Ola Amigos! This is Mike Rogers saying hello from Cancun, Mexico.
Our first game Monday was a bunch of fun. I thought we played well, and it felt good to compete against someone new. We shared the ball really well and shot the ball really well. Everyone who played last night scored for us.
Last night was one of my better shooting nights. The ball felt good every time it left my hands, so I just kept shooting. For some reason I shot better from 3-point range than I did on dunks. I had two alley-oops, both from Brandon Wood, and I couldn't finish either one. It was pretty funny. It looks like I gave up my jumping ability for a jump shot.
Erik Buggs, Ryan Broekhoff and Cory Johnson did make their dunks, though, with Erik actually dunking on one of their players. It was nice!
We do need to work on our communication in transition and box out a little better, but we will fix that in our next game.
Oh what a difference a year makes, though. We are going to be a much stronger, more physical team this year thanks to our strength coach Bobby Brooks.
After the game, the team ate at the Mexican restaurant in the hotel. I had to skip that meal, because I'm not really a big fan of Mexican cuisine, plus I was craving some ribs!
Our post-dinner meeting consisted of a review of the game and more team building. For our team building exercise, we shared what the greatest basketball moment was of our career and the most memorable family moment. The team building is really helping me get to know the entire team.
We got to sleep in Tuesday morning, which was a great change. At 11 a.m. we met in the lobby and took the city bus system to the local market place. We did a lot of shopping and bartered for souvenirs. I bought a Mexican soccer jersey, glassware and a money clip. The guy wanted $50 for the soccer jersey, but there was no way I was paying that much. I didn't have that kind of cash left, so I started to leave, and he came after me trying to sell it for less. He first said $35, so I told him all I had left was $20. He said no, so I said thanks anyway and started to walk away again. I got about two steps away, and he said OK, OK and $20. That was my favorite shopping experience of the day.
After a day of shopping and bartering, we hopped on the bus and came back to the hotel. Pretty much everyone on the team bought something. Sunglasses, shirts, wallets and handcrafts were the most popular items.
After a quick bite to eat, we met to go over the game plan. The rest of the afternoon was ours to get ready, so I spent a couple minutes at the pool before getting ready to meet in the lobby.
I miss Valpo, but I must admit it is pretty nice down here. It kind of reminds me of home, but nothing is quite like Jamaica.
I hope it's not too hot in Northwest Indiana, and we will try and represent you well at our next game.
