One Big Disappointment

My collegiate basketball career has been a disappoitment. There I said it. Coming out of high school, I led my team to a 17-game winning streak and its first state tournament appearance in school history. I averaged 18 ppg, and was first team all-conference and second team all-state performer. When I enrolled at Seattle University in the fall of 2004, I didn't have particularly high expectations for my freshman year. SU was a full scholarship Division II school with superior athletes to myself. Our team was stacked with talent. We had two D1 transfers and a plethora of guys who could have easily played at that level. After getting my ass kicked freshman year in practice - I redshirted meaning I could only practice - I worked my ass off in the summer to prepare for a successful sophomore season. When I got into camp the next fall, I was in the best shape of my life. I was outplaying pne of the scholarship senior guards and felt confident about my game for the first time at this level. After one of best practices of the early season, I was messing around trying to dunk and came down on my teammates foot. I tore every ligament in my left foot and was essentially out for the season. I was devastated... (cont)

Job Interview

I have a job interview today. An important one to say the least. As a junior in college, this summer's internship (the last of my career) is probably the most meaningful job of my life this far. For when I graduate next spring, it is imperative that I get a good first job that lets me fulfill my passion for writing and broadcasting. The interview today is with Foxsports television, and is the job I am hoping to earn for this summer. If I can do so - assuming all goes well this summer - I will set myself up very well for post-under grad life. Am I nervous? No. But at the same time, I am curious as to the type of questions I will be hit with. Sure he'll ask me what my passions are and where I see my career going, but what if I'm asked questions like what my role in the world will be? I hardly know my role on my own basketball team, let alone the planet. I look forward to the interview but I know there will be a point where I'm not sure what to say. I hope all goes well...

Just shutup

The other day I was at a friend’s birthday barbecue. Let me be more specific. I was at my girlfriend’s uncle’s (who is also a friend of mine) barbecue. It was a nice event. Sean and his wife are expecting their first child in a couple weeks so the mood was extra festive. Everything was going well; we were interacting with her relatives and friends. Drinking beer of course was one of my imperatives. After our beer run, I engulfed a total of about ten Fat Tires and Heineken, ate two pieces of salmon, and had a piece and a half of carrot cake. At 3:00 the selection show for the NCAA Tournament came on and my attention immediately shifted to the television screen. After all, I’d been looking forward to this moment for the past three weeks.

The tournament is my pride and joy sporting event of the year (See: “March Madness” blog). A few minutes passed and CBS announced the four #1 seeds and was about to announce the rest of the field. Anticipation mounted as I found myself on the edge of my seat when one of Sean’s friends came up and sat down next to me. “Hey man, what you watching?” “The NCAA Tournament selection show.” “Oh March Madness! That’s awesome dude.” Just when I was hoping to relax and watch the show, I was hit with the one question I didn’t want to hear. “So how exactly does the NCAA Tournament selection work,” he asked. “Did my Kansas Jayhawks make it?” “Ugh” I thought to myself. Noooooooooooo. This barbecue was a five hour function and all I asked for was 45 minutes of peace and quiet so I could watch my show. For the next 45 minutes, I was peppered with questions about who is this year’s dark horse and favorite? I guess March Madness has started.

My new puppy

Over spring break my dad and I embarked on three hour round trip drive to Bellingham, Washington. You see my family has always been about dogs. My whole growing up we always had dogs. Recently our 14-year-old German Shepherd passed away, leaving our 5-year-old Golden Retreiver all alone without a friend. Over the past few months since Gypsy's death we have considered getting a new dog, but didn't want to make any brash decisions. After all, it is a great responsibility, and with my sister and I both away at school we didn't know doing so was the right decision. When I arrived back home in Seattle after our loss in Spokane, I convinced my dad to take a drive with me to check out a rescued chesapeake bay retreiver puppy named Kimber. When we finally got to the animal shelter with our current dog Kiefer, they played together for an hour or so. I looked at my dad and he looked back at me, and we just knew. THIS WAS THE DOG. I am proud to say we adopted Kimber and changed his name to Luca last week. Now Keifer has a friend, and we saved a puppy!

My Journey (cont)

I couldn't believe my luck. I had just completed three mid-terms and two projects in one week, and was supposed to be on sky high because my team was playing in the NCAA Tournament. But instead I was worried sick about what the hell happened to my wallet, canceling my credit cards, getting a new driver's license, and if I would ever make it to the team hotel in time for the game Saturday night. Ultimately, our little plane took off into the Los Angeles skyline amidst great turbulence, something I actually expected considering my luck, or lack there of. When we did fly, I soon learned that my assigned seat had been changed and that I would now sit in the smallest airplane seat I'd ever seen, with the least leg room I'd ever had. But all of this was okay as long I reached Spokane. It's funny; growing up in Seattle Spokane was never a place I desired going. But all of a sudden, I felt I had to be there. I felt I belonged there with my teammates, even if I didn't play a single minute in the game. It was a weird feeling, and a feeling I did not expect to feel.

My journey

Last Thursday was not how I saw it going. In the midst of my first mid-term of the day, my backpack (which included my wallet) was stolen from the CAE. Upon learning about this after the test, I found myself scrambling around campus not knowing where to look. Eventually we discovered my bag, but it no longer contained my wallet. When I finished my second mid-term, I prepared for our NCAA Tournament game that evening. When we beat Pamona by one to advance to the second round in Spokane, Washington, I knew I was in big trouble. After speaking with my mom earlier in the day, we could not think of a solution to get my passport from back home in Seattle sent to me in time to make the team plane. So instead of flying with my teammates earlier Friday morning, I was forced to sit in my apartment and wait for the Fed Ex guy to drop off my passport. When it finally did arrive, I rushed to the airport and of course found that my 7:00 pm flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem.

March Madness

The NCAA Tournament represents the perfect balance of upsets and favorites. In arenas all across the country die-hard fans come together to root on their teams. 50-year-old men scream and cry like 8-year-old children. Come this Thursday, tens of thousands of Americans will call in sick to their boring desk jobs so they can sit at home with their friends and follow their bracket, crossing out wrong picks, and hitting themselves for trying to hard to find this year's "Cinderalla Team," that will shock the world by beating a giant power. Random institutions like South Alabama and Butler will have their fifteen minutes of fame while heartless fans root them on yelling at players they previously had never even heard of. Who will fill the glass slipper? A beautiful thing indeed... I can't wait.