Summing up 2010

I'd like to start off by saying that it is December and I haven't worn a jacket in over a month :) I told you guys I would rub it in when the time was right!! How's your freezing cold weather? One thing that has been sucky, however, is the fact that it's been raining almost everyday. And I mean that wouldn't be so bad, if every time it rained it didn't look like this...

Anyone have a boat?

Yeah, there are no drains... The water eventually leaves after several hours. But seriously, I can't ride my bike or walk through this. I guess it's like the old saying goes...November showers bring December flowers... or something like that.

Anyway back to the story at hand. Remember last blog when I told you that two games were moved? Well, it was time to play those games, along with four others in a 12 day. Anyone who has played basketball before, 6 games in 12 days is A LOT of basketball! I'll start with last Wednesday.

We played the same team that beat us the first game of the season by 3; but this time at home. We had a great start and continued that for the whole game. I had a good game and a couple of vicious dunks, (I'm hoping to make a highlight tape when I go home for Christmas break), and we won by double digits for the first time! Six game losing streak. Done.

Friday. Another home game, but against a very tough team. We fought the whole game, but came up short in the end.

On to Monday. One of the most memorable games I've been a part of. We started off well, but were down the majority of the game. We started the fourth quarter down by 8, and we were still down by about 8 with 2 minutes left. Then we hit a 3 to cut it to 5. Another to cut it to 2. They scored to make it 4. I scored an up and under to make it 2. They go down and miss with about 20 secs left. Rebound. No timeouts. We bring the ball up court and run a play. They defend it well. Time's running out. I run to set a ball screen. He gets open. Shoots a 3. SCORES!!! 4 seconds left. Longest four seconds of my life. I watch as they throw the ball in, pass it, dribble, and get an open look from three. I stood under the rim saying "please don't go in, please don't go in". The ball dropped in my hands. Relief. I just found my nearest teammate and hugged them. Great win! I had 23 points in a great victory.

Wednesday was another game I would never forget...but for another reason. It started of great. A game against our rivals! The crowd was amped up and ready to go from the beginning. I had 12 points in the first quarter, including a vicious dunk at the end of the quarter - and 1! The crowd went nuts!
- Another difference between basketball in the US and in Argentina is the fact that in the US, the crowd gets quiet when their players shoot free throws, here, nope. I went to the free throw line and I couldn't concentrate. I had a smile on my place and I see the whole crowd jumping up and down in my peripheral vision. Yep, I missed that free throw. Anyway, we were dominating the game until the third quarter, and then it became a dog fight. We went back and forth for the rest of the game. I got fouled with 24 secs left and we were down 77-78. Missed them both. Both. The worst feeling in the world. All I could think was how I used to be able to shoot free throws. But I had to move on to Saturday.

Saturday. The beautiful Buenos Aires. Imagine New York city translated into Spanish; that is Buenos Aires. I took few pictures that I want to share.

Anyway, on to the game. This was another interesting game. We were better than the team we played for the 1st, 3rd, and 4th quarter...unfortunately, we lost the 2nd quarter 35-13. We battled all the way back in the 3rd quarter though and made it a game. I had a career high with 28 points; I couldn't miss in the 3rd quarter. I was also named player of the week. You can read the article and see my picture here. But unfortunately, we came up short in the end.
- Funny story about the game. There was a huge thunderstorm before the game, and - you guessed it - the gym was leaking. I remember when I was at UVA, we went to Georgia Tech and their gym leaked. We ended up rescheduling the game. You think we did that here? Nope. We just had someone wipe the floor every time there was a dead ball. You have to love their ingenuity haha.

The next town we went to was at the very south of Argentina; which meant we had to fly. I knew I wouldn't get an exit seat and I would be smushed because I was flying with my whole team, but that's been the story of my life since I was 15; no surprise there.

We were so far south that I could see the Atlantic Ocean. I also met someone there that grew up in Louisiana, moved there to start his construction business, and has been living there for 32 years! We talked about how much we miss that good ole Cajun food. Small Small world. We ended up losing the game though. Ugh, what a year so far.

I leave today for the USA; seriously kissing the ground when I touch down in Atlanta. 2010 has been fun and has brought a lot of fun experiences as you can see. I look forward to coming back next year and having a plethora (face) of new adventures. See you guys in January! more pics