AUBD TOUR USA 2010

If Its Any Consolation...

2010-12-22T04:36:00.001+11:00

AUBD represented Australia well in the Kiwanis Tournament in San Diego with the Senior team winning 3 games out of 4 and finishing 5th out of 16. The only game they lost was in the quarterfinals to Torrey Pines (traditionally a powerhouse in the San Diego area, winning 8 of the last 13 city titles) who ended up winning the whole tournament. If the Seniors were in the other half of the bracket there is no doubt in mind they would not have competed against Torrey Pines in the Grand Final. Losing to Torrey Pines was a great learning experience for our boys because they are a great "team". They are very well coached and very disciplined. We ended up losing by 12 points because of some careless turnovers down the stretch. Playing against teams like Torrey Pines every possession counts and you have to limit mistakes. We didn't and it costed us the game and probably a 1st place finish.

The BC1 team lost their first game which in knocked them into the consolation bracket. After this loss, the boys rebounded and won 3 straight and the Kiwanis Consolation Bracket Championship. The BC1 team showed flashes of greatness with Nathan So and Kuany Kuany leading the way with some impressive individual statistical performances including Nathan scoring 31 points (on Eamon and AJ) and 27 points in consecutive games and Kuany having the tourney high with 39 points.

The BC2 finished up winning 2 games out 4 and placing 12th out of the 16 team field. In the big scheme of things, this is a good finish for the youngest team in the tournament. This was more of a learning experience for this team as they are still learning what its like to play as a "team". One of the most important (and most difficult) lessons to learn in basketball is how to have individual success in a team setting. With that being said Cameron Lee had the play of the Tour to date, breaking his opponents ankles twice in the same play and making a sweet pass to big Matty for the finish.

I am also proud to announce Kuany Kuany and Dend Deng were recognised as top players in the tournament as voted by opposing coaches winning All-Tournament Team honors. After every game each coach must cast a vote for the outstanding player on the opposing team. This is a huge accomplishment for our boys as well as AUBD receiving 2 of the 5 places on the All-Tournament Team especially when you take into consideration there were over 160 young men competing in this tournament.

Professional Preparation

2010-12-16T14:06:00.000+11:00

It is very important for players (especially ours) to understand what professional preparation is. On this level of basketball, EVERY possession matters thus you must have maximum focus and concentration to compete. To be able to do this you have to be prepared mentally as well as physically. This means eating the right food, studying the game, and getting enough sleep the night before a game. Our BC1 team lost a game by 2 points in overtime because of their preparation (or lack there of). Key players on this team were up last night to 2:30 in the morning, consequently they were sluggish and made poor decisions (A 10 PM curfew has now been implemented. Anyone who breaks this curfew will be suspended for the next game and a second offense will result in suspension for the remaining games while on Tour). They had 41 TURNOVERS (I've never seen a game with this amount of turnovers by one team) and still had a chance to win.

I am VERY disappointed with the players on this team because if they were prepared they would have won this game by at least 20 points. Now instead of playing in the championship bracket, they are playing in the consolation bracket.

This is a tough but important lesson that these young men to need learn and the only way they can truly learn this lesson is through experience. Hopefully they have already learned what it means to be professionally prepared through their experience today and approach the game in an appropriate way moving forward.

How Are You Perceived On The Court?

2010-12-15T04:46:00.000+11:00

How are you perceived on the court? This is the question that every player needs to ask himself because ultimately it will determine whether they get a college scholarship or not. In order to give them an idea players will be watching film of themselves with me playing against Impact Academy (they will also receive copies of ALL games once we get back to Australia). This will give them a chance to see how they look and play on the court as well as receive insight from me on how a college coach and scout perceives their "look" on the court. Coaches and scouts aren't looking at you scoring 20 or 30 points. They are looking at the little things: are you always in a defensive stance on and off the ball, are you going to the glass for rebounds, are you offensively aggressive, do you make good decisions with the ball, are you effectively getting yourself open, are you a good teammate, etc. These "little things" are heavily scrutinized on the high levels of basketball because they ultimately determine whether you win or lose.

Once our boys "see" how they are perceived on the court, they will able to increase their chances on getting a college scholarship.

Impact Tourney Reflection

2010-12-15T04:03:00.000+11:00

All 3 teams did a fantastic job playing against Impact Academy, especially the BC1 & BC2 teams who played against older boys. This was a good test for our boys considering all the Impact players train twice a day and lift weights once a day EVERYDAY. Playing against this sort of competition really gave our boys an idea of what its like to play on a high level where EVERY possession counts. This level of competition also brought to light some of our boys lack of aggression on both ends of the court. It is important for them to understand to compete in the States you have to be ULTRA AGGRESSIVE on offense and defense and be able to play like this consistently. The boys have to be confident in their abilities and be able to perform under intense circumstances.

One other thing I observed during this time was a lot of negative body language. In this realm of basketball, this is unacceptable and will be detrimental to advancement to higher levels. The first questions ALL the college coaches and scouts asked was, "What sort of kid is he?" and "How does he play within a team?" In most cases, you can just watch a player on the court and get the answers to these questions. If a player yells or swears or slumps his shoulders or makes a offensive body motions because he missed a shot or if he didn't get the ball when he thought he was open or when he turns the ball over or commits a foul, this will give you a good idea what sort of player you are dealing with. These actions are observed so closely because they are like "cancer". Once one person starts, it spreads through the team like cancer and eventually the team will implode. In this level of basketball no coach will tolerate this sort of behaviour.

Impact Tournament (Senior Team)

2010-12-10T04:10:00.000+11:00

All 3 teams have been against Impact Academy which is an organization very similar to AUBD that runs elite programs to help juniors get college scholarships. They have teams in very various age groups with guys that have graduated high school and doing to an extra year to prepare for college (post graduate) and guys that are still in high school.

The Senior team beat one of Impact's post grad. team yesterday by 20 points, much to the dismay of the other coach. I was very proud of our boys for TAKING the game. In this level of competition no one GIVES you anything, you have to TAKE it. In most cases when you are playing at some else's home gym, the refereeing isn't going to be favorable to say the least, as the boys have experienced so far. The crowd is going to be against you and you've probably had to travel quite a distance to get there. All of this irrelevant. You still have to compete and play hard, and this is exactly what our boys did. What was even better, was that EVERYONE contributed. I saw all of these young men grow in confidence right before my very eyes, especially after being defeated by Findlay only 18 hours. A scout from Div.1 Texas A&M University (college DMack went to) was at the game and was also very impressed with the team and inquired about some of the boys.

We play another Impact post grad. team today, and I have already had calls from Div.1 scouts from University of Nevada, Las vegas, St. Marys, and Arizona State who will all be at today's games.

High Level Competition

2010-12-10T03:47:00.000+11:00

All 3 teams have played some very high level competition since we have been in Las Vegas and gained some valuable knowledge and experience. The Senior team has played against two of the top 15 teams in the country, Findlay Prep and Bishop Gorman, in the past couple of days. Findlay has 3 players that were on the USA U17 national team and 1 player that was on the Lithuanian U17 national team, all of which have Div.1 scholarships already and Bishop Gorman has the no. 2 ranked player in the country. The boys lost both games, but showed some positive signs playing both teams very tough much to the surprise of the opposing coaching staff. The Findlay coach expressed this to me after the game saying, "your boys play so hard and with such toughness, that's what our boys lack". I responded, "that's the aussie way". Even in these defeats, I saw the boys grow in confidence and believe that they can compete on this level. That really is the only thing that separates our boys (all 3 teams) from the competition, supreme self-confidence and the belief that they can play with anybody. Another bright spot in these defeats was that Div.1 scouts from University of Southern California, Oklahoma State and Northwestern University were at these games and inquired about some of our boys as well as Premier Ball (the No.1 recruiting service in the USA).

The BC1 and BC2 team had some great victories over the Bishop Gorman JV and Freshman teams, but lost to Impact Academy's Post Grad. and high school teams. These two teams have done quite well but I am a disappointed with the effort of some of the boys on these 2 teams and have been very forthcoming with them about this. In some of the games, they may have been outmatched in terms of athleticism and height, but that is still no excuse not to compete. We don't teach these boys to give up in the face of adversity and in some games that is exactly what happened. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. In these games, some of the boys seemed to be defeated before we even started, but were actually in the game and winning in some cases and the self-doubt crept in and the game was blown out. This is the biggest area of improvement across the board and something that will get better over the course of the Tour.

College & NBA Game Day

2010-12-06T17:50:00.000+11:00

Tour participants attended Arizona State University (ASU) and Phoenix Suns home games today. The boys got a firsthand look at what NCAA Div. 1 basketball is like by watching Arizona State play against the Richmond Spiders. The boys were able to see the speed, strength and athleticism that it takes to play high level college basketball. ASU ended up losing the game in the last couple of minutes. The associate head coach from ASU showed extreme interest in 2 of Tour USA participants and is looking to recruit one of them once he attends a junior college and continues to develop.

Watching Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns dominate John Wall (1st pick in 2010 NBA Draft) and the Washington Wizards was an absolute pleasure.The boys got a great view sitting only 18 rows from the floor of Steve Nash showing his mastery of the PG and why he is one of the best to ever play the position. There was a multitude of outstanding plays and has been the highlight (other than shopping) of our off the court activities thus far.

It was great for the boys to see these games not just as fans, but as students of the games. Getting the opportunity to watch players like Steve Nash and John Wall live, gives the boys tremendous insight into HOW these players do what they do to make them successful.

Unprecedented Accomplishment

2010-12-06T17:25:00.000+11:00

5 Tour USA participants from AUBD programs have already been identified as college scholarship players by American coaches. This is an unprecedented accomplishment since we have not played in any games yet and have only been in training camp. A coach from a top 25 college basketball program has described 1 of these 5 players as "the best player in his class" (this includes America as well as Australia) and that "top programs like Duke and UConn will definitely be interested in recruiting him". These are MASSIVE statements and are very encouraging for all Tour USA participants. 3 players are up for full scholarships to junior colleges for the 2011 - 2012 season. The other player who has not finished high school yet, has been offered the opportunity to attend one of the premiere high schools here in Arizona for the duration of his high school career.

This is just the beginning seeing as though we haven't played any games yet. College coaches and scouts from different levels have already committed to coming to watch our teams play at various games and tournaments and I expect at least another 3 - 5 boys to be identified for scholarships by the end of the trip.

Preparing For Success

2010-12-03T11:50:00.000+11:00

The boys have trained really hard with 3 training sessions in the last 2 days. The first training session was at the Phoenix Suns (NBA team) facility, US Airways Center. This rare opportunity gave our boys an idea of what its like playing in the NBA in a 25,000 seat stadium. The second training session at Chaparral High School (my alma mater) was a major hit for the boys as the Chaparral head coach was so impressed, he has called 5 Div.1 coaches (all of which will be at our training session on Saturday morning). This incredible exposure is sure to create potential scholarships for Tour participants. The session this morning was quite intense and showed some very positive signs as the boys really starting to gel in their teams and adjust to the America.

Contact Details

2010-12-01T11:34:00.000+11:00

Most of the boys have purchased mobile phones from Wal Mart last night so they should be contactable now. I do have a mobile right now and the number is 001114802956759 if you need to contact me in order to contact the boys.

Inclusive Team Culture

2010-12-01T11:14:00.000+11:00

The entire Tour group is completed with the 2 final players joining us today at 3PM. The rest of the group has just completed scaling Camelback Mountain and I'm proud to say that EVERYONE made it (although I was the only coach that made it to the top). This was a great team building activity with the boys supporting each other to reach the summit. Once at the top we all posed for some team photos and I was very pleased to witness the camaraderie that the boys already share and look forward to watching them play together.

Sedale Jr.

Arrived in Phoenix

2010-11-30T19:21:00.000+11:00

1:12 Tuesday (MST) - Time in Phoenix, AZ, USA
The squad have arrived and already got straight into shopping at walmart. All the guys have bought mobiles so that they can start calling home. The setup for the mobile is not that straight forward so it may be some time before they get them opperating. The guys had somthing to eat and are now all winding down to get a good night sleep. They hope to get some court space tomorrow and train but if not the guys have all voted that they would like to do some shopping or otherwise Sedale Jr has expressed his desire to take all the boys out on an outing.

Tour Recap and Final Reflection

2010-01-09T22:54:00.002+11:00

Tour USA 2009 was a huge success and surpassed any expectations that I had before departing on the trip.

To recap the Tour, I'd like to list my....

TOP 10 MEMORABLE MOMENTS

#10...
Beating Sedale Sr's team by 40 and 30 points, as well as having a perfect record against the other two Australian teams while on Tour.

#9...
Cost of petrol to get to Six Flags Magic Mountain... $25
Cost of admission into Six Flags... $35
Cost of a Turkey Leg Basket at the Magic Mountain... $8.99
The look on Abukar's face when he found out he was riding the X2... Priceless
Here's a quick clip of the X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

#8...
Taking the boys to the barber shop to get their first American hair cut & watching Claudio getting the Basketball College logo cut into the back of his head while in Tucson (a very proud moment).

#7...
The moment I walked into Daniel, Nathan and Carlos' room and smelt an odour that I can only describe as a mix between raw sewage and potato chips.

#6...
Theb receiving some American hospitality from Homeland Security.

#5...
A clip I like to call "I wish I was a little bit taller". (Sorry Bahdon)

#4...
Climbing Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale to view the spectacular landscape as a team.

#3...
A photo op with NBA legend & Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson.>

#2....
Playing against Stoneridge Prep and future NBA 1st round pick, Enes Canter.

#1....
Emanuel jumping over and dunking on the guard from Dos Pueblos. This was such a great individual play, the ref changed the call from an offensive foul to a no call and counted the basket.

Oak Park Tournament

2009-12-15T08:59:00.001+11:00

The boys just finished up playing in the Oak Park Tournament. At the behest of the organizing committee,we ended up splitting our 2 teams into 3 to compensate for another pulling out at the last moment. This put some extra pressure on the boys with a limited bench and increased minutes for everyone. We finished up the tournament with a wins and 6 losses which is pretty good considering the circumstances. One of our teams did manage to bring home some hardware with a third place finish. We had two players from Basketball College end up with all-tournament honors, Michael Dow and Emanuel Golong. We also had the most spectaluar individual play of the tournament and maybe that I have ever seen in high school game. It is so good that I have even sourced the game film from the opposing team and will drive an hour to get it to show this incredible highlight. You'll just have to wait because my words can't even begin to describe how amazing this play really is.

Marana Tournament Tucson

2009-12-09T07:43:00.001+11:00

The Basketball College did an exceptional job in Tucson, Arizona at the Marana Classic. Both teams finished up with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss. Both teams recorded 1 win and 1 loss on the first day. Both teams lost close games, with one team losing at the buzzer by one point because of some bad footwork and the other team losing by three points in a game they were up by 7 points with 4 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. The three wins each team had though were pretty outstanding with an average winning margin of about 25 points.

Standouts and highlights from this tournament include: Claudio Campos hitting 6 three pointers in one game, Emanuel Golong acting as the one man Swat Team, Michael Dow dunking and posterizing the opposition, Withchiel scoring 31 points in a game, and Nathan So coming in to his own.

These 6 wins and 2 losses brings the combined Basketball College Tour record to 9 wins and 5 losses, which is a pretty good showing for our 1st Tour, especially compared to the other 2 Australian teams who have a combined record 5 wins and 9 losses.

The boys will now compete in the Oak Park Tournament in California which starts today.

1 & 1

2009-12-05T15:42:00.001+11:00

Latest update is that both basketball college teams won their last games. Sedale said the boys played really well!!

2nd hand update from Alicia

2009-12-05T12:07:00.000+11:00

Hi Guys
Alicia again, I just received a quick update from Sedale. He said that the boys should have won the last two games that they played but missed out due to some bad decisions made at crunch time. The first game the boys were up by 15 points and had 7 straight turn overs :( The second game the boys were up by one just before the buzzer and failed to play tight defense which opened the opposition for a last minute dunk. The boys lost the game by one. Sedale was just about to coach another game so couldn't give me much more detail, but I will try to update you later.
Alicia

Rolling Out the Red Carpet

2009-11-30T18:25:00.002+11:00

This was the welcome the boys got when they pulled up to the hotel in LA (top right hand corner of the blog)

So You Think You Can Dance?

2009-11-30T17:31:00.000+11:00

Finishing up our first tournament, the two teams finished with a combined record of 3-3. This is good outcome considering it was the first time the boys have played together as a team. Photos of the past week will be posted in the next blog, but I thought I might show you what some of our guys are doing in their down time. I think Jovan might have a future in dancing as well as basketball.

2nd Hand Information

2009-11-27T20:21:00.001+11:00

Hi All

Alicia (Sedale Jr's wife) here. I have been given the job of updating the blog because Sedale is experiencing internet problems at the hotel.

The trip started off well, after some down time in the hotel the guys ventured out to the LA vs New York game. Sedale Snr caught up with his old friend Magic Johnson and the boys took some quick snaps before heading home.

Yesterday the boys sat court side during the Suns vs Grizzlies warm up, received give-aways and took some more snaps with the Suns cheerleaders. After the game everyone the boys went to WallMart and shopped until 1:00am . Sedale tells me that they had fantastic sales, so we can all expect lots of pressies :)

The gang were up nice and early for the hotel breakfast. They finished up at approx. 9:30 and headed off to training. Sedale felt that the boys were in good form and is very confident going into the games Tomorrow. The guys had a good work-out and decided to grab some mexican food and head back to WallMart, to get a second look at the sales.

They have all retired to their rooms to get some much needed rest for their big day Tomorrow.

Sedale Jr has asked me to leave his mobile number should you need to call #00111 4802 956 106.
It is currently 2:15am in Arizona so if you would like to call and wish them well, please wait approx. 7 hours.

White or black laces on my new nike shoes?

2009-11-23T17:54:00.000+11:00

Hi Basketball College Members and Family

This is the first entry for Basketball College Tour USA 2009. The boys have just had their first taste of the Tour by going to the Nike staff store here in Melbourne. There was a good turnout for this rare opportunity with over half the boys showing up and taking advantage. Some of the boys spent up big and probably put a dent in their budget. Our next post will be at one of the airports.