photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Tyrel Reed takes questions following the NCAA tournament selection show on Sunday, March 13, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Former Kansas basketball guard Tyrel Reed is writing a diary during his free time in Belgium, where he is playing professional basketball.

Getting around the state of Kansas has never really been a problem for me. Having lived in Kansas my entire life I have come to the conclusion that most of the state is very “flat.” Not a whole lot to see for miles and miles.

I really realized that after residing in Lawrence for four years, even though I was introduced there to one of the hillier cities in the state. Still, it didn’t have me quite prepared for the area I live in over here in Belgium. And, it’s been a fun task navigating it with a stick shift!

Being from a small town I knew the basics of driving a manual but never drove one on a regular basis growing up. Verviers, Belgium is located in the Ardennes, which is an area comprised of thick forest and rolling hills. The so-called, rolling hills have caused my teammates and I to stall out in the middle of the street on more than one occasion.

After three months, I can now say that my driving has improved dramatically and I finally blend in with the foreign drivers. However, I do have to say that on the highway, people drive much faster than I’m used to. I will be driving along at 120 kph, which is approximately 75 mph, and get passed like I’m standing still! Guess I need to take some lessons from Clint Bowyer when I get back to the States.

“Reed All About It: Driven to be a Jayhawk” is written by former Jayhawk Academic All-American guard Tyrel Reed. The book, from Ascend Books of Overland Park, is now available at most local bookstores as well as select grocery stores and specialty retailers. This book is also available on all popular e-book platforms including iPad, Kindle and Nook.