HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY TO MY ACE BOON COON!!!!!

Wow!  I still remember you at 9 years old sitting next to me on the Gainesville High School floor while I signed my college scholarship to play basketball at Georgia State.  Now, look at you, a quarter of a century!! A profesional basketball player yourself!!

I am SO proud of you for sticking it out and chasing your dreams.  I wish you the best 25th birthday ever!!

Love you!!  Your big sister, Marica :)

To send your own birthday wishes, email Jamarco at maddoxcreative@gmail.com. We will post the best ones on the site.

FIRST PROFESSIONAL GAME!

Mama, "I Made It!"

Yesterday was my first professional game of my career. That's right, no exhibitions, no tour games, this was the 'Real Deal HolyField'!

I still can't think but how blessed I am to be here, especially given the past week's events. And yeah, I had a chip on my shoulder, and a message to send to all those who doubted me. I'm here suckas!!!

From the start of the game we came out with a lot of energy, taking the lead and never giving way. Our opponents were fired up too, so the game wasn't a walk in the park. The first half was a back and forth battle; one minute we would be up by 8 or 9 and the next they would cut our lead to 2 or 3. Only up by 3 at the half, we made certain to come back out with the same intensity and energy that we started with. In the fourth we went on a run that increased the lead to 19 and we never looked back. The final score was 99-86.

The biggest adjustment to my new team and the coaches game strategy was that most of the plays are run through me, whether it be a pick and roll, give and go, etc. And let's just say ya boy was on point and more than ready to lead the way.

"TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY!" - Dr. Dre

I ended the game with 46 points, 6 assist, and 6 rebounds. A great early b-day present!!

LESSONS IN FAITH

After support from my family, coach, agent, and friends along with listening to some "My Life is In Your Hands" by Kirk Franklin, I stayed patient and prayed up that good things were still in store for me.

Two days after being cut, I was standing in my kitchen getting ready to fry some chicken...You know your boy does his thizzle!...anyway, I was standing there opening the pack of chicken when my phone rang. 

It was my agent telling me another team in Iceland was interested and would be at my apartment in an hour to pick me up. 

The plan for them to have me participate in some free play to see if they thought I was a good fit.  The way I put in work must have "made them feel some type of way", cause they signed ya boy to a contract!!

What a worldwind of events over the past few days, but I can truly say that I know God has his hands on this entire situation.  I'm now a part of the Akranes (IA) pro basketball team in Iceland.  Just an hour down the road from where I was before.

God is good!  

LESSON IN BUSINESS

I was called into the coaches office on Oct. 5th.  Unexpectedly, I was cut from the team.  The coach stressed that "it's not a question of talent or anything that I did specifically, but that the team wasn't coming together like he thought."

Basically, the reason being due to loses and not my performance.


This reasoning confused me and seemed as if I never had control over my own situation.  My agent described it as if you win the Icelanders did their job, but if you lose then the American didn't do his.
 
So, in an attempt to show management that adjustments were being made to address the issue and given that I'm the only player they can change, they decided to let me go and bring in a 2 guard who can also play the 3 and 1.  I don't feel this move addressed our real issue of defense, but it's all good.  I definitely believe in my heart that I did my best and was not the problem.  It's just a part of the business side of professional basketball.
 
All I can do now is understand that things are actually not in my control.  God is in control and all I can do is understand this lesson in business and await the next steps on my journey.
 
After all, under God's control, when one door closes another one opens.

PUMPS IN A BUMP!

Bus rides from games are always so interesting.  Really dark nights, no street lights, quiet from everyone listening to their own music through headphones, and VERY BUMPY! 

On the latest road trip back home from a road game we hit a bump that must have thrown everyone on the bus in the air for like 4 secs.  It was like we were all MJ up in that piece! 

Just like this video here: http://youtu.be/I3moJyr3QfM 

FACT: A large portion of Iceland's road system is made up of gravel roads, even some the main highways, and more so as you get further away from the Reykjavik and larger towns. The main highway around Iceland, Route 1, circles Iceland in 1428 kilometers of which 272km is dirt road. Most of the population lives in or around Reykjavik so the further you get from the capital the less traffic. On gravel roads you may encounter stretches with potholes or “washboards” and occasionally some sand.