Late Game Heartbreak and Warsaw Fun - Blog #51 (Mar. 2 - 15)

Basketball Update:

What a tough blog this one is to write... Our first game post-Polish Cup was at home against Szczecin, the team we beat in the first round of the tournament. They came into ZG wanting revenge from the cup. It was our first home game in over a month too, so we were anxious to get a W in front of our fans. We were not playing our best basketball at the start of the game or really throughout the game. We had some good stretches but were never able to extend our 5-6 point lead much at all. I had my first dunk of the year and probably my best poster in my career to be honest. I did not shoot the ball well but was playing alright overall. We had some mess-ups and ended up getting the ball in our front court, down 1, with 3 seconds left. We drew up a play for me to get the ball and find either a cutter or shooter on the backside. They blew up the play from the start, but I was still able to get the ball. I got it, had no options to pass to, and drove to the basket with time ticking down. I got hacked on my way to the rim and threw up an underhand layup to win the game. I missed the shot but fouled in the process. I had two FTs to win the game. The refs took probably 5 minutes at the monitor to determine how much time was left on the clock. There was 0.3 seconds left, and I headed to the line. I really did not feel that crazy nervous to be perfectly honest. I was nervous like I am for any game or any set of FT's, but really thought I was going to knock them down. Both felt money off my fingertips, and both clanged off the back iron and missed. Game over. Worst feeling in the world. More on this later.

I was excited for a bounce-back opportunity on the road at Legia in Warsaw. They handed us our biggest loss of the season back in November, so we were pumped to get another crack at them with our new look squad. I played maybe my best stretch of the season. I felt like I was controlling the game offensively, taking advantage of mismatches, and I was also shooting the ball well. My back issues struck again which sidelined me for the last quarter and a half. We ended up losing by twenty or so. That puts us at a 3-game losing streak if you include our loss in the Cup final. Quick turnaround at home against Lublin on Thursday.

Leadership Lesson:

I learned from my free-throw fiasco that failure happens to everyone. That may sound dramatic, but it is really true. Sometimes you don't really notice that fact until you cost your team a game. After the game, it was pretty comforting to hear from a couple of teammates about times in which they missed clutch free throws or cost their team a game. Misery loves company, so it was nice to hear that I was not the only one who has gone through something like that. Now, not everyone fails in front of 5,000 cheering fans, but it does happen to everyone in some way. You may not reach a personal goal or fail to hit your work objective. It happens to everyone, and I take some solace in that. I have had a couple of rough moments in my basketball career, but plenty more good ones. There is no reason that won't continue. This realization helped me play one of my best games of the year at Legia. Not to sound corny, but the failure is not important, it is how you respond to it!

Top 5 of the Week:

Breakfast Foods

1. Bagel + Cream Cheese - A medium well-toasted bagel (everything or cinnamon crunch) with a lot of cream cheese on it is an outstanding breakfast item. I rarely have it now because I don't have a toaster and try to get more protein in the morning, but it is great.

2. French Toast - Outstanding cinnamon flavor. Creamy and delicious. My mom's caramel french toast is the best, but that is more of a dessert than breakfast.

3. Pancake - American fluffy style or European style (thinner, crepe-like) are both fantastic.

4. Waffle - Only ever had the hotel-style waffle iron waffles, but put it in the top five out of respect to pancake and french toast. I slot it in third in the age-old debate of FT vs. pancake vs. waffle.

5. Eggs - Had to be on my list because I have them every day. I look forward to this every morning. I have started frying half an onion and some mushrooms before putting my scrambled eggs down. Unreal. Scrambled eggs are the best egg form easily.

What Else Did I Do This Week?

We left early Friday morning for Warsaw because we had a team field trip to the Polish parliament building. We were given a private tour of the building and saw a bunch of awesome stuff. We sat in, looking down from our seats above, on the "congress floor" watching the votes being counted for a new (their equivalent of) Supreme Court justice. It was pretty comical that we were able to be that close to some important government decisions that were going on. I guess there was some controversy in the Polish government the last couple of days because the EU wanted to loan a big chunk of cash to Poland to help with military defense, and Poland's prime minister and president disagree on whether to take it or not. There was a lot going on in the building, and it was cool to see some offices and different spaces in it.

Nikki came with her two friends, Lara and Jenny, from Amsterdam to Warsaw to explore the city and come to my game. We played Saturday, and I was able to stay Saturday night after the game in Warsaw to hang with them a bit. We had a nice dinner and hung out in a couple of different pockets of the city.

Sunday, we went to a French-style place for breakfast that was great. After, I was able to see the old town area for the first time. Nikki and her friends were telling me a bunch of fun facts from their walking tour, and my favorite one was that they rebuilt a lot of their current buildings using rubble from WW2. Warsaw was completely leveled during the war, and then, they had to endure Soviet occupation for forty years. My coach grew up in Warsaw, and left the city in 2009. He says he doesn't even recognize many parts because how quickly it has grown. It is pretty amazing how the people of Poland and Warsaw have bounced back from their recent history. I was very pleasantly surprised with Warsaw overall. A lot of people have told me that Gdansk and Krakow are much better cities for tourists than Warsaw. I haven't been to Gdansk yet, but I disagree. Warsaw was amazing. There is also a ton of history there, and it would be an awesome city to explore even more. Big fan.

Cultural Difference in Poland:

Warsaw is different from other major European cities because of its newness. The old town area is fairly similar to other Polish cities with colorful buildings, castles, nice river, beautiful architecture, etc. However, a short 5-10 minute walk from this area is a completely different Warsaw. It has big skyscrapers, wide streets/sidewalks, and modern restaurant areas. It feels very similar to a big American city in this way. It seems much more car-friendly and more spaced out too. Pretty interesting!

Top Meal of the Week:

The French place we went for breakfast on Sunday in Warsaw was very solid. It was called L'Emotion. The ambience was great too. We all ordered a different galette which is a French healthy pancake with different stuff in it. Mine had potato and bacon, and it was delicious. I enjoyed a nice cappuccino too. Thanks for reading!