March 29th, 2009 by Dusty Rychart
If you haven’t already noticed I have a new design. I am new to this design and functions? but will work around it and learn from my mistakes as it goes.? I hope that this will be easier for me to blog something as I can just type and publish it right.? Before I had to write it out in word.doc and there were many steps and sometimes just got to be too much.? To start off the first blog I will grab something from the archives the journal from when I first got cut with the Liberty Giants.? Interesting to think that I thought that was going to be my last week in Australia and now I am still sitting here almost 7 years later about to get citizenship.? Funny how things work out.? I am open to suggestions of what needs to be on the site.
January 30th, 2002 Adelaide 36er?s #28
It has been a fast and bumpy ride over the last couple of weeks or the last month for me, going from being released to signing on with the defending national champs! I was sitting in my room in Melbourne right after I got released and started to think what is next. I had no clue what I was going to do or where I was going with my life or career. It hurts you as a player if you get released in your first year out of college, other teams start to wonder why you got released. Was it cause I was a horrible player, or I had an attitude problem, these are what teams want to know and it could make it very difficult to get another job. It was a frustrating time, it is a part of business and I understand that, but it was not what I needed for my first year. So I sat around Melbourne for 3 more weeks doing nothing, trying to organize my flight back home to the states, was harder than pulling teeth! While I was trying to get my ticket home, I got a call from Canberra, they were back in the league and had lost an import player, so they wanted to try me out. I was told that they could not sign me to a contract until they get enough money from more sponsors. They wanted me to workout for them in Geelong, Canberra was playing the Liberty Giants, so it was easy for me to get up to the game since I was living with some of my old teammates. I worked out for 2 days and watched them get beat by my old team. I had mixed feelings about the game. I was supposed to be on Canberra?s side, but I couldn?t help but be happy for the guys, with their first win in a long long long time. Still Canberra had no answer for me, they said stick around through the weekend and we will let you know on Monday if we can sign you or not. This is what has killed me through this whole thing, always waiting, sitting around doing nothing! There is no worse feeling than sitting there wondering what is next, not knowing what the other team is thinking or if they are full of bull. Not having a place to workout or a car, I was going insane. I had to get out of Melbourne, it was time to leave, I didn?t want to stick around. So thinking that there was nothing left for me in Australia I decided to plan a trip up the coast to see all of the sites that brought me to this beautiful country! I didn?t realize how boring it is to sit around and do nothing for 3 weeks! You start to go insane and go nuts, I couldn?t wait to get home. It was also harder living with my old Liberty Giants teammates, cause I would see them go to practice and games! I would sit there thinking that I need to play again, but I was always told that if you work hard and be patient good things will happen. At this point I figured yeah right, I just want to get home. You just feel like a huge loser when you are doing nothing, it was a great reality check for me. You never know when it all could come to an end, you have to appreciate everything while you have it and never take it for granted!
By my 3rd week I have had enough with basketball and just wanted to get home or vacation. I would have been gone home to the states, but I was trying to get my ticket and was getting the run around. I wanted to leave in early Jan, but I could not get the ticket until Jan 26th, for reasons unknown. So I decided that I would fly up to Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef. While I was on the phone to the travel agent and getting my credit card out to confirm my flight details, I got a call on my cell. I put the travel agent on hold and answered my cell thinking it was my agent. I answered and it wasn?t my agent, it was Phyl Smyth, coach of the Adelaide 36er?s. I was thinking why is he calling me, thinking that he was calling to wish me luck or something. But before I really could think of anything he asked me if I would be interested in playing for the 36er?s. I didn?t hesitate, I am lucky that I had trouble getting my ticket otherwise I would have lost this opportunity. A few days later I signed with the 36er?s and just recently played my first game as a 36er. Being patient is hard to do, I was not patient, I was forced to stay here, I think I am a very impatient guy. You learn a lot when you go through adversity, you have to fail before you succeed. Now I am in a better situation, with a better team, a team that has a chance to win the championship. Adelaide is a great city, with great fans and fantastic basketball atmosphere!
Glad to be here!!!!!!!!!!1111
