Well first I have to start by giving God all the praise because he truly deserves it for everything he has been doing in my life and my family's. He's a great God!

So we approach another Easter Sunday, which happens to be ONE of my favorite times of the year. Not for any particular reasons, well I guess there is a few....like being around your family, the amazing church service, and the food..OH THE FOOD, don't get me started on the food. But those are just a few things that get my heart pumping during this particular day. But this year I can add another reason to the list, and that is this Easter Sunday I am one more step closer to going back home! So with that said....yes, I'm going to miss all the those wonderful things but all those things are not the most important thing. Easter Sunday is to give our Lord the praise and I can still do that no matter where I am on the globe.

On top of missing out on Easter Sunday, I also have to go to work....yea we have practice today! But in our situation I really don't mind, we start our playoff run this Tuesday and we need to practice as much as we can right up until the tip off! We finished the regular season in the last and finally spot, 8th place! So if you know anything about tournaments, the lowest seed always starts with the highest seed....so we play the #1 team in the league! Now I know it sounds like we have no chance but we did beat this team the last time we played them, so we know it can be done because it has been done! I'm ready to play, I'm excited to play in the playoff atmosphere but I cant say I'm too excited for the 8hr bus ride ON THE SAME DAY ! But we're going to be ready to play, I'll make sure of that and I'll be sure to keep ya updated.

I hope all is well with everybody, stay blessed and take care!

Al Durham #5

Well April is finally among us, and I can be the first to say that I am thrilled about that! Everything around is starting to come to an end. March Madness is just bout over, sad to say that my Ohio State Buckeyes did not make it to the Championship game but getting to the final 4 is a big accomplishment and at times they were really fun to watch this season. My first pro season is coming into the home stretch, with the playoffs right around the corner. So with that said i'll give you all a little update on our playoff situation......right now we are currently in the last spot for post season play but we have one more regular season game that we must win in order to clinch that 8th spot out right. But with we don't our last game we would need the team right under us to loose just one of their remaining games. It's going to be a tight finish. 

If we get to the playoffs we have to start playing a lot better, we have somehow lost our "mojo." We had that 5 game win streak, but since then we're on a 3 game losing streak and thats not going to cut it! 

Just wanted to drop in with an update, hope all is well on your end....God Bless!

Al Durham #5

 First off I have to thank God for everything he's doing in my life and all the wonderful people he has put in my life! Thank you Jesus! And then I would like to give a shout out to Grace Bible College for winning their 4th consecutive National Championship, congrats boys! But since I have a little break from our games, I figured this is a great time to talk about March Madness....most definitely the best time of the year. I filled out my bracket and I have to say I'm feeling pretty confident. Although I'm starting my bracket off with a solid 2-2 record. In the first round of action I have a couple upsets but nothing special...just minor upsets like #11 Colorado over #6 UNLV....or...#12 Long Beach St. over #5 New Mexico. But my real sleeper team that I think will make a little noise is North Carolina State. I don't know why, I guess they just really impressed me in the ACC tournament. And about my Buckeyes, yea yea yea I know they lost their tournament championship but I think they really pull in it together in this tournament. I have them making a run to the Final Four, yeahhhh I said it! My Final Four predictions are #3 Baylor, #2 Missouri, #1 North Carolina, and #2 Ohio State......and in the finals I have #2 Missouri vs. #1 North Carolina...and your 2012 National Champions are the NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS !!! 

Well I'm back with more good news, we had an early game today and we won! That current has us at a 4 game winning streak and it is great! Thing around the organization is a lot better and I'm liking it. Today after our gam ewe had a free meal waiting for us, and over here a free meal is hard to come by LOL. The game for us was an important game but even more important to the other team. By us winning today we closed the door on their playoffs hopes and I'm not going to lie but it feels kind of good ! In the beginning of the game it was close and we weren't playing to our potential and it was frustrating but after halftime we kicked it in gear and began it lock down on defense and execute the offense.  I definitely had  a better game than last time and it feels good, i believe I ended with 23pts and 13rebs. This game was really big for us and we are currently in the sixth spot for the playoffs! We have a little time off and i going to enjoy this, Hope all is well and take care everybody! 

Al Durham #5

Want to thank God for getting me through another week. Well this past weekend might have been one of the best weekend I've had here in Finland. To start the weekend off we got a huge win against the #1 team in the league. And it wasn't just some lucky win, we actually dug down deep to win that game. In the beginning of the game we were alright but just good enough so that we were hanging around. I believe at halftime we were only down by 8 or 9 points, something like that! To start the 3rd quarter we did not come out with any intensity and we got down by as many as 15 pts. Our 3rd quarter was really bad, missing easy lay-ups , not making open shots, infact the only reason we were still in the game was we buckled down on "D". Somehow we managed to keep it close in the 4th and with about 4 minutes left on the clock I remember my teammate gathering us together in a hundle and saying "Look we have 4 minutes to play and we're only down 12...what ya'l trying to do?" And after that we just clicked and turnedeverything up, we went on a 15-0 run at one point and we managed to take the game to overtime were we played hard and got defensive stops! We ended up winning 76-74, definitely a great way to start the weekend. I didn't play well, I couldn't buy a bucket at all...I ended with 16pts and 18rebs.

So that's how the weekend started. After our game me and one of my teammates headed to the nearby city of Turku, I think it's like the 3rd or 4th largest city in Finalnd and hung out with one of my former teammates from Romania. We had a lot fun just catching up and chillen. 

But that week is over and it's time to start another one, we have two crucial games this week as we continue our push for the playoffs! Well thank you all for reading and i'll be in touch, take care everybody! God Bless

Al Durham #5

Hey everybody, hope all is well. I know it's been awhile but hey I'm back now!  And over the last month or so it's been a lot of basketball, and a lot of updates I need to hit ya'l with! First and for most i just want to give thanks to the Big Guy upstairs because without him none of this is possible! "I will sing the Lord's praises, for he has been good to me." Psalms 13:6.....And a special shout to Grace Bible College for winning another regional championship, GOOD LUCK at Nationals fellas!

So let me give you the scoop on how our season is shaping up. The month of February has been a rough month for the Salon Vilpas. I mean it hurts to even talk about it but throughout the month our record has been a solid 2-4 and our overall record is at a blistering 12-20. Yea I know, I dont remember the last time I've had that many loses in one season.....oh wait, yes I do...NEVER! LOL But anyway, with that kind of record you would think we would be out of the playoff haunt....NOPE!!! Still very much alive in fact! And we got a much needed win this past Friday, we played really well the whole game. Well except the technical I received but It wasn't my fault...ok it kind of was but the other wasn't..huh?...What? LOL Ok I received two technical fouls in the last 5 games, don't worry I'm going to fix that! I'm not turning into Rasheed Wallace..I got this! And on a personal level I have been maintaining my solid numbers. Still averaging a double-double, so that's still good....I have to finish the season strong! In my opinion, I believe we're going to make the playoffs and make some noise. Because if we get there, I plan on winning and fighting for that Championship. We have a good team, we just have to believe and play as a team!

Now about this All-Star weekend that just passed....the dunk contest, what the Helsinki (Capital of Finland) was that crap? Just one time Lebron, just once! Well friends, and family it was good to catch up with ya'l....and I'll be in touch! Take care, God Bless!

Al Durham #5

Im back, Im back and this time with good news. Tonight we pulled off a big win against the 2nd place team, and it wasn't a fluke win...we played hard for 40 minutes! In my opinion we dominated for most of the game, they made a couple runs but we countered each one and came back strong! I don't remember the score but we won by like 10 points or something like. Now on a personal note, I played really well on both sides of the ball. Ok ok ok the first half started off a little shaking, got two quick fouls and went into the half with only 4pts and like 4 or 5 rebounds. I just felt like i was letting my team down and something just snapped and i dominated the 3rd and most of the 4th quarter. I really need this type of game for me! And as a team we needed this game because it shows us that we can play with anybody in the league! Great job tonight Vilpas!

Al Durham #5

Well before I get into anything else, Salo, Finland has got to be one of the few places without a 24hr McDonalds......seriously? My roommate and I went out a couple nights ago for a midnight snack, ok we were actually starving...well please close but we could not find a single restaurant. It was so depressing, so long story short I made pb&J sandwich. I think it's time to go grocery shopping. Haha

Well after these next two games coming up, we'll be heading into the home stretch of the season. The last rounds before playoffs. Checked the calendar and I have 71 days left until our last game, not going to lie but I'm really excited about that. So and update of the playoff picture, I believe that we are currently in 9th or 10th place but standings are based on a "point system" and we are tied with the 6th, 7th, and 8th place team. So with that said, if we get a couple wins we could be in any one of the spots. So lets keep all fingers crossed! 

Good news, my knee has got a lot better and feels back to nromal. Now if I can get rid of this cold then i'll be in business! Yea yea yea I know, if it's not one thing it's another LOL.

Well I was hoping to get back on here to update you all with some good news, but unfortunately we came up a bit short AGAIN. Outside of me not being able to buy a basket throughout the first three quarters, I think as a team we played pretty well. We had a couple blown assignments in critical parts of the game that really hurt us and I decided to show up way too late. I owned the 4th quarter but my team needed me the whole game and I dropped the ball but no worries we have a whole week of practice to fix our errors and hopefully we can learn from them. I believe I ended with 20pts and 9rebs, I really dont understand how I'm always one or two rebounds aways from a double-double...it's starting to get frustrating. But other than the lost had a great weekend, just relaxed with the roommates....a little college basketball, a little NBA, and the playoffs of course! The Giants looked really good last night and speaking of looking good my Buckeyes did work against Indiana. So proud!

Today I got back into my reading and today I read about having faith in the Lord, and how Abraham had the ultimate faith in the Lord and was willing to give his one and only son. And just reading that tells me I should always have faith in him.....like my mother always told me and my sister " I'm never going to tell you anything that's wrong" and I have to believe it works the same way with God! So with all that said and how I'm feeling right now, I think this is going to be a good week! 

God Bless, take care!

Al Durham #5

Hey I'm back, sorry it's been awhile but I was in a little funk. I'm not sure what the real problem was but I just wasn't myself. I think my homesickness is starting to really get to me but I can make it just two and half months!

Well I know it's been a little bit so let me update you on the basketball side of things. Sunday we were in a must win situation, a team that was hot on our tail for that last spot in the playoff race. The game was tight early but then we started to pull away in the second half, I didn't play up to my expectations but I played good and I really helped the team out in other ways. Now from what I've heard the top 8 teams go to the playoffs and I believe with that win it moved us up to 7th place by a game and a half or something like that. So that was Sunday! Now yesterday we had a good match up with last year's runner up. It was a long long loooong road trip and excuse my language, but it SUCKED!!! So not only did we have a 8 hour bus ride but we had to play the same day, I dont know how they expect us to do that. So with all that said, I'm pretty you guessed it but we started out horrible, I mean it was bad! Rushing our plays, turning the ball over, sucky defense and I don't even know what I was doing. But once we settled down and relaxed we started to play real basketball, and I got back to just "ballin!"  Last game and the first half of this game I was just thinking way too much, thinking if I was running the play right and I was not helping the team like i know I could. But I finally snapped out of it and I owned the 3rd quarter and we actually had the lead for awhile. But we were playing a veteran team and they made another run that sealed the deal for us and we came up short. As far as the playoff race, I'm not sure where that puts us....I just know we have to come out on Saturday and get that "dub!"

I'll make sure to stay up to date with the blog.....well, i'll try at least LOL. Hope all is well with everyone, keep him first and you'll go far....promise! God Bless, take care!

Al Durham #5

Well when I woke up today I had high hopes, it was finally gameday after a whole week and I could finally get back on the floor and do what I do! The saying "You cant win them all" well that was shown today! We just didn't play good at all and our defense was the worst, but in our defense our head coach was gone for the whole week with the Finland national team so......but anyways the first was close we was going back and fourth and putting up a good fight. I had a couple monster dunks, had to let the crowd know I was in the building LOL but how we played in the second quarter...the crowd probably forgot our team was in the building! Long story short, at the end of the 1st quarter we were down by 5pts and at halftime we were down by 23pts LOL it just happened so fast, it was like time skipped!  And sad to say it didn't get any better, we made a little run early in the 4th quarter but they shut that down really fast. I believe i ended with the game with 23pts and 7rebs.....it was a rough one! 

So my new year's resolution was to not just say the things I wanted to do but to really strive to do them and I know 2012 is only 6 days in but I've been doing pretty good. And one of the main things i wanted to do because of all the free time I have was get back reading the word. And I have been doing that faithfully and I must say it makes my whole day better! Im not big on reading so I never thought I could just read it outside of class or outside of my grandmother making. But I have and it has been really helpful because it's tough being over here without my family and friends but reading the God's word just has me thinking about so many different things. 

I know this blog was a little different and i don't know what the point of me tell you all that but it was on my mind so there you go! Hope all is well with everyone, and make sure you take the time out to tell your love ones that you love them! Well take care, and talk to you soon!

Al Durham #5

Well first off I just want to say Happy New Year EVERYBODY!!! I hope you all had a great time, I know I did ! The president of the club had us all over his house for fireworks and games etc etc. Everybody here is just so welcoming and friendly, and they know how to have fun! We played this little shuffle board game and it was intense but fun! I don't think I wrote about my last game but we played the two-time defending Champs on Friday, and I must say it was a dog fight. We lead most of the game but they would NOT go away. I did not play my best game but we got the victory and that is what matters.....ok ok ok, I'm a little upset I didn't play that well but what could I do, I had 3 fouls in the first half ! And then got the fourth foul like 3 minute into the second half, but we managed to pull out the victory ...i think the final score was 76-74 . I think I finish with 21pts and like 5 or 6 rebs. But that was last year so I have to forget about it and focus on 2012.

This year I want to really strive to be the best I can be in all aspects!  A better follower of Christ, a better son, better brother, boyfriend etc. Everyone talk about "New Year Resolution," but they start it for like the first week and then it's back to normal...yes I am included ! Well my New Year Resolution this year to to NOT do that. I know what I have to work on and I'm going to try to do my best to do those things ....faithfully. I updated my facebook status today and said "The calendar can't be the only thing that changes, if you want to be better than last year....well you gotta change too!"  I'm not sure where that came from but it is so true, i use to think that just because it says a different number on top of the calendar everything just changes by itself...well it doesn't ! So I guess what I'm trying to say everybody is, it's one thing to talk about it but it's another thing to DO it! I hope all is well everybody, God Bless!

Al Durham #5

Well my first game played with my new team is in the books! And I must say, it got kind of crazy! Well first thing's first we did get the win...YES SIR and it took an overtime to get it! But hey a win is a win ...right? Overall the game was pretty evenly matched, several lead changes , couple ties but overall it was close. So with that said it only makes sense that we would have a close finish. Nearing the end of regulation there was 1:04 left on the clock and we were down by 7pt....and let me tell you at this point i didn't know what to think because it did not look good at all ! My teammate was at the free throw line after his "and 1" but he missed the FT and we managed to get the rebound and score. Now we're down 5pts....TIME-OUT! On the defensive end we played hard nose "D" and we got the ball back, my teammate drove to the lane put the shot and...BUCKETS, down 3. Ok I dont remember the time on the clock but after all that it wasn't a lot of time left. Next defensive possesion we made the mistake of fouling but  he only made 1/2 ......ok long story short we tried the game and went into overtime with the score of 77-77. And once we got to overtime we was getting BUCKETSssss! LOL 

Final Score...90-86

Allen Durham        27pts....19rebs...... 38 -Effiency! That's how we do baby! :-)

The fans was great by the way, and it was a lot playing in front of them! Thanks for the support Salo ! Hope all is well, and take care of yourself..God Bless!

Al Durham #5

Well today was the first day that I met my team and practiced with the team. Today's practice was a little harder than a normal practice, but then again I bet any practice after a holiday break would be tough. I don't know the guys all that well yet but I can tell that it's a good group and i think I'm going to enjoy playing with them. Coach Mikko is a "coo dude," he's a younger coach so he knows what the players like. I'm going to like playing for him...well I think LOL.

My role on this team is going to be a little different but I'm excited because the type of style they want me to play is going to help evolve my game. And if I want to play at the next level this is the style I'm going to have to play! 

Positive mark on the day is that I was finally able to talk to ma dukes for a bit and my lil sister, so that's always nice! But they asked about my first game and I told them I'm going to see if there's a link and I'll let everybody know. Well I know it's not much this session but I just wanted to get some thoughts out, that's all! 

Hope all is well, and take care!

Al Durham #5

 Finland: Day 1

 Well here I am trying this blog thing again, I kind of forgot the password to my other blog LOL but whatev! So I know I've been away for awhile and I told myself that if started a blog I would keep it up to date. Well you all see how that ended.....LOL. Well enough with all the chit chat, let me tell you what's been going on with my journey overseas.

So I'm not sure I remember what I wrote in my first blog but I'm sure it was something along the lines of "Yea I'm in Romania and it's sweet!" Or, "I'm so excited to have this opportunity to play in Romania." Or, "Doesn't get too much better than this, I'm living the dream,"......ok ok ok you're right , I'm pretty sure I didn't say none of that but I know I was really happy. And while I was writing how happy I was, I should have been writing "HELP, HELP, get me out of here!" or "S.O.S." Well I guess what I'm trying to say is that Romania was not all roses and peaches like I thought in the beginning! Now I could make a list of all the things but I'm not going to do that, because I don't want to ruin any of your future plans you had to visit Romania HAHAHA....! Although I have to say it wasn't all bad, there was the week my beautiful girlfriend came to visit :-) . But even with that said, she wasn't enough to make me want to stay in Romania...I wanted OUT !! So I prayed to GOD and my agent and I did some work on our end and like always GOD heard my prayers! GOD is not only good but he's AMAZING! We found another opportunity and a better situation for me but I must say Dinamo didn't let me leave without a fight. So with all that said, ladies and gentlemen....."I'm taking my talents to Salo, Finland! "

So I got here last night and I must say, I did not have the most plesant flight. I swear they need to have an age limit for flying, because if you're too young all you do is cry and touch me, and it's really uncomfortable because no one should want to scream at a baby but I was really stressed that day. And if you're too old all you do is cough and sneeze. I really felt like I needed a hot tub filled with hand sanitizer. Ok, maybe the age limit is a little much but i was having a bad day, my fault but whatev because it's over and I'm finish in Finland. What's that saying? "Out with the old and in with the new," well that's what I feel like right now! The city isn't much but maybe that means I can save more money. I don't know I just have a really good feeling about this team and this experience, like it's going to be really good but then again it would be hard to get any worse than what I delt with! They celebrate their Christmas on the 24th, so nothing was open today but that was good because I finally did my laundry that needed to be done. Well I'm really excited for this second half of the season, first practice on Monday then game on Wednesday..."I like it!" If there is any links, I'll be sure to let all of you know and keep in touch leave a comment and I'll try extra hard to respond.

Last but not least, I just want to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy your families, enjoy the food, and definitely enjoy the start of the NBA season...I know I will ! You all be safe, take care!

Al Durham #24