CNU Alumna Chelsie Schweers ('11) is giving CNUsports.com an exclusive look into her professional playing career in Athens, Greece. Her blog It's All Greek to Me is a weekly entry to the Christopher Newport Athletics website, detailing her endeavors abroad both on and off the court.
Photo Gallery - NEW PHOTOS (2/28/12)
I really worked at staying focused on basketball this past week and studying the coach's game plan because on Saturday we would be traveling to Glyfada to play the #2 team in our league, the Esperides. My team had lost to Esperides the last time we played them at home. I had a couple of one-on-one film sessions with the coach so I could get a better understanding of the positioning on defense; the way we defend screens and make switches is totally different from what I was used to at CNU. After watching a few films I felt better and I knew the extra time paid off because the coach said I was playing much better defense and looked a lot more confident in the positioning during practice. Positive reinforcement is always encouraging, especially coming from the head coach!
The Panathinaikos gave me a membership to the local gym which is about a 10-minute walk from my apartment. Going to the gym is perfect alone time because I can focus on the workout and clear my mind of everything. Every time I walk into the weight room I am striving to achieve personal goals I have set to make myself stronger. The weight room is not just for physical strength -- there are times when I am able to lift a lot more than I thought because mentally I tell myself I can do it. I happen to be very competitive (surprise) and the gym is a perfect place for me to compete with myself.
Game day!! I was really excited about this game because this was a chance for me to prove that I can play with the best of the best. This would be my first time playing against someone currently signed to play in the WNBA. I didn't start the game, so when the game got underway I was focusing on the player I would be guarding and the way she was guarding on offense. I only got about 45 seconds of watching before the coach called me in the game. We had a great rhythm going on offense when I came in. One of our post players was already making everything she put up, so I continued to feed her the ball. The whole first half we were going back and forth with the score, and then just before half time the Esperides went on a run and were up by 3 at the half. We had a few miscommunication errors on the defensive end that really hurt us on a back-to-back plays.
The game was very close the whole second half, until the fourth quarter when our opponent went up by about 7 with four minutes to go. This did not affect us as we stayed focused and kept playing our game. As it was coming down to the last few seconds we were down by 2 and one of our post players took a shot and missed it but our other post got the offensive rebound and got fouled shooting a lay-up. There was only 1 second left on the clock and we were down by 2 with our post player on the line shooting 2 free-throws. The other team tried to "ice the shooter" and called a time out but this didn't affect her, because she nailed both free-throws and we were in overtime!
I had some really big baskets during the overtime. They came out and took an early 6 point lead but the shots I hit brought us back! Unfortunately, they managed to get another lead on us and were up by 3 with 7 seconds to go. Our coach called a time out to set up a play for the 3-point shot. She had me coming off a screen to be ready to shoot but the other team wasn't having it and put one of their 6-foot players on me. No problem, our point guard got the inbound pass, dribbled around for a couple seconds, and then shot a 3 about five feet behind the line.... and DRAINED IT!!! We were going into double OT!!! We had so much momentum going into the 2nd overtime that the Esperides couldn't stop us. I finished the game with 17 points and we won 87-80. This was by far the most exciting game I have ever played in! The Panathinaikos are now on an 8-game winning streak and I am thrilled to be part of the action.
After the game I went out to eat with a couple teammates and we decided that since the weather forecast was looking good for Sunday that we would do some sightseeing. We essentially spent the whole day at the Acropolis which is right at the edge of the city in Athens. They were giving me some of the history about how this was where the first neighborhood of people started in Athens. The Acropolis is a flat topped rock that is about 500 feet above sea level. We could see the entire city from where we were standing and it was an amazing view. I also got to see the Parthenon, which is a temple on the Acropolis. This temple was dedicated to the Greek Goddess Athena. As a communications major I learned a lot about the Greek philosopher Socrates, and I got to see the very small jail he was held in. I also heard about the amazing amount of underground tunnels in Greece which provided many people an escape route. We finished the day off with my first Gyro. I am a no frills eater so I kept my Gyro simple - chicken and french fries. It was delicious!
We have a game on Wednesday, February 29th, and then we have some time off before our next game. I plan to spend some more time in the gym and if the weather cooperates, get out and see more of Athens.
While I miss my family and friends, this has been such an incredible experience and I am so grateful for this opportunity. Thanks for the support from everyone, it definitely makes being so far from home a little easier to bear.
I want to give a special shout out to the Lady Captains for a great season!
