Tag Archives: overseas

Hot springs, sea bass and whitewater rafting

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Oglethorpe is on the road, all the way to Central America. They’re checking in with occasional blog posts. Rising senior Andrew Steioff checks in.

OglethorpeHalfway through our excursion through Costa Rica has our team feeling cultured and a bit tired.

The past couple days have been filled with a game against the five-time defending champs of the top professional league in Costa Rica, a community outreach activity, sightseeing of an active volcano, a relaxing night indulging in natural hot springs, and a whitewater rafting trip.

Our game against Barva was highly anticipated by me and my teammates to see how we stacked up against top flight international competition. We would not be disappointed as the Barva team was one of the biggest and most athletic teams I have personally ever played against on the collegiate level. Undersized and considerably younger (most of Barva’s players were around 28 or 29 years old), we struggled to compete early as Barva jumped out to an early double digit lead. Our team once again showed tremendous heart and defensive effort as we clawed back to take the lead halfway through the third quarter, only to eventually fall to the Barva squad. Barva’s best player, a wing from Panama, was one of the most athletic and best physical specimens I have ever shared the hardwood with.

Once again Alec Pitts was named the MVP followed closely by Sam Purdy who was once again lights-out from 3-point range. Two other players rounded out the night with double figures: freshman Tyler Courson and myself.

The next morning we embarked on a community outreach activity at a local children’s center in San Jose. We came bearing gifts of candy, coloring books, clothes, and of course some stuffed “Peteys” to share with the children. Unanimously, the most rewarding part of the trip thus far was when we spent a few hours with the kids playing on the playground, with the most favorite activity of the children being carried on our shoulders throughout the playground. Not to be outdone, Coach Ponder had a record crowd as he shared with the children some of his famed magic tricks.

VolcanoWhen the time to depart came it was hard to tell who was more upset we were leaving: the children or the players. After departing the center, we began our 4-hour bus ride to the famed Arenal volcano located in the rainforest region of the country. The scenery throughout the ride was breathtaking as we climbed through the mountainous terrain to views that were dubbed “postcard worthy” by Price Hamilton. We arrived at the base of the volcano to take some snapshots of the scenery and to explore the surrounding lake.

Later that night we traveled to a resort to experience some of the natural hot springs formed by the active volcano. The resort included 11 different hot spring pools of various temperatures with the hottest being a scorching 122 degrees. The most popular aspect of the resort was by far the three water slides which we rode for a good 2 hours straight. The most popular slide had a steep 10-foot drop that resulted in a few injuries as Coach Tulowitzski claims he experienced a slight concussion and I proceeded to inflame my bursa sac in my elbow that is still considerably swollen more than 24 hours later. Overall, the hot springs were a great experience that helped restore our sore bodies as well as relax us from our long day of travel.

At the lakeToday we began our day with a whitewater rafting trip through the rainforest. With some views that seemed to be taken straight from the “Jurassic Park” series, we traveled more than 30 miles downriver that we all enjoyed except maybe for Alex Vital whose screams of terror from the rapids echoed throughout the forest. We ended our trip in a traditional lunch that included everything from chicken, beef, to fresh sea bass which I found to be extraordinarily delectable.

Exhausted from our rafting workout and a long day in the sun, we are now enjoying a few hours of relaxation at the hotel before another great meal later tonight. Tomorrow we leave bright and early for Playa Hermosa on the Pacific coast of the country to partake in a couple of days of sun and zip lining through the rainforest canopy which has been giving Tyler Cerone nightmares for the whole trip thus far. So far, the trip has been much more than advertised and by far the best vacation I have ever had the privilege to be a part of.

Heading to Europe: Trip of a lifetime

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Chris McDevitt is part of a group of Division III players (and three Division II players) traveling to Europe as an All-Star team this month. The others are Anthony LoRusso of Ramapo; Sean Hughes of Rowan; Fran Brzyski of Susquehanna; Alex Raymond of Juniata; Otis Smith of Southern Maine and SUNY-Cobleskill’s Damon Franklin. The D-II players: Eric Brennan of Kutztown, Ricky Hudson of American International and Erv Ezell of Seminole State.

McDevitt’s first blog entry follows:

The past three years at Widener University have been the best three years of my life. Participating in Division III basketball has opened the door to many great opportunities, and this week will be one of them.

One of my teammates last year got the opportunity of a lifetime to travel abroad to Europe with other NCAA basketball players. Hearing about his, I realized I wanted to make this experience my own. Nine other Division II and Division III players and myself will be traveling through Europe for the next ten days which begins on Wednesday with our flight to Belgium.

At Widener I have been part of a great basketball tradition, including winning two conference championships in the last three years. Yet, nothing can compare to a trip of sightseeing, basketball, and experiencing life in countries outside of the United States.

The anticipation is building on the days leading up to the trip. I am excited to be able to meet fellow college basketball players from other areas of the United States, and build relationships with them on and off of the basketball court while in Europe. We have all been communicating through Facebook and a few texts to get ready for the next two weeks. Although we will not be able to have any practice sessions as a team before we leave, we are planning on a few upon our arrival. I cannot wait to see all of the talent that will come together as a unit and hopefully we can showcase our skills and personalities throughout the ten days.

We will be departing from Newark Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 4. When we arrive in Belgium we will be meeting with a tour guide for a tour of the city of Mechelen and practicing that night. We will be taking part in a ton of tours while in several different cities, which I will update daily while in Europe. Our games will all be played in the evening against a variety of teams from different European leagues.

The special part of this trip which the team values greatly is that each of us will be representing our college/university as well as our country. This is an amazing opportunity and we are all extremely excited to get this experience started!

Next time you hear from me we will have completed our trip over the pond and be in Belgium.

– Chris McDevitt
Widener University

Augie in China: Preparation underway

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

Nelson’s first installment follows:

For three years I have heard stories from teammates about their tour to China in 2007. Every single story they told, whether it was about a game they played against a Chinese Basketball Association team or if it was about going out at night and experiencing Chinese nightlife, left a great impression on me. When the team went in 2007, I was an incoming freshman and NCAA rules did not allow us to participate in any practices or the trip itself. I am very excited to finally be able to go, in my senior year, and experience all of the excitement that the last trip generated first hand. I know that this trip, shared with coaches, their families and teammates, is going to be a life changing and memorable experience for all of us. Aug. 3, our departure date from O’Hare, cannot get here soon enough.

The past two weekends and also this coming weekend, our team has gathered at the Carver Center to participate in the ten practice days that the NCAA grants to teams going on a foreign tour. The attitude in the gym has been positive and full of excitement. The practices have been very intense and it has been interesting to play with a few different rules that the international game has compared to the NCAA. For example, the ball that we are playing with is slightly smaller than what we are used to here, the lane is much wider, the ball can be hit off the rim when it is still bouncing and finally, maybe the difference that is taking the most adjustment, is that the shot clock is now 24 seconds instead of the usual 35. This has really forced us to work on playing faster and quicker decisions during the game. Playing under these new rules is something unique and these practices are helping us prepare as if it were the beginning of the season.

The most difficult thing thus far during these summer practices has been coping with how hot the Carver Center gets during practice. When were playing, it feels like it is 100 degrees in there and that took a while to get used to. We have had to switch baskets frequently because guys are sweating so much people are slipping everywhere. A few guys have even had to sit out a few drills to shake out some lightheadedness and exhaustion. Even though the heat is extreme, Coach G has insisted that this is great for us because it is just like how it will be in China. Hopefully the heat training pays off and helps against our competition in China and further on down the road.

Once overseas, we will be playing some talented opponents. After a scrimmage against Hong Kong Baptist University, the Vikings will be lining up against the defending CBA champions, the Guangdong Southern Tigers. After these games, we will play three more university teams and one more CBA team. The competition is some of the best that China has to offer and we are all excited to represent Augustana and the United States on the other side of the world.

Next time you hear from me we’ll be getting ready to enjoy a 13 hour flight to China!

— Kyle Nelson

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.