Horsham basketball star Mitch Creek has enjoyed a stellar debut with Puerto Rican club Mets de Guaynabo in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league.
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In his first two games for the club, Creek has scored and 17 and 19 points respectively.
Creek said he was "excited" to have joined the club, although the journey to getting there had been tricky.
"Guayabo is somewhere I've known I'd be playing for a while now, but the visa process has certainly taken its time," Creek said.
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"To be here now in a beautiful city with beautiful weather, it's been amazing. The ownership, the coach, it's really been easy to settle in."
"I would have liked to be here four to five weeks ago, but... the fact we're here now is a blessing, and being in Puerto Rico right now a blessing. I'm excited to get to work."
Mets de Guaynabo currently sit fourth in the league's Group B, but will have to cling onto that spot to make finals.
Creek said he'd decided to join the club in the off-season as a way to help further his career, both on and off the court.
"If you set yourself up for the future, you've got to double down and make as much as money as possible," Creek said.
"We only get to be on this planet for a certain number of years, and sometimes in a position where we're very lucky.
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"For me, I'm very blessed to play basketball; it's a very humbling experience to be able to go out and do what I love, and to make good money.
"If I can double my money up in the off season, instead of sitting at home, training and playing locally, earning a little bit of money here and there.
"You can go overseas and play in some amazing places, and make some very good financial decisions with that extra money.
"It's about saving what you can now, and then using that for your career after sport as well to build businesses and have property investments along the way, as well as being able to help out family and friends."
Before joining the Mets, Creek had taken "about three weeks" off after the Phoenix's run in the NBL finals.
"My body probably needed a bit more rest than that, so once I do this little stint over the next couple of weeks, I'll probably just put my feet up on the beach for a week or two and relax," Creek said.
"I'll jump out of some planes and ride some motorbikes and then come back and slowly start building into the (NBL) season."
Creek told the Mail-Times that Puerto Rico had already left an impression on him.
"The people, the culture (are amazing); just walking around you get a sense of the culture," Creek said.
The move has no bearing on Creek's NBA-aspirations, according to the star, but he remains realistic.
"Puerto Rico is literally just another step on the way to furthering my career and to put myself in a position to set myself and my future self up," Creek said.
"I know when I retire I'm not going to making the same money I do now... to be able to do what I love, while I can is important.
"(My NBA) ambitions to play have always been there. If I'm not good enough to play there, then I'm not good enough to play there, it's as simple as that.
"I thought I've done a lot in the past two years to improve and show that I'm worthy of playing there, but at the moment, obviously not to be.
"But (I'm lucky) to be able to play in a beautiful place with beautiful people and a great culture."
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