I hate injuries...

So here's the update from our NT all-star game... The home crowd really came out so show some support for us as the gym was almost fully packed. It wasn't the greatest weekend for the tournament as there was also a Rugby and Cricket tournament going on that same night (both those sports come first in Australia haha), otherwise the gym would've been sold out. We as a team were as ready as we could've possibly been, we only had a month to prepare and a total of 16 practices (most of which we didn't have the whole team there because of work obligations for everyone). From the start of the game the pressure was intense from the Adelaide 36ers and our first 4 possessions were all turnovers haha. They came out and shot the ball well building a 10 point lead after the first quarter. We finally got things rolling a little bit but definitely not enough to make it a game and we ended up down 25 points by half time. Towards the end of the first half I went up and had a real nice block shot, BUT as I came down I ended up on someones foot and I rolled my left ankle pretty bad. As soon as it happened I hobbled off the court and talked to the trainer to see what he could do for me. He taped me up during half time as I wanted to give it a go and see what I could do, but as soon as I got back in the game I knew it was a "no go" and subbed myself out right away. I took my shoes off and started icing my foot for the rest of the game. It really sucked because I was looking forward to playing against the top level of competition in Australia and I had a good game in the making before I got hurt. 7 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block by half time. Everything happens for a reason though, and it's all about how you bounce back and react from it!




Even though we got beat by about 30 points or so it was still a great opportunity to play and an even better opportunity for the NT (darwin) to show that they have some good talent up here and can compete (especially if there's more time to prepare).

As soon as I got hurt Momma Donna has been taking care of me 24/7. She's had my foot in an ice bucket at least twice a day and has been elevating my leg when I'm just chilling and not paying attention to it. She really is my Mum out here and I appreciate everything she does not only for me, but for the Eagles club and NT basketball. She is a true fan.

We (the eagles) had our usual Tuesday game the other day and of course I had to sit it out because of the ankle... I hate sitting out! Now it wouldn't of bothered me as much if we playing a team in the bottom of the ladder, but we were playing the Rebels who are currently in 1st place and have only 1 loss that was to us when we played them last time!! So I'd been waiting for this re-match to come. Other than myself being out hurt our other two starters are still out as well! Anthony, our captain and starting PG and JJ our starting 2 guard and scores about 15ppg for us. So Bobby was really on his own with trying to make things happen for us, both offensively and defensively. To my surprise we were actually winning at halftime by 1 point. We were playing great team ball and a lot of the local guys were stepping up. But we came out ice cold in the 3rd quarter and only scored about 6 points to their 20 or so, as well as Bobby had picked up his 4th foul (so that really didn't help). Bobby ended up fouling out with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter and the lead took off to about 25-30 points and that was a wrap. It was a really frustrating game for me as I haven't had to sit out and actually watch a game for a while now (which I am very thankful for), but I cheered my guys on the whole time and tried to encourage them in the best ways I could. I know we'll bounce back next week with a win and we'll DEFINITELY catch the Rebels again and show them exactly why we won the first time around. I'm hoping to be able to practice on Sunday night and then be ready to go next Tuesday but coach told me that if I'm not 100% then he's not gonna risk me getting re-injured and being out even longer... So I'm praying for a quick and strong recovery!

That's about it for now... I hope everyone is doing well and life is treating you good! I miss everyone back home in the USA and think about you all a lot. You are all in my prayers every night! Much love

Until tomorrow...
"make it happen"