The Competion

     Yesterday Buster, who I mentioned in a previous post, picked me up and took me to Charles Darwin University to hoop because he heard people were playing out there. When we got there, there were only Filipinos playing. So we hooped with them for about an hour and a half. Two Americans and eight guys from the Philippines. Buster and I were on the same team, and we kept winning. That dude can hoop. When I first got here, the finals of last season were just concluding and I got to see him play in two games. The first game, he was broke and struggled against constant double teams from a better team. He had a poor shooting game and scored only six points. Then next game, he poured in a career-high 43 points and hit nine shots from behind the arc against the number one seeded team, but lost by three in the championship. Needless to say, even though he will eventually be my competition, he has been a good guy to workout with.

     Eventually Buster had to go. But I wanted to stay and keep playing, and I'm glad I did. Ten more guys showed up, and they were all players from my league. There were two guys from five different teams that came out and played (usually people play at the University all day long and people just come and show up whenever they can -- It's a constant open gym, and winner stays every game). So it was a good chance for me to get to know the competition. I matched up with a tough point guard from Australia who was fairly crafty. I just wanted to play, but he just wanted to talk to me about American shoes. One of Buster's teammates showed up too, a lights out, south paw shooter who plays the two-guard. He was checking me for a few plays, as was this 6'5 guard who I later found out led the league in scoring at nearly 30 points per game. He was tough, a lengthy fellow who loved to post up smaller guards and take big guys off the dribble. He had a plethora of skills, and was hitting multiple fade-aways and threes off the dribble. I was actually very happy to see this. It reassured me that I will be playing against competition that will make me better. As for Jermaine, he will be battling against length. There was one undersized big who was built like San Antonio Spurs under-appreciated power forward DeJuan Blair, but other than that, most of the bigs were 6'9 or 6'1o, skinny, and long. So J-Latt is going to have to put his strength to use down low. As for me, I will probably be the smallest guy on the court each game in this league, like usual. But while in most leagues I would be overlooked because of my size, out here they don't care. Instead, they put a target on my back because I'm an American. Everyone wants to take it to the "imports." But I played very well and was hitting my shot. Overall, I probably won ten games and lost two on the day. It just felt good to play. If anything, it got me hype for the season to start up. It's about a month away.

A Quick Update

My writing has been keeping me very busy lately. I am keeping up with three blogs right now (including this one) and am working on three other pieces. One is a short piece on a survivor of the Holocaust. Another is an essay I hope to turn into a book about the three way connection linking and contrasting hard work, balance, and extremism. The third, which has been inspired by the book "Teammates Matter" which I just recently finished reading, is a handful of individual pieces of people who have positively influenced my life. With all of this being said, I have decided not to write multiple paragraphs about my lifestyle in Australia this week. Instead, I will update you in a much easier way, with bullet points. Here's a quick update, in a very random order:

• My general manager's friend just moved out of the house. He was the loud one, which means its about to get a lot quieter around here. Our team just signed a guard from southern Australia who is moving up here and taking his place. This could give Jermaine and I another workout partner

• My workouts have been going great. I've been on two-a-days, and occasionally three-a-days. I think I can say I'm in the best shape of my life right now. I can't wait for the season to start.

• The other day I was doing a basketball workout at a park near an elementary school. A ten-year old aboriginal boy and his seven-year old sister came up and started shooting with me. We chatted and shot hoops for about an hour. I taught them some dribbling drills and some trick shots and they taught me some soccer moves. I find the aboriginal culture very intriguing here. It's crazy to think their language was once the main language of Australia, and now they are the minorities as is their language. 

• I've seen quite a few fancy-looking fish over the past week during two visits to the beach. I also killed a cockroach yesterday and swallowed a bug while I was riding my bike today. Needless to say, I will now be breathing through my nose.   

• The rear tire on my bike got loose and I had to take off the tire and tighten it back on. After a day with no ride I've got it back now. I imagine my legs will be in decent shape after riding my bike across the whole city for seven straight months. 

• I found a track near our Stadium. I am allowed to use it whenever I want, so I was able to get some running workouts in today. I imagine I will be using it quite often when the time calls for running sprints, 400s, and 800s. 

• Some more Australian terms: 

                    -They say "buggah" a lot. I think it means something along the lines of fellow.

                    -If you are scheduled to work you are "rostered."

                    -They call a bicycle a pushbike.

                    -They call a University a "Uni."

                    -A college is a high school over here. And a primary school is an elementary school.
                    -"Sook" is their word for crybaby.
                    -Candy is referred to as "lollies." 

•  I was told by a lady that I have a very nice accent. That's a first!

• I have not yet went swimming with the Crocs. It turns out it's a little more expensive than I thought so while I still plan on doing it, I am going to wait until I have a little more cashflow.

• My body is officially on Australian time. When most of you wake up, I am going to sleep. I have been waking up early for workouts, but still am unable to fall asleep early. I've been staying up past midnight each night.

• Today I went to a man-made beach right next to the ocean as well as a water park after my workouts.

• I've been able to text friends with iPhone's which is very nice. I've also used the Tango app with a few people, and have stayed in touch with people via Facebook. I've even been able to keep in touch with Papa Joe, my old team Chaplain, via email. I also have now started talking to my brother via email. My family has  recently gotten into group Skype, so all of us can talk at the same time. Thank God for technology.

• Through the grapevine I had a coach from a southern Australian team wanting my highlight film. After sending that to him I hope that might lead to a potential job for next year. My agent also told me he is looking into trying to find me a job in Southern Australia (hopefully in Sydney, or near there) next year. That news fired me up and got me inspired. Earning a job playing in Southern Australia will be my goal for next year (following this season).

• I have my own Australian bank account now. 

• I've watched rugby here more than I ever had in America. It's a big deal over here. I've gained a ton of respect for rugby players. You gotta be tough to play that sport!

• They have SportsCenter over here which I'm very happy about. When I watched the NBA Finals I would be watching the games at 10:00 in the morning. Occasionally, I'll even catch a Tigers baseball game on T.V. I'm wondering if I'll be able to follow the whole college football scene or not.

• I've found that only about half the people who ask me what part of the United States I am from know where Michigan is. I even tell some of the people that Michigan is the one that looks like a mitten and I hold out my hand. They then proceed to look at me as if I'm very strange. I thought everybody knew about the mitten.

• I find myself asking people to repeat themselves often because I sometimes struggle to understand the very thick accents. I have also noticed that people ask me to repeat myself a lot. They too, struggle with my accent. I have to speak my words slowly. 

• If I'm not riding my bike or running to an area, I'll be taking the bus which is 20$ for a week pass or 3$ for 3 hours. I've gotten used to the city and think I have the bus system down now. 

• I've started reading a new book called "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. It was my mom's book I believe. 

• Yesterday I told myself I was going to write my next sports blog on vpsportsalk.com on baseball, but then ended up writing two more articles on basketball. I guess I just can't get away from it. 

• There are quite a bit of bats flying around out here at night. Jermaine also killed a large spider out here the other day, and said he saw one of the Cane Toads out here, which are supposedly poisonous. I'm not trying to mess with any of the critters out here.  

• I might be taking a side job to make a little extra cash helping young kids at an elementary/primary school. 

• The heat can get pretty intense out here, and its still winter. For the most part though, its been very nice out and its definitely been bearable. I don't know how bad it will get in a few months, but people keep warning me. 

• I've learned quite a bit about the Australian government, and how each territory in Australia has its own unique government. They do have a prime minister of the whole country, moreover, and the lady who held office in that spot was just overtaken by someone in her own party. It wasn't an election, but apparently people can overtake others of the same party at any given time. The people vote for the party, and then the party puts forth the person they want in charge. Yesterday, a lady (I don't know her name) was prime minister. Today, a man is prime minister (I don't know his name). And the elections for prime minister against the other party are coming up very quickly. I believe this happened because the party of the current prime minister didn't think the lady would stand a chance in the next election, so they got rid of her while they could. 

• I've noticed there seems to be about ten malls in this city, and endless restaurants. The food scene is nice, and I did find Szechuan chicken, so I'm happy. 

• I've decided I might make a trip to Bali, Indonesia in a couple months. It seems to be more financially doable than Fiji at this point. 

• I have been asked to run a basketball camp out here, so I will probably be doing that some time in the next two months.  

• Today was another day where I stopped and realized how blessed I have been. I am living the exact lifestyle that suits me. For three weeks all I have been doing is workout out, playing basketball, writing, enjoying the beach, and exploring a new city. I'd be foolish not to make the most out of this opportunity. 

• That's all I have for now. Below is a picture I took today while walking around in the city, as well the court I found in the park:

 

From Crocs to Church

     Since it only costs $30, today I decided I will soon make an appearance at Crocodile's Cove. This is a place downtown Darwin that is host to 200 crocodiles. The main attraction (and the reason I will be going), though, is not just the overall number of crocs, but the cage/tank for only the brave people. There is a tank in the water with the crocodiles for people to swim in while the crocs swim just along side you. There can be one or two people in the tank at a time. Thinking logically, I've decided two is my magic number. I plan on swaying big ole Jermaine to voyage into the tank with me. I figure if some freak accident happens and the crocodile is in a position to scrap with me, I will be better off wrestling it with the long, 6'8 dude on my side than by my lonesome. If he wimps out and his size proves useless, I guess I'll be going solo. I say all this now assuming I will be as brave when the time comes as I am now thinking about it from a distance. But I will go there. And I will hop in that tank. Mark my words. I think I'll get someone to take a picture or two for me so I can post it on here later.

    

     I see it like this: the season starts in August, so now is my time to explore and throw myself into the middle of new adventures. So "Crocodile Cove" is up next on the list of things to explore. Another thing I explored today was the church down the street from me. I attended a small Salvation Army church. This was no ordinary church. It was a Swahili church, ran by both Australians and Africans. Half the people were from Australia, and half from Africa. The impression I got from speaking to the friendly people there was that I was the only American. The people seemed unusually genuine, and it was refreshing. They all greeted me and spoke to me not just because I was an American, but because I was a new face. That's how small the church is. The service was spoken and completed in two languages -- English (with an accent) and Swahili. Various pieces of the African culture shined during the service, from kids dancing to the playing of their drums and maracas, to the prayers in Swahili. I have decided to stick with this church, mostly because it makes me uncomfortable. I am not used to such a service.  I could easily go to any of the other three churches down the road and test them out to see if they are perhaps more "Americanized." However, after thinking about it, I believe God brought me to America to expand my horizons and get me to slip out of my comfortable shell I like to occasionally coast in. So I am delving not only into Australian culture, but African culture as well. I hope to learn and grow from the experience, as well as meet new friends from foreign lands. One nice lady eventually got to asking me if I could tutor her son in English one day a week for some extra cash outside of basketball, which I will certainly take her up on. Another elderly woman asked for my autograph just because I play basketball. The people were very nice, and so was the message. The sermon of the spokesperson was something I personally needed to here as well. And it stuck. So all in all, it was a very unusual yet successful first day of church in Australia. I even got to join an organization out here that helps fight human trafficking, which is an issue I have been passionately researching while in school for the past four months or so before I graduated. So my first Sunday in Australia has offered what seems to be some promising things ahead. This day has only raised the bar for what is to come a week from now.

Getting Situated

     Today was the first time I drove a car out here in Australia. They drive on the opposite side of the road with the steering wheel on the right of their cars. My hands were definitely at 10 and 2 when I was on the road. Andrew agreed to let me take his car if I would drop him off at the V8 races. There is some huge race here this weekend -- it's their version of Nascar. There's been parades downtown for it, which I attended, and these people seem to get up for it. The city is actually quite the party city. There is a strip downtown Darwin full of clubs, bars, and things of that nature. Jermaine and I are both avoiding that stuff for now, because we're both too focused on basketball at this present time. It's good to have a fellow teammate who's real driven, and he is. He even threw out some Proverbs 27:17 on me, and said "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." I thought okay, I can roll with that. We're both focused on improving right now.

     We usually get basketball workouts in at the Stadium during the day, and then hit up a 24 hour hour gym to lift and get some cardio in around 11 or midnight. Every now and then we'll also hit up the trails along the ocean/beaches for a run. If I'm not working out with him, I'm probably with Buster Perkins, a 29-year old, 6'5 guard from Little Rock, Arkansas. He plays for another team out here. I usually don't work out with the competition, but as far as I'm concerned, he's team America. He's also played in four countries so he's got a lot of wisdom for me in regards to playing basketball overseas. So between my personal workouts and my time getting after it with Jermaine and Buster, I should remain in good shape. I've also gotten back to my healthy ways.

     While I was at college my senior year I lived on Ramen noodles and Mac n' Cheese. I can eat whatever I want here. So my diet out here has consisted of whole grain cereal, lots of vegetables, chicken or turkey, almonds and nuts, protein powder, vitamins, water, and juice. So I'm back on my health game and it feels good. But the town does have every restaurant I could possibly want and Chinese food (my favorite) just down the road. So if I choose to spend some extra cash on good food, I can do so. My coach and my GM also grill out a lot, like I said in the last blog. So if I ever want brats, burgers, or grilled chicken, it's there to be eaten.

     I've learned quite a bit of the lingo out here just from listening to my GM and his friends. There are quite a few differences from what is commonly said in Australia and what is the norm in America. For example, here are just a few out of several I've learned thus far:

• They don't say "your welcome." Instead they say "cheers," "no worries," or "it's okay." 
• "Mate", of course, is used all the time. 
• If you're messing around, you're "muckin" around out here. 
• I've heard the phrase "I reckon" more in the last week than I have my entire life. 
• If you're a bandwagon fan you're a "switchbacker." 
• Yes they do say "barbie" for barbeque

     So the lingo is different, as is the city from anywhere I've lived before. There is quite a bit to do and see. They seem to love their sports here. They are huge followers of the AFL (Australian Football League). Their version of football is not like American football. I guess it's a tie between rugby and our football. I've learned the rules and enjoy watching it myself. But they don't just watch, they play. There are rugby stadiums every single mile down the road. There are a lot of soccer fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, and there is even a squash center. There are stadiums all over the place. There are also quite a bit of places to shop. The malls are always packed -- the places to be. There's about four movie theaters too, which I'm all about.But my favorite part so far is the professional massages by the beaches. I got my first real massage the other day for an hour and a half. It was well worth it. I prefer the relaxation of the beach area to the craziness of the city following my workouts. I like to workout and then hit up the beaches where I can work on my writing.  I imagine I'll hit up the strip eventually, but for now, it's all business. Practices, I believe, start next week. It's almost time to get after it.

p.s. There are some crazy bugs and animals out here I will post pictures of eventually.

Week One

     I've had several people request that I blog about my experience out here in Australia. So here it is. I've been here for four days now, and my body is slowly getting used to the time change. It's a 13 1/2 hour time difference, so the first night I fell asleep at 6:00 pm and woke up at 1:00 am and stayed awake throughout the whole night. Each day, however, I have stayed up an hour later than I did the previous night, so I am getting there.
     I live in a house with the general manager of the team, his friend Andrew (a 40-year old man with an accent so thick I struggle to understand him), and the other American on my team (Jermaine, a 6'8 big fella from Seattle). Our house is surrounded by palm trees and crazy bugs. It's beautiful out here, and very hot. I don't have a car, so I get around by running (for exercise), a bike one of my teammates gave me, the bus system, or asking someone for a ride. I'm about twelve minutes from the main strip of downtown, ten minutes from the beaches, and five minutes from malls, movie theaters, and any restaurant you could ask for. As for the basketball, I can work on my game at either our stadium where we play our games or at Charles Darwin University. I can also use the weight room of a rugby team from Darwin that our team has an alliance with, and work on my ball handling down the running/biking trails.
     As for my team, I have only met three of my teammates thus far. Tomorrow I should meet the rest at a team cookout (if I have learned one thing already it's that Australians love their barbeque and enjoying grilling out). Jermaine, the one I live with, is a big body who should dominate down low for us. Unfortunately, he is a Heat fan. Sam is a 6'5 shooter who used to be in the Navy. And Malix, from the Philippines, is that glue guy that every team needs. I got some shots up with Sam and Malix the other day at an outdoor court, and have been working out with Jermaine the last two days. They all warned me that Jermaine and I have targets on our backs being Americans. All the "imports" over here, as they call it, are hyped up quite a bit.    Unfortunately, I won't be able to find out if this is true until The beginning of August, when the next season starts. The finals of our league are going on right now, but our team did not make it. We missed the playoffs by a game this year. The previous four years, though, our team won four straight championships. We are one of the oldest clubs around and have a great reputation. We start training camp next week, and then have more than a month just to practice before next season starts. That season will go from early August until December 15th, when I will head back to America. So I cannot update you on the style of play yet, except for simple rule differences. The two most obvious differences I know of are that the lanes are wider and defenders can knock the ball of the rim once it's been up there (which doesn't help me at all). Also, the game consists of four ten-minute quarters. As for the actual play, I'll have an update on that in due time.