In The Know w/ Finke & Hill

As a kid growing up in a tight-knit, competitive family, sports were everything to me. I tried every sport I could play from golf to basketball and anything in between. If you were to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer would have depended on the time of year and what sport I was playing at the time. However, one thing that would have been consistent, no matter what time of the year it was, would have been that I wanted to be a professional athlete. 

As I was finishing up 8th grade, I was mainly focused on two sports at the time – baseball and basketball. Baseball was a sport I had grown up playing from t-ball to playing travel baseball all across the country. It was a sport I enjoyed and if I am being honest, I was probably better at it than basketball. However, deep down I knew it wasn’t my true passion. I went through my last travel baseball season the summer leading into high school and even though it was a lot of fun and I had a successful season, I knew that it had run its course.

As I entered high school, I was 6”5 and rapidly growing. I decided right then and there that I wanted to do anything and everything I could to follow my dream of playing Division 1 basketball and then ultimately become a professional. 

Fast forward down the road, I finished my last year of college eligibility off at Grand Canyon University. I had a good college career full of many memories and experiences that I would never forget, but now I was ready for the next challenge in my life. 

It was time to chase my childhood dream, but how do I go about it?

Fortunately, I was approached by several agents that had the experience to help me. Once I landed on my agent, he helped me find a place to play, and that ultimately ended up being Warsaw, Poland.

At the time, I didn’t know much about Poland at all. I had heard of Warsaw and knew it was a big city, but other than that, I was clueless.

I also had so many questions from a logistics point of view going into it as well. My fiancée (now wife) was coming with me and I wanted to make it as smooth a transition for her as possible too. Fortunately, I was in a good situation and the team did what they could do to accompany us and make us feel right at home.

As far as the questions I had though, I am sure there were more than I can even recall now, but there were a few basic ones that pretty much apply to anywhere you sign in Europe that I will share with you all.

With MOST teams, but not all, they will pretty much provide the following for you at a bare minimum:

• Round trip ticket for you and your significant other (if you have one)
• Health Insurance for you and your spouse (at the time we weren’t married so we had to get it on our own for her, but it wasn’t that expensive)
• Car with car insurance paid for 
• Furnished Apartment paid for by the team

Now there will be different terms in different contracts depending on the player and the team, but for the most part, this will pretty much be covered for any American coming overseas to play. 

So knowing this going into it made it a lot less stressful for me to worry about. I didn’t have to worry about paying for a car, apartment, and other little things. I just had to show up and play basketball. Sounds great right?

Boarding the plane from Chicago to Warsaw, I truly didn’t know what to expect. I think a part of me thought that it was about to be a paid vacation where I happened to play basketball as well.

I quickly realized I had to flip that mindset.

When a team signs you, it means they have faith in you to produce for their club. Whether you are making $100 a month or $100,000 a month, you are the club’s biggest asset. They expect you to give your all for the team and do everything you can for the club to win.

As we went through our preseason practices, I had some good days and some bad, but I thought for the most part that I was doing well. 

However, I can recall our first preseason game with one of the best teams in the league. We ended up losing pretty handly, but it was just a scrimmage so I didn’t think too hard into it. I remember thinking to myself after the game that I thought I did okay, but there were a few things I could do differently going forward. All in all though, I was satisfied. After all, it was just a scrimmage, right?

My coach thought a little differently.

I remember watching our game film that next morning and I got LIT up. Words were said that I can’t quite repeat, but just know it was a rude awakening for me. 

After a few hours of watching the game and learning some new Serbian phrases (other overseas hoopers will understand), I was ready to get back out there and redeem myself. 

The preseason continued and I focused on what our coach wanted out of me. I tried to improve on little things day in and day out, and even though I would hear phrases from him saying “American Airlines”, inferring that I will be sent home, I tried not to let it get to me.

As our season officially started, I was enjoying myself. Our team was winning, I was playing well personally, and I was enjoying the city and culture with Lexi. Things couldn’t be going any better. 

Lexi and I made it a habit to get out of the apartment and explore the city. We would go all around and try different foods, see the great architecture, and just explore. Those were times I will always cherish because it was our first time out on our own. We were able to experience things that I could have never even dreamed of. It was amazing.

As a few months went by in the season though, our team started to really struggle. We had lost multiple games in a row and the unfortunate truth for overseas hoopers is that when your team starts to do bad, you’re pretty likely to get cut. 

That is just what happened. 

I had received a call from my agent saying they were releasing me. It was tough to hear, but I had faith in the process. I was confident in my play and just wanted to find a place where I would feel wanted.

Luckily, I found just that. 

I ended up signing with a team in Estonia named BC Kalev/Cramo. When my agent called saying I had an offer from them, I truthfully didn’t want to go there. I had never even heard of the country. However, he quickly told me that they were in the VTB league which is the top Russian league and one of the top domestic leagues in all of Europe. So, it was ultimately a no-brainer to take that offer. 

Plus, it was a pay raise. Win-Win.

So, we packed our bags and headed to Tallinn, Estonia. 

It was a beautiful country and a great club. Both Lexi and I were really enjoying the situation. I was able to play in a great league and we could enjoy another great city together. 

As I joined the team midseason, I will admit it was a little different than I was used to. I had to find my rhythm with a new team quicker than I usually might have to. I just tried to do whatever was asked of me by the staff. Looking back on it, I feel like I could have played a lot better than I did, but I am still very thankful for the whole situation.

Unfortunately though, just as our team was starting to make strides in the league and I was coming into myself as a player on this team, Covid hit. Our season was forced to shut down immediately and just like that we were back in the states within a week.

When I look back on my first year, there were a lot of very memorable experiences. We were able to see two great cities and I got to play on two different teams that both played internationally. Meaning that not only did I play in only Poland and Estonia, but I got to travel to different countries as well and play against different competition (Those leagues were Fiba Europe Cup and the VTB League for those that were curious).

These were my four biggest takeaways that I took from that year that I have tried to imply going forward throughout my short career thus far:

• Explore the cities you are in
  • I know too many people that play overseas and just sit in their room and sleep and/or play video games all day. Sure there is a time and place for all of that, but we are on the other side of the world and who knows if we will ever get the chance to see these places again. It has been great to see different cities, explore different cultures, and do all of that with my wife, Lexi.
• As an American playing overseas, you are always interchangeable
  • This was something I didn’t quite get until I experienced it first hand. The unfortunate truth is that it is a ruthless business. These clubs want you to enjoy your time, but at the end of the day, they want to win. If you arent producing then you will be cut. Even if you ARE producing, but you are losing, you will be cut. The reason for this is because teams are only allowed a certain number of import players (players not from the country you are in). They expect the import players to be some of the best players on the team. If you aren’t meeting their expectations, then they are on to the next one.
  • Now, I try to take it personally that I can be cut at any given point. I use that as motivation to work even harder and do everything in my power to be the best person and player I can be for the club I am on.
• It is NOT a paid vacation
  • As great as it is to explore and see these amazing cities and countries, you are not there to be a tourist. Yes, get out and explore but just know, basketball has to come first. You have to do everything you can to take care of your body and be in the best place physically and mentally to be ready for practices and games day in and day out.
• Find different hobbies other than basketball
  • This is a huge thing that took me my first year of playing to figure out and honestly I wish I would have realized it in college too. Throughout my college days and my first year as a pro, I was only focused on basketball. I let it affect my spirit, good or bad. If I had a bad game, I was depressed until our next game. If I had a great game, I was getting too high emotionally and would be humbled real quick.
  • Last year I took the time to develop new interests like self-development, reading, learning about Real Estate, and most recently, starting this blog. I have continued to use this approach this season as well and in the past two seasons, I have enjoyed my time as a hooper more and I have played better than I ever have. 
  • Good or bad practice or good or bad game, it doesn’t matter. As soon as I leave the gym I flip the switch and try not to focus on what just happened. I have found that I am in a great mental space and my production has shown because of it.
  • My advice to anyone would be to find different hobbies and interests outside of your work if you don’t already have them. Getting your mind off of what consumes most of your time is healthy. You will be better at your job because of it. I can attest to this from personal experience. It works. 

This was obviously a lot longer than my previous posts and it doesn’t have a big message or takeaway like my others, but I just wanted to give you guys a little look into what life is like out here and what I am learning through the process. Especially after my first year of playing.

Thank you for the continued support throughout this whole journey. It means more to me than you will ever know.

God Bless.

Michael

P.S.

As always, leave any questions or comments that you might have for Malc and me. We appreciate all the support!