Mama knows best?

February 10, 2012

Friday, February 06, 2009

Mama knows best?

What's up, world wide web? CJ Wallace with Benetton Treviso here, making my international blog debut. What should you expect from my attempts at blogging? I would put all expectations on hold. But since it's my first rodeo (attempt), you will have to bear with me for the highs and lows of below-average writing, decent stories, and magnificent charm and wit. If the mix works, we will call it beginner's luck…and if not, the site editor will take all complaint e-mails!

We are just now coming off a win in Croatia against Zadar. It was great to get a big Eurocup win on the road, first because it gave us sole possession of first place at 2-0 in our group and also because our team has struggled a lot this year away from home. Including both the Italian League and the Eurocup, I think altogether our team is something like 11-2 at home and 4-8 on the road. Obviously, this is something our team has to address as the season heads for the finishing stretch, but winning over Zadar in a gym full of crazy fans was a graceful stride in the right direction. That's part of what makes the Eurocup so fun for a player like me: I love playing on the road in general, and being able to travel all around Europe and compete against a high level of competition in front of unbelievable fans is both a great experience and a difficult challenge.

Now usually, when I tell my friends or family something like "yeah we are headed to Moscow for a game tomorrow," they, and in particular my mom, respond with, "Oh man, Jud, you are so lucky. You gotta see this, and this, and this, and I heard that they have Lenin buried somewhere near this, and don't forget about this..." Being a self-admitted Mama's boy, I usually concede defeat on the phone and confirm to her that I will try my hardest to see as much as I possibly can. However, in most cases, Coach Mahmuti's practice schedule and my Mom's Moscow adventure plan don't coincide. In reality, because we are visiting these various cities with the intentions of completing our job and winning a basketball game, tourist time is almost always relatively limited. Still, it is always great to be given a taste of what the opposing Eurocup locales have to offer.

All of that was just my lead-in to what I will call "the reason we won our last Eurocup game". In a first for my career, after not receiving a wake up call (thank you Hotel Falkensteiner Club Funimation Borik), I showed up four minutes late and disheveled to our pre-shootaround team meeting in Zadar. However, it was then that Coach Mahmuti informed me and the rest of our team that the shootaround would be cancelled. Instead, we would be having a "walkaround". After exchanging puzzled glances, we were instructed to go get our jackets from the room and meet at the front of the hotel. We then took a bus ride to the beach and basically walk around sands of Zadar, soaking in some aesthetic beauty. Even with a light drizzle, the views were pretty amazing, but I would have to assume that most of the players on our team were thinking something along the lines of: "Hey, this place is a pretty awesome spot, but I'm tired and what am I doing out here in the rain on a pebbly Croatian beach."

That was then. Now, after a game where we played very well in front of a raucous crowd, the team's thoughts are most likely more like this: "Due to the unique decision of opting to soak in the Croatian landscapes, a spiritual easing in our bodies and minds allowed us to secure a big victory in the Eurocup!" So for once, the intended plans of Coach Mahmuti and Beth Wallace came together in beautiful unison. The result? A crucial road victory in a difficult gym and a 2-0 Benetton Treviso at the top of their Last 16 Group. Mama knows best?!?!

POSTED BY

CJ WALLACE - TREVISO, ITALY