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Dusty Rychart
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201cm / 6'7'' - Forward - 1979    USA Australian USA-Australian

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Living and Playing in The Czech Republic - Apr 12, 2010

POSTED BY:
EUROBASKET CENTER
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Hi Eurobasket fans, this is the second installment of many blogs to come. I wasnt sure what to write about for this blog, but I figured I would tell you guys what its like to play and live in the Czech Republic. I first came to the Czech Republic at the second half of the 2008/2009 season from Switzerland. Things were going great for me in Switzerland. The team was doing really well and we had a chance to go all the way. But due to poor management and a poorly ran organization, they chose to withdraw from the LNA halfway through the season. It was very disappointing for the players and coaches involved, but also it was a chance to start fresh somewhere else and help another team in a positive way. And thats how I signed with Miltra Novy Jicin in January 2009 thanks to my agent Sevag Keucheyan.
I really didnt know what to expect when I first came to the Czech Republic. I was a little nervous to say the least, but I had faith that everything would work out according to Gods plan. And if you cant tell by now from reading my first blog, I am a man of faith and thats where I draw my strength from in everything I do. But back to what I was saying, I heard a lot of horror stories about playing in the Eastern part of Europe, such as Romania, Croatia, Czech Republic and Poland just to name a few. They were not high on my list of places to play because of what I heard from other players. But sometimes you have to experience things for yourself to see whats real and what is not, because everyone knows that you cant believe everything you hear until you experience it for yourself To be honest I thought about not evening coming to the Czech Republic, I thought about taking the rest of the season off and just staying at home with my wife for the rest of the year until the 2010 season. My wife was suppose to be taking the trip with me, but when I did my research, lets just say that there were a few guys that didnt last long on the team before I got here. I didnt know the reason why until after I was with the team for a good while, which turned out to be legitimate reasons. But naturally I was assuming the worst based on what I had previously heard from other guys. To make matters worse, when I got here and saw the locker that was assigned to me; there was a RIP sign on the locker for the player I was replacing. I later found out that it was the point guard that was responsible for putting that sign there. Of course you can imagine at this point the thoughts that are going through my head. But in a strange way, all the hesitation and nervousness about coming here went away and was replaced by a feeling of motivation and the will to survive. Right then and there, I decided that I was going to survive and I was going to be successful in finishing the season here. I guess in some ways I wanted to prove that I belonged and I deserved to be here. For me failure was really not an option in this situation. I remember my first game here was against Prostejov, which is our biggest rival. We won that game and we won it pretty convincingly. I was solid that game after getting out the jitters at the beginning, and as they say The rest is history.
From the moment I came to Novy Jicin, the professionalism was unbelievable, it reminded me of when I played in France and Austria. As time progressed, it was clear that the only concern I was going to have would be to just play basketball. I didnt have to worry about miscellaneous stuff off the court from an organizational standpoint. That was somewhat comforting to be able to focus purely on basketball and getting wins. I also like the fact that I get to come back to my home base in Novy Jicin after every game with the exception being Decin. That is the only road game where we travel the day before. When I played in France we travelled a lot and I was constantly on the go, so its a plus to be able to come back home every night.
Novy Jicin is a small city of about 27,000 people. Its located about 3:15 minutes South East of Prague in the Moravian-Silesian Region. There is a lot of farmland around and great looking countryside. In the centre the roads are all made of brick which is a bit different from what you would see in the USA, and the buildings are much older. You can just tell by looking at them that they have a rich history. Its a very peaceful and laid back community of people. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. Basketball is the only professional sports club in the city which is great for a strong fan base and support system. You can tell by their appreciation that we are a big part of the city. Other than the fact that you have to be self motivated as a professional athlete, I am also motivated by the fans to play great and give it everything I have each game because they deserve that much for taking the time out of their day to support us as a team and organization. Without a doubt we have some of the best and most dedicated fans in the Czech Republic! My experience here has been great with the people I have met; My wife and I have become friends with some of these people outside of the basketball circle. Which gives us a little more of a homey feeling versus feeling like we are only here just to do a job/play basketball. We actually like living here and hanging out with the friends weve met during our time here. We like taking our little son Andreas outside for walks in the centre. He is only 5 months and he probably wont remember all this, but for us its great family time and a chance to get out of the house. Its something we can look back one day and talk about when he is old enough to understand. I like the fact that everything is close together and we dont have to travel far to get groceries or things we need for Andreas.
There is really not much to do here, but for us things like that are not so important. We have fun wherever we are regardless of how big or small of a place we live. Although I would be lying if we said we didnt enjoy going to Prague every now and then for a change of scenery. Prague is a beautiful city, the Architecture is something to see, pictures and videos dont do it justice. Just to see the details that were put into making these buildings and the time period they were constructed is sometimes hard to comprehend. It may sound like I am exaggerating, but if you see it for yourself; you will definitely understand what I am talking about. By the looks of the city, you would think it has a large population, but it only has a population of 1.3 million people. By the way, Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic just in case my friends from a far reading this didnt know.
So after being here for in the Czech Republic for over a year now, it has been a very rewarding and satisfying experience for my wife and I. Basketball has been great, we were vice-champions last season and this season we are hoping to change that and finish as Champions of the Czech league. Living here has been a wonderful experience for us. And I must say all the things I heard about staying away from Eastern Europe, in regards to basketball and just living in general, have been debunked based on my experience.

P.S.if anyone reading this blog has any questions or a topic they would like to be discussed in the next blog.please feel free to leave a comment and let me know..until next time.
  


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Christmas Break- Dec.5, 2011  (by Eurobasket Center)

Welcome to my blog (Semaj Inge(193-G-87, agency: I.D.S. Law, college: Temple)). This is my first blog post since I made the transition from Iceland to playing over in Czech Republic. Now here we are in early December, and its about that time where most foreign players get a chance to return home for several days.These days are critical for players [read more]
The NBA is BACK!! - Nov.26, 2011  (by Eurobasket Center)

Whats up World!! For all you hoopers and hoop fans the NBA is back, that's real big news, there going to be alot of changing going on with a lot of Euro Teams and NBA teams! I've been checking out on eurobasket [read more]
The NBA is BACK!! - Nov.26, 2011  (by Eurobasket Center)

Whats up World!! For all you hoopers and hoop fans the NBA is back, that's real big news, there going to be alot of changing going on with a lot of Euro Teams and NBA teams! I've been checking out on eurobasket [read more]
Hello World!!! Nov.25, 2011
Preseason Oct.9, 2010
It's that time of the year again! May.5, 2010
Living and Playing in The Czech Republic Apr.12, 2010
Its not only the food, the language and the culture that are different, but also the experience you get from being a professional athlete Apr.2, 2010
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