Friendly Game against BG Hagen

Well we just had another game against BG Hagen. They are a team that is in a league higher than us. I believe this team was all Germans they played a lot more uptempo than the other team that we played. They were small but quick and everyone on their team shot 3s just like the rest of europe. I got called for a few travels two on dunks and sometimes I think they just make calls up. What can you do. Its tough to get used to the Euro step too. I am starting to get it down though.

We jumped out to a quick lead and held between a 15 and 30 point lead most of the game. The team is playing well and our coach Ivan says we are now the favorite to win the league because of our last two games. Who knows?

Link to the article about the game, the paper comes out tomorrow so they may have another article:
http://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/lokales/welo/wesp/art945,346328
the slash in the box score means 3s made

The season starts this saturday so we have practice all week to get prepared.

Paper

Here is the link to the game in the paper

http://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/lokales/welo/wesp/art945,343841

There is a couple papers covering Werne so I will try and post some of the articles I find

1st Game - Only Friendly Though

Tonight was our first game. It was only a friendly game as in exhibition, does not count. We played a team that is in the 1st regionallia league and looking to move up to Pro B. Talking to the players before the game many of them thought we were going to get beaten. Well the game was a different story. As my usual self, I fouled out in the fourth quarter. The team plays well together and they are definitely improving everyday.

The game was a lot of fun. A lot of touch fouls on the shooters but you can murder someone down low and get away with it. The team we played probably averaged 6'7'' tall. They were very good with two good American players.

Well its starting to rain on me so I gotta run inside. Not a sunny day yet in Germany and its rained 90 percent of the days. Gotta love the weather.

All in all good win tonight, team played well, I feel I played pretty well. Its going to be a fun season.

Trevor

1st Practice

Practice is a little different over here. Not quite as organized as in the states and a little more conditioning without the ball. We started the the day with a no dribble 5 on 5 game to get "warmed up" and did that for like 15 minutes then everybody stretches. Much different than the states. We then just did these conditioning drills for like 30 minutes (sprint, slides, backpedal, sprint ect...) . The athleticism of American players is very noticeable. No one jumps over here and everyone clogs the lane. The talent is just not that good. The kids on the team have very limited basketball knowledge. They know how to shoot and do crazy moves but they don't understand the basics of the game. After conditioning we did box out drills. We still have yet to touch the ball after the warm-up. Then after that we go through our sets and start to do actual basketball things like 5 on 5 for the rest of practice.

The guys on the team are very nice people, very friendly and will help us out with anything. We (americans) have to do a lot of teaching during practice so it will take some time. Spacing is a big deal over here. Everyone runs to the ball or clogs the lane.

Interesting first day but I think we will be alright with Tremaine, Matt, and me. Exhibition game wednesday against a higher league team so that will be interesting to see that talent.

much love from Germany
Trevor

Wilkommen die Deustchland

My first German experience. I was at the grocery store this morning and I go to get a cart and realize they are all locked. Then I see a little coin slot and notice that you have to pay to use the grocery cart in the store. What a load of crap. So I proceed into the grocery store and grab the things that I need (at least I think they are the things that I need because I am still unable to read labels) and come to the checkout counter and pay for the goods. I then realize that there are no plastic bags to put my stuff in. I then had to load up my pockets and arms with all my groceries and walk the .5 mile plus back to my house. I believe I looked ridiculous. Better believe the next time I go back to the grocery store I am bringing a bag.

Germany is very clean. They recycle everyhthing and there is never garbage laying around. They seem to have much less waste than America. Their garbage cans are half the size and lots of windmills and solar panels.

Chao

First Game - WOW

I got my chance to watch the first game yesterday. WOW is about the only way to describe it. I think my exact words at the game were "This looks like a pick-up game at the local YMCA." Matt then replies "At least they get in fights and are some what intense at the YMCA, I can't stop laughing." Matt by the way was playing. The team we played I guess was in a lower league but they had a variety of players: A taller guy with goggles, a short asian point guard, two skinny pony-tailed germans (you get the picture). We won the game by 50 or so and Tremaine and I didn't even play.

The team I am on is made up of kids of all ages. The average age for the team is I think 20 and the three Americans (Tremiane, Matt, and I) are the oldest on the team.

Basketball here is nothing like the states. The game is so slow and they do this "euro-step" where they take and extra step (traveling in the US) but they don't allow the open step (the quickest move in the US). More thoughts will definitely come on the game later when I actually start playing. First practice is today. I am really excited about that.

Welcome to Germany

Guten Morgan! I finally got the internet to work long enough for me to write a quick entry. I finally made it to Germany after an interesting round about trip. After missing my connecting flight I was flown to Munich then to Dusseldorf. To top it all off my bags did not arrive with me in Dusseldorf, lucky enough they were delivered later that evening. I live with 3 other guys, two guys from America and one from Serbia. They are all very pleasant people. I live in a flat and share part of a room with Marko the guy from Serbia. My bed I think is a couch/bed so I have been sleeping in the living room on the sofa instead. Its way more comfortable. Ivan, my coach, is working on gettting me a real bed. I think the idea of playing in Europe is very much a romanticized idea. Home was slightly (exaggeration) more comfortable than this. I have everything I need here and it will just take some getting used to. I have been here two days and its already starting to feel like home.