French Music

Music has always been an important part of my life. Some of my earliest memories are of me sitting in my grandparents living room listening to music with my Grandfather. He had a great appreciation for music. We listened to all kinds of music together and he would sing along to the tunes in his deep bass voice. I think he is the reason I love music so much.

When I entered the 6th grade I decided to try playing an instrument. My older sister Krista played the flute in high school and was the drum major for the marching band. It was only natural that I would try something. I don't know why but after considering percussion, the saxophone and trumpet, I chose the trombone. I really enjoyed playing it and when I entered high school I participated in marching band as well as wind ensemble. The time commitment proved to be too much though and I made the decision to quit playing so I could focus more attention to the game of basketball.

With my musical background, I enjoy all different kinds of music. I would say that my favorite type is hip hop but as I am getting older I am learning to enjoy music from all over the spectrum.

When I am in different countries, I am often asked if I like that countries artists. I have heard everything from German rap artists (Bushido) to Italian opera singers. After hearing them though, I didn't really care for them but now I think I am finally being European-ized. I was in the weight room with my teammates the other day and a song came on the radio and I realized I was singing along with it. Suddenly I felt like I had been hit with a bolt of lightning. I never thought I would appreciate French music.

It's all part of the journey though. I am extremely fortunate and blessed to play the game I love for a living. I don't think I would be making the most out of my life's journey or this experience if I didn't come to appreciate another countries qualities such as their music.

If you have the time I recommend checking out Ben L'Oncle. He has a great soulful voice and my favorite song of his is Soulman but his cover of Seven Nation Army is fantastic as well. Christopher Mae is another good artist. His song Pourquoi C'est Beau is great. The songs are available on youtube. I would link them but some of them are French and won't play in America.

Coach Raymonds

On Monday December 6, 2010 I learned that Coach Hank Raymonds passed away after a long battle with cancer. For those that don't know, Hank Raymonds is a legend at Marquette. He began his career as an assistant at MU in 1961 under Ed Hickey and later under Al McGuire. Hank was Al's successor after he retired following the 1977 National Championship. During his tenure as head coach he compiled a record of 126-50.

Hank was obviously a great coach but he was an even better human being. Coach Raymonds was always around when I was at Marquette. He would stop by at practice and would be at all of the games. We understood what he meant to the Marquette basketball program but also to the Marquette community.

I obviously never played for Coach Raymonds but I always enjoyed the conversations we had. He would always greet me with a gentle handshake and the conversation flowed so easily. Coach would offer words of wisdom for basketball but our conversations would flow into life as well. He left a mark on me as I am sure he did on every other Marquette player he had met.

Coach Raymonds is Marquette Basketball but he is also one of the reasons why Marquette University is such a special place for me and to so many other people.

Bad Luck

Being injured is no fun but they are just part of the game and you have to deal with it. Show me someone that is playing to not get injured and I will show you someone that isn't playing very good. Unfortunately, I have had a bit of bad luck this year. On November 11 we were playing at home against Le Puy. It was a game that we needed to win because we had lost 3 in a row and Le Puy was playing very well going into the game.

The game started out very intense and physical which seems to be the norm for our league. I had taken a few shots in the beginning of the game and got bumped on every one. I knew that nothing was going to come easy against Le Puy. Five minutes into the 1st quarter my point guard was doubled in the post, and I cut down the lane to go up for a layup. Like my previous shots I had gotten bumped. Unlike my previous shots I landed awkwardly and rolled my right ankle.

I have rolled this ankle many times before but I had never rolled it like this. All of my weight landed on my ankle as I was coming down from jumping. I hit the deck immediately and rolled around on the floor in pain. I had never experienced pain like this before on the basketball court and that includes playing with a dislocated shoulder and playing a half with a broken elbow.

Rolled ankles are a tricky thing to deal with. I rolled my ankle in college a few times and I was back on the court right away. Unfortunately it was not possible to get back on the court as quickly this time. After being examined, the medical staff and the management came to the decision that I would need some time to recover. The recovery was important for them because they want me to play at 100% and that wouldn't be possible if I came back earlier. The decision was made to keep me out 4-6 weeks.

Last Saturday was 4 weeks and I am almost fully recovered. The tendon in my ankle is healed and the stability is back in it. The thing that is holding me back right now is the pain from the cartilidge and bone bruises on the inside of my ankle. I am not a doctor but I understand it like this. When the injury occurred, the bones knocked into each other so hard that they caused deep bruising. It is taking a longer time to heal because the bruising is so deep. I only have pain when I do athletic movements but do not feeling anything when I walk around.

It has been extremely hard to sit on the bench and watch the guys practice and play games. I find myself busier being injured too. I still have to go to all of the practices but now I have to get treatment everyday and I go to the weight room to try and keep my endurance on the exercise bike.

I get to shoot tomorrow for the 1st time and I am extremely excited about it. Hopefully I have turned the corner and will be back on the court soon. Christmas break is right around the corner so I have some extra time to recover back at home in Wisconsin and Michigan. I should be back on the court on January 8 against Bayonne.

Remembrance Day

Every November 11, Americans honor their veterans by observing Veterans Day. It is my opinion that we should thank our veterans every day for the freedoms that we enjoy. My grandfather and great uncle served in the Navy and Army respectively during World War II. Grandpa Max was in the Pacific Theater and Uncle Bill served in the European Theater. Every now and then my grandfather will tell me stories about the war and I really enjoy them.

While Americans observe Veterans Day, the French celebrate Armistice Day. It is pretty much the same holiday but it celebrates the ending of World War I, which ended at "the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. There are some differences in the way it is observed though. I didn't see any Veterans Day sales and the kids had the day off of school. This is the normal for the many holidays that Europeans celebrate but while I don't understand all of them, I understand this one.

The Armistice ending World War I was signed in Compiegne, France and was obviously a great victory for the country. Blois is no different than so many other French villages with a monument honoring the lives lost in the war.

The United States did indeed participate in World War I but not until April 6, 1917. While we did participate we also didn't suffer the amount of casualties or have our country torn apart like many countries in Europe did. France suffered 1,697,800 killed over the course of the war with 300,000 being civilians. In comparison, the United States had 116,708 killed with 757 of them being civilians. In total, there were 16 million deaths and 21 million wounded during World War I. A simple look at the numbers shows the significance of the holiday.

I should note that the numbers and figures aren't exact. It was certainly tried but impossible to keep exact figures because of the destruction caused from new war technology, firepower and trench warfare that was utilized. There are still fields around Europe that people aren't permitted to walk in because of the danger that exists from the amount of unexploded shells. My figures came from Wikipedia.

Cars and Driving

How do you get around? That's a question that I get asked a lot. I also get asked if I drive on the left side of the road. Both questions have easy answers. Europeans only drive on the left in the United Kingdom. As it pertains to the other question, all of the contracts I have signed have had the use of a car included. In my 5 professional seasons I have had many different kinds of cars.

My first year playing for BC Lugano Tigers, the team gave me a new Volkswagon Passat station wagon. This was my first experience living in Europe and I was very nervous about the driving situation. European roads are smaller than American roads and European drivers are a little different than American drivers. They aren't bad but just a little different. I was worried that I would scrape my car against other cars parked on a narrow street or go the wrong way down a one way and wreck the car. None of these things happened and I really enjoyed driving the Passat. The station wagon wasn't a big deal either because hatch backs are far more common in Europe than back at home.

During my second season playing in Sion, Switzerland I had 2 different cars. My agent had a clause in my contract stating that I could not receive a car older than 5 years. The first car I had was an Opel Corsa. It was new and pretty nice but not my final car. I only had this car for about a month. My club was sponsored by a Volvo dealership and all the players were going to get brand new Volvos. My car was a Volvo V70. We had to drive 30 minutes to practice 2 times a day so it was a good thing that I had a nice car to do it in. Apparently I didn't wash it a whole lot though.

My 3rd year playing for Massagno was the first time that I ever had a problem with a car. Massagno was sponsored by Bemauto Citroen car dealership and the American players got to drive new Citroens. These cars though were stick shift and I didn't know how to drive a stick.Thankfully my teammate Brody Angley taught me to drive. It was difficult learning to drive in the mountains but he was a great teacher and had a lot of patience with me. I actually really enjoy driving a stick shift now. My Citroen C3 felt kind of like a go kart and I had a lot of fun in it.

The cars in Massagno had the decals of the club on them as well as the sponsor name and our names on the side. I thought that this was really cool but some players didn't like it. They felt that it was a way for the club to track their every move.

This year I don't have the pleasure of driving a brand new car. The club gave me a 1996 Renault Safrane. They wanted to make sure I had a big car and enough room for my legs. Apparently, back in the day, this was a very nice car. It has definitely seen better days but I don't do a lot of driving. I live right by the gym so I walk to practice every day.

One day they told me that I was going to get an advertisement put on the side of my Safrane. I was pretty excited about this because I thought that it could spice it up a little. The advertisement is for Landes Karting so I was expecting a race track around the car with karts racing around it. I was getting excited about the possibilities. Unfortunately the advertisement on the side just says Landes Karting. My disappointment was immeasurable.

All of this car talk really makes me miss my car back at home. I took advantage of the Cash for Clunkers deal and traded in my Ford Explorer and bought a Ford Fusion last summer. I have owned it for 14 months and have only driven it for 3. I guess it is just the sacrifice I make for getting to live out my dream.

All Access

ADA-TV provides an all access look into our team and into our organization. They are always busy putting together different highlights and videos. In the pre-season they put together a video of our track workouts as well as individual player highlights from our friendly games. Now that the season is under way, they create highlights from all of our games. This is extremely useful to my father who can critique my game 5,000 miles away and in the comfort of his own home.

Ada Blois Basket - Case Basket 2010-2011
envoyé par Ngtuan. - Regardez plus de vidéo de sport et de sports extrêmes.

This is action from the first game of the year against Saint Ettienne. It was a very good game and back and forth throughout. Our crazy fans can be heard in the background with their horns, drums and whatever else they use to make noise.

In addition to basketball action, ADA-TV puts together all access looks into game preparation and the locker room. This is probably the coolest part of what they do because it provides behind the scenes action and a look into my life.

Coaching Nicolas Faure Ada BLois-Get Vosges
envoyé par Ngtuan. - Découvrez les dernières vidéos de sport.

ADA-TV was able to record a timeout during the game against GET Vosges. This is a typical timeout. Our coach speaks in french and then our assistant coach translates for me and Kai. I have to position myself on the sides so the assistant coach can kneel next to me and translate. It is a little different but I never leave a timeout wondering what I am supposed to do. Our assistant coach speaks perfect english and is a great translator.

Dans les vestiaires ada Blois-Get Vosges
envoyé par Ngtuan. - Découvrez les dernières vidéos de sport.

This clip is in the locker room after the victory against GET Vosges. I can only be seen near the end of the clip because I was busy doing an interview for the radio. This video is pretty good because I don't think the guys knew they were being filmed at the beginning. Everyone is happy because we got the win but the happiness faded when we realized someone forgot to bring beer for after the game. Our coach doesn't give a speech after the game so he isn't in there. This is a pretty typical thing in Europe. I haven't had a coach yet who gives post game speeches. As you can see, our locker room isn't the greatest but it gets the job done.

All of their work can be seen by clicking here. It is definitely worth the time.

Typical Week

I get a lot of questions from back home about what I do during the day or what my week looks like. Our practice times are pretty much set in stone as far as times so my schedule doesn't change a whole lot. I figured my typical week schedule would make for a good blog. So here it goes.

Monday

I wake up at around 9 am on Mondays and prepare myself a nice breakfast of eggs and toast. Although we only hit the court once on Monday, it is pretty rough so I want to make sure I start the day off right. We have to go to to the weight room at 10:30 and lift for an hour. Coach didn't give us a specific program to work off of, so we can do what we want. I like this because I get to work on what I want to and what I feel like I need.

After weights, we head over to the gym for an hour and a half practice. This is a tough practice that includes a lot of running. We have Sundays off so I guess coach wants us to run off the rust. Practice always ends with sprints. Last Monday ended with 12 minutes of sprints. It is not very fun.

Mondays are also our shopping days. Liz and I head on over to Leclerc (the French Meijer or Wal Mart) and get what we need for the week ahead. While I love going to Meijer, I hate going to this store. Too many people! It is pretty terrible but the prices and quality are good.

Tuesday

We hit the court twice on Tuesdays. I wake up around 9 am again for breakfast and head on over to the weight room at 10:30. The team lifts on our own for an hour and then we head over to the gym for practice at 12. This practice isn't a team practice but like an individual. Coach breaks us up into guards and big men. We do a half hour of shooting and then play 1 on 1 for a half hour. The shooting isn't just getting shots up. We do drills and they are done with intensity. The games of one on one are intense as well. It is a great workout.

I relax in the afternoon before practice at 7 pm again. This is a team practice and we work on things that we need to get better at. If our fast break was poor in our last game then we would do fast break drills or work on specific plays.

Tuesday night is pizza night for Liz and I. The local Dominos offers every pizza for 8 euros on Tuesdays. It is a great deal and something we had to take advantage of. I love pizza night.

Wednesday

We just have 1 mid day practice on Wednesdays. I get to sleep in and usually wake up around 10 am. This practice is a lot like Tuesdays practice but more up and down. Coach likes to work us because it is the only practice we have that day. We go for around an hour and a half and end with 15 minutes of shooting.

Since I am so tired after practice on Wednesday, I relax for a few hours and head back to the weight room in the afternoon. I don't go there to lift weights though. I go there to relax in the sauna and the jacuzzi. I need to take advantage of the facilities and to take the proper care of myself.

Thursday

The team meets up at the gym at 11 am to watch film on ourselves and the other team. Our coaches do an excellent job of scouting our opponents. They have a breakdown on everybody on the opposing team as well as all of their plays. We watch these clips and then some game action. Sometimes we watch ourselves too.

After film we head to the court for an hour of partner shooting.

I relax on Thursday afternoons because for practice on Thursday night we play a game to 100. Coach splits the team up evenly and we go at it. The game is broken up into quarters, so we end the quarter when a team reaches 25, 50, 75 and 100. Each quarter is also a different situation. Coach doesn't say a whole lot and lets us play. I love Thursday because I feel like it gets us ready to play and we just play basketball.

Friday

Friday is the day before the game so we only have 1 practice at 7 pm. We do have the opportunity to shoot at noon though. I always shoot at noon. I work on post moves and then shoot 100 jumpers. It isn't too heavy but not too light either.

Practice is always the same on Friday. It isn't too light or too heavy. We get loose and work on us as well as the other team. We shoot at the end of practice as well.

Saturday

Saturday is game day and the day we prepare for all week. The day is usually spent just relaxing around the apartment. I do my pre game ritual of showering and having coffee and then I head to the gym at 6:40 for an 8 pm game.

I always say I get paid to practice and play the games for free. I love game day even though I get extremely nervous before tip off.

Hopefully Saturdays end with a win.

Sunday

This is our off day and I just take it off. Nothing is open in France on Sundays so Liz and I might go for a walk downtown or just sit around the apartment. Lately we have been watching football on Sunday nights.

So, that is it. That's my week. Nothing very exciting but it's my life at the moment and I love it.