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| Pooh Jeter: Striving For Excellence |
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| by: Pooh Jeter |
| April 1, 2008 |
What’s poppin readers? The month of March was pretty busy for my teammates and I. We are out of the ULEB Cup now. Since we lost in the Sweet 16 of the ULEB Cup, you can call that part of my March Madness...We played against a team from Poland called PGE Turow. The Americans on their team are David Logan and Thomas Kelati. The first game against them, we lost by 12 at home. Then the second game, we won by 9 at their place. So since they beat us by more points, they go to the next round, which is the Final Eight in Italy.
 | | BC Kyiv |
I ended up averaging 14.5 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in the competition. Our goal as a team was to get the Final Eight, and we missed out by 4 points. Sucks huh?? It is what it is though. Our final record in the ULEB Cup was 10 and 4. Now we have to accomplish our next goal, which is winning the championship of the Ukrainian Super league.
Our regular season just ended over the weekend, and we finished 21 and 1. Our overall record is 31 and 5 at the moment, which is pretty good. Playoff starts April 17th, and each series is best out of five. We must accomplish our last goal, which is being champions of the Ukrainian league. Winning isn’t easy, but it has to be done. We must continue to stay focused and healthy to get the job done. Being champions will be a great ending to this season, especially since this is my first year playing in Europe. My team in the D-League almost won the championship last year, but like the singer Brandy would say, almost doesn’t count.
Last week, I found out that I made the all-star team for the Ukraine Super league. This is the second year in a row I’ve made an all-star team. Now that’s wassup!!! This is only the second year of my pro career, so I must continue to keep putting God first and working hard to be the best.
Both all-star situations had some similarities. Last year, it was the first ever all-star game in the D-League and it’s also the first ever all-star game in the Ukrainian Super league. I was also named a starter both times...Three of my teammates made the all-star game last year, and three of my teammates (Artur Drozdov, Marcus Faison, and Viacheslav/Slava Kravtsov) made it this year. My coach Joe Wolf was the head coach for the west team and my coach Tomo Mahoric is the head coach this year. Now that’s HISTORY right there. God is Good!!!
In the All Star event, it’s the Ukrainian all stars vs. the foreign all stars. The fans voted my teammate Marcus Faison and I as starters for the Foreign team. My other teammate Artur Drozdov is a starter for the Ukrainian team. We would like to thank the fans for voting us as starters, we really appreciate it. I’m also participating in the Skills challenge which should be cool too. Other Americans that made the foreign all star team are: Rodney Buford, Robert Archibald, Wykeen Kelly and Olu Famutimi. Well Olu is not American, he is Nigerian/Canadian. I played against Olu last year in the D-League and it’s good to see him doing his thing this year. Once again, congrats to everybody participating in the event.
Shout out to my FAM (Forever Almighty Men) Bros and other homeboyz that went to the NCAA tourney. My fam bros from Cal State Fullerton: Scott Cutley aka Big Red (MVP in the Big West), Frank Robinson (defensive player of the year, Big West), Ray Reed, and the homey Crenshaw. My lil bro Jeremiah Dominguez was my backup point guard at the University of Portland and he transferred to Portland State last year (MVP in the Big Sky), Josh Shipp, Luc, Darren Collision, and Russell Westbrook from UCLA, Davon Jefferson from USC, Marcus Lewis and Curtis Allen from Oral Roberts, Derek Wright from Austin Peay, and Fred Washington from Stanford. Another shout out to Gonzaga, San Diego, and St. Mary’s for representing the WCC (West Coast Conference) in the tourney. I got UCLA winning the tourney, though. One more shout out to my lil bros in high school, Brandon Jennings from Oak Hill and Dash Harris from Montverde Academy. BJ made the McDonalds game (rocking the Kid 'N Play flattop), is ranked as the best PG in America, and is going to Arizona next year. Dash aka Nugg, is ranked amongst the top five point guards in America and is going to Texas A&M. I’m proud of all you guys...Keep striving for excellence.
Other than basketball, everything else is koo...My mom and my two cousins (Bridgett and Honeybun) came out here to Kyiv, Ukraine for a week. We had sooo much fun and I was happy that they came. It was perfect because they came the week of my mom’s birthday. They did a lot of shopping and sleeping. It was great to have some home cooked meals too. I didn’t go to Fridays at all. I’m usually there three times a week. I needed that extra energy in my life. Who’s coming to Kyiv next? My cousins J Love and Boobie said they’re coming next month. My brotha from another mother Bubba said he’s probably coming next month or in May, so we shall see.
I’ll be home in GARDENA (GARDENA STAND UP) sometime in May, so you know I can’t wait.. The countdown has begun. O Y Y Y YESSS SIRRRRR!!! I’ve been bumping that new Snoop Dogg “Ego Trippin”, Rick Ross “Trilla” and Joe Buddens “Mood Muzik 3”. You know my driver Art got that in the rotation in the car.
We still bumping Kanye West’s “Graduation“. I know Graduation came out a long time ago, but that CD is like a soundtrack of my life. I feel like Kanye be talking to me in his songs because I also want to be the best. The same way he feels about Jay Z in that Big Brother track is the same way I feel about Baron Davis. To be #1, I’m going to have to be better than my big brother BD. The same way he feels about Chicago is the same way I feel about my city GARDENA. Almost every song has something to do with my life. I must end this season with the song “CHAMPION” because that’s what our team needs to be in May.
Winning isn’t easy but it has to be done not just on the court but also off the court. Like what they used say in the Right Guard deodorant commercial, “anything less would be uncivilized“!!! Don’t forget the motto, GET MONEY OR GET LOST!!!
GRACE, PEACE, AND BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. REMEMBER TO KEEP GOD FIRST AND EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FOLLOW. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!! TRUE STORY |
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| Pooh Jeter: What’s Up! |
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| by: Pooh Jeter |
| February 13, 2008 |
Things been going a little slow out here in Europe since our last game of the first round of the ULEB Cup, which was on January 22nd. Our team has been playing one game a week, so you already know what that means, more PRACTICE (AI voice). I’m not saying practicing is bad at all. As long as we improve and get better on our strengths and weaknesses. Everything will get back moving when the second round of the ULEB Cup starts on February 19th. I’m still out here on the grind, like Cassidy would say.
 | | bckiev.com.ua |
Basketball
Basketball is still going cool. Our team is still undefeated in the Ukraine Superleague (17-0) and we are 7 and 3 in the ULEB Cup. So, if your math is bad, our overall record is 24 and 3 at the moment. We advanced to the next round in the ULEB Cup, which is the top 32 round. Our next opponent is a team from Belgium called Telindus Oostende. I know a couple of Americans that are on the team, Chris McCray and Chuck Davis. Chris played with the Dakota Wizards in the D-League last season, and I met Chuck Davis at the Miami Heat mini-camp last April. Our main goal is to keep GRINDING and WINNING so we can be THE BEST (DJ Khaled voice)!!! Remember, IF YOU’RE NOT GRINDING, YOU’RE NOT SHINING!!! Ya Dig. Other than basketball, life is great. I’m reading Bishop T.D. Jakes book ‘Reposition Yourself’, which is pretty good. I read one of his books last year called ‘Maximizing the Moment’ which was good too. I’m also learning how to play the piano. I got a keyboard from the wife of driver, Art. I‘m taking free lessons from this lady on the internet, and from this dude name 8th Harmonic. He gives tutorials on how to play songs on Youtube. So far, I learned how to play “Teach Me” by Musiq Soulchild. I’m currently learning how to play Alicia Keys’ song “No One.” People calling me JOHN and I’m not even a LEGEND yet on these piano keys. Hahahahaha.
Night Life
The night life out here in Kiev is cool. When we have a day off, sometimes my teammates and I go out the night before to the club or something. Our team hangs out a lot when we have time away from basketball, which is a good thing for team chemistry. I had to stop going to the Techno parties, though. I tried it out in the beginning of the season with teammates, and I came to the conclusion that Techno music is not for me. No disrespect, but I can’t handle all that noise. People be grooving to the Techno music. I don’t know what type of dance moves they be doing, but they be having so much fun. I saw this one chick do some matrix move at the techno party. You know the move when they lean all the way back with the head touching the ground. I’ve seen some other ones do some crazy karate moves. Techno music is something that I didn’t grow up to. I can’t do the Penn State, butterfly, or the Yung Joc dance to techno music. People can probably do the Running Man or Roger Rabbit to it though. They have some parties where they play Rap and RnB music. They play all the new music which is good. They love playing that Soulja Boy song “Crank That”. I did the Soulja Boy dance at the club, and the people there were so amazed. If I had the time, I would teach people how to do dance moves to songs. I should come out with a video and sell it for $19.99.
All-Star
I want to say congrats to all the people participating in all the events during All-Star weekend. My bro Baron Davis didn’t make the West All-Star team. He is having a great season, but the West is loaded with point guards: Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Tony Parker could all be all-stars. Chris Paul had to make the all-star team, because his team is the best in the western conference and, he’s averaging 20 points and 10 assists. Steve Nash had to make the all-star team because his team is also winning, and he leads the NBA in assists. And don’t forget about the back to back MVP awards. Last year in Vegas, I got the opportunity to participate in the D-League All-Star game during all-star weekend. One of my goals last year was to represent the Colorado 14ers in the first ever D-League all-star game, and I ended up being a starter. That’s history right there. I wasn’t the only person representing the 14ers, my teammates Elton Brown, Von Wafer, and Rick Rickert were all-stars too. Our coaches (Joe Wolf and Kent Davidson) and trainer (Mark Morrissey) were the all-star coaches for the West team.
Before I left to go to Vegas, I got a call from NBA TV saying that they wanted to do a story on Will Conroy and I during all-star weekend for the first ever D-League All-Star game. I was too pumped when I found out. When I got off the plane in Vegas, the camera crew was waiting for me at the gate for the action. So when I was walking through the airport, a lot of people were wondering who I was. People were asking me if I was Nate Robinson or Earl Boykins. This one kid came up to me and asked me for my autograph, and after I signed it, he said “Thanks Reggie Bush”. I played well in the all-star game, but we lost to the East team. A lot of my friends and family came to support me. I got a chance to get my parents interviewed, which was cool. I got a chance to thank them for everything they have done for me on TV, which was great. Later on that night, Dijon Thompson and I went to the NBA Players Association Party, and it was POPPIN. Party was packed. Mary J. Blige and TI performed. I had too much fun during all-star weekend.
Here are my predictions for the All Star events:
Slam Dunk Champion - Jamario Moon
3-point Champion- Peja Stojakovic
Skills Challenge- Chris Paul
Rookie vs. Sophomores- Sophomores (Rudy Guy MVP)
East vs. West- West (Kobe Bryant MVP)
D-League All Star Game- Red team ( Dwayne Mitchell or Elton Brown MVP)
Economics
If you didn’t already know, European money is stronger than the U.S. Dollar. The U.S. dollar equals to 69 cents in Euro money right now. For example, say a person from the States travels to Paris, France. If the person wants to exchange a $100 dollar bill into Euros, he/she would get back 69 Euros. Before, the American dollar was stronger than all the other countries, but now it’s different. The European and Canadian money is more than the American dollar. Ukraine doesn’t use Euros. They have their own money called Hryvnia. The American dollar is stronger than the money out here. $100 dollars will convert to 500 of their money.
It’s real expensive out here though. I don’t buy any type of clothing in the Ukraine. If you don’t already know, I love Lacoste clothing. I have almost every color Lacoste polo shirt that’s been made. When I first came out here, I saw that they had a Lacoste store, and I was too excited. I went in the store and saw some shirts and jackets that I haven’t seen in the States. I grabbed a couple shirts and took them to the counter, and when the lady totaled everything up, it showed on her calculator 600. I said to myself O Yesss Sirrrr!!! I gave her 600 in Ukrainian money, which is $120 American dollars, and she looked at me like I had dog crap on my forehead. She meant $600 in American money. I said to myself “U GOT TO BE KIDDING ME”. I told her that I will be right back, but I never returned. I couldn’t believe that it cost $300 dollars for a single polo shirt. Back home, Lacoste shirts range between $70-80. I thought I was getting a deal, but I was wrong.
My sister Carmelita Jeter been doing her thang on the track field. She won her last event in the 60 meters at the 101st Millrose Games in New York. She ran the 60 meters in 7.29 seconds. Her next race in the 60 meters will be on February 17th at the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas on ESPN at 2 pm west coast time. Our last name has the word JET in it for a reason. Proud of you Lita.
Stay tuned for my next blog. I will start taking pictures so you can how kool it is in the Kiev. Happy Valentines to my Valentine. I would say her name but that is none of your business. Ya Dig… I would like to give a shout out to everybody that’s GRINDING and doing something in their life. If you’re not doing anything, what are u waiting for? 2008 is here. Don’t forget the motto that I got from cousin YG $oprano, GET MONEY OR GET LOST!!!
R.I.P. to my Grandma Ethel White. Feb.12, 2005. She was the one who gave me my nickname Pooh. It’s been 3 years since you been gone. Everybody in the family misses you and loves you. I forgot to say R.I.P. to Brain Marshall and to Dennis Thompson Sr last month. Keep watching over us our angels.
GRACE, PEACE, AND BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. REMEMBER TO KEEP GOD FIRST AND EVERYTHING WILL FOLLOW. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!!! |
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| Pooh Jeter: Oh Yesss Sirrrrrr!!! |
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| by: Pooh Jeter |
| December 31, 2007 |
My experience in Europe so far has been real cool. I didn’t think it was going to be this cool, but I was wrong. Like I said in the first blog, I play for a team in the Ukraine called BC (Basketball Club) Kyiv . When my agent, Andre Buck, told me that a team in the Ukraine was interested in me, I didn’t want to go at first because I really wanted to go to NBA Vet camp and make a team. I had a lot of Vet Camp invites from NBA teams, but they didn’t want to guarantee me anything, so I had to go with plan B. My mom always told me to always have an A plan, B plan, or C plan in whatever I do in life, and she is right. Since my A plan wasn’t working, I had to go with plan B.
 | | bckiev.com.ua |
Anyways, I remember my teammate last year from the Colorado 14ers , Mike Harris, always talked about this place in the Kraine that he played for the season before. Then during the Vegas Summer League, I was talking to Jermaine Jackson and he was telling me about this one place in the Kraine that he just got done playing with before coming to summer league. So when I called Mike and Jermaine and told them my situation, they both said “POOH YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT. KYIV IS POPPIN“!!! After hearing that and talking to my family and friends, I called my agent and told him to tell BC Kyiv to send over the contract because I was ready to sign. I’ve been here since August, and I just want to tell Mike and Jermaine that they were right, IT’S CRACKIN OUT HERE!!!
Kyiv reminds me of New York City, because there are nothing but taxis out here, and how the apartments and roads are structured. The women out here are BEAUTIFUL. People drive Range Rovers, Maybachs, Bentleys, Maseratis, and even 1978 pintos. I stay right by TGIF Friday, so you know I be there all the time. They have other American food spots called Arizona, SOHO, New York Steakhouse, Sam’s Steakhouse, and of course Mickey Dees ( McDonalds). They have a variety of other cultural restaurants that are good also. I have one question, have you heard of chicken soft taco soup??? This one place served us chicken soft taco soup, and my teammate Jacob Jaacks said the chicken soft taco in the soup look like Wolf knuckles.. Hahahahaha..
Our season so far is going real good. We are 12-0 in the Ukrainian Superleague, and 5-2 in the ULEB Cup. That means were 17 and 2 if your math is bad. My head coach is Tomo Mahoric, and his assistants are Bostian Jaske, and Denis Zhuralev. One thing they love to do is practice, which is good, because we’re getting better. Our schedule is like this: say we play our ULEB cup game on Tuesday, we rest on Wednesday, then do two a days on Thursday and Friday. The Ukrainian league game is on Saturday, one practice on Sunday, one practice on Monday if we have an away game on Tuesday, but if we have a home game on Tuesday, we would have two a days.
Our two a days practice schedule is like this: Morning practice would sometimes be conditioning, lifting weights, working on some ball handling moves and getting a lot of shots up. Night practice is a lot of five on five drills, and getting more shots up. The two a days are not that bad. I love working out anyway. I’m learning a lot from our coaches, though. Especially how to use the pick and rolls and defending the pick roll. My coaches are helping me improve my leadership skills and showing me ways to run a team. Those are the things I feel I need to get better at. I’m currently averaging 16 points, 4 assists, and almost 4 rebounds per game in the ULEB Cup, which is pretty good, but it can be better. In the Ukrainian Superleague, I’m averaging 13 points and 3.5 assists. My pops told me that I need to step my game up to a higher level if I’m trying to be the best guard in Europe this year, and he is exactly right.
I have to tell you this one story that I experienced while playing over here in the Ukrainian league. We just got done beating this one team on the road, and after the game, the crowd rushes the floor for autographs and to take pictures. Security told the fans that they have to wait till we leave the locker room. So when I left the locker room, I signed autographs and took pictures. This one group of kids asked for a picture and I’m like ‘fa sho’. So the person who’s taking the picture says 1, 2, 3 and the kids throw up the W and said “WESTSIDE”. I couldn’t stop laughing. I had them take the picture one more time so we all can throw up W for the West Coast. Tupac, Snoop, and the Game got people in Europe throwing up the W (True Story.)
My Teammates
My American teammates that you probably heard of are Marcus Faison (Siena), Ryan Stack (South Carolina), Josh " The Crow" Davis (Wyoming), and Jacob Jaacks (Iowa). Marcus and Jacob been playing in Europe for about eight years. Ryan was drafted by Cleveland Cavaliers during the lockout year. He played 2 years in the NBA and has been playing over in Europe ever since. Josh played in the CBA, in the NBA for about 3 years, and this is his 3rd time playing in Europe. Having Americans on my team in Europe has made my transition so much easier. My other teammates are cool too. 6 players are from the Kraine, Manu [Markoishvili] is from Georgia (not Georgia in US. It’s a country called Georgia), Kurley is from Croatia, and Mara is from Slovenia. They all speak English and some are teaching me how to speak Ukrainian/Russian. The good thing about this team is that everybody hangs out with each other, and we all want to be WINNERS. This is a good start for our team, but we still have a lot to improve on. Since we started off on top, we have to finish on top in both leagues and be CHAMPIONS. Like Ricky Bobby would say in the movie Talledega Nights, “If you aren’t first, you’re last”!!!
How I’m Living
The team found me a nice two bedroom apartment, and it feels good having your own place. Especially since this is the first time having my own place. Last year in the D-League, my team stayed at the Marriot Suites which was real cool, but we had to have a roommate. My roommate was my boiii Von Wafer (Denver Nuggets.) The best thing about staying at the hotel was we got Marriot Reward Points staying there from November till May. But now, I got my own place, and I’m sooooo happy. The team didn’t give us cars, we all got drivers. Can you say BALLLLLLLIIIINNN (Jim Jones voice)!!!! My driver’s name is Art, and he’s the coolest dude that I know. He drives a Mercedes MayBach ( just joking, he got a new Toyota Camry, but he keep it clean tho), speaks English, and listens to rap. He wears hip hop clothes, and he loves to cuss.. His favorite word is the MF word and he say that after every sentence. For example, when he’s talking to other people he would say ‘What up MF’ or he would say ‘this MF is crazy.’ He drove for other Americans and they had to put this American flavor in him. I got him now saying ‘YESSSSS SIRRRRR’ or even ‘WHATS POPPIN!!’ We also have maids and you can even have a cook if you want. Life is Good.
Other Americans I played against
Other Americans I played against so far that you would probably know are: Lynn Greer and Qyntel Woods (Olympiacos/ Greece), Luke Recker and Quincy Lewis (Bilbao/ Spain), Shamond Williams, Ruben Douglas, and Fred House (Pamesa Valencia/ Spain), Tyus Edney, Kris Lang, and Rodney Buford (Azovmash/ Ukraine), John Sharper ( Budivelnik / Ukraine), Lionel Chalmers, Mario Austin, Reece Gaines, and Pops Mensah Bonsu (Benetton Treviso/ Italy), Terrance Thomas, EJ Rowland, Matt Frejie, and Rich Melzer (Artland Dragons/Germany), David Young and Terrance Dials (Pau Orthez/ France), Donta Smith and Willie Dean (Lukoil Akademic/Bulgaria), Aerick Sanders, Curtis Millage, AJ Bramlett, and Dwayne Broyles (ASK Riga/Latvia), and David Logan (PGE Turlow/Poland).. That just shows you that there are a lot of Americans playing basketball all over the world.
The two people that I enjoyed playing against the most were Aerick Sanders and Pops Mensah Bonsu. Aerick and I both went to Serra High School in Gardena, California. When I was a freshman, he was a junior, and he was the best center on the West Coast. He had a lot of D1 coaches come to the school to watch us play and when I saw that, I wanted the same type of attention that Aerick was getting. That motivated me more to be the best. I also played against Aerick in college when he was at San Diego State. Aerick was one of the people that I talked to about coming to BC Kyiv, and I made the right decision thanks to my boiii Aerick, aka Aif Grade. He also wanted me to give Carson, California a shout out, so there it is Aif.
The other person that I want to talk about is my boiii Pops Mensah Bonsu. I played against Pops 2 summers ago at the NBA Vegas Summer League during our rookie year. He was playing for the Mavericks and I was playing for the Kings. We both ended up signing with our teams which allowed us to go to RTP (Rookie Transition Program) in New York. While we were at RTP, people were wondering who was darker between Pops and I.. Everybody said Pops was darker than me, but he wouldn’t believe it. So every time I see Pops, we would walk up to people we don’t know and ask them who is darker, and they would say Pops. Don’t get me wrong, I know that I’m dark. My color is more of a SEXY CHOCALATE. Pops is just BLACK. I told him that his name Pops Mensah Bonsu means Pops is the darkest person on earth. Hahahaha... He once told the referee to give me a tech because I was playing naked, he said that because the Spurs uniform is black. So when you see Pops and I together, be ready to answer the question and I bet you would say POPS IS DARKER.. Hahahahahaha..
Went home for Christmas
I surprised everybody when I went back home for Christmas. I didn’t tell anybody that I was coming. Well I told my bro Brandon Heath, only because he picked me up from the airport. The first thing that I did when I went home was go to the Barber Shop to cut my fro off. The first thing my barber said was ‘DAMMMMNN’ (Smokey voice from Friday). He couldn’t believe I let me hair grow out like that, but I wasn’t going to let nobody touch my crop in the Kriane. I guess Marcus is my new barber, he can cut a lil bit. Anyways, when I left the barbershop, I went back home to the GARRRRR (GARDENA STAND UP) to see my parents and they were sooooo happy to see me. I was happy to see my parents also. My parents are my best friends. I went out that night with my cousin Boobie aka YG Soprano and couple of my friends. We went to Club Suga. Club Suga was poppin that night too. The next day I went Christmas shopping at the Beverly Center with Brandon and Marcus Slaughter. We also went to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. If you know Roscoe’s menu by heart, I got a number 9 (3 wings and a waffle). On Christmas, I got to see my brother and sister, aunties, uncles, and all my cousins. They were so surprised to see me. My aunties made some Gumbo, and u know that was bomb. I left the next day to come back to the Kraine, because we had practice on the 28th. That flight took about 13 hours…GEEEEZ!!
Hope everybody had a wonderful a Christmas and have a great New Year. 2007 is in the past, and now it’s time for 2008. Like my bro Baron Davis would say “CALL 4 HELP 08”. The reason why we say that because people better call for help because we are going to be unstoppable in the year 08, like we were in 07... R.I.P. to everybody that didn’t make it to see 2008. We all miss you!!! Congratulations to my bro K Breeze and his fiancée Robin. My bro got on one knee on Christmas day. Proud of you guys. Congrats to Jeremy Richardson on getting a NBA call up to the Memphis Grizzlies... My bro Marcus Williams ( New Jersey Nets) is back on the court from injury. Handle ya bizzness bro... So Imma holla at y’all next month. Sorry if my blog is too long, but who cares. Remember, GET MONEY OR GET LOST!!!
GRACE, PEACE, AND BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. REMEMBER TO KEEP GOD FIRST AND EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FOLLOW… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! |
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| Pooh da Jet Journey |
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| by: Pooh Jeter |
| November 25, 2007 |
Wassup, this is Pooh Jeter, and I'm the newest member of DraftExpress.com’s blog team. I signed a one year deal with DraftExpress for a million dollars. Yes, I said it, one milllllllliiiiiiiioooonn dollars to blog for them while I'm playing in Europe this year. I'm just joking about the million dollars part, I know u was saying 2 yourself "A MILLION DOLLARS, I need 2 start writing blogs if Pooh is getting paid a million dollars". Hahahahhaa.. I'm doing this for FREE dollars and I'm so excited about writing blogs this year. Since a lot of people don't know who I am, my first blog would be an introduction to who is Pooh Jeter???
 | | Stephanie Yao/THE OREGONIAN |
My government name is Eugene Jeter III, and I was born December 2nd, 1983. I'm from GARDENA, California. I capitalize Gardena like that because it's time 2 put my city on the map. A lot of people in LA show us no love for some odd reason. Everybody around the world knows about other cities in LA like Compton, Inglewood, South Central, Watts, and etc. Don't get me wrong, I like all the cities in LA, but now it's time for GARDENA 2 get some love. SO GARDENA STAND UP!!!
My parents/best friends are Eugene and Gloria Jeter. I have one brother and two sisters.. My brother’s name is Demond. My sister's names are Carmelita and Simone. My sister Carmelita runs for the USA track team and she will be running in the Olympics next summer in the 100 meters and hopefully the 4 x4. She is currently 3rd fastest woman in the world and she isn't taking any drugs, ladies and gents.
I got the name Pooh from Grandma Ethel " Madia" White, R.I.P. She said I looked like a Pooh Bear when I was born, and the name Pooh stuck with me ever since. Everybody and they momma call me Pooh. The only time I hear the name Eugene is when I'm in trouble. I have a lot of nicknames: Pooh the Jet, Poohskee, Poohness, Eugenius, Pooh Snickens, PJ3, and Armor All (cuzz that black boy will always be shinning). And of course, you know the woman call me Pooh Bear. Just 2 get this straight.. My last name is JET-ER. Like the word Jet. Like I'm fast like a Jet. Not like Derek Jeter, pronounced GEEE-TER. Remember that I'm the JET. So say it with me, JET-ER!!
My pops and my cousins Ken Horton and Justin Love taught me how 2 play the game of basketball, and I've been loving the game ever since. My dad is from Detroit and he always had me watching Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Bad Boys. He told me to watch Isiah because he wanted me to play just like him. He wanted me be like Isiah or like Nate "Tiny" Archibald.
My cousin Ken is ten years older and we would always work out together. He even took me to play pickup games with his friends. Playing against older people when I was young helped me out a lot because they were stronger and better than me. I still had to prove that I belonged out there with them, because if I didn't, they wouldn't let me play with them anymore. My other cousin J Love is two years older than me and we used 2 play against each other a lot when I was young. He taught me how to do a lot of moves like Tim Hardaway’s killer crossover.
I started playing at the Inglewood YMCA at the age of 5. My dad decided he wanted to coach me, so he took me out of the YMCA. He coached with Andy "The Hawk" Price, my best friend’s (Boobie) dad at Denker Park located in South Central. Denker Park is where I developed my skills, and it got me ready to go to basketball camps. The first basketball camp my parents sent me to was the Bryon Scott camp. They sent me there so I could learn more about the game of basketball and to get away from them for about a week.
I went to the Bryon Scott camp for three years straight and won a lot of awards. At the Byron Scott camp, I met one of my closest friends till this day, Kevin Bell Jr. aka BJ, who is the starting point guard for Fresno State. His dad, Kevin Bell, saw BJ and I play against each other in camp. He wanted me to play on his AAU team back then, which was called KSWISS. I played for KSWISS for less than a year until coach Bell left.
After I left KSWISS, I went to play with VBA (Values for a Better America), coached by Dart Stamps. I was about 11 years when I started playing for VBA, later changed to TPI ( Top Prospects Inc). I got a lot better playing with TPI because I practiced against the best guards in my age group in the city (Brandon Heath and Jason McKinney), and we also played against the top teams in AAU national tournaments. When I was younger, I watched the top high school point guards in the city like Baron Davis, Jason Hart, and Kenny Brunner. Watching them play helped me a lot, because whatever they did on the basketball court, I would go home and work on it, so I could use it against my opponents. I wanted to get the same type of attention like they were getting.
I went to Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, CA. When school started my freshmen year, Coach Dwan Hurt let me train with the varsity team before the season started. I thought I was going to play Varsity my freshman year, but I guess I was wrong. Coach Hurt didn't want me to play Varsity my freshmen year, because I wouldn't get any playing time. He gave me the choice to play on the JV or freshmen team. I decided to play on the freshman team, because the coaches at the time were point guards when they played at Serra in the early 90's. I had a good freshman season and coach Hurt decided to move me up to Varsity for the playoffs. We were CIF Champs my freshmen and sophomore years, and we lost in the CIF championship my senior year.
I didn't really play AAU basketball during high school, because my AAU coaches didn't give me no playing time. I went to the Boo Williams and Peach Jam with Sports Express but I didn't get the chance to showcase my talents. During the summers, I played in high school tournaments with my high school team. I gave Compton Dominguez, one of the best teams in the country, 40 something points in the Carson summer league. They had a lot of D1 players on their team. The only person they were missing was Tyson Chandler. After that game, I was ranked a top five point guard on the West Coast by Pacwest Hoops, but I never got invited to the Nike or ABCD Camp.
My junior year, I went to the Superstar camp in San Diego, and that's where I was seen by some D1 schools. I didn't really get any exposure in high school, because I wasn't on the AAU circuit So I never got the chance to go to the top camps: Nike, ABCD, and NBA. And I didn't get to showcase my skills playing in the Las Vegas Big Time tourney or any other tourneys in the USA. All my friends got the chance to do all those things.
Since I didn't really play AAU basketball, Coach Hurt and I would work out all the time, so I could get ready for the next level. I also started working out with a well known trainer in LA by the name of Wayne Slappy. Slappy helped me with my shooting, ball-handling, and many other things. I put in a lot of hard work, which paid off my senior year of High School.. I averaged 23 points and 10 assists my senior, and was Del Rey league MVP. I started getting more attention from D1 schools in the Big West, Big Sky, and WCC. Gonzaga had a lot of interest in me, but my high school coach said they probably wanted to red shirt me my freshman year. I didn't want to red shirt my first year of college, because I felt I was ready to play. My friend Donald Wilson and I went on a visit to the University of Portland, and we felt that that would be a good spot for us. While on the trip, Donald and I committed to U of P.
My main problem in high school was the SAT and ACT. I took the SAT three or four times, and ACT twice. My grade point average in high school was over a 3.0, but I had problems passing those tests. At the time, I had a girlfriend that I was dating for a while, and I decided to break up with her so I could focus more on passing the test. I needed to pass this test because I didn't want to go the prep school or Junior College route. I had to buckle down and get straight to bizzness. All the studying paid off, and I found out that I passed my SAT the morning of graduation day. That was the best day of my life, because it was now official that I was going to college.
I went to the University of Portland, and that was the best experience of my life. I finally was away from LA, and now living on my own. I grew as a person and as a basketball player while in college. My head coach in college was Michael Holton. Coach Holton was the assistant coach at UCLA before he took the job at the University of Portland.
I went to the University of Portland for 2 reasons: #1, I wanted to be a part of this rebuilding process and put U of P on the map. And #2, coach Holton was an NBA point guard and I wanted to learn about being a point guard and leader from him. I want to be an NBA point guard, so why not learn from somebody that been in the league. Ya dig?
I never had a winning season in college. My best record was 15 and 15. We were always supposed to have good seasons, but it never went our way. Individually, I was all-conference three years straight, and top five in a lot of categories in Portland history, including the #2 scorer all-time. While in Portland, I worked out with one of our assistants almost every morning before class. I wanted to win and be the best player to ever come out of Portland.
On the weekends after the season, I would work out with some trainers in Portland like Beno, Erwin Cowan, and Howard Avery. The city of Portland produced some good guards, like Terrell Brandon, Damon Stoudamire, Salim Stoudamire, Brandon Brooks, and Aaron Miles.
When I went back home during the summers, I started working out with my blood-brother Baron Davis (AKA Boom Dizzle), Earl Watson, Jason Hart, Dijon Thompson, and with a few of my FAM bros Brandon Heath and Bobby Brown. We would work out two to three times a day, including playing pick-up games at UCLA with other pros. I also worked out with my cardio trainer Laurian Watkins of Pro Skills Sports Academy, and we would run on the sand Monday thru Thursday.
My game continued to got better, and better, and better, while working out with the names I said above. My basketball trainers are Rico Hines, Dart Stamps, and Rasheed Hazzard. Rico has taken my game to another level and always told me to "have peace with your game". He is currently a player development coach with the Golden State Warriors, and Rasheed Hazzard is an assistant coach with the LA D-Fenders in the D-League.
I didn't get an invite to go to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Portsmouth is a camp for the top seniors in college basketball. I was in the office when coach Holton called somebody that runs Portsmouth, and they told him that they heard of me, but they thought some other guard was better than me. I didn't go to Portsmouth and I wasn't invited to the NBA pre-draft camp.
I still went to Orlando with my agency at the time, Life Sports Management, and we had private workouts in front of all the NBA teams for three days. In the workouts were Ryan Hollins, Guillermo Diaz, Alexander Johnson, Jamaal Williams, Jeremy Kelly, and myself. I did really good at the workouts. When I came back home, I worked out for the Lakers once and with the Sacramento Kings three times.
I didn't get drafted, but I already gave a commitment to play with the Kings in the Vegas Summer League. I played really well with the Kings, and I ended up signing a partially guaranteed contract with Sacramento for training camp. I was so pumped up and proud of me by signing with the Kings, because a lot of people didn't think I would make it that far. I love proving people wrong. It brings out the best in you. So I went to camp with the Kings, and did pretty well, but I was caught up in a numbers game and was released after the first preseason game against Dallas.
When I was released from the Kings, I was disappointed and hurt, but I couldn't let that bring me down. I went back home and worked out with one of my trainers, Rasheed Hazzard. Sheed was one my assistant coaches my senior year at UofP, but the staff was let go after my senior year. Sheed and I worked out every day at my high school before I went to the D-League. Coach Joe Wolf selected me in the 3rd round, 27th overall in the D-League draft, by the Colorado 14er's.
Going to the D-League was one of the best decisions I made so far in my life, instead of going overseas last year. It was my first year out of school, and I felt like I needed the right exposure to get this party started. We had a great team with the Colorado 14er's. We had a lot of players at that time come from NBA training camp (Von Wafer from the Lakers, Elton Brown from the Knicks, Mike Harris from the Bucks, Louis Amundson and myself from the Kings).
Our starting five all had the potential to get called up to the NBA. Von and Lou were the only people from the team to get an NBA call-up. A lot of people thought Elton and I were going to get called up, but it didn't happen. Of course, I wanted to get a call-up, but I couldn't let that stop me from accomplishing my goals. Before I went to the D-league, my main goal was to show everybody that I'm a true point guard, a winner, and that I'm the best point guard in the D-League. I felt I accomplished all my goals, except for losing in the championship game to the Dakota Wizards. I had a great year playing with the 14er's, and I got a lot of exposure. A lot of people said I was the spokesperson for the D-League, because I was on a lot of shows, and the commercial with Mikki Moore. I just want to thank the D-League and Coach Wolf for giving me the opportunity to showcase my skills and developing me into a good point guard.
When the D-league season was over, I went to Miami Heat mini-camp and I did real well against other D-League players. Coach Pat Riley invited me back to work out and get ready for summer league. I was in Miami for about three weeks until I had to go Toronto’s mini-camp.
I was killing at the Toronto mini-camp. You can ask Coach Mitchell how I was playing, because he saying out loud "don't do them like that Big Fella". Jamario Moon was also at the mini-camp and he was ballin too. Aye Jamario, if you read this, I just want to say congrats on making the team and keep striving for excellence. I decided to play with the Kings again in summer league, and I played real cool. The Kings always wanted to play an up-tempo game and that's what I loved to do. I averaged 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in the Vegas Summer League.
After my last game in Vegas against the Clippers, Dell Demps from the Spurs called me and ask me if I wanted to play three games with the Spurs in the Rocky Mountain Revue? I was like, of course. I averaged around the same type of stats I did in Vegas. I felt I had pretty good summer league.
After the summer league, Chris Albert and Brandon Barnett asked me if I wanted to go to China in August to play with the D-League Ambassadors, and of course I said yes. In China, we played against other national teams like Angola, New Zealand, Slovenia, Venezuela, and of course China. We came in third place in the Stankovic Cup, and that whole experience in China was great. When I got back home from China, a lot of NBA teams really wanted me to go to training camp, but they weren’t going to guarantee me any money.
Since teams from the NBA weren't offering me no money to go camp, I had to look at my plan B options. Plan B was going across the H20, and I had a lot of offers from teams in Europe. Teams were offering me good money that I really couldn't pass up. I decided to head to the Ukraine to play for a team called BC Kyiv. BC Kyiv plays in the Ukraine Superleague, and in the ULEB Cup. The ULEB Cup is the second best league or cup in Europe. It’s right under the Euroleague. So far, my team is 8 and 0 in the Ukrainian league, and 3 and 0 in the ULEB Cup. We have to keep winning to accomplish our goals this season. Me being the point guard on this team, I have to make sure that we get the job done. The motto for now on is "GET MONEY OR GET LOST". Like Young Jeezy would say LET’S GET IT!!!
GRACE, PEACE, AND BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. REMEMBER TO KEEP GOD FIRST AND EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FOLLOW!!!!!
P.S... I would like to give a shout out to all my FAM Bros, BloodBrothers, 2G'D Music, GCE, Too Easy Entertainment, and to everybody that's grinding all over the world.. 2008 is our year.. Like my bro Kool Breeze would say "The movement is moving, we call it SKY'S THE LIMIT!!! |
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