I landed in Kiev, Ukraine at noon today to begin preparations for the 2011 European Championships. By chance I met Ukrainian rock star Svyatoslav “Slava” Vakarchuk on my flight to Kiev. The lead singer for the band Okean Elzy is one of the most successful musicians in the country.

Turns out Vakarchuk is also a big basketball fan and likes to play pickup games with Sasha Volkov, a former player of mine on the Atlanta Hawks and the current President of the Ukraine Basketball Federation.

After checking in to my hotel, I went to get fitted for practice gear. Then I had a little free time to unpack and take a nap before dinner. We ate at a very nice Italian restaurant and turned in early to rest up for our big day tomorrow as we will fly out to see the Ukraine Under-25 National Team practice near Odessa.