Officially a German Citizen, Playoff Race Is Hot, and New Godfather - Blog #54 (Apr. 14 - 26 '26)

Basketball Update:

The playoff race is piping hot right now. We had a road game at Anwil who is close to us in the standings and also boasts the highest budget in the league. Their fans are very nuts. They created a fun atmosphere and helped them to a big lead at halftime. We really battled back which made things very interesting as far as tiebreakers are concerned. We beat Anwil by 9 at home, so we needed to lose by less than that to hold the tiebreaker over them. We cut their lead to four in the fourth quarter, but let up a quick run towards the end of the game. We ended up winning by exactly 9. The good thing is that we hold the next tiebreaker which is just most points scored at home in the matchup. Tough road loss, but like I said, it is a tough place to play. It was also cool to play against Tyler Wahl. He was a late addition to their team this season and is a guy I watched a ton during his time as a Badger. He seemed like a good guy when I told him I was a fan of his.

Our next game was our longest road trip of the year, Krosno. It was a weird game because of the long trip, but also because Krosno is in last place. I was a bit frustrated because I really didn't get much opportunity in this game. I played probably the least amount of minutes I have ever played in my life, 8. To be fair, I didn't play well when I was in, and it isn't the time of year to worry about playing time. We played a really good second half and took care of business before the long road trip back home. We got back at 5 AM which sucks, but it is our worst trip of the year. 2 games left this next week for the regular season. We are sitting in 8th place right now and can guarantee a spot in the play-in with just one win. 2 wins, and we are potentially automatically in the playoffs. Let's get in the playoffs.

Leadership Lesson:

One of the only upsides of living by myself this year is that I have had much more time to spend hanging around after practice in the locker room and on the court without having someone to come home to. It has given me the opportunity to have longer, deeper conversations with several teammates of mine. Sometimes I talk to them about trivial things, but I have been able to have some good conversations about futures, pasts, lessons learned, etc. I have realized an important thing about leadership this year because of this. Being available and accessible to people is an important part of leadership. It does not necessarily have to manifest itself by hanging around waiting to have a conversation with someone. It can take the form of having an open-door policy as a boss or scheduling check-in conversations with a colleague (Europeans say colleague instead of coworker... what is happening to me). A leader should find ways to make themselves accessible to the people they are leading. It fosters an environment of openness, transparency, healthy communication, and conflict resolution. I am happy to have learned that this year unintentionally.

Top 5 of the Week:

Fast Food Chains

1. Chipotle - I love Chipotle. Chipotle is my life... (iykyk). Just perfect, I miss it so much and can't wait for when I'm back in the US to have it. There is just something about Chipotle. The taste is so unique to them, and even with Increased criticism over portion size and quality in the last couple of years, I still think it's a great bang for your buck.

2. Culver's - Major nostalgia points here. Elite fast food burger in my opinion. Weird spoons randomly, but everything else is great. If you have never had Culver's root beer, you simply must have it ASAP.

3. CAVA - New to the game, but it seriously rivals Chipotle. Same bowl buffet-style concept, but a tad healthier and Mediterranean instead of Mexican. Not sure if they have made it to Wisconsin yet, but we had one in FoCo that was outstanding.

4. Chick-Fil-A - This feels a little disingenuous because it is not even my favorite fast-food chicken place. That belongs to Dave's Hot Chicken. Dave's isn't as widespread, and I have only had it a handful of times. Chick-Fil-A is great though. The best selection of sauces of any fast food place. Great service too which helps and some super solid chicken.

5. McDonald's - Don't feel amazing about this pick, but have to show respect to an absolute titan of the industry. The largest overseas presence too. When you see those golden arches, you know that you will at least have a solid meal.

What Else Did I Do This Week?

I had a pretty exciting couple weeks off the court to be honest. This first thing happens during the last period of my blog, but I wasn’t sure if my sister Maddie wanted to make it public yet. Ella Belle Cartier Adamson was born on April 10th. She told me last week that I am the godfather. I am super pumped about this. While I think I’ll have an important role in all my nieces and nephews' lives, I think being Ella‘s godfather will mean just a little bit more. I can’t wait to watch her grow up and be a positive influence on her life. It’s gonna be pretty special.

In other news, I found out officially that I am a German citizen. I was really hoping that I would have citizenship by the end of the summer if possible, so it was an extremely pleasant surprise when my lawyer messaged me and told me that it was official. All I have to do is go to Wroclaw to get my paper that says it’s official and also take pictures and order my passport. Because teams in Europe, including Germany, have rules about the number of foreigners you can bring in and domestic players that are allowed on the team, this passport will open a lot of doors for me in my basketball career. I never wanna say for sure because nothing in this business is guaranteed, but it is more likely than not that I will be playing Germany next year. We still have business to take care of this year, but it is exciting to think about. It will also make traveling and my visa situation much easier too. Huge shout out to my agent, Duncan, and lawyer, Christine, for making this happen so quickly. Oh, and of course the biggest shoutout goes to my Omi who was somehow brave enough to pick up her whole life in search of a better one in the US. I can't imagine the courage it took as a single woman to pick up her life and come to a new place without knowing the language. Since coming overseas, I definitely have a new respect for her and how difficult her journey must have been. I know she is smiling up in heaven :D. I was a little bit bummed about my Krosno performance, and I found out both of these pieces of news the day after that game. It was a nice pick-me-up.

I also got to check out the football team here in ZG. I could only go for the first half, but the first play I saw was a touchdown. It was pretty funny seeing them do a bunch of celebrations that you see in the NFL. It was also funny seeing some confusion among the fans when intentional grounding was called. There was a decent turnout too. The team ended up winning, and I am happy I got to catch a game.

Cultural Difference in Europe:

On our off day, I went into the city to have a coffee and sit outside to enjoy the sun. Anyone who has been to Europe has most likely experienced the "cafe culture," and I believe it is something I have already written about. One particularly interesting thing about it that I never really gave serious thought to before last week is that everyone's chairs face the street while they are drinking their coffee or tea. No couple who is having a little coffee date outside would ever face one another. It is more of a thing to people-watch in Europe, but I really do not know why. ChatGPT just said that social norms are different and people in Europe live at a slower pace which means they are taking their time and not feeling as though they have to be productive. I think European cities are structured a bit differently with bigger squares for people to look out into. No matter the reason, I still think it's an Interesting difference worthy of noting. Thanks for reading!!