I am heading down to Florida on Sunday, August 3 - Saturday August 9th.   No, not for what someone might instantly think, the beach or night life, but it will be for basketball.   I will work with a shooting coach, Marvin Harvey, otherwise known as “The Teacher” for a week.  Yes, it sounds like I am going back to school.  Marvin is well known among both NBA and WNBA players for his ability to develop great shooters.  I had worked with him 4 years ago and felt that he really helped my game.

You can check out his “Shooter’s Touch Academy” at: http://na4tb.com

Also, view the link “All Pro” on the left hand side of the website for pictures of the professional players that he has worked with over the years.

I can not tell you how excited I am to play my first Euroleague season! It is where I have wanted to be since I started playing in Europe 6 years ago. I started at the bottom and worked my way up, with nothing being handed to me- a great feeling. Of course, however, now that I will be given this opportunity, there is still a lot left to get done!

A few days ago, FIBA Europe had its draw for the Euroleague teams, including my new team Lotos Gdynia. We will play in Group C with 5 other teams, including Ros Casares (Spain), USK Prague (Czech Republic), Union Halnaut Basket (France), UMMC Ekterinburg (Russia) and JBS Sibenik (Croatia).

I checked out the rosters from various teams and it looks like the whole WNBA is coming to play in Europe again. Of course, my team Lotos Gdynia signed some big names such as Alana Beard, who is among the top scorers in this year’s WNBA season with 18.3 points/game for the Washington Mystics. Also, there is a rumor that our team is after Tamika Catchings as well.

Lotos Gdynia also announced the hiring of its new head coach- Jacek Winnicki. Sounds like it will be an exciting season!  You can check out our teams website for up to date information at:  http://lotospkobp.pl/

It is that time of year again! ….summer camp time that is! After a long season, this year I had asked myself, do I really need to work this summer? Well, not really to be honest! But, the truth is, I really enjoy working with young basketball players and developing talent. There is no better emotional reward for me than helping a young player enhance their game and seeing results.

Of course, I also would like do something again in my hometown, Williamstown, New Jersey. It would be a chance to give back to my community that has given so much to me. However, that is a little complicated right now, and I chalk it up to the idea that there is a time for everything.

Therefore, for the 2nd year in a row, I will work at the Philadelphia 76ers summer basketball camp. The camp is held up in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, which are located in Stoudsburg, Pennsylvania. I had really enjoyed doing this camp last summer and wanted to be a part of it again.

I will help coordinate the girls’ program, which lasts for 2 weeks, from June 29th - July 12th. It is the chance to work with players who come from over 40 countries and also great staff, lead by camp director, Todd Landrey. He runs a great show.

Throughout the week, appearances are made by NBA players, who give motivational speeches for the campers… and the staff too!

Go Sixers! For more information, go to sixerscamps.com

After three interesting days of basketball, CSKA finally won the title of the Euroleague 2008. Here are some of the pictures including one with Ekaterina Dimitrova, who also played in Italy last season for Montigarda.

This upcoming weekend is probably the biggest weekend for European basketball - well men’s basketball at least. The best European league - Euroleague is having a tournament called Final Four which will be held in Madrid, Spain. Guess what - I am going!

I am really excited to have the chance to see the best teams in Europe, which as Tau Vitoria from Spain, CSKA Moscow from Russia, Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel and Montepaschi Siena from Italy. Last team I even saw already live in Rome, when they played Lottomatica Roma.

I must say I don’t know that much about European men’s basketball but there are other people that cover that … like BallinEurope. So if you need any information head over there.

I will leave for Madrid on Friday and come back on Tuesday, while the tournament’s final will take place on Sunday. Of course I will take some pictures and post them here on my blog.