3rd Round vs Nyon

We had a great 2 weeks off from games and had some intense practices during that time. We got down to work and put some new plays in and worked on our defense a little. Practice can get boring though and it was definitely time to get back to work. Our first game back from the break was against Nyon. They are one of the most talented teams in the league and one of the big budget teams as well. They have big names like Austin Johnson from Oklahoma and former Big Ten Player of the Year Terence Dials as well as a fantastic supporting cast. Despite their depth and money I felt like we could really go out and compete with them and win the game.

We expected a 5 and a half hour bus ride so left at 9:30 in the morning for a 5:30 game. What we didn't expect though was all the snow after the San Gottardo tunnel. It was snowing extremely hard and delayed our arrival. At one point we were even stopped for 45 minutes. There was talk on the bus of delaying the game and playing it at another date because of the weather and traffic but we forged ahead.

After a 7 hour bus ride we pulled up to Nyon's gym and had 30 minutes to warm up before the game started. This was in conflict with my usual routine. I like to get on the court early so I can get a feel for the rims and the court. I go through a series of post moves, short jumpers and free throws before getting ready for the game. Because of the time constraint I couldn't do my routine. When I finally did get out for warm ups I was stiff and my legs felt tight. I eventually loosened up but I noticed that the rims were tight and not very giving.

When the game tipped off I was ready to go and very excited. We were finally playing after 2 weeks off and I was expecting to win. Unfortunately, we had our worst offensive game of the year. We shot very poorly from the floor and I was also bad. My first shot was a right handed jump hook off of a dish from Dan that I can make in my sleep, except this time it rimmed out. My second shot was a left handed offensive rebound shot off the glass that rimmed out. My 3rd shot was a 2 dribble with the right spin back with the left that rimmed out. I finally made my 4th shot (contested lay up, go figure) off of a pass from Kam.

We didn't get any help from the officials in the first half either. I was called for the worst foul I have ever been called for in my life. My man went to screen on the ball and I stayed in the paint like I was supposed to. The man with the ball dribbled right into me and handed me the ball. Apparently this is a foul in Switzerland as the ref blew the whistle. I picked up a second foul soon after and found myself on the bench for the rest of the first quarter and well into the second. A minute later, Ross picked up his second foul and joined me on the bench.

Despite poor shooting and foul trouble we were only down by 9 at the half. During the intermission we talked about giving up too many points in the paint and about our mistakes on offense. If we could cut both of those down then we had a chance.

Apparently, we didn't have a chance. We continued our poor shooting all throughout the second half and Nyon continued to score in the paint. Nyon won the game 80-58. They responded well to the pressure put on them after suffering 2 straight defeats to teams below them in the standings.

As for myself, I just need to get back to work. A good friend of mine told me that missing easy shots is mental. I have to re-focus and get back on track and have a great game against Lausanne next Sunday. The game against Lausanne is a must win now. They are below us in the standings and if we want to make the playoffs then we need to win. As long as we bring it with the intensity we are capable of then it should be a good game with a good result.