So when I first started writing “What the Heck is Going On?” it was because of my utter confusion over what was taking place in my life in Germany…the utter confusion has not ceased...
I guess it had felt like so many things came together for me to be able to get to Germany, that I thought for sure God was doing something to work it out for me to stay there. Or at least to stay in Europe and play basketball. There was so much thought and prayer and emotion put into the decision, I sought counsel from so many different people and I had been given not only a green light but a blessing from my boss…it just seemed like everything was heading to some positive climax.
When I packed to leave for Germany, I packed to leave for the season. I did not know whether I’d be able to come home for Christmas, but I figured even if I could it would only be a visit…Then I lost the coaching job…then I hurt my ankle…I couldn’t understand what was happening, what was God doing?
I got the email about the Luxembourg team. I thought maybe this was God’s way of taking care of me- of getting me therapy since I had no insurance, but no. I thought maybe this was God’s way of providing a professional job for me, but no. I am not sure exactly what happened with them, but they decided to keep the player I was meant to replace. I wonder how much of it was their (appropriate) worry over me being healthy. Good call on their part because I am still on the mend…
So here I am at home. I wish I could say I know now what God was/is doing, but I can’t. His ways are just as hidden to me, just as perplexing. After finding out the Luxembourg gig was a for sure no go I felt such mixed emotions. I was wanting to just take it in stride and trust God and rejoice in the Lord always…I was in and out of thinking/feeling that way…I was also in and out of utter disappointment, feeling like a failure, and sorry for myself…oh and then there was the guilt over feeling so down about such a small problem when other people have real problems…
A new ray of hope popped up quickly. My dad came home from work, I think the next day, and told me that there was a job opening at the church…I thought this must be God’s answer to my prayer for provision, and something I can do while I heal…Maybe I am meant to just stay here and try the whole bball thing again in the summer…I went and talked with one of the pastors about it and it seemed like everything was good to go…the only thing really that would prevent me from getting the job would be if something came up with basketball in the next few weeks…I started getting myself excited about the job and thinking about how I could work rehab and training in with it and what extra work experience it might give me…But a few days later I found out that there had been some miscommunication over budgeting and the job could not be offered at this time…
The next thing to sorta take some wind out of my sails was going back to the foot doctor…It was meant to be my “final visit”- an appointment made about a month earlier under the assumption that I would be ready to play and heading off to Europe at the start of January…Instead, the doctor expressed concern over the amount of pain I was still in and said it would be best for me to get an MRI (I hadn’t previously, he didn’t think I needed one)…So I got an MRI and while I was thankful that I didn’t have any tears or fractures, I was disappointed to hear that the bone bruises were much worse than he had anticipated and he thought it could be another 4 weeks until I would be able to start running…It was hard to think that if I had just gotten the MRI right away, when I first got back into town, I would have probably gone straight into a walking boot and who knows how much further along I would be now in the healing process?
So that leaves me at this current point. I sent out a bunch of emails and video to some teams in Australia, where the leagues do not start until March…there has been one response of semi-interest…I have also heard about another job that I sent my resume in for…have not heard anything back yet…I was also contacted by a basketball club in Berlin regarding maybe doing some coaching for them- I have no idea at this point if it is something I can do and still play at ASV and also make enough to live on…I am still waiting to hear back…
I really do not know what this is all meant to be. I am praying about it constantly, and again, as I had to do when I was laying on my back on the floor during the game I hurt my foot, I am constantly making a decision to not freak out about it and to just see what happens. I am asking God for healing, I am asking God for direction, I am asking God for the grace to be patient and to have His strength and not be a little whiner…I am looking for the bright spots- of which there really are some big ones. I am so thankful for this time with my family. I am so thankful to be with my parents again and to see Megan, Brian, and the kiddos. I am thankful for time to read and to think…
The battle is for me to look back on those two and a half months in Berlin and wonder, what was going on? What was that all about? I have already described this feeling many times, but it really is how I feel- I feel like I was getting ready for a great adventure, like I got on the airplane and we never quite got off the ground…I had written previously that I struggled while in Germany to define my experience, and I find it equally, if not more, difficult now. It just feels so unfinished. But that may only be due to the expectations that I had. I have no idea what God’s storyline looks like, how maybe I was a minor character in some plot He was working out for someone else. I have no idea how He may re-introduce me to the story later. I have no idea how the plot of my life will unfold for the next chapter.
So for now I keep waiting, trying to make the most of the present, trying to be calm even when I don’t know what the heck is going on. I’m also trying to brainstorm for what I can do next…it seems that in the next couple of weeks I will know whether or not there is any real possibility of going to Australia, which my hunch is that there is not. Maybe there will be an opportunity to return to Berlin with this new coaching gig…Maybe I need to just start working here in Phoenix…Maybe I should return to school at last…If I stay here I have some ideas for doing some volunteer work…One thing I know is my God is for me and I will keep choosing to trust…
Monday, January 16, 2012
Flight Prayer Answered!
Okay, I think this is the last of the posts I had written but never posted. This one retells the story of how God helped me make it home with my cankle...I am sure anyone who would read this blog has already heard the story, but it's worth telling again...I wrote this one November 21...
Leaving Germany had its share of positives and negatives- i.e. getting to see my family and sunshine vs not being able to play or be with my team…But one huge negative- I was NOT looking forward to the flight home with my cankle…
I prayed and prayed that my foot would be okay on the flight. I prayed that He would work something out so that I could have my foot up- to keep the swelling from getting outrageous over the 11 hour flight from London- or that He would somehow miraculously just let my foot not swell up… I was really unsure if God would provide some way for me to keep my foot up or if He was going to just get me through the pain of having it down and I was nervous about it.
After my first flight, less than 2 hours from Berlin to London, my foot was already throbbing. The nervousness (is that a word?) was building… I went to Customer Services and asked about getting put in a seat in front of the wall so that I could put my foot up, but all of those seats were full. They didn’t have any other options for me either. I was prepared to endure the flight.
As I waited to get to my seat my mental toughness dissipated. I was nearly in tears- waiting in line to check in, then waiting in the aisle of the plane for all the people ahead of me putting their bags into overhead compartments- being up on my foot was getting more and more painful. I was dreading the flight. Dreading.
I found my seat at last, an aisle seat (I did thank the Lord for that) near the back of the plane. I got the things I needed from my bag and decided to put it up top to make more room for my neighbors. I sat down and waited….my neighbors never came. As it came closer and closer for the time for the attendants to close the door I felt a great sense of hope- would I really have an entire row to myself???
I asked the nearest flight attendant if I could move to the window seat and stretch my leg across the seats- I explained to her that I have a sprained ankle (I didn’t want to take the chance that someone would ask to move into one of the seats). She told me that it would be fine so long as they didn’t need to move someone there. I nearly started crying again- this time from relief and joy at how God had answered my prayers.
The pilot came on over the loudspeaker- we were slightly delayed because two passengers would not be coming on the flight after all, and the airline needed to get their bags unloaded. The woman across the aisle from me looked at me and smiled- we both were thinking the same thing- those two people were from my row. I pointed heavenward and mouthed “thank you”…she smiled again. I waited with anticipation to see if anyone would get moved into my row. No one was. I really think that as people asked to move around, the attendant never offered the seats I was in.
This was a huge gift to me and I am so thankful for it! How crazy- an entire row on an international flight!!!! When I think of how many seats are on that huge plane, and how many flights there are aday, I know that it is God’s gift to me that the two seats unused were the two next to me. It probably ended up being the easiest international flight I ever had- I laid down, propped my foot up on the side of the plane and hoped my the people behind me were sympathetic rather than upset that they had 3 people in their row…oh well….
Leaving Germany had its share of positives and negatives- i.e. getting to see my family and sunshine vs not being able to play or be with my team…But one huge negative- I was NOT looking forward to the flight home with my cankle…
I prayed and prayed that my foot would be okay on the flight. I prayed that He would work something out so that I could have my foot up- to keep the swelling from getting outrageous over the 11 hour flight from London- or that He would somehow miraculously just let my foot not swell up… I was really unsure if God would provide some way for me to keep my foot up or if He was going to just get me through the pain of having it down and I was nervous about it.
After my first flight, less than 2 hours from Berlin to London, my foot was already throbbing. The nervousness (is that a word?) was building… I went to Customer Services and asked about getting put in a seat in front of the wall so that I could put my foot up, but all of those seats were full. They didn’t have any other options for me either. I was prepared to endure the flight.
As I waited to get to my seat my mental toughness dissipated. I was nearly in tears- waiting in line to check in, then waiting in the aisle of the plane for all the people ahead of me putting their bags into overhead compartments- being up on my foot was getting more and more painful. I was dreading the flight. Dreading.
I found my seat at last, an aisle seat (I did thank the Lord for that) near the back of the plane. I got the things I needed from my bag and decided to put it up top to make more room for my neighbors. I sat down and waited….my neighbors never came. As it came closer and closer for the time for the attendants to close the door I felt a great sense of hope- would I really have an entire row to myself???
I asked the nearest flight attendant if I could move to the window seat and stretch my leg across the seats- I explained to her that I have a sprained ankle (I didn’t want to take the chance that someone would ask to move into one of the seats). She told me that it would be fine so long as they didn’t need to move someone there. I nearly started crying again- this time from relief and joy at how God had answered my prayers.
The pilot came on over the loudspeaker- we were slightly delayed because two passengers would not be coming on the flight after all, and the airline needed to get their bags unloaded. The woman across the aisle from me looked at me and smiled- we both were thinking the same thing- those two people were from my row. I pointed heavenward and mouthed “thank you”…she smiled again. I waited with anticipation to see if anyone would get moved into my row. No one was. I really think that as people asked to move around, the attendant never offered the seats I was in.
This was a huge gift to me and I am so thankful for it! How crazy- an entire row on an international flight!!!! When I think of how many seats are on that huge plane, and how many flights there are aday, I know that it is God’s gift to me that the two seats unused were the two next to me. It probably ended up being the easiest international flight I ever had- I laid down, propped my foot up on the side of the plane and hoped my the people behind me were sympathetic rather than upset that they had 3 people in their row…oh well….
What the Heck is Going On?? (Part 1)
Okay, here is another post I wrote a while ago- November 18th, to be exact. I was still in Germany at the time, about 5 days away from leaving...I never finished it, so I figure I will write Part 2 in a bit...(really, in just a few minutes, I will write it, and my goal is to even post it today- rather than wait a month or two!)...
What the Heck is Going On???
Okay, we’ve all asked that question at times in our lives…(Okay some of you maybe are too kind or good to say “heck” but you’re still asking the same question)…That has been the question in my mind so many times in this little German adventure I’ve had…if we can call it that….
I realized the other day that in the time that I have been here I have continuously tried to label this experience, to evaluate it, process it, and put it into words. I have failed repeatedly. People have asked me so many times how I feel about this or that, and time and again I have said, “I don’t know.” I think trying to figure out culture and my place here, whether on a team, with a family, in a city, etc, has been so difficult because things have shifted so constantly, and I felt like I never fully got my bearings…
Now there is a major shift. Two weeks ago I was playing in a game and I had one of the sweetest blocks I’ve ever had, at a crucial time in the game, against this manly post player, and it felt sooooo good- for about a nano-second. Then I landed on someone’s foot and my foot turned completely under me and that felt sooooooo bad. My mind thought instantly, “I am going home.” Literally- I think that is what was going through my mind as my body made its way down to the floor (which took a while because of my major hang time, you guys know me)…My next thought was “I don’t have insurance.” I knew it was bad. I have had sprained ankles before, but this was like, my foot just folded. I laid on the ground crying instantly…maybe possibly sort of freaking out a little bit…The combination of the pain and of thinking what the injury would mean for me both in my quest to play professionally, and financially, was a lot to handle….
After being carried off the court and laying on the sideline I actually thought, “huh, am I okay? Did I just freak out for nothing?” I will be honest. I had a moment where I was nervous that I was okay. Who wants to be the person who writhes on the ground and then pops back up and walks it off? Not me. I get so annoyed by those people.
I just laid there, watching my team finish the game and also praying. It hit me- there was absolutely nothing I could do about my circumstance. Prior to this moment I had been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what I ought to do to try to stay in Germany, to try to keep working towards playing pro or if I should even do that. I was trying so hard to figure out what to do and I was stressing out. Laying on the floor with my foot up I realized that my situation was out of my hands, and there was actually a bit of relief in that. I realized that I had a choice to make- I could be very upset and anxious about the future, or I could trust God with it. I chose the latter. The funny thing about such choices is, at least for me anyway, it is a choice that must be chosen again and again.
When I tried to get up after the game, I was definitely not able to walk, so that helped alleviate some of the “fear” that I was okay (I am twisted, I know)….The rest of the night I felt frustrated, not just because of my ankle, but more so because our team ended up losing the game. I felt upset with myself for how I had played at the start of the game, if I had played better, maybe we would have been up and we would have been able to pull it out…The choice to keep trusting God would have to be made over and over and over even in one night as my thoughts of frustration would keep bubbling back to the surface.
It was a long drive home with my foot propped up on the dash of the van. We stopped at a gas station halfway and everyone else got out, leaving me alone for a few minutes. Once again I used the time to whisper to God my fears and also my decision to trust Him. I apologized for kinda freaking out on Him at first, and for questioning Him. I felt that in those moments I had responded as though He had never done anything for me. I had responded like something a whole lot more life shattering than an ankle sprain had occurred…It was good to have those moments to talk to Him.
Well, to add to the mix of emotions running through me, and the wondering of “what is going on,” when I got home at like 1 am, I had an email waiting for me- a team in Luxembourg had interest in me. I laughed--what amazing timing (sarcasm)! I wrote back that I am interested, but I JUST sprained my ankle….I had no idea how to feel about that at the time because I had no idea how bad my ankle was or when this team would want me…Of course I was hopeful…
The next morning any lingering doubt about my “pansiness” was relieved (if we can call it that) when I unwrapped my foot to find that bloated, bruised, cankle that I had posted on my Facebook. “Great!” I thought, “I am not as big of a pansy as I feared” (Let’s say that is me seeing the bright side of things)… And then, “Now what? How long is this going to take to heal???”
Talk came up pretty quickly about me going home amongst the people in Germany. Everyone felt it would make sense for me to just recover at home since my visa was about to expire, I could no longer play or coach, and I would just be sitting around. The only thing was, I was waiting to hear about the Luxembourg team. There was a series of emails and conversations. They wanted me to come in 10 days to try out. I would not be ready to try out. Then they wanted me to come in a week and have their doctor check my foot. Then, finally, after it was pretty obvious my injury was going to take at least a few weeks to heal, it was decided it would be best for me to return to the states, fully heal up, and possibly return after Christmas.
It took like a week and a half to get to that conclusion- which was fine because I needed a little time for my foot to heal up enough for me to be able to travel. As soon as the decision was made, my parents booked me a flight home for Monday morning. They work fast.
What the Heck is Going On???
Okay, we’ve all asked that question at times in our lives…(Okay some of you maybe are too kind or good to say “heck” but you’re still asking the same question)…That has been the question in my mind so many times in this little German adventure I’ve had…if we can call it that….
I realized the other day that in the time that I have been here I have continuously tried to label this experience, to evaluate it, process it, and put it into words. I have failed repeatedly. People have asked me so many times how I feel about this or that, and time and again I have said, “I don’t know.” I think trying to figure out culture and my place here, whether on a team, with a family, in a city, etc, has been so difficult because things have shifted so constantly, and I felt like I never fully got my bearings…
Now there is a major shift. Two weeks ago I was playing in a game and I had one of the sweetest blocks I’ve ever had, at a crucial time in the game, against this manly post player, and it felt sooooo good- for about a nano-second. Then I landed on someone’s foot and my foot turned completely under me and that felt sooooooo bad. My mind thought instantly, “I am going home.” Literally- I think that is what was going through my mind as my body made its way down to the floor (which took a while because of my major hang time, you guys know me)…My next thought was “I don’t have insurance.” I knew it was bad. I have had sprained ankles before, but this was like, my foot just folded. I laid on the ground crying instantly…maybe possibly sort of freaking out a little bit…The combination of the pain and of thinking what the injury would mean for me both in my quest to play professionally, and financially, was a lot to handle….
After being carried off the court and laying on the sideline I actually thought, “huh, am I okay? Did I just freak out for nothing?” I will be honest. I had a moment where I was nervous that I was okay. Who wants to be the person who writhes on the ground and then pops back up and walks it off? Not me. I get so annoyed by those people.
I just laid there, watching my team finish the game and also praying. It hit me- there was absolutely nothing I could do about my circumstance. Prior to this moment I had been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what I ought to do to try to stay in Germany, to try to keep working towards playing pro or if I should even do that. I was trying so hard to figure out what to do and I was stressing out. Laying on the floor with my foot up I realized that my situation was out of my hands, and there was actually a bit of relief in that. I realized that I had a choice to make- I could be very upset and anxious about the future, or I could trust God with it. I chose the latter. The funny thing about such choices is, at least for me anyway, it is a choice that must be chosen again and again.
When I tried to get up after the game, I was definitely not able to walk, so that helped alleviate some of the “fear” that I was okay (I am twisted, I know)….The rest of the night I felt frustrated, not just because of my ankle, but more so because our team ended up losing the game. I felt upset with myself for how I had played at the start of the game, if I had played better, maybe we would have been up and we would have been able to pull it out…The choice to keep trusting God would have to be made over and over and over even in one night as my thoughts of frustration would keep bubbling back to the surface.
It was a long drive home with my foot propped up on the dash of the van. We stopped at a gas station halfway and everyone else got out, leaving me alone for a few minutes. Once again I used the time to whisper to God my fears and also my decision to trust Him. I apologized for kinda freaking out on Him at first, and for questioning Him. I felt that in those moments I had responded as though He had never done anything for me. I had responded like something a whole lot more life shattering than an ankle sprain had occurred…It was good to have those moments to talk to Him.
Well, to add to the mix of emotions running through me, and the wondering of “what is going on,” when I got home at like 1 am, I had an email waiting for me- a team in Luxembourg had interest in me. I laughed--what amazing timing (sarcasm)! I wrote back that I am interested, but I JUST sprained my ankle….I had no idea how to feel about that at the time because I had no idea how bad my ankle was or when this team would want me…Of course I was hopeful…
The next morning any lingering doubt about my “pansiness” was relieved (if we can call it that) when I unwrapped my foot to find that bloated, bruised, cankle that I had posted on my Facebook. “Great!” I thought, “I am not as big of a pansy as I feared” (Let’s say that is me seeing the bright side of things)… And then, “Now what? How long is this going to take to heal???”
Talk came up pretty quickly about me going home amongst the people in Germany. Everyone felt it would make sense for me to just recover at home since my visa was about to expire, I could no longer play or coach, and I would just be sitting around. The only thing was, I was waiting to hear about the Luxembourg team. There was a series of emails and conversations. They wanted me to come in 10 days to try out. I would not be ready to try out. Then they wanted me to come in a week and have their doctor check my foot. Then, finally, after it was pretty obvious my injury was going to take at least a few weeks to heal, it was decided it would be best for me to return to the states, fully heal up, and possibly return after Christmas.
It took like a week and a half to get to that conclusion- which was fine because I needed a little time for my foot to heal up enough for me to be able to travel. As soon as the decision was made, my parents booked me a flight home for Monday morning. They work fast.
Coaching Men
This post is really old. I wrote it October 30th, and that was probably a week or two after I had coached...Of course I never actually put it up, because that requires taking 60 seconds out of my 'hectic' life....soooo here it is for anyone who wants to take a little journey back in time....
On Tuesday I got a text message from Marcel asking me to coach his men’s team on Wednesday. Actually it said, “Can you do our practice Wed?” I answered, a little afraid that he was asking me to coach it, “You want me to come play in it or coach it?” Of course coaching is what he wanted.
Marcel has done so much for me to help me be here, how could I say no? I told him yes and waited for further instruction. None came besides the practice time. I asked him if he would be giving me more information. I did not hear back.
On Wed mid-morning I got an email saying that the guys really needed to work a lot on defense and that I should have a lot of fun drills. I text messaged him and asked him how many guys he expected to show up. He responded, 5-12. I told him that makes it pretty hard to plan for, he agreed. Such is the nature of the club teams over here….
I made a list of “fun” and competitive drills that incorporated defense, transition defense, screen defense (although I have no idea what their team philosophy is on defense or on screens)…I figured I needed at least an hour’s worth of drills. Marcel thought he may be there in an hour, practice time is an hour and a half. I figured, if I add water breaks and then time for 5v5 I will be able to fill the whole time if need be.
I got to the gym on Wed night, 15 min till practice time, and just a couple of guys were waiting for me. I walked in to find that the divider for the gym was down, cutting the court into two rooms. Great. No transition drills, no fast break drills, no full court 5 on 5.
More guys started showing up. One of the weirdest things to me about German basketball guys is that they do not use the locker room to change. They just walk into the gym and strip down and put on their basketball clothes. I busied myself with shooting on a hoop while they got ready- not really interested in seeing a bunch of German dudes in their chones.
Kjell walked in the gym, he is on the men’s team as well (a lot of these teams have players anywhere from 16 years old to 30+). He came over to greet me, then told me he had to go bc he had practice. “I know,” I said, “I am coaching your practice today.” He was surprised. I wondered if any of these other guys knew that I was leading the practice…
Once it seemed that everyone was arrived, dressed, and ready to go I asked one of the guys who I knew spoke some English to round everyone up. We all came together. I made a brief introduction:
“Hello, my name is Jessica. Marcel has asked me to coach your practice tonight, I am not entirely sure why, but let’s go.”
I realized later that maybe I should have let them know that I do have some coaching experience, but oh well.
We got into it. Well, most of us. One guy went over and sat down on a mat and started stretching. He continued to do that through most of the practice, then went behind the divider and shot on the other basket. I have no idea why. Another guy started the drill, but after one drill went and sat on the bench and did not participate the rest of the time. "Is he gonna play?" I asked one of the dudes who spoke some English. Dude shrugged, "I guess he is tired."
So we had 9 guys. No 5 v 5 shell. The upside? We could still do my defensive drill that is 4 on 5 and this gave us perfect numbers for 3v3v3. Good thing I had come with a long list of possibilities because my options were getting knocked out left and right.
The guys listened to all of my instructions and went through each drill. The competitive drills seemed to get them going, and I had fun watching them. Here and there I offered some extra instruction, but I had no idea what sort of knowledge these guys really have or how they would take it from a girl. Outwardly, at least, they nodded their heads and seemed to appreciate the tips. I made the losers of the drills run sprints, which for some reason, was somewhat enjoyable to me. Must've been the affects of having some authority...Also, I think it was fun because I think they were surprised I was making practice a little tough. However, it also seemed like they were up for it.
The best drill that we ran was 3 on 3 on 3. In this you have two teams start out on the floor with one on the baseline (teams are 3 players in case somehow that was a question). As soon as one team scores the defense runs off the floor and the new team comes on. The team who scores does not have to check the ball or wait for the defense. They can just grab the ball out of the net and once it is cleared to the 3 pt line it is live to play. It is fun because it is really fast paced, and you can really get going on offense if you are quick to get the ball out of the net. The guys liked this game. At their request we played it a couple of times.
Marcel got into the gym around 9:25, 5 min before practice was over, so I just finished it out. When we were done I let him know that the floor was his. He huddled the team up and, in German, spoke for a couple of minutes. I just stood there, not really knowing what was being said. The group broke up after this and began to get ready to leave. Mission accomplished, I guess.
When we had left the gym, Marcel was also taking another player to the train station. When we got in the car they asked me if I knew what was being said in the huddle. I informed them that I had not the slightest idea, except that there was something about an upcoming game...They informed me that in the huddle the players were telling Marcel that they really liked the practice- in fact they said it was the best practice they had had (which I think Marcel was embellishing to make me feel good) but still, that was good news. However, I was also told that the guy who had done one drill and then sat out the rest of practice had said that he had no idea what I was saying. Oops. I was probably talking way too fast.
All in all, I enjoyed the practice. It was fun to lead a group with such athletic capabilities and also a group that really wanted to compete. I loved the fact that after they played the first round of 3 on 3 on 3 they wanted to play again because the teams who lost wanted an opportunity to redeem themselves.
Also, it must have gone pretty well because a week or so later, I was invited back to coach again :). Maybe I should let the NBA know that I am available...
On Tuesday I got a text message from Marcel asking me to coach his men’s team on Wednesday. Actually it said, “Can you do our practice Wed?” I answered, a little afraid that he was asking me to coach it, “You want me to come play in it or coach it?” Of course coaching is what he wanted.
Marcel has done so much for me to help me be here, how could I say no? I told him yes and waited for further instruction. None came besides the practice time. I asked him if he would be giving me more information. I did not hear back.
On Wed mid-morning I got an email saying that the guys really needed to work a lot on defense and that I should have a lot of fun drills. I text messaged him and asked him how many guys he expected to show up. He responded, 5-12. I told him that makes it pretty hard to plan for, he agreed. Such is the nature of the club teams over here….
I made a list of “fun” and competitive drills that incorporated defense, transition defense, screen defense (although I have no idea what their team philosophy is on defense or on screens)…I figured I needed at least an hour’s worth of drills. Marcel thought he may be there in an hour, practice time is an hour and a half. I figured, if I add water breaks and then time for 5v5 I will be able to fill the whole time if need be.
I got to the gym on Wed night, 15 min till practice time, and just a couple of guys were waiting for me. I walked in to find that the divider for the gym was down, cutting the court into two rooms. Great. No transition drills, no fast break drills, no full court 5 on 5.
More guys started showing up. One of the weirdest things to me about German basketball guys is that they do not use the locker room to change. They just walk into the gym and strip down and put on their basketball clothes. I busied myself with shooting on a hoop while they got ready- not really interested in seeing a bunch of German dudes in their chones.
Kjell walked in the gym, he is on the men’s team as well (a lot of these teams have players anywhere from 16 years old to 30+). He came over to greet me, then told me he had to go bc he had practice. “I know,” I said, “I am coaching your practice today.” He was surprised. I wondered if any of these other guys knew that I was leading the practice…
Once it seemed that everyone was arrived, dressed, and ready to go I asked one of the guys who I knew spoke some English to round everyone up. We all came together. I made a brief introduction:
“Hello, my name is Jessica. Marcel has asked me to coach your practice tonight, I am not entirely sure why, but let’s go.”
I realized later that maybe I should have let them know that I do have some coaching experience, but oh well.
We got into it. Well, most of us. One guy went over and sat down on a mat and started stretching. He continued to do that through most of the practice, then went behind the divider and shot on the other basket. I have no idea why. Another guy started the drill, but after one drill went and sat on the bench and did not participate the rest of the time. "Is he gonna play?" I asked one of the dudes who spoke some English. Dude shrugged, "I guess he is tired."
So we had 9 guys. No 5 v 5 shell. The upside? We could still do my defensive drill that is 4 on 5 and this gave us perfect numbers for 3v3v3. Good thing I had come with a long list of possibilities because my options were getting knocked out left and right.
The guys listened to all of my instructions and went through each drill. The competitive drills seemed to get them going, and I had fun watching them. Here and there I offered some extra instruction, but I had no idea what sort of knowledge these guys really have or how they would take it from a girl. Outwardly, at least, they nodded their heads and seemed to appreciate the tips. I made the losers of the drills run sprints, which for some reason, was somewhat enjoyable to me. Must've been the affects of having some authority...Also, I think it was fun because I think they were surprised I was making practice a little tough. However, it also seemed like they were up for it.
The best drill that we ran was 3 on 3 on 3. In this you have two teams start out on the floor with one on the baseline (teams are 3 players in case somehow that was a question). As soon as one team scores the defense runs off the floor and the new team comes on. The team who scores does not have to check the ball or wait for the defense. They can just grab the ball out of the net and once it is cleared to the 3 pt line it is live to play. It is fun because it is really fast paced, and you can really get going on offense if you are quick to get the ball out of the net. The guys liked this game. At their request we played it a couple of times.
Marcel got into the gym around 9:25, 5 min before practice was over, so I just finished it out. When we were done I let him know that the floor was his. He huddled the team up and, in German, spoke for a couple of minutes. I just stood there, not really knowing what was being said. The group broke up after this and began to get ready to leave. Mission accomplished, I guess.
When we had left the gym, Marcel was also taking another player to the train station. When we got in the car they asked me if I knew what was being said in the huddle. I informed them that I had not the slightest idea, except that there was something about an upcoming game...They informed me that in the huddle the players were telling Marcel that they really liked the practice- in fact they said it was the best practice they had had (which I think Marcel was embellishing to make me feel good) but still, that was good news. However, I was also told that the guy who had done one drill and then sat out the rest of practice had said that he had no idea what I was saying. Oops. I was probably talking way too fast.
All in all, I enjoyed the practice. It was fun to lead a group with such athletic capabilities and also a group that really wanted to compete. I loved the fact that after they played the first round of 3 on 3 on 3 they wanted to play again because the teams who lost wanted an opportunity to redeem themselves.
Also, it must have gone pretty well because a week or so later, I was invited back to coach again :). Maybe I should let the NBA know that I am available...
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