Albin's Basketball Diary

06/16/2026

2006 - UNFORGETTABLE ADVENTURE
20 years ago, before I met Venera, I set off on one of the greatest adventures of my life.

It started in China and continued through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, and finally ended in India.

4 months. 7 countries. Countless memories.

Just the other day, my daughter complained:

“Dad, you’re always telling the same stories. Don’t you have any other stories to share?”

I laughed and replied:

“Hmm… Dad has plenty of stories. The problem is that many of them aren’t meant for kids… but one day.” 😉😂

Looking back, those months taught me more about the world—and myself—than I could have imagined. Some memories fade, but adventures like that stay with you forever.

06/12/2026

HOW ARE YOU?
For years, my life revolved around basketball—coaching, watching Eldi play, and building friendships through the game.

When we lived in Spain, I had meaningful social interactions every day. Since returning to the U.S. two months ago, I’m still involved in basketball and starting things back up, but I’m not yet back to where I was before we left. Outside of the gym, I’ve only had two social interactions in those two months.

So when people ask me, “HOW ARE YOU?” I honestly don’t always know how to answer. 😌
A little bored. A little disconnected. A little stuck in between. 🤷🏻‍♂️

But I know it’s temporary. I’m rebuilding, reconnecting, and adjusting again to the American lifestyle where everyone seems to be busy, busy, busy.

The basketball is still there. The people will come. I’m just working my way back.

06/04/2026

NBA FINALS 2026
NY Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs — DAVID vs. GOLIATH?

I’ve said it before: I don’t follow pro or TV sports closely, and I’m definitely not claiming to be an expert. BUT… I keep hearing analysts and NBA experts talk about Victor Wembanyama like he’s the future savior of basketball.

Sure — he’s emotional, young, insanely tall, and moves like a guard.

Still… nothing about him excites me or makes me want to see him beat the underdog NY Knicks and Jalen Brunson.

Maybe I just prefer grit over hype.

NY KNICKS LEAD 1-0.

For the non-basketball folks: the NBA Finals are a best-of-7 series — first team to win 4 games becomes NBA Champions.

06/03/2026

1st GAME (Scrimmage)
After a year away from coaching, it felt great to be back and start implementing some of the things I learned in Spain into the way we play here in the USA.

Biggest difference?
PACE.

We ran ALL THE TIME. No slowing down, no catching our breath. It was a wake-up call for everyone — the game has to be played faster, with less dribbling and more movement.

Game format: 6 quarters of 8 minutes with only 7 players available.

Final score: 78–79 loss to Team Now.

Without a single team practice before the game, I have to say I’m really happy with the effort and performance from the group. A lot to build on from here.

05/30/2026

WASHINGTON DC 🇺🇸
I spent my “27th” birthday in Washington DC yesterday. One of my favorite cities.

It’s a big city with a small-town feeling. I parked the car right next to the White House, and you can just walk around the monuments and museums — it almost feels like walking through a giant park.

And honestly, even when I visited DC for the first time in 2009 as a tourist from Sweden, I could feel the American pride and patriotism this city instills. That kind of national pride deserves respect! 🇺🇸

05/28/2026

“I LOVE BEING TIRED”
It takes a special kind of personality to say they love being tired after working hard. That’s when they feel most alive.

Meanwhile, my other kid is a professional enjoyer of life… completely allergic to sweat, effort, or anything that contains the word “work.” 😂

What amazes me is this: how can two kids be raised the same way, under the same roof, with the same parents — and still turn out with completely different personalities?

That mystery will never stop fascinating me.

"Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off, whereas lazy people do a little work and think they should be winning." — Tim Grover

05/21/2026

GOOGLE YOURSELF 👀
From time to time, I like to Google myself just to see what random or crazy things might pop up.

This time I found a full article about me — which honestly could’ve been super cool… if they hadn’t gotten a couple of facts completely wrong 😂

This is how it looks like when someone tries to write an article and rely on public internet sources (social media) without fact checking.

Eldi Demukaj, who currently plays for the Lucentum Alicante U17 team in Spain’s prestigious EYBL U17, was recently hospitalized after breaking his tibia during a game.

05/14/2026

PHYSICAL THERAPY 💪
Today marks a new beginning. Eldi started his physical therapy and did pretty well on the strength and mobility tests. We still have a long road ahead of us, but this is a great first step.

The PT believes he could be back playing in about 6 months (November 2026), but I’m still stubborn and telling Eldi we’ll wait a full year (February 2027) before he returns to games. No rush!

This journey is not sprint, but it’s marathon. One step at a time, done the right way. 🙏

05/12/2026

VOLLEYBALL
I’m the kind of sports fan who only watches when someone I know is playing — and only if they’re truly giving it their all.

Watching Orfea play basketball over the years was tough because her heart never seemed fully in it. But volleyball is completely different. You can see how much she loves it, and that makes me happy.

“You’ve got to find yourself first. Everything else will follow.” — Charles de Lint