3-0 to Start, um Jackpot!!

The last few weeks have been pretty successful to say the least. We started the season on the road and completed a 3 game win streak which in this league any win on the road is a big bonus. We opened up with LA, then went to Reno, and finished up in Utah. All three games were opening nights for the home teams which meant great crowds and a little something extra from those teams. No one likes to start off the season with a home loss for their first game. But unfortunately for them we came in like the plague and destroyed the lovely opening nights for everyone. The LA win was pretty straight forward as we opened the second half with a 22-2 run. Our defense was like the iron curtain stopping all those who wish to pass with a swift kick and two hand push out the door.
We then traveled out that night en route to the lovely city from my family past, Reno. With much anticipation for that game not only because it was the first to be played in Reno, as they are an expansion team and this will be their first year in the d-league, but also because almost my entire extended family would be in attendance. We won the game but I may have played the 3rd worst game of my life some say jitters from family support I say foul trouble from the word go and I could never regain my composure. However after sitting out almost the entire second half I was put in with 2 or so minutes to play. On the following defensive possession I was fouled and sent to the line in the bonus for 2 free throws. I hit the second which gave us the lead that we never gave up and proceeded to win in regulation. So I may have been playing with my head up my you know what for most of the game, but I made my money from the free throw line to edge out our second win.
That night I spent some time with my Dad's mom (gram), my uncle Ron and Aunt Margaret and Aunt Lois, and my cousins Ron and Kiana. Who I must say is growing up to be a very intelligent and stunning young lady. It was great to see all of them especially Gram as I don't get out to see her as often as I would like. Other then the fact that she may ask you the same question 5 times in one conversation she is still enjoying life and ordering us all around. Upon returning to the Hotel I met up with my cousin or good friend or whatever he is, Adam McKenzie. Great to see him and meet his lovely lady and just hangout for a few hours. The next morning I was able to have a great breakfast with my uncle Kim and his great family out at their house in Mogul. (Thank you Aunt Leslie for all the treats, you made many friends in the airport that morning!) I can't believe to this day how many impromptu reunions I have pulled off with the help of all my basketball travels. Another great family trip payed for by the NBA.
Now back to basketball. We left wonderful Reno to finish up our mission in Utah. The Utah team is based out of Orem which is a lovely little town just outside of Salt Lake, nestled right at the foot of the Wasatch Mountain Range. Truly some of God's country. Ok enough mushy stuff and more to kicking ass on the hardwood. Utah has a very athletic team with some veteran guys which made for a great game. I rebounded from my out of body experience in Reno and performed pretty well against the Utah Flash. We had another war on our hands as the game went into overtime which is always exciting to play early in the season. It can show a lot about a team and where they may be headed for the year. It also helps to get some experience in close games. But unlike last year when we couldn't win a close game much less any game, we pulled it off. Once again our defense locked it down in O.T. and our offense was able to explode and we walked away with a confidence building win against a great team in a tough fought overtime game. We were learning how to win. Some say you can't learn to win but I believe that success breeds success and there is a definite swagger that goes along with winning. It's not arrogance but a feeling that every time you step on the court you know you have prepared well and have the skills to win games. Winning is contagious.

It's not the SKILL, It's the WILL

And so it all begins again. I am Healthy, Strong, and ready to kick ass. The last month as gone by too slow. After returning from Spain I began rehab and after only 6 weeks I was completely healed and back in action. Thanks to the great work of Dr. Murphy and his staff I was back!! The boot came off and I returned to the hardwood to start playing and working hard for the upcoming season. The month of October was spent mainly in the gym and at USD working out with my boy Nick Uren. He has helped me get my shot as pure as it has ever been. His dedication to me can never be repaid and I appreciate it more than he will know. So with my life getting back on the basketball track I started looking forward to the upcoming D-league season.
I was to return to Bakersfield, they had kept my rights and really wanted me back. It was a good feeling because ending my season in Bakersfield was one of the best basketball experiences I have ever had. The organization is set to really provide us with every opportunity to succeed, building a brand new practice facility and office complex. Coach Scott Roth was also a big reason for me to really want to return to the D-league and Bakersfield. He is a good coach who runs a team as well as I have seen in a while. He shoots it straight and you always know exactly where you stand with him. There is no bullshit which I am glad to say is the thing that I have had enough of over my career. The focus is now strictly on doing all I can to play as well as I can. Playing ball has returned to the beautiful game I love. I was able to add 15 pounds this off season and so far have kept it on through training camp. I am stronger and shooting as well as I ever have. This is going to be a great year and we are going to dominate the D-league. The season starts this Friday at LA. From then on we start rolling. Games come flying at us 3-4 a week with travel and practices filling the gaps.
I have to say that after the last 10 days of camp I have truly found that this could be the year that things start to happen. Basketball is my life and my life is good right now. The road is long, the journey has begun, and the experience is at hand now to reach out and make it all that I want is all that is left.
Please feel free to leave comments as I have made it easy so you don't have to log in or anything just click and post. Love to all and have a great Turkey Day!

Damn it!!

Ok so as excited as I sounded for the Spanish experience, it only lasted a week. During the second practice, on Wednesday (9/3) I managed to break my foot. Awesome!! So excited about that... I did not however find out that it was actually broken until I practiced 3 more times and played in that first game Friday (9/5) mentioned in the last post. My foot was definitely hurting through it all and as I wrote I felt good about my life going as planned in Spain. But after a very painful weekend I was informed Monday (9/8) that after an MRI and x-ray that I had in fact broke my foot. I played very well in that first game against a top team in Spain all on a broken foot. Imagine what I could do on a healthy foot? Well I was sent home right away and did not get my contract. (wow what am I a 5 year old, sent home) So I returned home and immediately saw my own orthopedic doctor in San Diego and was placed in a walking boot for 4 weeks.
Not allowed to walk on, run on, workout on, or even shower on my foot outside the boot. Ok I could take it off to shower, I couldn't even imagine how that would work?? I got to sit around for 4 weeks playing video games and driving Jessica crazy. But I did continue to lift and get as strong as I could while rehabing my foot. I also took up swimming because I found out that it didn't hurt to swim and I thought that Michael Phelps needed some competition so I just started swimming. He does make it look pretty easy but I am gonna catch that guy, well maybe if I break his legs first...and his arms. This whole not being able to play bball has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I have never been hurt before or at least nothing that kept me out for more then a practice or 2 so 4 weeks just killed me.
This last week I finally was allowed to take the boot off and proceed with my life. The new x-rays revealed that my foot has healed stronger and quicker then I thought. So I have been cleared to start working myself back in shape and get back on the road to my dream. I feel very strong and far as I can tell there will be no lasting problems. The work has begun again. The road is long but I see it more clearly then ever. I feel really good that the time has come to stop messing around and get there.
Dear Dusty...I am running in the morning and there will be no 4th quarter fatigue this year. There are no decisions yet on what the future holds in terms of where I will be playing but keep checking back for the updates. Love to all!!!

Viva Espana!!!

Well you read it right, I have accepted a contract in Spain. As in the country of beautiful Spain. Well the truth is it is a kind of a tryout over here for 2 weeks but as my agent tells me it shouldn't take that long and as my playing has been so far I think I am in. Ok so now the logistics of the whole thing. I was getting ready to spend an amazing weekend with Jessica and Jake and his girlfriend at our family cabin in the Sierra Nevadas. We were scheduled to leave last thursday and I recieved a phone call from my agent that tuesday that a good deal in Spain may be in the works. Well needless to say I was very concerned to miss the vacation with Jake and Jess. But if it came down to it I was gonna have to leave the cabin early. Well we left thursday night for the cabin and were able to enjoy the entire Labor Day weekend up at the cabin. On the drive down on monday I was on the phone with my agent working out the details for the contract and getting the final itinerary in order. So inside of a week I had made a decision to move back across the pond and start a new European basketball career. This time however I would be moving to a country I knew something about and had visited a few years back, so I have to say I was pretty excited.
Well the plane departed San Diego International Airport bright and early Sept. 2. I flew to JFK in New York and continued on to Madrid, Spain on my way to Malaga and then Los Barrios. The drive from Malaga to Los Barrios reminded me a lot of Phoenix but with ocean front property and San Diego weather. So far so good. Upon arrival in Los Barrios I went straight to the club's office and met with the coach and the president of the club. We chatted for a few minutes and exchanged expectations on the up coming days. First on the list was practice that afternoon after moving my stuff in with an American teammate. The first practice went over very well considering that I had been awake for nearly 24 hours with 13 of those spent in an air plane. But practice went really well minus the fact that it is almost completely done in Spanish, so if nothing else I will become very comfortable with spanish pretty quick.
The last few days have been a blur for the most part consiting of practice, sleep, and 1 exibition game in which we played Malaga which is a first division team in Spain ACB league. This league is supposed to be right up there with the NBA. The league that my team is in is the next group of spanish teams so the league is as good if not better than most other countries 1st division teams. It seems to be a great stepping stone not only for spanish ACB but NBA as well. The website for the team is cbvillalosbarrios.es (you will need to work on your spanish or find a translator) This next week brings 2 more exhibition games and a whole lot of practices. It wont take long to find out if this league is the place for me.
In response to my poll question many of you wanted to know how the whole process works in terms of getting picked up. To tell you the truth the whole thing seems to me to be a crap shoot. Some guys get good contracts and invites to NBA vet camps who have not had great numbers in their career and some guys get great Euro contracts with no NBA interest. So overall who knows. You just have to play your game and hopefully good things will end up happening. Also it helps to have a good agent (thx B)

End of Summer

So if any of you ended up following the summer league you would have seen a very active time. I played in both the Orlando and Utah/Rocky Mountain Review summer leagues which ended up being a very productive time. The Orlando summer league was great mainly because I had the opportunity to play with Kevin Durant and learn from some of what he could do. Also us playing together gave the team a look at us on the floor at the same time. I played well with him and averaged 9 points or there abouts playing about 15 minutes. So overall not a bad run. The greatest thing about this experience was getting the opportunity to play in front of many scouts and GM's letting them see me play against the draft picks and do pretty well. But they are draft picks and they get a lot of slack when it comes to performance. (some of these guys were flat out bad) But keeps me working hard and wanting to kick their asses!!
The second summer league was even more of an opportunity as I played with the D-league Ambassadors. It was basically an all star team from the d-league. We only had 10 guys on the roster which meant we would all be playing a lot of minutes, this was so great because some of the NBA teams were carrying 15-18 guys on the roster. This meant that on average there were 5 guys that had DNP on the stat sheets. (DNP means Did not play) The whole point of summer league is to play. These guys were buried on the bench the whole week and never even sniffed the court. But our team was averaging at least 15 minutes per guy, so everyone had a great chance to show what they could do. Also because we were a d-league team we were written off as an experimental team that would probably not show very well. Were they sadly mistaken. We played harder then any team in the league and showed more team ball ability then any one of the NBA teams. We lost 3 very close games by a total of 10 points. Some of the teams were losing by 15-20 every night and these were the NBA teams. So we proved that the guys in the d-league can easily compete with guys from the league and even out play many of them. But we are the d-league and the logo on our jersey did not give us any respect from the referees. But hey we played very well and proved that the d-league should continue to have a team in the summer leagues.
The second part of the experience was our opportunity to play against the Iranian National Olympic team. I mean this is something to write about. We are practically at war with this country and here they are playing in the United States and asking to play us in their scrimmage games. The ability of athletes to come together from countries, that are ready to blast each other apart politically and militarily, to play a game just shows that sports truly are the greatest ambassador in the world. We came together as competitors who love a sport and love to play that sport and for 2 hours we were just playing a game as hard as we could showing that politics can often get in the way of everything. Twenty guys came together with no hostility at all just wanting to play basketball. Hey President Ahmadinejad chill out man. Hey Pres Bush put the guns down and enjoy a little sport. Maybe WE should lead the negotiations cuz the Iranian team was intelligent and realized that we are all just people and people can come together and enjoy something as simple as basketball and not care about nukes or political bullshit. We had dinner with the Iranian team and over steak and chocolate sundaes we learned more about each other than our politicians have in 20 years. Just follow our lead we will take it from here....We could have the whole thing resolved in an hour.
So chalk another one up for an experience of a life time....this game of basketball just gets better and better. I added a little survey for you all so let me know what you think and I will try and update all that I can.
Love to all!!

Summer League

Well the phone finally started ringing. After my last game is Bakersfield I returned home to San Diego for some must needed R&R. Just some time to get away from basketball for a bit and hang out with Jessica. So anyway we finished up ok out in Bakersfield and I really loved playing for Coach Roth. He has really pushed hard for me and talked to a lot of teams which for the first time has started to get me into some mini camps and in front of the right people.
Ok so here is the rundown: First took the time off, then hit the weight room hard and was able to get my weight up to 250 pound which will be a great help in the low post. Secondly was invited to the Seattle Super Sonics mini camp up in Seattle first part of June. The mini camp was three days of workouts and playing games for the coaches and most of the front office people. I ended up playing pretty well. According to my agent he said that the front office people said I was definately one of the top players there. SO that is good to hear but doesn't mean much if you don't keep working. So back to the grind stone. After camp I headed down to Bradenton Florida and the IMG Training Facility for two weeks with Coach David Thorpe. This is a great opportunity to train with NBA draft pick and many current NBA players. We workout 2 times a day and really get after it. This program is probably one of the best that is available for players who are looking to really improve their game. Weight room, courts, and rehab facilities are all in house so you can really focus on basketball with no outside distractions. Other than the fact that it is in Florida where the humidity is 236% it is not bad. Good beaches for sure!!
Ok so then after that I was invited to Orlando summer league with the Sonics (for those paying attention they are now the Oklahoma City Team). THis is a huge step for me, my first NBA summer league. We came down to Orlando on the 2 July for 3 days of team practices and then started playing games on Monday. We are currently 1-1 and playing pretty well. It has been a great chance for me to play in front of tons of GM's and coaches around the league. Just keeping my eye in the prize.
At the conclusion of this week I will be headed back to San Diego for 3 short days and then off to the Utah Summer League where I will be playing for the d-league all stars. Playing for this team will really allow me to continue playing in front of the right people. Also there will be no draft picks to have to compete for minutes just play my game. But the first job is to continue playing hard in Orlando and follow that all the way through. Good things will hopefully come out of all this, it is good to finally have some opportunities. Well you can follow the rest of the action in Orlando at the Magic team website http://www.nba.com/magic/news/summerleague.html
Love to all!!

In the End

As the end of the season approaches things are more of the same. This game is becoming a little more clear to me. There is no team concept at this level and nothing but selfish attitudes. It is tough to take Dusty's advice when you can't even find a single teammate willing to work with you. Team play is a LOST art. I am filling my role and trying to play ball the way it should be played and see what happens. 20% of this game is skill and the rest is selling people out and working behind their backs to get what they want. Also it helps to have a few connections or have some favors owed to your agent. But none the less I still love to play basketball and wish that was all it took.
This evening we had a dinner with season ticket holders in appreciation for them. It also gave them a chance to see us up close in a personal setting to sign autographs and share a drink. It is great to see how much people love watching sports and being involved with a team even if it is just sitting in the stands cheering us on. The kids are especially excited and most are so overwhelmed they can't even look you in the eye. It is a great feeling to have kids look up to you. One parent told me that when their kids play ball out in the back yard, their one son always says " I am NIck Lewis" In what other career can you have that in your life??
The owner of the Jam pulled me aside before dinner and told me that he really thinks I am a great asset to the team and the city of Bakersfield. He said he has talked with people all over the city and they really enjoy watching me play. They love the attitude I bring not only on the court but to the whole community. Whether it be signing autographs after games or making appearances at local schools I have apparently made an impression. Basketball has been a great experience that I have really enjoyed.
I now have 3 games to finish out the season strong. Then the waiting and working out game begins. Summer league is in July and I will again be busting my ass to make a big impression when it comes around. Thank you to all the great fan support this year especially from my family and friends.

On and On

The life have have lead in the last 2 years has truly been exceptional. Looking back I graduated from the University of San Diego with excellent degrees, my mom has brought cancer to its knees, I moved to Belgium and lived there for 6 months, moved back to LA to finish out a month and a little in the dleague, bought a house in San Diego, resigned in the dleague, moved to Iowa, lived there for 3 months, and have now moved to Bakersfield and have been living here for a month. That may be more moving in 2 years them some people may do during their entire life. I have made 2 great friends who still live and play in Belgium and made goods friends while in Iowa. I reunited with a teammate from my short stint in LA and roomed with him in Iowa. He and I had a blast telling stories and sharing experiences from our basketball careers. He won a NCAA national championship at North Carolina and has since been drifting around playing ball for many teams trying to figure his path out. He got married 2 years ago and he and his wife are expecting their first child. A totally random reunion of he and I that has truly turned into a friendship that I cherish.
My basketball has taken me on a journey through good and bad and shit and shine. I have reunited with family that I haven't seen in a long time if at all. The extended part of the Burke clan have been come very close to me. I have extended my Toulouse family ties and have spent great time with the "mooreheadions" (may need help with the name they call themselves) All on the dime of either the University of San Diego or the NBA. So free family reunions have been a great part of this adventure. I have since become aware of a certain family member who until last year had been a ghost only mentioned in fairy tales and scary graveyard weddings. He has now latched on to my blog and I think has taken all the wind from my sails and writing ability. He does have great advice and I think he should try a career as a motivational speaker like Mic Foley. But I love the guy and cant wait to see them in LA very soon.
Finally on basketball, the ship has yet to turn for sure but we are making progress. I have played 12 games (or so i think) and we have started to really gel as a team. I have continued to play well and learn from true professionals. Our coach has proven to be a true coach who knows what he is doing. Unlike some of these clowns I have dealt with in the past. I am finally learning basketball skills and not honing my skills of shit digger. What is the quote "Through adversity, true character is built" well if this is true then I have built more characters then the sesame street gang. But all of life is a lesson learned. I hope all is well for those who read this and feel free to drop a comment.

Movement

The last few weeks have been very interesting to say the least. I havent had internet at my new digs so an update has been hard to come by. For those of you who are now lost let me fill you in...I have been traded to the Bakersfield Jam which is of coarse located in the great city of Bakersfield, Ca. The trade was finalized on January 25 and the next day I was on a plane and out of Iowa. The last few games in Iowa had been a trial for me because I had played next to no minutes and the outside temperature had reach way down to -20. Needless to say an Arizona/California boy like myself was having some trouble adapting to that kind of cold. Your whole body just hurst all the time and I could never really seem to get warm. On top of it all not playing was a big bummer so I am outta there.
The new team actually was out looking for me. They had wanted to trade for me for a few weeks but our wonderful Iowa coach wouldnt answer his phone. (He can get pretty busy trying to figure out what he wanted to do) So I was wanted elsewhere and now I have a great opportunity to show my stuff. Well out here in the wonderful California world we have played 7 games and havent had a great showing but I have been playing over 30 minutes a game and really contributing to the new team. The new Coach Scott Roth was an Ex-NBA scout/coach which gives me the opportunity to work under a guy who has been to the top and has experience to share with me. It is great to have a coach who knows the game. He has already made a contribution to my game and I have increased my stats in all categories especially rebounding, this has always been a work in progress for me (thx Dusty). Man its great to be back in Cali!!!
On the personal front Jessica has been working her little butt off 6 days a week in her big corporate job. She is on her way to the top!! But it takes alot of hard work which we all know is no problem for miss Jess. Dad has been working more back in Detroit but seems to love it. He has access to the jet, big time baller status!! Jaker has been tearing it up at ASU playing club Volleyball and doing that whole school thing. Also he has continued to coach which I think may be a calling. They seem to like him at good old Xavier and I heard he does a good job and is well liked by his players (that couldnt be because he is tall and handsome could it??). Well whatever he is the man there. Mom is mom kicking ass. She does yoga like 3 times a day, hikes the mountain every morning, and still has time to put up with pops. She is doing so well... cancer what aint no thing!!! Well keep checking for updates

Slip and Sliding...

Well for you that have been following us on the website you already know where we stand as of late. We are on a slide down from the top. We have lost 8 in a row and who knows when it will end... It all started way back on Saturday December 29 at home against Rio Grande Valley. They started all guards and ran us up and down the court. It was pretty bad to see how fast they were and how slow we looked. I know this because I spent a lot of time watching from the front row. I had a great seat for sure (thats all I am gonna say about that right now). But that is when it all started, you know come to think of it that was also the first game that Jessica saw (she came out to visit that weekend). Could she have been the catalust for this whole thing??? Nope that would be too easy (I am sorry beautiful, love you:). Nope she is definately not the the cause. She did get to see first hand what was up though and you will have to ask her what she thought. We had a great weekend, but I dont think she will come back and I definately dont think she would ever live in good old Des Moines.

The slide has really taken effect on all of us and it really showed this past week at the showcase in Boise, Idaho. We lost both games and looked pretty terrible. It was a chance for us to show all our talents to the NBA scouts and some from Europe. But I dont think we did ourselves any favors. But Boise was so cold and beautiful!!! Love the Life in the D-league... I played well when I did play and got to match up against Kyrlynko Feselochich or something like that. He and I roomed together last summer in Florida at the IMG training facility. It is a cool experience playing ball mainly because you run into so many people over the years that are in similiar situations. We talk and share our stories about games, travel nightmares, and coaching conflicts. We all have pretty much the same stories. But that being said it is amazing how truly small the world is. The people I have met and continue to see will no doubt be what I will remember most. So many different stories and backgrounds but we are all following the same path and just keep running into each other. That is truly what I love most about playing basketball...all the people I have met that otherwise would probably never cross into my life. That is the true spirit of the life that is basketball...