As this experience is coming closer and closer to the end, I have a lot more time to hang out with my teammates, think about what I've been through, and pray about what's next.
After graduation it really hit me hard that my college career was over. In a sense I almost lost myself, because basketball has always been a big part of my life. And for the first time, I didn't know if I was going to play again. I was full of disappointment with how my Senior season finished, especially after how much success the team and myself had my Junior year. But it was time to move on. I called around a few agencies to find the best fit to get me overseas. With the help of a friend, I was able to attend a nearby tryout in South Carolina to get exposure. It was a 2 day tryout for men and women seeking a professional basketball career in Europe. We did a 1-on-1 interview about who we were and why we wanted to play, we participated in drills with various coaches, scrimmaged, and conditioned. The conditioning by far was the hardest part on the last day. We did the beep test! And for anyone who knows what that is, ITS VERY, VERY hard!
Throughout the tryout process, the agent responisble had about 15-20 clubs posted on a wall that needed players. Underneath the club's description, league, and benefits you were to write your name under the one you wished to play for. During the weekend after the agent and his representatives observed the drills and games they would highlight the names of the people they thought could actually get that position. Boy, was I discouraged when I didn't see my name highlighted under any of the clubs I signed under! I thought, what am I doing here? Can I really do this? Before I really got my head out of the game, I was fortunate to have my college teammate there (Ashley Spriggs) to bring me back to ground level. I always admired the way she approached things. On that Sunday concluding the tryout, the agent called out the names of about 70 out of the 120-something men there. The men he did call were immediately cut in front of the whole "camp" and were told they had to run the beep test again to see where their heart was. Boy, were they mad! Some of them didn't even participate (which is understandable). For the women, he admitted that the decision was too hard; therefore he had us scrimmage again in the other gym. He split us up into 2 teams of about 15-20 each and we played for about 30mins. One by one he would remove players from the scrimmage who he felt he had "seen enough" and felt like he had a contract available for them. I was called out maybe 9 or 10th, boy was I nervous! That's when it hit me again, really? Do I have what it takes?
We were told at the end of the day that he was going to call us individually to let us know what he had available for those who made a team and those who didn't. Several weeks went by before it dawned on us that everything was a SCAM! There was no phone or e-mails for the players that did well or the players that didn't. I managed to keep in touch with a few of the girls so I was made aware of this over the summer.
I was very discouraged at this point. But I've never been the type of person to lay around and do nothing to pick myself up; because life does go on with or without you! With basketball still on the forefront of my mind, I had to find another job to make ends meet. I ended up working two jobs over the summer and fall to help pay for my new car and apartment in Charlotte. I continued to workout in the mornings or after work. I tried my best to practice with the girls whenever my work scheduled permitted. I almost felt on top of the world. I felt strong. I felt independent. I felt empty. Why? No basketball ! I'm not like most girls that want to play overseas. I wanted to play overseas, because I wanted the opportunity to do community service work internationally, I wanted to be able to travel the world, and I wanted to be able to use my experiences overseas to coach or become a mentor for young basketball players in their development stage. I promised God that if I got the chance, I would fulfill these desires. On a Sunday in October, after a Fall League game with some of my former teammates from UNCC, I got that e-mail I had waited all summer for! A team in Poland needed a point guard! And I was on the first flight out on Tuesday.
I wrote this blog for all those aspiring to play overseas. Whether you had a great college career or not, NEVER GET DISCOURAGED! If you put your mind to it and dedicate yourself to the right things, God will bless you. It may not happen when you want it to, (I would have rather lived my summer stress free knowing that I had a contract waiting for me), but that wasn't God's plan for me. I had to work a little more. I had to learn what real life was about without basketball for me to later appreciate the opportunity that I have today.
Don't be surprised with how fast they want you when they want you, especially if the season already started. Before you blink your eyes you'll be in another country, so if this is your dream....get ready.
Where you start is not as important as where you finish
-Zig Ziglar
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