I'm BACK

Why do we have to walk past them? The ticket cost $1,200, yet you feel like a peasant. You can’t help but stare as they’re getting complementary wine, almonds and warm towels for their hands. This is my eighth time boarding a plane from the USA to Europe and the feeling never changes. I’ve flown business class before but kind of wish I never did…can’t miss something you’ve never had. However, I can think of a few things I’d rather spend $2,000 on then upgrading my seat. That’s about $200 an hour to upgrade…I’d sit on the toilet next to the stewardess during the flight for $200 an hour.

It’s been 196 days since my last blog. During that time I was asked where I would be playing this season 5,869 times. You try to remain polite, but sometimes it just gets old, real old. My job has the highest highs but with that comes the uncertainties. Uncertain what country you’ll be living in. Uncertain who your coaches and teammates will be. Uncertain when you’ll be leaving America. Better get used to it because uncertainty becomes a way of life. My off-season lasted longer than usual this time around. The past three years I’ve been on a plane by August 22nd, this year it was November 28th. That’s an extra 2,304 hours of uncertainty. Most people are uncertain if they’ll be off work by 5 or 6. With us, it’s what part of the world will we be living in? One day it’s I’m going to Poland. The next it’s Israel or Cyprus. Just when I start thinking about packing sunglasses and swim trunks, I hear this Ukraine team wants me. Then it’s a team in Spain, but the next morning I’m convinced I may be eating waffles in Belgium. It’s a roller-coaster that sometimes you don’t know if it’s going to stop, go faster, upside down or make you puke. If players tell you they don’t think about it much, they’re lying. Sure it’s a business, but it’s your life. During the summers it’s simple, you need to do two things. Stay in great shape while working on your game and have fun with the people you miss all season. This summer was great for me. Bam Jam continued to grow as Idaho's largest 3 on 3 tourney, we had over 300 teams this summer! Visited San Diego and Vegas but mainly enjoyed my new house in Boise with friends and family.

It was 4:46PM on Saturday, November 26th when my phone rang- my agent Gerrit was calling from Europe. Every single time the phone rings from June on…you’re hoping it’s your agent. No offense to my mom, sisters or Lindsay…but it’s the truth. “What’s up man?” I said. “Bausch- there’s another team in Germany and I think it may be a good fit for you”…”I’m listening.” He goes on, “The team is Goettingen (Gut-eh-gun), really nice and clean city of about 130,000. The team is struggling right now, but they have a rich tradition and history- they won the Euro-Challenge in 2010.” A silent pause for the longest 10 seconds ever... “When would I leave?” He goes, “well they would want you on a plane within a day or two.” Some conversation went back and forth for the next 12 hours and the next day I was on the plane. Not much time for good-byes but that’s the way I like it. No matter how many times I leave, it’s always going to be sad to say good-bye. For everyone who’s been reading my blog for the past few years…I bet you’re asking, “HOW DID THE FLIGHTS GO?” Got to the Boise airport Monday morning and first flight to San Fran was delayed…thinking to myself…HERE WE GO AGAIN! As we touched down in SF, we were notified by the pilot that we would be waiting for an hour because there wasn’t an open gate for us. Sweet another hour on this dinky little plane and the dude to my right must have either ran a marathon or been flying all damn day because he’s got B.O. At this point, I’m thinking wonderful- I will have 37 minutes to sprint across the airport and make my flight to London. To make a long story short, 11 hour flight to London was okay, wish they wouldn’t have showed Idiot Brother, maybe the worst movie ever. We were delayed in London for 3 hours and finally made it to Frankfurt. It was 7pm TUESDAY and traffic was a nightmare…3 hours later I arrived in GUT-EH-GAN…only 30 hours, 9 minutes from door to door.

Last season in Groningen, Holland, Lindsay was able to come out and visit for 2 months. This season we’re lucky that she’s able to stay until the season is over. Having her here makes everything better. It was the first time we haven’t been home with family for Christmas. Lindsay and I have explored Goettingen and really enjoyed the Christmas market. They go all out here for Christmas. Lights everywhere like back home, but the Christmas market is something the states need to copy. They sell this warm wine that tastes amazing, every kind of food and desert you can think of. The smell in the air will make you hungry regardless if you just ate.They sell all kinds of decorations and even have rides for the kids. Our time here so far has been great. We’re both doing school online which keeps us busy. With the amount of free time we have over here, figured I might as well get my masters degree. We took our first German lesson last week as well. It’s a tough language no question, but nothing is impossible. I wish there were English sub-titles on the TV because we don’t have a single channel in English. A great TV show or movie will come on and right when we start to get excited…the voice over occurs. I wonder how the voice over for Jim Carrey would sound when he goes, “ALLLLLLLLRIGHTY THEN!”

Basketball wise, I’m enjoying it here. Our team is young, but we’ve showed times where we can be really good. At other times we just haven’t been consistent enough. We won our first home BBL game and the atmosphere here was incredible. The fans erupted after big plays and we felt their energy. Even though our team has been struggling, the fan support has been great. Both home games we’ve had since I arrived have been packed with seas of purple in the stands. There is still 4 months of the regular season left and if we can start putting 40 minutes together- good things will happen.

One inch

One inch. It’s the distance between my elbow and the man next to me on this long flight back to America. I'm on the worst plane ever, only 6 TVs for like 100 of us economy seating peasants to share. Plus I have to go Amsterdam to Philadelphia to Phoenix then to Boise. This is one day after traveling back from Ibiza, Spain to Brussels, Belgium...then four hour drive to Groningen. Oh yeah and right now I don't have an I-ANYTHING...no iphone, itouch, ipad, ipod... so no music for these glamorous 25 hours. Should I just put headphones on anyways and pretend? I need some sleep...did I mention yet we just ended our 9.5 month season? One inch, one phone call, one meeting, one jump shot, one rebound....it can be the difference. During our two seasons with the Gas Terra Flames, there were 600 days- maybe 140 games and about 500 practices (with double days). When you put every ounce of energy, effort and heart into something it can be dangerous. The easy thing to do is not be completely committed. It’s safer to be single and casually hang out with a bunch of different women. You never have the risk of having your heart ripped out of you. Sure it would sting if a girl you care about hurts you, but you would know deep down you never gave her 100%. With this team there were no members who had one foot in and one out. There was no grey area, we wouldn't allow it. We knew there was a risk of being heart-broken but we were going out with our heads high.

4 points can happen on a single play in basketball. I never thought as a professional that 4 points could make such a difference. In 2 seasons we were 4 points away from winning 2 Dutch Cup Titles and 2 Dutch National Titles. To me the most annoying person in the world is the SHOULDA (won four titles), COULDA (played better), WOULDIF (Haryasz, Ellis and Turek didn't foul out) man. Nobody wants to be around someone who constantly complains and looks back instead of forward. I will forever cherish the two titles I have won so far in my professional career and I'm gonna use the one inch we fell short as motivation for future challenges this crazy world tries to throws at me.

March 15th, 2008 and May 29th, 2011. Those are just two random dates to the normal person. To me those dates will never be forgotten. Both were championship games. Both were on the road for a chance at making history. Both televised and played in hostile environments with sold out crowds. Both were played less than 24 hours after a must win victory. Both came down to 3 OVERTIMES, 55 minutes of action. Both will impact me in a positive way until I pass away. One was like marrying the woman of your dreams and one was like having your family taken from you. One you feel like the king of the world, hundreds of texts, phone calls and pats on the back. The other, hundreds of Facebook messages with "proud of you anyways" sympathy words. If you put in all the effort in the world, you should always receive the ultimate reward, right? As soon as the buzzer sounds, whether it’s a WAC Championship on ESPN or game 7 of the finals with a million Dutch citizens watching on national TV… you can’t explain all the emotions. One I wasn’t getting paid and the other I was. Never in my life have I thought about life more then after losing the toughest game of my life 12 days ago. For those of who you are not familiar with the two games. In 2008 we won 3 games in 3 days- beating Hawaii in the quarter finals and Utah State in the semis. After 3 OTs and in front of over 14,000 New Mexico State fans we ended up claiming the title 107-102.

The Boise State win to me is like getting married to your best friend, the woman who you always wished to find. The Broncos hadn't been to the NCAA Tourney since 1993 (I was 8), so to be senior on the team that got back there is special to me. With the Flames this year, we took zero short-cuts. We lifted on off days. We dove on the floor during practice when we maybe didn't have to. Coming into the season as the champs, we knew the bulls eye was going to be huge. Every game teams would come out swinging, trying to get the upset. We gave everything we had and on May 29th, 2011 we came up one point short in the 7th game.

I was real excited that my cousin and two boys were able to make a trip to Europe to see me during the playoffs. We’ve been boys since grade school and it was their first time across the pond. I've met thousands and thousands of people in my lifetime so to stay close throughout all the craziness the world throws at you is a pretty unique thing to me. You can never forget where you came from because that’s really who you are. What really means the most to me about their visit here was how welcoming everyone was to them. They were given great seats to games 4,5,6 and 7 of the finals. They were allowed to ride the fan bus. Families opened up their homes for all of us to come over for 5 course meals. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH FOOD THAT IS?! Every visitor I've had in Holland over the years came back saying the same thing, "you have some amazing and caring people around you."

So now to the question that I've been getting, "what are you doing next season?" Most people have jobs that last multiple years, sometimes decades. Our jobs are unique in the fact they're normally only one or two year contracts. As much as I would have loved to stay in Holland next year with the Flames, right now I'd have to say it won't be happening. I've met people in Groningen who have touched my heart and it makes me sad to say I won't be a Flame next season. The club, the city and the fans have been nothing short of amazing to me, my family, my friends...and for that I will be forever thankful. As I was packing up my apartment in Groningen, I started to tear up...thinking about the last two years. I spent thousands and thousands of hours hanging out in this place...that I'll probably never see again. It's not always about being fancy. My apartment in Groningen didn't have a dish-washer, granite, hard-wood or a huge bathtub like I have now...but that place had character and memories that can't be taken away. I will remember the awkward 3 kisses. I will remember my name being called last...as I run out of the tunnel, fist pumping my chest...the goosebumps running up and down my skin...fans looking me in the eyes yelling at the top of their lungs. I'll remember all the countries we visited as a team. I'll remember the minute/circle of silence before every SINGLE practice that took over a full day of our life. I'll remember people coming up to me at the movies, "I like your blog!" People coming up to me at the grocery store, "ILYB"... in the city- "ILYB." I will remember the traditions we started in Groningen. The walk around the court and doing high-fives after the games. The interaction with the fans. I will remember the community events- Walk For Life cancer event, childrens hospital, different schools we visited...and most of all I will remember you all...the supporters.

One inch can be everything, it can be the difference between life and death. Need proof, just ask DJ Tim Westwood who says "the bullet missed my heart by an inch." Cherish every single day because you never know what tomorrow will bring.

CUP CHAMPS, PARENTS and PLAYOFFS

Some things can be useless. A bikini in Kazan, Russia. A Yorkshire Terrier on a hunting trip. A pea coat in Phoenix. A four wheel drive truck in Holland. Having a GPS or cell phone on a trip by yourself to Barcelona, Spain...wait what?! It was the week leading up to the final four of the Dutch cup. Friday we were playing Nijmegen and a win would punch our ticket into the title game Sunday. To prepare for the weekend games in Almere, we practiced at Almere's arena Wednesday night. About 45 minutes into practice I jumped for a rebound and came down on a teammates foot. My first thought was, "DAMMMMMMMMMN" that hurts. Within 3 seconds, my immediate second thought as I was hitting the ground was, "I WON'T BE ABLE TO PLAY IN 2 DAYS..." As I elevated and iced my swollen ankle for the remainder of practice, I thought to myself... might as well be a lil Yorkie right now...

Thursday would be icing, elevating, ultra sound, and eating Advil like they Skittles. As I watched practice that night, coach Marco asked me- "well Bausch how's it feel?" It had been a whopping 23 hours and my ankle felt like a fat mans stomach after leaving the all you can eat buffet- SWOLLEN. "It's not as bad as I thought it'd be" is what came out of my big mouth. I woke up Friday morning and had forgotten about my bum ankle, had to tweet "woke up and jumped outta bed, ouch." When Lindsay was here she couldn't believe how my alarm would go off and I'd just jump outta bed. My thought is, even if you're Superman- it sucks getting out of bed. You're all warm, cozy and comfortable under the sheets...so when is it going to be "great" to get out of bed...3pm? People over here don't seem like morning people as much as in the states. For example, the health clubs/gyms don't even open here until 7AM...how are you suppose to work out if you have a job at 8am? Also, working out in the morning is much better for you than at night, just google it. With this golf ball attached to my ankle, I had to factor in the adrenalin, which can be a huge boost. Adrenalin is a crazy thing, something as simple as a chest bump can give you a little extra energy. As stubborn and competitive as I am, there was no chance I was playing Friday. I would be a cheerleader (without the annoying laugh) from the sidelines for the first time in awhile- and we were good enough for the 84-74 victory. Saturday I got up some shots and did more rehab for Bergen Op Zoom, our opponent Sunday in the final. Sunday we'd decided that I would play no matter what.

The title game in Almere began and our offense didn't look very good early. Our crowd made the 90 minute drive in hopes of celebrating the clubs second Cup title in history. After 20 minutes we were down 8 heading into the locker room. The second half we would rebound and defend like we always do- dominating them on the boards and outscoring BOZ 40-20 in the last 20 minutes. As the horn sounded, the crowd erupted. Looking into the eyes of some of our fans, the sounds in their voices...you could feel how proud they were. It had been years and years of supporting Donar, buying tickets, all the gas money for traveling to away games...often coming up short of the title. It's humbling to us knowing that some of our fans go to work in the morning looking forward to watching us perform at night. Some fans have told me they haven't missed a home game in decades. Today was our day. By our, I don't mean just the players and coaches- I mean the entire Donar community.

Since my last blog, my parents have come and gone already. My dad stayed 9 days, while my mom was able to stay 12. That may sound like a long time to some people, to me it went by about as fast as my Christmas vacation back home. What I don't understand is how you can chill and not do much- but time flies when you're with the ones you love. It's not important where you are, it's WHO your with that matters...I should write cards for Hallmark. I've been so lucky to have my parents come out all three years I've been overseas. My mom still tells me the stories where people would ask what I want to do when I grow up...I was so damn stubborn. I told every single person, "I'll be a pro basketball player for sure." Every time I would get the "Matthew, that's a good dream but what if that doesn't happen?" My parents never said no to their son who had dreams that were almost as big as his bifocal glasses. They are the reason why I'm here and for that I'll be forever thankful.

When people visit Europe, they don't consider Groningen, Holland a hot spot. Same thing goes for Boise, Idaho. 99% of every European I talk to want to visit the same two cities... New York City and LA. Americans visiting Europe always say Paris, then it varies London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rome, etc...depends on the person. This summer while in Las Vegas, my friend Taner managed to get me into a VIP party hosted by LeBron James. There were about 2500 people waiting in line, we walked straight to the front, didn't pay a dime and were in. I told him, if you ever come to Holland...I'll hook you up. I say that to friends, but no one is coming to Europe and if they do...they sure aren't taking a train up to Groningen. Sure enough my man Taner and his girl Danielle (who has Dutch roots) made the 5,400 mile (8,600 km) trip from Vegas and caught a basketball game! It was great getting to show them how I'm living out here and get a perspective on the lifestyle.

Things are really heating up over here since the playoffs started last week. We won game 1 at home and then had a set-back on the road Tuesday. The quarter-finals are best of 3...meaning game 3 last night was win or go home. Whenever you play in an elimination game, the stakes are increased dramatically. The thought that my season could have be finished yesterday made me sick to my stomach. We know we have a huge bulls-eye on our back on the race to go "Back to Back." I have my cousin Brett coming over again in May, along with my boys Joe and Eric- whom I've been close friends with since we were 7 years old. They've never been to Holland or Europe so I can't wait to show them what my country over here has to offer! Semi-finals begin Sunday, should be fun.

Barc-ALONE-a

Have you ever had that moment of helplessness? The moment where absolutely nothing seems to go right and no matter what you try to do, nothing changes. How about that feeling happening in a country where people only speak Spanish, "NO HABLA INGLES!" Damn, well EXCUUUUSE me for asking. Coach Marco decided to give us the March 18th-20th weekend off to rest up before the final four of Dutch Cup the following weekend. Three days off in a row for us is like seeing a Chevy Suburban in Holland, might happen once or twice a year. Unfortunately my girlfriend Lindsay was randomly leaving that exact day March 18th, Haryasz and his family were going to London (been there). Ross and his to Paris (been there), Dourisseau to Germany, Bostain to America (just kidding), Ellis' fam to Germany, etc. I wasn't spending all three days in Groningen when there's so many places in Europe to see. I narrowed it down to either Rome or Barcelona... I know what you're thinking...you can just go to a foreign country all alone? Won't you feel kinda like a loser, a loner? I would never go watch a movie alone, but when it comes to seeing one of the most beautiful cities in the world- I'll branch out of my realm I guess. My Boise State teammate Reggie is playing in Barcelona so that made the decision easy.

Lindsay was flying back to America 3 hours before me to Barca (this is what the cool people call Barcelona). I decided to be the good boyfriend, get to the airport a million hours early so we could go together. Ross was driving early to Amsterdam that Friday morning, so we decided to save about $70 dollars and hitch a ride. We'd be getting there super early so he was dropping us off in the center of Amsterdam so we could walk around a bit and find a good restaurant. Anyone who has driven in Amsterdam, knows it's like driving on Grand Theft Auto...but if you hit something it's real life. There are bikes by the thousands going in every direction, buses, taxis, cars, trams...people walking...just typing this I'm getting anxiety. After going the wrong direction on a one way and just swerving to miss the old man biker, I could tell Steve was getting slightly stressed. So we get to the huge traffic light outside central station and I go, "we could probably jump out right here." After 5 silent seconds, he responds, "yeah that's a good idea!" So we jump out of the car, I quickly grab Lindsay's 52 pound suitcase, her carry-on that contained bricks and encyclopaedia's- plus my carry on. The traffic light had now changed and cars behind us seemed to notice. I hurry, get to the curb and yell, "THANKS STEVE, HAVE FUN IN PARIS!!!" He speeds off and roughly 45 seconds later, I check my pockets and begin to have a panic attack. You know that feeling when you can't find something and your heart begins to race? Well I check my pockets again, then my coat pockets...NO CELL PHONE. "Linsday! HOLY S%#T I left my phone in the car!" I immediately thought, how am I going to reach Reggie when I land? Then I thought, how am I going to check Facebook while waiting at the airport for 6 hours? Lindsay cleverly suggests we go to a taxi ...so we go to the cab driver and he calls my cell phone- PLEASE PICK UP STEVE! Steve at 30 has never owned a cell phone, not while playing ball at Santa Clara, not while back in Canada during the summers, NEVER. He doesn't understand how to text, even answer an iphone. No answer. Call again, no answer. Just great.

"It's going to be okay Matthew," this is Lindsay being supportive and trying to lighten the mood. Easy for her to say that while I'm about to be stranded at the airport in Barca all alone, probably have to take a $100 euro taxi to the city and another $300 for a hotel (I silently think to myself while nodding my head at her). We got to the airport, I wrote Reggie an email saying "I HAVE NO CELL PHONE, I'LL BE THERE AT 7;45PM, WAITING BY THE CURB, I HAVE NO WAY OF GETTING A HOLD OF YOU SO PLEASE PLEASE FIND ME!" Lindsay and I talk about how fast these two months went by and say our good-byes. As I'm waiting for my 5:45pm flight, the time is going by like I'm in church or school. Well at least I can listen to music, oh wait my phone also serves as my music source- so NO MUSIC. Well I'll take a nap since we got back from beating Eiffel Towers at 2AM this morning, wait my phone is also my alarm clock, so NO SLEEPING. After 27 minutes of fiddling my damn fingers, I decided I'd buy a magazine. Maxim is $13 dollars a year (12 issues) back home. At the airport I pay $18 dollars for the March issue. After a few hours, I board the Easy Jet flight to Barca. Easy Jet makes Southwest seem like Air Force 1. No leg room, no free soda, not even free peanuts. I'd have a better chance of falling asleep at a punk rock concert. A little over two hours later, I'm in BARCA! I get off the plane, get to the curb outside, que hora es? I took two years of Spanish in high school and seem to remember almost nothing except for that. "Siete cuarenta cinco"...after saying gracias and then thinking for about a minute I figure out it's 7:45pm (clocks are rare in Spain I would realize). 20 minutes later, I'm still waiting on the curb...it feels like 9pm already. "Que hora es" to another person- it's only 8:05pm. 8:45pm comes- no sign of Reggie... beginning to get flustered. After an hour of looking like a punk on the curb, I pray this black dude speaks a little English. "Is this is the biggest airport in Barcelona?" He looks at me, "No, Terminal 1 es mas bigger den this." I take a bus 10 minutes to T1, rush to the curb...no Reggie. I race downstairs, no Reggie. I ask everyone I see with a phone, if I can borrow it to "write him on facebook" since he has no Spanish cell phone. No one understands what I want or is willing to let me use their phone, so I find the business center, pay to use a computer for 15 minutes. I miraculously get a hold of Reggie who has picked up wii-fi in the airport and after 15 minutes of what looked like searching for your lost Golden Retriever I spot Reggie, "REGGGGGGGGG" I yell across the whole airport. By this time it's about 9pm or so and I've never been so happy to see another man. After swamping stories (Reggie is frustrated as me I'm sure) we head to dinner downtown at Hard Rock Barcelona.

I wake up Saturday morning feeling great as the sun hits me in the face. His apartment is a par 3 from the FC Barcelona stadium. Reggie has a game today so he's going to sleep in, while I proceed to see as much of this historical city as possible. After asking "que hora es" I find out it's only 745AM. He's going to get up around noon, go to the beach and eat lunch with me- so I got tons of time. I have no watch, no phone but I do have a camera and money. I learn the underground subway system after a little bit of head scratching and eventually find myself outside the famous Sagrada Familia (pictured above). The construction isn't going to be completed in 2026 but let me tell you this church is breathtaking. I toured Guell Park, visited the shopping district, Guadi museum, FC Barcelona Camp Nou, the beach...think I saw quite a bit considering the time given. Reggie and I were talking at the beach about our good ol' Boise State days. Getting BSU to the big dance for the first time in 15 years, the road trips to Hawaii, New York, Canada, Cali- setting school records with wins, etc. As we're both starring out into the sea, I go, "what if I told you back in 2006 that in 5 years we would be chilling on the beach in Barcelona and getting paid to play basketball?" He looked at me, "I woulda told you that you're crazy as hell!"

Reggie asked me if I wanted to go to his game that night, the chance of me ever seeing him play again is slim to none- so I was down. He told me I'd have to follow the bus in his van (had to take a pic for my blog lol), which seemed easy enough. We arrived at his practice facility at 4:15pm and they were leaving in 10-15 minutes. Unfortunately Reggie didn't have any gas, so he quickly tried to explain where a gas station was (take the first round-about left, go up the hill and hit another round-about...), how to open the gas thing...keep in mind his van has no GPS. I eventually made it to the gas station and back in about 20 minutes, the bus had left me. Two Spanish guys were waving me down as I pulled up, oh thank the lord they were waiting for me. One of them is on the phone speaking fast Spanish, he tells me that Reggie left his bag in the van (with his game shoes, jersey, etc.). He grabs the bag out of the van, while I quickly ask, "can I just ride with you two?" They say no- that I must follow them. Wait, what if Reggie would have remembered his bag, I would have been S.O.L.! This game is an hour away Reggie said, hope he has a good CD in the car. First 25 minutes go smooth until we hit a toll station. The guys in front of me swipe a card and speed off like Vin Diesel on Fast and the Furious. I swipe my Dutch bank card...gate doesn't open. I try it with the card facing right, then left, then upside down. My heart is now pounding out of my chest. Reggie's driver side window doesn't roll down, so my door is open and I'm hanging out of the car. The cars behind me are pilling up, I pull out my Wells Fargo American bank card, swipe it about 15 times and eventually the gate opens, I peel out in the van like a mother of three who is late for soccer practice. I proceed to drive 160 KM per hour (100 mph) for 10 minutes on a gorgeous highway that reminds me of Pacific Coast highway in California. Finally I spot their car up ahead, I get right on their tail just to let them know how much I appreciate the little bitches trying to leave me. We drive another 5 minutes before hitting another damn toll station! This time my cards again don't work- I finally have to back out and proceed to a different station where I luckily have enough cash on me to get by. I'm at least 5 minutes behind those two Spanish pricks by now, so I again speed up to 160 kmph until I see a police car up ahead. I slow down to the speed limit (120 kmph) and after 15 minutes of driving realize they have lost me. I have no GPS. I have no cell phone. I don't know who or where Reggie is playing.

It's like I have a devil talking to me on one side and an angel on the other. "YOU ARE SCREWED! You're a dumb ass American who can't speak any language but English, no GPS, you're a tard who left your cell phone in Steve's car! HOW you gonna get back to Barcelona!?" Instead of yelling every curse word imaginable, my good side says "don't panic, you're good Bausch. You are the man and you will figure this out!" I drove into Salou, Spain and parked the van. Outside of Barca, they don't speak a lick of English...but I managed to find a computer with internet. "How many people can say they have been to Salou, Spain" I thought chuckling to myself. I got onto Eurobasket.com, checked out his team website- they were playing in Tarragona, Spain. I went to mapquest and hand wrote the best directions I could find. After driving for about 30 minutes and asking roughly a half dozen Spaniards for directions I was in Tarragona. With roughly half a million people living around the city- the first five people had no clue who the basketball team was. I managed to get this Spanish guy in the van, to take me to the arena (tons of pleading believe me)- offering him $20 euros for his work. He would say, "izquierdo" and "derecho" quite often and for those like me who should have paid more attention in high school- it means left and right. He got me to this small elementary looking gym and I go "THIS IS IT??" He says "SI, SI, SI!" I'm praying he's right... I walk into the gym to witness a 7th grade volleyball game...SI MY ASS! As I begin to freak out this guy comes walking up, I knew he was about to be good luck. I asked him for help and he spoke a little English...he agreed to drive his car to the arena with me following...after a million turns he were there! I repeatedly told him thank you and gave him the $20 euros, but he wouldn't accept the money. He drove me 10 miles and gas is $6.65 a gallon (Holland is $8.80). I couldn't believe he wouldn't take the money, what a great man- good karma coming his way I hope. I walked into the gym to see Reggie make a 3 pointer at the buzzer just before half-time. My stress level has now decreased, he walks onto the court for warm-ups before the third quarter when I yell "REG!" He looks at me, "DAMN WHERE THE HELL YOU BEEN?" I shake my head, if he only knew...

His team went on to win the game and he had 15 points and 5 rebounds. I followed the bus home and avoided getting ditched during the tolls. We went out that night with a few of his teammates- all great guys. The line to get into the club was probably 100 people long...good thing these guys don't have to wait. We had a great night and wow Spanish people party even later than the Dutch. People go out from like 2-5am in Holland, Spain is more like 2-630am...crazy people down south. I was able to wake up early Sunday as well and explore some more. Flying back to Holland I thought wouldn't be too bad- can't have any more bad luck right? I get into Amsterdam at 8pm, only to find out the train system has been messed up all day. I had to take a train to Utrecht and finally got home at 12:15am...I guess luck comes and goes they say.

Stay tuned for another blog about the Dutch Cup...also the parents get here Wednesday and I can't wait!

POOR JIMMER

I'm a 6'9, 240 pound sophomore at Brigham Young University. In high school I was the big man on campus- literally. School has always been important to my family so I made sure to get excellent grades. At Provo High we won games...a lot of them. Sophomore and junior year we won the Utah state championship. My stellar play didn't go un-noticed as the recruiting process was pretty hectic. I had dozens of shoe boxes full of letters from schools wanting me to sign. I had full-ride offers from Penn State, Cal, Gonzaga...but decided to stay close to home at BYU. My freshman year took some adjusting which I was told would happen, managing 15 credits and being a D1 basketball player is no joke. We would leave Wednesday for a road trip and get back Sunday...missing three days of class. I continued to work hard and earned the team academic excellence award, not bad while also playing in 35 games. Oh yeah and the winning ways continued. We went 30-6 and I played in my first NCAA tourny!

After working hard all spring and summer on the court, in the weight room. My game feels much improved from a year ago. This sophomore season honestly couldn't be going any better. We have the best player in the nation on our team, Jimmer! This dude's game is so dirty sometimes I wipe my eyes to make sure it's not a dream. Jimmer torches everybody, dropping 30 or 40 on teams like it's nobody's business! Did I mention my dude is a white boy? I was glad he came back for his senior year and didn't go into the draft last summer. I didn't know how big my role would be after my freshman year, but I'm very happy with the way I've been playing. I'm starting at center, leading our team in rebounds and scoring well. Our team is killing and I mean DOIN WORK! I'm wondering if things can honestly get any better? We just beat #4 in the nation San Diego State and we are sitting at an astounding 27-2 with Digger Phelps talking about us being a 1 seed in the NCAA TOURNY!

BREAKING NEWS: BYU STARTING CENTER BRANDON DAVIES DISMISSED FROM TEAM FOR REST OF THE SEASON.

The news of the dismissal of BYU starting center Brandon Davies from the team is sweeping the nation. People who are basketball junkies like me...well basketball has basically done everything for me up until this point in my life. When Growing up I went to school every single day so I could go to basketball practice that night. My parents said, if I'm too sick for school then I'm sure as hell too sick to practice. In high school I had dreams to play college basketball like everyone else and their dog, so my motivation and grades were always at a very high level. The truth is without basketball, I have no idea where I would be...I am so thankful for everything the game has done for me. From helping pay for college and earning my bachelor degree, to allowing me to visit dozens of beautiful countries...to the new house I'm buying in Boise-- basketball is to thank.

Being a former student-athlete and now professional basketball player...nine times out of ten, I'm probably going to back up the player. For the 12 people out there who haven't read about this already, Davies was kicked off the team for admitting to having sex with his current girlfriend. He allegedly got her pregnant and as a scarred 19 year old, he turned to his basketball family for help. This man has fought for BYU for 2 years now, why won't they fight for him? Why dismiss him for the rest of the year? I am a firm believer in rules and he broke one of them and should be punished. He didn't break any laws, he had sex with his girlfriend who he's in love with. Get him some counseling, some community service speaking with teens about abstinence...but don't end his season. Here the BYU honor code

Be honest
Live a chaste and virtuous life
Obey the law and all campus policies
Use clean language
Respect others
Abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee, and substance abuse
Participate regularly in church services
Observe the Dress and Grooming Standards
Encourage others in their commitment to comply with the Honor Code

"Students must abstain from the use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal substances and from the intentional misuse or abuse of any substance. Sexual misconduct; obscene or indecent conduct or expressions; disorderly or disruptive conduct; participation in gambling activities; involvement with pornographic, erotic, indecent, or offensive material; and any other conduct or action inconsistent with the principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Honor Code is not permitted."


I highly respect BYU's strict guidelines and honor code. I've played in the Marriott Center a couple times and it's one of the best basketball atmospheres in the nation. Are rules more important than anything? How do they determine the severity of breaking one of the rules? Is saying a curse word and drinking a beer the same punishment? It says "observe the grooming standards," so if you smell like sour body odor while going to class are you going to be suspended? Not only do I feel bad for Davies, but what about Jimmer? He turned down the money to return for his senior season and BYU had a legitimate chance at making a final four. Without their starting center....probably no chance now. BYU's honor code almost praises getting married too young. Had Davies signed a legal document with his girlfriend, he would still be playing on one of the hottest teams in the country...now he is a stressed 19 year old with a new one on the way.

SMILE

February can be like the dentist office for basketball players overseas. It's the hardest month to get through normally with younger players sometimes starting to hit the wall. Their accustomed to 5-6 month seasons and a 9-10 month season can be a grind. Most people aren't thrilled about going to the dentist but the disciplined people with great smiles don't seem to mind. Positive energy is the greatest thing in the world. Something as simple as a smile can be extremely contagious. Nobody likes being around a Debby Downer, so sometimes when you're tired or don't feel like it, just smile and get through it. After February it's smooth sailing... normally. Players who are on teams with no legit chance at winning the title start to make countdowns on their calender, "45 days til America!" In March the weather starts to get better, April is the start of the playoffs...and towards the end of May one team is celebrating and popping bottles. Difficult part is getting through the tough months and coming out with no cavities and a bright smile.

Wait a month to write a blog and quite a bit can occur over here in Europe. Thanks to coach giving us a few days off between long stretches, I've been able to take a few trips. I always say that one of the coolest things about Europe is how close everything is. When we get two days off in a row, you can do one of two things. A) sit on your ass and chill or B) go see some amazing city in Europe. Living in Groningen, you can jump in a car for 3 hours, drive south and all of a sudden find yourself in the diamond capital of the world (Antwerp, Belgium). Although I didn't buy my girlfriend any bling bling, she did get to see a beautiful city along with some famous chocolate to take back to family in Idaho. A few weeks later four of us jumped in the Seat Ibiza and drove 3 hours northeast to Germany's second largest city, Hamburg. Henry, Joanna, Lindsay and I had a blast exploring the massive and historical city. It was the perfect trip for Valentines Day and it's going to be hard to top it next year.

It's always nice having people visit while you're abroad. Lindsay has been here for awhile now and the time has flown by. Everybody who visits really loves Groningen and rightfully so. Normally the winter months overseas tend to go by slow especially when it's so dark and cold outside. However, tomorrow is already March and I can't help but wonder where the past two months have gone. My parents are coming at the end of March which is exciting. Basketball wise, we have been playing well since the new year. We're 26-3 in league so far, with a few games cushion for the top seed in the playoffs. It's huge for us to get the top seed because of home court advantage and sell out crowds. The past two years we are now 59-6 in league... a .910 winning percentage- which is basically unheard of. We also have qualified for the semi finals of the Dutch Cup which will be at the end of March. We play on the road this Thursday and Saturday...then our only remaining league game in March is the 17th and again on the road. We DON'T have a single home game in the entire month of March...but don't worry we will find other things to smile about.

FC GRONINGEN GAME

Thanks to Noorderport, Lindsay and I were invited to watch the FC Groningen game in the box suite. WE WON 7-1!!!