Adventures at the Doctor and Physical Therapist

After 4 years of playing in Switzerland I have come to accept the medicine here. I was very skeptical at first because of the whole unfamiliarity of it all. From the language barrier to different practices it took awhile to get used to the whole thing. I am completely comfortable with it now but every time I get a medical or physical therapy treatment it is quite the experience.

At the beginning of this year I had a calf problem. After around 15 minutes of playing/practicing, I would feel an intense pain in my leg. Sometimes it was so bad that I had to stop playing. Something needed to be done so I asked the training staff if I could see a doctor to figure out what was wrong. The team doctor here is an extremely nice guy but his english is not that great. After explaining to him my problem, I expected him to tell me that I strained my calf somehow or maybe tore something. Instead he told me that my muscle is "tired" and said I needed some physical therapy for it. I don't know what he wanted to say but I am pretty sure my doctor from back home would not tell me my leg was just tired.

It is very frustrating when words get lost in translation. The word "sore" for example. I was talking to the team massage therapist and I told him that my back was really sore. He did not know what I meant and wanted me to try and explain this to him. I told him it is like something hurting but it doesn't hurt. He still did not understand so I just told him my back hurt and then got a massage. Sometimes I just have to take little defeats here and there.

It seems like the most popular treatment here is just a simple massage. A couple years ago I rolled my ankle in practice and the next day I went to the physical therapist. I was expecting to ice and maybe get some electric stim on my ankle. Instead I got a painful massage on my ankle for 20 minutes. I would expect to get massage on my thigh or back but I have never heard of massaging an ankle. I am not saying I disagree with it, I am just saying I have never heard of it.

The massages tend to be painful too. When I had a little tendinitis in my knee the physical therapist was poking around and moving my knee every which way. I think they like inflicting pain on me so they do it any way they can. They even have a little tool to make it more painful. It looks kind of like a hook and they use it to dig deep into the muscle. Not much fun for me.

Another strange treatment I can only describe as acupuncture. It involves moving a needle in and out of the muscle. If it sounded like a sprained ankle massage hurt, then this hurts 100 times more. I have had this procedure done twice, once when I pulled my hamstring and one time this year for my calf. The physical therapist picked out where I pulled my hamstring and then put the needle right in. Even though there was a lot of pain, my hamstring felt better a couple of days later. I wish I could say the same thing for my calf. When he stuck the needle in my calf my whole foot felt like it was on fire and I told him to stop immediately. Even though it only worked once for me, I would still endorse this treatment because I have seen it work many times. The whole key is just to open your mind to the procedure.

Four years ago I had another procedure involving needles. I was experiencing back spasms when I played for Lugano. I went to get weekly massages to try and loosen the muscles up. When those didn't work, the physical therapist pricked my back with a syringe filled with medicine. After 20 pricks he would be done and then cover my back with a bandage. I had this done maybe 5 times. I have no idea if it worked or not but I would be open to trying it again.

I am sure that my adventures with the doctor and physical therapist aren't over but I just have to keep an open mind to them all and take everything in stride.

Game vs Meyrin Round 3

Every time SAM Massagno takes the court, two former Marquette alums (myself and Dan Fitzgerald) are playing. The bonds formed between teammates are strong and lifelong friendships are formed. Playing with Dan has been a great and special opportunity for me. I was only able to play with Dan for 2 years in college and one of those years he was a redshirt transfer. In those 2 years we developed a great friendship and Dan was actually one of the best men at my wedding this past summer. I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to play with him again. This season has had its fair share of highs and lows and I am glad that I have a friend to share it with.

Karon Bradley is another guy I played with in college who happens to be playing in Switzerland. We played at Marquette together for 2 years. KB was/is a stand up guy and someone that I connected with immediately, even if he is from Texas. In those 2 years we had a lot of great times highlighted by the Final Four trip in 2003 as well as a trip to Italy to play for the Nacel All Stars. Unfortunately, Karon transferred to Wichita State after our sophomore year but our friendship has continued on. The transfer worked out well for him as he enjoyed conference championships and NCAA tournament success with the Shockers.

On February 10, three former Marquette players took the court and played against each other for the 3rd time this season. Dan and myself for SAM Massagno and Karon for Meyrin Grand Sacconex. The season series was split at 1-1 with each team owning a win on the road and bragging rights were on the line this time. While it is awesome playing with former teammates it is weird playing against them. I wanted Karon to do well but I also wanted to wipe the floor with his team.

Karon is still the same old guy. He is a killer on the court (one of the top scorers in the Swiss league) and extremely nice off of it. We had trouble containing him on defense because of his exceptional athletic ability. KB ended the game with 15 points and 8 assists. Unfortunately for him, SAM came away with the win 104-94.

The meeting was most likely the last time we will play against each other this year. After the game we had a chance to catch up with Karon. It was great to see him again and I am really happy for him and the success he has had. We had another chance to get a picture together because the one from back in November did not turn out so good.

This one is a whole lot better even though we probably could have gotten a better background. Just 3 guys doing what they love to do.

Until next time.

On the Road

I used to love road trips in college. What wasn't there to like? We had a charter flight and flew on the Milwaukee Bucks plane. On that plane we got to eat chicken fingers with every kind of dipping sauce imaginable, a ton of snacks and all the pop (I'm from Michigan, get over it) you could drink and that was only the appetizers. For our meal we enjoyed a steak dinner and a few times the steak was from Outback. When we got off the plane we took a bus to a 5 star hotel with heavenly beds. In my 4 years at Marquette I had the opportunity to stay in the heart of Times Square, the Waldorf Astoria and Monte Leon in New Orleans.

Once we were all settled in the hotel we either got pizzas or went out to eat. The favorite place was TGI Fridays and if we were lucky Coach Crean let us have milk shakes for desert. These are all great but the best part about being on the road was not having to get up early in the morning and not going to class. This was huge for me because in my 4 years of college I only skipped 2 classes and they were on the same day.

It was also awesome to go into other arenas and win. There is no better feeling than hearing 20,000 fans in Freedom Hall silent at the end of the game or to play at Notre Dame and come out with a victory. Oh, how things have changed.

Life in Switzerland is a lot different. I am playing professional basketball but sometimes it sure doesn't feel like it. I am sure it is not the same experience as my old teammates that are in the NBA have. On January 30th we took our longest trip of the season to Geneva. There were no planes, no 5 star hotels, no chicken wings, no steaks, not even a milk shake. Just a bus.

If you look at the map of Switzerland above you will notice that it is a small country and the distance between any two cities is not that far. What the map doesn't show though is the mountains that Switzerland is famous for. In fact, 70% of the country is covered in them and you have to drive around them and not over them. This is what makes road trips so hard and long.

So, at 8:50 am on January 30th we left Massagno (by Bellinzona on the map) and took off for Geneva on a 6 and a half hour road trip. It was a little rough. Thankfully though my designated seat on the bus is the back seat. For those unfamiliar with European buses the back seats are 5 across which means I can lay on all the seats in somewhat of a bed. I like the back seat and I was able to sleep the first 2 and a half hours.

About midway through the trip we stopped off in a little Swiss German town for our pre game meal. This must be standard all over the world because we had the same thing we used to have at Marquette. Our meal consisted of salad, pasta and chicken. The only thing missing was ranch sauce. I don't know how this has not made its way over to Europe. The Euros are really missing out. For desert they gave us apple pie. I now know why there is a saying called as American as apple pie. This was no American apple pie. I don't even know what to call it.

Anyways, we left the restaurant and had about 2 hours left in the trip. Now, you may be thinking that Geneva is a big city so they probably have a big arena with crazy screaming fans. The Geneva Devils moved to a new arena this year and it is terrible. They play in an indoor bike racing track that is around the court. The actual basketball court feels more like the infield at a track meet than a court. It also doesn't help that the lines are taped on either. I swear, I can not make this stuff up. The only regret I have is that I didn't bring a camera.

After the long trip our legs were a little tired so we started slow. Thankfully the 54 people in the crowd weren't really into the game so the Devils didn't have much of a home court advantage. It definitely wasn't pretty but after our slow start we controlled the rest of the game easily.

The importance of the game wasn't lost on us either. If we lost we went from 7th place all the way down to 9th. Thankfully we won 88-78 and held on to our position.

This was important too because the 3rd round of games are determined by the teams position in the standings. Since we finished in 7th place we play the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 1st place teams at home. As long as we beat the lower teams and take care of business at home then we should make the playoffs.

The long trip home feels so better after a win. Everybody was in such a good mood that we stopped at McDonalds for dinner and we even watched a movie in English. It made it go by so much faster.

Now it is on to the next one!

Buzz Williams

I feel like I have been doing a good job of blogging in 2010. In my opinion I have had a lot of good stuff to blog about in the new year. I have some more good stuff coming too but I have to post this because we are in the middle of the college basketball season. Also because my team is coming off a HUGE win at UCONN. For those that don't know Buzz Williams is the current coach at Marquette University. I did not have the pleasure of playing for Buzz but I wish I did. Coach Crean did such a great job of creating a Marquette Basketball family. When Buzz took over after Coach Crean left in 2008 I was a little concerned about how my former teammates and myself would be connected to our alma mater.

On my first trip back to Milwaukee after returning from Switzerland in May of 2008, I made a visit to the men's basketball offices at the Al McGuire Center. Everything looked the same. I walked right in and was stopped by one of the office girls and was asked who I was. Hmmm, it had only been 2 years since I left and there was a picture of me on the wall directly to my right but ok. I said that I am Chris Grimm and I wanted to see Barb (Buzz's assistant.) The office girl kindly told me to wait right there and Barb would come right back. Ok, this was new to me but I can deal with it.

Instead of Barb coming out, Coach Buzz Williams came down the hall and introduced himself to me. He asked me the normal questions of where I was from, when did I play, and what am I doing with myself now. Then he invited me back to his office to just get to know me. One thing that really struck me was him thanking me for being a part of the University and for making the program what it is today. Buzz asked if I wanted to work camp and gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him anytime I needed him. He also asked me to come and play pick up with the guys in the summer. Needless to say, my first time meeting Buzz Williams was pretty nice and he made a great first impression.

Over the last 2 summers I have had the opportunity to know Coach Buzz a little better through different functions and working basketball camps. What you see is what you get in a good way. Coach always introduces himself and has a genuine interest in everyone. I was at the basketball banquet with my wife and he came up from behind her and said, "Excuse me, I haven't met you yet. I'm Buzz Williams." That is why I really enjoyed reading this article. Buzz always talks about how God is important in his life and from the looks of it he practices what he preaches. It was this line though that really stood out to me. It is in response to how he deals with the close losses Marquette has had this season.

The only thing you can do to fight back is to work. Make sure that you’re accountable in your work and efficient in your work. Make sure the things you’re working on are things you can utilize to not get your tails kicked. That’s all I know.

I love great quotes and I love this because this is how I have been taught to live my life. When I am going through a tough time in basketball I just make my way into the gym and work harder. If my shot isn't falling I shoot extra. If I am not getting rebounds, I go to the weight room and lift harder. It is so simple. Just hard work.

From what I know of Coach Buzz, this is why he is successful and will continue to be successful. I would have loved to have played for him. Unfortunately I don't think the way I play fits the offense he runs but I can still dream.

I support Coach Buzz and will continue to support him. Not just for the amount of games he wins but for what he is and what he is about. Also because the sweet baby blue jacket (see photo above) he wore last week. That was/is awesome and I think needs to be worn again.

Movie Night

Lately the weather here in Lugano, Switzerland can best be described as blah. The temperature ranges from 28-45 degrees daily with clouds and fog. The clouds are so thick that one can not even see the mountains. Oh yeah, it rains and occasionally snow flakes fall but not enough to say it is snowing but just enough to tease me. I just wish the weather would make up its mind. We have been back for 24 days and have had about 5 sunny days. I guess I shouldn't be so upset coming from cold and dark Milwaukee winters but this upsets me.

The whole point of the weather report was to inform everyone of our cabin fever. We don't want to go outside but we want to do things. Going to the movies isn't an option because the movies are in Italian. So, I had a great idea of having movie night. I love watching movies so naturally I own a lot of them. I brought over 100 DVDs with me and told Liz to have an idea of what she wanted to watch so when I got back we could pop it right in. She asked me what I had so I read all of my DVDs off to her to see if she was interested in any. Liz had 4 picked out but she couldn't remember one of the other ones but she remembered it was in the beginning so I re-read the first 30 DVDs until she found it (it was Anchorman in case you were wondering.)

We came to a mutual decision that we would watch American Pie. It was and is still a great movie but as I watched it I felt a bit disheartened that this is one of the movies that defines my generation. I think one would be hard pressed to find a 25 year old American male who has not seen an American Pie movie. It made the word MILF famous. That is just awful but still really funny.

That is not really my point though. What is even worse is that the American Pie franchise has spread across the Atlantic and my Swiss teammates love it. We have spent many road trips watching these movies (too loud) with them laughing (too loud) and me trying to sleep in the back. The questions that they ask afterwards are classic. These range from "Is America really like this?" to "Do all American girls have fake breasts?" And my answer is the same every time, "Its exactly like this and better!!!"

Maybe I am a jerk for this but I can't help myself. The way their eyes light up when I tell them these things resembles the look of a child on Christmas morning. I just can't break their hearts and what their image of America is. Don't even get me started on what I tell them about college or how cheap everything is in America. I can write a book on that.

I know this post has been all over the place so I will summarize. The weather here isn't very nice. Liz and I have have movie nights and occasionally watch inappropriate movies. The effect American Pie has had on the world is amazing and I am an awful teammate.

Lausanne Pics

This is the only picture of me in the set. Apparently the photographer wasn't able to snap any of my dunks (I had 2!) or my other sweet moves but was able to get the most un athletic move made by a player of the day. Oh well, it still went in.
This is of one of our younger players. He came in and did his thing. It is also kind of a cool look at our gym. I know the floor is blue and pink and there are hockey boards surrounding the court but it really isn't that bad.
This is the legend Sam Hines shooting the ball with me posting up.
This is Dan Fitzgerald shooting (and making) a shot off of a pass from yours truly.

Game vs Lausanne Rd 2

Heading into our game against Lausanne, SAM Massagno was on a 2 game losing streak. It was the worst kind of losing streak too because we had played awful in both of the games. Nothing was clicking on offense and defense. We were all frustrated and we knew we had to get better and it showed in practice. After the Nyon loss we had some great practices. Everyone was locked in mentally and we really got down to work. It wasn't a very heavy workload but we came in and did what we needed to do and we set the game plan for Lausanne.

The Lausanne game was not only important to snap us out of our funk but also because it was a huge game with possible playoff implications. We were defeated by Lausanne in the first round and it was important for us to win this one. There is a pretty big log jam in the middle of the league right now. Heading into the game we were sitting in 7th place, if we win we stay in 7th but if we lose we drop all the way down to 10th (second to last place.) We could not lose this game because it would be an uphill battle to try and get back into the playoff picture and only the top 8 teams make it.

SAM Massagno came out blazing in the game and save for 8 minutes kept it on. I think it was the best game we have played together as a team. We must have started the game with 8 layups. It was awesome to be a part of.

As the old saying goes though, games aren't won on offense, they are won on defense. This was an area where we improved by leaps and bounds. Lausanne had the leading scorer in the league playing for them. He was averaging 20.5 points per game. I was concerned about this because this obviously hasn't been a strong point for us. We practiced rotating on the help side as well as keeping someone in the paint at all times. Another change we made for the game was to really attack the ball screens to slow them down. This worked very well for us because the league's leading scorer only had 9 for the game.

We had a few low points in the game but were able to rebound off of them very nicely. The final score of the game was 97-72 with us coming out on top.

I thought I rebounded for myself very well. Things were clicking for me. I felt like I did before the Christmas break. With the right mindset I will be able to maintain this and keep going into the 3rd round. I finished the game with 17 points on 8-11 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds.

Now it is onto Geneva on Saturday to gain sole possession of 7th place. Another tough and big game. This season is full of them.