ANTHONY ROWE'S BLOG

AUGUST 2006


Coming from England and living in the U.S, I get asked the same question a million times, "what’s the difference between England and the USA?" But now, after living here for a full year I can finally answer that question! My name is Anthony Rowe and I started playing basketball when i was 14 years old. I attended Estover Community College and represented the Plymouth Raiders youth development programme for 5 years under the coaching of David Briggs. I am now playing NCAA Basketball on a full scholarship for North Georgia College and State University (NGCSU).

Last year was the best year of my life. The experience has been absolutely amazing. But in saying that, there’s a lot more to being a college athlete than just playing basketball and having fun - unfortunately! I had to adjust to the lifestyle, food, climate, basketball styles, schooling and academics. When I first moved to Georgia in August 2005 it was a BIG wake-up call! I really thought that basketball wouldn't be an issue - but I was wrong! The game here is A LOT faster, more physical and strategic. It was a test to adjust to the style, because basketball is one of the most dominating sports in the states - the majority of players here have been playing since they were 6 years old, and I didn’t start until late. But after a few months I adjusted and it goes to show that even if you’re a late starter you can still catch up to the rest.

The academics here are very different. We have to take core classes which consist of Maths, a foreign language, sciences, government and arts. All of which are in no relation to my major (Physical Education Teacher certificate). So that also took time to adjust to. It’s really important for student athletes to stay on top of their school work or else you’re not allowed to play! College life is great fun, you meet a lot of new people and they especially love the English and are always intrigued to hear about our country. The weather is great, winter only lasts for about 2 months - its weird wearing shorts and t-shirt outside in November!

My first year for the North Georgia Saints in the NCAA Div2 Peachbelt Conference was an up and down season. I learnt a lot about basketball in my first year as a freshman. I play the power forward position, and at the beginning of the year I was a player coming off the bench. But the last 13 games of the season I fought my way into the starting line up. The most important thing I learned was that you have to be ready for every practice, the practices here are very intense and if you don’t play hard you won’t play in the games. I averaged 8.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, and 1 block per game. I finished leader of the Peachbelt Conference field goal percentage and came runner up for the freshman of the year award.

Living away from home can be really tough. I would be lying if I said I never got homesick. But after time moves on and you adjust to everything, life becomes a lot easier and you’re able to overcome the homesickness. I still miss Plymouth very much but making the move to the States and pursuing a basketball scholarship is the best decision I have made in my life. It really should be the goal of every young English Basketball Player.

A year has passed and I have no regrets, I am really excited and can’t wait for next season to start. Each year I am aiming for a rapid improvement on the last.

Good luck this season, and I’ll be looking forward to hearing how well all the Raiders development teams are doing.