Title | Division I Men's Basketball Championship First & Second Rounds |
Creator (LCNAF) |
|
Publisher | National Collegiate Athletic Association |
Date | March 15, 1990 - March 17, 1990 |
Subject.Topical (LCSH) |
|
Subject.Name (LCNAF) |
|
Subject.Geographic (TGN) |
|
Genre (AAT) |
|
Language | English |
Type (DCMI) |
|
Original Item Location | ID 2009-006, Box 7, Folder 7 |
Original Collection | Athletics Department Records |
Digital Collection | University of Houston Sports Championship Publications |
Digital Collection URL | http://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/champ |
Repository | Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries |
Repository URL | http://info.lib.uh.edu/about/campus-libraries-collections/special-collections |
Use and Reproduction | Educational use only, no other permissions given. Copyright to this resource is held by the content creator, author, artist or other entity, and is provided here for educational purposes only. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission of the copyright owner. For more information please see UH Digital Library Fair Use policy on the UH Digital Library About page. |
File Name | index.cpd |
Title | Page 95 |
Format (IMT) |
|
File Name | champ_201306_035_090.jpg |
Transcript | Courting Abroad Teams Gain Experience Against Overseas Foes The Ball State Cardinals toured Belgium and The Netherlands during their 1989 summer trip. By TERRY BLOUNT The Houston Post Take a moment to dream. Imagine the wonderment of being 20-years-old and standing at the base of the Eiffel Tower, or cliff diving on the Canary Islands, or sunbathing on a white-sand beach of Sydney, Australia, or riding a 162-miles- per-hour bullet train across Europe. Well, a few fortunate college basketball players did not have to imagine it. They did it. Different groups of NCAA players and coaches traveled overseas last summer to play a little basketball and see the world. "It was a chance of a lifetime," said Ball State coach Dick Hunsaker, who traveled with his players to Belgium and The Netherlands. "Six of these kids had never even been to a summer basketball camp. No doubt a few of them had never even been on a real vacation. This experience will always be special to them." Kansas coach Roy Williams, who took a team of Big Eight Conference all-stars to Australia, also thought it was a unique opportunity for the student-athletes. "The success of our team was a testament to the hard work and effort of the players and coaches throughout the tour. It was an outstanding experience for everyone involved." Ron Bertovich Atlantic 10 Commissioner "The real beauty of a trip like this is these players have been exposed to another culture," Williams said. "They're making some friendships that will last a lifetime. At least one of our players had never seen the ocean before, and six of them had never been out of the country. The long term benefits of a trip like this makes winning seem insignificant." But there was plenty of winning and losing to be done against some tough opponents. Ball State came away from its seven- game trip 5-2, and was the first American team to win the prestigious White Diamonds tournament in The Netherlands. The Big Eight squad finished 3-6 after dropping the first three games of the trip. Coach Lute Olson's Arizona Wildcats were 6-3 on a grueling 22-day trip across Europe and the Canary Islands. And a 12-man select squad from the Atlantic 10 Conference went undefeated in six games at Sweden and Finland. "The success of our team was a testament to the hard work and effort of the players and coaches throughout the tour," said Atlantic 10 Commissioner Ron Bertovich. "It was an outstanding experience for everyone involved." Olson thought the time his team had together on the court, at a time of year when they normally would not be together, as beneficial. "In terms of our basketball development, the trip was invaluable," Olson said. 92 |