Hartford Men's Basketball

Hawk Nation,

 

Busy day today. We are all trying to get our bodies and sleep patterns to match the time zone, here, in Australia. I actually woke up early to work out in the hotel’s gymnasium. I saw a few players, coaches, and a staff member in there while I was working out. They seemed to have the game plan I had. We all met for breakfast at a great place called Pancakes on the Rocks. It has been raining most of the time we have been here, so our walks have been adventurous. The rain has been steady, but the gusts of wind have made our walks very wet.

 

After breakfast, we decided to see a movie in the IMAX theatre, but when we arrived, there were some technical difficulties, so we needed to find an optional activity. We decided to then walk to the Aquarium and Zoo Complex. This was a great choice. In the aquarium, we were able to see a multitude of different fish, but the highlight was the underwater tube we walked through. In this tube, we were able to see different types of sharks swim right by us. I know it is Shark Week, so there is a lot of focus on sharks on television right now, but to see them up close was really cool.

 

When we left the Aquarium, we went to the Wildlife Center (Zoo). This zoo was fascinating because it contained animals that were only native to Australia. We saw Koala Bears, Kangaroos, Wallabees, and a Cassowary (a pre-historic ostrich looking bird). A huge crocodile was the groups favorite attraction here. After the zoo, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our pre-game meal.

 

Once we finished our pre-game meal, it was time for business. We traveled about a half-hour to the gym to where we were playing. The gym we were playing in was small and unseasonably cold. I had to keep my jacket and skull cap on to brave the elements. The game was played at a very fast pace because of the 24 second clock and the eight second back court rule. Our guys came out strong, but faded a little in the 2nd quarter. We were down 43-35 at halftime to the Norths Bears. We got it down to three points late in the fourth quarter, but at the end, we came up short in the end, losing 83-76.

 

It was only our first game after traveling for a very long time, so hopefully, we have gotten the rust off of our game and will turn around and play hard tomorrow!

-Anton