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Getting to Where You Are
This summer, I worked camps at three great universities. And it really showed me something.
Nobody can get to the top or to where they are at the current point without other people.
Yes, you go places or might be where you are by your work ethic, but nobody starts without somebody else’s help. And I certainly am no different.
I have plenty of people who have gotten me to where I am today and I will probably forget to name some and for that I apologize now.
First, my parents. I wouldn’t be alive without them. They raised me and have supported me my whole life. I can never repay them and would be nothing without them. They’ve always guided me, but never been overprotective. I will always love them for everything they’ve done.
Second, my brothers. Philip and Ben have always supported me. With Ben being autistic, I was forced to grow up faster in order to be able to handle it. But its also made me realize how rewarding it is to have a brother like him. Philip has been supportive of me, even though we are two completely different people. I know he will always have my back and I hope he knows I’ll always have his.
Third, my grandparents. They’ve always supported me. My mom’s parents have been like a second set of parents just in another city. My dad’s mom taught me golf when I was little and gavve me somebody I could really connect with and has always been supportive. Even though I never knew my dad’s dad, he’s always driven me. People have told me that I remind them of him and that made me want to uphold that, because I’ve never heard a negative thing about him, and it makes me want to live up to that.
Fourth, to the rest of my family. Aunts, uncles, cousins. They’ve all supported me and shown me how that I have the greatest family in the world. To my cousin Jay being like a big brother to me, to my cousin Nicole. Even though she can be a pain at times, I wouldn’t trade her for the world.
Fifth, to Coaches McMillin, Hayes, Heskett, and Crislip. They’ve all helped me in my growth as a future coach. Coach McMillin has helped me get into camps and helped me meet other coaches. He has done more for me than I could ever have imagined. Coach Hayes has always given me advice when I needed it, as have Coach Heskett and Coach Crislip.
Sixth, to all my friends. They’ve all been supportive of me and had my back when a problem arose. When I thought my dad had a heart attack; Anthony, John, Charlie all surrounded me and gave me a group hug to help cheer me up, then started making jokes to help get my mind off of the whole situation. It made me realize I have the greatest friends in the world. This group includes those 3, Renee, Lauren Fry, Sam, Dorothy, Jesse, Lauren Delgman, Lauren Davis,and so many more that I’m sure I’ll catch hell for not mentioning.
Seventh, all the faculty that I’ve encountered at Lynn. From Anthony and Jen, to Jason and Christina and Jena and Laura, to Professor Curtis and Stefanie Powers. Everyone of them and everyone else at Lynn has made me feel like family and shown me that everyone on campus is just as important as the next.
If it wasn’t for all these people I would be nothing. I wouldn’t be anywhere near as happy as I am now.
Gene
Dads
So recently, ESPN has been running a great commercial aimed at dad’s and I think its a great commercial. Here is the link from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klkOioX6DvY
But it also got me thinking about my dad. A common quote about dads is “Anybody can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.” Well, if thats the case, then I guess my father is the most special man in the world. He has taught me not only how to play sports and about small things in life, but he has taught me how to be a man. He has taught me to love my mother and both of my brothers even though they can be goofy and hard on me at times. He’s taught me how to deal with different people and to do what makes me happy, not what everyone wants.
He spent time with me when I was younger. He coached my teams when I was younger, but wasn’t the dad who was adement that I was the best athlete. He never treated me like I was either. He treated me like just another player. But when we walked off the field or court, he put his arm around me and told me I did a good job. He offered criticism when necessary but never yelled at me when it came to sports. He would show me what I did wrong and how to improve.
But one thing my dad did recently shows what kind of dad he is. It was the same day my cardiologist told me I might have a hole in my heart. I was outside shooting free throws just trying to clear my mind and relax, when all of a sudden he comes up and starts to rebound for me. I didn’t ask him to, he just did it.
The scariest moment in my life was not when my cardiologist said I might have a hole in my heart, or anything that happened to me personally, but when I got a call from my mom and she said they thought my dad had a heart attack. I immediately start crying because I didn’t want to think about life without him. I like to think of my dad as superman, he’s invincible. He’s made me the man I am today. No offense to my mom (who has done just as incridible job raising me), but my dad helped make me a man. Luckily he is fine. That way when I need advice I can still pick up the phone and call him.
I love you Dad.
Gene
Final Verdict
Well this morning I went in for more testing. All of the nurses kept telling me I was too young to be in a heart hospital, nor did they want to attempt to pronounce my last name (I have no idea why haha).
They hooked me up to an iv (not really sure why, but I wasn’t going to question it), gave me some stuff to numb my throat (it made my throat feel like it was shrinking, so it was kind of cool and scary at the same time), then when the doctor came in they started the anesthesia. He asked if I could feel it so I told him unless the room was spinning then I think I was, so he told me to lay on my side and the next thing I know I was waking up and the only person left in the room besides my mom. The doctor told my mom there was no hole, but I did have to scale back when I work out or am active, andI can’t run full speed.
But don’t think for a second that I’m not gonna give everything I have oin basketball and everything else I do. I’m still going to give the same intensity with basketball and make every coach wish they had somebody like me in the program.
I’m proud to be a Fighting Knight and I’m proud to work with the coaches that I have: Coach McMillin, Coach Hayes, Coach Heskett, Coach Crislip, and I’m excited about getting to work with our newest assistant Coach Alacron. I have learned a great deal from those I’ve worked with and feel I’ll learn a lot from Coach Alacron.
Thank you all for your care and concern.
Gene
Results
So this morning I went to the cardiologist and he ran some tests on my heart. He said I appear to have a small hole in my heart, so tomorrow I have to go in for additional tests so he can make 100% sure. He also said that I should be fine, but he wants to run the tests so I don’t walk around unsure of what is going on inside of me.
My family and friends that I have talked to have been very supportive and helpful to me. They have helped keep me positive which has been great, especially with the fact that I am scared and not sure what is going on. My mom and Mama (yes Lauren Fry, thats you 
) have been with me the whole way and its helped me tremendously.
Again, I am not writing this blog for sympathy or anything, I just need a place to let my emotions out and this is a great place for me to do it.
This is just a small bump in the road, but with the love and support of my family and friends, I know I’ll make it through with no problems that I can’t overcome.
Gene
A Personal Situation
I normally don’t share very personal things, but I’m going to change that here.
Today, I went for a physical with my doctor. I had been having chest pains when I ran so I thought I would ask him about it. He did some tests and took some x-rays. He thought it might be asthma, so while we were waiting for the x-rays, he had the nurse do some breathing tests and do an ekg (which basically just monitors your heart rate from what I gathered). They both turned up perfect, so throw asthma out. Well we got the x-rays, and he looked at them. He said everything seemed normal, except my heart. He said it was a little big. And the only reason he was concerned was because I had been having chest pains, so I am going to see a cardiologist here in a few days.
Now, if you know me, I make jokes, even about myself. Well, my joke for this was, I guess I can no longer be called an asshole because of the fact that I have such a big heart. I know its stupid, but for me it gives me a smile because I am nervous about this whole situation. I don’t know what to expect or what they are going to tell me. I am going to try to be positive because then everybody around me will be positive. And that in turn will keep me positive.
I didn’t write this for the sympathy. I wrote this because I want you (my valued readers) to know more about what is going on in my life. I greatly appreciate each and everyone of you reading my blog and especially those who take the time to comment.
I will give you an update when I find out more about what is going on. Again, thank you.
Gene
My Dad
Dad, Daddy,Pops, Father, Money Man, Embarassing, whatever name can be used to describe my father, all leads to one thing, Paul Charles Prousnitzer.
Everybody loves their father, but I don’t know if anybody has a dad like mine. He helped make me the man I am today.
Last week, my mom told me that they thought he had a heart attack, but luckily it was just stress finally catching up with him. This made me think, I don’t know what I would do without my dad. He has always been there for me, whether it was coaching my little league baseball and basketball teams, or sitting in the stands cheering for me, or shooting hoops in the driveway with me, or playing catch in the yard with me, or helping me with homework, or offering me fatherly advice, he’s always been there for me, in success and defeat.
I’ve always watched how he carried himself, and if I can turn out to be half the man or father that he has been then I will have achieved success. He is the man that wears many shirts to embarrass me, but he is also the man that I love to death. He is the rock of the store, but is also just a big teddy bear. He always knows how to get a laugh, but knows when he has to be serious.
He may not be perfect, but to me, he’s the perfect father. I love you Dad!
Gene
My Mom
So before I started this post, I looked for a quote to put that might sum up my mom, but I couldn’t find one that said how I feel. There were ones that explained parts of her, but nothing that fully explained how I feel. There was Gene Simmons talking about how his mother is probably the wisest person, there was Tenneva Jordan talking about how her mother was somebody who was giving, but no disrespect to their mothers, my mom is more so than theirs.
My mom always knows when something is wrong. I don’t even have to say there is, she just has that sense. I always know that I can go to her with any problem and I’ll get her advice. I know that she’ll always hear me out even if I’m wrong, then she’ll explain why I’m wrong. She is somebody that will just listen and understand like nobody else can. She is somebody who I can have a good laugh with. In fact, the other day, we were talking about a shirt she saw that said “Save 2nd Base” for breast cancer awareness, so I said “I should make a shirt that says my home plate is clean is yours” talking about STD’s. And she started laughing and we just talked about stupid meaningless shit, but she told me that it meant so much to her and that brought the biggest smile to my face.
My mother is one of the most influential people in my life and I don’t want to know where I’d be without her in it. Everybody says that men marry women like their mother, well if I marry somebody like her, I wouldn’t complain. This is why I consider my dad one of the luckiest men in the world.
I love you Mom!
Gene
Christmas Break
So my Christmas break is a little bit different from the typical Lynn student’s. First off mine didn’t start Friday the 19th, rather it started on the 22nd. We had games on the 20th and 21st, which we won. My break won’t end January 6th, rather it ends on December 30th. I was supposed to be back the 26th, but Coach allowed me to stay home a couple extra days. During these days, I have caught up wit friends, family, and on my relaxation.
But also, I am using two of these days to watch some basketball of two of the programs I worked for this summer. Tomorrow, the 28th, I’m going to watch the University of Arkansas-Little play against Rice. I’m excited about this game, because I enjoyed working with UALR’s staff. They were extremely nice to me and I think this is a program on the rise. Monday, I’m going to watch Memphis play Cincinnati. This is going to be a very good match-up of two high profile programs. Memphis also was very pleasent towards me this summer and is a program that is at the top of the college basketball world.
This break has been really benefical to me because I am really figuring what I need to do and what I want in life. Now, I need to act upon this and continue to get better in everything I do.
Gene
Missing People/Things from Home
So I’ve been gone from home for just under three weeks and I miss a couple of things and people.
I miss my parents first off. I love them with all my heart and it was great this summer walking into the store and joking around with them. This summer I learned so much from them about the store and why they make certain decisions and how they handle certain situations. Also, their support they gave me with the different camps I went to this summer.
I miss my brother Ben as well. He cracked me up so much this summer. He and I bonded a couple times this summer. I love him so much, he’s a great brother.
I miss the employees at the store. They made going to the store everyday fun. Just joking around with them kept me from going crazy. I can’t wait to see every single one of them again.
I miss Lauren. That girl is my sister. While not biological, I consider her my little sister and would do anything for her and want to be there for her for anything she needs. I have a picture on my desk here at school of her and I from her graduation, and it makes me miss her. I miss going to lunch with her everyday and having someone at the store who is my age.
I miss my dogs. My golden retriever, Candy, is 15 and I know a phone call is coming soon from my mom and I’m not looking forward to that. She will always be my princess and baby girl. She’s the only dog I’ve really known for a long time. We got here when I was in 2nd grade, so right about 14 years. My dad’s schnoodle, Shaggy, is just funny. He’s like 4 but the laziest little dog you’ll ever meet. All he does at the store is lay in his chair and eat. Then when he gets home he runs around for about 10 minutes then lays down again. But I do have to say he is a cute dog and I love him.
I miss my cousin, Andrew. He moved in June out to Utah and now is at the University of Denver, but when we hung out we had fun. He was there for so much in my life. I love him. He’s my best friend and brother. It’s going to be different when I go home and he’s not there.
I miss all my family in New Orleans. It was fun going to visit them for a week over 4th of July. We had fun just hanging out and being around each other. I hope they come down here sometime and visit.
I just miss my city. I miss driving into town and seeing everything and everybody.
Gene
What I’ve Learned This Summer
In basketball, the summer is when a lot of players get better. They have more time to concentrate on basketball and get in a lot of work in this time. Well, even though I’m not a player, I’ve gotten better. Not as much in the actual playing side, but as far as my experiences and what I’ve learned.
I always known that in athletics, a lot of times its not what you know, but who you know. This summer I found out just how correct this is. The main reason I was able to work the Memphis camp was not because I work hard or have any kind of knowledge. While these help, it was mainly because my uncle is the Travel Coordinator and told me who to talk to as well as mention that I’m his nephew. When I got to Memphis, I was known as DooDa’s nephew (DooDa is my uncle’s nickname). Once I got into the camp, I showed them that they made a good decision in letting me work, as I showed up early every day and worked my tail off the entire time. I did anything that was asked of me and my aunt said the staff talks highly of me. (Maybe I could turn that into a Graduate Assitant job, we’ll see what happens).
The reason I got into the Clemson camp was because the coach in charge of hiring is the brother of one of our current players and knows Coach Heskett. Again once I got in their, I showed them how hard I work and that they made a good decision in letting me come work for them. But I wouldn’t have had this opportunity if I didn’t know the right people.
I also took the time to learn more about my parent’s business. I have tried to be more active with them in learning about why they make certain decisions or in just how certain things work. One of our employees just bought a house and has been renovating it. I have been working closely with him, learning how to install some of the lighting and how to install tile. He has taught me a lot and I am very grateful.
I’m also doing more to start becoming more independant from my parents. I wanted to get an apartment with my roommate and both of our parents had their reasons for why we needed to wait. He and I talked about it and decided to see if instead of waiting for our senior year, if we could get one at Christmas break. Both of our parents said we’ll see. This summer with the work I’ve been doing for my parents, between camps, I came up with the idea that if I took all that money and handed it to my parents to help off-set their cost. They felt that that was a very mature decision and have decided they are on board for getting the apartment in December. We are now just waiting to hear about my roommate’s parents.
Well, I think I’ve had a successful summer and have grown in ways that will help me not only in my coaching future, but in life as well.
Gene
