Trip to Australia provides an early challenge for Longhorns
AUSTIN — In the runup to their 12-day Australian tour, Mohamed Bamba, Andrew Jones and the rest of Texas’ basketball team received a five-week crash course on the country’s culture and history, courtesy of Rhonda Evans.
The director of UT’s Edward A. Clark Center for Australian and New Zealand Studies engaged the students in discussions of colonialism and “stolen generations.” They learned that sharks are not quite the mindless murder machines Hollywood makes them out to be. They studied the Great Barrier Reef and the converging threats to its continued existence.
Oh, and Professor Evans might have showed video of akangaroopunchingaman, according to coach Shaka Smart.
When the team’s flight lands Monday, it will be the first time any of them have stepped foot in this strange land with sunbaked vistas, puppy-sized arachnids and — the main reason for this trip beyond the equator — some really good basketball teams.
“The guys have put a lot of hard work in,” Smart said. “And now we get a chance to take this trip and build on what we’ve done this summer, get a chance to test ourselves on the court against some really good teams.”
No average vacation
UT will play four exhibition games, including a meeting with the second-division Dandenong Rangers before facing three teams from the National Basketball League.
“Oneoftheteamsweplay, Melbourne United, was one of three NBL teams that was selected to come over here this fall to play NBA preseason games,” Smart said. “So I told the guys that’s pretty neat. You’ll literally be playing against the same team that Russell Westbrook is playing against in a couple months.”
Some players inhabiting Smart’s roster envision themselves as future colleagues of Westbrook.
Bamba, the five-star freshmanfromHarlem,will likely follow the trail blazed by former Longhorns oneand-dones. Jones, Matt ColemanandKerwinRoach hope to one day hear their names called by commissioner Adam Silver.
“One thing I’m excited about is, these are professional players in Australia in a really good league,” Smart said. “But our guys want to play in the NBA and thinkthey’regoingtoplayin the NBA. So if you’re good enough to play in the NBA, all right, now you’ve got a chance to measure yourself against guys in a league that’s probably one of the top 10 professional leagues in the world.”
Facing stiff competition
It’s not a league populated by former NBA All-Stars or forgotten college legends. Still, it’s one of the world’s more competitive basketball atmospheres.
“I’ll be surprised if we don’t lose a game or two,” Smart said. “If you look at the rosters at who they’ve had, a couple of those teams have had on the roster at any given time three, four, five guys with extensive NBA experience.”
UT’s win-loss record in these exhibition games matters little to Smart. More critical will be how the team’s six new pieces – five freshman plus transfer Dylan Osetkowski – fit with the old.
“I’m not too caught up in (wins and losses); it’s more about how we play and different combinations,” Smart said. “One good thing about losing is you gain a level of humility from it.”
A smack Down Under won’t be too bad. In fact, it could be an important, if humbling, lesson.
As long as the Longhorns avoid Kangaroo boxing, they should be just fine.