This past week has been the hardest week of my entire life. Tough way to start a blog, but I certainly mean it when I say it.
First, I got a little homesick starting earlier in the week, which has never really happened before. Now that I have been living here for a decent amount of time and have really finished adjusting to the food, culture, and people, it is only natural to miss what you have been used to for 23 years. Trust me when I say that America is a great country, you will never hear me say anything bad about it again. Second, I got pretty sick from one of my teammates with the cold flu. Had a fever, really sore throat, stuffed up, and coughing up goodies and all of that. It is hard to play at your highest level with all of that going on. Like really really hard, when all you want to do is lay down and not swallow. Speaking of basketball, my team is now 9-2 and still in first place by a full game. We lost our last game in OT with some controversial calls but it was against a very good team, one we will definitely probably see in the playoffs in the near future.
We got to go on a team retreat shortly after our loss, so all wasn't a complete failure - except Coach decided in order to build more team chemistry we needed to be isolated in the countryside away from any technology or any people except each other. So that is what we did, drove out to the middle of nowhere (it was freezing) and stayed at a little hotel with my teammates. Things were going well when I checked my inbox and got a message on my phone.
I am not going to get into details on a public internet blog, but sometimes you just get a phone call or a message that literally brings you to your knees. If you are reading this and this is something that has never happened, than you need to drop to your knees and thank God for such a blessing, because it has been one of the hardest moments of my life. A phone call that put Mongolia, basketball, and life in general in perspective, instantly. Before I turn this blog into a diary ill just finish by saying I never really had gotten a message or a phone call like that in my life and when you do get one, all you can do is pray and ask for prayer, so thats what I am doing. I would love to have your prayers my friends, I miss and love you all.
Will
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
It has been a crazy ride
Well it has been a long time since my last blog, and a lot has changed. As most of you know, after beginning the season in Romania I went down with a massive ankle injury. At first, we actually thought it was a break after the initial X-ray and examination in Bucharest. Either way, fracture or not, it was going to be 2-3 months before I could begin playing basketball again. So after discussing with team management it was decided that it would be best for both parties if I went home and began rehab and recovery as soon as possible. Medical care in Romania is not exactly the best, as some of you may have read about the American player who was killed after a bar fight, it was later determined he really died of medical negligence, rather than the bar fight itself. Either way it was a sad story that affected a lot of teams. At the time, I thought I would probably be returning to Romania to finish off the season, but I think God had other plans for me. We all know those are the best plans - He makes all things work together for our good!
So after being home for a couple months and through some grueling rehab in Midland, the chance of going back to Romania was beginning to look less promising. Just when I wasn't sure what I was going to do, I got a call about a possible professional basketball opportunity in Ulaanbataar Mongolia. My first thought was Mongolia - really? But after talking with the team management and researching the city I found out that it really wasn't as crazy as I thought. It is the capital city, where everything is based, with about 2 million people, how crazy could it be? I watched some videos of the league from last year, and I did some more research and decided it was a pretty amazing opportunity, and one definitely brought on by God, how could I say no? After mulling an offer from Australia as well, I ultimately decided to sign the contract in Mongolia. We ran into some problems with our sponsors, but to make a long story short, after several delays, I finally ended up in Ulaanbataar.
I had no idea what to expect when I landed, and it was a ridiculous amount of travel to get here, but I finally made it! The league here is sponsored by Pepsi Co. so I knew that at the very least there wasn't going to be to many money problems within the league and that the contract I signed was going to be honored. Basically, every team has a combination of Americans, Serbians, Mongolians, Chinese, and Japanese on their team. I got here pretty late, so I had to jump right into practice and games, and lets just say I didn't quite have my basketball legs yet! It took a week of pain, but I feel like I have them now, and am excited about our season. Our team is comprised of some very good players. We have 3 americans, and the rest Mongolian players. Eight of the Mongolian players, however, were on the Olympic team, so we definitely have a very strong team, with a lot of balance and depth. Our Coach is a really tough guy, who is also involved in coaching the national team here, so practices and games are not taken lightly. Anyways, we are currently 6-1 in the league and in first place, so things are going very well!
I don't want to overwhelm everyone with information, so I leave it at that for now. I have definitely had so many lessons to be learned over this past 6 months, lessons that I know have strengthened my character. I will update more and more of the course of the season.
So after being home for a couple months and through some grueling rehab in Midland, the chance of going back to Romania was beginning to look less promising. Just when I wasn't sure what I was going to do, I got a call about a possible professional basketball opportunity in Ulaanbataar Mongolia. My first thought was Mongolia - really? But after talking with the team management and researching the city I found out that it really wasn't as crazy as I thought. It is the capital city, where everything is based, with about 2 million people, how crazy could it be? I watched some videos of the league from last year, and I did some more research and decided it was a pretty amazing opportunity, and one definitely brought on by God, how could I say no? After mulling an offer from Australia as well, I ultimately decided to sign the contract in Mongolia. We ran into some problems with our sponsors, but to make a long story short, after several delays, I finally ended up in Ulaanbataar.
I had no idea what to expect when I landed, and it was a ridiculous amount of travel to get here, but I finally made it! The league here is sponsored by Pepsi Co. so I knew that at the very least there wasn't going to be to many money problems within the league and that the contract I signed was going to be honored. Basically, every team has a combination of Americans, Serbians, Mongolians, Chinese, and Japanese on their team. I got here pretty late, so I had to jump right into practice and games, and lets just say I didn't quite have my basketball legs yet! It took a week of pain, but I feel like I have them now, and am excited about our season. Our team is comprised of some very good players. We have 3 americans, and the rest Mongolian players. Eight of the Mongolian players, however, were on the Olympic team, so we definitely have a very strong team, with a lot of balance and depth. Our Coach is a really tough guy, who is also involved in coaching the national team here, so practices and games are not taken lightly. Anyways, we are currently 6-1 in the league and in first place, so things are going very well!
I don't want to overwhelm everyone with information, so I leave it at that for now. I have definitely had so many lessons to be learned over this past 6 months, lessons that I know have strengthened my character. I will update more and more of the course of the season.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Settle In
Sorry it’s been a minute since I last wrote to everybody, it’s been a pretty busy week or so. Right now I am sitting in a hotel room in Medias, Romania about 7 hours from Bucharest. We have curfew on game nights so my roommate Allen and I are have found a minute to relax and catch up with stuff like this!
Since my last blog, I have begun truly adapting to living in Romania’s capital and I really enjoy it a lot. My domestic teammates are helping me learn as many Romanian phrases as possible and we have a lot of fun with it, as of now I am pretty much a Romanian myself when it comes to greetings, ordering food, traveling through subway or taxi, counting, and basic conversation. I am far – far - far from fluent but you have to start somewhere. Its definitely obvious that the majority of Romanian’s would prefer you to at least try and speak a little Romanian rather than just going with English, even though most do know basic English. Bucharest is a really modern nice city with a lot to offer, it seems as though if you were only in Bucharest, like I have been so far, that Romania is a very developed place that is only continuing to get better and better. Well the trip today changed my mind on that notion pretty quickly, the countryside is pretty poor and the people are definitely in need. It made me think of how good most Americans have it, especially me, just to have a house that stands up and a roof that covers you from weather – now that’s a luxury in a lot of places here. You have to love the people of Romania too, they continuously walk up to you and try and start conversation that often goes along the lines of: “you’re tall, you’re an American? Do you play for so and so?” When us five Americans walk around together in the city we get grilled pretty hard everywhere we go, and I like what Allen said about us having to make an effort to talk to them too, you never know what they think of us, if its our job to change what people think then we have to do it whether we want to or not.
Like I mentioned, this weekend we are playing in a friendly tournament against three other teams from around Romania, all of which are pretty good from what I am told. The team that is hosting is a very good team that has a couple Americans that played D1 ball and a 7 foot 4 inch Serbian who is apparently tough to stop. We have played in two friendly games up until now and I really was impressed with how good the teams and the league actually is. We played against the “Los Angeles Lakers” of the Romanian top professional league last week and we ended up going punch for punch up until the last couple minutes. I actually mean punch for punch too, there was a nice little fight between a Badila (my man) and another Romanian on Asesoft that had the benches clear, a few swings taken, and some spit that flew, don’t worry Andre you would have gotten the best of him. We did end up losing by six but we were pretty happy with the way we played, especially for the first time playing together, and especially against a club that is known for having a boatload of money, some of their players are making over 100k per year. Euro-ball is completely different then American basketball. It is a lot less one and one and a lot more team, movement, and pick and roll. Its something that all of us are going to need some time to adjust to, and that’s exactly what these exhibitions are for. I am definitely excited for the tournament this weekend, its another chance to learn and get better.
I love my American teammates and my Romanian boys as well. Allen is the Beast from X-Men, Antonio is crazy in a good way, Mike is always good for a laugh, and Josh is chill and down to earth. My Romanian teammates are all great guys that have no problem putting the team before any individual accomplishments, something we all as Americans could take a lesson from. That’s about all I got for now, I will definitely update this thing again once we play these next two games.
One last special shoutout to my teammate Josh Brown who I just mentioned, he has a verse tattooed on his chest that my Grandma taught me in Sunday School in second grade, that I have memorized until this very day.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, in ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” Prov. 3:5-6
How true those words are. I love and miss you all!
Will
Saturday, August 27, 2011
First Week
What’s up everybody? Ill try and update this blog maybe once or twice a week depending on what happens over here, but just to give anyone who is following me a heads up.
Overall, it’s been a good first week here in Romania; I am getting more and more comfortable with the culture, the people, and the city of Bucharest. My Romanian speaking game is picking up! I am learning new phrases everyday, and I am pretty comfortable navigating through certain parts of the city in a cab or on the subway, which feels pretty good. This week we also started to eat at the restaurant where the Americans get to eat for free for the next 9 months, I was praying before I went for the first time that it was going to be something that I really like. Going on the same food you don’t like for nine months straight would be impossible, in that case impossible is something, sorry Muhammad Ali. The good news is: I love it! The food is Italian and Romanian and it is oh so good. We can order most anything off the menu and everything I have had so far has been delicious, now that’s an answer to prayer. From Alfredo to steak to chicken to schnitzel they have it all at this place, and I am so grateful that I get to eat there everyday.
Other then that, this week of practice/training camp has been really tough. In the mornings we are either on the track or at the gym, and in the afternoons we are always at the gym. For the first 4-5 days I literally could hardly walk up and down the stairs we were running and working out so much. I am a new found believer of what comes out you must put in, so that pasta at the restaurant has been a huge blessing, it has given me more energy for the second practice of the day, thank you Lord.
On Wednesday I welcomed my newest American teammate Mike Davis from Brooklyn, New York to Bucharest. Mike is about 6:11 and can literally touch his kneecaps standing straight up, which means his wingspan is absolutely crazzzzzzy. He was in the NBA D-League last year and he actually played with a couple guys I played against in high school, like Dar Tucker. Mike is a beast in the post and is going to be a huge asset for our team. On top of that, he is a good and genuine dude, who can always make me laugh, especially when people stare at us in the subway. When I say stare I mean they stare for like 5 straight minutes, Mike sticks out here like you wouldn’t even believe! He is also deathly afraid of the all the stray dogs that are running around, every time one even gets close he throws me in front and screams, now have you ever seen a 7 foot black man from Brooklyn do that? Haha.
Tonight I got a huge surprise from the clubs GM as he gave me the opportunity to be a judge in the World Dunk Contest here in Bucharest. It is a huge deal, and I can’t believe they are allowing me to do it. All of the best dunkers in the world are going to be here: the American Team Flight Brothers are coming (Justin Darlington, Young Hollywood, Guy Dupuy – you have to youtube these guys), Kadur Ziani (spelling) the famous euro dunker, and more. I can’t wait, and I am honored to even be allowed to grade these guys’ dunks. I will absolutely be catching all this on film, and posting it as soon as I can, so no worries. Next week we have our first friendlies (exhibitions) and the first one is against Asesoft and Mike Jones, from Maryland, he plays the two and so do I, so I am going to have to lock him up! Dream big friends. God Bless.
Will
Monday, August 22, 2011
First Days in Romainia
I have never blogged before so this could be interesting, but I think it is going to be the best way to stay in touch with everybody.
I landed in Romania two days ago at 1:35 pm local Romanian time, so like 6:35 am American time. I didn't sleep much on the plane so I was pretty exhausted when I finally landed after three connections and 15 hours of flying. The general manager (Alex) picked me up from the airport with another Romanian teammate of mine, and we instantly drove around the city in 93 degree heat without the AC, you know I was sweatin' hard. I felt like the guy in the Axe commercial when he lifts up his arms and its like a hose coming out, tough comparison - but true. My first impression of the capital city of Bucharest is that it is huge, like 2 million people huge. The downtown area is amazingly nice, with really expensive shops, hotels, restaurants, and sweet architecture with the buildings and the history surrounding all of it. Alex was telling me that since the revolution ended in 1989 Romania has done an amazing job of re-building and making the city boom again. For example, last night he took me to the "old city" where they have all the cafes and historic buildings, it was an amazing site, really beautiful. I got to pick up my picture game so everybody can see it.
At the same time, you can see the poorer parts of the city along the outskirts of downtown, as most major cities all have. The difference is everybody lives in massive apartment buildings here, there are very few houses, no matter where you go. Just another result of Russia's control over the country 20-30 years ago. Some of the buildings are very nice and some look like the projects in Chicago's southside. Either way I have a lot to learn as I am going to be traveling through the subway to get to most places, and maybe sometimes with a taxi, but my Romanian is not good, so that will be a struggle. I wouldn't even consider driving in downtown bucharest, there are literally no rules and everyone one goes hard on the streets! Plus, pathetically enough I cant even drive a stick, which is unforgivable, even my girlfriend can! She has to teach me one day.
For right now I am staying at a hotel until my apartment is finalized and fully furnished starting next week. The hotel is pretty nice, its like a hotel for professional athletes or something because everyone here plays a professional sport. There are four brazilians here that play in the top Euro-league in soccer, I can pretty much tell they make a nice amount of coin by what they drive and what they wear. And for every single meal, which we eat in the hotel, they always throw on this crazy brazilian music and get up and drum, sing, and dance to it, I just cant keep up, I love the way they just go with the flow with everything they do, a culture we Americans could take a lesson from!
Basketball wise I just had my first practice this morning and it was on the track. It went for two hours from 8:30a to 10:30am which is like 1:30 am to 3:30 am in America, the time I am used to. He ran us pretty good, and as some of you know I sprained my ankle before I came but it held up really well through the running so thats huge, I appreciate all the prayer. Like 5 of my teammates have these crazy euro-cuts that I am going to have try out while I am here, just so much swag its hard to comprehend. I swear America is like 3 months behind most of all Europe in style. Although the hoopers are way ahead in the shoe game and the sport gear, they love all my shoes and shorts. We have two practices a day everyday for the next month, so my body is about to get a serious reality check. My romanian teammates are cool dudes, they call me Will Smith for some reason that I cant figure out, besides the fact my name is Will. I mean Im not black and I don't act, but they seem to love Fresh Prince over here.
All in all it has been a good first few days, I have so much to adapt to and the language is insanely difficult to learn, but I am going to try my best. Its zero fun being dependent on another person to do everything for you as far as communication, travel, and everything else that comes with being a foreigner in a brand new country. I know this is where God wants me to be so I am going to do everything I can to follow that path and live out this adventure. I miss everybody already, I love y'all!
I landed in Romania two days ago at 1:35 pm local Romanian time, so like 6:35 am American time. I didn't sleep much on the plane so I was pretty exhausted when I finally landed after three connections and 15 hours of flying. The general manager (Alex) picked me up from the airport with another Romanian teammate of mine, and we instantly drove around the city in 93 degree heat without the AC, you know I was sweatin' hard. I felt like the guy in the Axe commercial when he lifts up his arms and its like a hose coming out, tough comparison - but true. My first impression of the capital city of Bucharest is that it is huge, like 2 million people huge. The downtown area is amazingly nice, with really expensive shops, hotels, restaurants, and sweet architecture with the buildings and the history surrounding all of it. Alex was telling me that since the revolution ended in 1989 Romania has done an amazing job of re-building and making the city boom again. For example, last night he took me to the "old city" where they have all the cafes and historic buildings, it was an amazing site, really beautiful. I got to pick up my picture game so everybody can see it.
At the same time, you can see the poorer parts of the city along the outskirts of downtown, as most major cities all have. The difference is everybody lives in massive apartment buildings here, there are very few houses, no matter where you go. Just another result of Russia's control over the country 20-30 years ago. Some of the buildings are very nice and some look like the projects in Chicago's southside. Either way I have a lot to learn as I am going to be traveling through the subway to get to most places, and maybe sometimes with a taxi, but my Romanian is not good, so that will be a struggle. I wouldn't even consider driving in downtown bucharest, there are literally no rules and everyone one goes hard on the streets! Plus, pathetically enough I cant even drive a stick, which is unforgivable, even my girlfriend can! She has to teach me one day.
For right now I am staying at a hotel until my apartment is finalized and fully furnished starting next week. The hotel is pretty nice, its like a hotel for professional athletes or something because everyone here plays a professional sport. There are four brazilians here that play in the top Euro-league in soccer, I can pretty much tell they make a nice amount of coin by what they drive and what they wear. And for every single meal, which we eat in the hotel, they always throw on this crazy brazilian music and get up and drum, sing, and dance to it, I just cant keep up, I love the way they just go with the flow with everything they do, a culture we Americans could take a lesson from!
Basketball wise I just had my first practice this morning and it was on the track. It went for two hours from 8:30a to 10:30am which is like 1:30 am to 3:30 am in America, the time I am used to. He ran us pretty good, and as some of you know I sprained my ankle before I came but it held up really well through the running so thats huge, I appreciate all the prayer. Like 5 of my teammates have these crazy euro-cuts that I am going to have try out while I am here, just so much swag its hard to comprehend. I swear America is like 3 months behind most of all Europe in style. Although the hoopers are way ahead in the shoe game and the sport gear, they love all my shoes and shorts. We have two practices a day everyday for the next month, so my body is about to get a serious reality check. My romanian teammates are cool dudes, they call me Will Smith for some reason that I cant figure out, besides the fact my name is Will. I mean Im not black and I don't act, but they seem to love Fresh Prince over here.
All in all it has been a good first few days, I have so much to adapt to and the language is insanely difficult to learn, but I am going to try my best. Its zero fun being dependent on another person to do everything for you as far as communication, travel, and everything else that comes with being a foreigner in a brand new country. I know this is where God wants me to be so I am going to do everything I can to follow that path and live out this adventure. I miss everybody already, I love y'all!
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