Matchup Vs. James, Veenhuis in Town, and Soup Season - Blog #14 (Jan. 13 - 19)

Basketball Update:

The highly anticipated matchup versus my former CSU teammate, James Moors, took place this weekend and boy, did it live up to the hype. We had a great crowd because we were debuting our new lights and speakers that had been installed over Christmas break. The game was fairly even for the first half, but we could not contain James. We let him get a couple of easy baskets early, and he ended up killing us for most of the game. He had 19 points (I think) at halftime. It was a weird feeling playing against one of your old teammates. It was fun, for sure, but I definitely felt an extra level of competitive spirit when he had the ball. I did not want to lose to him, but I was very happy he played well in retrospect. In the 3rd quarter, we got messed up in transition, and James was streaking to the rim for what he thought would be an easy, left-handed jam. Then... it's a bird, it's a plane, it's Air Cartier! I came out of nowhere to cleanly swat James' dunk attempt out of the air. Unfortunately, the ref didn't think it was clean. We had some funny back-and-forth at the FT line, and I promptly sent the clip to all of our CSU coaches. I will let you all be the judge... was it a foul? Let me know in the comments. We ended up winning pretty controllably, 85-70. Big win going into our bye week this week without a game.

Leadership Lesson:

An important thing to note when discussing leadership is how many different leadership styles exist. Everyone leads differently, and that is alright. The important thing is to not try and copy someone else's personality or style. I have found as a follower that I can always sniff out when someone is being inauthentic. Good leaders must be authentic. As long as your own leadership style is authentically yours, then it can work.

One of the best case studies of different leadership styles working for different people is to look at two of the greatest basketball coaches ever: John Wooden and Bobby Knight. John Wooden was known for positivity, encouragement, and team culture which was reflected in his iconic pyramid of success. John Wooden's leadership philosophy was well thought out, and it worked. He balanced discipline with positive reinforcement. Instead of demeaning and intimidating his players, his goal was to empower them. He sounds like a lot of the coaches I have had in my life. He won ten national championships and is a legend in leadership and coaching.

Then, we have Bobby Knight. To say their coaching styles are diametrically opposed would be an understatement. Knight had a no-nonsense attitude and was demanding in his style. He coached with an intensity unlike many others and would put pressure on his players to perform to get the best out of them. He used discipline & accountability and was not at all scared of confrontation. He is notorious for his ferocious competitive spirit that sometimes went too far. Here is a famous clip of Bobby Knight.

And yet, he was a three-time national champion and is regarded as one of the GOATs as well. What he did worked. Some players have Bobby Knight horror stories, and some say he is the best coach they ever had. John Wooden and Bobby Knight were authentic, great leaders & coaches because they each did it their own way to the best of their abilities.

Top 5 of the Week:

Soups

1. My Mom's Chili - Is chili considered a soup? Maybe not, but my mom's chili is too good to be left off this list. Mandatory to be made with noodles of course. Topped with sour cream and a little cheddar cheese, this beef, red chili which would probably be on my death row menu. The best, hands down.

2. Nikki's Marry Me Chicken Soup - I say that this is Nikki's but proper credit should be given to whatever Tik Tok account she got it from. Either way, this dish is outstanding. My teammates probably bring it up once a week because it is what she made when we had our Christmas dinner. Gnocci, chicken, spinach, pesto, cream, sundried tomatoes, and some other stuff. Amazing.

3. Ramen - Not any type of ramen in particular, but this deserves a top five spot. Good homemade or restaurant ramen can warm you up better than any other soup. Chicken or beef ramen is good to me.

4. Myron's Mushroom Soup - Julie and Myron (aunt and uncle) make this every year on Christmas. It has such a unique flavor, and I am not even going to guess how to make it. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is having mushroom soup.

5. Tomato Soup - This makes the top five soley because of the complimentary nature of tomato soup and grilled cheese. By themselves, each food is average. Combined... they make for one of the best dynamic duos in history.

HM: Split Pea, Chicken Noodle, French Onion, White Chicken Chili

What Else Did I Do This Week?

Pretty normal week with practices for me and work for Nikki. The reason I chose to rank soups was because of how many soups we have been making recently. Nikki made the executive decision that we are going to try and cook one vegetarian meal every weak. Soups are a great way to do so. We have made different kinds of chili and regular soups by using our new crockpot we got a couple of weeks ago. So far, it has been an amazing investment. Thursday, we had a team sponsor event at the Zorg and Zekerheid building. We had a really nice dinner.

Friday night, my highschool buddy, Jacob Veenhuis, trained in from London where he is working selling medical equipment for Surfacide. He has been working and traveling all over the world since 2020 and has some pretty cool stories and experiences. He sells medical equipment that can clean hospital rooms with UV light. The timing for him could not have worked out better for the pandemic which is what kicked off his career. Anyways, on Friday night we went out for some outstanding Italian food at Ristorante Pizzeria Karalis in Leiden. We got some delicious pizza and pasta. It was a great night, and we went back home to rest before Saturday.

Saturday, after walkthrough in the morning, we grabbed lunch in town at this cafe we have been to a bunch, Anne & Max. I think we are undefeated (3-0) when I eat lunch there before a game. That is impressive because I think we have only won like four games at home this year. After our win, the whole team went out to this pool and darts bar in Leiden to celebrate the victory. Like I have said in previous blogs, I think hanging out with your teammates outside of the gym is important for comradory, so I was glad we did it. We had a blast, and I remembered how awful I am at pool. An embarassing anecdote... Nikki, Dimitri, JD, and I were playing the last game of the night. We had four scratches in a row which has to be a record. Some atrocious pool was played on Saturday night. The bar even put the NFL game, Chiefs vs. Texans, on for a bit which was great.

Saturday, Jacob and I went to Amsterdam. We walked around and went to a couple of new places that I had not seen before. We checked out the Begijnhof and learned about how it was a place for Catholic people to practice their faith in a secluded/hidden area when Amsterdam became Protestant. It was a gorgeous area of the city that I had not been to before. We got some frites (french fries) and stopped into a couple different pubs to watch a bit of the Ajax game and have a couple of drinks.

We got back to an insanely clean apartment with chili ready for us (good girlfriend alert). Goodness, I am blessed. We watched some GOT, read for a bit, and hit the sack. Great weekend.

Top Meal of the Week:

I think my favorite meal this week was the Italian we had Friday night at Ristorante Pizzeria Karalis. We haven't had Italian since being here, so the pizza and pasta hit different. The pasta was cream based with smoked salmon, and all of us loved it. Great spot.

One Thing I Miss About the States:

I miss US gas prices. In Leiden, gas prices are roughly 2 EU/Liter. You might say to yourself, "Oh, that is not bad at all. Why is he complaining?" Well, there are roughly four liters in a gallon, and the euro is worth more than the dollar by about 5%. I will let you do the math. I should be making better use of my bike, but it is too cold right now. Driving here is very expensive. Thanks for reading!