Paul Mallers & Jake Dietz Blog From Greece - Days 1 and 2

From Sports Information Director, May 20, 2009 | Men's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

Day 1 - Depart from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. On our flight we all got our own personal TVs where we could watch a selection of movies, television shows or simply listen to music. After a seven-hour flight we were stuck in the London airport for another four hours. When finally arriving in Athens we went through a full 24-hour day of traveling. We arrived at 6 p.m. in Athens and going on few hours of sleep.

Day 2 - We started the day by touring the Acropolis which was very fascinating when learning about all the facts and how far the dates go back. Our tour guide, Yanni, was very informative. The city of Athens itself spreads vast miles in each direction and is extremely congested. Transportation seems to consist of more mopeds than cars and the mopeds feel free to drive wherever they would like including sidewalks and shops. The next stop was on to the Athens National Museum. The museum was made of mostly statues and sculptures of humans. The museum was hot!

On our next stop, the original modern Olympic stadium, which was very exciting to see since we are athletes. This stadium hosted the first modern games in 1896. We went back to the hotel to rest up before our first game.

Arriving at the gym we did not know what to expect. Rules were a bit different and it was hard to adjust to the 24-second shot clock and the extreme lack of fouls called. We made it out alive though! We were a little short handed playing without myself (Paul Mallers) and James Pfitzinger. James being out with the dislocated ankle and myself having surgery on my knees when returning home. The game itself did not go as planned. The Green Knights lost to Near East Basketball Club 79-60. Off to sleep soon to get ready for another great day tomorrow in Delphi! We'll check in again in a few days. Paul Mallers and Jake Dietz signing off!!!