Basketball has always been my refuge and is a game that I love deeply. I was always that kid that said they were going to be an NBA player in the future. I got a scholarship to Texas Tech University to play for the winningest coach in D1 history, Bob Knight. I learned a lot from Coach Knight as a basketball player and even more about what it takes to be a man. Coming out of a pretty successful college career, I thought I would definitely have an opportunity to play in the NBA. When my senior season ended, I had time to sit and think to myself and I always came back to this one question: "What comes next". I think for a lot of basketball players, basketball takes up so much of our lives, that when were without it for a period of time, we don't know what to do with ourselves. Almost like we don't know who we are as individuals besides being basketball players. I eventually found an agent that was going to handle all my workouts, draft process, and marketing. I thought for sure it would be easy to get into workouts and draft camps based on what I had done in college. Those calls for the special team workouts and draft camps never came. I was stuck sitting at home wondering if I was even going to get a shot at playing basketball somewhere. From May till August I sat at home contemplating on what I was going to do. I married my wife August 31, 2011 and found out I was leaving to play in Belgium 2 days later. It was hard to leave so quick especially since we weren't sure when the team would be flying her over. It wasn't the NBA, but it was a chance to play at a high level and make a living doing something that I love to do.
Belgium was a great experience that changed me drastically as a man, husband, and basketball player. My wife was flown over a month after I was. I had never been out of the country and having to start the journey overseas alone wasn't as easy as I thought. It tested my limits and mental toughness. When my wife got there I felt a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I finally had my partner and we would be able to take on this adventure together. The season didn't start as we would have hoped as we went 0-11 up until the first part of December. Basketball overseas is very cut throat, and players started getting cut left and right. The pressure to perform on a team that started off so badly was heavy. It was hard not only on the players, but the staff was on the burner as well. Things started getting weird between me and the coaching staff and I was beginning to wonder, " Am I next"? My playing time began to drop as well as my production. A few weeks went by and I finally got an email from my agent telling me that the team was thinking about releasing me. Releasing me? It immediately infuriated me. I began to become a very negative person and didn't trust in God who was changing my path. I immediately began doubting myself and when you doubt yourself as a person, the enemy has an easy entry to take over and attack. We came to an agreement that I would leave the team and go back home to figure out the next step. So my wife and I got on a plane and headed back home with so much uncertainty.
No comments:
Post a Comment