Another Scrimmage...

Blog #7:

Today we had a scrimmage against some players from Texas. Most of which just trying to get a look I am assuming. The bus ride to the gym was hot as hell. We had both teams on the bus, the air conditioning was blowing out hot air and it was 112 degrees out. That's one thing about playing in Mexico that I like and that's that it doesn't take much to feel warmed up lol. The gyms in Poland I think we had the heater on a couple of times. Did I mention the bus ride to the gym is 20min? I'm dying on here...

Our last scrimmage we had was an inter-squad scrimmage. I had 13pts and 7assts. I hope i can continue to improve each day and get in better shape. Pre-season has been tough on the body but it's just as tough on the mind. As much as I enjoy playing this game at times it can be warring.

Tonight's scrimmage we won 133-100. Yes that's 12 min qtrs. Yes there was zero defense played. I played about 15-20min. Really the only productive thing we got out of this was we weren't playing against each other and we got up and down the floor. There wasn't a whole lot of set plays being ran, in fact I think 87% of our points came in transition. We're supposed to play the team again tomorrow but I heard the asst. coach saying we might not. Our head coach has been gone at meetings for the LNBP (name of the league i play in) the past few days and he's supposed to be back tomorrow so the schedule may change. We have practice at 4pm. Supposed to be 110 degrees again mañana so I'm probably going to the pool to stretch, swim a little & work on the tan.

On a final note, ally teammates are talking about twitter this and twitter that. So I joined the club so I be in the loop with them and the rest of the world lol...

I hope all is well back home. Gordon aka gym rat slash one of my dad's closest friends and someone I call family. It was great talking with you and sharing my journey thus far with you. Now if I could only do that with your Australian son lol. I love and miss you everybody. Until next time................ Love

Passing the days...

Blog #6:

Some of the restrictions living in a hotel in another country that isn't very safe:

Limited activity - this is nothing like the capabilities you would have when making two beds into a bunk bed (Step Brothers). I have a roommate for the time being and don't have the luxury of doing that. Because of the cartels here I can't really leave the hotel unless it's in a group. So it's the hotel and gym for me a majority of the time.

3 English channels on TV - 2 movie channels and one news channel (CNN)

Internet - is hit or miss, you get free wifi in the lobby but I live on the second floor. I have to go down to the lobby to get the best signal. I would use the wifi in the room but it cost money.

Food: limited to hotel food and pricing. Occasionally some of the guys branch out but I have yet to do so. There are a few places within walking distance but like I mentioned earlier you have to travel in packs so going to dinner after practice can be a process organizing. When you practice as late and as long as we do you usually just want to shower, eat quick and go to bed.

Yesterday we only had one practice. We've been going since the 15th, two times a day. I decided to go early and get some shots up not knowing we were going to go 3 and half hours. I was in the gym from 6:30 - 10:30pm. Which means I left the hotel at 6pm and didn't get home until 11pm. That's after a game yesterday, two-a-days and no break. Needless to say but my legs is done!

We got 2 practices today. On our way to the first now. When I get back I think I'm gonna hop in the pool for a little bit and get some sun before the second practice.

I hope all is well back home. I love and miss you. Until next time........... Love

Team & League Websites...

Here are a couple of links for my team and league:

http://www.torosnld.com/

http://www.lnbp.com.mx/

Until next time............ Love

Scrimmage #2...

Blog #5:

Our second scrimmage went well although the outcome wasn't what we wanted. We ended up losing by 9 points as we gave it away late. I let the gut I was guarding hit 2 big 3s to extend the lead to 10. I let him get in a comfortable rhythm and he knocked 'em both down. I furious to say the least. I ended the game with 17pts and probably one the better outings i've had in a long time. The starting PG gets here today though so we'll see how my role will be now that he is here. My dad used to always say coaches don't decide you plays players do... I hope that's still the case because no one will out work me. I ended the night with a couple of cervezas (Sol) and was asleep by 11pm... I hope all is well back home. I love and miss you. Until next time..................... Love

Press Conference, Practice & Fans...

Blog #4

Today I woke up and had the usual (hotcakes & fruit). The breakfast buffet at the hotel is open until noon on weekdays and 1pm on weekends. We had a press conference for the media at 11am and practice from 1:30 - 4pm after that. I'm still not in that good of shape but slowly getting there. After practice I got up off two feet and dunked with 2 hands. It's been a while since I last did that because last year I pulled the calf muscle and after that sprained the ankle. Although I'm not quite 100% it's nice to know I'm getting there.

When we got back to the hotel they gave us 45min to shower and eat before we went to the local Wal-Mart for a meet and greet/autograph signing.

The meet and greet went well. A decent turnout. Probably more so because it was at the mall on a Saturday. We sat at tables and fans of all ages lined up for autographs and photos. It never gets old when someone wants a picture with you. Originally I had planned to hit up the pool but after we grabbed some BK at the mall it was already 7:30pm. So I guess the pool will have to wait until our first off day or 1 practice day... Until next time............ Love

Scrimmage...

Blog #3

Scrimmage:

Surprise! Surprise! We were supposed to leave at 2pm, we left @ 2:33pm. I don't know if I'll ever get used to that. My family has always been notorious for showing up to social functions fashionably late. In college my housemates put myself and another housemate in a group called NSU (No Sense of Urgency). Maybe it's because I treat basketball like it's my job because I don't like to be late. I'll be the first to admit that I am usually strolling in a few minutes late when it comes to social functions when there is no consequence or reprecaution but ever since my roommate in college and I were late to our first road trip of our college career, I've stuck to what they call Double D time since then. I usually set at least 3 alarms. One for each part of the preparation:

#1 is wake up

#2 is usually shower

#3 pack up

2 & 3 are interchangeable depending on the event. Ask my girlfriend Lele she experiences first hand the alarm system I have lol... I plan on sticking to my system even though I am usually 15min early already it just gives me more time to skype, email, blog and stay up on current events.

Scrimmage or game, it's great to start off the season with a win. They ended the first half up 35-40. I missed all 3 of my shot attempts and overall didn't do much. The style here is a lot different then Europe. They let a lot more stuff go, pushing, grabbing, hand checking, etc... The second half I bounced back and went 3-5 from the field and made a big play down the stretch. An and one to put us up 3. We ended up winning by 7 or 8. Still have a lot to improve on and get acclimated with my new team, coach and style of play. Can only go one way from here and that's forward. We have a press conference tomorrow at 11am in the hotel and practice at 1pm. We also scrimmage Monterrey again on Sunday but at home this time. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

I guess we have a few long bus rides this year so DVDs are a must have. We watched Machete on the way there and I Am Legend on the way back. In English! Most of my road trips over the past 3 years have been in the native tongue of that region. I am hyped to say the least. We also stopped at a Subway/Church's Chicken for dinner. I got a foot long turkey with everything on it including jalapeños. I'm not gonna lie it was just as good as the states...

I hope all is well back home. I love and miss you more than I show. Until next time................... Love

Schedule, Border Crossing & Update...

Toros Schedule:

So here is a look at my new schedule for the next 4-6 months. I arrived here on August 15th from Brazil and we hit the ground running. Another player from the national team is my roommate at the hotel we're staying at. I'm hoping it's only for the time being (meaning pre-season) because I spoke with the coach and so did Rick and while they are finalizing the roster it is better because we have so many guys trying out. I haven't received our game schedule yet but we play 2 times a week from September 2 - December 29th and then playoffs start. Practices have been long and hard. 2.5 - 3 hours in the morning and 2.5 - 3 hours in the evening. Below is a minor description of what the practices look like. That being said we have a scrimmage coming up this weekend, so we've been scrimmaging a lot more in the evening and the routine has altered slightly.

Thus far things have been going pretty well. Coach, players, living conditions, etc... All of which I am very content with. I know its early too. At practice yesterday coach said don't cross the border after 8pm because there are no taxis back, always travel in groups and wear Toros gear LOL... That is one thing that will be a change is I won't be taking daily strolls downtown to kill some time. I will spend most my time in the hotel and in the gym. That's how it should be right? Life of a Mexican-American Basketball player lol...

Today we had one practice in the morning and the evening off. So me and some if the guys crossed the border. Some of us went to the mall and a couple of us went to Wal-Mart. I didn't have anything in particular that I wanted, I really just wanted to cross to see how the procedure worked. I did end up getting a few things: chewy oatmeal chips ahoy, pb & j, cheez-it Parmesan flavor, chewy granola bars (caramel & chocolate chip flavored) and lastly some kool-aid. On the way home we stopped at Popeye's for dinner. Got myself a 3 piece spicy combo. The cab ride ended up being $33.00 split between 2 people which could have been cheaper but we made him wait outside for us. One would think I would be more nervous crossing into Mexico but I was more nervous crossing into the states. Don't ask me why because I really don't know lol. Everything went well and smoothly and I am glad it is only a 10 min cab ride to the border. I think next time I cross I'm going to check out the mall. On another note I found out from one of my teammates that has AT&T as well that he gets coverage at the hotel, which I found out upon returning. Whoop whoop! So if anyone reads this blog feel free to give me a ring because I'll have my phone on now.

I gotta run now and give Lele a call and let her know she can reach me at any time. That make things a whole easier especially since our Internet is down at the hotel for a couple days.

Games:

Home: Friday &Sunday

Away: Thursday & Saturday

Practice:

1st: 10:30 - 2:00pm

2nd: 7:15pm - 10:30pm

Breakfast: 9am

Lunch: 3pm

Dinner: 11pm

1st Practice:

Warm up shooting(catch and shoot)

Water

Dynamic Warm up

Water

3-man Fullcourt layup and jumpers

Water

Ladder and cone drill

Water

4 on 4 help & rotate

Water

2 man shooting

5on5

Water

Abs

Stretching

2nd Practice:

Warmup 2-lines lay-ups to 3's

Water

Dynamic warm-up & stretching

3-man Fullcourt lay-ups

Water

3 on 3

Water

4 on 4

Water

5 on 5 half court

Water

5 on 5 fullcourt

Water

Dynamic cooldown & stretching

I hope all is well back home. I love and miss you. Until next time.................. Love

Mexican National Team...

Mexican National Team Tryout:

The first 24hrs of this journey has been unpredictable to say the least. My contact Rick Perez has been right on and pulled through every time regardless of timing. He also let me know that, that's how Mexico works. I could care less through because I am hoping to seize this opportunity in front of me. Rick was able to get me a tryout with the men's mexican national team. Right now it is comprised of potential candidates to play in the PAN America Games October 13-20th.I'm on my way to Monterrey, Mexico right now and from there I will be picked up by a federation official (at least that's what I was told). From there I will check in to my hotel and The next 3 days I will practice with the team before heading to Uruguay and Brazil for some games. I will have to obtain a visa in both countries before I can go which is why I had to fly out on such short notice. I'm a little nervous what will happen because I feel in the dark about everything. To some extent that is how it always is when going to a different team, coach, environment, etc... But this time it just seems there is a little more uncertainty. Who knows though, maybe that's a better thing. After all every experience is what you make of it. I guess I'll have to challenge Michael J Fox for the most optimistic person in the world award...

Once I arrived in Monterrey I was supposed to be picked up by an official of the federation but that ended up not working out. So i called my agent and he told me to get a cab and go to the team's hotel. Unfortunately I can't speak a lick of Spanish so the cab driver could not understand what I was saying. I was able to point out a courtyard Marriott by the airport and he drove me there. I was hoping the person at the front desk would be able to translate the name of the hotel I was trying to get to but it turned out neither of them knew what I was talking about. After many emails, skype phone calls, g-chat and turning the roaming on for a second to get a hold of Rick. I ended up staying here for the night.

The morning has been almost as crazy as the last 48hrs. Only now I have somewhat of an itinerary. Rick got me in contact with the President of the LNBP and organizer of the Mens Natl Team. He also put me in touch with the coach who helped a lot because he spoke English. The organizer of the team emailed me the flight info for the next week and it looked something like this:

Aug. 6

Monterrey, Mexico to Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico City to Buenos Aires, Argentina

Aug. 7

Buenos Aires to Montevideo, Uruguay

Aug. 10

Montevideo to San Paulo Guarulh, Brazil

Aug. 14

San Paulo Guarulh to Mexico City, Mexico

If all goes well I am hoping to get invited back for the PAN America Games. When I finish with this tryout I have to report for pre-season workouts with the Nuevo Laredo Toros.

I met up with the team in Mexico City. A public relations guy named Roberto, who used to cover street ball and his favorite NBA player was Jason Williams, met me outside baggage claim to take me to where a few of the other players were waiting for everyone to arrive. We had an 9 hour overnight flight to Buenos Aires. I slept most the time except to adjust my body because I had the middle seat and also for dinner and breakfast. Once we got our bags we hopped in a van and drove an hour in heavy traffic to another airport. We had a 4 hour layover there and chilled in the food court the whole time. There are 2 other Americans with Mexican passports who I've be-friended and the coach is American too. He coaches the team in Monterrey.

The 1 hr flight to Montevideo was quick and smooth even though I had another middle seat but this time it was an exit row. We grabbed our luggage and hopped on a bus to Trinidad, Uruguay a city 2 hours away. When we got to the hotel and stepped out of the bus i remembered we were in the southern hemisphere and it was winter here. Our hotel is a small quaint adobe style place. We checked in an headed straight to dinner. We had salad, bread, rice, sausage, steak, coke and ice cream for desert. The meat was cooked over a brick grill. The dinner area had a deer and wild boar head mounted on the wall next to a large open fireplace that filled the room with a small blanket of smoke and a burning scent. It actually wasn't that bad and added to whole vibe of the atmosphere. Each room had 2-3 beds. Probably as firm a bed as I have ever slept on. I tried to shower after breakfast this morning but no hot water. I guess they ran out over night lol.

Shoot around went quick and easy. Because this team was just thrown together we had to stretch, get some shots up, put in some plays and end with some more jumpers. My legs were a little stiff from our long travels but everything felt ok. Well the jumper started falling after we got rid of the women's balls they initially gave us to practice with lol. When we got back to our hotel Uruguay's national team arrived. A member of their team was american and shared a story about the last time Mexico and Uruguay played and they fought..... I'm already nervous and don't really know what to expect, add that to the picture and now I'm all over the place.

For lunch we had salad, bread, chicken, potatoes and orange juice. Because we don't have any hot water in our rooms I tried to shower in coaches room where there is supposed go be a direct line to the heater but for some odd reason it was still cold. I wouldn't even say it was lukewarm. It's all good though I took a fast shower and went back to the room to Skype Lele and email some photos.

Game 1 v. Uruguay:

Our first game we lost 79-59. We didn't shoot the ball that well and because we haven't had much time to prepare or play with each other we were very unorganized. I was Passive at first but got more aggressive in the second half. Coach said I needed to be more aggressive earlier. Not a lot of plays are ran it is quite similar to playing pick up with a few basic principles. Uruguay has been practicing and playing together for a while and it showed. Their offense was ran really well, their defense was decent (token pressure/ intensity) but that being said I've faced tougher competition then last night. I need to play a lot better than I did to get asked to come back. I need to find a way to be better and be more productive so I can't give them a choice other than to invite me back...

Our second game was in Salto, Uruguay. The reason we're playing in 2 different cities is because the Uruguay National Team wanted to reach out to it's country men/ fans.
We spent most our time traveling today and hanging out in the hotel before the game....

Game 2 v. Uruguay:

Didn't go quite as I pictured it. We lost - I didn't play that well still trying to figure out how to play this style. Not a lot of organization and it's tough for me right now to figure things out. I didn't shoot the ball very well. I need to take some pride and at least win my match up. Then the other things will fall into place. When it comes down to it, it's about who wants it more. I need to find the desire to just whoop some ass and I'm struggling with that...F&$*!!!!

After our game we got back from the gym around midnight. That was actually earlier than expected because we had a police escort to and from the gym. All we had time for was dinner (ate cow tongue for the first time) and a quick shower because we had to get back on the road to catch our flight to Brasil...

We left at 2am this morning Because we had to take care of some visa stuff that could have easily been taken care of before the trip or the day we got here. In fact it was mentioned to us but we didn't do anything. This trip has proven rumors true about Mexico's reputation lol. When we got to the Brazllian Consulate we had to request a tourist visa. This also mean't we had to pay a fee. Initially we were going to have to pay so i went to an ATM and pulled out money only to find out Uruguay took care of it.Obviously this process takes a while so we missed our original flight at 12:20pm and were going to be staying another night in Uruguay. It's crazy how last minute everything has been done. This is an absolute first for me....

It's crazy having 2 passports. Regardless of what has transpired today, I have a passport stamped in Argentina, Uruguay and now Brazil. Sometimes I get caught up in the desire to excel at my sport and loose sight of the experience I am having. I was pointing out all the negatives and not focusing on the positives. I'm writing it now, I am here to enjoy my journey!

I had a great viber app conversation with my nephew baboon and he is my inspiration right now. He help put things back into perspective for me and all the down time we had in our hotel for me to think about things....

Got up at 6:30am this morning to catch a flight at 10am. Grabbed a quick bite to eat at the continental breakfast and squeezed into the shuttle bus. I'm excited to go to Brazil but wish we were going to Rio rather than Sao Paulo. Although I've heard good things about both... The hotel we're staying at in Brazil is probably one star better than all 3 hotels we stayed at in Uruguay.

Game 1 v. Brazil:

Pre-game thoughts: as we approach game-time I think back did I pack everything, ask my dad to help me play better, wonder how Lele is doing, walking to the bus wondering if putting my jersey on the balcony to dry was a good idea because it looks like it might rain, thinking if I don't play well is this it for me, how much longer can I go and will my body hold up, is it worth being away Lele and the family, am I losing that edge, I haven't shown my true ability the last 2 games, shouldn't it bother me, forget about everything and just hoop, enjoy the journey....

Had about 15-18 minutes tonight but played the best of 3 games thus far. Had 11 pts and 2assts. Being out of shape and all the traveling I think finally caught up lol. I got pretty tired pretty fast tonight. One thing that got me going tonight was I got to match up with one of the top guards in the Euroleague (Marcelinho Huertas) he plays for Barcelona now. Before the game I talked to Splitter too. It's funny everyone just assumes I speak Spanish lol. I guess I better pick that up quick. I have yet to mention anything about fans but the fans in both Uruguay and Brazil have been great. They obviously root a little better for their own nation but in Uruguay they called me Chicharito (Best Mexican Futbol Player) and here in Sao Paulo all the young kids wanted photos and were calling me by my name. It was fun to feel the love...

Aug. 12:
Breakfast
Practice
Lunch
Walked around
Dinner
Skype
Laundry

Aug. 13

Game 2 v. Brasil

Isn't even worth talking about. We got spanked by 50.

After the game we walked around downtown checked out the mall. I noticed a yogurt spot called tutti Frutti reminded me of Lele and how much she loves Spoon Me a yogurt spot back home. After we went to the mall we stopped at a local spot to try a beer (Bramham & Skol) and people watched. I gotta be honest Sao Paulo wasn't that touristy. Maybe it was the location of our hotel and being more inland but I didn't find many attractions.

Aug. 14
Overall this trip was a good experience to prep me for Mexico. A ton of traveling, in some way or another i've been on on a bus or plane everyday since august 5th. Crazy huh? That can definitely have its effects on the body and i am feeling that first hand. There were a lot of ups and downs but in the end I got what I needed out of it and that is another memory. When I get back to Mexico City we're staying at a hotel for the night and heading to Nuevo Laredo at 6:10am probably just in time for the first of 2 practices lol... Time to grind and get back into shape. Our first game is against Monterey and the coach of the Natl team for this trip was Reggie Jordan, ex-NBAer. That's September 2nd I believe. Well I am hoping to have a lot to write about this year because I'm in a new place, new language, new culture, new team, etc... I hope all is well back home. I love and miss you. Until next time................ Love


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