Sports, Ink

Stampede to hold tryouts

The Buffalo Stampede of the Premier Basketball League will have an open tryout from 1-4 p.m., on June 14 at the Jewish Community of Greater Buffalo at 2640 N. Forest Rd in Getzville. The fee is $50. If registering at the tryout arrive no later than 12:30 p.m. For more information, call 716-603-9749.

Jason's Journey

Jason Rowe, the former Traditional standout, begins his eighth season of playing professional basketball overseas. Rowe, who is the starting point guard for Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Italy, will keep us updated throughout the season with a blog for Sports, Ink.

I can't lie, as soon as the last game of the season was finished I wanted to jump right in the first game of the playoffs. I didn't want to wait a week . The anticipation was too great for me. I felt like a kid waiting on Christmas Eve for Christmas morning. All week long I tossed and turned in the bed because the butterflies were so great. It's been a long time since I have been this excited.

Our opponent, Jesi, is a team we split with during the regular season. Both teams winning on their home court. Good thing for us we start the first two games of the best -of-five series at home. There are many underlying stories between these teams. We have two players who played for Jesi in the past and Jesi beat Sassari six straight times the previous season (including a 3-0 sweep) in last year's playoffs. Game 1, (finally LOL) we jumped out on Jesi early and took control of the game from the opening tip. In my opinion this was one of our best games of the season, by halftime we were up, 48-21, and finished the game winning, 94-67 (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assist). I knew Game Two would not nearly be this easy and I knew we would have to be prepared for a battle in game 2. I think we just caught them on a very bad night. Game 2, was a the complete opposite. Jesi took an early lead and we could never recover. To the surprise of us and our fans we headed to the locker room after the game with a 78-68 loss (13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists). and heading to Jesi for two games, a place where we have not won this year. No one could help to wonder if we let a good thing slip away by losing Game Two.

We knew going to Jesi and winning would not be easy, but not impossible, The goal? Get one victory and make sure we come home for Game 5. Game 3, was the same story ... for Jesi.  Again, from the opening tip they were the aggressor both offensively and defensively, We lost 89-81 (22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and now we find ourselves down 2-1 facing elimination on the road. Because of how often we play there is really little time for feeling sorry for yourself there was only 48 hours after Game Three until Game Four. The only thing you can do is watch video and mentally and physically prepare yourself for the next game. One of the things I told some of my teammates was that our mission is far from finished. Our goal was to come to Jesi and get one game. No one said it had to be Game 3, so fortunately we have another chance at winning. I told them the key to winning was to be ready from the opening tip, and not wait until we are down to start playing. Let's keep the crowd out of it, and not give Jesi any extra motivation. I also told them that although we have pressure, Jesi has more, they really don't want to come back to our place for a Game 5.

For me, I felt like I was trying too hard to win, so I needed to calm down. My adrenaline was racing all week and as a result, towards the end of games, I would be tired, so i had to find some way to relax. Luckily for me there was a spa attached to our hotel. so needless to say. I spent some time away from basketball for a few hours When Game 4 started I was so relaxed and ready to play. I felt normal and not like so high strung like the previous games. Immediately it was a different game and as a result we were down by one point at the end of the first quarter, a good sign for us considering we were down by double figures in the previous two games. Myself I didn't get off to a great start but we were in the game I only had 11 points in the first half, but more importantly we were winning by seven. I knew when we came back on the floor the first five minutes of the third quarter would be important. As expected Jesi came out and close the gap to just one. Now the pressure is on. Mentally, I was thinking about how much of a waste this season would be to lose in the first round and we have had too many heartbreak loses and this one was not going to be another one. I wasn't ready to come home either. I love my vacation time in the summer but not right now, I feel like we have something special going on and the vacation will be there. I am not sure when I will get close to a championship again. We beat Jesi in overtime 109-107, in that game I set a team record for most points in the playoffs (38) ,and I also set a personal record of eight three pointers . The stage of now set for Game Five at home on TV. Just the way I like it (LOL).

Game Five, in front of a sold out crowd is every athlete's dream. You win you advance, You lose you go home and think about "what could have been". Losing is not an option for me right now.. I knew the game plan of Jesi, was to play me physical and not allow me to make so many shots as I did in Game Four. My game plan, simple, just win. However , whatever. Again we came out the aggressor and never let up. We controlled the tempo of the game and Jesi never could find their rhythm , for 40 minutes. The result, Sassari, 78-66. It wasn't my best shooting night but , I didn't care we won (11 points, 6 assists, 5 steals, 3 rebounds). Semi finals are next leading up to the first semi final game this team has seen since 1995, has been crazy. Fans have been stopping me on the road congratulating me and wishing me good luck for the next round. I have been signing autographs' in the grocery store and in my own apartment building. My Facebook friend requests have tripled (LOL) . One guy even told me that if I led them to the championship he would build a statue for me outside of the stadium ( I am thinking its a recession where is this guy getting this money from? Give it to me LOL!!!).

Seriously its incredible, I wouldn't trade this for anything right now. Another women emailed me and told me that her family is going through hard times, yet for two hours when they watch me play all her struggles are gone. These are the moments, that sometimes get overlooked as an athlete. You never know what someone is going through and to be able to provide some type of relief to their life, I can only thank God and feel fortunate for what he has giving me another best of five series is ahead of us now, This time Scafati. We lost to Scafati, twice during the season once at the buzzer and another by four. They finished ninth and got in the playoffs on the last day. Scafati upset the second place team in the first round, so again it won't be easy for us, but I am not ready to come home yet (LOL).

---Jason Rowe

Back to Blackjack

The reappearance of $5 blackjack tables in Niagara Falls found me back in the "Green Felt Jungle" doing research for a story on discount gambling in The Buffalo News and pursuing one of my favorite pastimes as well.

I started playing blackjack --- the popular card game also known as "21" or "Beat The Dealer" --- back in 1997, shortly after the opening of Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ont.

I won't boast that I have mastered the the game. But I have figured out that a combination of intelligent play (stick to a strategy), progressive betting (when you're ahead, bet more), money management (quit when you're ahead) and a little luck, I've found a fun and affordable hobby.

But although the "lure of easy money, it's got a very strong appeal" (to quote the lyrics from "Smuggler's Blues" by Glenn Frey), I think the biggest lure of blackjack is the fact that, like sports, no two games are ever alike. Every time I sit down at a table and hand over $100 for a stack of chips, I'm embarking on a new adventure.

Since Aug. 5, 1999, when I won $100 at Casino Niagara, I've kept a bare-bones diary of my blackjack life. Here are a few high (and low) memories.

Good streaks: On Oct. 18, 2000, I walked away from CN with a profit of $52.50 and recorded my 11th straight winning session, a streak that started seven months earlier with wins at the $3 tables at the Las Vegas Club and the Golden Gate Casino in downtown Las Vegas. During the streak, I won a total of $623.50.

As players in all sports and games can attest, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, as good as a winning streak. When things are going your way, you "see the ball" real well, all the close calls go your way, and at resulted in a total profit of $700. This streak started and ended with sessions at the $10 table.

For me, the difference between playing at a $5 (per hand minimum bet) and $10 table is like night and day.

For one thing, to play under my personal rules at the higher level, I have to decide to risk $250 (25 times the minimum) instead of $125. At that level, my heart beats faster, my breath gets shorter, my blood pressure goes up, especially when --- in instances when my rules say to split and double down --- I might have some $60 or $90 riding on the turn of a card. Sometimes I walk around the casino and watch people playing blackjack at the $25, $50 or $100 tables and wonder how they do it. 

Bad streaks: While I've had some terrible times at the tables, my longest losing streak has been just four sessions in a row, all at Seneca Niagara Casino (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) in December 2004. My notes say I lost a total of $80 during that time playing "Gollehon style." That refers to John Gollehon, author of  a book called "What Casinos Don't Want You To Know." Apparently I didn't read it closely enough.

My notes say that I quit playing on game in the streak because the pit boss raised the minimum bet from $5 to $10 and didn't "grandfather" the existing $5 players so they could keep playing at that level. This has always been one of my biggest complaints about casinos. When the day goes on and the crowds get bigger, they raise the minimums. Ask me if I feel sorry for them now that times are tough.

Buzzsaws: My first use of this word came on March 3, 2003, when I lost $250 in a $10 game at Casino Niagara. You know how a buzzsaw zips right through a piece of wood, throwing sawdust all over the place as it rips from one end to the otherƒ Than's what happens to a stack of chips when you run into a buzzsaw dealer. You lose every hand. You get 20, the dealer pulls 21. You split aces and draw a pair of deuces. You double down with an 11 and draw a three. You shoulda walked away long ago. Luckily, buzzsaws don't come along that often. I've noted only four of them in 204 sessions, but they accounted for losses totaling $752.50.

Cool it: When I first started playing I would get very upset when other players at the table made the "wrong" move and played what I considered to be stupidly. Like they'd hit their 16 when the dealer showed a four or stand with 12 against a dealer's two. I, and many others like me, believed that such play louses up the karma of the deck and causes everybody at the table to lose.

But then one hot summer night I found myself at "third base" (to the immediate right of the dealer) a table with a handful of hard-drinking German tourists who neither spoke English, nor understood blackjack. They played every hand wrong. But to my surprise I won, and won and won. It was the beginning of my mellowing, Over the years, I've come to believe that in the long run, it doesn't matter how others play their hands as long as you play yours correctly.

Spillover: It's September 21, 2005 and I'm playing in a $5 game at the new Fallsview Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, Ont. It's about 10:30 a.m. and a man carrying a glass of beer sits down at the table. This guy is bad news," I say to myself after it becomes obvious that he's not an experienced player. A few minutes later, he spills his beer all over the table, which management closes immediately, leaving me $30 in the hole. I didn't play again for three months. Next time out, a coffee spiller wiped out the table while I was $50 ahead. Good thing I've mellowed.

Free ain't free: Back in the day, the Canadian casinos would set me coupons good for, say, $10 or $20 in free chips. My records show that in 2003-04 I got $70 in free chips and put them into play on four occasions. The first three times I won a total of $115. The last time I lost $125. There's a lesson here someplace.

Day to remember: October 20, 2004, Seneca Niagara Casino. I have never before nor since sat in on a $5 game as hot as this one. The dealer was a young lady and the shoe (box from which the cards are dealt) was Tabasco hot. I hit my win goal ($50) plus another $15. I decided to stay around until Iost three in a row. Well, it took a long time for that to happen. Hand after hand went the players' way. The dealer went bust about 12 times in a row. The guy next to me looked at his watch, like he had someplace better to go. "Do you realize what's going on?" I whispered to him. "This is the hottest table I've ever seen." When it cooled down, I left with a profit of $175.

Cheater's proof: One day I sat next to a man who told me he'd come all the way from Rochester to play blackjack at CN. During the game, the man lost a hand but the dealer miscounted and mistakenly paid him. The guy kept the chips and I whispered to him "This is your lucky day." He then lost the next nine hands in a row. "I shoulda gave it back," he said.

Woulda, coulda: Twice --- on Dec. 10, 2002 at CN and Feb. 4, 2005 at Fallsview --- I sat down and won my first nine hands in a row. Nine in a row! Keeping with my usual pattern of betting $5, then $10, then $15, then back to $5 and so forth, I walked away with a profit of $52.50 each time. I was happy, but the thought crossed my mind that if I'd, say, kept adding $5 to my bet each time, I could have ended up with $225. And what if I'd double my bet each time. A nine-in-a-row parlay would total $2,515.

Constant comment: I am a follower of "Basic Strategy." I have memorized the correct response to all possible combinations of hands and try to never vary from what they call "The Book." For example, if I have a pair of nines and the dealer's up-card is a seven, I stand. But if the dealer shows an eight, I split my nines and take new cards on them. I also believe that once I sit down to play, I keep playing until I either hit my win goal (usually $50 plus) or lose my $125 session bankroll.

But I have a friend who has a completely opposite philosophy. He never takes a card if he holds 12 or more, no matter what the dealer shows. And he plays hit-and-run. He'll step up to a table, put down $100, and play one or two hands, win or lose.

Last time I saw him at Seneca Niagara, we argued over our methods. Then he stepped up and won $250 in two hands and went home. Guess he'll never listen.

--- Bob Summers

Jason's Journey

Jason Rowe, the former Traditional standout, begins his eighth season of playing professional basketball overseas. Rowe, who is the starting point guard for Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Italy, will keep us updated throughout the season with a blog for Sports, Ink.

I was excited about going back and playing against my former team in their gym for the first time. I didn't have anything personal against them, I just didn't want to lose. Entering the arena for the first time since 2006, I was filled with bittersweet memories of that season. We had a very talented team (two players were drafted in the NBA. Brandon Hunter by the Boston Celtics and Paul McPhearson by the Phoenix Suns), but due to injuries (I broke my hand) and obvious losses we finished in last place that year.

We got off to a early lead in the first half and even started to take total control early in the second half. During one stretch I hit back-to-back three pointers. After the second three, I turned to some of our fans who were sitting in the crowd and yelled in celebration. The Living crowd did not take too kindly to that because they thought I was taunting them and I can honestly say that was not my intent. It was a big shot during a crucial moment of the game and my emotions got the best of me. For the rest of the game every time I touched the ball I was calling plays through thousands of boos, a few middle fingers and whistles (when the crowd whistles its a sign of disrespect). It actually didn't bother me because it made the game that more like a playoff game. But, like our previous matches this season, it could not end without some sort of drama. We lost our lead (at one point it was 16) and with three seconds to go. Jermaine Boyette of Livorno hit the decisive game winning free throws. Our desperation half court shot came up short and another heart breaking loss for us. Livorno 89. Sassari 87 (I had 19 points, seven rebounds).

Getting to the locker room became more of a challenge then the actual game. As some fans took it upon themselves to start a fight with some of out management, including spitting on their children and even yelling the "N" word to me and a few of my other teammates. It was total chaos and confusion for me, these are the same fans I played for only two years ago and they never acted like this when I played for them. I guess I found out what they really thought of me. A fan came up to me after the game and asked me why I taunted the crowd. She said that I had played there before so why would I do such a thing? I told her it was a misunderstanding, and I wouldn't have a reason to taunt the crowd because I did play there. And even if I did, does that justify what happened afterward? She didn't answer. I think people really don't understand how much self discipline it takes to be the "bigger man" or "act professional" when they are faced with ignorant people.

This is not the first incident with fans for me this season. After one game a woman waited for me in front of our team bus after the game just to say "F my house (in Italian)" She calmly walked away and got in her car. I stood there for a few seconds in amazement. I was replaying the game in my mind trying to think of when I could have possibly offended her and came up with nothing. So I thanked her for her kindness and got on the bus. I wanted to celebrate with my team on the victory. I think that is was bothered her, we won in her house! (LOL).

The next game was against the first place team Varese. It was a big game for us because we had been playing well and it was a good test to see how we measure up against the best team in the league. This night I did the unthinkable, going 0-for-11 and scoring zero points. I've had bad shooting games (1-for-10 in France , with two points), but never this bad. For whatever reason someone put a lid on the rim every time I took a shot (LOL). At one point I looked up in the sky and asked what was I doing to deserve this (LOL). We lost that game by seven. I kept saying to myself that if I scored half of my average (which would have been nine). Maybe the outcome of the game would've change. Looking to redeem myself for the next game, I stayed after practice the next day, getting extra shots up so I could find my rhythm. I had to answer to the media all week long about the game. They wanted to know what happened and why?. I'm not one for excuses so I just said it was a bad night at the office. Right now, we are in sixth place. Fighting for a playoff position. Our next game is on the road against Casale. A team that has only lost three games in 2 years at home.

---Jason Rowe

Jason's Journey

Jason Rowe, the former Traditional standout, begins his eighth season of playing professional basketball overseas. Rowe, who is the starting point guard for Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Italy, will keep us updated throughout the season with a blog for Sports, Ink.

Things started to spin out of control real fast. We lost four straight games (Varese, 96-89, Casale, 85-84, Soressina, 78-69, led by former Boston College All-American guard Troy Bell, and Roseto, 73-71). Management pulled the players in as a team and wanted answers quickly. We spent two hours being yelled at. Luckily, for me, I wasn't part of THE problem (seriously, when you become the problem, its time to pack your bags because you're going home), so a lot of the conversation wasn't aimed at me. It was actually semi-comforting because the majority of the time the Italian players were being criticized for relying on me too much.

Against Casale, we were winning by one point, 83-82 with 14 seconds to go and I got fouled. If I make the two free throws we make it difficult for Casale to win, because they have to make a three (which would only tie the game) Sounds easy right, wrong. I made the first missed the second. It literally rolled around the rim like the end of all dramatic basketball movies. Casale got the rebound, one of their players, Dontae Mathis,  dribbled the length of the floor went in for a layup, got fouled and scored, giving him a chance to put his team up one. He went to the free-throw line and made the winning basket. Game over. 85-84.  I've been playing organized basketball since I was 8 years old and I have never felt so responsible for a lost nor have I ever lost a game this way.  No one patting me on the back did anything. Honestly I could care less about the fans chanting, or the management sending me text messages. Listening and watching the Casale players celebrate the victory left a horrible image in my head. Deep down inside I knew I was the only reason they were so happy and I knew why my team wasn't. Hearing people say "It's ok, Jay" made the situation even worse.  Yeah I had 27 points but it was the 28th that we needed. I showered quickly and left the locker room without saying a word to anyone. As you can see I take losing hard.  

Days later, we lost two players in a fight (one player was kicked off the team and the other's face was broken, due to a fight in practice).  In that same week, team became divided because most players assumed we had a "snake" present.  This player was talking negatively behind the backs of every player when they were not present. He would literally pull players to the side, talk bad about someone, and as soon as that player would leave, talk about him to someone else, LOL. How sad.  I couldn't believe what was happening. So much so soon. I guess this is expected when you're losing. Of course when he was confronted everything was denied, and even some players felt like the coach was sticking up for the player, which didn't help at all. I constantly remind myself that this is perhaps the most important season of my career and I refuse to succumb to any negativity, anytime or anywhere.  Personally it wasn't so difficult to deal with because I realize in this business, people are going to say something regardless, whether you playing good or bad. So I have learned to just channel my energy on the court and leave it at that. Simple and plain. Misery loves company and I have too many positive things going on to go backwards. If one thing did come out of it was that I learned who was "real" on the team and who was "fake".  So two team meetings later the problem seemed to be resolved ... at least for now.  

Before the Christmas break we were fortunate enough to get a big win on the road against Alvin Young's (Niagara University) third place,  Reggio Emilia team.(91-84, 15 points and nine assists)  It was a very physical game but we managed to gel together as a team and get the upset victory. After the break (I managed to steal an extra day home because my flight was cancelled due to the wind storm we had, special thank you to US Airways, LOL). I found out that one of our players had quit because he didn't have the "fire" in him to play for our coach any more. A good player, he lead the league in three-point percentage but coach had been riding him lately and I think he just broke down. We won at home by four (80-76. 23 points nine assists) against Pistoia, in a must win situation for us. I just hope things turn around for the better. It just seems like there is always something extra going on. Hopefully the fact that we have won back-to-back games are a sign that good things are coming. Currently we are 7-7 and in a three way tie for 7th place. I am averaging 19.1 points (8th in the league), 5.4 assists (2nd) and 2.9 steals (5th).

---Jason Rowe

Jason's Journey

Jason Rowe, the former Traditional standout, begins his eighth season of playing professional basketball overseas. Rowe, who is the starting point guard for Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Italy, will keep us updated throughout the season with a blog for Sports, Ink.

Thanksgiving came and went this year for me just like every other holiday. I actually forgot until my teammate mentioned it in practice the day of. That's what happens sometimes when you over here. You really lose focus of some of the holidays that are celebrated elsewhere. (Or it could just be old age lol). We had practice twice so it was just another day to me. I was able to speak to my family back in the states. Truth be told, I wanted to hang up on them because they kept bragging about what they were eating and here I am looking at a kitchen full of pasta (lol).

Against Livorno,  we trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half, but like we normally do we managed to get back into the game. Like the previous games, the game came down to the last seconds. The score was tied with five seconds to go. My coach was so nervous about what was going on, that he couldn't design a play! He called back to back timeouts. I have never been in a situation when the coach could not call a play. It was strange because he is a very structured and disciplined coach and at this point he was losing control. He couldn't stop stuttering and the play he design no one could understand because it looked like a kid had drew on his clipboard (Lol).  I eventually started yelling in the huddle. "Give me the ball, I will end this myself" (lol).  (He thought that was a good idea, lol)   I wasn't so lucky in ending the game though. I missed the game winning shot as time expired. I got a decent look at the basket, but the ball just didn't drop. We did get the victory though in 93-89, in overtime, and I finished the game with 32 points and five assists .  

We were stuck in the airport the night before our next game for five hours. Not a good sign when you are going to play the No. 1 team in the league, Varese, led by former Wake Forest All-American guard Randolph Childress. Our plane was delayed until midnight going to Milan. We didn't arrive in our hotel rooms until after 2 am. I did try to make light of the situation,to keep the players at ease. It snowed a few inches in Milan, and as a tribute to my Buffalo roots, I decided to hit one of my teammates in the back of the head with a snowball,  (Lol) as a result I started my first Italian snowball fight.

Varese showed us why they are at the top of the standings. At halftime we were down by eight, and midway through the third quarter we were down 21. Its the first game this season where I can say we were dominated. We put up a good fight before the final whistle, closing the gap to three, but it wasn't enough.  I finished the game with 22 points, eight assists, five rebounds and six steals. We are now in 5-4 and tied for 6th place. Next game against Casale.  Things will pick up for us before the Christmas break. Four games in two weeks will make this month go by a lot faster than normal. Congratulations to the UB Football team on their MAC championship victory.  I was able to see the highlights of the game and coach Turner Gill's post game interview online. Its amazing what hard work and dedication can do!

---Jason Rowe

Jason's Journey

Jason Rowe, the former Traditional standout, begins his eighth season of playing professional basketball overseas. Rowe, who is the starting point guard for Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Italy, will keep us updated throughout the season with a blog for Sports, Ink.

Ciao Tutto (lol Hello Everyone)!

The past few weeks will go down in my career as some of the most memorable games I have ever been apart of. I am hoping the whole season doesn't play out this way otherwise I will have to ask my grandmother for some of her nerve pills to calm me down (lol). Three out of our last five games have come down to the wire. Against Veroli we started the game off extremely bad. We got down early at home by as many as 15 points. I knew this game would be tougher considering I had the 41 points  in the preseason against them, but I didn't think it would get this out of control. Halftime though we found ourselves down by only a few points and I had seven. I was having deja vu because coach was screaming at us in the locker room just like the first time we played them and I started feeling responsible for us being down.

Out of the locker room we quickly turned things around and at the beginning of the fourth quarter the score was tied. All quarter long the game was going back and forth until the last 20 seconds.  Veroli made a free throw to tie the game at 80. We inbounded the ball to me and after dribbling around for about 10 seconds I launched a three. Swish! Game over !!.   Its funny because I have been playing organized basketball since I was 8, and I have only made a game winning shot three times.(All three pointers). Amazing when you consider how many games I have played since then.  My teammates rushed the court and picked me up in celebration.  Somehow I ended up coming out of my jersey and jumping up and down.(lol) I think my celebration was from the past two years. Having setbacks such as injuries and being cut will do that.

I felt like I hit that shot in the face of a lot of people who doubted I could make it this far. Reality set in after the game though.  I drove home, walked into my apartment, turned the TV on and started watching football. All alone. This is one of the few moments when things get rough for me. There was no one to share that special moment with, no one to greet me out of the locker room or even laugh over dinner after the game. Just me and my satelite ended the night.

The following week, at home against Scafati was slightly different. We started off slow as usual (lol). I went into the locker room this time with zero points. This time they have the ball with the clock ticking with us in the lead by one,  But this time we lost on a three-point shot at the buzzer. The feeling I had was the worst. I finished the game with 20 points, all in the second half, but who cares, we lost. I didn't sleep until 4 in the morning that night because of it. All I could think about was what could I have done better. I'm the first to admit I'm a sore loser (lol). I hate it.  I was up until 4 in the morning that night. Tossing and turning, trying to remember every mistake I made, and what I could've done better to prevent the loss. Playing once a week makes you crazy over here. It allows you to think too much about the last game (only when you lose) and when you play well and win, it makes you eager to get back on the court.

The next game against Rimini, I hit two free throws that put us up three points with five seconds to go.  All this "stress" and we have only played seven games (lol). Right now we are 4-3 tied for 4th place with three other teams. I was voted player of the week this week for my performance against Brindisi. I had 24 points, 9 rebounds and  8 assists in the win.  Next week we have a home game against my former team, Livorno.

---Jason Rowe

Jason's Journey

Jason Rowe, the former Traditional standout, begins his eighth season of playing professional basketball overseas. Rowe, who is the starting point guard for Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Italy, will keep us updated throughout the season with a blog for Sports, Ink.

Our last game of our boot camp (LOL) or training camp was against another familiar face, former Niagara University standout Alvin Young. We spoke before the game reflecting on our battles in college and the few games we have played here in Europe but as soon as the ball went up in the air to start the game we quickly turned into enemies. The game went back and forth for about 30 minutes until his team (Reggio Emilia) pulled away for the seven point victory.

It was great to be off the road finally. I was exhausted mentally and physically. I knew the only thing I wanted to do was rest. I needed to get off my feet and just enjoy a day to myself. No whistles, no squeaky sneakers, I didn't even want to drink water (LOL). Silly me,  I forgot I had to cook and clean (LOL). I took advantage of being in the hotel and having those simple things done for me. Now I'm back home and its up to me to be the "chef" and the "maid"(LOL). I'm not going to sit here and act like I will have my own cooking show on TV but I haven't had the fire department to my house nor been rushed to the emergency room for food poisoning, either,  so i think i am doing something right (LOL).

The following weekend we had an important tournament at home. I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to show the home crowd what I have to offer. Little did I know the managament had called my agent to put a little pressure on me also. They wanted to know why I wasn't playing to my maximum potential. I didn't want to burn myself out before the season started and I was simply tired. The managment could care less how I was feeling. I am an investment to them, they needed to see a quick return (understandable). I considered this a warning shot. I don't want any managament from my team calling my agent unless its to renegotiate my contract . So I had to change my attitude quickly. Otherwise this blog will have a different tone .   Changing my approach was at the top of my to do list. I found myself literally going through the motions. I love playing ball but I wasn't playing with the love of the game. I was just showing up to games and practice because that's what the schedule said. When I was younger, my father would always say to me "Don't go to the show, BE THE SHOW." I didn't fully understand what he was trying to say at the time because I was in high school and I thought I knew more than him (LOL), but as I got older I picked it up. I needed to be the leader and be the reason why my team was successful. More importantly, be motivated to perform. I am in a position that people would love to be in and now is not the time to let it slip away.

The good thing for me was that the game was aginast Livorno, the last Italian team I played for so I had added incentive to play well.   Game day against Livorno and I started back into my normal pre-game routine. I wake up about two hours before I need to be at the gym. I turn off my phones, eat my pasta,  shower and  then about 30 minutes before I leave my house, I watch old Michael Jordan highlights, turn up my Jay-Z in the house, turn the lights out and just visualize myself dominating my opponent. Simple, yet effective for me. It puts me in a zone that I cannot put into words.   Against Livorno we won by 20 and I had 18 points the most of the preseason so far.

The next night we had the championship game of the tournament against Veroli. We were down six  points at halftime and I only had seven points.  Both of our big men were not playing due to injuries and my shooting guard was not 100 percent healthy. I knew that I needed to do something to change things. In the locker room, all I could hear was my father's words.   We lost that game in double overtime by five, I finished that game with 41 points, the most points I have had in six years,  and nine steals.  I did everything I could to sinsure a victory for my team, but failed. As I was walking to the bench, I received a standing ovation from the fans and the players on my team. You would've thought we won the game because in the locker room the guys were excited about my performance , but I was angry, we lost and I fouled out. I still felt responsbile. In my head I let them down.    That same night I received a text message from the General Manager of the team at 1 a.m (during the Bills-Cardinals game) stating the he was proud of me and my performance and excited about the season. The next day I was in the grocery store siging autographs and giving interviews to the local newspaper. What a difference a day makes!!!

The season has finally started we won our first home game against Pavia, 90-83,   but we lost our second game to Imola, 85-81. Our next game is against Veroli at home. Should be interesting , because I hate losing and I didn't play well in my last game (LOL).

---Jason Rowe