Tag Archives: China

Augie in China: Game day in Wuhan

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Augustana senior Kyle Nelson and his teammates are in China. He will be blogging regularly on D3hoops.com about the team’s journey.

Today was the first day of the trip that was dedicated just to basketball. We woke up and bused about thirty minutes to Huazhong Normal University for a game day practice. The gym was very nice, very big, but very hot. There was no air conditioning in the building and as practice wore on it got more and more difficult to keep our footing. Huazhong Normal was very gracious to allow us to practice in their facility. Augustana has had a long running friendship with Normal due to a student and teacher exchange program that dates back into the 1980s. This relationship allowed us to gain access to their gym free of charge.

After practice we had a few hours to cool down before we ate a pregame meal and got back on the bus for our game. The game was in another part of Wuhan and was against Huazhong University of Science and Technology. HUST is very comparable to the size of a Big Ten school. There are about 50,000 students that attend the university and it is one of the best universities academically. It also happens to be one of the top Universities for basketball at the college level in China.

When we drove up to the arena our bus was greeted by a massive red sign that had many Chinese symbols on it, but also unmistakably said Augustana right in the middle. We walked into the gym, which seats around 6,000, and saw the massive scoreboard which read China HUST versus USA Augustana. This was the moment that it hit us that this game was more than just two college teams; it was two teams representing their countries. The team got dressed and we took multiple pictures in front of the various signs that had our name.

Augustana team doing tai chi

There were about 4,800 people in attendance for the game and the crowd was very loud and energetic from warm-ups to the final buzzer. HUST has quite a few big players including a center who could have passed for a sumo wrestler. From the tip to the first quarter it was a pretty neck and neck game, with both teams playing very well. However, in the second quarter we began to pull away with great team defense to get a 23 point lead at halftime. From this point there was no looking back and we cruised to an 80-56 victory for team USA.

Augustana team poses with HUST after the game
Augustana beat Huazhong University of Science and Technology 80-56.

Augustana's Kyle Nelson holds a young boy after the gameOnce the game was over was when the madness began. We were all swarmed by the Chinese fans and asked to take pictures with just about everyone, from adults to babies. At one point I was just handed someone’s child and took about three or four pictures with him. Not only was the game memorable, but I think everyone will take away a great feeling from this game for how we were received as honored guests in Wuhan, China.

One final day in Wuhan then off to Xi’an!

Kyle Nelson

The game story follows:

WUHAN, China – Playing without starting point guard Brian DeSimone (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) didn’t seem to faze Augustana as the Vikings defeated Huazhong University of Science and Technology by a score of 80-56 on August 9 in Wuhan, China. DeSimone was ill and missed the contest but senior Drew Croegaert (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) and junior Eric Safranski (Putnam County HS, Granville, Ill.) stepped up and performed well. Croegaert and Safranski combined for nine assists and one turnover in the game.

“This was a solid effort, especially without our starting point guard,” said head coach Grey Giovanine. “Once again our depth and ability to play hard the whole way made the difference.”

The game was close after the first quarter with Augustana clinging to a 15-14 lead. Solid defensive play in the second quarter helped forge a 31-12 run during that 10 minute session and the Vikings led 46-26 at halftime.

“We converted several steals into easy baskets in the second period and that really helped,” said Giovanine, whose team is now 2-0 on the China trip.

Brandon Kunz (Lake Zurich HS, Lake Zurich, Ill.) led the team in scoring with 12 points and he grabbed eight rebounds as well. Kyle Nelson (Deerfield HS, Deerfield, Ill.) contributed 10 points and Bryant Voiles (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) added eight rebounds. The Vikings held a plus 13 advantage in the rebounding department and grabbed 18 offensive boards.

The Augustana defense held Huazhong to just 16 of 54 from the field and only three of 14 from three point range after giving up 10 three pointers in the opening game of the trip on Saturday. In that 82-66 win over the Dongguan Snow Wolves the Vikings surrendered 10 of 26 from three point range.

This game drew particular interest on Huazhong campus as a capacity crowd of 4,800 was in attendance to watch the Vikings put on what amounted to defensive and rebounding clinic.

“What a great experience for our players to compete in an environment with nearly 5,000 fans who were really into the game,” said Giovanine. “The crowd was appreciative at how hard our guys competed and they cheered every hustle play we made and we made a lot of those.”

Augustana will play Xi’ian University on Aug. 12.

Augie in China: Tai Chi, Yangzi

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Our first flight in mainland China took us from Guangzhou to Wuhan (population 9 million), a city north of our prior stop. We boarded a China Southern flight and were on the plane for only an hour and twenty minutes; a relief compared to our two previous flights on this trip. Once in Wuhan we met our tour guide Pony and she bused us to the Holiday Inn located in downtown Wuhan, right on the Yangzi River. The river is one mile wide and 70 feet deep. So compared to the Mississippi River, it is massive. The Yangzi River is the third largest river in the world and flows right through the middle of China.
 
Augustana team doing tai chi
The Augustana team, including coach Grey Giovanine’s son, Luke, far left, gets a Tai Chi lesson in a hotel atrium.

Our travel group got to experience a very unique session with a Tai Chi master in an area just off our hotel lobby. Master Miles, a friend of our tour guide, agreed to come in and give us an hour and a half lesson in Tai Chi. He began with a demonstration of what he could do, displaying the impressive flexibility and balance that Tai Chi requires. After he finished it was our turn. He taught us quite a few moves, some pretty simple and some rather difficult.

Tai Chi seemed to be much more manageable for the people who were not 6’8 and over 200 pounds. The big guys had some trouble with some of the flexibility moves, but it was all in good fun and a very worthwhile experience.
 
An early bed time was in order to prepare for our toughest game of the trip thus far against Huazhong University of Science and Technology. It is the largest university in central China and has an enrollment between 30 and 40 thousand. The Vikes are 1-0 so far overseas.
 
More from Wuhan tomorrow!
 
-Kyle Nelson

Augie in China: Vikings 82, Snow Wolves 66

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Yesterday we said goodbye to the region of Hong Kong and hello to our first day in The People’s Republic of China. We boarded a train at 9:30 am and traveled through multiple cities in the Hong Kong region before crossing into China. As we crossed into China we were able to see the barbed wire fence and guards patrolling the border as we passed by. The train took us to the city of Dongguan, located in Southern China. After passing through customs we met our tour guide, hopped on another bus and headed to pregame meal. Dongguan seemed even hotter than Hong Kong when we stepped off the bus, but we were too excited to finally play a Chinese team that we didn’t seem to notice.

Chris Anderson vs. Dongguan Snow Wolves
Chris Anderson scored 12 points in Augustana’s win against the Dongguan Snow Wolves.
 
Our pregame meal was a buffet style service in a five-star hotel in downtown Dongguan. We ate from a selection of sushi, tuna, salmon, octopus, barbecued crab, duck, goose, vegetables and more. Not your typical pregame meal but we were happy to try everything they had to offer. Once the meal was done it was an hour trip by bus to get our first taste of Chinese professional basketball competition. The team we matched up against was the Dongguan Snow Wolves of the NBDL (National Basketball Developmental League), essentially a feeder system for the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association). The game was located in their gym which was attached to a very nice hotel in the downtown.
 
The game was very fast paced and it was good to play against an organized team for the first time since last season. Something that we had to get used to quickly was the ambiguity of the calls. Many times the official would blow his whistle for a call and we would not understand why, but it was a good learning lesson to play through the adversity of the situation and adjust to whatever was happening. There was no doubt that our level of energy throughout the game was very high and it was a balanced team effort for a pretty comfortable win in the end.
 
After the game it was back on the bus for a two hour ride into the Guangzhou, a city of 11 million people. This region is often referred to as the “factory of the world” because it is responsible for a large portion of production of goods that get shipped to all corners of the globe. This was very evident as we drove through because we could see a lot of farmers as well as many factories. Dr. Moline described this place as the “engine that drives China’s world development.” It was definitely eye opening to see a place that is so important to the productivity of the world, but is just an afterthought in most people’s minds.
 
In Guangzhou we settled into Landmark Hotel, in downtown Guangzhou. A massive thunderstorm prevented us from going out to see the city at night, so we were resigned to the hotel until the morning.
 
A 10:00 flight to Wuhan waits this morning. We will be there for three days of sightseeing as well as another game.
 
– Kyle Nelson

The game story follows:

DONGGUAN, China – In the first official game of the 2010 “China Tour”, the Augustana Vikings pulled off an impressive 82-66 victory over the Dongguan Snow Wolves. The Snow Wolves are an NDBL (National Developmental Basketball League) in the Chinese professional system. Three years ago Augustana defeated a 17-under team from the same “club.” This time around, however, the Snow Wolves were beefed up a bit and employed a roster stocked with college-age players.

As has been the Viking trademark since Grey Giovanine took over as head coach prior to the 1999-00 season, balanced scoring was the answer in today’s victory. Senior Kyle Nelson (Deerfield HS, Deerfield, Ill.), who is handling a blog for the Augustana website on this trip, led the team in scoring with 13 points. Junior Chris Anderson (Mt. Carroll HS, Mt. Carroll, Ill.) and senior Bryant Voiles (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) each dropped in 12 points. Sophomore Kameron Norton (Downers Grove North HS, Downers Grove, Ill.) scored nine points on four of five from the field.

The Vikings pounded the Snow Wolves on the boards, holding a plus 11 margin despite the fact that Dongguan’s starting center was 6’ 10” and weighed 270. Augustana also managed to grab 10 offensive rebounds in the game. George Dexter (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa), Brandon Kunz (Lake Zurich HS, Lake Zurich, Ill.) and Nelson tied for the rebounding lead with five apiece. Junior point guard Brian DeSimone (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) had six assists and just one turnover and the Vikings had 18 assists as a team.

Unlike the collegiate game, this international contest was played in four quarters. Augustana led 25-21 at the end of the first 10 minute session and were up 42-31 at halftime. The Snow Wolves made 10 of 26 three point attempts to stay in the game.

Giovanine’s team left the Quad Cities on Tuesday morning, August 3 and this game was the first of five games over the next nine days. The Vikings, who traveled by train this morning from Hong Kong in order to play the game, which had a 4:00 p.m. start, played a scrimmage two days ago against Hong Kong Baptist University.

“This was a good starting point for us in terms of the competitive part of our journey,” said Giovanine who is taking his fourth Augustana team on an international sojourn. He led the Vikings to Belgium and France in 2001, Ireland in 2004 and China in 2007. “We will play five games over the next nine days and will be traveling and getting an education at the same time. Dr. Norm Moline, our guide and educational liaison from the Augustana geography department, has done a wonderful job of making sure that our entire party is getting a tremendous dose of Chinese culture. He was tremendous at that three years ago and has once again outdone himself. We are very fortunate to have him with us as we combine basketball with history and culture in a country as vast and unique as China.”

Augie in China: Last day in Hong Kong

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A day after our scrimmage game in Hong Kong against Hong Kong Baptist University, we got a whole day to do some sightseeing. As a group, we went on a boat tour through Hong Kong harbor. This harbor goes right through the middle of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

Augustana with Hong Kong Baptist University players.
Augustana captains Kyle Nelson (left) and Bryant Voiles on a boat cruise in the Hong Kong harbor.

The tour took us up and down the harbor and we were able to see the skyscrapers and other buildings that made up the business district of Hong Kong. The boat also sailed into the shipping container district. This was a massive area of large ships dropping off and collecting containers to take to all parts of the world. This was something unique to see since this is one of the world’s largest and most productive shipping yards that caters to the entire world.
 
Once we got back to land it was a quick lunch and the team was off to explore Hong Kong Island. Up until this point we had spent all of our time on mainland Kowloon. We boarded the Star Ferry to take us across the harbor to the port on the island. Once on the island we walked around the business district looking at all of financial and other business buildings. It was amazing how many people were walking around, as every sidewalk was packed. We then boarded a bus to take us to Stanley market so we could do some shopping. The bus took us up through the mountains of HK Island and past all of the expensive houses and ritzy clubs that were in the area.
 
After spending a few hours at the market, we got back on the bus and made our way back to the main area of the harbor. The team split up into two groups at this point. One group took the ferry across the harbor again to see the light show that the buildings on HK Island sponsored. At 8:00 p.m. every night, the buildings have a choreographed light show to music that you watch from the other side of the water. The second group took the subway underneath the harbor back to mainland Kowloon to our hotel.
 
Just outside of the hotel at 11:00 p.m. at night there was a game for some outdoor basketball league taking place. The players had jerseys, officials and a clock and we watched a couple minutes of the game.
 
We are headed to board a train to take us to mainland China, specifically to Dongguan. We play our first game in China against the best team from the NBL (the National Basketball League), essentially China’s equivalent to America’s NBA Developmental League. We are then on the Guangzhou for one night to prepare for a stretch of five games in nine days.
 
Off to China!
 
– Kyle Nelson

Augie in China: First day in Hong Kong

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After another 4-hour flight from Tokyo, Japan to Hong Kong International airport, a flight that no one wanted to get on after 12 hours in the air, we finally touched down in Hong Kong. We went through customs and boarded a bus to take us to the YWCA Guest House in the middle of Kowloon in Hong Kong. Along the way, Dr. Moline gave us a brief tour as we headed to the hotel for the night. A bed looked like the greatest thing after being up for around 36 hours.
 
It was an early morning for everyone, 7:30, so that we could head to Hong Kong Baptist University to have our first practice on foreign soil. We took a nice coach bus over to the university which was about fifteen minutes from where we were staying. Once on the court we had a spirited two-hour practice before a friendly scrimmage game with the Hong Kong Baptist team. HKBU played us pretty tough, but in the end we pulled away for a sizable lead. There was some confusion at what we thought was the end of the game, but really was just halftime. In China, the college and pro teams play quarters opposed to the halves we are used to in the States.

Augustana with Hong Kong Baptist University players.
 
After the scrimmage, Coach G led a brief defensive clinic with the HKBU players to show them how we do it on the defensive end. There was only one player on their team who spoke English, but we were all pretty astounded at how quickly their players picked up what he was saying even though it was in a foreign language. The language of basketball must be pretty universal.
 
We returned to the hotel by grabbing a city bus and it was a quick shower and out on the streets for our traveling group. Dr. Moline took us to a local favorite of his for our first authentic Chinese meal. It was served communally and we all sat at round tables and shared all of the dishes that were brought out. Learning to use chop sticks was not easy and pretty much everyone gave up after a while and used their forks.
 
After the meal, we were allowed to go experience what Hong Kong offered. We cashed traveler’s checks and headed to one of the local markets to go shopping. We were able to interact with street vendors by bartering for what they were selling. Popular things that people bought were soccer jerseys, watches and some electronics. Shopping took up most of the day and we all headed down in groups to the river front to watch a light show that was on the buildings across the river on Hong Kong Island. Unfortunately, it started to rain so the light show was canceled. We had to grab cabs and city buses to find our way back to the hotel.
 
One of the most noticeable things is the language barrier. Most people we interact with only know a few English phrases, so it takes a while and we are learning requires a lot of patience to get the information that we need. However, this is just part of the Hong Kong experience and it was a successful day one.
 
Another day in Hong Kong awaits today.
 
— Kyle Nelson