Final Day in France!

Hello everybody!
I hope all is well with you! It is 2am eurotime and I am wide awake. Today is my FINAL DAY IN FRANCE. I am set to return to the USA tomorrow! I am excited about getting home and seeing all my family! This is the last blog of the 2009/2010 season which makes it a bitter, sweet one. It has been a long season that has seemed to fly by. I say a long season because we had a lot of ups and downs! If you know me, and I think all my followers know me, you know that I am an optimistic guy! I search out the positive in every situation and look for the best in every circumstance. I will be honest, this season was a tough one from a team perspective. Some people believe that the season was a success because we finished higher than what most analysts picked us to finish. I, on the other hand, am a bit disappointed because I know that we could have done much better! I am content with the fact that no matter what happened during the season, I conducted myself as a complete professional on and off the court. It is not only playing the game that is important but how you play the game. I believe the same to hold true for life. To be truely successful you must understand this fact. After analyzing the season, I realize that it has been a wonderful learning experience for me! This season is going to make me so much better. I am going into my off-season workouts very hungry and eager to get better! I have tasted success in the past and I am addicted to it. Falling short of a goal or being mediocre is something that I will not allow myself to be associated with. For this reason, I am grateful for the season and all the ups and downs that we had to endure. I am happy to say that we finished the season on an up by beating Vichy on the road and securing the teams spot in the top league in France. I would like to Thank the organization, team, coaches, fans, and my teammates for a wonderful experience here in Le Havre!
Now I have to finish packing and try to get some rest. I am looking forward to an awesome summer in North Carolina. It is going to be busy with my family, friends, workouts, and charity work but that's what makes life great! I have enjoyed blogging this basketball year and I hope that you have enjoyed sharing these experiences with me. I have included a few photos from the season for you to check out. I hope that you will join me again next season. As always I challenge you to EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!

Nice Weekend!

Hello World,
I am chilling on my couch on a very rare Saturday evening off. Normally, I would be in game preparation mode but we do not play tonight. We have 1 game left to be played on Tuesday May 11! I have to say that I am looking forward to finishing the season strong and heading home for the summer. I will say that the past few days have been good here in Le Havre. The sun is out and the temperature is great. These are just a few of the things that makes this a NICE WEEKEND.
I think the best thing about this weekend is that it is MOTHER'S DAY weekend. Mother's day is on Sunday and this is a very special day for all mothers across the world! It is also special for me, because I believe that I have the best mother in the whole wide world! For this reason, I would like to take the next few moments to let Loretta Miller know just how much I appreciate her.
Ma, I want you to know that you are my HERO. A HERO can be defined as "a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life." My whole life you have demonstrated courage. We have been in some tough times as a family! However, you managed to get us through it in a fearless manner! I realize that I would not be where I am today without you taking major risks and making huge sacrifices to allow me to pursue my dreams. I remember you putting me before yourself countless times and for that i am forever grateful. I want to Thank You for having my back and believing in me and my dreams! I often examine my life and the way that I live. I believe that many of the virtues that I possess are a direct reflection of how you raised us. You raised 3 tough little boys to be responsible, loving, god-fearing, and all around great men! Thank You and job well done! So this is me: the baby, the peanut head, momma's boy, the star, J.J. saying: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY and I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!
I also want to wish all the mothers out there a very happy Mother's Day. I hope that you enjoy and realize just how important you are. Get many gifts because you deserve it! Well that's it for this week's blog. Be on the look out for the last blog of the season coming next week! Have a great weekend and remember to always EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!

Victory Tastes So Sweet!

Hello everybody! I am sitting here in a very good mood as I type this week's post! As you can probably tell by the title, We got a win this week! This was huge for us and everyone who follows this blog knows why, lol! I also had a great week away from basketball as I will discuss later. So let's get into another week of Exceeding Expectations!
Coming into this week we were faced with a must win game vs. Rouen! Unfortunately, this game was key for our survival in the top league. Rouen has been playing some good ball lately. I knew that it was going to be tough to go into their place and get a win! This proved to be exactly how the game was won! We had to tough it out for not just 40 minutes but for 50 minutes. Thats right, 2 overtimes! Neither team wanted to give in, but in the end Le Havre came out on top! After so many weeks of hardwork and comittment we were still falling short game after game. However, last night we finally got a much deserved win, and VICTORY TASTES SO SWEET! We have 3 games left in the season and I believe that we can win all 3! I will admit that this season has not been what I anticipated, but to end it on a good note would be great!
As for life outside of basketball, I had my extended european family come to visit me this weekend. Diane and Mark Saelens are from Belgium where I played last year. Our friendship has really grown every since the day we met! This couple has to be 2 of the nicest people I have ever met! They drove 4 hours to support at the game last night! They also brought some good luck with them for us to get the win, lol! They also prepared dinner for me last night as well as today and left me with enough food to last for some time! I also must admit that waking up to fresh coffee and breakfast this morning was awesome! Oh, I failed to mention that they were kind enough to take boxes full of my things back to Belgium with them so that I would not have to send them back to the United States! Now they will be waiting for me when I decide where I want to play in Europe next year! All these things are great, but their company is what I cherished the most about their visit! My wife has been home for some time now and it can get lonely out here. It really did me good to be able to hang out with friends away from the basketball court! Mark and Diane, if you are reading this I am truly grateful to have friends like you!
As for life in France, everything is everything. The weather is continuing to get better and better. I must say that the closer the season gets to the end the more I am ready to get home, lol! The sunny weather is a gift and a curse. I mean beautiful days are awesome, but they seem to make think about all the things I could be doing at home! I will be here for about 1 more month. It seems as if this season has gone by really fast. Maybe I shouldnt say this but I hope this last month does the same! I am ready to see family and do some yardwork (I know that sounds silly)!
Well thats all for this week! Thanks for checking out another episode of my life! I am about to call my mother and watch the NBA playoffs! I hope everyone has a great week and as always EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!

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.