God Jul

God Jul! or Merry Christmas in English.  Well, Becca and I are almost home! But before all that, we have some fun coming up this weekend.  Today is our last day here in Nassjo.  Tomorrow we will be traveling to Stockholm for our final basketball game before break.  Unfortunately I still can't play.

After the game, we will be staying at a hotel near "Old Town" On Sunday we will fill the day with shopping and eating before we take the night train back to Nassjo only to hop on another train to Copenhagen.  Then homeward bound!

As for an injury update, I am feeling a lot better and have been doing some light jogging and shooting in practice.  I am confident that I will be able to come back after break 100%  I will try to do another update after we are back home about our upcoming travels. So until then, God Jul!

Injury Update

I just though I would take a minute and fill you all in on my groin injury here in Sweden.  Unfortunately I have been out of competition for about 12 days now and missed our last game and will at least miss our game this weekend. 

I have been to the hospital/doctor twice now and I have been told that I have pulled/torn ligaments in my groin.  I have now seen two separate physical therapist and I have a lot of stretches and workouts that I am doing to strengthen the muscle so I can get back as soon as possible. 

Right now I would love to make it back for our last game before the Christmas break but it looks as though barring any re-injuries that I should hopefully be back for the first game after our break.  It has been very difficult sitting in on practices and the last game and not being able to play. I want to be out on the court so badly but I am trying to be smart with the injury so I can be 100% for the rest of the season.

Now something on the positive side.  Before Becca and I get to come home and see all of our friends and family again, we will be taking a trip to Stockholm.  After our game on the 17th, we will be close to the city so we will take a train or bus into Stockholm and have an evening there before we spend the night in a cozy hotel near the "old town" district. 

Don't worry, we will take lots of pictures and you can see all the areas I mean.  We will then spend the next day exploring the city, shopping, enjoying some fine dining, and probably shopping a little more :)  I have been to the city once before when my mom came to visit last season and I loved it so I thought it would be perfect to take Becca there. 

We then are catching the night train home and arriving in Nassjo around 3am only to take the first train out in the morning at 7am to Copenhagen to fly home! It will be a lot of traveling in those couple days but should be a blast!  I will let you know how we did this upcoming weekend after our game. 

For those of you who don't already know, Becca has been doing a daily blog for the last week so you can follow her here Becca's Blog.  She is a much better writer than me :)  She does all kinds of posts on the culture, weather, and anything Sweden here.  Much more informative.  Please continue to pray for quick healing for me and safe travels for Becca and me in the upcoming weeks. Thanks for following.

Nässjö Basket Win

As I mentioned in my previous blog, during my last game I hurt my groin, and I was unable to practice all week. It got harder each day to watch practice and not be able to play. Becca and I traveled around to both hospitals here in Nässjö in order to see a doctor about my injury. Unfortunately all they were able to do for me this last week was set up an appointment for this week Wednesday. I just ask that if you could, please pray for God's healing hand on my injury.

Today we had a game against Heisingborg. They were a solid team and had a few strong guys. We played a fairly consistant game throughout the first half. During the third quarter Heisingborg was able to make a short run until the fourth period when we took command of the game.

We finished with a 83-65 win improving on our record to 8-2. The win puts us in second place in the Southern Division and right on track to be a part of the final four with a strong finish in the second half of the season. I will keep you all updated on the progress of my injury.

Here is a sweet dunk from one of my teammates. Enjoy!

Update

So it has been forever since I have updated and again, sorry.  Yesterday was my birthday! I am now an old man of 24! It was nice spending the day with Becca.  It was definitely a different feeling celebrating away from our home in Michigan.  It was the first time I was ever away from my family which was a little tough but since I had Becca it was okay.

We celebrated Thanksgiving last Sunday with our friends David and Paulina along with one of Paulina's friends and David's sister and brother-in-law.  It was great!  If you'd like to see pictures, Becca has a blog now with a lot of them. Check it out!
Becca's Blog!

Our basketball team is doing well. I think we are 7-2?  Unfortunately I had a big setback in the last game.  I was having a solid first half, probably the most minutes I had played so far in the season when I pulled my groin right before halftime.  I wasn't able to play the rest of the game.  Today I went to the rehab place here in Nassjo and got some discouraging news.  It seems my injury looks to be in the tendons connected to the muscles in my groin which is not only painful but can take a long time to recover :(  He gave me the number to a specialist in Jonkoping and I will probably go to see him soon to get more definite answers about how long of a recovery this will be but at the absolute very least it will be probably 2 weeks before I can play again and could very easily be longer. 

This was really hard news to get today but I am trying to stay positive.  I will be rehabbing it hard to try to get back on the court as soon as possible so I can continue playing the game I love so much.  Thanks for all the birthday wishes and I'll let you know how the team does after our game this weekend.

Time for a Major Update

I'm sorry it has been a couple weeks since my last update. I will start with a basketball update.  The team is now 5-1.  We won yesterday against Hoganas 69-54.  It wasn't the prettiest game but we stepped up in the 2nd half and pulled away.  I was able to bring a lot of energy to the game and was selected player of the game which was a nice honor.  I finished with 6 pts 10 rebounds 1 steal and 3 assists.  I played 24 minutes which is actually the most I have played all season so hopefully I'm working my way up to getting more minutes in the future games.

Practice has been going well and I still think we have one of the best teams in the league.  We just have to put all the little things together and I think as we continue to play together we will get better as a team.  We now have a bye week so we won't play again till the weekend after next.

Becca and I took a trip to Jonkoping last week and got a few things for the place from Ikea with Tobe.  We all hung out and went to the mall there and that was pretty fun.  Nassjo is a nice small town but there really is not a ton of stuff to do here.  We usually just hang out with teammates and or watch movies etc.

If any of you ever have any questions for me, feel free to post them here on the blog or ask me on facebook.  I'd love to tell you all more about the city and Sweden if your interested.  I know right now Becca and I are looking into possibly taking a trip to Rome in March before the season is over.

This is such a great time in our lives where we have the opportunity to be together in a foreign country and I get to live out my dream of playing international basketball and have my wife by my side.  We really are blessed.  Thanks for all the support from home.  We appreciate it! Until the next post.

Win vs Solna! 3-0

Got another W today! We beat Solna 83-62.  I played a good game minus some bad turnovers again.  I finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.  I feel myself getting more comfortable every game.  I had a good week of practice and plan on keeping it up!  Things are getting better here in Sweden and Becca will be here in 4 days!.  I am going to attach a short highlight film from the game today.  Sorry its not the best quality but at least you can see about a minute of clips. Enjoy and again thanks for all the love and support back home!

Win #2

So we got our second win of the season last Saturday at Norrkoping! The score was something like 73-42.  I didn't play a ton and didn't play great when I was in but it's still early and the season.  I finished with 6 points 3 rebounds and a lot of turnovers :( But I'm keeping my head up! This week has been a good week of practice so far and I am so excited because Becca will be here in a week!  I'm sorry but I don't really have anything exciting to blog about at the moment.  If anything else comes up I'll keep you all informed! Thanks for following.

First Win of the New Season!

On Wednesday, we got the first win of the season in our home opener against Fryshuset.  We won 92-63.  It was a pretty ugly game though.  The other team is one of the league's worst and we did not have our best game as a team.  I had a bit of an up and down game.  Did some things well and didn't do as great in other areas.

I was selected as player of the game but this could have easily have gone to a few of my teammates.  I finished with 12 pts, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.  We know that we can do a lot better as a team and we will have a much tougher test on Saturday as we travel to Norrkoping.

Things are going pretty well so far this year in Sweden.  I can't say its the same as last season but change isn't always bad.  Our team is much stronger and our coach knows a lot about basketball.  I'm trying to stay as positive as I can with the new atmosphere.  It does help having friends already here and I have already built some new friendships with some of my new teammates.

Sorry I have been slacking with the blogs.  I will try to have an update at least after every game but hopefully more often then that.  Becca will be here in less than 2 weeks and I think that should make things a lot easier here for me.  I have been getting a bit homesick but again, just trying to stay positive and keep working on my game.  Should have another post after the game Saturday.

Thanks for following.  I appreciate all the support from back home!

I Have Arrived!

Just a real quick update.  I am here in Nassjo finally.  My trip went well except it was long.  My body is still adjusting but other than that I feel good.  My teammates are really cool.  I really like the team this year.  We should be very good.  The new coach is tough but I can tell he is a very good coach and knows his stuff. 

I have had a chance to hang out with a lot of my teammates.  I am pretty exhausted but loving being here.  We have some scrimmages this weekend vs 3 teams from the top league so that will be a big challenge for us but I'm looking forward to it.  Just got to learn these plays asap.

Had a nice write-up from the SAU website. http://www.saucougars.com/article/2049.php Best of luck to the Cougars this season!  I will try to update on here periodically and at least after each game. Hej da!

Sweden Here I Come!

I am very excited to let you all know that I will be returning to Nassjo, Sweden to play another season of professional basketball! I am so excited for the opportunity to play a full season with the same team I played for last year.  I will be flying out on September 12th and returning on December 19th for a Christmas break then right back over for the rest of the season.

My wife Becca will also be joining me in mid October for the duration of the season.  We feel so blessed for the opportunity and know this next chapter in our lives will be an exciting one!  So I have decided to pick back up with the blog to try to keep all my friends and family updated with whats going on. 

For this blog I have a couple highlights from 3 games last season.  I was only able to get a little game film so it's pretty limited but this season I'll try to get a lot more. Thanks for all the best wishes from everyone! We both really appreciate the support! I am number #15 in white or green with the black arm sleeve.  Enjoy!

Last Blog

Hey everyone,

This will probably be my last blog.  Unfortunetely we lost our last game in OT so we did not make the playoffs. I did have another good game though with 20 pts, 13 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal and was named player of the game.  I have had such an amazing time here and its been quite the experience.  I have gotten my plane ticket changed so I will be coming home next tuesday instead of mid april so that will be great to see everyone again.

I have been asked back again for the full season for next year so we will have to see what happens :) Right now I am just really happy to know I will be seeing my wife again soon.  I am going to try to get a few of my game films and maybe put together a real short highlight film from the season here.

 I just wanted to thank everyone again for all the prayers while I have been over here.  And I especially want to thank all my teammates, coaches, and friends here in Nassjo that have made this journey in my life such a great experience.  I uploaded a few picts from our last game in case you don't have facebook. There are a ton more online. Enjoy and God Bless!

Update 3-9

So unfortunately, we lost our game the other day in Helsingborg.  The team had a really rough game and it was a really important game.  I had 12 pts, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.  So now for us to make the playoffs, we have to win our last game and we need some help. We need Malbas to lose one of their last three games.  So we still have a chance but it doesn't look good.  Either way, I will still play my heart out as I always do and give it my all and if it is my last game, well then I hope I can at least go out with a win and a good game.

On to some better news.  My mom is here visiting which has been really nice.  We had dinner at my buddy David's parents house tonight which was also great.  My mom and I have a trip planned this weekend to Stockholm which I know we are both really looking forward to! I have not had a chance yet to spend time in the city so this will be great.

I should hopefully have another update sometime next week.  I am trying to take everything in here in Sweden and enjoy my time here to the fullest!  Thanks for all the prayers back home! Love you all.

Big Win

We had a really good win last night against Sanda.  They beat us earlier in the season so this was an important win for us especially since we need to win out to make the playoffs most likely.  The final score was 76-51.  I probably had my best overall game too with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks.  If our team keeps playing the way we are right now, we should definitely win our last 2 regular season games.

My buddy Kyle Beeler from back home is here right now so thats really cool.  We are just going to hang out this week. Maybe play poker one night and go do laser tag. We'll see. I am hoping to have some highlights from this game up in a couple days but I will keep you posted.  I could also use some prayer for my wrist because it is not doing very good. Thanks for all the love and support!
-Rob

Update 2-24

So we lost our last game against Srjbia. They are the top team in the league right now and it was a close game. We actually played well as a team but couldn't pull it out.  I had a good game though with 14 pts, 5 assists and 4 rebounds.  At this point we are in control of our own destiny. With 3 games to go in the regular season, we must win all three to make the playoffs.  So we know what we have to do!  My buddy Kyle is coming out here on saturday and I am real excited to have another visitor!
Sorry this is such a short update but hopefully I will have some good news for everyone after our game Sunday

Update 2-17

So I am sorry that I have not blogged in forever. Things have been fairly busy but I'm back now.  Becca was here for 2 weeks as you can see by her post. That was amazing! It was really hard on my having her leave.  I got pretty homesick at the beginning of this week but I am doing better now.

We had last weekend off of bball and I think having practice keeps my mind off being homesick. But Becca and I took a trip to Copenhagen last weekend and that was so much fun. I hope she will put the picts on FB soon and maybe I can put a few on here for those of you who are not FB friends with me.

We took the train in early on Friday morning and then spent the day walking through the city, seeing the beautiful building/gardens and doing some shopping. My buddy Rocky from back home spent a semester there so he helped us with a map and where to go.  We then had a nice romantinc dinner out for our early Valentines Day since we wouldnt actually be together then spent the night at a nice hotel. Small but cute.

As far as bball goes, we have a really big game this weekend against one of the top teams in the league. I have a pretty bad sprained wrist still but there is nothing I can do about it right now but tape it up.  It will have to wait till after the season to heal up.  Our team is a little banged up right now but we will be fine.  Still in control of our own destiny as far as making the playoffs go.

I also want to give a shout out to Willie and DJ as they finish up their senior season at SAU. Both have had amazing careers and are finishing the season strong and with a couple more wins might make the NAIA tourney so go Cougars.  I will update ya'll after the game sunday. Thanks for following and for all the love, support, and prayers! God Bless!

Visiting Rob in Sweden!

Hi everyone! This week I, Rob's wife, Becca, am going to be writing a blog for Rob. Sorry there hasn't been an update in awhile but I fear that is my fault! Being here with Rob has been an unbelievable opportunity and I want to first say thank you to all the people who have helped make this trip possible and for all those who have helped along the way.

Ever since I arrived here, everyone has been so helpful and kind. I arrived on a Saturday night and since Rob was away at a game, Ellen and her husband Victor were waiting at the train station to pick me up. They were great company, served me a wonderful homemade meal, and spoke to me a lot about the culture here in Sweden versus the United States. I thought it was fascinating and before I knew it Rob was back! I was so excited to see him and I had been battling butterflies in my stomach the whole way over here. Rob's team had lost their game that night, but I think I was able to cheer him up! The long trip was definitely worth finally being able to see my husband, and I was so happy!

While I have been here I have gotten a much better idea of how life is for Rob in Sweden. Nässjö is a smaller, very cute, town with little shops and restaurants. We walk everywhere, which makes me happy I brought my boots! The temperature outside is very similar to life in Michigan, maybe slightly colder with the wind factor in mind. (Rob and I decided though we couldn't be quite sure considering we don't walk anywhere in the States!) There is a bit more snow here on the ground consistently.

For almost all our meals Rob and I walk into town, which is about a 15-20 minute walk. Most of the food here is really good, but I am not 100% use to it yet. For all of those who know me, you know I love my sweets and junk food, and most of the meals here seem a little healthier than I tend to prefer! ;)

Rob and I have now gone into Jönköping twice, once for an all day shopping trip and once with our friends David and Paulina. Jönköping is another larger city about 30 minutes away by car and slightly shorter by train. It reminds me of a smaller version of Ann Arbor, and it has more younger people because of the International University. Rob and I took a short tour of the campus and learned more about it from one of his coaches, Magnus. It has a great International Marketing Masters program that caught Rob's eye.

During our trip with David and Paulina, we went to dinner at a place that had an option a lot like Mongolian Barbecue. It tasted great and we had such a great time hanging out and laughing with another couple. I loved spending time with Paulina! It was good to have another girl to hang out with! We also went to the movies, which is kind of different here. We had to buy tickets online the night before and we had assigned seats! We have another double date night planned with David and Paulina for taco night, and I can't wait!

Rob also had another game this past weekend and the team won! It was so nice to be able to watch them win a game at home. I have been to a lot of their practices and everyone seems to be working really hard! Rob is doing well too and I am very proud of him, although I know he probably gets tired of me getting mushy and telling him that all the time! He did hurt his wrists during practice when he took a fall, and his ankle is a little beat up, but they don't have a game this coming weekend so he has a good amount of time to rest up!

Sorry to write so much! Just wanted to give a little more detail about different things for everyone back home! I have until this weekend to spend with Rob so I am going to enjoy every minute! I'm not looking forward to leaving him, but I am looking forward to eating some Hungry Howies and Salsarita's back in Brighton! Love and miss my family back home! xoxo

Another Victory and Highlights

So we got another good victory on Sunday with a win over Solna 111-81! It was just an 11 point lead for us going into the fourth quarter but we blew it open. I had another good game with 21 pts, 7 rebounds, 6 assists.  It was a really good team win as a lot of the guys had really good games.  We are really strong at the guard spot and with our bigs that it is tough for other teams to match up with us.  Once Fredde finishes the highlights, I will put them up on here. So what else is new? Well my hard drive crashed so I am in the process of fixing my computer.  Becca will be here on saturday night! Pretty excited about that.  WE have a really important game coming up this weekend.  Our next 6 games are going to be much tougher but the team is doing well and I like our chances.  Sorry I can´t think of anything more exciting at this time.  My wrist is doing a little better but I still have to tape it everyday. I think it is something I will just have to deal with for a while.

Update 1-22

Well this has been a bit of an up and down week.  My computer crashed and I believe its the hard drive so that has been quite frustrating.  I will be needing to get that fixed soon and it should be quite costly. But my coach has let me borrow his computer which has been really nice. I now also have wireless internet and have my xbox live hooked up so will be able to play that which is also nice.  Practice this week has been very intense.  No one wants to lose which is good.  I have been practicing this week with <i believe a sprained wrist but it does get better each day so I appreciate the prayer.  I will also be seeing my beautiful wife in 1 week so I am really excited about that.  We have another game tomorrow against Solna at home so that should be real fun.  I had dinner at my teammate Davids relatives house tonight and it was delicious.  People here have been so accepting and inviting.  I will post again tomorrow after the game but until then, there will be live stats tomorrow at 9 am your time. GO Nässjö. Please let me know if you have any questions on anything thats going on over here!

2nd Win!

We got our second win of the second half of the season last night with a victory of 84-67.  This was a good win for the team and brings us going yet another step closer to our goal of winning the league.  I had a bit of an off game with struggling from the free throw line and the floor but still managed 16 pts and 3 rebounds.  Fredde our 2 guard had a great game with 28 pts and going 6/10 from 3.  The other team played a zone the whole game against us which was frustrating but we were clearly the better team and pulled the victory out.  I fell hard on my wrist at the end of the game and it is giving me some problems right now so I could use some extra prayer for some quick healing. Thanks for the support! Go Nassjo
Here are the highlights!

Check Out the Highlights from my First Game!

Was not the best angle for taping the game but we did what we could with it. Big thanks to Fredde for putting the highlights together.  I am number 15 in the video and the best way to see me is I am the one with the black sleeve on my arm!

First International Win!!

We got our first win of the new year last night in Stockholm! The team played really well together. Everyone is so unselfish with the basketball! We blew the other team out 99-57! I had a good first game of my international career with a start and 21 pts, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.  We should have a Youtube highlight video up some time this week and as soon as it is, I will link it to the blog so everyone can see the highlights.  The games will only get tougher from here but I think our team is up to the challenge and hopefully we can win it all!

First Game Tomorrow

Just a real quick update. I have my first game tomorrow at 5 pm in Stockholm.  So that means that it will be 11 am your time.  I am going to attach a link where you can follow the game play by play.  Click it and then look for Nassjo vs Fryshuset Live. Something like that. Thanks for all the love and support! Go Nassjo!


Game Play-by-Play

First Scrimmage

Had the first scrimmage last night against Forum which is a team from about 30 minutes away.  I thought the scrimmage went well.  The team played really well together and I played a good game too.  It was nice to get out and play against some new people instead of the same people everyday.  So now we will have 2 more days of practice until our first game which is up in Stockholm.  Please send some extra prayers over that I can stay healthy and injury free! Thanks for following and I will update the blog probably after the game on Saturday!

Adjusting to Life in Sweden

Things are going really well here in Nassjo.  I could not have asked for a better city and teammates to come to.  Practice has been pretty tough with a lot of running but I know I need it.  We have a scrimmage tomorrow. It will be nice to play some new people. I am really looking forward to it.

A couple days ago I went to my first Bandy game.  I would describe it as a mix between hockey, field hockey, and soccer.  It is 11 guys per team on ice using a plastic ball. It was very exciting.

I would say that my transition here has gone as well as I could have possibly hoped for.  It is obviously very tough being away from Becca and my friends and family.  My first week has gone well. I have not been able to get my XBox running yet so hopefully at some point I can.  If anyone has any questions about the basketball or Sweden or anything else, just comment on the blog and I will answer it as soon as I can.

Thanks for all the love and support!