Its been a crazy four days but i think im starting to get use to my surroundings. The flight was good...7 hrs and 48 mins of good flying. Got into Stockholm at about 7:30 am, by the time we (Brandon Crone) got our luggage and got to Sodertalje in our apartments, its was 930 and practice started at 10. So we dug our shoes out and went to the gym and had the firsts practice of the day. Practice was good, we just walked thru the plays and shot alot (thats how our morning practices usually are). we went to lunch with the team, i went back to my apartment and unpacked. Now its 1 pm and we have practice at 4:30, the only thing that is on my mind is dont go to sleep knowing that i hadn't slept much in the previous 48 hrs, i wouldn't wake for practice. Sure enough, i fall asleep and wake up to two alarms going off and a doorbell ringing like crazy. Look at the clock and its 4:25. So i take off running for the gym end up being about 10 minutes late and coach comes up to me and said, "If you were on almost any other team the coach would be telling you to pack your bags... I'm just going to say dont let it happen again," with a big smile and walked away.
Practices have been good. Although the team was 0-6 they are a very talented bunch and very young. We won our first game against Stockholm 08. I didn't have a stellar game...8 pts, 2 rbs, a couple fouls, and some spurts of great defense. Its going to take me a little bit to get use to some things in this game. The pace is fast...FAST!!!! Its like a soccer game... they just keep going, and the way the guards and choice of passes is different too. One thing that i have to get use to fast is the physical play that happens when going for rebounds. That is a battle for life, but Coach said thats where the team really needs help so thats what im going to do rebound. One rule that im gin to master is the fact that the ball is live once it touches the rim, so im going to make it my business to start slapping and grabbing them basketballs right off the rim.
All in all my experience has been good thus far. Everything ive eaten has been great. They have this place called Kabob Place that is just like a King Gyros, but they just call it a kabob and put this special sauce on it that is amazing, Im pretty much addicted to it already, and i have a pizza parlor on the first floor of my apartment building that makes a great pizza. The food isn't anything out of the ordinary, the only difference is that your main meet choices will be less beef stuff and more duck and lamb, which i dont have a problem wit at all.
I dont have any outrageous stories yet. Well i probably could about my coach... but ill keep it clean for all my bethel readers lol. But his pre-game speech was hilarious lol... Well since i talked about it i gotta tell... So we in the locker room and he giving the pre-game speech and he starts getting real excited and started speaking in another language but i was still feeling his energy and then out of no where he switches back to english and yells, "LETS CRASH THIS F*CKING PROM AND F*CK THE SH*T OUT THE PROM QUEEN," and i just started dying laughing... and i was told thats just the beginning... they get alot worse lol. So ill be looking forward to this pregame comedy lol.
We have a game on Tuesday and a game friday this week, so go to http://www.eurobasket.com/Sweden/basketball.asp
and see how they go.
but anyways, if you guys have any questions about anything just ask, i think im going to blog every sunday unless i just get real bored or if something off the wall happens. my email is will33walk@aol.com. You can shoot me a email if you feel like it. Keep me in your prayers... Its the first time im living alone and being around all this strange stuff is all different. Im not feeling homesick or anything just bored alot.
So i guess this is bye until next week. Once again if you have anything to say or any questions just shoot me a email. It will give me something to do. And please dont get on me for grammar errors. At least im putting g's on the end on "ing" words and not saying wit and ya'll and stuff like that.
Will Walker #14
