SCHILB Blake

General
MOVE TO EUROPE
Born and raised in the United States of America, he was not selected in the NBA Draft after leaving university and decided to move to Europe in 2007. He spent the first two years playing in Nymburk, Czech Republic, where he met his wife Barbora. In 2015 he began representing the Czech Republic. (denik.cz, 04 Jul 2021; izrozhlas.cz, 25 Apr 2018)

RETURN TO CZECH REPUBLIC
He played for clubs in France, Spain, Serbia, and Turkey after leaving Czech side Nymburk in 2009. He returned to the Czech Republic in 2021 to sign for USK Praha and work on his form and fitness ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games. "It's a very good feeling to be back in the Czech Republic, where I started my professional career. I know the history of the USK club. I haven't played for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I've never been without matches for so long. So being able to go back to basketball, when I no longer believed that such a chance would come, and at the same time being back in the Czech Republic among familiar faces, is a blessing for me. A few times I thought about retiring. When, after 12 or 13 years, you suddenly aren't playing every week, you start asking yourself if you're not too old or out of shape. And if it's not time to try something new. But it always comes to mind that you are a player and like to compete. So I tried to drive away those thoughts and keep going no matter how old I am." (blesk.cz, 09 Apr 2021)