OFFENSE UP, DEFENSE DOWN

Today's game was crazier than some sprayed roaches!  Offensive plays weren't run right, nor were we in our spots on defense.  Yeah, defense was definitely a problem as it has been all preseason.  Despite the many scrambles not ending in our favor, we somehow wheeled our way to a win.

We came out strong for a change and led by double digits at the end of the first quarter, but they went on a tremendous run in the second quarter and taking a small lead into halftime.

I ended the half with 13 and a couple of assists. Approaching the third with a little more focus allowed us to hang in the back in forth, eventually taking the lead and holding them off for the win.  The final score was 97-85.  I ended the game with 21 points and 7 assists.

MAMA SAID...

Today we played 'KR' the same team that beat us by 2 at home. It is clear now that they are the better "team". We ended the first quarter up by one and from there they took control. At halftime we trailed by 11. We came out in the third with a little more intensity sparking a run that lead to cutting their lead to 6. After spending so much energy to get back into the game, we gave out of gas and they pulled away for a 91-78 victory. I ended the game with 17 pts 4 assist and 3 rebounds. Not a great shooting night to say the least.

"ANYONE CAN WIN..."

On Friday we played the same team that we beat by 50 points earlier in the preseason. Given the beatdown that was handed to them in the last game and the fact that they had a new starting five, we expected a better game this time around.  They came out fired up, sticking with us for most of the first half.  At one point we were able to gain a 14 point lead, but ended the half only up by 5.  Their American player scored 27 points and I ended the half with 13 points.

Coach gave us the wake up call pep talk that we needed at half-time and we came out and took control of the game in the second half.  We accomplished this by speeeding up the pace and getting in to our running game instead of playing half court ball.  We ran them out of the gym with this strategy. The final score was 102-64.  Their American ended with 34 and I ended with 22.

A pretty easy win for us if I must say, but still room to get better. We realized an old rule of thumb in sports, which is that "anyone can win on any given night".  You have to come ready to play every game! 

FAME

So, in my first week here I realized there weren't many black people here much less one's with dreads. LOL! 

People would stare as they drove by, almost running into other cars.  Those walking on the streets would stare as they crossed over to the other side of the street and not speak.  Well, I guess as your status in the world goes along so does fame.

Today while walking to practice I noticed this same old man that I saw a few weeks back walking on the opposite side of the street. When he noticed me, he crossed over to MY side of the street and walked up to me. He said, "Hey! Keep doing what you are doing out there on that court!" And so it begins...FAME!

 

PUT ME IN COACH!

We came out really slow tonight and were in for a rude awakening. The team we were up against were armed and ready for war. Us on the other hand? Not so much. They took control of the game from the beginning and it remained that way the entire first half. Nothing was going our way. We ended the first half down 18 and I only had 5 points at halftime.

At this point I went up to coach and asked, "What am I doing wrong? What do you need from me?"  His response: "You're not playing with intensity.  Slacking on defense and dribbling to much on offense."  I told him I was following the game plan as instructed before the game, but would address his concerns once I got back in the game.

I didn't start the second half due to my performance, but once coach put me in with 7 minutes left in the third quarter I didn't come off until the end. I looked and felt like a completely different player, constantly in attack mode and freeing up my teammates like I do best. By the 5 minute mark of the fourth we had wiggled ourselves back into the game and were only down by 8. I hit a 3 pointer falling out of bounds in the left corner with one second on the shot clock to cut deeper into the lead. They answered back with a couple of buckets; however, we were finally able to make it a two possession game cutting the lead to 5.  From there we played the fouling game. The game came within 2, but with only 3 secs left we missed the shot to send the game into overtime or win it.

I ended the game with 26 points 7 assist, 9 rebounds., and 2 steals.  Coach told me after the game that he respected me coming to him at the halftime.