Past The Half-Way Point

I have successfully eclipsed the half-way point of my time here in Darwin. I’ve got a little more than three months to go, and I fully intend on soaking up the rest of this experience and the numbered days that remain down under.

I’ve crossed out quite a bit on my Darwin-to-do list. Next up is Crocodylus Park, a hotspot for various wildlife that I wouldn’t see at home in Rockford. The park is home to several different breeds of crocs, as well as kangaroos, tigers, buffalo, wild birds, snakes, and creatures of that nature. Pictures will be taken.

I now have a moped/scooter which allows me to get around much easier and therefore visit more places in less time. With this being my first experience on a scooter, and I must admit I was nervous the first time I hopped on. My first adventure driving it was to the city, downtown Darwin, during rush hour...probably not the wisest choice to try and get a feel for my new bike, but that was when my appointment was to get the vehicle inspected and registered. I put a new tire on it, got a new helmet, and now I’m all set. I often go for drives now just for pleasure. The most gratifying aspect of bike life is being able to talk to the other drivers/riders while on the road. Yesterday I challenged another biker to a race off the line, but naturally, I got dusted because he had a motorcycle and I a moped. I think I handled the loss well though. I also went for a drive along the ocean where two eagles flew just over my head, a sight which served as a reminder to me that I ought to continue to enjoy the outdoors of Australia while I have the chance.

When I’m not playing basketball, in the weight room, or helping the youngins at an elementary school, I’m often at the beach. There are a number of public-named beaches in Darwin and I am trying to hit them all before I leave. I’ve only got one or two left on my Darwin bucket list.

At the top of my Darwin bucket list is to win a championship. For this to happen, our team will need to continue to improve. We have the pieces, and when everyone is healthy, we are for real. We just need to get healthy, demonstrate consistency when we are, and suck it up and not make excuses when we’re not. Last night was a step in the right direction.

We beat Razzle last night by 15, and nearly everyone played well. We had four guys in double figures and I had my best game of the season pouring in 26 points to go with 5 assists. We trailed at the end of the first, but caught up in the second and never looked back. We controlled the final three quarters. Here is a short article from the Darwin News covering the game:

"The Rebels got back into the win column with a 77-62 win against a tough and tenacious Razzle outfit that just wouldn’t give up. Rebel Matthew Van Pelt (pictured) led the team for the second week in a row with 26 points, a season high, with Jermaine Lattimore adding 14, Lucci Cornelius 11 and Jake Kirby 10. Van Pelt knocked down six treys in his output while the team hit a total of 11 (for a total of 33 from outside the arc). Razzle held a 15-14 first quarter lead, but the Rebels charged back with a 24-12 second quarter for a 40-27 half time lead. The third quarter was furious as the teams traded basket for basket during a Rebel 26-25 run. Brendan Dell kept the green and gold in the game, but they couldn’t overcome the lead the Rebels had built up. Dell finished with a season high 22 with Billy-Ray Roberts on 10, Robert Oliver, Ben Cowcher & James Panton on 9 each."

In the game prior to that one, we lost by 6 in a nail-biter. Having led the entire second half, we had crucial turnovers and poor execution on defense down the stretch and it proved costly. Personally, I played well in my matchup against a tough PG from Brooklyn by scoring 25 and dishing out 7 assists, but I clearly didn't play the floor general roll well enough as displayed by the big fat "L" that goes in the record books. Moreover, Jermaine was also killin' in the 4th quarter. From the 5:00 mark to the 2:00 mark in the 4th, I kept feeding the big fella, and Jermaine scored four straight buckets on four straight possessions. Then our mistake was going away from the hot hands in the final two minutes of the game, when we beat ourselves with turnovers and poor decisions when it mattered most. Here is the short clip from the news about this game: 

"Daniel Florance and returnee John King combined for 33 points as the Blues from Ansett slipped past the Rebels 71-65 in a must win game. The Blues were behind 33-27 at half-time… trailed by a point at 46-45 heading into the last quarter and turned a momentum shift into a win with a 26-19 run that keeps them within range of the top four. The addition of King to the line-up for the Blues and the imminent return of guard Matt Hunt will boost the Blues chances of getting back into the final four before the regular season ends. The Rebels had the game in their grasp but failed to hang onto the lead. Import guard Matthew Van Pelt had his best game of the season with a team and game high 25 points (including 4 treys), but it wasn’t enough to hold off that last quarter charge by the Blues. Rebel Jermaine Lattimore added 17 and Matt Fagg hit 14 while Malix Laurel had 12 and Jake Kirby 10 for the Blues."

Long story short, my last two games have been the best two games of my young overseas career thus far. Unfortunately, however, we split those games, so I didn't do enough. All that matters right now is racking up W's. Our team currently sits in 4th place, and the top 4 make the playoffs. We've got two games next weekend against Palmerston (who smacked us by 30 last game) and Tracy Village (who pulled off a triple overtime win against us last time). I'd say we've got some revenge to dish out. 

Basketball as of Late

Our team still has yet to be complete for a single game thus far. In each of our six games played so far there have been at least two players unable to suit up for various reasons. Our next game is Friday, and I am hoping we will finally be 100% healthy by then. Our last three games have all been battles, and I anticipate next Friday's contest to be much of the same.

Last week's game was an instant classic for Aussie hoops fans. To sum it up quickly, we lost by three in triple overtime to the Tracy Village Jets in a memorable back-and-forth battle.

The Jets are currently undefeated and in first place. We had plenty of opportunities to hand them their first loss, but didn't finish the job. At one point we were up by 3 in the second overtime when they had a player (who hadn't hit a three in two seasons) bank in a transition three pointer at the buzzer to send it to a third extra session, where they eventually made more shots than us and earned the victory.

It was quite an eventful game. I also cracked my head open during the game taking a charge on a player much bigger than myself. It all happened so quickly that I don't know exactly what caused my head to crack. While I found it quite annoying that my head was bleeding for two days (I didn't want to go to the hospital to stitch it up), the fortunate aspect of the situation is that the charge call went my way.

The same player who I took the charge on eventually got tossed from the game for shoving a player on our team and picking up his second technical foul. Referees are not slow to give tech's out here. I haven't been hit with a "T," but one thing I learned quickly is that I better keep my mouth shut.

The officiating was pretty poor that game. Both teams seemed to get screwed over at inopportune moments. We had to do our best to ignore what the refs were doing and pay more attention to the weapons on the other team. Because they had some weapons.

They had two point guards who played on the court at the same time. Both were very similar to myself, in that they are small, quick guards who look to facilitate on offense and apply pressure on defense. I had fun battling with them, and managed to have a pretty successful night individually. I scored 21 points and dished out 12 assists in all. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for a victory.

They guy who led the Jets to the W was a 6'7 lengthy forward who had a game similar to that of Dirk. He could post up, and did so a lot. But where he preferred to play was on the perimeter, where he dropped at least three deep balls on us. We struggled to slow him down, and in the end, his offensive production proved costly and contributed to us taking a loss.

The second of these three games is one I prefer not to write much about, for the mere fact that I choked near the game's closing. Our team struggled from the free throw line the entire game. We missed twelve foul shots just in the first half. I missed one for the game. But that one happened to be the biggest one of all. In a game where we were up by as many as 9 in the third quarter, we once again failed to finish, and I take most of the blame for that.

We were down by two when I drove the lane and got tripped up trying to finish at the hoop with 4.5 seconds left. A foul was called, and I was sent to the line. Down 2. 4.5 seconds left. Who doesn't want that pressure? I am a very confident free throw shooter, and love moments like that. I hit the first free throw as the ball didn't touch the rim. I had a chance to tie the game, but missed the second.

There's really no other way to put it other than that I choked. I don't even remember how it missed. I'm not sure if it bounced right, went in and out, was short, or what. It's all a blur to me. I let my team down. We lost by a single point. Missing free throws is one thing I hate, but letting your team down is a much worse feeling. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to cope with it long because we had a game the following night.

That game, like the other two, was also a one possession game in the final seconds. We played the Lightning, a team with a balanced attack led by a big red head who formerly played for the Melbourne Tigers (a NBL team in Southern Australia). They had more size than us but Jermaine and Jacob did a nice job covering their bigs, and for the most part we held their shooters in check as well. It was an ugly game, in which neither team played very well. But I guess we were a little less ugly and found a way to pull out a close win as they missed a three at the buzzer which would have sent it to OT. I had a decent, yet fairly quiet night offensively scoring 9, and dishing for 6 assists. I played well on defense, grabbing a few steals and forcing an 8-second half-court violation with some full court ball pressure. Overall, I played okay. Our team played okay at best. It wasn't a pretty win, but nevertheless it felt good to come out on top.

Our team started the year 2-0, then lost 3 straight, and now hope to build this victory into a much longer win streak. Currently at 3-3, we are at a place where we need to start winning on a more consistent basis. We have the talent and work ethic to do it. The biggest key for us Rebels right now is to get healthy. If we put everybody on the floor in the same game, we should be able to beat anybody. Now, it's just a matter of doing it.

After our latest win, a few of us went to a Filipino festival and then to a Filipino friend's birthday party. Darwin is on the northern coast of Australia, therefore it is the closest of all the big Australian cities to the Philippines. As a result, it's a city that is home to not only a great number of Filipinos, but also a wide variety of other ethnic backgrounds as well. Darwin is quite the cultural melting pot, which is one thing I love about the area. I've met numerous people from all over the world in my short time here so far. I've also booked a trip to Bali, Indonesia from late September to early October because our league takes a week off from games. So perhaps in that week I'll make some Indonesian friends as well.                                                           
                                                                                                           
I also plan on taking a second trip in early to mid December before I fly back to the U.S. for Christmas. As of right now, my options include Cairns (where the Great Barrier Reef is located) and Sydney, Australia, as well as Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong, or Malaysia. I've never been to any of these areas, so I'm open to any and all suggestions of those who might know more about them than I.