“So You’re Overseas: What’s Next?”
As I stated in the Intro Blog: “Why We’re Here”, I want this to be a conversation; a two-way street. I’m opening up this entire project to anyone and everyone in the “Comments” and will decide my writings on what idea I find most interesting. Almost immediately after Post#1 the comments on here, twitter, and in my emails (connect button top right), people were wondering:
You’re overseas, how does that feel? Be honest.
What’s the game like?
How do you stay connected and upbeat?
What’s Next?
So I thought I could take a couple of minutes to give you a glimpse into my brain while I’m over here. Here, meaning Ankara, Turkey at the moment. First, I have a question for you…
Have you ever heard people speak Spanish and Portuguese?
To the untrained ear, the two languages sound pretty similar. But to someone who knows both languages, they aren’t too similar at all. Sure they may share some components, but they both are their own, unique, beautiful, language.
That’s how I’d describe the NBA and European Competition basketball. To the untrained eye it may look like the same sport. But when you’re on the court, it’s a whole different world.
This took me a good month or two to really understand. The spacing, the flow, the speed, are all different. The random midseason two-a-day practice days, needless to say are MUCH different. The defensive rules (no illegal defense) are hard to get used to, little rules like the multiple nuances of traveling and unsportsmanlike fouls are heavily enforced. These, along with offensive structures and half-court set expectations from coaching staffs force you to ‘think’ the game in a critical manner. Each of these are a fundamental component of winning basketball games in Europe and it is made clear daily.
I’ve described every night feeling like a marquis Big Ten matchup, just with bigger and better players on the court; i.e physical basketball with limited room to work. But I’ve learned to love it. The atmosphere, the emphasis on every possession, the excitement from teammates and fans alike. It really is an awesome thing. Once I fully integrated myself and accepted what it is, the game became 100x easier. We as American’s initially think we will go to Europe and score 20 points every night. I learned quickly that that is just wildly unrealistic. 10 minute quarters, tremendous defense and scouting reports, bigger substitution rotations, and a slower overall pace make these expectations vanish pretty quickly.
But what I have learned is how much it has made me grow up as a player. No longer worried about statistics or shot attempts. The entire focus turns to winning. Win at all costs. You win, you’re happy. You lose, not so much. The appreciation I now feel to the game of basketball is as great as it has ever been, and I have Russia and Turkey to thank for that. With that strict focus on the little things, the game became far more simpIe for me - and my play showed it.
Did I ever see myself playing overseas for multiple years? Of course not. That wasn’t an easy pill to swallow.
I saw and still see myself as an NBA player. Obviously that isn’t the case at the moment. Every day I wake up to do everything in my power to get back to The Association. With that, the sooner you push your pride to the side and accept where you are, the sooner you can do your job at a high level. It’s easy to fall into a funk while living in a different country, playing in a different league, in cities you’ve never heard of, having trouble communicating back home because of timezones…the list goes on. All of these are things that can really overwhelm you. There will be some great days where you feel like you can’t do anything wrong and life is good, no worries at all. Then there will be those days and games where you say “I’m done with this” and want to book the next flight available to JFK. Until you look yourself in the mirror and say “I’m cool with this”, you’ll be looking back so much you’ll lose sight on the awesome things in front of you.
“Be Where Your Feet Are” is my favorite quote. It is especially true over here. Being present and taking advantage of each day, each practice, and each game makes life so much easier. It sounds so simple. But it takes time to figure out. Now, I think it’s the coolest thing ever to say I've lived in Krasnodar and Ankara. Fitting in, learning some new languages, being a foreign citizen; all of these new challenges are really fun. Traveling weekly to cities or countries across Europe/Asia, seeing unique places and experiencing new cultures has been unbelievably fascinating. A small brown leather basketball has made the world incredibly small for so many…can’t think of many things cooler than that.
So what’s next? Honestly, I don’t know. And that is totally fine with me. The dream that I’ve had my whole life is still as alive as ever. I feel as good as ever on the court. There’s a ton of basketball ahead of me in life. So why worry? Year 2 of foreign Sam feels much more relaxed than Year 1.
But most importantly with this experience, I’ve grown up. Things that mattered so much to me a few years ago don’t mean anything to me anymore. Olivia, my wife, has been unbelievable keeping me upbeat, getting me settled wherever we live and finding ways to make quick trips to see me. Without the support from her, my family & friends, and everyone I interact with daily on social media, this would be tough.
Whether it’s an NBA jersey or a Türk Telekom jersey, I’m living out my dream. The future goals can only happened by taking care of each day at a high level. So I think that’s “What’s Next” for me.
I’m cool with finding that out when I get there.
Good thing is, I can confidently say I can decipher the Portuguese from the Spanish… (in basketball terms)
Thanks y’all. Let me know what you want to hear next!
Oh yeah, shoutout to Will Cummings, Johnny O’Bryant, Alan Williams, Kyle Wiltjer, Tyler Ennis, Michael Eric, and Kamar Baldwin for becoming my second family overseas.
