Augie: Men’s team finds its bond

Decked out in Brazilian wearThe Augustana basketball teams are in Brazil this week and are blogging on the trip. Brandon Motzel is blogging for the men’s team and you can catch their blog posts on the D3hoops.com Daily Dose. Chaney Tambling blogged for the women’s team.

We are back on U.S. soil!!

While it feels great to be done with the long plane rides, it is weird to not be running out to the beach to body surf on the waves or go shopping at the markets. From the basketball side of the trip in São Paulo to the relaxation and tourism side of the trip in Rio, there was never a dull moment. We were always going on adventures to markets or visiting iconic sites or relaxing at the beach. I know it was a trip of a lifetime for me and I could not be happier that I shared it with my team and coaches and their families.

Coach Giovanine’s son Grey even wrote an eloquent poem about the trip that he read to us on the last night. We all have a special bond and countless stories to tell and reminisce about for years to come. We were already a close-knit team, but this trip brought us together even more. This has been a huge step towards our team contending for and winning championships.

We will need to continue to build on this experience and learn from it as much as possible. We know that the physical Brazil game experience has helped to prepare us for the tough CCIW. All of the guys who went on the trip, and the new members of the Augie family are excited to begin the 2013-2014 season! We are ready to embrace the challenges and become a great team. Training will begin with the infamous timed 2-mile in early September.
That will do it for our blogs from Brazil! It was truly the trip of a lifetime!
Obrigado (thank you) for following along!