Our wonderful hosts at West Point-Beemer organised for us to do a number of different things in and around West Point this morning before our games later in the day. Our first stop was a Smeal factory in the next town which builds fire trucks. At one stage many boys want to be a fireman and, even at 17, the opportunity of sitting in the driver's seat of a fire truck and pretending you are racing to a fire couldn't be missed. Our next stop was a quick game of ten-pin bowling at an old-school bowling alley (throw back to the 60s) which was great fun - congratulations to Adrian Antalfy who was crowned bowling champion.
We then headed back up to the school where the boys visited a number of Elementary School classes for a Q & A with the students. This would have been quite daunting for some, standing at the front of a primary school classroom and having 15 hands up at a time to ask a question - being treated like royalty. The boys handled themselves very well, using wall maps to describe different areas of Australia, passing around Australian money which the Americans are fascinated by and responding well to many difficult questions, such as "Do you hunt snakes?"
Our final visit was a large grain-fed cattle feeding lot which was very interesting. Our guide took us around the property and explained the processes that they go through to produce the quality of meat that they are world-renowned for. Nebraska is the cattle and corn capital of America which we can attest to after the great steak dinners we have had. There are twice as many cattle in Nebraska than there are people. Today and tomorrow are our last two days in rural Nebraska before we head back to Omaha. For the boys to be able to experience Nebraskan country life through these different activities and their home-stays is such a unique opportunity that we are sure will remain positive memories for many years to come.
In our games against the West Point-Beemer Cadets, the Freshman team recorded their second win on tour. It was a gritty win with the Cadets fast transition game catching us out early. Max Peters was outstanding in the first half, with Liam Brown and Joel Giezekamp having very good final quarters. Comments from Callum Price after the game - "We are blending together well now as a team which is really showing in our offence and defence. We continue to grow in confidence, showing more patience, with players now relaxing and getting into more of a rhythm." The period scores were 8-9, 19-14, 30-29, 41-30.
The Junior Varsity game was a white knuckle affair with the boys chalking up a wonderful one point win - their first on tour. Tim Kasalo was outstanding, dominating the boards and having numerous put backs and assists. Jean-Paul El Tom commented after the game "Our defence was very good early in the game. We dominated in the first half, however we let the game slip in the second half due to fouls and poor execution in offence and defence. We were rushing our plays and couldn't get our patterns going. However it felt great to get up in the end in a tight encounter." The quarter scores: 15-7, 27-14, 39-34, 48-47.
There was again a big crowd for the Varsity game, with the West Point town coming out to support their team as they take on the school from Australia. Before all Varsity games there is the traditional singing of the national anthems. Unfortunately the cd wasn't working for the Australian anthem. After a few moments of silence, we were very proud of the boys as the Varsity team and the boys in the stands began singing our anthem loudly and proudly without accompaniment - it was a moving moment.
The Varsity game itself was not a great showcase for Basketball. With only eight points scored in the first quarter, both teams struggled to find the basket. Credit goes to the West Point team. They pressured us into making numerous errors and didn't allow us to gain any momentum at all. After the game the boys were very disappointed with how they played. On a positive note, it is games like this on tour that can have a very important impact on the team's long term development as the areas that we need to work on are brought to the surface. The quarter scores: 2-6, 15-17, 26-27, 35-44.
You can find a full set of today’s photos and videos at the following link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/usabasketballtour/sets/72157628359051181/
Our next game is against Skutt Catholic High School with the Varsity game being streamed live from 11.55am Sunday Sydney time. The address is: http://www.skyhawkfans.com/ They are experiencing some difficulties with their streaming system at the moment so please be patient if there are some disruptions.
Best wishes.
