Next Season

I saw that there was a comment on the blog, so I thought I would give a little update. I also wassn't aware that anyone checks this anymore. Anyways, I don't have a team for next year and no options at the moment. Hopefully my agent is working hard to find me a good situation where I can show my skills better than the previous season. I believe a good offer will come because my dedication to improving my game and skills are superior to most players, most of which have played at a level higher than the LEB2.

Basketball Training

As you all know, the season has been over for us for just about a month now. We got swept (3-0) out of the playoffs by La Laguna. Now, I am focused on working out and looking for a team to play on next year.

I am currently running a shooting/offensive skills camp, which I have started with another Division 1 coach. We are called Pro3 Training. We emphasize the shooting technique and do drills that I have learned at the collegiate and professional levels, both in the States and overseas.

To see the flier in more detail, click on it.

No Fun in the Sun

As tropical and relaxing a place like the Canary Islands can be, it wasn't that much fun. Over the last five days we lost two straight games to go 0-2 in the five-game series against La Laguna in the Canary Islands.

Both games were very similar with us losing 88-80 in game one and 88-79 in game two. The crowd was fantastic and very loud throughout both games. Some key factors were La Laguna's ability to get to the free throw line, rebound on the offensive side and great play by Jakim Donaldson. We had way too many fould calls against us, which was very questionable at times.

To get back to La Laguna for a game five, we have to win Wednesday and Friday night at home. As difficult as that may be, it is definitely a possibility because of the way we are capable of playing at home. The game tonight is at 8:30.

Playoffs, Round 1

So how does the eight seed beat the number one team in the league in a five-game series? Besides being mentally prepared to win some games, I believe there are some things they we do well that we need to take advantage of. For example, we play close to ten guys a game. This can become an advantage only if we utilize the fast break whenever possible. On a side note; I think we should have ran everygame for the whole year because of our athleticism, but we didn't. This is when we are at our best anyways. Effectively running every chance we get can potentially hurt a team that plays around six or seven guys.

Second key, defense rotation. La Laguna is great at sharing the ball and finding the gaps in the lanes to pass out to the perimeter players for open shots. But good defense is nothing new to winning big games.

One other factor is a little luck. It is apparent that to win away at La Laguna we need to play well and have some things go our way. I only say this because no one has yet to post a victory on their home court. Coming back to Lliria for games three and four while split at 1-1 would be great.

*We leave tomorrow for the first game. I hope to use the interent at athe hotel to make frequent updates while I am there.

Loss vs. Canarias

Last night we lost a close one against Canarias, 81-86. Good news is we know we can beat this team if we play as consistent as we did in the first half. Bad news is we have to go there to do it for the first two crucial games of a five-game series.

The playoffs that decide who wins the league and ascends to the LEB league will begin next Friday, May 4th. The following matchups and rankings are as follows. The top four seeds host the first two games in the 2-2-1 format.

(#1) Canarias vs. (#8) Lliria
(#2) Rosalia vs. (#7) Palencia
(#3) Ourense vs. (#6) Caja Rioja
(#4) Vic vs. (#5) Muro

Vic and Rioja are both the hottest teams, winning the last five and four games, respectively. Rosalia on the other hand is riding a four game losing streak going into the playoffs. After Friday's game one, game two will be that Sunday, the 6th before a few days intermission to change locations.

Game vs. La Laguna

Tomorrow in Lliria, we conclude the regular season against the best team in the league, La Laguna (Canarias). They are coming into the game with a great season and a ridiculous record of 28-5. The five loses all came on the road, which isn't good for whichever team matches up with them in the first round of the playoffs.

As I have said before, if we lose we will be headed to play Canarias for the first two games of the five-game series. We will consider that option if it presents itself. We won't know what day we start the playoffs until all of Friday's games are over.

Canarias is led mainly by starters as they don't go deep into the bench. This usually hurts teams, but this hasn't been the case with this team this year. They also have three of the top ten scorers in the league, Levi Rost (#3), Jakim Donaldson (#8) and Javier Roman (#9). Donaldson is also the top rebounder in the league at 11.3 rpg.

Playoffs

After last win in Plasencia, 76-63, we were fortunate enough to clinch a playoff spot. This is because the two other teams with competing records, Sevilla and Palencia, both lost at the same time.

Current standings have us in the seventh playoff spot out of eight possible positions. Our final placement though will depend on the last week of play. It is possible with a win we could either end up sixth or seventh. It is certain that with a loss we will end eighth and play the team from the Canary Islands. This would be interesting because that is who we play in the final game of the regular season this friday, April 27th.

There are many scenaros for the playoffs, and they get quite confusing. Here is an article about what can happen. Good luck figuring it out. All I know is that we will be in the playoffs no matter the outcomes of the final games.

Winning Streak

We have won the last two games, against Cornella and Muro, extending our current winning streak to four games. It is easy to remain in the playoff race when you are winning, but the four games left on the schedule can do enough damage to erase all hopeful thoughts. Don't believe it, check out the standings yourself.

Next game: Wednesday at Sevilla. Sevilla is another hot team. They are also on another winning streak of four games. It is worthwhile to note that Sevilla recently beat a top three team, Ourense, by a score of 70-36. Can't really explain that one.

Highlight of last game: Down one point and 30 seconds left, Sidao missed two free throws when he was fouled on purpose. We caused Muro to turn the ball over on the ensuing play. Sidao then grabbed an offensive rebound in the closing seconds, same score, only to be fouled again. After a time out, he calmly sank two free throws to put us up one with one second to go, which eventually gave us the win. This is the same Muro team that beat us by 45 the first time around. Can't really explain that one either.

Las Fallas

Las Fallas is a huge five-day party that culminates and ultimately celebrates St. Joseph's day (March 19th). This five-day Valencian party is well-known thoughout the world. During the week it is very common for thousands to gather in the town squares or even on the streets to party, drink, listen to music and throw and watch fireworks. Kinda like the 4th of July for five days.

"Las Falles" (Valencian) or Fallas (Spanish) is literally translated to "the fires." A big part of the celebration is the creation of a falla, which is a piece of artwork made out of cardboard and like materials. The falla usual depicts something or someone, often satirical. I saw one in Valencia that was a giant Michael Jackson about 10 meters high. On St. Joseph's day, or more like the next day at one in the morning, the falla is burnt to the ground.

Because it was difficult to actually get into the city of Valencia this week, I saw the falla burn down in Lliria. Below are two videos. The first is the beginning with fireworks and the second is the falla burning down. Fireman are obviously needed and usual spray neighboring buildings with water to prevent fires.

Down the Stretch

With six games to go in the regular season, we sit currently in the middle of the playoff race in sixth place. Here are some facts about the remainding games.

- We have three away and three homes games left, including two matchups against top 5 teams, Canarias and Muro. Both of which are at home.
- None of the last six games will come easy as we had a 1-5 record against the upcoming teams during the previous games.
- The sole win was against Plasencia, which this time around will be on the road.
- The playoff race includes most of the league. Fifth place has a 16-12 record, 15th has a 16-12 record. Meaning a couple game swing can drop a team to the bottom half of the league.

Tonight vs. Vic

Tonight in Lliria, we play Vic for the second time on a rare Wednesday night game. In our last outing, we actually destroyed Vic at their place, 77-56. Vic has been playing well since that game, as they sit in the number five spot with a 14-11 record.

On other LEB2 news, Vigo has met and agreed to a deal with American, Robert "Tractor" Trailer. Yep, that is right, straight out of the NBA two seasons ago to Vigo (assuming the paperwork processes). Apparently Vigo is doing everything possible to stay in the league. They are currently in last and by not bettering their record over the next month and a half, they will descend leagues.

Malaga

Last Friday in Malaga, we lost to Rincon Axarquia, 84-68. The loss has bumped us down a few spots in the rankings (9). Next up, we play at home against Vic, whom has done a 180 since the last time we played them. They are currently ranked in the number five spot.

The Weekly Update

Well there hasn't been an entry for a long time now, but I do have good reasons. My parents arrived last Saturday and we have been exploring Valencia and some neighboring towns while trying to eat as much paella as possible.

Also, last Saturday we beat Huesca for the second time. Tonight, another home game, we play La Rioja. La Rioja defeated us last time at their place in a close two-point game. This game can help us (12-11) a lot in the playoff standings because it would put us two games ahead of La Rioja (11-12). With a win, we would become the sixth team to have 13 wins.

Here is an article about today's game. Translate here if needed.

Ourense Loss

We are back to an even .500 record, 11-11, after a 13-point loss to Ourense. Next up are two consecutive home games, starting with Huesca this Saturday.

These home games could be a good stretch for us, as we are 8-2 at home. We have basically an opposite record while on the road with 3 wins 9 losses.

Game vs. Ourense, Round 2.

Today we will be traveling 12 hours by bus to Ourense. When we arrive, we will have a short practice before we get some much needed rest after a long day of travel. Then on Saturday night, we will resume playing the second half of the season by taking on Ourense. They are clearly the hottest team in the league right now after winning the "Cup" last week. They defeated Rosalia by 12 in the semifinal and then beat Laguna by 10 in the championship game. To our credit, we beat Ourense way back in October, 99-85. And like last game, this would a very good win for us.