China Basketball Trip Wrap Up
By teacher and Coach Steve McGugan
The China Basketball Trip was a transforming event for us all as we experienced the culture and sportsmanship of a different country. We played high-level basketball, rode bullet trains, ate authentic meals and watched the 2019 Men’s World Cup of Basketball, all under the sincere and boundless hospitality of our hosts. This trip through the Guangdong Province took us from Shenzhen with a population of 12.5 million to Shantou with a population of 5.5 million to Dongguan with 8.8 million and back to Shenzhen.
Pictured above: the team in Shenzhen outside the World Cup Stadium
We were hosted at the Shantou University by the Li Ka-shing Foundation, Head Coach Bill Tomlinson and staff, Ping, Allan and Coach K. Here we played three games and interacted with College team members as they trained on individual skills and as a team, observed video sessions and did conditioning. Shantou University is a beautiful green campus and is rankled in the top 10 of Universities in basketball with over 200 teams in the Chines University Basketball League (CUBL)
Pictured above: the team training on the same court where the Boomers train in Dongguan
In Dongguan we were hosted by the Dongguan Basketball School which is an NBA Academy School. The school includes a 9 story building with accommodation for its 280 students and visitors, food hall, class rooms and 8 individual indoor courts on level 2. We watched Australia play Lithuania in the Men’s World Cup and played the schools top team on the court adjacent to where the Australian Boomers trained prior to the World Cup.
Pictured above: Pre match entertainment at the World Cup - Australia verse Lithuania
Pictured above: Lithuanian Spectators at Australian game
Our last days had us return to Shenzhen where we played one of the city’s Sports High Schools and then finished by watching two games in the second round of the World Cup. The Republic of Czechoslovakia verse Brazil and the USA verse Greece.
Pictured above: the team travelling in 1st Class on a bullet train.
Game results
G1 V University Students team DHS 59 v SUS 63 LOSS
G2 V University Student team DHS 65v SUS 54 WIN
G3 v Shantou HS DHS 77 v SHS 68 WIN
G4 v Dongguan BHS DHS 68 v DBHS 67 WIN
G5 v Shenzhen SHS DHS 76 v SSHS 68 WIN
These are YouTube links to the first and last quarters of our game again the Dongguan Basketball School. We won with a shot on the bell!
