Today’s the day… the first game of the season. Here is what I had to say when I was interviewed yesterday (in Italian) about my thoughts on today’s match:
“Non vedo l’ora di cominciare, sono molto euforico, è sempre così alla prima partita della stagione. Vogliamo giocare senza pensare alla classifica, ora siamo tutti allo stesso punteggio e per tutti tutto è possibile per il campionato. Non conosco nessuno giocatore di Perugia, non ci ho mai giocato contro, ma dobbiamo prepararci e focalizzarci solo su noi stessi. Mi piace il pubblico di Latina, molto caloroso, a loro dico che sarà una partita incerta e spettacolare da non mancare”.
Now, the interviewer definitely helped me out with some of the translating (“How do you say excited..?”), but here is what I said:
“I cant wait for it to start, I am very excited, like always for the for the first match of the season. Now everybody is even, for one day we are all in first place, and anything can happen. I personally don’t know any players from Perugia, and what is more important is that we will prepare and focus on ourselves. I love Latina’s fans, they always have a lot of energy, and I want to say to them that this will be a great match, one you won’t want to miss.”
So basically, I can’t wait. I love the first game of the season because it always brings so much optimism — anything can happen! Also, I’m ready to get back on the court and compete. I had a great summer, but getting back into a rhythm of playing every week is going to be really fun. Especially here in Italy, I get the chance to play against some of the world’s best players, and I’m really excited for that again this year.
I’ve been thinking that my second year will be a lot like one’s sophomore year in college. As a freshman, everything is great, and everything is new. Everything is exciting usually because it is new. But you are still kind of a rookie. And then you come back for your sophomore year, still with the optimism of youth but without the wide eyes of a freshman. You’ve been around the block, so you know things you didn’t know last year: the fastest route to class, the cafeterias to avoid, the best parties to go to, etc. You skip all the shiny attractions that draw in the newbies and go straight to the good stuff. This year, I know what to expect in this league. Who the best players are, what we have to do well in order to win, how to relate to teammates from another country, and how to prepare myself for every game. So I’m excited. Excited to start year two. Here we go!
A quick run-through of my schedule on game days:
9:00 am – Wake up and make some coffee.
9:30 am – After the coffee kicks in, make some breakfast. Today it was 2 fried eggs and prosciutto on a piece of wheat toast, and a side of fruit.
10:20 am – Head to the gym on my bike and get ready for out 11 o’clock practice.
11:00 am – Pre-game practice/run-through. Pretty light but definitely essential.
12:30 pm – Team lunch, at a restaurant near the gym. Pasta, chicken, a little bit of fruit and veggies. And a shot of espresso to finish of course.
1:30 pm – Rest time. Today I’m writing a quick blog post then going down for a quick snooze.
4:15 pm – Head to the gym and get ready for the game. Maybe have one more espresso.
6:00 pm- Game time!
9:00 pm – Celebrate the win… hopefully!
Ciao, Murphy! 