trouble. Tonight we were missing one of our better players, Max, who was gone with his family in another city. Not having him really hurts us because he brings a lot of toughness, energy, leadership and scoring. Since Max was gone I had to carry the bulk of the scoring load. Usually I wouldn't have a problem with shooting more but for some reason I could get my head into the game. Which is weird because I had a season high of 31pts, but I think the early foul troubles messed with my rhythm. Well, we are 0-2 for the season and have another away game next week. Hopefully we can play a lot better and pick up our first win of the season. My knee is doing about the same, still swelling after practice and games but i've upped my icing and rehab methods and it has helped a little. Hopefully this week it will heal up a little more so I can be close to full strength. The picture is of the gym we played in. It was one of the worst gyms i've ever seen..haha...but I sure did light that crappy gym up..haha Thanks for reading.

First Game of the Regular Season

Tonight we had our first game against SSV Lokomotive Bernau at home. I was suprised at how many people turned out for the game, cause I'm pretty sure we had close to 100 maybe more. Bernau is supposed to be the best team in our division and they are looking to dominate our league. They had an American guy who had a lot of hype about him by our coach, their coach, the paper, their website and other sources. Honestly, he didn't impress me at all. The game started good, I hit the first basket of the game and we were playing hard and smart. However, we finished up the first quarter down 16pts (15-31) after an 18-0 run by them. Second quarter started the same way the first finished, with Bernau controlling the whole game. At halftime Bernau was up 38-51 and I only had 8pts. It wasn't as though I wasn't shooting I just wasn't hitting. I had a lot of assists that my guys we blowing under the basket. But hey, thats basketball, so I didnt sweat it, and just played through it. In the third quarter we made a little run, but Bernau was just too far ahead to have it make that much difference, but we didnt give up. By the time the fourth quarter had started we had cut the Bernau's lead to 7pts (67-74) I was playing well but I was missing my free throws....Again!!! We ended up losing the game by 9pts 82-91 but we played hard and battled back from 21pts down. I finished the game with 19pts 7ast 2rbs with only 2TO in 33 minutes to lead us. However my free throw struggles continue as I was only 7-12 from the FT line. I believe thats around 58%-60%. Horrible!!!!! So I should have finished with 24pts if I would have made all my FT. Bernau had a big Polish guy who killed us. He finished with 23pts and 18rbs and was just a beast inside. Besides my FT's and the loss, I'm please with how my team and I are progressing each and every game. After the game however, my knee was killing me, so I am glad to have a day off tomorrow...much needed R&R. One of my teammates filmed the game so when I get it i'll break it down and try to make a little highlight tape and post it for all you readers out there in blog land. Our next game is October 3, 2009 against SG Oslebshausen Roosters and it's away. Thanks for reading.

Exhibition Game #2

Today we had our second exhibition game against BiG Oettinger Rockets Gotha who is in our same league but a different division. This time the game was at home, which was nice to play in front of our HUGE home crowd of about 10 people, not including the ramdom people that accidentally walked into the gym thinking it was open to shoot around in. My team played this team before I arrived and they lost by 3pts, so I was excited to get the chance at a rematch and prove to them that we are the better team. The game took a very long time, approx 2.5 hours, which is long for a basketball game. The game started out fast but then moved into a more slowly paced game. I was 0-4 shooting in the first quarter and my coach, Hans Werner-Schmidt, got on me in front of the team and I became more focused. I scored 9pts in the second quarter on two 3's, a jumper and a FT. I missed 2 FT's for the game and I'm pretty pissed about that because I'm usually 90%. Tonight I was 4-6 from the FT line, which if my math is still up to par is about 67%, give or take a couple of percentage points. At halftime the score was 34-31, which is pretty low scoring for a couple pro teams. The second half started the same way the first did, fast but then slowed after a little while. Halfway through the third quarter this big russian guy, Virijevic or something like that, elbowed me above my eye splitting it wide open. I was pretty pissed cause blood was leaking out and I had to come out the game. After a while the bleeding had slowed to just a drip. I'm not sure if it will need stiches or not but who cares, chicks dig scars right!!!?(See Pic). My dad always told me to be tough so I'll probably just do it the "Rama Way" and super glue it closed...if I can find super glue. Anyways, back to the game. The refs again sucked more than a hoover vacuum. They called 6 techincal fouls and fouled out 3 of our players. I guess it was cool cause they sucked for both sides giving their team a couple T's and tons of fouls too. We ended up winning the game 75-64 I think. I finished with 17pts 4rbs 3 stls and 3TO to lead us. If you hadnt noticed i didn't put assists in there because I did not have any. Well according to the stats people I didn't. I think that may be a first in my career. Oh well, at least we won. We have our first real game against SSV Lokomotive Bernau on Saturday September 26. They are supposed to be pretty good cause they beat the team we lost to in my first exhibition game and they have a couple good American players. My knee is feeling a little better but it still hurts and swells after practices and games. It's still only about 70% but thats better than it was when I first got here. Anyways, until next game, keep reading.

Thursday Sept 17, 2009

Yesterday and today were pretty relaxing days. I had the whole day off yesterday so after my morning workout/lifting I just cruised around town checking out the city of Goettingen a little more. I also had to do some grocery shopping, so I figured I'd do that while I was out and about. Now, first things first. The grocery stores are about 1/4 the size of the ones in the states and with a smaller selection. Plus you have to either rent a shopping cart or buy your own plastic bags, which I didnt know. Later however, I found out you can bring your own bag from home if you have one. So, me being the new, non german speaking dork, I was walking around holding all my food, which had to be pretty funny to the local people. Anyways, while I'm walking around looking at food, which I can't read the name of, I noticed the a butter container with my name on it, RAMA (see Picture). I guess I'm a big deal out here more than I thought..haha...Today, was a pretty beautiful day so I decided to walk to my gym. It's not that far, about 12min walking from my apartment. After my workout I had to coach my 16u team and I introduced them to the offense today. I hope they got it because some of them looked at me like I was from outerspace or something. We'll see when the first game comes. Following that practice I had my team practice which went pretty good except I was very slow to start out. for some reason I couldn't get focused until after I made a couple dumb plays. Coach brought in a couple other guards to test me against and I did pretty good, so I think he was pleased. My knee is feeling better, still not 100% but its getting stronger every day. I hope by the first game it will be at least 90%. Anyways, I have posted more pictures of the town from my walk home from the gym and another picture of my car. So I hope you like.

Week 2

Well, it's half way through week 2 and I think I'm starting to get adjusted to life here in Germany, kind of. A couple strange things happend to me today, Wednesday September 16, 2009. First I decided I need to do laundry cause my clothes were pilling up. So, I went to my laundry room in my apartment and what do I know, the whole things in German, figures. So I call one of my teammates (Lass) and he comes over and tries to figure it out for me. After a couple we figure it out and everythings good, so I thought. I ask him "Which ones the dryer?" he said "there is no dryer, haha!" So I find out I have to air dry my clothes, which wouldnt be a bad thing if I hand hangers and stuff to hang dry them with. After I get over that I decide to go out to dinner tonight, cause I get a couple free meal tokens for some restaurants around me, so I thought I'd treat myself. I decided to go to "Saulsalitos", which by the name you might be able to guess is a so called mexican restaurant. I walk in and it looks and smells like a mexican restaurant, with flags and cactus and stuff. Except its missing a VERY important ingredient, Mexicans or some kind of person from latino decent. Now it wasnt the best mexican food but it wasnt bad, considering I got it for free. Other than that its going pretty good. I still get bored during the day cause I can only work out for so long. Anyways, i'll write again soon.

Newspaper Article

Today I was in the Goettingen newspaper with an article about myself. I don't know what the article is about but I'm sure it was a good one. The writer who interviewed me didn't speak english so I'm sure he messed some things up but thats ok at least I got some ink out here in Germany.

Ernie Rama soll die Veilchen aufblühen lassen / Regionaler Sport / Sport / Nachrichten / Goettinger-Tageblatt.de

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Team Photo

Here is a picture of my team BG 74 Goettingen. Also, attached is the link to the write up about the game. http://goettingen.eins.de/articles/779802-zusammengefunden

First Exhibition Game

Well, today I had my first exhibition game about 2hrs north of Goettingen in a town called Braunschweig, but the trip was actually pretty short when you're going 130mph..lol. The team we played was Spot Up Media Baskets Braunschweig, very long name to say ... Crazy, I know! ... I played ok for the first half, but by the time the fourth quarter came around I was dead tired. I'm still trying to get into "game shape" and that has been hard for me because I have always been in shape when the seasons start. Oh well, it's a work in progress. My team lost 89-74 but we battled hard, I guess. We have a LONG way to go before we are even near ready to compete at a high level. I scored 15pts had 6ast to go along with 3rbs and a couple steals. Also I and had a couple dumb turnovers :(... Lucky it was only an exhibition and not a real game cause I would be a little more upset at myself and my team for the way we performed. As you can see from the picture the court "Sucked" it was a type of plastic that was really hard on my knees and body. The German game is a lot more physical and agressive but the players arnt as good as they are in the states. The team we played had only one American but he wasnt all that great. Speaking of not great, the refs were terrible. They would call travels that weren't travels, fouls that weren't fouls and not call fouls when someone got hammered...Also, there were numerous lane violations, 3sec and little ins and outs that they didnt call. I tried to talk to them a couple times and of course they dont speak english so they give me this dumb stare like I was retarted or something... All in all it was fun to finally get out there and show what I can do against some pretty good competition. We have a couple more exhibition games before our first game on September 26, so hopefully I will be in "game shape" and my knee has healed up a little more before then. Because right now my knee is only at about 60% , once I get that back to normal I'm going to start taking names...lol

More Pics of Apartment - Outside

Pictures from outside my apartment... The last one is actually my building. My apartment is the one on the left side, up top on the third floor...

Day 3

Day 3: Today was my first practice with the youth team I'm coaching. The kids play hard but need a lot of skill work. We worked on their skills for about an hr today then worked on their defense. This is going to be a marathon with them, not a sprit....My knee is killing me today because It wasnt used to working out like that. Oh well, give me a few more weeks and i'll be killing them at will again. The food is different here. I am not a fan of their cheese or water. yuck. They have carbonated water only and EVERYONE drinks it. It's pretty bad. I am longing for Kat's protein shakes. This morning I walked around the city of Goettingen and took some pictures. Life here is very different from the states and it will take some getting use to. I also signed up for my gym membership that the team pays for. The gym is small and the weights are all in Kilograms...i'm trying to lift like normal but my math conversions are not very good. The pictures attached are of the town that I live in...

First Day of Practice

Just got done with my first practice with the team. Everyone seems really cool. I'm looking forward to contributing to the team and can't wait to have our first game. My knee hurt a little and I am a little out of shape but in a few I should be 100%. I'm going to start running a little to get my cardio back up because I really want to show these guys how to play Defense full court. I am still on Vegas time...so I am tired all the time. I hope that my body adjusts soon. Going to bed so I will update more tomorrow.
-Ernie-

Finally Here

Just arrived in Germany.. A little cold here. Reminds me of back home in Washington. The team gave me a new VW Golf to Drive while I am here (see pics). I also have my own one bedroom apartment in town (see pics). I met the team I will be coaching today and I also met the team I will be playing with. Exciting Day. I am going to try and blog everyday so that I can stay in touch with my friends and family. If you wanna chat I am also on Scype, youtube, facebook, and my space... look me up. Will write soon!

-Ernie-