Takin' it Back

So this week, I had the pleasure of working with some 3rd, 4th, and 5th, grade Central Jersey Hawks players (my old job). And let me tell you, they have some players! On top of that, they have some dedicated players. I say that because a few kids were excited on Tuesday morning to be at camp, but were nowhere to be found at the end of the week. The kids that came all week did a great job of working hard and getting better.

That being said, it brings me back to my youth as a basketball player while playing for the Central Jersey Hawks. Man was I bad when I first started! But with the help of the Hawks, and some Hoop Group camps, I got better and better year in and year out. Turns out I got to be pretty good, well at least good enough to get a scholarship to go to the University of Maryland. From there, I'm not sure I had as good of a career as I wanted to have, but I did get injured during my sophomore year, and never really recovered from it. But every year, I learned a little bit more about the game, and a little bit more about coaching from the tremendous staff that we had from 99-03. Which is why I enjoyed this week with the Hawks so much, I found myself saying the same things, and teaching the same things that my coaches taught me. I'd love to coach for the rest of my life, but it's a tough profession, and particularly tough on the family due to the high turnover rate. I hope to catch on somewhere soon, but if not, maybe the Hawks will have me back.

Change of Plans

Over the past few weeks I have been out of work. As has been previously stated, I am no long coaching at Monmouth University. I've been looking for another coaching opportunity, but one hasn't availed itself to me. I was in the running for one spot, but I came up short. With July fast approaching, and the recruiting season upon the countries DI coaches, I am thinking that I won't be coaching at a DI school anytime soon, unless something happens in the next two weeks.

That being said, I'm now wondering what else I can do to earn a paycheck. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do, or can do considering that I haven't really done much else besides basketball. Luckily I have a few people that like me and are willing to help. Hopefully I can figure it out soon...

It's Been A While...

Since I last posted. Actually close to a year. The reason being was I was coaching at Monmouth University. Now I'm back. The reason being, is because I am no longer coaching at Monmouth. There weer plenty of times that I wanted to blog while on the job there, but I wasn't quite sure if I was going to break some sort of NCAA rule/law/bylaw/etc. They have a book that's about 450 pages long with rules, so I'm pretty sure everyday I might have broken one just by waking up. But now I'm back on the market for a job. I would love to continue to coach, but coaching jobs in DI are very hard to come by. What's particularly most frustrating about not being at Monmouth anymore is that I think that we were going in the right direction as a program. I know our record didn't show it this year, but we had a year full of adversary, and we had 16 games decided by 5 points or less. I thought that it was a great feat to accomplish that, especially being shorthanded for much of the season. We were doing a great job recruiting and things were looking up, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. I will say that I enjoyed and appreciated my time at Monmouth, and I wish them all the best going forward. It was good being home for the last three years, but it's looking like I will be moving away from the Jersey Shore for the next chapter of my life. Luckily for me, I'll have my wife and dog with me.

In terms of what I'll be doing next, I don't know. I would love to continue coaching, as as I said earlier, but it is tough to find a job coaching. So, I'm looking at all of my options, in all locales. If any of you out there have any ideas, or jobs for me, please let me know. Until then, I will continue the hunt and continue to blog.

July 1...

So, as some of you already know I will be an assistant coach at Monmouth University next year. Today it was officially announced. I didn't want to say anything before then I just felt that I wanted it to be official before I threw it out there. That being said, it's been keeping my busy for the past few weeks. And with recruit hunting season starting on Tuesday, I will tell you that I will be busy until August.

As far as what's going on outside of basketball, the wife got a new job that she really enjoys. More importantly, we finally moved out of my mom's house! It was a long time coming and it's nice to have our own space, and our dog back. My mom was so happy that we were leaving that she gave us a bed, couch, love seat, a comfy cushioned chair, and even bought us a TV stand. Either she really loves us, or really wanted us out, or both! Either way, thanks mom.

That's all I've got for now. Hopefully I can keep you all updated when I'm out on the road recruiting this month.

Have a great Fourth of July! Happy Birthday America!

Where Do We Go From Here?

Generally, I like to take some time to reflect upon a loss. Especially when it's a season ender like we had tonight. However, I am on a 3 to 3.5 hour bus ride home, so I will get it out now. We finished our season not the way it should have gone. We were the 8th seed in our conference tournament. We definately aren't the 8th best team in our league. We were easily a top 4 team, we just fell victim to so unfortunate situations.

All that being said, there needs to be some changes. I can only speak for myself when I say this though. I'm not sure that I did the best that I could have done this year. And if you know me, you know I say this after almost every loss, and after almost every season. I can and will be better. I have to be. I feel like I let my team down in certain instances, and it will not happen again.

Hopefully I am able to return to help our team next year. Things don't always work out the way you plan them, but I will make the best of the situation. We will be better. I will be better.

Valentine's Day '10

First, I would like to say Happy Valentine's Day to your and yours. Now on to the business of the day: We got our arguably best player back last night from his 7 game suspension. He gave us 30 points and 8 rebounds in a very important win for us in our battle to make the NEC Tournament which starts in about 3 weeks. We have three away games and one home game left. All three road games are winnable and the home game is the last of the year. Hopefully we don't have a repeat of what happened in our last home game of the year.

While this year at Monmouth has been enjoyable, I am not certain of my future there as there have been talks of me making more money next year, but there is nothing set in stone yet. That being said, I need to make more money this year. The wife was gracious enough to move back to the East Coast, sans job, to be with me and in hopes that I can find a coaching job, which is what I really want to do, instead of being on the "admin" side as the Ops guy. Oh, and she wants a job as well. I don't think she is too fond of sitting around the house all day with nothing to do other than go to the gym and play with our dog. All that being said, your boy needs a job with a legit paycheck. I'm tired of having no money and worrying if we can pay our bills. However, I'm sure that I am not the only one that feels this way.

The need of a paycheck begs the question to be asked as to what is it what I will do to get a legit paycheck? Do I ride it out with basketball in hopes that something will come about or do I go and do something totally different? Good thing there are at least two more weeks left in the season and I do not have to make such a decision yet.

That's all I've got for y'all today. Oh, and I promise it won't be 2 months before my next entry. Be well my friends.

It's Been Two Weeks...

and a lot has happened. Where to start? Oh, Carrie has been here for two weeks. That has been fun, and nice to have my wife here. It has also gotten more crowded, and my room seemingly has gotten smaller. And more cluttered. Like I said, it has been nice having home cooked meals when I come home, and also to be able to bring wine home and not feel like an alchy.

In other news, we (me and the rest of the Monmouth University Men's Basketball team) went to Laramie, WY. What an experience. We won our first game out there against the host team Wyoming. Just playing out there and getting through the game was a feat in itself, being that the elevation of Laramie is 7200 feet! I was winded walking around, partly because I am out of shape, but mostly because of the elevation. We lost our last two games against Pepperdine and Hampton. Both games were winnable, but we turned the ball over too much. Hopefully we learned something out there that will make us a better team in our league. That being said, Saturday we have our first conference game, on the road, vs. Sacred Heart. It is a winnable game, if we do not turn the ball over. I am not saying that Sacred Heart is bad, I'm just saying that is we play how we are capable, we should beat them. But, I digress. I would be remiss if I did not talk about Thanksgiving dinner and the people of Laramie. Unfortunately, I did not get to spend the holiday with my family, I did get the opportunity to eat with my "second" family and the Thanksgiving dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn in Laramie was fabulous. The Turkey was moist, the stuffing was flavorful, cranberry sauce was fresh, the green bean casserole was tasty, the mashed potatoes were creamy and buttery, the rolls were warm and garlicky, and most surprisingly, the sweet potatoes were "candied". As far as the people of Laramie were concerned, they were very friendly. A bit shocking I do admit considering there were a lot of "outsiders" in their town. The scenery on the way out of Laramie on our way back to Denver was breathtaking. The open range with bison, Black Angus, antelope, and many other wild animals which lead to the Rocky Mountains was a sight to behold.

Now, Let's talk about Denver. What a city! If I had to I would definitely move there. It was so clean, and again, the people were so nice. We stayed at The Westin Tabor Center, and it was such a nice place. The people there worked within our teams budget (which isn't much), and again, were very pleasant people. The only issue I had with Denver is one of its social gathering places called The Shag Lounge. And to be honest, I like a place with cheap drinks (surprise), and loud music (preferably hip hop but I can rock out with the best of them). However the clientèle, left much to be desired, and I was wondering why, until I saw this on the side of their billboard. All in all it was a good trip, and I am looking forward to getting a win this weekend at Sacred Heart. Until next time...

11/12/09 - A Fine Day Indeed

Today is a good day. Yes, the weather sucks. Yes, I have to work. Yes, I have to drive to JFK...during rush hour. But at the end of the day, my wife will be here. For good this time, not just for a visit. So today is a good day. It starts a hectic weekend. We start our season tomorrow. As previously stated, we've got Zeke coming in to town on Friday, got Bobby G. and the Seton Hall Pirates coming in on Sunday, and then we've got a 6 AM game on Tuesday at St. Peter's. So needless to say, I will be busy and tired come Wednesday. Lots to do, but this is when the fun starts. God I love college basketball. And I love my Wife. Until next time.

It's a Beautiful Day...

...outside and I am stuck inside doing film exchange. For those of you that don't know what this is, I pray that you never find out. For those of you that do know, you understand my plight. But it must get done. Other than that, on the basketball end, we are getting ready to go to Lafayette for a retreat and scrimmage this weekend. It should be a good time for our guys, or at the very least a very good meal on Friday night.

I am sure that very few of you know that I am a huge soccer fan. I believe that I became one when I started playing back at the age of 12. Or it could be that one of my best friends played soccer at UVA. Whatever may have triggered this doesn't matter, but let it be known that I am a fan. I say this because our men's team here at Monmouth has clinched a regular season league championship and will be hosting the conference tournament next weekend. They have a very good chance of winning the tournament this year, and if they were to falter, I think they have a solid chance to be an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament. This is a big deal considering that we are such a small school. I will be there to support, as not only am I a big fan of soccer in general, but I am a fan of this MU Men's Soccer Team and their coaches. It will be a busy weekend next weekend being that they host the tournament and we have our opening games as well. Friday and Sunday. MU vs the Fighting Isiah Thomas' and Random NEC Team vs. the Fighting Rob McCourt's in the first round of the NEC Tournament on Friday, and on Sunday we play Seton Hall.

Random Musings on a Thursday Afternoon

So I woke up feeling pretty good today. Good enough that I actually decided to go to work dressed like a gentleman. Dress pants, button down, with the sweater vest. Now I know some of you are thinking "sweater vest"? Yes, I said it. In our athletics office we have a few gentleman that do their thing when it comes to getting dressed for work. So, I couldn't come dressed if I didn't come correct. For example, one of my friends who is a football coach cam today in black slacks, a black button down, and a black and gray cardigan. A well dressed man indeed. It was a good thing that I came dressed today being that we had a special visitor in former Providence coach Tim Welsh. It was fun to sit with him for a few and talk about when he recruited me while I was in high school at RBR. Nice man, unfortunately I had to say no to him at the time. Seems like I could have played for him. But I will take the course of action that I took a thousand times over instead of wondering "what if".

With all of this basketball talk, we are getting closer to the start of the regular season. Only about two weeks left. As a matter of fact, we had a blue/white scrimmage the other day, and we have two more this Sunday and next Saturday. They should let us know where we are at in terms of what we need to tune up before our home opener vs. Florida International University and the Fightin' Isiah Thomas'.

On another note, my wife shall be moving back east that week as well, so it should be a good week with her moving back, and  us hopefully getting our first win in our new building.

Ok, some of you know that I like to play Guitar Hero. That being said, I may be hanging up my guitar strap. Only to replace it with a turntable. Of sorts. You see, there is this new game called DJ Hero. I got it the other day and it is really a lot of fun. Granted some of the songs are not the greatest, but the game play aspect of it is great. I felt like DJ Premier...if he was just starting on the turntable, and only had one hand. But, I will get better and undoubtedly, it will become my favorite game. The reviews that I have seen have all pretty much said that it's a good one, and I will have to agree. I wish I had four hands...so I could give this game four thumbs up.....