Category Archives: General

Platteville vs. Irish Under-21 team

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The UW-Platteville men’s and women’s basketball teams are overseas. They will check in with Division III basketball fans from time to time. Jeff Skemp is our correspondent.

The third day of the trip started with a morning breakfast and free time for the team to shop, but mainly to catch up on sleep. At 11:45 a.m. the men’s team took a tour of Trinity College, which holds the famous Book of Kells. Following the short tour we had more free time to walk the city of Dublin on our own, and do more souvenir shopping. We came together at 2:30 for a team pregame meal and left for the basketball arena at 3:30 to play the Irish National 21 Under team.

The men played first and struggled during the first quarter but continued to keep playing hard and got a spark from the bench into the second period as the Pioneers started to pull away. The third period saw the Pioneers continue their dominance, and the fourth quarter was more of the same as UWP won 81-29. Mike Shaw led all scorers with 22 points and Charlie Lohoff was the only other player in double figures with 10 points. Curt Hanson had 9 and Jeff Skemp 7 points. Eleven of the 15 players for the Pioneers scored in the game as there was a balanced attack. The team was able to eat pizza supported by people on the trip, and will spend their last, hopefully memorable, night together in Dublin.

The Pioneers will leave Dublin tomorrow (Thursday) and move onto Killarney for three days. There they will continue touring as well as play another game.

The UWP women followed the men’s win with a 71-59 victory against the Irish U21 team. Lisa Grantman had 18 points and Megan Guernsey scored 14.

Oglethorpe says arrivederci to Italy

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Oglethorpe’s men’s basketball team recently completed a nine-day trip to Europe and checked in with Division III basketball fans from time to time. Wade Weldon is our correspondent.

Hello everyone! This is my final blog and I want to start off by getting everyone caught up on our last weekend in Italy and all the activities that took place.

On Saturday, the team took an evening tour of the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. We had a great time because this area of Rome is a very popular spot to hang out on a Saturday night. There are many great restaurants and gelateria cafés as well as excellent shopping.

On Sunday, we took a day trip to the beautiful city of Florence, the capital city of Tuscany. Our bus picked us up around 7 a.m. to hit the road after for our second to last day of touring. On the way the team enjoyed the picturesque views of the countryside as we drove through Tuscany. I enjoyed watching Ferraris and Maseratis fly by us on the Italian freeway.

The first place we went to in Florence was the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo). This Basilica is one of the biggest churches in Europe and is known for its solid marble exterior. Following the tour of the church we ate lunch at a Tuscan restaurant and enjoyed authentic Florentine pasta, breads, and cheese. Following lunch we walked around the city for a few hours and then headed back to Rome. We ate a late dinner in Rome and went to sleep so we would be rested for the Vatican City.

On Monday, our tour guide picked us up at 6:45 a.m. and we headed to the Vatican City. This landlocked city-state, ruled by the Pope, is the smallest independent state in the entire world.

Upon arrival, we went to the Vatican museum. This museum features numerous galleries of Greek and Roman sculpture. The team was a little worn out on sculptures after going to all the museums in Paris so we moved our way through the crowd and headed to the final and most popular gallery in the museum. The last gallery of the Museum is the Sistine Chapel. This historical chapel offers some of the greatest Renaissance frescos of all time. The team was fascinated by Michelangelo’s beautiful ceiling and his famous, “Last Judgment,” standing behind the altar. When I walked into the room, I immediately had goose bumps and pictured Michelangelo standing on a wooden platform 70 feet from the floor, painting the ceiling for nearly 5 years straight.

After the Sistine Chapel, the team went to the largest church in the world, St. Peter’s Basilica. I was awestruck by the size of this church and its beautiful art and sculptures including Michelangelo’s famous “Pieta” depicting the body of Jesus laying in the lap of Mother Mary.

After touring the Basilica and St. Peter’s Square, we were wiped out and needed food and a nap. We went back to Rome and napped for a few hours then ate our final team dinner. We ate a 5-course meal at a fun Italian restaurant with live music and dancing. After dinner we slept for about 4 hours and woke up at 3:45 a.m. to go to the airport.

After traveling for more than 12 hours, the Oglethorpe men’s basketball team landed safely in the US with three victories and many unforgettable memories about the trips to France and Italy.

UW-Platteville checks in from Ireland

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The UW-Platteville men’s and women’s basketball teams are overseas. They will check in with Division III basketball fans from time to time. Jeff Skemp is our correspondent.

The UW-Platteville men’s and women’s basketball teams spent the first day in Ireland touring immediately following a seven-hour direct flight from Chicago’s O’Hare airport into Dublin. The sites that we were able to see on the first day included a trip to an old monastery, seeing remnants of the old churches, and walking through a cemetery. We then boarded back onto the bus and continued on to Powerscourt. This was a mansion of an Ireland Lord with beautiful gardens all over the property. We were able to eat lunch while there, and then went to our hotel to check in.

UW-Platteville's Kyle Tetschlag, Berent Froiland, Jeff Skemp and Scott Gibbons pose outside the Chester Beatty Library.We went to a local gym and had a brief practice to stretch our legs, work out, and finalize some things before our first game on Wednesday. The team then went back to the hotel where we had a team meal for dinner, and then were free to experience the city night life of Ireland.

Day Two started off on a bad foot for some as wakeup call to all rooms was not done by the hotel. Wakeup was supposed to be at 7:00 a.m. so we had time to get breakfast before leaving for our tour at 9:15 a.m. My roommate, I, and others were woken up by a phone call from a teammate at 9:10 and hurried to catch the bus for the tour. Our second day was much more eventful and enjoyable, though, as we toured the Dublin Castle, Christ Cathedral, and St. James Gate, before going on to what the team and most college kids would consider the most important part of the day’s tour. We toured the Guinness Brewery which was a seven-story building with information about how the beer is made and facts about where it is shipped and drank around the world. We were able to go to the top where there was an all-glass bar called the Gravity Bar where complimentary drinks were served to those of age. The bar was amazing because we were able to see over most of the city of Dublin.

Following Guinness tour we continued on to the Old Jameson Distillery. We watched an informational movie about Jameson, and then took a tour of the museum where we again learned how Jameson is made and aged. Following the tour, those of age were again served complimentary drinks and then we spent the rest of the day free as a team to walk the city on our own and do some souvenir shopping. We then had a team dinner at the hotel, and we are again able to spend the night free together in Dublin.

There will be an update on Wednesday’s activities as well as how the Pioneers did in our first game against Irish National 21 teams.

Two wins, Italian food, the Colosseum and sleep!

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Oglethorpe’s men’s basketball team is on a nine-day trip to Europe. They will check in with Division III basketball fans from time to time. Wade Weldon is our correspondent.

Bon Giorno from Rome! Then Oglethorpe men’s basketball departed to Rome at 7:10 am on Friday. Before our departure we played our final game in France against a local semi-pro team. We opened up with a 12-0 lead and their coach called a time out within the first three minutes of the game in attempt to dwindle our fire. We continued to move the ball as a team and cruised to a 94-69 victory. We hit 14 three’s and continued our undefeated streak on foreign soil.

After the victory, we had a quick three hour nap before heading to the airport for our 7:10 a.m. flight to Rome. We landed in Rome half asleep, and hit the ground running with a three hour bus tour of the city. Luckily, we had free time after the tour and caught about a three hour nap before our final game in Rome on Friday night.

Once again, we opened up hot despite the tired legs. We started the game with a 10-0 lead and finished with a 102-76 victory. The speed of our offense and our zone press was hard for the local team to adjust to. The 24 second shot clock caused our opponent to panic and turn the ball over. After the victory, the Italian fans and kids were very excited to meet us and we exchanged our jerseys and other paraphernalia with their home team. After a short bus ride back to our hotel, the Petrels celebrated our 3-0 winning streak with a four-course, local, Italian meal.

Today we woke up after a rejuvenating 8 hours of sleep and took the metro to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. It was amazing to see the ancient Roman architecture and wonder how it would be to compete as a gladiator in the Colosseum. After touring the Colosseum, we went to the Roman Forum and walked around and took great pictures of the city skyline.

You always hear about the pick-pockets in the Roman metro and today we experienced it first hand. One of our chaperons had 40 euros taken out of his fanny pack by a team of local thieves including a baby as a decoy. From now on, we will keep a closer eye on our belongings and watch out for gypsies trying to make a living off American tourists.

Today we dined at a local pizzeria near our hotel. The team enjoyed fresh mozzarella, mussels from Naples, and authentic Italian pizza. Tomorrow, we are taking a day trip to explore the beautiful city of Florence. I will update you the next time I find an internet cafe. Ciao.

Omaha Beach, Arc de Triomphe

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Oglethorpe’s men’s basketball team is on a nine-day trip to Europe. They will check in with Division III basketball fans from time to time.

Bonjour from Paris! This is Wade Weldon from the Oglethorpe men’s basketball team giving you the latest on the men’s basketball team trip to Europe.

Oglethorpe visited Omaha Beach, the site of the Allied Forces' invasion of France on June 6, 1944.On Tuesday, we played our first basketball game in the town of Dravaille against a local team. We came out running and took off with a 101-66 victory. This team had good size and some athletes but they could not keep up with our speed. We shot very poorly from the field and the foul line because our legs were fatigued. Next time we won’t climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe on a game day. Despite the tired legs, the Petrels are undefeated on foreign soil.

Yesterday, we took a four-hour bus ride to the beaches of Normandy to reflect on the men that gave their lives on D-Day, June 6, 1944. After watching Saving Private Ryan on the bus, the team was excited to see the beach and learn more about the D-Day invasion of Normandy. When we arrived, the weather was foggy and musky. This made the beach look very similar to the way it did at 6:30 am when U.S. infantry and armoured divisions landed on the coast of France on June 6, 1944. After exploring Normandy the team went to the Normandy American Cemetery to honor the American soldiers that died in Europe during World War II. This was a very emotional experience for me because my grandfather fought in this war.

Today we went to the Palace of Versailles, home of Louis XIV. This is one of the largest palaces in the world. I was awestruck when I saw the architecture of this palace and it’s picturesque landscape. No wonder the peasants revolted against Louis XVI because he was living in such royal quarters while they were living in poverty. After this, we took a bus to Montmarte and the Bascilica de Sacre Couer. This historical church is the highest point in France and it offered some of the best views of the city.

Tonight we are playing our second game against another local club team. I will update you on the results of this game in my next entry.