Basketball

I have always loved playing basketball, but haven't played really competitively since early in high school.  When I was in the Army, I played three times a week in the mornings with a crew from the armory and from the neighborhood.  While I was in Iowa and Las Vegas, I played a bit at the church.

One of our first weeks at church we met the Craigs.  Brett teaches communication at NU and has been here for three years.  He has been coaching the girls basketball team on campus (actually he does everything for them: scheduling, procuring uniforms and equipment, etc.)  He was quite famous around campus because the girls had some success in the spring at a city-wide tournament.  They invited us over for dinner and while we were there we talked a lot about basketball.  One of my friends from the Army is also here in Astana and he told Brett how much I like playing.  While we were at their apartment, Yulia said that if Brett needs any help I would love to be an assistant coach.

I wasn't so sure how much I would love being an assistant coach.  I was still trying to figure out a new job, a new city, and an entirely new situation.  I was intrigued, though, and the opportunity to play and to be around basketball was appealing.

Game 1: 11/12/2014 - Getting back on Defense.

So I showed up to tryouts.  And I've been going to basketball practice three times a week since then.  We have great students at NU, and the girls on the basketball team are no exception.  Most of them had very little experience, but what they lack in experience we make up for in conditioning and preparation.  I have lost over 30 pounds since I've been here in Astana, thanks mostly to the running that I do with the girls at practice.  I still have a ways to go, but progress is progress!

Game 1 - 11/12/2014

Anyway, the past three months of practice culminated in us playing two games against other universities from Astana last week.  Our first game was a bit of a disappointment.  The girls came out a bit listless, trailed throughout the game, and lost by six points.  The second game was more exciting.  After some tough talk by Coach, the girls resolved to play with the intensity we practice with.  The result was a 29-4 victory over the team that we played.  The team came from the university that won the city-wide tournament last year, but they just sent their freshmen.  Now they are on notice that they need to send their A-team to play NU.

NU Vs. BC Astana Management

On October 7, the local professional basketball team used the NU sports complex to announce this year's roster.  NU was their biggest supporter last year.  As part of the announcement, we had a friendly game between NUs faculty and staff and the management of the basketball club.  The team president is named Valeri Tikhonenko.

The NU and BC Astana Management Teams after the game.  #9 is Tikhonenko - he's about 6-11 and big.  Look at him next to fluffy old me!

The NU team poses after victory with some members of the NU girls team and other fans who came to watch the game. Brett, the girls coach, is on the left holding his youngest son.

He played for the USSR gold medal team from 1988 and was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1987. He played for the management team.  He was tall - about 6'11" and even though he was nearly 50, he was still a gifted athlete.  He kept their team in the game, but our ragtag bunch of professors and staff was able to win the "friendly" game.

After the game in my NU team uniform. 

One of the things that we told ourselves when we came to Astana is that we would remain open to new opportunities and adventures.  Helping to coach the women's basketball team has been one of those adventures.  It has been one of the most rewarding and fun things that I've done here so far.