01.04.2013 BIG - Basketball in Deutschland 1357295029/img_jb_muenster_Ulli_Schlieper2.JPG
I had a good time on New Year’s Eve, just blowing off some fireworks. Everyone still has all their limbs, so that’s good. It’s nice being able to do it yourself compared to the States, especially in California, where you can’t have fireworks, or at least real fireworks like they do out here. But it’s always a good time blowing up things with your teammates and friends. I’m 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. We’re 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. That’s good for us. I think we’re hitting our stride right now. And it’s 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. I’ve never won at Oldenburg while I have played here, and this is my third year. So hopefully the third time’s a charm. It’s a tough place to play. It’s going to be a tough stretch. It’s show us where we’re at as a team. It’s 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. It’s 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 I’m 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 he’s 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. He’s doing good in the league. The sky is still the limit for him. He just needs to keep it going and keep improving. He’s definitely a good player. It’s 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 it’s definitely a game that he is looking forward to. But me too.

Now that the NFL regular season is over, I don’t have to watch my team – the Oakland Raiders – any more. They are not doing good, haven’t 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 don’t have a standard that they hold themselves to. I would establish a set of rules that everyone needs to follow. It’s 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, it’s 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

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