end of season dinner

tonight i took my team out for an end of the season dinner.  we went to a local place close to the sports palace.  i have been there a couple of times before and it has a great outside sitting area with trees, picnic tables and sports (mainly soccer) projected onto a movie theater size screen.  the outside area was closed (blame the late season snow for that one) so we sat inside.  i was a bit stressed about that at first at it seems every chain smoker in bishkek was there tonight... but much to my surprise they actually had a really nice, big non-smoking area.

i had volunteered to buy dinner for everyone (excluding alcohol as i knew going in how much vodka those guys could drink).  at first guys joked that they hadn't eaten in two days saving up for tonight.  i really through they were joking until everyone starting ordering.  i think we put away two cows and about ten sheep all on our own.

although i wasn't buying vodka... somehow bottle after bottle kept appearing on the tables (i am pretty sure that tolek had a case of it hidden in his russian man purse.

one thing i love about these guys is how respectful they are of my being "older" and the coach.  during the season no one ever let me carry anything - including my own bag - and tonight was no different.  guys ordered for me.  they served me my food.  and they kept pouring my vodka.  over and over and over.  but being the responsible guys that they are they made sure that one of the younger players - kanat - didn't drink so he could drive me home.

the thing one should know about russians (even most of the local kyrgyz still consider themselves russians or "soviets" at heart) is that you only drink vodka if someone is giving a toast.  and apparently an "end of season dinner" has to consist of everyone (there were 14 of us) giving at least two toast.  by beer number three and vodka shot number eight... i was pretending to drink each new shot but really i was pouring it out into a glass i had hidden under the table.  i am pretty sure that everyone knew what was going on but they were all too nice to say anything.  i was toasted for being a good coach - "even though we finished third".  i was toasted for being an american.  i was toasted for being so athletic and good looking (ok... i made that last one up).  we toast each other for being a strong team.  for funny things that happened during the season.  for not finishing in fourth place and in the hope of being better next year.

almost all of what was being said was being said in russian and although some of it was translated for my behalf - i couldn't really hear the translation of my own hiccups and the laughter of everyone.  but i didn't need a translation as i understood everything what was being said.  the guys like each other.  they liked me.  and they love playing basketball.

the evening was one of those times (which are becoming more  rare the longer we live here and the more we adjust to the way of life here) where i kept saying to myself - "wow... i am in central asia.  drinking vodka with a group of russians/kyrgyz.  and i am a professional basketball coach!" 

the only thing missing was my dad who would have thought it was pretty much the most perfect night in the whole world.  i can hear him saying "mercy" as he poured his shot of vodka into a glass under the table along side me.

kanat gave me a ride home in my car which worked out great as i was a bit tanked (olive... this isn't a story about being tanked... it is a story about a cultural experience your father when we lived in central asia).  the only problem was he had never driven a manual before (so i had to change the gears while he drove.  we stalled three times in the 2 miles it took to get home) and he was scared to death of boone (who had been in the car all evening and who insisted in riding shotgun with me on the way home).

ak bars playoff basketball

this friday and saturday we played our final games in the championship series.  both games were against Кокжал-КНУ and by winning the series we clinched third place in the playoffs (after finishing second place during the regular season).  the team was generally elated but you could feel the disappointment a bit that we weren't playing for the title.  i might feel most disappointed of all as i was brought on to be the "american savior" as one of my russian players called me.  i feel like i am have a really good understanding of how the game should be played and i am a solid teacher when it comes to instructing my players... i just need to improve in my in game adjustments and strategies.  hopefully i will get a chance to do that next year.  i will be meeting with the mafia (i mean my team owner) in the next week or so and we will figure it all out.  either way... i really enjoyed coaching and it isn't every day one can claim to be a professional basketball coach in central asia!

link to the story on basketball.kg
ak bars team photos on basketball.kg

the national team

this week my team ak-bars scrimmaged the national team on both monday evening and tonight. we are currently in a month long break from the playoffs which resume in a couple of weeks. three of my guys play on the national team, two other of my players our out for the season with injury and another is back in america for a couple of months. as we were down to six healthy bodies (i would not count myself as a healthy body in most instances) for the scrimmage i decided to suit up and play.

it wasn't pretty on monday. i can "hang" for the most part against my team during practice as i go up against them all the time and know how they play (plus i think they take it a bit easy on me). i do alright - so i wasn't overly worried about getting in the game and making a fool of myself. well... that is exactly what i did. i checked myself into the game (oh the joys of being the coach) mid-way through the second quarter (although we had officials at the game we weren't using the score board or anything). it is always hard to come off the bench when other players are loose and moving already - so i expected to take a couple of trips up and down the court to get my wind and catch up. but in no way was i ready for the speed of the game. everything was so, so fast. sure we are a professional basketball league - but it is in central asia. although some of the guys played college ball in the states - most of them would never make in at the division I level. but even then - i couldn't believe how fast everything moved. i am sure much of it has to do with me being an almost 40 year old man, slightly out of shape with two bad knees - but it was shocking. within seconds of checking in i found myself open out on the wing on a fast break. normally that shot is 'money for me' (and let me clarify that by 'money' i mean 40% of the time it will go in!) but when i saw the defensive player closing in for the block i jack up a wild three pointer that was a complete air ball. not what the coach should be doing. a couple of possessions later i picked the ball out from behind the national team's starting point guard (who is also one of the best players in the league). as i turned to run up court for what surely would be a wide open layup - i tripped, tweaked my knee and fell down.

i checked myself out of the game after that and did not return.

i fair a bit better on wednesday. the game slowed down a bit for me (i didn't feel so rush). i had a couple of assists. played some good help defense. got a couple of steals. and made a tough layup on a fast break. of course i also ended the night shooting 1 - 7 from the field.

but who wants to focus on that when i can say i scored a basket against an (possible) olympic team!

oh how i love central asia.

basketball.kg

i might have gotten a bit carried away during an interview with our local version of espn regarding the game on saturday.  here is the interview.

David Conover: Bringing in players is the same as the coach saying «I don't believe in you... you are not good enough».

17.02.2010 09:34

In the exclusive interview to Basketball.kg the main coach of BK «Ak-Bars» David Conover told about his negative attitude toward bringing in new players to the team and expressed his frustration about the loss of Omelchenko, Kapustin and Billings in the decisive stage of play-off. - How did the preparation to play-off go? What tactics has been chosen against the rival? - I felt like we had two really good weeks of practice in preparation for the game. The long break gave us a chance to work on some of the little things we still struggle with as a team - defensive rotations, rebounding, and working as a team on offense. More importantly, the two weeks gave us a chance to rest and get healthy. Up until Friday I was unsure if Denise was going to be able to play in the game. His shoulder has really limited his participation in practice and I questioned the logic of letting him played injured fearing that he might hurt himself again - which of course he did.  Paul is also missing from the team for the rest of the season so were are only down to eight healthy players before the game.  Having so few reserves is a challenge. In regards to your question about tactics - we don't need to change our tactics against anyone as I believe we have a good system on both defense and offense. I don't mean that as an insult to Mobile Seti or the other teams - but I do believe that we are the best team in the league. The problem is that we don't play like champions. We had stretches during game on Saturday when we fall apart for no reason. We stop rebounded WHICH DRIVES ME CRAZY. Mobile Seti killed us on the offense boards. And there is no reason for it. We have a tall, long team. But we only like to rebound the ball if it comes directly to us. We never go strong and chase after the rebound. We stand around with our hands down at our sides and don't box out. And this is something we work on over and over and over again but we still don't do it during the game.  Maybe I am the problem as the coach.  We are a very good fast break team in practice but never run the fast break during the game.  That is something we need to improve. I tell my team everyday that we have to focus on the little things in order to win. The little things make the difference between winning by 20 and losing by 2. Even with Vlas and Denise being injured - if we had done the little things we should have won on Saturday. But I will say that I love my team.  They play hard and are trying their best to improve.  While I am disappointed we lost - I am proud of each of them. - What was successful in the match, and what on the contrary, has not worked? - We played a good game until the fourth quarter. At which point having Vlas and Denise out of the game with injuries really hurt us.  We also missed Paul as he is one of our best defenders.  We were in control of the game the entire way until the fourth quarter when I think we just got tired.  I put a combination of players out on the floor that hadn't played together before and the results were not good.  That is my fault as the coach. We lost the game because we didn't do the little things that I always talk about.  We need to do a better job rebounding.  A better job of switching on picks.  And a better job of staying committed to our offense and running it the entire game.  I also need to do a better job as the coach of the team.  I feel like I let my team down at the end of the game by not having them better prepared. - What happened with Vlas Omelchenko and how did the club react to the loss of the leader? - I am assuming that Vlas is out of the rest of the year.  I have not heard the doctor's report yet but from viewing the injury I believe it is fairly serious.  It was a setback to our team but we did a good job of recovering after he was injured. Vlas is our best player and the leader of both our offense and defense. We don't have anyone who can step into his shoes at the point guard position. Jonathan does a good job of running the point but his more natural position is at the wing where he is one of the best scorers in the league. Rioght now I don't have a capable third point guard behind Jonathan so he was forced to play the entire game at that position.   Mobile Seti did a good job pressing us in the second half and forcing us out of our offense.  They are a very well coached team and their coach is excellent.   Everyone on our team needs to step up if we are going to win our next match. - From the very beginning of the game you began to appeal to the referees, what were the reasons for it? Let me start off by saying that the referees are all very professional and competent.  I do not want to be one of those coaches that blames the referees for losing a game.  All of the referees have been very kind in welcoming me to the league.  I thank them for that. But at times it did feel like we were playing against five Mobile Seti players and three referees.  I have talked to my team about not getting upset with the referees as they did this game.  I was disappointed that they taled so much to them.  It won't happen again this game.  But I feel as frustrated as they do as more than a fair share of bad calls happen against us.  Jonathan and David in particular seem to get fouls called on them that don't make any sense.  I have not been able to get an explanation from the referees on why they focus so much on them. For example - If you are playing defense in the lane, you aren't moving, your hands are straight up in the air, and the offense player runs into you - that is a foul on the offensive player.  Maybe I don't understand the rules here in Central Asia.  The officials let players get knocked down on the outside (like Stas was knocked down with no foul called in the fourth quarter) but if you even touch someone when they drive inside they call a foul. An offensive player is also not allowed to set a moving pick.  That is a rule in every country and in every league - an offensive player is not allowed to set a moving pick.  Why do they allow players to do that here? Very frustrating. The officials also never call three seconds.  Mobile Seti just sits players inside the lane without moving them.  That is against the rules.  Once I was able to get the referee to make that call after standing next to him and counting to seven before he blew the whistle. Also - the referees twice stopped the game to listen to a complaint from the other coach.  How is that possible without calling a time out?!  That gives the other team an unfair advantage. - In you opinion, will there be a third match in your series? - I believe we will play strong in our next game and force a third match.  But it is going to be hard as Vlas is out of the year and it looks like Denise will also miss the game with a serious shoulder injury. But no matter what happens we are a team.  A team!  I do not believe that we need to bring in players from other countries and other leagues like Tulpar and Mobile Seti has - even though we are down to only seven healthy players.  I am disappointed that other teams would do that.  What kind of message does that send to a team when the coach doesn't have enough faith in you?  Bringing in players is the same as the coach saying "I don't believe in you... you are not good enough".  The two new players for Mobile Seti didn't even dress in the same locker room as the rest of the team.  They had their own private locker room.  That is not what a team is about. And mighty Tulpar - do they doubt their team so much that they need to bring in outside players who have not played with them all year?  I like my team just the way we are and I hope that we don't bring in extra players even if we only have seven healthy players.  I will suit up and play before I ask my owner for another player.   But it would only be fair if we bring in other players as the other teams have done it.  I hope we don't.  Ak Bars is a team! - Have "Mobile Seti" surprised you with their game and can you surprise them this Saturday? - I don't think there are any surprises at this point.  Each team knows each other team very well.  The winner will be determined by who does the little things better.  As I have said before, Mobile Seti is a very good team with a very good coach.  They have the best point guard in the league and really good post players.  It will be a very hard fought game.  I admire the two new old players they are employing - so much so that I might dress out and play myself.  Our surprise for them will be when score 30 points and we win. Salima SKORIK Пожалуйста, зарегистрируйтесь или войдите в систему для добавления комментариев к этой статье.

 

ak bars - playoffs round one

we lost our first playoff game today against mobile network - a team that we played and beat fairly handily last week.  we lost after mobile scored a wide open layup because of a blown defensive assignment on our parts.  with four seconds left.  64 - 62.  we lost the game way before that.  they killed us on the offensive boards.  we can't rebound to save our lives which is so frustrating to me.  we have the size and strength to be a dominate rebounding team... but we just don't do it.  we also were very turn over prone throughout the game.

we lost vlas - my point guard and the best player in the league about 30 seconds into the first quarter with a blown knee.  we also lost my starting center to a shoulder injury half way through the third quarter.  so many reasons why we lost.

i could blame the poor, biased officiating or the fact that mobile hired two kazakh basketball legends from almaty to come down and play in the game.  i say legends because they are both in their 40s but both still have serious game.  i could question the fairness of a team being able to bring in outside players just for the playoffs - but i am already starting to sound like a sore loser.

very disappointed.  we needed this game.  but it is a best of three series and we have a chance to even the series next weekend.  so back to work during practice on monday.

my mafia team owner refused to talk to me after the game once again i avoided ending up in his trunk.

i am a basketball junkie

after our big win on saturday i was interviewed by the basketball news website basketball.kg. this is the english language version of the interview.

David Conover:I am a basketball junkie.

02.02.2010 11:59

In exclusive interview to the basketball.kg portal the American expert of BK «Ak-Bars» David Conover has shared with readers his impressions of the game against «Seti», has told about his ten years' experience on the trainer's bridge, including the children team «Bishkekskie rytsari», named strengths and weaknesses of the present «Ak-Bars» team and regretfully pointed out that difficulties with Russian language do not allow him to communicate and argue fully with the referees. - What feelings do you have about yesterday’s game? - I feel fortunate that we will able to walk away with the win at the end of the game. Mobilnye Seti is a very good team. They have an excellent coach who has the team prepared to play hard and smart each game. Also, in my opinion, they have the best point guard in the league. He is almost impossible to stop as he is so quick and he can dribble with both his left and right hand. If you play off of him to keep him from driving to the basket - he will beat you with the three point shot. If you guard him close - he will drive around you and get into the lane. Although he still did what he wanted to most of the game - I thought we did an decent job of containing him. I was very pleased with the way that Stas worked so hard on defense when guarding him. We came out extreme slow in the beginning of the game just as we did last week against Tulpar. That is a major problem for us and something that we must change if we hope to be competitive in the playoffs. I am considering changing the starting lineup completely in order to bring more energy to the beginning of the game. But overall I am really happy with the way that the team responded after our poor start in the first and second quarters. Our defense and rebounding in the third quarter was the key for our victory. - Does the American style is different from domestic? - I think the style of basketball in Kyrgyzstan is different in many ways from the style of basketball in America. American basketball tends to have more one on one play while here emphasis is placed on team work. Players in America are a bit quicker and athletic and they attack the basket more (Jonathan and David from my team are good examples of this). I was surprised with the high quality of shooting from the players in Bishkek. It seems like everyone can step outside and hit a three pointer. It makes playing defense much more challenging. Overall - I have really enjoyed adapting to the competitive style of basketball being played by the teams here. - What teams in the USA have you worked with? - I have ten years of coaching experience back in the States. Everything from very young students, to high school teams, to university level club teams. I coached a high school team last year here in Bishkek called the Bishkek Knights. This is my first time coaching at the professional level and I feel very honored to be part of Ak-Bars and the entire basketball program. My hope is that I can help my players improve both individual and as a team and that I can help the league continue to grow in the future. - What do you think about the «Ak-Bars» team for that short period of time you have spent with this team? Can this team become a champion? - The team has the potential to be very, very good. It was difficult to join the team as trainer in the middle of the season as I had to adapt to the way the team was already playing and spend time getting to know each players strength and weakness. It is only in the last couple of weeks that I have really been able to start bringing in some of my philosophies to the team. Now I just need them to agree to play the way I want them to play. As a whole, the team loves to play the game of basketball - but they do not like to do the small things needed to become a champion basketball team. We don't rebound well. We are not a good defensive team especially on guarding the perimeter. We foul too often on defense by reaching with our hands instead of moving our feet. We don't talk enough to each other on defense or offense. If an opposing team applies a bit of defensive pressure to us we easily fall out of our offense and struggle. We make too many bad passes and mental mistakes. We lack confidence in ourselves too often which is why we always start the game so slowly. But as I said early - the team loves the game and they are very willing to learn. If we start doing those small, but very important things, I think we can become the champions of the league. We are not as young or as fast as Mobilnye Seti. We are not as fast or tall as Tulpar. But we have a very good collection players on the team. With this team I have flexibility to play players both outside and inside on offense which can cause match up problems for other teams. I don't think we have played anywhere close to our best basketball. I saw it for brief moments in the second half against Tulpar. I saw it in the third quarter against Mobilnye Seti when we went on a 14 - 0 run. If we play that way for an entire game I believe that we are capable of beating anyone! - You do not know the rival teams well, do you? Do local players help you to deal with this problem? - Am a basketball junkie. So I have tried to make as many of the other games as possible to scout out each team. I probably have two or three pages of notes on each team just from scouting them myself. Plus, Vlas and Denise have been very helpful at giving me their insight. As has Alexi. - What do you think about your rival team in play-off? - Hey are a very young, fast team. Very well coached. The best point guard in the league. Their post players are very strong around the basket and very good shooting from the elbow. Their pick and roll set that they run from the wing is very hard to stop. The game against them became very heated at the end and I imagine that the same intensity will carry over into the playoffs. We are going to have to play our very best game if we hope to beat them. - What do you think about the local refereeing? - I think that overall the officiating has been very consistent and professional. The game is officiated very differently here than it is in the States. Referees here tend to call small reaching fouls quite often but they don't call over the backs on rebounds or moving screens. It has taken me a while to adjust to the way they manage a game. But I am very impressed with the professionalism of everyone including the staff who works on the sideline with the clock and score board. My only frustration is that I speak so little Russian that it has been hard for me to communicate with referees and yell at them. But of course that might be a good thing! - What do you think about the Kyrgyz Championship? - I think that professional basketball in Kyrgyzstan is a wonderful thing. The top three teams are all very competitive and the other three teams all have some very good, young players on them. I feel honored to be part of the team and the league. Go «Ak-Bars»! Salima SKORIK

ak-bars vs mobilnye seti

today was our game against mobilnye seti.  a very young but good team that we barely beat earlier in the season (before i was coach).  there only losses have come against us and tulpar.  they rolled through everyone else.

i typical fashion, we came out slow and flat but survived the first quarter all tied up.  we really fell apart in the second half (making bad passes, not running our offense) and we went into the break down by 5.

i could feel the stares of my mafia boss sitting behind my and could just imagine him sending one of his henchmen out to get a burlap bag with which to stuff me into.  so i decided to try a different approach with my team (maybe go throw mud on their cars?).

i am a pretty laid back friendly kind of coach. i think getting the input of my players is important as they are "professionals". it is an approach that they are not use to in the least. the are all very former soviet unionish (including my three american players who were raised in the ukraine). i am learning that they need to be told exactly what to do. not asked. but told. oh... and that they respond to yelling (as one of my players told me as we headed into the locker room).

that is exactly what i did at half time. i went berserk. i yelled and screamed. spittle was flying out of my mouth. i threw my clipboard not once but twice (a player sheepishly picking it up and handing it to me each time). paul, the american missionary who is the preacher of the local russian language christian church had to translate for me. i felt a little bad as i used a choice selection of curse words during my tirade.

but it worked.  we started the third quarter with a 14 - 0 run and never looked back... cruising to a 10 point win that wasn't nearly as close as i let my subs play the entire fourth quarter.

you would have thought i was elected president after the game.  strangers shaking my hands.  people asking for my photo (i am not joking).  i was pretty cool.  i was feeling so good that i went back into the locker room and yelled at my team again.  if that is what they need in order to play well - that is what i am going to give them!

as i came into the locker room i caught the tale end of a fight between my a guy on my team and the really good point guard from mobilnye seti (who had taken objection against a hard foul towards the end of the game).  i walked up to see what was going on and was promptly pushed against the wall.  sigh.

we now have two weeks off before the playoffs begin. our first opponent?  mobilnye seti.

ak-bars vs tulpar

today my basketball team played our arch rivals tulpar in a much anticipated rematch from a game early in the where we were destroyed by 20 points. it was the game that caused the former coach of the team to get fired. i was hired the next week.

we went into the game fairly confident having won my previous two games as coach. i had some concerns about our defense and our rebounding (both ongoing problems) but the team "seemed" ready. i was probably a little over confident as i invited a big group of our friends to come and watch and go out for a victory dinner afterward. bad idea on my part.

the national sports palace where we play our games was packed with about 500 people. ok... admittedly most people where there to watch the interpretative dance competition taking place on the next court! but we had a pretty good crowd ourselves with about 150 people. the two courts are divided by a hanging screen and we were forced to listen to a combination of classical music and russian love ballads being blared for the dancers during the entire game.

i would like to blame the music for the way we played the first half of the game. we started very strong - attacking the basket and getting some good looks. we opened up with a press that rattled tulpar. everything was going our way. except for the fact that we missed 5 out of our first 7 shots (most of them layups) and 8 (yes 8) free throws in a row. the crowd moaned each time we missed an open shot or clanked a free throw - to the extent that it really started getting into the minds of my team and snowballing. we should have been up by 10 in the opening minutes but instead we were down 10.

by half we were down by 30.

the team owner and former coach were irate and they both came into the locker room to yell at my team.  that isn't really my style - so instead i brought jennifer and olive into the locker room and introduced them to the team for the first time.  "see my beautiful family?" i said.  "that is what is important.  remember that and remember that this is just a game.  go have fun.".  

my touchy feely speech must have worked as we opened the half on an amazing 20 - 5 run. we started to do the little things that i had been emphasizing in practice. we were well on our way to making an incredible comeback. but we didn't.

things leveled out in the third quarter and we ended up losing by 19. a one point improvement from the first time ak-bars played tulpar. i am not sure that is exactly what the mafia financed team owner had in mind when he hired me. but i didn't end up gagged and in the back of his trunk so guess i will survive to coach another game.

we have another big game against the number 3 team in the league next week so we have lots of work to do.

ak bars

my 'professional' basketball team had it's second game with coach conover at the helm this afternoon. we played one of the lower level teams in our league and came out with a fairly easy 102-62 victory. the team has really taken to the new offense that i have taught them and they are really playing well. moving without the ball... setting screens... taking the best, open shot. things aren't going so well on the other side of the ball. our defense is porous at best. my guys don't help out. they don't rebound well (and we are a pretty tall team). and they don't put forth much effort. i tried the old "chuck hayes" inspiration speech but it didn't translate too well into russian i think.

either way. next saturday we play our rivals (and the number one team in the league) tulpar. the coach i replaced mid-season was fired after having lost to tulpar. so there is no pressure there!

on a side note - friday night i met with the team's owner and the league's vice president to talk about my contract. they offered to pay me $1000 a month to coach the team. but they are deducting money for the three day time practices and two weight lifting sessions that i miss when i am working at the school. so that knocks the amount down to $300 a month. doesn't sound like much but when you think about that the average monthly salary of a local here is around $350 a month - i can't complain. the owner of my team is self proclaimed russian mafia and i thought for that i was going to be offered girls, drugs and cigarettes in lieu of cash payment. maybe i will hold out for that on my next contract. i am suppose to receive the official contract and my first pay (for the past two months) at the end of next week. at which point i will be an official member of the russian basketball federation and a professional basketball coach.

i love central asia!

bishkek all-stars vs the mighty borats

tonight my bishkek all-stars played the team from kazakhstan. for the record, i am not that big a fan of the movie "borat". it has it's funny moments sure but overall it is pretty stupid. but i think the main reason i don't like it is my kids at school quote it all the time. they think it is funny that we live right below kazakhstan (where borat is from in the movie). i have been to almaty (the capital of kazakhstan) four times since we have been here and have never really seen anyone who looks like borat. most of the folks look fairly asian just like they do here in kyrgyzstan.

so you can imagine my surprise when i found my team playing against a team of borat look a likes. so besides the insult being reminded of the movie the entire game - the true injury came in the fact that we got our ass (sorry about my language olive) kicked by 52 points.

other high/low lights of the game.

1. the gym was freezing. they haven't turned on the heat yet. my feet were actually blue by the time i got home after the game.
2. we had to stand at attention for about 40 minutes as the
kyrgyz national band played (which was pretty funny in a third world dictatorship band kind of way) and local government officials made speeches.
3. no one booed when 'american trainer david conover' was introduced. i think someone from my team might have even applauded.
4. after the band played some traditional kyrgyz dancer performed. things are so different here than in the states. instead of scantly clad cheerleaders we have girls dressed in traditional garb (covering their entire body) dancing to folk music.
5. during breaks in the game the public address announcer played gansta rap. not joking. f bombs and oral sex references dropping left and right.
6. in the locker room after the game i was talking to my team and one of my players (who is about 6'5 tall) walked by me naked on the way to the shower and his penis clubbed my elbow. for the record... that is a low light.

bishkek all-stars

today i was asked to train a group of all-stars from the league that i coach in for a tournament this weekend. teams from uzbekistan and kazakhstan are coming to bishkek to play in a tournament against the kyrgyz national team. the tournament is in honor of the players and coaches from the kyrgyz national team who were killed last year in a plane crash while flying to iran.

as with most things here in central asia... doesn't seem like there was much planning that went into it. i just showed up to my regular practice for my team ak-bars and a whole new group of guys were sitting in the locker room instead. the leagues vice president was there waiting for me and asked if i would coach an "all star" team in the tournament. i say "all star" as all of the good players from the league are on the national team. so with the exception of the three american players from my team (who all are really good and who played college ball back in the states) - the team isn't that talented. anyway - i am pretty honored to be asked (love central asia!) and said yes.

remember how i said that most things aren't planned out to well in central asia. after saying that i would coach... i found out that i only had less than hour to practice with my team before having to play the kyrgyz national team.

i went from feeling honored to feeling like a lamb led to slaughter.

needless to say we got spanked.

on friday we play the kazakh team.

basketball.kg

the local online sports magazine basketball.kg covers the league i coach in and below is a write up from our first game.  we won our first game by the way!  the website is in russian and i used google translate to translate which doesn't work very well... but you get the general idea.

my favorite part is at the end where is says "the birth of their new team has taken place!"
  

http://www.basketball.kg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3058:2009-
12-06-04-53-47&catid=1:2008-12-10-19-48-51&Itemid=12

Taking advantage of its excess successful game in the first quarter of the Americanized "Ak Bars" did not dare spoil the coaching debut of his new coach, David Conover, finally won an important victory over BC "Kokzhal-KNU" Debut quarter for "wolves" in principle Dzharova battle against the "Ak Bars" has turned a failure, eventually affecting the entire outcome of Saturday's match.

Start Countdown for "purple". In the first attack forwards "Ak Bars" mockingly four picked batted ball, and dub with a foul sent a round object in the ring. This episode of the game drew a sharp divide those who were present at the "wolf" in the front line, putting hopes in Kokzhala "on the positive outcome of the match under great doubt.  Berezin and Halmurzin completely lost the shield of his counterparts: Kapustin and Marks, and "kids" could not stop bursting at the ring Omelchenko, Daba and Ibraeva.

As a result, recovered, completely Americanized "Ak Bars" by the middle of the debut quarter crushed the enemy and get ahead. Attempts to somehow stop the opponent (by modifying the defense) and adapt to his style of play were only attempts, but the new coach «Ak Bars", meanwhile, have rubbed their hands and chased her favorite «Lets Go» players in the "purple" forward .

At the beginning of the second quarter of the "wolves" have attempted to slow down the attack "leopard", and at some point in the Trust Dzharova it happened. Densely wards Omelchenko and Dub were wrong, and "Wolves" led by Janysh began to win back the backlog. Instantly a "timeout" headquarters "Ak Bars" allowed the team to calm down and rebuild its ranks.

The newly released "big" Kapustin and brands tightly closed their "paint", providing a rival to seek happiness in the attacks from a distance.

"Big" did their job, now you can think about the attack. Mnogohodovki a purely American style released under a clear shot sniper team, which this evening was beaten almost without fail. Ibraev, thanks to the soft wrist throws thrown with a very good percentage, each time making the room explode with applause after the ball, barely touching the net, soar into the ring. He was seconded by Omelchenko and Letsko also do not need additionalrepresentation.

"Wolves", in turn, nothing particularly new could not surprise the opponent. In defense of the "kids" relied on their quick feet, trying to take away the ball, but recovered successfully helped Omelchenko Dabou in wiring the ball, reducing the risk of loss to a minimum.

Well, in an attack by "Kokzhala also not really worked. A large percentage of failures with the game + incoherence attacks did not inspire optimism, nor the coach nor the players. The only players from whom came to the ring was a real threat Janysh Adiev.

Due to the plastic and the first step Janysh eluded the less mobile counterparts, seeping under the shield and quietly attacked with lethal distance.After the break, "Ak Bars" continued to be a leader on the court. "Dvadtsatnik" stubbornly hung on throughout the quarter, until the curtain half wards Dzharova failed podsokratit difference to "-16".

The final quarter was held in harsh and unprincipled struggle. "Wolves" has finally started to play well in defense, forcing the "Ak Bars" over and over again to get nervous in the derivation of the ball. But the most that have guests - is anything but reassuring "-15" after the "2 +1" from Janysh for 5 minutes before the end. On this success "wolves" are over, because defense lawyers were not able to contain the resultant pressure from Ibraeva, Kapustin and Daba. As a result, cool more experienced "Ak Bars did not leave a single chance to ward Dzharova to win.

And for thirty seconds before the end of the match the whole team "purple", headed by coach got up and started clapping in unison to the winners. The judges immediately responded to the effect of these things, asking players to take their places. But, even sitting on the bench, players with the coach continued to applaud,knowing that the birth of their new team has taken place!

i made the local news

American to coach Kyrgyz basketball team

03/12-2009 07:21, Bishkek – News Agency “24.kg”, By Ksenia TOLKANEVA

Kyrgyz basketball club Ak-Bars will get an American coach, a spokesperson for the Kyrgyz Basketball Federation told the news agency 24.kg.
The Forward league director, Mikhail Ztoi, said that Alexsei Sergienko, previously coaching the team, was recently appointed a new vice-president of the Kyrgyz Basketball Federation. His new position gave him a right to appoint an American trainer David Conover as a chief coach of the team.
“Sergienko will continue monitoring the club’s achievements, as the federation supports the clubs financially and tries to develop coaches’ professional skills through seminars and courses,” Ztoi said.

URL: http://eng.24.kg/sports/2009/12/03/9809.html

david conover - professional basketball coach

tonight was my first practice.  strange experience.  i have never coached a men's team before... only high school level students.  i have never coached guys with so much experience and so my understanding of the game.  i have never coached guys who didn't understand a word i was saying because they didn't speak english.

ok, this isn't entirely true. there are three americans on the team who speak russian.  all three of them are in bishkek as christian missionaries (but i won't hold that against them).

the first practice went well.  the old coach was there to introduce me to the players and help me through the first practice.  i was pretty stressed going into the practice.  would the players accept me?  how would it work with my not being able to communicate with them.  but it turned out great.  basketball is just basketball no matter where you play the game.  their style is very different than the style that i am use to playing and coaching... but that is a good thing as i think they are wanting to learn something new.  we worked alot on fundamentals of boxing out and defensive rotations while playing man to man.  good stuff that they soaked up.

i am really excited about this.