Southern Conference Champs!

Its crazy to think that the regular season is already over. A little over 6 months since I arrived in Ireland, we clinched the Southern Conference crown with a dominating win over Ulster Elks in Belfast.  With the win, we also get a bye to the semi finals. We take on the winner of the Neptune-Saints quarterfinal matchup. The semifinals are set for March 19th in Limerick. My time here is winding down quickly, as ill be on a flight home in less than 3 weeks. While I am enjoying my time over here, I am very excited to get back home and see my friends and family. The season gets to be quite a grind after a while. Everyone is tired, but it is important to stay focused on the task at hand and play through the late season aches and pains.

Updates about playoffs coming soon!

Trekking around Ireland

I know its been awhile since my last post, but I've been busy on and off the court recently (Jersey shore season three just started)  Currently my dad and uncle are visiting and I have gotten a chance to see some amazing  sights, such as the Ring of Kerry (The Ring of Kerry is on the Southwest coast and is a beautiful drive along the Atlantic Ocean) . We toured around Cork City and went to a local pub for a few pints and listened to a traditional Irish band.  We also went to the Blarney Castle, where we kissed the Blarney Stone, which is supposed to give you the gift of gab (dont know how thats working out) While Ireland is a hot tourist destination in the Summer, lets just say that its not too desirable in the winter months. When stopped in a small town off the  Atlantic coast called Waterville, we realized that we may be the only three tourists in Ireland in January (Its absolutely freezing here!)

a couple pics i took on the Ring of  Kerry

On the court The Eagles suffered a crushing defeat a few weeks ago. We lost in the National Cup Semifinals (The national  cup is a single elimination tournament that spans throughout the season, with the final being at the end of Jan.) Playing in front of  a rowdy crowd in Cork, we lost a hard fought game, falling by 11 pts. We bounced  back the next weekend as we travelled up to Belfast, Northern Ireland to take on Belfast Star (sorry Kyler, I didn't see any murals)  We came out firing on all cylinders and opened up a 15 pt. lead in the first quarter and we never looked back. We played tough defense all game long and won 91-55. Despite our loss in the national cup, we still have a chance to win the conference and the league. We are currently in 1st place in the South Conference and control our own destiny at 11-2.

The Holidays..... and Spain

After almost four months of straight basketball, we got a well deserved break for the holidays. It was too far and expensive for me to get back to Portland, so I decided to make a 4 day trip to Barcelona, Spain. The trip began with me and this 60 year old alcoholic Irishmen named Franco drinking in the Dublin Airports pub at 8 in the morning before my flight. We met at the train station and decided to split a taxi to the airport. Franco ended up paying for the entire taxi, but told me I had to buy him a pint. I’m thinking “A pint? Its 8 in the morning” But I guess in Ireland that doesn’t matter. A bit drunk and tired, I nearly missed my flight to Barcelona, but luckily made it on to the plane. I had a great time in the city. Barcelona is an amazing place with tons to do and see. During the day I walked around and saw many interesting sites. I was especially impressed with the numerous cathedrals around the city.  The nightlife was awesome as well. I went to a few swanky clubs with people who i met at the hostel I was staying at. I definitely recommend going to Barcelona if you ever have a chance
                                  

                                       Cathedral in Barcelona


I arrived back in Dublin on Christmas eve and my roommate had me over to his house for christmas. I had a great time in “The Big Smoke” as they call it and am very appreciative of Scott for letting me stay at his house.
    Now I am back to work in Limerick. Our first game after break was against 1-10 Moycullen from Galway. While our offense was a little stagnant in the first half, we eventually got hot and put away Moycullen, winning 79-45. Next up we take on the Saints of DCU in Dublin. They are a hot team, as they recently handed Killester its first loss of the season. The game is set for Sat. Jan 8 at 3 in Dublin. Updates to come...

Being "The American"

Being an American playing overseas, you have great responsibility. The Americans are (usually) the highest paid players on the team and are expected to be the best players on the floor. You are held at a higher standard than the rest of the team and have to be sure to be on your game night in and night out. You can’t be late for practices or meetings and if you are, people start to wonder “What the hell is wrong with the American?”  Professional basketball is a cutthroat business, especially in Europe, and a couple bad practices or games and you can easily be fired and sent home. In Ireland, each team is only allowed one American, putting even more pressure on us. We are also the only ones getting paid and the teams do not want to waste the little money they have on an American who gives them 10 points a night.
It is important as the American to never give anyone a reason to mark you as the selfish, cocky American. This will not only help you stay on your current team, but it may help you get jobs in the future. It is amazing how much attitude plays a part in getting jobs overseas. The management does not want some asshole American and even if he might be slightly better than you, a good attitude may help you win the position over him.
 I am sure to always be respectful to players, coaches, referees (who don’t give any calls to us Yanks) and management. I make sure to do the little things, such as shaking hands and signing autographs after the game  A little courtesy goes a long way.
In conclusion DON”T BE THE STEREOTYPICAL AMERICAN IF YOU WANT TO GET GOOD JOBS PLAYING OVERSEAS

Intro

Hi my name is Cameron Mitchell. I am a 22 year old basketball player, currently playing in Limerick, Ireland for the UL Eagles of the Irish Superleague. This blog is meant to keep me in touch with my friends and family back home and to give a good insight on playing basketball overseas.
After finishing my career as a Willamette Bearcat, I was fortunate to be offered a job in Limerick. I found out about the job on the 27th of August and was on a plane to Ireland on September 2. I had only a couple days to get all of my stuff ready and say goodbye to everyone back in Oregon.
I live in a three bedroom apartment with two of my teammates. It is a nice apartment and I am very happy with the living arrangement. You hear horror stories about people living in tiny, crappy apartments, but I am very lucky with my situation.  As far as basketball, I have individual workouts Monday through Friday at noon. The team has practice (or training as they call it) every Mon., Wed, and Friday nights. We play one game a week, either on Saturday or Sunday. The team has been doing great so far and we are currently 8-2 in league play, good enough for 1st place in the Southern Conference.

While Ireland is definitely a country that loves its sports, basketball is not very popular in the country. Gaelic Football, Hurling, soccer, and rugby dominate the sports scene in Ireland. We get only about 100-200 fans for most home games and have the nicest basketball facility in the country.
For the first time in a very long time, I have a great deal of free time.  I usually am in the gym and weight room for a couple hours a day, but other than that, I have no obligations. In my spare time I enjoy reading and watching movies, along with writing. It's tough at times, because although I have accomplished my goal of playing overseas, I often get home sick and wish I could catch a flight home.  Well thats just a bit about my situation here and I will have updates coming soon.
Happy Holidays

Here is a few highlights from a couple games over here. I am number 5 in the blue/ white jersey