Ok everybody I have some news. I recently left the team I was with in Greece and signed with Strasbourg in France. Yes that is right, the Lewis's are back in France. We were having some problems with the team in Greece that of which I do not want to get into too much. I really liked Greece and wanted to stay there to finish out a great season but No Pay No Play. And that's all I have to say about that. (in my Forrest Gump accent)
So now we move forward in France with SIG Strasbourg. The team is located near the German boarder, basically find Paris on a map and go right and barely down a bit (due east and south for the more sophisticated reader). It is the same league that I played in last year so the transition will be very smooth as I know a lot of the players and teams out here. The team is very stable and the organization is awesome. They moved us right into an apartment and had everything set up for us upon arrival. Jessica, Zeus, and I all traveled and arrived safely 2 days ago and had a great Thanksgiving with our new teammates last night.
It is another stepping stone for me and I cant wait to get out and start Kickin Ass starting tomorrow. Getting a little better everyday!!!
New Team website: www.sigbasket.fr
Friday, November 26, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
This Week
Well the official ruling came in and we were penalized 2 games for our crazy fans 2 weeks ago. We will now play the next 2 homes games in an empty arena, minus family and press. So it should be very interesting. We will for sure miss having our crazy fans behind us! It will be a very different atmosphere then we were expecting but we will for sure play hard and work for a win tomorrow.
Some other big news this week was that our head coach quit Tuesday. Yep walked into the locker room Tuesday for weights and coach called us in and said he was leaving the team. It was needless to say a big knock and surprise to me. So now we are playing under our assistant coach who has been doing a good job getting us ready for our big game tomorrow. All this means is that I gotta step my game up to another level and continue to kick ass. I am actually feeling really good and put in a hard work week this week getting ready. But I must say it has been a very trying week with all that has gone down. The great part about my job is that once you step between the lines nothing else that is going on matters. The game goes on and you get to put foot to ass for 40 minutes!
I will have Jessica take some pictures of the empty gym and I will post them next week. Thanks to all the followers that have sent messages and enjoy my writing. Keep coming back.
Some other big news this week was that our head coach quit Tuesday. Yep walked into the locker room Tuesday for weights and coach called us in and said he was leaving the team. It was needless to say a big knock and surprise to me. So now we are playing under our assistant coach who has been doing a good job getting us ready for our big game tomorrow. All this means is that I gotta step my game up to another level and continue to kick ass. I am actually feeling really good and put in a hard work week this week getting ready. But I must say it has been a very trying week with all that has gone down. The great part about my job is that once you step between the lines nothing else that is going on matters. The game goes on and you get to put foot to ass for 40 minutes!
I will have Jessica take some pictures of the empty gym and I will post them next week. Thanks to all the followers that have sent messages and enjoy my writing. Keep coming back.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Empty Gym Video
The link included is the play and reaction from the crowd from last weeks game you have all been asking about. It's a little long but shows just how great our fans are!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzryuZJsKkY
We have a big game tomorrow against local rival Paok. I'll update next week Allez Iraklis!!
Get more updates and follow on Twitter @Nicholas_Lew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzryuZJsKkY
We have a big game tomorrow against local rival Paok. I'll update next week Allez Iraklis!!
Get more updates and follow on Twitter @Nicholas_Lew
Monday, October 25, 2010
Empty Gym???
So we started the Greek league last night and it was everything you have heard about the Greek league. We played Panellinios which has historically been a top team in the league. We played in our gym which holds about 3500 people. It isn't the biggest but they pack em in and get crazy. The fan section which is located behind the baseline near our bench, fills up with fans carrying huge flags, signs, and all kinds of noise making devices. Also most of the young men in the crowd go topless which can be a bit scary but hey they are having fun and love basketball.
Ok so about the game. We finally got to start the season amid a player strike by all the Greek players in the league. They are on strike asking for a few things from the league that would guarantee there contracts and help restore the league to where it was before all the economic crisis hit. I will give it to the Greek guys they really are fighting hard to get what they want. Unfortunately it has been hard on the American/foreign guys because we have had to postpone one game last week and had to play last night with only 7 guys. So we went out to play with our 4 american guys plus 2 greek guys and some junior guys. It was a sight for sure.
So we started the game and it was going really well. I was playing well and we were doing our thing to stay in the game. At the half we were only down 5 and definitely had the game swinging in our direction. Coming out at half time we started a little run during which I hit a nice little turn around J in the paint to keep us rolling. That is when it got crazy.
While defending on a fast break I went up and blocked a shot during which the offensive player fell to the ground. While on the ground a fan from our crazy section threw some water on said player which of coarse would make anyone a little pissed. The player jumped up and started toward the stands where his own players held him back. Well I learned very quickly that you do not want to give Greek fans fuel for their fire. His reaction was like giving speed to a tazmanian devil, our fans went nuts! Bottles came flying from everywhere amid chants and middles fingers galour. I must say it was everything you have heard about hooligan soccer fans but in our little confined arena. The noise and tension was incredible. Shortly there after the referees told the players from Panellinios to leave the floor and asked our president to try and calm down the crowd. Well again this action only fueled more fire and the fans had no thoughts of stopping. Well long story short after almost an hour the riot police, yes I said riot police, were able to clear the gym and we continued the last 15 minutes of our game with an empty arena. Yep it was definitely a first for me.
The game ended with us pulling out a 1 point overtime win. Great first greek game of the year! On a short note to some commenters I am for sure taking charge this year and kicking ass and taking names. No more messing around, it is time....
I also have a twitter account now so anyone who is interested in a quicker way to follow me jump on board @Nicholas_Lew on twitter. Just working on some more exposure!
Ok so about the game. We finally got to start the season amid a player strike by all the Greek players in the league. They are on strike asking for a few things from the league that would guarantee there contracts and help restore the league to where it was before all the economic crisis hit. I will give it to the Greek guys they really are fighting hard to get what they want. Unfortunately it has been hard on the American/foreign guys because we have had to postpone one game last week and had to play last night with only 7 guys. So we went out to play with our 4 american guys plus 2 greek guys and some junior guys. It was a sight for sure.
So we started the game and it was going really well. I was playing well and we were doing our thing to stay in the game. At the half we were only down 5 and definitely had the game swinging in our direction. Coming out at half time we started a little run during which I hit a nice little turn around J in the paint to keep us rolling. That is when it got crazy.
While defending on a fast break I went up and blocked a shot during which the offensive player fell to the ground. While on the ground a fan from our crazy section threw some water on said player which of coarse would make anyone a little pissed. The player jumped up and started toward the stands where his own players held him back. Well I learned very quickly that you do not want to give Greek fans fuel for their fire. His reaction was like giving speed to a tazmanian devil, our fans went nuts! Bottles came flying from everywhere amid chants and middles fingers galour. I must say it was everything you have heard about hooligan soccer fans but in our little confined arena. The noise and tension was incredible. Shortly there after the referees told the players from Panellinios to leave the floor and asked our president to try and calm down the crowd. Well again this action only fueled more fire and the fans had no thoughts of stopping. Well long story short after almost an hour the riot police, yes I said riot police, were able to clear the gym and we continued the last 15 minutes of our game with an empty arena. Yep it was definitely a first for me.
The game ended with us pulling out a 1 point overtime win. Great first greek game of the year! On a short note to some commenters I am for sure taking charge this year and kicking ass and taking names. No more messing around, it is time....
I also have a twitter account now so anyone who is interested in a quicker way to follow me jump on board @Nicholas_Lew on twitter. Just working on some more exposure!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Thessaloniki
Go for season start.
Well following a very stressful summer working with my agent to get a good contract for this year, we got a good thing! I signed to play for BC Iraklis in Thessaloniki Greece. The team is in the A1 division which is top 2 or 3 leagues in the world. You may have heard of Olympiacos, which is a top team in Athens that we will be playing against, has won a few European Championships and has courted players like Childress and Kliza from the NBA. So I will have a great opportunity to show my stuff and get good looks from top teams around the world. The Greek league has huge respect for its competitiveness throughout the world.
As for me personally I will be given the opportunity to play a lot of minutes and be one of the top guys for the team. This will be awesome for me to be on the court playing in a top league and getting great exposure. I put in a great summer of hardwork thanks mainly to my trainer in Seattle Michael Brandenburg. We worked out together 3 times a week doing crazy speed and agility drills at his facility in Totem Lake. Michael again thanks you so much for kicking my ass everyday to get better. To see some pics from the workouts checkout my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nick-Lewis/129507237259. I put on about 10 pounds of muscle this summer, dropped body fat, and increased my speed and flexibility exponentially which has so far given me a huge step up in my game thus far this season. I came into camp faster, stronger, and in better shape then I have ever been. I came in to work hard and get down to business this year.
To follow the team the website is www.iraklisbc.gr but good luck unless you speak and or can read Greek. Please check this blog for the updates and the facebook page.
Well following a very stressful summer working with my agent to get a good contract for this year, we got a good thing! I signed to play for BC Iraklis in Thessaloniki Greece. The team is in the A1 division which is top 2 or 3 leagues in the world. You may have heard of Olympiacos, which is a top team in Athens that we will be playing against, has won a few European Championships and has courted players like Childress and Kliza from the NBA. So I will have a great opportunity to show my stuff and get good looks from top teams around the world. The Greek league has huge respect for its competitiveness throughout the world.
As for me personally I will be given the opportunity to play a lot of minutes and be one of the top guys for the team. This will be awesome for me to be on the court playing in a top league and getting great exposure. I put in a great summer of hardwork thanks mainly to my trainer in Seattle Michael Brandenburg. We worked out together 3 times a week doing crazy speed and agility drills at his facility in Totem Lake. Michael again thanks you so much for kicking my ass everyday to get better. To see some pics from the workouts checkout my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nick-Lewis/129507237259. I put on about 10 pounds of muscle this summer, dropped body fat, and increased my speed and flexibility exponentially which has so far given me a huge step up in my game thus far this season. I came into camp faster, stronger, and in better shape then I have ever been. I came in to work hard and get down to business this year.
To follow the team the website is www.iraklisbc.gr but good luck unless you speak and or can read Greek. Please check this blog for the updates and the facebook page.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The New Year
2010 has started with a bang that's for sure. Let me start with the fact that it was so great to go back to the States for about a week to celebrate Christmas. It was the perfect time for a break from France and chance to see my family. It was Jessica's and my first Christmas together which was wonderful. We spent 2 days with my parents who came up to visit us in Woodinville which was great. Then for Christmas I spent 3 days with my new family (Jessica's extended family) with dinner Christmas Eve at her Uncle Ron's house. Let me tell you that Uncle Ron knows how to put together a Christmas feast. Man I really enjoyed it! Jessica and I then woke up Christmas day in our own apartment and had our own little Christmas morning and opened a few present just the two of us. We then drove over to Jessica's parents house and had the big traditional Christmas morning with tons of presents and a great breakfast. Momma H then put together a great spread, we dined on lobster and filet mignon for Christmas dinner, that's what I am talking about! Man I love going to the Helbock's there is always tons of food. We unfortunately had to return to France the day after Christmas to get back to reality. We had a wonderful time with all our family but we are fired up to finish out the year in France and then get back to Woodinville for summertime.
The bang also continued with basketball as one of our first trips after Christmas was to the Siberian town of Krasnoyarsk. Now to find this town take out a map of the world. Ok got the map? Now start in Roanne which is a little north of Lyon in the Southeast part of France. Go north to Paris which is where we grab our first flight. We then traveled to Moscow which is of course in Russia, go east and north of Paris about 6-7 inches depending on the scale of your map. Once you find Moscow continue on the map another 6-7 inches until you are almost to China and then go north a few inches and you will find Krasnoyarsk. My point being that it is basically at the edge of the world in the middle of frozen Siberia. The average high for this time of year there is -30 Celsius. So I left the flip flops at home. It took us about 11 hours flight time to reach Krasnoyarsk. It for sure was a once in a life time experience and we played a pretty good game however losing in the end but it is hard to play a game on the road when in the first 3 minutes of the game we had 2 starters get hurt and couldn't finish the game. But we only lost by 5 which is nothing because when they come to play us we will beat them by more than that. In the European Challenge the point differential is all that matters. If they beat us by 5 and we beat them by 6 here in Roanne we win the series. So I think we will be fine.
In the French league we have been on a bit of a slide and now find ourselves in 5th place. But we are still in the top 8 and therefore qualified for our Mid season tourney that the league puts on for the top 8 teams after we have played half our league games. So we are doing just fine. I have continued to play well and I am the 2nd most efficient player in the league based on points scored/minutes played. So I am doing just fine and love the overall experience of playing bball over here in France.
Hope this update finds everyone doing well. Jessica and I miss you all and can't wait to be home for summer.
The bang also continued with basketball as one of our first trips after Christmas was to the Siberian town of Krasnoyarsk. Now to find this town take out a map of the world. Ok got the map? Now start in Roanne which is a little north of Lyon in the Southeast part of France. Go north to Paris which is where we grab our first flight. We then traveled to Moscow which is of course in Russia, go east and north of Paris about 6-7 inches depending on the scale of your map. Once you find Moscow continue on the map another 6-7 inches until you are almost to China and then go north a few inches and you will find Krasnoyarsk. My point being that it is basically at the edge of the world in the middle of frozen Siberia. The average high for this time of year there is -30 Celsius. So I left the flip flops at home. It took us about 11 hours flight time to reach Krasnoyarsk. It for sure was a once in a life time experience and we played a pretty good game however losing in the end but it is hard to play a game on the road when in the first 3 minutes of the game we had 2 starters get hurt and couldn't finish the game. But we only lost by 5 which is nothing because when they come to play us we will beat them by more than that. In the European Challenge the point differential is all that matters. If they beat us by 5 and we beat them by 6 here in Roanne we win the series. So I think we will be fine.
In the French league we have been on a bit of a slide and now find ourselves in 5th place. But we are still in the top 8 and therefore qualified for our Mid season tourney that the league puts on for the top 8 teams after we have played half our league games. So we are doing just fine. I have continued to play well and I am the 2nd most efficient player in the league based on points scored/minutes played. So I am doing just fine and love the overall experience of playing bball over here in France.
Hope this update finds everyone doing well. Jessica and I miss you all and can't wait to be home for summer.
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