Backs Against The Walls!

Depending on where you are in the world when you read this Good Morning/Good Afternoon. It is a beautiful day in Le Havre, France. The sun is out and the temperature is nice. I am relaxing after yet another tough loss! Yes that's right, we are still weathering the storm over here. Our team is fighting hard and we seem to be improving, but it just seems like one thing happens after another! Just when I think that we are about to snap out of this losing streak, we fall short yet again. Last night we played my former team from Paris. We started the game out pretty good, but before we knew it we found ourselves on the bad end of a couple of questionable foul calls! We already had one big guy out due to injury, and now our other big guys were in foul trouble before halftime! I wish I could blame everything on the referees but that is not the case! I have to hand it to the team from Paris, they really did a good job of executing and forcing us into turnovers! The end result was very discouraging because we have been working hard and improving over the last 3 weeks! Now our BACKS ARE AGAINST THE WALLS! We have a do or die game next week against our somewhat local rivals! We are in a position now where we have to beat this team in order to secure our place in the top league in France! This is a big deal! I do have confidence that we can get this win! Despite our performance last night, we have been doing some good things over the past few weeks and I am sure that we can taste victory once again.
This is new territory for me. I have been trying to embrace the challenges that have been presented to me over the past few months. I really believe that I am growing through all of this, both as a player and a man!
As for life outside of basketball, things are pretty good! We have only a month left in the season and I have to be honest when I say that I can't wait to get home! Monica is already there waiting for me and I am looking forward to being able to spend some time with her! I think Prince is missing me as well, and it will be good to play with him again! I also can't wait to see my mom, lol! That's right, I am a Momma's boy! The summer is probably the greatest time of year for me to just have fun and relax! The weather is great and that is always a good thing! My plans for the Driven Perfection Youth Foundation summer events are coming along well and are right on schedule! So all that is left to do is to focus on getting wins and finishing the season strong. Tomorrow is the beginning of another practice week in which I will have the opportunity to EXCEED EXPECTATIONS! I plan on doing just that, and I hope that you will do the same! Have a great week!

Easter Sunday

Hello Everybody! I hope all is well on this great day! I have decided not to blog on my life and what's going on with me today out of respect and acknowledgement of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Today is Easter Sunday and we sometimes forget or take for granted what that actually means.
Easter symbolizes the ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven. On Easter Jesus rose from the grave in what is called the Resurrection. Jesus died for the sins of mankind on Good Friday. He was crucified, which means nailed to a cross until he died. His body was entombed. When his tomb was approached on Easter Sunday the large rock sealing the tomb had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. Since Jesus Christ died for the sins of all mankind, the way to God the Father is through Him. Christ suffered and died so that man might live life to the fullest, with the assurance of salvation. Easter is a joyous occasion celebrated by Christians who know in their hearts and are willing to share with others the news of Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. The meaning of Easter goes way beyond the physical attributes of the celebration, too. Easter is a time to renew one's faith and to feel the energy of Christ's gift in one's heart. The true meaning of Easter is the gift of grace. We were undeserving of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made.
Jesus Christ and His resurrection is the true meaning of Easter.

Thanks everybody for checking out this week's post. I hope that you were touched in a positive way. I am looking forward to the upcoming week as it will be another opportunity to EXCEED EXPECTATIONS! Have a great week!

Still Climbing

Hello everybody! I just finished eating dinner and I am about to watch the Duke and Baylor game, but first I wanted to post this week's blog. There has not been a lot of changes in the past week so this blog may not be as long as usual.
Like always, basketball will be the main topic of discussion. We have been struggling over the past few weeks, but I am happy to say that we are showing signs of life. Last night we played the number 1 team in the league. We played a heck of a game but fell just a little short! We lost by 1 point in overtime! This sucks because we had a couple of opportunities to win the game. Things looked real dim at the end of regulation as we trailed by 2 poinst with 7 seconds to go. I got the ball on an out of bounds play and I was able to make a nice move to get to the basket and make the lay-up to send the game into overtime! Unfortunately, we found ourselves in the same position at the end of overtime. Once again I was able to elude my man with a quick reverse dribble but I was unable to connect on the game winning shot! It hit the back of the rim, and instead of being the hero, I had to go home with another loss! The silver lining here is the fact that we were able to play the #1 team in the league down to the last posession! If we can bring the same effort every night,we should be able to make the most of the last 6 weeks of the season. Normally, I am not one for moral victories but we are climbing out of the valley! I can feel it! I am finally getting back to my normal form after the bruised thigh and we are coming together again as a team.
As for life outside of basketball, I have to be honest and say that I have been thinking about home, lol! The time sprung forward an hour last night, the weather is getting better, and practices are becoming less intense. All these are signs that summer is near.
Speaking of summer, it should be a busy one for me . The Driven Perfection Youth Foundation will be giving back as it normally does and I am actually in the process of preparing for that now. If anybody is interesting in donating or contributing to our charitable efforts please check out my website(www.jj-miller.net) and use the contact information on the foundation page!
Well I am going to go now! I hope everyone has a great week and as always EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!

A Frustrating 2 weeks

It's late Saturday night and I am typing this blog now because I missed the opportunity to post last week. I want to make sure that I don't miss this week's chance. I hope all is well with everyone reading this week's blog. By the title, I am sure that you can tell that I am in a depressed mood. Nevertheless, I am pushing on. Let's get into another episode of Exceeding Expectations.

Basketball has not be going to good for me over the past few weeks. I got injured 3 weeks ago and I have been trying to battle back every since! I can say that I am healthy again and fully capable of playing the way I am accustomed to playing. Unfortunately, I am not back in my groove yet. More importantly neither is the team. We loss our last 2 games by 20 pts or more and we have been completely out of sync. There has been so many things going wrong that I am not sure which problem we should be focused on. I only hope that in the coming days we find our chemistry! The season is coming to an end fast and we need to do everything we can to make the most of it.

As for life outside of basketball, I really feel like things are going well. I have been able to focus on being the best man that I can be for myself and my family. I have also been able to get some work done on the Driven Perfection Youth Foundation project for this summer.

Life and basketball are directly linked for me. When I am doing good in one, I am also doing good in the other! This is not the case right now which is why I am a bit frustrated!

I am trusting God though! I believe that all things work for the good of those who love the lord! I am not sure when things are going to get better on the court, but I know for sure that they will. I realize that in times of trial we can learn a lot about ourselves. I am staying focused, faithful, and determined!

I hope that everyone has a great weekend! I am going to get some rest now, but I am looking forward to next week so that i can once again try to EXCEED EXPECTATIONS! I hope that you will do the same.

Playing Through The Pain

Hello everybody! It is a wonderful Sunday afternoon in France! I hope all is with everyone. I am laying in the bed at 1:00 pm trying to relax after a week that was full of ups and downs! Fortunately for me, it ended on an UP!! Last week we had a by-week (meaning no games), but that also meant a lot of practice, a lot of running, and a lot of extra work for me! This is a good thing but just tough when you are going through it. Anyway, the week went by fast and we were back in the regular swing of things before I knew it. Since I was already in a good flow, I decided to keep up the same type of work so that I could be at a top level come game time! Everything was going according to plan when the unthinkable happenned. At thursday night's practice during the last drill of practice I tried to drive baseline and one of my teammates accidently hit me in the thigh with his knee!! The pain was excruciating! I was immediately scheduled for a scan with the doctor on Friday morning and I recieved bad news. It seems that the pain I was feeling was consistent with the doctor's prognosis. I had a deep thigh contusion in which blood had accumalated on the muscle. The doctor's verdict was that I needed to rest right away. No basketball for a minimum of 5 days. The problem here was that we had a big game the next day! If you have been following my blog, you know that every game is a big game for us if we want to make the playoffs! As you can imagine the news had me deflated and frustrated after putting in so much work during the previous 2 weeks. I left the doctor's office and went straight to treatment. I literally spent all day getting electric stimulation therapy, massages, ice, heat, and pool work. The rehab was working but just not in the time frame that we needed it to! I knew that there was only one way that I could get past this injury in the next 24 hours...PRAYER!
So that is what I did. I prayed as sincerely as possible, and I decided to let God do the rest. The next morning (game day) I woke up very sore and went straight to the doctor for a follow up scan. The scan showed that the blood had began to lessen but not enough for the doctor to give me the straight forward green light to play. We had morning shoot around in less than an hour. The Doc told me that he would leave the decision up to me and to see how it felt at shoot around. Well, if you know me.... you know that it was going to take chains and handcuffs to keep me off that court, lol!! At practice I tried to run and cut but it was still very painful. I spoke to coach and he told me that the team could really use me if only for half the game! I told him that if I could move enough to get up and down the floor that he could count me in. I continued treatment for the rest of the day, and by game time, the muscle was warm enough to give it a go. I got the start and although I was not my normal self the defense of the other team had to pay attention to me. We went on to get the win ( a much needed win) and we moved up the rankings and are now only 2 games out of the playoffs. We still get to go head up with the teams that are in front of us for the playoffs. If we win, we are in and they are out. This game; This win put us in that position. I feel good about my decision to play! A lot of guys would not have played because of their numbers, but I put my team ahead of that type of stuff! That's what makes me the player that I am! Yes I only played 20 minutes... and Yes I only had 5 points... but we won, my teammates played good, and I was there for them!
Now I am out for a couple of days but should be back to 100% for the next game! It's going to be a tough match on the road! Make sure you tune in for next week's blog to see how it turned out! Hope you guys enjoyed this week's post! Have a great week and as always remember to EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!!

To Grateful To Complain

Hello everybody! I hope that as you read this week's post you are in good health and spirits. I just finished watching TD Jakes on the Potter's House weekly service, and it was great! I am feeling really inspired and motivated. Before I go into this week's events, I want to wish my beautiful wife a Happy Valentine's Day!! I Love You Monica! I also hope all the other ladies of the world get what they want and deserve on your holiday! I say your holiday because I am completely convinced that women invented Valentine's Day, lol! I have some things that I am compelled to speak on today, other than just basketball, so let's get right into another episode of Exceeding Expectations!

First, basketball is a continued pursuit of improvement for our team. We have had some success in the past weeks and I have to admit that we have been working really hard. This week was no different in our preparation for a big game on the road against a good team. Monday through Thursday we went at it. I felt good going into the game and confident that we could steal one on the road. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Our effort was there but we made to many minor mistakes to get a win on the road! Not only did we lose the game, but we also lost a valuable opportunity to move up the rankings! This is disappointing, but it's not the time to feel sorry for ourselves! Crying over spilled milk only makes things worse for us. As the captain of this team, I told the guys to keep their eyes on the prize! We have been working well and improving and we can still achieve the goals that we set for ourselves at the beginning of the season!

As for life outside of basketball, this month is a great month for my wife! I say that because her birthday falls less than a week after Valentine's day! This means that she gets pampered by her man! Anybody who knows me knows that I take care of my loved ones. I had a dozen of her favorite flowers sent to the house along with some balloons and chocolates for Valentine's day. She was extremely appreciative and I hope that this gets me some brownie points to be used later if necessary, lol. Her birthday is this Friday coming up and I have a gift in mind that I think will make her day! Obviously I can't spoil the surprise now but just know that it is going to be something pretty cool.

Now this week's game was played on Friday instead of Saturday so it gave me an extra day for the weekend. I took full advantage of this by relaxing and thinking! While chilling at home I began to think about how good God has been to me! Thinking back over my life, not only where God has brought me from but what he has brought me through, a sense of gratefullness overtook me! In the midst of this revelation, I could not help but notice how easy it is for us to complain! Even when God answers our prayers we sometimes still moan and groan about our circumstances even though those circumstances are directly related to God's blessings! Even I can recall days that I have complained about having to do something related to basketball. I have to step back and remind myself that I prayed to God to bless me to be a professional basketball player! He answered my prayers! How can I complain about trivial things that come along with that blessing when there are so many people that want to recieve the very blessing that God gave me?? I can't, I shouldn't, and I won't. Instead I am going to praise God for everything that he has done, is doing, and will do in my life! I know that this is not easy. However, I think that if we can make a conscious effort to try; it may actually be possible. I also believe that God rewards us for these efforts. I am living proof that God answers prayers, but we have to be careful what we ask for and what comes along with it! "To whom much is given, much is required" This may mean sacrifice, hard work, patience, etc. You may even have to go at it alone! If you really want your prayers to be answered, then when God does so, you should be prepared to be thankful at all times! God never promised us that things would be perfect all the time, but he did say that he would be with us all the time! With all that he has given me and all that he is going to give me, the least I can do is be Grateful all the time!

I may have gotten a little off track in this week's blog, but it was on my heart to let it be known that I am "To Grateful To Complain" lol.

Before I go, I do want to let my Uncle Jimmy and his family know that you guys are in my thoughts and prayers! I miss you all very much and I am sure that everything will be fine! God is an amazing God!

Well I am off now to wash some dishes, fold some clothes, and get ready for another week of hard work! I am ready to get better. I hope that everyone reading this has the same enthusiasm about the week as I do! I plan on EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS this week and I encourage you to do the same!

Super Bowl Sunday

What's up world!?! It feels like it has been a while since my last post. I am sitting in my apartment here in Le Havre relaxing after a big win last night! Feels good to say that, lol! Anyway, it was a great week so let's get right into it.
I started this week eager to get in the gym! I hit the weightroom hard first thing on Monday and went to the gym early to get some extra work. I wanted to make sure that I worked harder than everybody, so that I could play better than everybody else. Now this logic does not always work. It does, however, keep me confident and confidence is the key. We got our last player this week, and we are now a complete team. The game was here before I knew it, and I have to say that everybody was ready to get a win. We got off to a good start and although we slacked off in the second quarter, we picked it up in the second half. We went on to win the game by double digits and keep a hold on our current standings in the league. I feel really good about the work that I was able to put in this week. I am already focused on working even harder next week. There is something about success that makes me hungry for more!
Off the court, life is good. I have really been meditating on God's word and I can feel his presence in my life. I realize how blessed I am and I am truly grateful! I also had a chance to hear from some old friends this week and that was cool! I encourage everyone to reach out for someone that you care about this week and let them know!
On another note, today is Super Bowl Sunday. This is one of the biggest sports events in the industry and you know that I have to give my predictions! Here it is: I want New Orleans to win, but I think that Indianapolis is going to pull this one out by 2 touchdowns!
Well I gotta go. I hope that you all have a great week and as always remember to EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!