Back on Track

Well after a shacky stretch we got back to our winning ways out here in the cold midwest. We were able to redeem ourselves against Ft. Wayne who had been using us as a whipping boy in our last 3 games against them. We went in there and laid the smack down and beat them by 25. That then catapulted us back home to get a win against Sioux Falls in overtime which was rediculous because we were up by 25 at the half and won by 3 in ot. But that is pro basketball no lead is big enough I guess. We had also beat Bakersfield which was a pivot pass, tear ass, first one to a hundred wins type game which I am glad to say we are able to run pretty well. I guess we could definately be considered a running team but we can slow it down and grind it out when we need to, but sometimes we forget that part and we turn into a head down dribble team. At this level you have to be able to use teammates to create for yourself. Guys are quick enough in the league to guard in the half court one on one pretty well. When you run down against a set defense you must be able to run an offense all the way through to make a team play defense for a little while to expose the leaks in the D.
Also this last week our allocated point guard from the Bulls, JamesOn Curry, was called back to Chicago. It has been interesting thus far without him because he was our pg and we hadnt used any other guys at that position so when we played Tulsa we struggled a bit from the point guard position. This was mainly because our guard had not had many reps while JamesOn was here. That is a tough part of this league, the guys that come down take a lot of minutes and when they leave again there can be a void left. But we have had a great week of practice and are ready for the LA d-fenders tomorrow night (12/20). I get to exact a little revenge against LA which was the team I played for at the end of the season last year. (sorry I am not there again d&s you were loyal fans for sure or maybe you were just using me for my Lakers tix)
I am also glad to report that Iowa is turning out to be a pretty cool place. There has been snow on the ground for about 2 weeks but the weather has been nice. Sunny pretty much everyday, but I can say it is a trip since I havent lived with snow for a long time. The thing that sucks is every now and then we get a crazy ice storm which can be a little scary. Roads get shut down and the cities sleeps for a day or so.
Well my best wishes go out to everyone out there reading this. I hope evryone travels safe and has a great Christmas and everyone enjoys friends and family. We have a game Xmas day so you all better be checking the internet for details while you open your presents and enjoy a good cup of hot chocolate. Love to all!!!

3-3 whoops

Well we got off to a tremendous start but recently have run into some dark waters. We have dropped 3 in a row after starting off 3-0. The worst part is we lost at home which should never happen!!!! Our home town crowds have been really good I think we are averaging around 6,000 a night which is a whole hell of a lot better then the 4 fans that would watch us at Staples Center. It's nice to have a little noise in the arena. We set an attendance record on opening night with almost 10,000 people coming out to see what was up. But losing at home is a sure fire way to lose a little support but I hope our fans return to see us get right back on track and start putting foot to ass again.
Of the court life has been good. I have seen more snow in the last few weeks then I have in probably 10 years. For right now it is a great change of pace but who knows how long that will last. I dont know how much of -20 I can handle and people tell me that it is coming so....shit. What does a person do when it's that cold? But I guess that's why I play indoors where the temp is always around 70 (kind of like SD all the time indoors and out). I am currently working on transportation. I did not bring my car out here so I have been walking, way too cold for that, and bumming rides from teammates which is getting a little old. Coach Nurse as hopefully locked something down for me so I can get to the gym whenever. Well I am currently staying warm thanks to some help from Momma H and Jessica (she learned to knit in a weekend) well do I expect anything less from her...Love to everyone
Oh and there is a Costco near me...Jackpot or maybe a bad thing and also steve send me your email when you get a chance, I have found a reasonable store with good meat and fruit so thanks bro

First Games

Well we started the new season and the new era of the Iowa Energy with 2 tremendous wins against the Bismarck Wizards. The Wizards are the defending dleague champs and we went in there and smacked them in the mouth. It was great to get the ball rolling. I started both games and played a significant roll. We won the first game in a shoot out 101-99. It was great to get to see what we could all do. No one expected much because we are an expansion team with low expectations from others around the league. But we set the tone for this season with big road wins.
It is great to be back in action and being a big contributor to the team. This group of 10 guys has really impressed me thus far in terms of how well we have come together so quickly. We went into Bismarck, who has an 80% home winning percentage, and were able to grab the first 2 wins in Energy history. Many fans commented after the game on how much of a close team we looked like on the floor. We battle bad refs (as usual) and hostile crowds and emerged victorious. We have our first home game tomorrow night against New Mexico who is also 2-0. It shall be a great test for the home and franchise opener in the city of Des Moines. The team website is http://www.nba.com/dleague/iowa/ and hopefully I will figure out how to post some pictures on my own on this website. God Bless to all...

Current Trade

Well this last week has brought about some serious changes. As of Tuesday Oct 30 I was still a Los Angeles D-fender, but as of Wednesday morning I had been traded and placed in the Dleague draft. This meant that any of the 14 teams including the D-fenders could pick me up. Well The D-fenders did not select me and I was drafted by the Iowa Energy. The Energy is an expantion team new to the league this year. They are affiliated with the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. So on Wednesday Nov. 7 I will board a plane and head out to Iowa. This is going to be a huge change but the oppurtuntiy seems very promising. The Energy were very interested in me and I received a call from the head coach not more than a few hours of being released by the D-fenders. It was a great feeling to be wanted like that.
Being a new team in the league offers me an oppurtunity to blast in there and show what I can do. A new team and a great new start. The team has a brand new arena and is located in Des Moines, a great city with no competition for fans. So hopefully we will draw large crowds and have a great following. I did check out the weather in Des Moines for this week and the average temp was 36 so I guess I should dust of my heavy coat and sweatshirts. But this is exactly why I play an indoor sport. The temp inside the arena is always the same and the court never really ices over so thats a bonus. I am starting a great new adventure that will end in great success. I will most definately miss being in SD but it beats being all the way across an ocean.
On a side note my mom is doing very well and is currently surfing in Mexico with a group of her friends....if that isnt badass then I dont know what is. I hope everyone is doing well!!!

End of Summer Next Step

The summer is coming to an end and that means back to work. Some return to the office, Jessica is starting her new adventure at Ernst and Young, and Jake is back in school at ASU. What about me you may ask? Well I have been waiting all summer for a phone call, a phone call that has yet to come. But this is not a worry, I think....At least this is what my "people" say. Those people being my family and Jessica mainly but hey they are all that counts. Oh and I must add my agent among those people as he is the one talking me up out there. But waiting can become annoying.
What am I waiting for? A snow storm or a rainbow with a fatty pot-o-gold at the end. I wish but no. I am waiting to hear about potential contracts in Europe. I know you all may be saying "but I thought he really didn't like the whole 'Europe' deal?" This is true to some extent but I must say that Belgium being my first experience may not have been the right basis for comparisant. Dull culture and grey days were not suittable for a so-cal bro....ya I have been watching to much of the O.C. But if at first you dont succeed try, try again right? Well I may be giving it another shot. The European seasons are just about to kick off so if all goes well I will perhaps be traveling back across the pond to face my destiny. I am patiently waiting for and sifting through some offers to see what may come of this all.
Plan b may also come about however. (for those of you that need a flow chart plan A is Europe, plan B is the d-league) I had a great experience playing in the NBA developemental league last year and would not be so opposed to doing it again. The bottom line is that I need to play some where next year and just kick ass.....PERIOD!! I would be placed back in the draft for the d-league and picked up by any number of teams based on positional needs. Perhaps it will be the Lakers again but maybe not. I know a certain couple cousins that would be disappointed if it is not the Lakers but Dusty and Sherry I will fly you out if its somewhere else....and Dusty you can bring pops. So my first two options are very favorable for sure in that I will continue to be able to play a game I love for a living...
The final option I will save for a later date as I really dont want to put on a suit and tie just yet. My life in basketball is still the life I want to lead and really could not see myslef doing anything else just yet. But I will make one plug here at the conclusion of this update but first love to my family and friends....mom is still as healthy as any of us and we pray to keep it that way.
ok so here is my one plug...I found these awesome shorts that have made my life sooo comfortable...check em out at bullshortz.com for yourself because words just dont do them justice...if you do buy use my rep #R142 and spread the word

Next Step

Ok so for those who have been faithfully checking my old blog and haven't seen any new psotongs this is why. I was released from the team in Leuven in February. This was a very tough time in the scheme of basketball. I was very worried that this release would effect my future career and oppurtunities down the road. As it turned out the decision to leave Leuven could not have been any more beneficial for me. I returned to San Diego to start working out and potentially looking for a real job. But fortunately for me I have a kickass agent who knows what he is doing. I wasn't even home for a week and I was offered a position in the NBA Developmental League (refered to from here on out as the NBADL). I was picked up by the LA D-fenders which is the minor league team from which the Lakers select players. I quickly packed my stuff again and headed up the I-5 to the lovely city of Angels.
I arrived to find that we lived and trained right among the actual Lakers team. It was great for me because I was able to reconnect with some old opponents. One of which was Ronny Turriaf, who I played against in college. Ronny and I had battled it out probably a dozens times over our careers at Gonzaga and USD respectively. Ronny was doing well especially considering that after he was drafted in the 2nd round by the Lakers in 2006 he had to undergo open heart surgery to repair some problem with his heart. He has since recovered and is playing very well for the Lakers. I was able to adapted to the Lakers style of play fairly quickly and was soon playing a significant role for the D-fenders. I played about 22 games in the 7 weeks I spent in the D-league this was more games then I played the entire 6 months I was in Belgium. Anyway, water under the bridge. But needless to say I was evaluated every day by the Lakers staff and was hopefully gaining some ground on making an NBA team. The experience I gained playing in the D-league really made me think I could in fact make the jump to the next level. After the conclusion of the season I returned to San Diego to wait yet again.
This waiting for phone calls has become a constant in my life. I workout and wait to be called by a team or from my agent saying that he has some news about a team. In this case I got a call from my agent saying that I had been invited to travel to the IMG training facility in Bradenton, Fl to train and prepare for the NBA Summer League. I have to say that this training has been the best thing I have ever done and hopefully this will lead to future success. I will be here through the week of the 30th June and then return to San Diego and then on to Vegas Summer League. This will begin the next step in my Life of Basketball. Hopefully all is well with everyone and feel free to post any question or comments.