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.