National Team 2013 - Phase 3 - Day 4 in Brazil

Well Day 4 has come and gone. A long but successful day.

Breakfast was pretty much the same with no changes. I figure it will be the same tomorrow before we leave LOL.

After breakfast we had a short break and I read some more clinic notes. At 10AM we had a film session and showed the girls what Brazil liked to do and talked about their players. After the session we had about an hour to get ready.

I laid down for about 2 minutes and almost fell asleep so I got up and surfed the net for a bit to stay awake. I then got ready to go for the game and headed to the bus for 11:45. Our game was at 1pm and we arrived with a few minutes left in the Argentina-Puerto Rico game which Argentina won. I had a feeling it was going to be a good game for us but had no idea how it would actually turn out. It was 40 minutes of incredibly intense basketball. Perhaps the most physical game I have been involved in. It was back and forth and certainly not a well executed, "pretty to watch" kind of game for the regular fan. For me on the bench though it was a court side seat to a chess match. Both coaches making moves and countering moves. It was awesome. The lead changed hands a lot and then down the stretch we held on for the 56-53 win to finish 3-0 and claim the tournament. The defense was outstanding but the offense was not so sharp. Just a great, great battle to watch. Brazil is a team that they need to beat to win the Tournament of the Americas in September which will qualify them for the world championships next year in Turkey.

After the game we came back and lunch was waiting on us. WE had beef, potatoes, broccoli, rice and veal parmigiana. Very nice.

Following lunch we had nothing planned. I spent about 3 hours doing work and getting some video clips from our video coordinator. It was nice to just sit back and relax. Time to reflect. I watched a NASTY thunder and lightning storm roll in. It hammered us with rain for a about 25 minutes and then died out. It was cool because I heard a clap of thunder, went to the window and literally watched the storm roll over the hill and down into the little valley we are in. At around 7 we started to have some quick meetings with players. We wanted to get some done tonight so we have less for tomorrow. At 8pm we headed down for a late supper. On the menu was fish, beef, potatoes and more rice. However for dessert we had an awesome coconut dish. Kind of tasted like coconut cream filling but it was much more firm. Very very tasty.

I cam back to my room for a few minutes and then the entire staff met in Lisa's room for a few drinks and lots of stories and laughs. A good time for sure.

Now I sit here getting ready to finish my last blog of the summer perhaps. I have been asked to go to the qualifier in Mexico in September however I don't think I will be able to go. We have breakfast on or own and then we start meetings at 9. We have a light lunch at 11 before we leave at 11:30AM. We will take the 3-4 hour ride back to Sao Paulo and then our flight leaves at 8PM. We land in Toronto at 5:35AM on Tuesday and I connect to Sydney at 8AM arriving in Sydney at 11:25.

So reflections on the whole summer. This has been the busiest ever for me with Canada Basketball. Not complaining and it is nice to be wanted. I did miss home and family a lot but as I have often said, basketball didn't choose me, I chose it. It has rewarded me incredibly and this summer has been rewarding in a lot of ways and not so in others.

If I had to rank my favorite place of the summer I would have to say the Czech Republic. It was so pretty and I would love to go back. Seeing the Eiffel tower in Paris was another highlight. There were positives of each place so I really can't complain that much.

As far as food goes, I really can't complain about any of the places but I would have to rank France as the best with Russia the best in variety because of all of the different stuff set up for the games.

On the floor I learned a tremendous amount. Shawnee and Lisa are phenomenal here with senior and I learned a bunch from my staff in Russia. While the experience with one staff member was the shits in Russia I did enjoy the others and learned from them. I cannot put into words how much different the highest level is and I feel challenged every day as a coach when I am here. However, I did learn that I can probably hold my own at most levels. I don't want that to sound arrogant but the investments I have made seem to have paid off.

One thing I can say about my time with the national team is that the communication has not been the best within the program so I really have no idea if they will want me back next year and on the other side of the coin I am not sure where I will be then and whether or not I will want to be back.

I couldn't help but think of my own team during this trip and can honestly say that I am a little excited which I haven't felt in a number of years. I feel that is tied directly to the changes I have made with regard to the players. I was sick of dealing with shit heads and have cleaned them out. In the future if anyone wants to act as a bonehead they will be shown the door. I think I will enjoy this new group. I don't feel we will win a lot but we will work harder and be easier to teach. They are all good young ladies. I also have numerous ideas about how I want to get involved in the community and how I want to help basketball in Cape Breton. I think I have so much more to give back. I just hope some of my ideas come to fruition. My biggest challenge now in the next 10-12 days is to get as much rest as I can. I need to recharge my batteries and get ready for the grind of the season.

So to tie it all together, I remember being in grade 7. An announcement was made to the class that there would be an instructional recreation league for basketball and I signed up. I remember the patience of Mr. Richards who taught us. Something caught me that year. A bug, an obsession, something. I remember reading every basketball magazine I could find, studying the information, watching on TV and trying to emulate my favorite players. I remember reading Basketball Digest and memorizing the rosters. I think if you asked me about any player in the 80's and what school he went to, I could still tell you. I remember the excitement of getting new Boston Celtics gear that Mom would order from the States. I was hooked. I would play and shoot for hours and hours. While my buddies were drinking in high school, I was playing basketball. Running from things I didn't want to associate myself with I suppose. Did I become a bit of a social outcast? Yep. Still am. LOL I wasn't the popular kid and kind of shy. Often didn't know how to speak around people but I always had the ball. She would anger me, frustrate me and often I wanted to quit but the next day I would look over and there she would be. Waiting patiently and never questioning me so off I went again chasing my dreams that never came to be. At least not the way I saw them at that point.

Then my focus changed. I taught somebody something and could see them improve. I thought playing had me but this was worse. It became an obsession. From a childhood activity to a life changer. How did I know what would happen next. I embarked on a career that would take me on so many twists and turns and meet so many different people and see so many different places. I would learn one thing and then want to learn another and the obsession drove me. I had to learn everything I could and then learn more. This is why I have over 700 coaching DVD's.  Looking back, I volunteered to help with a team when I was in Grade 12. That makes 23 years. That is a lot of roads travelled, bus trips, air miles, tears, cheers and stories. I don't think I will ever shake this bug so hopefully a lot more of these to come.

At this point of my career I am beginning to think of the legacy I want to leave behind. It is an interesting thought process. What I would like people to say when I am all done is that I loved the game and helped people get better on and off the court. As I said earlier this summer, I went from Sterling Road, a little kid with big dreams, to the streets of China, Japan, Montenegro, Spain, Belgium, France, Serbia, Czech Republic, Russia, Brazil, Cuba and most of the Canada and the United States. When I sit back and look at it I sometimes get overwhelmed. As a young coach I was told that I would never make it and would never be as good as I want to be. I guess that is the Cape Breton mentality but hopefully I have proven a lot of people wrong.  I wouldn't trade it for the world and I can say I love the game....on most days :)   It has given me almost everything in my life and I could never repay it.

PHEW...that was a rant but I guess reflection brings that upon me. So now I will finish all of this as it is just about midnight. It wasn't as long or as colorful as other trips but thanks for tagging along Mom. This has been a wild ride over the years and I am glad that you have shared it with me. You are my strength on those tough days and my number 1 fan. To any others, if you are not asleep yet, you may go now.

Until next time.....................