Life's A Beach???

What a week for the Singapore Slingers organization! We were hit with every kind of distraction, as well as every thing possible that could go wrong leading into our biggest game of the season @ Manila vs. the Philippine Patriots. We have already discussed how hard life is on the road. Factor into the equation, we are playing one of the best teams in the league...I knew this would be a challenge. We are a team that relies on each person to do their individual jobs in order to have the most successful outcome. Our chance at a perfect season was first threatened last week during our blowout win vs. Satria Muda Britama from Indonesia. Al, our starting point guard, suffered a bruised knee and was questionable for this weekend's marquee match up. He didn't practice all week, but Al, being Filipino, I knew he would play somehow. To make matters worse, Tues. during practice, his backup came down with what we thought was a "heat rash". So now we were playing minus 3 players, (one of our big men had to stay home for military duty). As a result, we shifted our small forward to play the pg, in addition to our back up shooting guard taking on the duties as well. Along comes Friday, morning of the flight to Manila. Wow, not another distraction! I can't find my working visa, driver's license, or any ATM card. So my roommate and I are late for the plane causing everyone to worry even more. Too many distractions in one week already.....wait it gets better! We arrive to Manila late, go to shoot around, and discover that our back up point guard, who decided to travel despite " a heat rash", actually has chicken pox. Told you so, Wei Long!!! Can't tell the young guys anything! No problem you say...wrong....he gives it to another player! So now we only have 7 players to play on the road against a good team who presses full court the entire game! Setup for failure you say??? It gets even better! Call it coincidence but game day arrives and the other team decides not to send a bus for us like they were supposed to do, causing us to be late and have to ride in three separate taxis. Funny yet? Well, we arrive at the arena to find the locker room locked and no crew anywhere in sight. Finally, we get the locker room open 15 min. later and walk in to find the floor dripping wet and shinning with Mop and Glo all over it.....the b.s. never stops in the Philippines! So after our big man slips and nearly breaks both his wrists before the game, we go out and play like crap! I'm all about no excuses and playing through whatever, but how can I possibly expect my young teammates to magically be the same way. All credit to the Patriots, we got handed our first loss of the season and personally, I couldn't buy a shot from the outside. Did I mention that Filipinos have got the art of hacking perfected??? I got the cuts, scrapes, and bruises to prove it! I wonder if the refs enjoyed watching a good ole' fashion rugby match...because that stuff right there on Sat. was the kind of thing Dr. James Naismith (the inventor of Basketball) would have been embarrassed to admit was considered basketball. Next time, lets just leave the leather ball in the stands and bring Billie clubs, knives, bats, and sledge hammers on the court and beat each other up the right way....one hack after another hack. With all that said, we have to re-group and get ready to see Indonesia again. This time it will be on their home court and they will have some major revenge in mind after the spanking we put on them here in Singapore. Time to get re-focus and get prayed up...it doesn't get any easier from here on! Weight room, conditioning, extra shots, and film sessions....here I come. I'll get at you all next week with the results of another big game...God First....God Bless!

Business As Usual

OK I'm Back like I left something!!! Another week of training and all that goes into being a pro overseas, and the results of the hard work are evident above. Satria Muda Britama from Indonesia is a very good team and well coached. I always enjoy playing against other good imports and they have two very good Americans. For some reason, good competition always brings out the best in me. We played a pretty solid game of the week on ESPN Asia! Shout out to all my teammates for a weeks worth of focus, hard work, and everyone playing their role in a big win over the second place team in our league. Also, all praise and honor be to God for being awarded player of the week in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) and shout out to management, the coaches, and my teammates...couldn't have done it without you all. Personally, things were better this week. Not as much drama as last week. There are always the little things that happen from day to day that irritate you, but nothing major worth discussing. After all you are not at home, so you must learn to take the good with the bad. I talked to my kids via Skype and they are excited mom is on her way home soon. Kinda sucks for me, but our time together has been priceless. Its good to share this with her.

She is my rock. Anyone hoping to have success at this overseas hoop game, u gotta have a star player that has your back at all times and your best interest at heart. We are all looking forward to this weeks match up as we head to Manila for the game of the season vs. the Philippine Patriots! The Slingers won the first game at home and trust the pinoy faith full will be fired up and looking to end our streak. It is reported there will be 10,000 fans in attendance for this one. If all goes well we may have 10 of those cheering for us. None the less, these are the games you work so hard day to day to prepare for...but you know the saying, "If God is for you, who can be against you?" So I will continue to do what I do every game and allow Him to use me in any way He deems necessary to bring Him more glory, honor, and praise. Just another opportunity and platform to try and bring more people into God's kingdom. Besides it will be good to bring things full circle and reconnect with the place and people that played a major role in a transitional period at a pivotal crossroad in my career. Should be interesting....stay tuned!

Walking By Faith!!!

What a difference a week makes... We are well into another week of training, preparing for a tough game this weekend against Indonesia here in Singapore. I thought this would be an appropriate time to get some things off my chest. The socks say it all and if I thought I could make it any other way I have been reminded lately that I have to rely on God even more than I already do. First of all, the game results from last week were good. We played in Brunei, our first road trip of the season. The team stayed at a nice five star hotel...very plush. It was refreshing to see the excitement on the faces of the younger players on our team and get a chance to build team camaraderie. Life on the road is always tough. You are out of your routine and comfort zone. You also have to deal with the home crowd, a usually fired up home team, and our job is even harder because of the target on our back. We are the only undefeated team left so everyone wants to knock us off. The game itself was a tough one physically and emotionally. We trailed most of the game to a hungry, much improved and well coached team. In the end we were able to build a nice lead in the fourth quarter and hold on despite a late game charge to win by 2 points. Shout out to my teammates, we did a great job of executing, limiting our mistakes, and making our free throws when given the opportunities. Personally, many observers commented that I played great because I scored 32 points in 35 minutes. But let me just fill you in on the struggles of last week and let you make your own assessment. I have to give all honor, praise, and glory to God. Without him, how could I deal with this past week and still perform the way my team needed me to? Monday started out with some strange news. I found out I had full blown shingles. This is a very painful skin rash that forms around the rib cage area. The doctor told me this was due to a high level of emotional stress and worrying. It causes you to itch, be sluggish, and feel overall fatigue. "How in the world did this come about?" Things have been wild the last 6 months or so. My wife and I have dealt with a lot of issues, she lost her grandmother (who raised her) to cancer, I haven't spent that much quality time with my wife and kids in the last year or so due to playing overseas (major sacrifice), her mother is currently dealing with major health issues, in addition, my wife may be leaving soon to return home to be with the kids and I found out Thursday that my grandmother (who helped raise me) had a heart attack and passed away. Wow! So going into this game I had so many issues on my mind and heart. All I can do is just walk by faith! You see when all else seems to be crumbling around me...that Bible is my crutch and I know God is willing to carry us when we are too weak to keep walking. So for me, my only intention going into any game is to allow God to use me in the manner he deems fitting...to glorify Him. That is what I believe we are sent here to do anyway...Glorify Him in all that we do, while leading and inspiring others to follow suit & be lead into His Kingdom. So with that said, on to another week, with me in the backseat and you know Who driving........GOD First!

You Think You Know But You Have No Idea!

Well today is Monday over here in Asia...the day after our second game and second victory in the Asean Basketball League (ABL). We won our first game against Brunei last Sunday and yesterday's match over the Philippine Patriots. It was a tough week leading up to the game. Most people just see the photos with the fans, the signing of autographs, the media interviews, or the nice uniforms and shoes with your name on them and think life is grand for a pro athlete overseas. On the contrary, life is not easy for a Singapore Slinger or a pro basketball player in general...you have no idea! Man, oh man this is country #15 in a short, but long pro career so far...working on my second passport...and feeling like I'm getting close to approaching the prime of my career. I can't complain because I am blessed to do something I love and actually get paid for it...but man there is so much that goes into getting to that game day. Our normal week consists of team practice, weight lifting, conditioning, individual workouts, film sessions, promotional work, basketball clinics and camps, ice baths, hot tubs, physical therapy, sports massages and last but not least mental preparation for the week's game or games. But back to the topic...life is good now in my career. I am playing for a great organization that is very professional in every manner. We have great fans, management, sponsors, and supporters. My teammates are a great group of guys, who are really good players, and have a lot of confidence in what I can do to help the team. Our facilities rival that of a smaller NBA franchise. Access to the Singapore Sports Council is priceless, with doctors, nutritionist, therapists, physios, trainers, and sports techs all ready and willing to help in any way. We have unbelievable media coverage (shout out to Francis our team photographer), not to mention the games being broadcast regionally on ESPN Asia. Everyone seems to be going out of their way to help us be successful in any way they can. After all we are representing an entire country and the first thing I noticed about Asia is each country takes pride in their flag and land. Most importantly, I have my wife over here with me for the first time in any country and I am enjoying spending time with her and taking in all the finer points of Singapore. Real talk this is the shopping capital of the world and so much to do and see here. Good luck to my salary...cant help but dig deep with all this going on over here. The one thing that sucks is we are missing our kids, but they are back home getting one of the finest educations that Texas has to offer. Shout out to mom and dad and skype for keeping us in touch with the lil' ones...we miss them so much! So factor all these things into the equation and know that yesterday was a big game for our organization...as it was re-emphasized to me by everyone numerous times throughout the week. Not to mention we were playing against an organization I once played for a year ago or so, who dogged me out, talked bad about me (yeah I speak Spanish and its similar enough to Tagalog to understand and translate), shorted me on money payments, and said I was a terrible import and blamed us losing @SEABA all on me....so you know I wanted to get the W! Well in the words of the famed Houston Hoops organization, my old AAU team.... no need to say anything to anyone...let the score do the talking....score board....score board! Over and done with...like Jay-Z...on to tha next one! Just gotta continue to lead from the front and work harder to get better each day...funny how hard work always pays off eventually! Friends, family, fans, and even the haters, keep up wit us @ http://www.singaporeslingers.com/, http://www.espnstar.com/, http://www.redhoops.com/, or http://www.redsports.com/. Remember: men lie, women lie....numbers don't! Holla at ya next go around...