Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Long Live The KING.
Had to pay our respects the the greatest entertainer of all time, Michael Jackson. Hearing the news while in Lebanon I was wondering how people back home would react to this worldwide tragedy. Just like most people I grew up on his music & the loss hit home. My mother is a huge fan of MJ & The Jackson 5 (my middle namesake is after Mikes greasy brother whom my mom had a crush on back in the day...take a guess which one) so his music was constantly playing in our household. Michael Jackson was a big part of my upbringing. I emulated his dance moves when I was younger, I had the pleather red/black jacket with the zippers. The Thriller video & the movie The Wiz with Mike playing the scare crow both scared me as a child. I always appreciated his inventiveness & creativity. Watching several stations coverage on his passing really frustrated me because they continously dwelled on the controversy in his lifetime instead celebrating all that he gave this world. People will never let the music die Michael....Rest In Peace KING.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Get Your Basketball ON!
After a short break from the grind (didn't think it was possible)and taking time off to rest some ailing body parts Philwaukee and I have decided to dedicate our summer to a strenuous training regime with the one and only...LEROY SMITH! His methods are unmatched. For petes sake he is responsible for ALL of Michael Jordans success. If Leroy can have this type of influence over the greatest to ever play the game then imagine the possibilites with the Milwaukee Hoopers. We are about to get our basketball ON! Tim Grover who?
Check out more of the motivator at www.getyourbasketballon.com
Monday, June 8, 2009
And the winner is....
Just received word that I was selected for the All-Syrian League Awards. My time spent in Syria (about one month) was eventful as I was blessed to have joined the top team in the league, Al Jalaa Aleppo & go on to win a championship & receive Finals MVP honors. It was a bit vain of me to copy & paste ONLY the sections of the eurobasket article that mentioned my name but hey everything leading up to this past season has made me value every minute of my career because in a blink of an eye it can all come to a screeching hault. Knowing this & having felt the wrath of doubters & naysayers alike I must bask in the glory on some Kanye West "Last Call" from College Dropout ish. "Some say he's arrogant can ya'll blame him/It was straight embarrassing how ya'll played him." Last year wasn't exactly all peaches & cream (dollar menu diets, sleeping on random couches, cramped greyhound trips & most embarrassing...having to borrow money) so this years accomplishments are that much sweeter. I appreciate every little moment. Every autograph, every photo op, everything is a blessing from God. Months ago I went from being on the Chicago Bulls summer league roster hooping with ROY Derrick Rose to being on the Milwaukee streets running around a broken liquor bottle riddled block to stay in shape. Last year I was trying to get out of a bad situation. Trying to prove to folks that I could play ball & play WELL for a living. Actually this is just the beginning, I am still trying to emphatically prove my point. I was like a struggling rapper shopping his demo but no one wanted to listen. There are the exceptions of my family/friends who supported me endlessly. They know who they are. Can I act like I have won a world renown award? Like a real one haha. Podium...check. Audience...check. Ok if this was the espys or something that the average person would actually acknowledge then the condensed thank you list would go as follows in no particular order. First & foremost I'd like to thank my lord & savior, CHRIST. I owe this award to Langston/Mom, LC/Corine, Philwaukee, Adebisi/BlaxLife, Randy Foye (words can't say enough), C.Foye, Ces, Mr. Orlando, CV (Team Foyeboy), Mikey McFly, Andy, Jlo & her mom for trying to hook her up with guys that made more money than me, M. Claxton, Josh, Gerald, Jason Fraser, Pee Wee, Kyle Lowry, IBL teammates & coaches, Elkhart, Ind., Barbara C, Tom Brady, Jared Rice, Lonnie/Janice, Rene,my York, PA fam, Suttons, Jay Wright (Nova fam), all the young wildcats, T Grizzle, EZ Ed, Kev/Scoot, Lebanese fans, RIP Blow, RIP Vince, underground rappers that are extremely dope but don't sell as much as they should, Doug Funnie, the movie Hoop Dreams, FSL & all MilwaukeeHoopers on the grind! P.S. Anyone I forgot please forgive me. You are in my heart if not in mind right now.
Shout out to Emile for the heads up on this article & the Jalaa organization, fans, Aleppo, etc...
Check out the link below for more....
Asia-Basket.com All-Syrian League Awards 2008-09 - Jun 6, 2009 (by Eurobasket )
1st Team
Ryan Edwards (196-F-83) of Al Wehda Damascus
Michel Maadanli (196-G-81) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
Tyrone Anderson (193-G-84) of Al Yarmouk
Marcelo Correa (208-C-77) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
Chris Charles (213-F/C-81) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
All-Imports Team
Ryan Edwards (196-F-83) of Al Wehda Damascus
Ryan Holmes (197-F/G-82) of Al Wathba
Tyrone Anderson (193-G-84) of Al Yarmouk
Chad Hendrick (197-G/F-79) of Al Jeish Army Damascus
Chris Charles (213-F/C-81) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
All-Defensive Team
Ali Diarbakrly (180-G-82) of Al Ittihad Aleppo
Ramy Merjani (180-G-83) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
Nashid Beard (208-F-83) of Al Jeish Army Damascus
Rami Issa (200-F-82) of Al Ittihad Aleppo
Chris Charles (213-F/C-81) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
http://www.asia-basket.com/Syria/basketball.asp?NewsID=161410
Shout out to Emile for the heads up on this article & the Jalaa organization, fans, Aleppo, etc...
Check out the link below for more....
Asia-Basket.com All-Syrian League Awards 2008-09 - Jun 6, 2009 (by Eurobasket )| |
|
|
|
|
|
1st Team
Ryan Edwards (196-F-83) of Al Wehda Damascus
Michel Maadanli (196-G-81) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
Tyrone Anderson (193-G-84) of Al Yarmouk
Marcelo Correa (208-C-77) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
Chris Charles (213-F/C-81) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
All-Imports Team
Ryan Edwards (196-F-83) of Al Wehda Damascus
Ryan Holmes (197-F/G-82) of Al Wathba
Tyrone Anderson (193-G-84) of Al Yarmouk
Chad Hendrick (197-G/F-79) of Al Jeish Army Damascus
Chris Charles (213-F/C-81) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
All-Defensive Team
Ali Diarbakrly (180-G-82) of Al Ittihad Aleppo
Ramy Merjani (180-G-83) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
Nashid Beard (208-F-83) of Al Jeish Army Damascus
Rami Issa (200-F-82) of Al Ittihad Aleppo
Chris Charles (213-F/C-81) of Al Jalaa Aleppo
http://www.asia-basket.com/Syria/basketball.asp?NewsID=161410
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Chinese Throwback.
There is still so much interesting footage leftover from our trips to CHINA with the ELKHART EXPRESS. Here are some clips of us capturing the Yao Ming/OBC sponsored tournament title. It was a blast & we look forward to one day visiting Shanhai/Beijing again. The people there were extremely cool about our shenanigans on the street. In America I am sure we would've caught a smooth two-piece for the type of behavior displayed in the "Big Trouble In Little China" video but hey it's all done in fun & good taste...we think. Enjoy the video, it features the new single from underground champs TANYA MORGAN. The rap renaissance man himself, Mikey McFly, kicked it with these dudes & was thoughtful enough to get me a signed copy of their album BROOKLYNATI! I was too impatient for my return to american soil to rock to it so Itunes came threw for me. I've officially been a hardcore gentlemen since. Rugged & Smooth. Cop the album & you'll understand the reference.
On a sidenote it is election day in Lebanon. I will be laying low for safety purposes for the next couple of days (dead serious). If there are any disgruntled insurgent-types not happy about the outcome of the election please keep it peaceful! At least until I am on a flight back to the crib. I would have been in America by now BUT I'm dealing with my own "don't u holla" situation. Again if you cop the album you'd get it. PEACE OUT!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
MilwaukeeHoopers Worldwide.
Below is a feature that was wonderfully written by Rick Olivares from the Philippines. As mentioned in an earlier entry we hung out during the Fiba Asia Champions Cup in Jakarta & I gained alot of respect for how he approaches his craft. So without further adieu.....
''Dude get over yourself"-message board haterade sippers.
Man in a Suitcase*
The Basketball Odyssey of Chris Charles
by Rick Olivares
Author's Note: Thanks for hanging out with me at the coffee shop, Chris. See ya 'round. That sure was fun.
Watch out for a collected piece on Priest Lauderdale and other American players @ the 20th FIBA Asia Champions Cup.
* I cribbed the title from the song by the Police from their masterful album Zenyatta Mondatta.
''Dude get over yourself"-message board haterade sippers.
Man in a Suitcase*
The Basketball Odyssey of Chris Charles
by Rick Olivares
Chris Charles was chasing the player he was guarding when he ran into a teammate’s knee causing him to fall to the court in pain. As play action continued since there was no dead ball situation, he felt a wave of fear engulf his body.
“God, please. Let me be okay.” he quickly prayed as he clutched his right knee.
Charles is one of America’s oldest global exports – a basketball player who lives out of his suitcase to eke out a living in far away lands where Pidgin English and hoops are the only means of communicating.
And that livelihood is dependent on one’s ability to play and to stay healthy. Charles, the former Villanova Wildcat center, would be sidelined for two matches for Al Riyadi Lebanon’s campaign in the 20th FIBA Asia Champions Challenge Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia along with its star Fadi El Khatib (who was out with back spasms).
He returned to action in their final match of the eliminations (albeit in a losing cause) against the Philippines notching 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 block as he played the entire 40 minutes.
“Yeah, the expectations are somewhat crazy,” he admitted of the “savior” tag unfairly heaped on American players. “I think everyone expects us to be like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. But that’s okay. I accept it as a challenge.”
The curly-haired seven-footer out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin suited up for the Villanova Wildcats although that is somewhat of a misnomer since he hardly got any playing time. Charles knew right away that there was not going to be any invite for an NBA team since he didn’t have the statistics to show. The Milwaukee Bucks’ Charlie Villanueva, who went to the University of Connecticut, was someone he once played against and seeing him make the pro circuit only motivated him to try harder.
“I grew up a Bucks fan,” said Charles of what became his mission. “Whether it was the bad days or the good days I was a fan. So it was always a dream for me to not only play in the NBA but for my home team. And if the road to the NBA means playing overseas then I’ll travel that road.”
Travel was the order all right as he began the journey of filling his passport with immigration stamps.
That first opportunity was in the Dominican Republic and he immediately researched on any bit of info he could gather on the country and its basketball league. On the flight to the Latin American country, Charles felt a little queasy about venturing into the unknown. He had heard from many others horror stories such as Americans not getting paid or being sent home after a poor game. “I was nervous about making a name for myself,” he explained with conviction. “But a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
Except that an ankle injury knocked him out after two weeks of action. The club replaced him right away but paid him in full for his services anyway.
He went back home to Milwaukee and worked at a car dealership while contemplating his future. The decision was easy… play basketball because Charles was driven to not only prove himself but because he was pursuing a dream.
The good vibes of his initial sojourn abroad dissipated when in his next destination, Serbia, he encountered money problems with his club. While the case was elevated to FIBA for a resolution, Charles went home, but this time, the homecoming wasn’t well received as family and friends strongly advised him to hang up his sneakers and join the rat race.
“Why do you continue to ball when you don’t have too many things to show for? You have a college education, sure you can find a job in America.” they all chided. It was “a crazy time” in the former Sociology Major’s words. At this time, a former college teammate of his Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves, opened his home to him. Foye told him find means “to control your destiny” and this opened up a pipeline with Minnesota coach Kevin McHale who later helped get him a tryout with an NBA club.
Yet he still wouldn’t give up. “I was young and felt that it was still to early to give up. And quit? That word is not in my vocabulary.”
He continued to rack up the frequent flier miles at a dizzying pace. There was a stint with the Elkhart Indiana Express (where he teamed-up with his ever-supportive cousin Philwaukee) in the International Basketball League that brought him to a tournament in China. When the contract was done, he found himself packing his two suitcases and duffel bag to Lebanon, Dubai, and soon after that in Syria.
At first the constant relocation battered his confidence. It wasn’t so much the being alone since as an only child he was used to the solitude. It seemed that the road to the NBA was nowhere in sight.
“It would be easy to give up and if it weren’t for three things, I might have too,” admitted the Charles.
Those three things? His laptop, iPhone, and the Holy Bible.
“Thank God for the invention of the laptop and the internet! And mobile phones are also a lifeline. They keep me in touch with all the people in the world who care about me and they push me to continue as well. Just give me an internet connection then I’m alive. But some places have terrible connections!”
The saying that there are no atheists when one finds himself at the lowest ebb doesn’t hold true with this Wisconsin lad. Raised a Baptist, he reads the Bible and prays everyday. Life on the road has only strengthened his belief. “Every time I step on the court, I pray to God to keep me safe, healthy, and free from injury. I also pray that for my teammates and opponents.”
And it has taught him to quickly adapt to new lands and cultures. With basketball the fastest growing sport in the world, there are thousands of Americans playing outside the United States and their proliferation somewhat helps with the transition and translation. “Next to the language, one of the things you have to learn fast is the currency and prices of goods because as an American, store owners will try to make a fast buck on you. Then there’s the food…,” he laughed as he left his sentence dangling.
“In China, they served us a bunch of dishes where they asked us to figure out from what animal it came from. Believe me, the less you know the better it is. But you do not want to offend them so I try it. But it always helps to cook your own food or know where the nearest KFC or McDonald’s is.”
Making the finals in the IBL and winning an MVP Award in Syria (with Al Jalaa Aleppo) gave him the stomach to continue for after a while, his friends had jumped off the bandwagon.
His perseverance paid off when he was invited last summer by the Chicago Bulls (as McHale also came through) for their summer league team. Although he didn’t make the opening day roster of the team, the fact that he excelled and was included on their roster in the Las Vegas league proved that he was getting somewhere.
“That’s when my family and friends said, ‘Ah, okay. Now we can see what you’re driving at,’” Charles recounted of their reactions. “Making it to the Bulls' summer team also let me know what I need to work on so I can build for the future.”
His luck in the past year has turned as he now admits that it is good enough to earn a living and save money. His strong play in Lebanon (where his team, Champville made the playoffs but was ousted in the first round) got him an invite to join Lebanese champions Al Riyadi in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup.
The club finished third in the ten-team field despite injuries to Charles and El Khatib. The end of the tournament brought much relief for now he could really stay up late to chat and surf and update his blog http://milwaukeehoopers.blogspot.com/ where he keeps a journal of his basketball adventures. The team was to fly back to Lebanon the following day for debriefing, claim his pay then ultimately pack his bags.
It was time to go home to Milwaukee.
“God, please. Let me be okay.” he quickly prayed as he clutched his right knee.
Charles is one of America’s oldest global exports – a basketball player who lives out of his suitcase to eke out a living in far away lands where Pidgin English and hoops are the only means of communicating.
And that livelihood is dependent on one’s ability to play and to stay healthy. Charles, the former Villanova Wildcat center, would be sidelined for two matches for Al Riyadi Lebanon’s campaign in the 20th FIBA Asia Champions Challenge Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia along with its star Fadi El Khatib (who was out with back spasms).
He returned to action in their final match of the eliminations (albeit in a losing cause) against the Philippines notching 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 block as he played the entire 40 minutes.
“Yeah, the expectations are somewhat crazy,” he admitted of the “savior” tag unfairly heaped on American players. “I think everyone expects us to be like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. But that’s okay. I accept it as a challenge.”
The curly-haired seven-footer out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin suited up for the Villanova Wildcats although that is somewhat of a misnomer since he hardly got any playing time. Charles knew right away that there was not going to be any invite for an NBA team since he didn’t have the statistics to show. The Milwaukee Bucks’ Charlie Villanueva, who went to the University of Connecticut, was someone he once played against and seeing him make the pro circuit only motivated him to try harder.
“I grew up a Bucks fan,” said Charles of what became his mission. “Whether it was the bad days or the good days I was a fan. So it was always a dream for me to not only play in the NBA but for my home team. And if the road to the NBA means playing overseas then I’ll travel that road.”
Travel was the order all right as he began the journey of filling his passport with immigration stamps.
That first opportunity was in the Dominican Republic and he immediately researched on any bit of info he could gather on the country and its basketball league. On the flight to the Latin American country, Charles felt a little queasy about venturing into the unknown. He had heard from many others horror stories such as Americans not getting paid or being sent home after a poor game. “I was nervous about making a name for myself,” he explained with conviction. “But a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
Except that an ankle injury knocked him out after two weeks of action. The club replaced him right away but paid him in full for his services anyway.
He went back home to Milwaukee and worked at a car dealership while contemplating his future. The decision was easy… play basketball because Charles was driven to not only prove himself but because he was pursuing a dream.
The good vibes of his initial sojourn abroad dissipated when in his next destination, Serbia, he encountered money problems with his club. While the case was elevated to FIBA for a resolution, Charles went home, but this time, the homecoming wasn’t well received as family and friends strongly advised him to hang up his sneakers and join the rat race.
“Why do you continue to ball when you don’t have too many things to show for? You have a college education, sure you can find a job in America.” they all chided. It was “a crazy time” in the former Sociology Major’s words. At this time, a former college teammate of his Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves, opened his home to him. Foye told him find means “to control your destiny” and this opened up a pipeline with Minnesota coach Kevin McHale who later helped get him a tryout with an NBA club.
Yet he still wouldn’t give up. “I was young and felt that it was still to early to give up. And quit? That word is not in my vocabulary.”
He continued to rack up the frequent flier miles at a dizzying pace. There was a stint with the Elkhart Indiana Express (where he teamed-up with his ever-supportive cousin Philwaukee) in the International Basketball League that brought him to a tournament in China. When the contract was done, he found himself packing his two suitcases and duffel bag to Lebanon, Dubai, and soon after that in Syria.
At first the constant relocation battered his confidence. It wasn’t so much the being alone since as an only child he was used to the solitude. It seemed that the road to the NBA was nowhere in sight.
“It would be easy to give up and if it weren’t for three things, I might have too,” admitted the Charles.
Those three things? His laptop, iPhone, and the Holy Bible.
“Thank God for the invention of the laptop and the internet! And mobile phones are also a lifeline. They keep me in touch with all the people in the world who care about me and they push me to continue as well. Just give me an internet connection then I’m alive. But some places have terrible connections!”
The saying that there are no atheists when one finds himself at the lowest ebb doesn’t hold true with this Wisconsin lad. Raised a Baptist, he reads the Bible and prays everyday. Life on the road has only strengthened his belief. “Every time I step on the court, I pray to God to keep me safe, healthy, and free from injury. I also pray that for my teammates and opponents.”
And it has taught him to quickly adapt to new lands and cultures. With basketball the fastest growing sport in the world, there are thousands of Americans playing outside the United States and their proliferation somewhat helps with the transition and translation. “Next to the language, one of the things you have to learn fast is the currency and prices of goods because as an American, store owners will try to make a fast buck on you. Then there’s the food…,” he laughed as he left his sentence dangling.
“In China, they served us a bunch of dishes where they asked us to figure out from what animal it came from. Believe me, the less you know the better it is. But you do not want to offend them so I try it. But it always helps to cook your own food or know where the nearest KFC or McDonald’s is.”
Making the finals in the IBL and winning an MVP Award in Syria (with Al Jalaa Aleppo) gave him the stomach to continue for after a while, his friends had jumped off the bandwagon.
His perseverance paid off when he was invited last summer by the Chicago Bulls (as McHale also came through) for their summer league team. Although he didn’t make the opening day roster of the team, the fact that he excelled and was included on their roster in the Las Vegas league proved that he was getting somewhere.
“That’s when my family and friends said, ‘Ah, okay. Now we can see what you’re driving at,’” Charles recounted of their reactions. “Making it to the Bulls' summer team also let me know what I need to work on so I can build for the future.”
His luck in the past year has turned as he now admits that it is good enough to earn a living and save money. His strong play in Lebanon (where his team, Champville made the playoffs but was ousted in the first round) got him an invite to join Lebanese champions Al Riyadi in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup.
The club finished third in the ten-team field despite injuries to Charles and El Khatib. The end of the tournament brought much relief for now he could really stay up late to chat and surf and update his blog http://milwaukeehoopers.blogspot.com/ where he keeps a journal of his basketball adventures. The team was to fly back to Lebanon the following day for debriefing, claim his pay then ultimately pack his bags.
It was time to go home to Milwaukee.
Author's Note: Thanks for hanging out with me at the coffee shop, Chris. See ya 'round. That sure was fun.
Watch out for a collected piece on Priest Lauderdale and other American players @ the 20th FIBA Asia Champions Cup.
* I cribbed the title from the song by the Police from their masterful album Zenyatta Mondatta.
Monday, May 25, 2009
20th FIBA Asia Champions Cup Bronze Medal.
A minor knee injury scare in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup hindered my ability to perform to the my best ability for a few days but I can still say we accomplished something & it was quite a learning experience. Had the chance to play against some of the top teams in Asia, see exotic Indonesia for the first time, get to know Al Riyadis players & win a bronze medal. Also met some worldly interesting people. There was the 7'4'' Priest Lauderdale who was a giant amongst Gary Colemans. Feels weird to not be the tallest guy in the room but then again it was cool because most of the attention was diverted towards his direction. Then there was Rick Olivares, a really down to earth journalist from the Philippines. We had several conversations throughout the tournament about a wide variety of topics. Life, Basketball & music (he schooled me on New Order). I am a fan of Joy Division yet I had no idea about the group that evolved after Ian Curtis' death. Goodlookin' Rick. I hate NOT knowing & you definitely put me in the know haha. Rick has written some pieces on American players & their basketball journeys. Check out what his blog has "brewing" when you get a chance....
http://bleachersbrew.blogspot.com/2009/05/bleachers-brew-159-man-in-suitcase.html
I am now back in Lebanon & should be heading home really soon. HOME SWEET HOME. Family, friends & familiar places. As for now....I AM UNDERGROUND!
check the link for more on my final game in INDONESIA against QATAR...
http://mahakasports.com/facc09/news/detailarticle/100
Spoils Of War.
Snapshots of the Syrian bedlam. This team finished the season undefeated with 26 wins. I was only there to contribute to the last 5 victories but those were the most crucial considering the success of the season was at stake. The pressure to keep the streak going especially as an American newcomer was what helped me focus even more on the task. It was an honor & pleasure to join the Jalaa squad to catch major wreck in both Aleppo & Damascus. Pictured above is the top player in Syria, Micho Madanly. Very cool cat. Also there is yours truly grasping the hardware (pizzause) as well as a scene from the championship aftermath.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
