So it is now March and I have been here for 7 months. I still can not believe that I have been away from home for so long. But it has been a pretty good first year for me and I am still enjoying myself. And I am still looking forward to being here until the end of May.

I want to take the time to respond to the comments that were on the last blog. I know it has been a while since the last blog but I did not forget. Just have been a little busy. TGI Fridays is a restaurant here in Riga. I eat there a lot in the USA. It’s Thank God it’s Friday. It is located in centre very close to the freedom monument. I enjoy playing for Coach Valdis. He is a fun guy and a good coach. You can tell that he was a great player just by the things that he says in practice. I think it is a lot easier to be on the same page with a coach that has as much playing experience as he does. He sees things that coaches without the playing experience he does may not see. (If you understand what I am saying) It’s very hard for me to explain. All coaches are a little different and it really depends what kind of person you are as to how you and a coach may get along. But I love playing for Coach Valdis and I am glad that the organization gave me the opportunity to come here and be apart of VEF Riga. The winter is much too cold for me. But I am surviving. But thanks to everyone that checked out my blog and took the time to comment. Thank you all for your encouraging words!! And my holidays were great. So thank you.

But now let’s talk about what has been going on recently. Many things have happened since my last blog. We have altered our team a little by a few changes. One main change was Martynas Mazieka leaving VEF. Martynas was a good friend to me and I really enjoyed being around him. We all know that basketball is a business and things like this come along with you job. So when I found out of the change I felt like I was losing a brother. But we all wished him the best and he did the same for us. Since then we have added to players, Sandis Valters and Taj McCullough. These were two great additions to our team because I believe it gave us more weapons and brought a little more experience to our young team. Sandis is a great leader and he has much playing experience which is great for our team. He’s a great guy and a great basketball player. I always give him a hard time by calling him the old man on our team! But don’t let his age fool you. Occasionally he will even take the time to show me his “bunnies” (Jumping ability) in warm ups. He will easily dunk the ball then look at me with a smile on his face! :)

Taj was another key addition to our team. He brings some NBA experience to our team and adds another dimension. *First I just want to take the time to say that, although his university made the NCAA Tournament and my university did not, my university would kill his university on any day of the week!!! Belmont vs. Winthrop…Maybe that game should be scheduled. Taj is from Atlanta. A place that I lived in for a few years and many of my family members still are there. I think getting Taj was not only a positive for our team but it also was good for me. I love all the guys on my team like family but I feel a lot more comfortable seeing someone the looks a little like me. Hold on…when I say he looks a little like me I am not saying that he is a sexy as I am. Because I am still the sexiest player on the VEF Team!!! Hahahaha. I am only joking around. Just adding a little humor to my blog. ;) But having him on the team makes me feel a little less odd because I know there is another black guy around. It’s rough being the only black guy. Sometimes I feel like an alien. But now that he is here he is the alien! And I can say…I have been here for 7 months so I am part Latvian! Haha.

As a team I think that we are progressing. I think we are at a point where overall we are playing better than we have been all season. Of course we have lost a few games for stupid mistakes on my part. But overall I believe that we are in a good position to really make some things happen. Currently, we are right on the edge of the BBL playoffs and we are first in the LBL. We have a big game against Lietuvos Rytas on Wednesday. It would help very much if we could pull out a win. So that is what I am preparing for right now! I don’t know exactly when our next home game is but when we have one I would love for everyone to come and support us! I think you will get a chance to see something special if you come to our games.

But once again…I would like to say thank you for reading my blog. And if you see me around or at the games don’t be afraid to say hello. Because I will not bite!! I love talking and I am a very friendly person. Have a nice day. And come to the games!! :)

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