The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/430118
72 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Wednesday and Friday is the same," Kas- tanek said. "I wake up around 9 or 10 and make a coffee and eat breakfast. I do not have practice until the night, so my day is very relaxing. "To fill my time I have learned how to crochet blankets, scarves and hats, I watch American TV shows, I read books and I learn the language of the country I am in. Last season, I read 23 books, helped make a blanket for orphans in Romania and learned conversational Swedish. "On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have two practices so I don't have as much free time. On Tuesdays and Fridays, I help at a lo- cal elementary school by running an after- school basketball practice. Our games are on the weekends. If it is an away game, we travel the same day of the game on a bus." Off the court, players have to adjust to a new culture and a new language when playing in Europe. But that can also be a plus for those that embrace the chance to experience a new way of life. "On the court the biggest adjustment for me was the physical play," Kastanek noted. "Over here, anything goes as long as you keep your hands up. My first game was a wakeup call, but I have been able to adjust and use the physical play to my advantage. "Off the court, the biggest adjustment is all the free time I have. When I was in the NCAA I was required to do school and bas- ketball, which consumed my life. Overseas I just play basketball, so it has a potential to get very boring. But I have been able to fill my days with activities that keep me sane." Kastanek went to Mexico with a Pan American team while she was in college, so she had some experience of playing in a new culture. "I enjoy playing overseas! It is an experi- ence that I am so happy I got to do because Braswell Foods is a fourth generation family owned, vertically integrated company producing and marketing quality, value added feed and egg products for American families and businesses for over 45 years. Braswell Foods, one of the largest organic feed and egg producers in the United States, is very proud to be American Humane Certified by the American Humane Association, (the nation's original monitoring and labeling program) which ensures the humane care of farm animals; as well as, receiving the ISO 14001 Certification for its industry leadership as an environmental steward. Located in Nashville, North Carolina, Braswell Foods is the second largest EGG•LAND'S BEST franchisee in the United States, a licensee for Horizon Organic Eggs and a leading producer of value-added private label egg products for leading Retail Grocery companies. Our Family of Companies Include: Carolina Egg Companies, Inc * Glenwood Foods, LLC * Braswell Milling Co * Braswell Egg Company For more information please contact: Braswell Foods * 105 Cross Street * Nashville, NC 27856 * 252-459-2143 * www.braswellfoods.com Overseas Wolfpackers Here is a list of former NC State men who have played professionally in another country this season, according to www.eurobasket.com: Engin Atsur, Turkey Cameron Bennerman, Finland Jordan Collins, Argentina Brandon Costner, China Thomas De Thaey, Belgium Ilian Evtimov, France Courtney Fells, Turkey Julius Hodge, United Kingdom Dennis Horner, Germany C.J. Leslie, South Korea Ben McCauley, Turkey Deshawn Painter, Poland Cedric Simmons, Italy Tracey Smith, Iceland C.J. Williams, Italy Scott Wood, Spain