nas- it was written
The newspaper article i wrote last week, i think it was my fourth one
After a wild and eventful preseason, the season is in full swing now. We are now six games in, our team has shown flashes of greatness and periods where it has been extremely frustrating. Trying to keep an even keel until consistency surfaces is like being nine years old and trying to go to sleep on Christmas Eve.
Our record currently stands at 3-3. I can honestly say that we were only beaten once… the other two games, we played ourselves into losses. There is nothing worse in sports than losing to a team that isn’t better than you but that you just don’t play up to your potential or stay focused.
We play a half court orientated game in that we don’t push the tempo as much and rely on running through offence sets to get most of our points. So far it has been effective leading us to be the second highest scoring team in the league. On the flip side of the coin, the team has 4 new players (including myself) who play significant minutes. We also have a young point guard (probably the most important position, the general on the team) so he is still on a learning curve. So as I’ve mentioned in the past, developing cohesion and gelling together is an important thing in any team sport and when we struggle with this… we lose.
My game has been pretty consistent this year. I’m averaging 22pts per game, 9 rebounds. I’ve had some good highlights (scoring 5 points in the last 15 seconds, including a 3pt shot with 4 seconds left to send a game to overtime) and some tough stretches(foul trouble and dealing with losses).
I have learned quickly that I hate referees in the land of the Vikings just as much as I hate them around the rest of the world. I play with a scowl on my face because of these “professionals”, the irish temper does not help matters I suppose. If god were to send angels to earth I would hope that they would become referees, because at least then I would know they wouldn’t make mistakes. Clearly this is not a task capable of being handled by such a fallible creature as a human. Nothing I eat or drink seems to take this bitter taste from my mouth.
I have settled into a pretty consistent daily routine. Basketball-wise; there is practice, games, morning shooting, stretching, lifting weights and plyometrics. The import players are also pretty heavily involved in coaching various kids teams at different levels within the club. Usually just teaching the fundamentals and just trying to get the kids excited about the sport, building a solid base for the club within the community.
Outside of basketball we have a lot of free time to fill. Entertainment is at a premium, especially after the initial excitement of being somewhere different wanes. You quickly learn to appreciate your laptop though, it becomes a lifeline. When I take the blue pill and break free from the matrix we try and explore the country a bit, learning new phrases, meeting new people and sharing past experiences and/or deconstructing our current one. Then once every two weeks I write this little spiel, trying desperately to follow in the mighty footsteps of Hans Christian Anderson, content in the knowledge that my quest to be the second best writer to ever put pen to paper in Denmark continues.
After a wild and eventful preseason, the season is in full swing now. We are now six games in, our team has shown flashes of greatness and periods where it has been extremely frustrating. Trying to keep an even keel until consistency surfaces is like being nine years old and trying to go to sleep on Christmas Eve.
Our record currently stands at 3-3. I can honestly say that we were only beaten once… the other two games, we played ourselves into losses. There is nothing worse in sports than losing to a team that isn’t better than you but that you just don’t play up to your potential or stay focused.
We play a half court orientated game in that we don’t push the tempo as much and rely on running through offence sets to get most of our points. So far it has been effective leading us to be the second highest scoring team in the league. On the flip side of the coin, the team has 4 new players (including myself) who play significant minutes. We also have a young point guard (probably the most important position, the general on the team) so he is still on a learning curve. So as I’ve mentioned in the past, developing cohesion and gelling together is an important thing in any team sport and when we struggle with this… we lose.
My game has been pretty consistent this year. I’m averaging 22pts per game, 9 rebounds. I’ve had some good highlights (scoring 5 points in the last 15 seconds, including a 3pt shot with 4 seconds left to send a game to overtime) and some tough stretches(foul trouble and dealing with losses).
I have learned quickly that I hate referees in the land of the Vikings just as much as I hate them around the rest of the world. I play with a scowl on my face because of these “professionals”, the irish temper does not help matters I suppose. If god were to send angels to earth I would hope that they would become referees, because at least then I would know they wouldn’t make mistakes. Clearly this is not a task capable of being handled by such a fallible creature as a human. Nothing I eat or drink seems to take this bitter taste from my mouth.
I have settled into a pretty consistent daily routine. Basketball-wise; there is practice, games, morning shooting, stretching, lifting weights and plyometrics. The import players are also pretty heavily involved in coaching various kids teams at different levels within the club. Usually just teaching the fundamentals and just trying to get the kids excited about the sport, building a solid base for the club within the community.
Outside of basketball we have a lot of free time to fill. Entertainment is at a premium, especially after the initial excitement of being somewhere different wanes. You quickly learn to appreciate your laptop though, it becomes a lifeline. When I take the blue pill and break free from the matrix we try and explore the country a bit, learning new phrases, meeting new people and sharing past experiences and/or deconstructing our current one. Then once every two weeks I write this little spiel, trying desperately to follow in the mighty footsteps of Hans Christian Anderson, content in the knowledge that my quest to be the second best writer to ever put pen to paper in Denmark continues.
posted by miceail | 10:18 AM
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