AIA Moves to 3-0

Today we were able to go downtown of the capital city.  On the way there and back you can see how greatly the difference is in this country.  There are 24 million people in the capital with 10% being millionaires.  There are the super rich, but also the super poor. 

The place we are staying at UPH is an oasis in this area.  It was nice to go outside and see more and I know it was good for our players.  We were able to mingle with many of the local people who are trying to make $1-3 a day.  It is reinforced with me any time I travel that the USA is the 1% in the world when it comes to opportunity.

We literally got off the bus, got dressed and played another pro team tonight.  We were able to win easily and the players seemed to have more fun.  I wonder what is going through our guys heads sometime....they are having a great opportunity to play, share their faith, and be a part of something greater than themselves, yet they don't seem to enjoy it all of the time.

Tomorrow we will go to the beach and hang out.  Looking for more and more opportunities to share our faith.  We are doing so at the local Christian university that we are staying at and trying to be an example here.

AIA Moves to 2-0 in Country

Today was a good day.  We were able to go to a school and run two small mini camps.  Being around kids is on of the reasons I love coaching baskeball.  We ran the kids through some drills, but all they really wanted was to see our guys dunk and shoot.

After that, we played a pro team from the island.  They were very good, and we wer able hold them off for an 80-77 victory.  They were quick, had a great shooter and a couple of bigs.  We will play them again at the end of the week.

Chapel with faculty tomorrow, downtown and another game.

3 on 3 Tournament

Last night a big 3 on 3 tournament started and the AIA guys were part of it.  However, two teams forfeited and one team we played we beat easily.  That team that tried to play our guys were about 5'5 at best and 110 lbs., but they played so hard and had so much fun playing against our team.  I admire that the team from here competed and gave it their best.

We got up today and attended Chapel at the University.  Listening to a sermon that is being translated was a first for me.  It was a nice service, well attended, with a good message.

The 3 on 3 tournament is going on again today, I don't know if we will play in it or not.  There are teams threatening to not play if we do because it isn't fair and it probably isn't.  We are here to serve the host country and we want what is best for them and not best for us....we will be gone in a couple of weeks and the people putting this on will have to live here and grow this tournament without us.

Tomorrow, we have another game.  I am really looking forward to going out into some of the poorer parts of the area to spend time with the children. 

Basketball is an International Sport

Traveling around Europe the last two summers, I knew that the countries I visited liked or loved basketball, but now where I am in Southeast Asia is taking it to whole new level for me.  Basketball is not becoming an international sport, it is an international sport.  The coaches for Athletes in Action, Head coach Kelly Combs, Asst. Coach Anthony Weston and I put on a basketball clinic for about 20 coaches on Friday.

We went for about four hours giving these guys as much info as we could, probably overwhelming them at times.  When we finished, many of these coaches were so thankful that we came all the way to their country to help them (ask me when I get back, and I will tell you where I was.  We aren't allowed right now to publicly state where we are because of the type of country we are in and what we are attempting to do with our faith).  It is an overwhelming feeling when you think that you are just a high school basketball coach (former) and you can help many of these guys learn or refine their craft.

The coaches were apologetic that more weren't here, but as I have spoken before, you have to start somewhere.  Maybe this is one of the beginings as AIA has been here before.  It is amazing as a young boy growing up in Henryville shooting on my basketball goal at home, I never thought basketball would take me where it has.  Of course, I wanted to play big time college basketball, but that didn't work out for many reasons, I started coaching.  The game of basketball has helped me in so many ways in life, family, and travel.

At the coaching clinic, a coach with a Hickory t-shirt on was attending (Hickory is the fictional team from Hoosiers).  He knew all about the movie Hoosiers and Indiana basketball.  Now that is amazing.  When I told him I was a basketball coach from Indiana, it was as if he were meeting someone to be revered.  I wonder what he would do if a coach who actually won something were there.

I am missing my family very much, but what I am doing is something greater than myself.  I am not just talking about basketball, I have traveled here with AIA and they are a faith based organization.  If we can show at least one person how we live our faith using basketball, then I feel I have done my little part in this whole thing.  After March 2 (yea, I know you know, the tornado thing) and all the support we got in town, it has become even more obvious how blessed we all are and that we should be giving something back.

Knocking the Jet Lag Off

(Downtown of the capital city)

After arriving Wednesday afternoon, we are struggling to get our legs back....all of us, not just the players.  Some of the guys were able to sleep through the night, others not so much.  We had our first practice Thursday morning and it looked like we hadn't practiced since Sunday and that we were 11 hours off from our normal schedules. 

After that, we got cleaned up and drove into downtown.  The pollution is unbelievable, not just on the ground, but also in the air.  I think my allergies are working overtime due to this.  We went to a mall and walked around for awile.  Then we watched the movie Dark Knight...yes, I saw it in Southeast Asia!

We got back that night, ate a little something and crashed for the night!

USA Basketball = Celebrity Status

At least in some countries.  I have been to a few foreign countries and USA basketball is at least respected greatly, but some countries, like where I am, the players are being treated like celebrities.  It is good for some of them because they may not have had this type of reaction, for others...maybe not so much a good thing.

We arrived last night, ate, and slept.  Driving through the city to our dorm was interesting.  The guy who brought us to the university said there are no driving laws, only recommendations.  Nice...and you could tell.

We had our first practice and the guys and myself were sluggish, but it is something that will take care of itself over the next few days.  We don't play until tomorrow night, so today we are going to go on a sight seeing tour of the capital city and see what we can see.  I am taking my camera because I never want to forget what I am about to see.

I am tired...still.  We are 11 hours ahead of home....and I am feeling it.

(check out this guy trimming the shrubs at the airport, how many US laws are there for this situation?)