My Georgetown Hoyas are back in it again. March Madness has begun and the 2008 NCAA Championship brackets are finalized and ready to start action. Last year, Georgetown made it to the Final Four and lost against Ohio. I think there odds are even more positive this year. They only lost one player last year, Greene to the NBA draft. All of their seniors are back and ready to fill their engines back up.

Right now many websites have March Madness challenges and NCAA basketball predictions for the 2008 Finals. If you’re looking to make bets with your friends or fantasy picks its great to look at the current March Madness Bracket and the last couple of years bracket to compare. Like I said about my Hoyas, they have a line up seniors and it is a good chance they will go very deep into the NCAA championships this year. At Docsports a website that offers NCAA March Madness spread and odds information for this years tournament, is great for information and betting if thats what you’re into.

I love March Madness because it is always full of surprises. Basically everyone throws out the regular season because this is a whole different ball game. I’m looking forward to the March Madness Schedule and the scores.

In December 2007, the local tv station did a story on me and I wanted to share it with everyone. The interview was in Spanish and the local language in Cataluyna, Spain: Catalan. Let the video load first its pretty big. Below is the translation and original in Spanish.

Continue Reading ->

I’m not sure if I brushed upon this topic before but communication back and forth from overseas is important to keep your sanity and close contact with your family. When I started playing basketball overseas, it was recommended to use a service which allowed phone calls to my phone in Finland for about $0.09 a minute which was pretty good back in 1999 without the introduction of VOIP which is now much cheaper and standard.

When I was in Finland, I used a Nokia 2000 series unlocked GSM mobile phone which was not standard in the USA at that point. I have been sending sms messages since 1999 and the last couple of years in the states it has been something of a phenomenon. For anyone going overseas to play basketball I recommend buying an unlocked GSM phone because as carriers brand their phones and it makes it hard to switch in and out your sim card when you travel country to country. I know, I’ve been there and done that. New cell phone stores who over great deals and unlocked phones such as Pure Mobile is a great solution.

The store offers some of the most stylish and popular mobile phones in the market. High class if you want to show off your style, they have the new iPhone, lg prada black (really slick design) and the chic slim motorola cell phone. Browsing around at the Pure Mobile website is great because its quite easy to find the most popular models and new phones which are unlocked. Finding the news model of unlocked GSM phone is not easy in the USA.

My favorite type of phone because I’m forever checking my email due to my work online is the palm cell phone. Right now I’m using my Dell Axim PDA with a keyboard but it would be nice to have a pda cellphone or blackberry. Now that it’s available to buy with decent prices a Puremobile, I’ll invest it more when I get back stateside. But with  their cheapest prices being only $150.00 I’m sure I will check into buying another cell.

Remember, the type of phone that you need if you do play overseas is an unlocked sim phone with GSM Bands of at least 900/1800/1900 (tri-band). I like the option of using the cuad band just in case I’m in any part of Asia and nearby countries!

Makin’ It 

Work is power
Power is commitment
Commitment means struggle
Struggle means progress
Progress means persistance
Persistance is to love one’s goal
A goal is the dream
The dream is the fate
The fate is the journey
The journey is god given
God gives the ability
The ability to make it
The ability to pursue
The ability to know its coming
Then to know its there
Take it and run with it
Then to realize you made it
Then to pass it on
And let that one know
What it takes to be you, what it takes to make it!

- Devin E Davidson

Devin is a guest writer/poet and currently plays semi-pro basketball in California. He has published  a book of poems Poems from the Hood and he has a blog, DeD Product Writes Online

One topic that I’ve wanted to write about for basketball players is the money that you acquire and how you save and protect it. I know for some of you, you’ve most likely invested in buying a home and have normal bank savings accounts. However, you could take it just a bit further with money markets, bonds investments and cds (certificate of deposit). To learn about these options you’ll have to do bit of research and reading.

But to get a good grasp of the rates that are around and what you might expect for cd rates and other money market rates I suggest eMoneyCentral. They have charts of national bank rates for the USA and the minimum deposit needed.  Although the market is not the most positive right now, it should not stop you from investing and securing your future. The situation in the USA perhaps may be bad but there is always the day for change and incline.

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been researching the Flip Video Camera for myself and to recommend if it was worthy enough. I’ve come to the opinion that the Flip video is a great and easy no-flaw way to get your basketball videos online. In the past, I mentioned several ways to create video and the type of software that you would need. After studying the most easiest way for a beginner to get their basketball highlight film onto services such as Youtube, Revver, Veoh, BlipTv .. etc, I believe Flip Video is the best option.

There are two series of Flip Video Cams: Flip Video and Flip Video Ultra. The prices do not exceed $160 and its powered with double AA batteries. The Flip contains a USB adapter integrated so that you can plug-in-play directly into your laptop, pc computer or MAC. Later, it can be upload to those video services fairly quick.

What I love about it is. Of course, when you’re playing you’ll most likely need to ask a friend or family member to record the game. When you have easy equipment such as the Flip VideoCamera its easy to pass along. Just click one button and they’re off recording the game. Continue Reading ->

Well there are no secrets.. Practice makes perfect, although I don’t believe in perfection. I do believe that a good work ethic should be in place. I was watching the NBA All-Star game and the Slam Dunk contest and it inspired me to write on the subject. Starting with the dunk contest. I’m sure the winner Dwight Howard studied a lot about basketball court dimensions before calculating how he was gonna fly through the air like superman. Sure, I know it was done by Jordan back in the day BUT he did add a little flare to the classic “I can fly” dunk.If you want to be an all-star you might want to have all of your basketball equipment ready to go. Here is my quick list:

• Good basketball shoes are important
• Comfortable shorts
• Notebook to keep tabs on your shooting and percentages
• Good gym or place to practice

I could go on and on but thats my list. I’m sure many of the NBA players have their own private gyms built into their mega-million homes. I know any type of inground basketball system would aid into giving you a lot more time to practice and more convenient. But that shouldn’t stop you. Get in the gym now if you’re not on your way. Anyone can be an All-Star you just have to be dedicated with NO FEAR!

Note: A good place to shop for basketball equipment that I recommend is over at Dazadi Basketball Equipment. The prices are pretty good!