It has been anything but a quiet road to the NBA.

Former Penn State guard Joe Crispin has bounced around the NBA, Continental Basketball Association and is now playing in Europe after leading the Nittany Lions to the Sweet 16 in 2000.

Crispin is playing in Athens, Greece, with the club team AEK, which is one of the top teams in the league. In his first game on Saturday night he scored 18 points in 16 minutes of action, in an easy win for AEK over a club team in France.

His depute was cut short as he tweaked a muscle in his hamstring. Crispin said he would probably miss the team's next game but expects to return to action by early next week at the latest.

In a close game in the second quarter, Crispin entered and knocked down a couple of open three-point shots against the zone defense.

"I haven't seen a lot of zone," the sharpshooter said. "It's been since at least high school that a team played zone against me, and not much then either. It was nice to get some looks."

Crispin added that he blew by some of the defenders in that first game, as the pace in Europe is slower than that in the states.

AEK was in conversations with Crispin to acquire his services in December, but AEK wasn't able to workout all the details on its end, Crispin said. Within of a week this time around Crispin was signed and playing in Athens. He believes that the deadline of Feb. 1 to bring players over from the United States allowed for the quick signing.

Crispin spent the past two months with the Rockford Lightning of the CBA after signing an NBA contract with the Golden State Warriors in the preseason. His stint was short with the Warriors as he was released at the end of training camp, prior to playing any games.

Following the short time with the Warriors, he joined the Gary Steelheads for a blink of an eye before he was released. Crispin signed with Rockford and played 23 games with them.

In a bench role he averaged 17.7 points and handed out 7.1 assists per game. Crispin was not quick to forget the Steelheads. When the two teams matched up he scored season-high 44 points, on Jan. 16.

The toughest part for Crispin was the crazy travel schedule in the CBA. Crispin remembers driving 12 hours in a bus from Rockford to North Dakota to play the Dakota Wizards, immediately returning to the bus after the game, and driving another seven hours to South Dakota to play against the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

"The travel wasn't easy, but that's the way it is," Crispin said.

Crispin's mother, Sue, said that he been able to deal with the rigorous travel due to his belief in God.

"He has a strong belief in God and believes that's what God wants from him," Sue Crispin said. "He believes that it is time to move and that it's part of the plan."

Added to all of the travel was Crispin's recent marriage this past July to former Penn State women's soccer player Erin Cochran.

As much as Crispin enjoys the game of basketball, he is unsure of how long he is going to play the game. He said he might get out of it in four years, or he might stick around for 10 or more. He said that he eventually would end up doing something within the ministry, which is something he's always wanted to do.

In the meantime, Crispin will continue his professional career, even if it's not in the NBA. He played last season with the Phoenix Suns and said he has the confidence that he can play at that level.

"Everyone needs the right situation to succeed," he said. "You need someone who has confidence in you, and I get that with Scott [Skiles former coach of the Phoenix Suns]."

The current plan is to spend the next four months in Greece and play out the remainder of the season.

But the bumpy road could continue, and continue all the way back to the NBA.