
The MVP diary from Ulm - Big John Bryant: The sky is still the limit for Robin Benzing!
MVP John Bryant this time talks about blowing off fireworks for New Years, ratiopharm ulm hitting their stride, the reunion with Robin Benzing at Bayern Munich, and his lowly Oakland Raiders.
1357295029/img_jb_muenster_Ulli_Schlieper2.JPGI had a good time on New Years Eve, just blowing off some fireworks. Everyone still has all their limbs, so thats good. Its nice being able to do it yourself compared to the States, especially in California, where you cant have fireworks, or at least real fireworks like they do out here. But its always a good time blowing up things with your teammates and friends. Im glad we made it to the New Year and hopefully it was good for everyone else.
I think we as a team are coming into our rhythm or at least how we want to play with being able to finish out games. That was one of the things we wanted to do better and work on. Were starting to do that now, and people are starting to realize that every single game is going to count now. People are taking it more seriously and going out there and playing games for 40 minutes. Thats good for us. I think were hitting our stride right now. And its the right time with the second half of the season there and the Last 16 of the Eurocup. We have games at Bayern Munich and Oldenburg and then against Bayern at home and at Trier. On top of that there the first games of the Eurocup Last 16. Ive never won at Oldenburg while I have played here, and this is my third year. So hopefully the third times a charm. Its a tough place to play. Its going to be a tough stretch. Its show us where were at as a team. Its going to be a true test for us.
Bayern will be a big game too. You definitely can have some local bragging rights if you get the win. Its gonna be tough for us. We lost the game last year and made some big mistakes that we really need to control this time and keep our composure. We also get to see Robin Benzing again. I played with him my first year in Ulm. Off the court, he was a funny dude, just laughing and joking and having a good time, which is fun for me because Im the same way. On the court, just seeing him at practice and some of the stuff he does, he can wow you on a daily basis with some of the different things he can do. Seeing him now, I think hes growing up a little bit and maturing as a player, which is what you want to see with a guy who has so much potential. He still has that potential. Hes doing good in the league. The sky is still the limit for him. He just needs to keep it going and keep improving. Hes definitely a good player. Its always good to see past players who you played with. You spend a whole year with a guy and see him almost every day so you definitely build a relationship. Per Günther was with him longer so its definitely a game that he is looking forward to. But me too.
Now that the NFL regular season is over, I dont have to watch my team the Oakland Raiders any more. They are not doing good, havent been good for the past couple of years. It always seems like we were the bad boys of the league, which worked sometimes but not all the time. It feels like they dont have a standard that they hold themselves to. I would establish a set of rules that everyone needs to follow. Its something the coach and hopefully the new owner can bring in. We have a good quarterback prospect in Terrelle Pryor. We need to work him in and get him better. From there, its just getting better and setting a standard. They showed some signs of positive things this season. If we can keep that going we can be a good team.
Well, off to practice. Catch you in two weeks. Best, John Bryant