Okay Tisha You Can Have Your Job Back...Antalya Koleji vs. Optimum Ted Ankara Kolejliler

Antalya Koleji vs Optimum Ted Ankara Kolejliler 75-90

Statline: 27pts 18rebs

I'm baaaaaaaaack everybody!!! Give it up for your girl EeTisha Riddle.  From the audience back on the court in a weeks time give her a hand! LOL.  But yeah I went out there to prove a point for starters.  You should have let me finish ALL my games I mean you could at least do that much I been here sense October!  We had the lead the entire game and a nice cushion but they were still in striking distance.  I was doing my thing though I was 12 for 16 from the floor.  Running up and down the court like Speedy Gonzalez.  Lay-up after lay-up rebound after rebound I controlled the game.  We got a nice lead and the scoreboard said that I had 30 points so the Coach sat me down but the official stats had me for 27.  I know I didn't miss four times either I missed three times. They be cheating haha.  But it was a good game for us we needed one of those fun up and down games.  Plus it was a good homecomming for Betul she got to play in front of her mom and family.  She shot the mess out of the ball too! I was like daaaaaamn girl hometown rims love you!

Well, I got my job back to say the least.  I was happy I could play again.  I mean the worse thing you can do to me is to take basketball away from me.  Basketball is all I have bad enough I'm a million miles away from home. Even when I'm at home I still have problems because I'm not playing competitive basketball.  The past two weeks I was sick without it.  The sad thing was that they sent my homie home.  Back to the old me which is being alone and isolated from the rest of the world.  The month she was here was bananas! I had fun.  Which made me look at overseas in a new light.  My past experience was the worst.  I was alone and isolated I had nobody not even teamates.  When you have people that you can relate to and be around overseas is not bad at all.  I wasn't even homesick!!  That's why I hope that I can finally prove that I can play in the 1st Division where I can be with other Americans instead of being the only one.  Once you've seen the light of the outside world you dont want to go back to the dark.  But, I have to finish my journey just like I started it...alone.

Game Capsule: Um You Can't Sit Here...İzmir Bşb vs. Optimum Ted Ankara Kolejliler

2-6-10 İzmir Bşb vs. Optimum Ted Ankara Kolejliler 76-55


Statline: DNP

First off I was aggrivated that I found out that I wasn't on the roster to play in this game.  I was told that I could finish my games!!! The girls aren't even use to playing with Tay yet nor does she know all the plays yet.  Let her play in the last game of the year at least give yall some momentum for the playoffs.  But nope I had to sit this one out.  What made it so bad was that I had to travel to the game.  I thought I could stay at my apartment and just chill out I mean why waste money on food, and travel if you got extra money to blow give me some more!! LOL.  But I was mad about that.  So we get to the city and its a beauty I might add, and we all went in groups walking around the city and found a nice place to eat lunch it was really fun.  That stopped at practice. I felt if I'm not playing, my knee already is acting up, what do I have to practice for? My good mood went straight to hell.  Then they started going over sets and Coach was like well you can take a seat.  So my mood switched once again from good to mad to sad in 15 minutes.  I felt like I wasn't apart of the team anymore.  This my team!! What the hell?? So yeah I was going through it while I was sitting down watching.  Crazy thing was Tay slipped on some water an twisted her ankle! I was like awww shoot Coach looks like your stuck with me and I started laughing but nobody else was laughing. I shook my head and sat back down.

Oh the game!! Okay so I'm in my warm up suit with my hair freshly done, make-up perfect, earrings dangling got my bling game on point! The other team was looking like what's going on?!?!? They whispering.  I sat down on the bench.  Couple minutes later Tay walks out and the other team went from looking like they had it in the bag to OH MY GOD look.  I was laughing. Game time and Coach goes "Um you cannot sit down here you can sit in te audience".  I'm like woooow.  I was already feeling like this is my game to play now you making me a spectator in the audience? That hurt my heart I can't lie.

To sum the game up:  Tay picked up 3 fouls in the first quater!! Honestly she is way too strong for this league.  They flopped (I would do the same thing if I was playing against her) and she got offensive fouls.  With her on the bench the other team did their damage.  It is no secret that we have no bench or solid rebounding outside of the Americans.  We dont have any other posts so it was a wrap.  On top of that our defense was PATHETIC.  The other team was hitting every shot they took!! I mean 90% of the time they was wide open I hope they would hit and they at home too?!?!? Cmon son.  All in all they blasted us for the worst loss of the year...21 POINTS!!! 

With that being said...was I really the problem?? I'm going to let you answer that for yourself

Game Capsule: Back On Track...Or Are We?

1-31-10 Optimum Ted Ankara Kolejliler vs Güre Belediye 94-68

Statline: 27pts 17rebs

Well, we had two weeks off to think about the terrible loss we suffered previously. Plus, we had a new player to replace me so my whole mindset was to finish out my last three games and go home. But it came game time and I was ready to go. It was our last home game of the season so it was important to leave our fans with something positive to remember us by. From the tip we were in complete control. They couldn't buy a bucket and with me controlling the rebounds our fast break was REDICULOUS. That's our game right there fast break buckets but the games we've lost was because they slowed us down. Honestly our half court game isn't that good. It's nothing complicated just pick and rolls but I mean seriously who can truly defend the pick an roll...with 5 people on defense you already know one person is paying no kind of attention to whats going on and the rotation and recovery is slow which equals a bucket or at least a good shot. Haha. But back to the game...I played extremely well in the first half i had 20 points and 10 rebounds. But the second half, lord help me, I had the case of *I Wanna Miss Open Lay-Up Syndrome*. I could have easliy had 40 once again but eh it happens to the best of us right. My misses didn't make much a difference because we was up by 30 and everybody else was hitting. Game Over victory Kolej. Time to get ready for my next game or maybe not...

"Sorry Tisha but you have been replaced"

Okay so now we sit with two losses.  Coach was talking about making changes, he released one player I thought he was done...but I had no idea that I was the drastic change he was talking about.  Indirectly they blamed me for our two losses.  But I'm going to give you the situation of our two losses...first game okay so in the 4th quarter I should have switched off to defend Jones and I didn't she continued to murder us...but on the flip side I only tood 2 SHOTS in the second half. Why did I stop getting the ball.  They got Jones the ball everytime down the floor, but the ball never swung my way but I ended the game wit 14pts 15rebs and 5ast but yet the loss is my fault right? Okay on to the next loss...I had 9 SHOTS the entire game with no double team!! On top of that, I had 7 OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS so how many shots did I get off the pass?? You do the math. Plus you can read my previous blog about how we actually lost the game but he never owned up to his mistake.  Blame the American right? Cool.

I get to practice on a Tuesday and they tell me "Tish we want to go in a different direction for the playoffs, we bringing somebody in she'll be here tomorrow".  You should have seen my face.  I couldn't do anything but laugh.  I'm not cocky but damn I average 21 and 15 and you telling me you want to go in a different direction?? Whatever send me home.  I do everything for this team and you want to tell me something crazy like that? But thats the business.  They told me that I could finish my games I was like you can send me home I am POSITIVE that another team would LOVE to have a player like me on their team.  They knew that too so they had me stay and be the alternate aka practice player.  Now I'm going to be honest with yall, I hate practice and I rarely practice good.  I am what you call a "gamer".  What's a gamer? A person that is an absolute monster in the game. 

How I'm feeling:  Basically I feel disrespected because how can I lead the league in scoring and second in rebounding and you telling me I'm not good enough for you.  Second, I feel that my relationship with this organization is OVER.  Once you stop believing in me there is nothing more I can do for you.  Its like breaking up with your boyfriend. Baby *sigh* its over...its me its not you (thats the nice way). Or you say Man forget you I'm leaving and I never want to see you or speak to you ever again in life (thats the non-cursing way but thats more of how I felt). LOL but seriously though.

The Introduction:
So she comes first thing I say is damn we could pass for sisters.  Same skin color, same hair color, around the same heighth, she bigger than me though.  But she looked familiar.  I'm like where you go to school...she said kU. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH yall im a MIZZOU alum! Soon as she said that I knew exactly who it was.  I played against her in the infamous MU kU brawl that happend at the end of our game.  She was one of the "instigators" as the newspapers so eliquently put it! LOL ahhh man I was at a loss for words.  I couldn't make this up if I wanted to.  So she gets to practice and she is straight killing my little, skrawny, narrow self.  I mean I'm NOT a Center nor do I pretend to be. I am not physical at all.  I am FINESS to the fullest.  She is a monster though SUPER talented. I told her and I told the coaches I am not going to fight with her or battle it out on the court. You obviously don't want me here and I feel this spot isn't worth fighting for she can have it.  So you have 2 capable players that are the complete opposites of each other so Kolej who you rolling with?  They said they going with her.  I was officially the alternate.  She signed the dotted line.

On the flip side:  Our personalities are so similar its crazy! After all these months of lonliness and isolation is over I FINALLY have a friend to go out and see the city, explore and get lost with!! This is great!  For the 1st time in 4 months I get to go to the mall, venture out and even meet other americans.  I finally have somebody thats like me, that knows exactly how crazy playing overseas can be, somebody I can relate to.  I never had that before.  My homie on the men's team was like "You sure yall not related?" lol. So even though I wasn't playing basketball at least I made a great friend.  Maybe this alternate thing aint so bad afterall...yeah right.  I will say this though, you put us on the same team its gon be something viscous.  It would have been crazy if I had a Turkish passport our team would have been untouchable in this league.