Another Adventure

Hey Guys! I know its been a long time since you guys have heard from me and I'm sorry about that. I'm going to try to give you guys a quick recap sometime soon, but for this post I want to talk about the new adventure that we are on. The summer has come and gone quickly, and most basketball players know that it's time to get ready for a new adventure wherever that may be. A lot of guys will be going to different teams, different countries, and different situations. They will go into their new situation not knowing what to expect and wondering how they will adapt. Thankfully, I have been extremely blessed to go back to a place I call my home away from home.

For some of you that don't know, this past season I had the opportunity to play for a team in Ravenna, Italy. I had the same feeling that most do with the great unknown. You worry about where your going to be living. Are people going to be able to understand me? Am I going to be able to shop at the grocery store? Even simple things like, am I going to have a TV? Most people haven't experienced moving to a new country not knowing at all what to expect and they have no idea what were talking about and why we would be so silly to worry about those little things. But, those things even as silly as they might seem, bring us back into our comfort level and make us feel as though we are HOME! As I said before, I had no idea what to expect coming into Ravenna. My worries and all the little things that we worry about going overseas was immediately put to rest with how hospitable the people were.  The town of Ravenna welcomed us with open arms and we really felt as though we were at home. Things were a little easier because of the other American Adam Sollazzo. He did a great job of showing us around and letting us know that if we need anything to not hesitate and call him. That hospitality the people of Ravenna showed us struck a deeper connection for us more than any other situation we had been in the past.

This summer, I was blessed again to receive an offer to comeback to that great place and in my heart, there was no hesitation to go back. So here I am, back in my Home away from Home with my role being that of the veteran American. It is now my job to show the new American Emmanuel Holloway the ropes and help lead him to have the same experience that I had the year before. I can't foresee what is going to happen on the basketball court for us as a team, but I do know that Ravenna will always be my 2nd home and I will always forever be grateful for the city that helped make us feel as though we belonged. I hope that I can help Emmanuel feel the same way that I do now about Ravenna. It's another adventure, but this time feels more like a Homecoming! Till next time.