 Taylor (via Dragons Rhondorf)
November 29 - This past week I was able to have my mother join me in Germany for the week. I introduced her to all of the new foods that were traditional German foods. Some foods she liked and some...not so much. She met a lot of the fans and they welcomed her to the basketball family with open arms, which I really appreciated from the organization.
I was able to take her to grocery stores and malls and show off my German speech/vocabulary I had learned through my time spent I Germany. She was also able to catch two of games, in which one of the games I was able to win player of the week. It was a great feeling to get two wins and win player of the week with my Mom in attendance. Christmas break is around the corner and my team and I are hoping to go into the break with no losses.  Taylor
We're back with a new player diary for this season! After starting his professional career with Ehingen Urspring last year, Kameron Taylor is in Germany again, this time with Dragons Rhoendorf. Taylor has been on fire to start the season, averaging 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. We were able to catch up with Kam to see how his second season has been both on and off the court:
My season has really started off well. My team started off 4-0 and I get along with all my teammates. My club was able to help me with my urge to learn German by paying for me to attend one class a week, it's really helpful because then I am able to communicate with young fans and supporters after the games. The main difference between this year and last year is that I am living alone and with my own car car. Last year I had two roommates and shared a car. I'm hoping to keep improving my situation each year.
Taylor hit a game-winner Oct. 28 (via Dragons
Rhoendorf Facebook).  Taylor (left) in Germany Pro A action. December 15 - It's ten days away from Christmas and I'm not able to go home because our break is only three days, so my teammates have invited me to their homes to spend Christmas with them and their families. My teammates have become more like great friends to me in the past five months that I've been here. I'm also even better in German, I'm able to not only speak, but I also understand them when they speak to me (some of the time). Even though I'm excited to have my first Christmas in Germany, I really do miss home and can't wait to fly home in April!
In Germany I haven't seen any fast food restaurants other than Burger King, KFC and McDonald's, and in all three fast food restaurants it tastes a lot different than the ones in the USA. Me and my team eat at a nice local restaurant in the city called Schwanen and they usually serve German-based food like spaetzle noodles with meat and gravy and a lot of dishes with schnitzel. The most annoying thing here is that there are no free refills in any establishment I have visited but the food is definitely a lot healthier and fresher than what I've had in USA restaurants. I enjoy a lot of the German dishes that my teammates and the restaurants have prepared!  Taylor in ProA action against the Dresden Knights Oct. 9. On the court, Ehingen Urspring's Kameron Taylor is having little trouble adjusting to Europe. Through the first five games of Germany's ProA season Taylor is putting up 13.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 2.4 apg. Off the court, however, Taylor is facing several of the same challenges that face many American players around the world, including a very important one: the language barrier.
Today is October 25. I have been Germany just over two months, and I finally ordered from a Chinese place speaking in German all by myself for the first time. The language barrier was tough when I first arrived, just because I've never really even heard German before, so the whole language was a brand-new experience. My teammates were my teachers these past months - it's amazing that all of the German guys can both speak German and English, including the coaches! It made it so much easier to learn and to adapt. They taught me a new word or sentence every day. Even the people of Germany know some English, too. This makes this easier like when, for example, if I'm ordering food (Chinese, maybe?) and I don't get the order completely right, I could just say the name of the food in English and they would understand. I'm expecting to be somewhat fluent when I come back to the States, and I'm excited to show off my new language when I get home.
Continuing our new feature of player diaries is Kameron Taylor, a G/F who is in his first season of professional basketball with Ehingen Urspring, a team in Germany's ProA League. Taylor recently graduated from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, playing all four years for the Griffins and leading the team in scoring his senior season. Kam shares a few things with us in his first post including the team's preseason video, taking a cycling class and (at long last) actual basketball competition!
October 4 - It's the day before my birthday. I have been here for about six weeks now and also officially have two professional games under my belt. The game here is a lot more disciplined. It seems like there are no superstars on the teams we have played, just good players in each position who trust in their ability and know their roles.
Taylor is averaging 18.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg during the first two games of the season.
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