The Season Is Complete

Welcome back to another update on life down under. The past two weeks have hurried by, but it has brought warmer weather with it! I cannot believe that it is already August. Time certainly has passed by quickly and brought many experiences with it.

In the last post I resisted the temptation to write about the result of our first playoff game. As of late we had not been playing particularly well and we had dropped quite of few games – enough to drop us from a 13-6 record with the number 4 seed to a 14-12 regular season finish and the number 7 seed. Of the 14 teams that comprise the SBL, the top 8 teams receive a playoff bid. The format of the playoffs is as such: quarterfinal and semifinal match winners are determined by a best of three series. The first game is played at the lower seed’s court during the first weekend and the two remaining games are played on consecutive nights the second weekend at the higher seed’s court. The grand final, however, is just a one game playoff.

In the first weekend we hosted the Willeton Tigers (the number 2 seed). With the format of the playoff system we felt it was imperative to win the first game at home. By winning the first game we would hold a one game advantage over the Tigers and just need to win 1 of the 2 games on the road; that would be much easier than trying to sweep. During the regular season we lost both games: 112-110 and 99-90.

Game 1: The game started with each team trading baskets for the first six minutes of the game. At that point the Tigers put it on us pretty good. We were contained the remaining six minutes and they stretched out a pretty comfortable margin. This continued throughout the game- they extended their lead after each quarter. We shot a miserable 31 percent from the floor compared to their 53 percent. We were simply outplayed. The final score was 101-68.



Game 2: After game 1 we spent many hours dissecting film and making adjustments to our game plan to be more successful in games 2 and 3. We were slated to play Saturday night and Sunday night, if necessary. After another long bus trip to Perth we strapped them up and hit the floor. Our shooting touch was still a bit lost, finishing with a 36 percent clip compared again to the Tigers’ 46 percent. We played far better in the second game than we did in the first, but once again we were on the short side of things. Willeton was a very solid team and were very difficult to match up with. They have very quality forwards and guards that can flat out play. Game two was closer, but still lopsided at 101-85. We played hard and left it all out there.

As a result of the loss our season was over. This was the first time in several years that the Giants had not advanced to the semi-finals. In fact, they had won 2 of the last three premierships. It was a tough loss to take and it is difficult to realize that after all these months it is over. Despite the loss there was still a season to be remembered and Monday night was the night to do just that. The team held the 2010 Giant’s MVP night at the Tower Hotel. It is an event to recap the season, present awards, share stories and to enjoy an evening together. This was also the opportunity to thank the sponsors of the club, the volunteers, the board members and all those who make having a team in Kalgoorlie possible.

During the award ceremony I was awarded the statistical leader awards for points per game, rebounds per game and blocks per game. I was presented with a beautiful frame with photos matted inside, one for each category, as a reward for being the statistical leader. It was much more than anything I would have expected. At the conclusion of the night I was presented with the team MVP award. The award is given based on a per game vote on each player’s performance. Throughout the night each game was recapped and the vote tallies for those games were revealed. It is filled with suspense as the 26 games are spread out over three periods.

The final votes came in and Matt Leske, an Australian, was second runner-up. Michael Haney, the other American import, came in second place. Each gave very nice talks after being presented with a gift from the club. I was then called up to say a few things. I was a bit nervous and I thought about preparing some things to say, but opted not to and just speak from the heart. I was overwhelmed with the gifts again. Another framed photograph, one of me missing a dunk (beside the point), that looks absolutely incredible and the Brad French gold MVP medal with the Giants’ insignia on it.



My speech, good or bad, was something of this sort: The biggest thing I learned while playing in Australia was nothing to do with basketball. It was about hospitality and taking care of people. I was overwhelmed by the amount people reach out to help others. I am thankful for the guys on the team-as different as they all are from each other they are each great in their own ways. I am thankful to the Bowler family for taking me in and looking after me. The Hulme’s, the Earle’s, the board and management team of the club, the volunteers, the sponsors who financial support the club and those that directly sponsor me by giving us brand new cars, homes and health club memberships. It truly has been an incredible time and I shared with others how special it was to have my family visit and how much it meant to me for all those that reached out and made the trip incredible. I concluded my talk by saying that although I am excited to get home and see my family and my friends, Kalgoorlie is a wonderful place with wonderful people and it will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you Kalgoorlie!

Monday night we all hung together and celebrated the season long into the evening. I had a friend from Perth in town for business – Diggers and Dealers was taking place. D&Ds brings billions of dollars to town for the mining expo. Executives from all over the world appear in Kalgoorlie to wheel and deal. Chegs was in town to do his best. We were on the town quite late and rebounded the next morning with a round of golf at the new golf course in town. It was fantastically beautiful outside! If I could have only played golf half way decent my day would have been top notch. I had a blister by the third hole but was given the rare gift of seeing kangaroos on the course. From the course we went to the pub and stayed there for a couple different meals! It was a pretty wild day.



So what is next? I will continue to work for a couple more weeks and I will be departing for Perth before heading to Bali, Indonesia with the guys on the team. I am really excited to hit the beach, sit at the pool and hike volcanoes! After that I am a drifter making my way home. When I leave Perth it does not matter which way I fly, east or west. Either way I am heading home because I cannot get any further from there!

Last Regular Season Game

Welcome! Time continues to fly by and the regular season has come to a close. We have moved into the playoffs, but my time here in Australia is sadly winding down- I just hope to prolong my stay by winning some games. It has already been two weeks since my parents and sisters departed and they are home, safe and finally adjusted back to the “real” life. I, too, have adjusted back to the “not so real” life, but have started teaching at the high school again after three weeks of vacation.

A few days after my family departed, and it was sad to see them go, a new American arrived on their coattails. Michael’s good friend from Kentucky, Wes, arrived with his new wife Marni. Wes came to Kalgoorlie a couple years back with Michael and found a girl and so the story is written. I am amazed by the number of Americans I have come across in this town, but most of them have been from Kentucky! Wes was not alone in finding a girl in Kal, Michael found a beautiful woman as well. I find myself listening to different tongues when around the four of them. Wes and Michael both talk with the southern twang in their voice and the girls both obviously have an Australian accent – it’s quite entertaining.

Two weeks ago we played Wanneroo in our final regular season home game. The night before I attended my first ever quiz night. The proceeds from the night were to be donated for cancer research and members of the community organized themselves into 40 or so tables consisting of 6 people per table. Each table was hoping that they captured the most collective brain power in their groups to answer the most questions correctly through 10 rounds of questions. Unfortunately for this Yankee about 98 percent of the questions revolved around local and Australian history. With the assistance from Crewy, our club president, my table didn’t finish too far off the lead.

Heading into the Wanneroo game we had previously dismantled Stirling and had regained some confidence and swagger. The game held significant weight in determining the final league standings prior to the playoffs. There were several different playoff scenarios dependent on our outcome – we could finish anywhere between 5th and 8th place. Unfortunately Wanneroo prevailed when the final buzzer sounded.


We trailed by 2 points going into the half and came out a bit flat to start the third quarter. Wanneroo put a run on us and expanded their lead to 15 points by the end of the quarter. We put a bit of a run on in the 4th, but were only able to get the lead down to 9 points – the final margin. I finished the game with 23 points and 7 rebounds. With the loss to the Wolves we dropped to 7th place in the standings and as a result we were slated to square off with the Willeton Tigers in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.



We have played our first round game, but I will wait to write on that next week when we have the result of the best of three series. I hope this post was enjoyable and that it finds you doing well, enjoying all that life has to offer and that you are thankful for the people and blessings you have. Until next week!

The Vaudreuil's (Griswald's) do Australia

It has been some time since I last posted and it has been for good reason. The last three weeks have been full on with activities as my mom, dad and two younger sisters ventured to Australia! Since the last post we have played 4 games and I have been all over southwest Australia participating in some pretty incredible activities. I’ll try to keep this short and to the point with minimal random jaunts and over explaining. So, where do I begin…

I will begin with the week of June 20th prior to my parents arriving. We just lost to Perry Lakes in Kalgoorlie. It was the second straight home loss and we had Geraldton, one of the top teams, coming to town the upcoming weekend. We needed a win to maintain our home playoff advantage for the playoffs. This week was also the last week of school before all the kids went on holiday for two weeks and an additional week off for “Country Week.” This is a week where communities outside of Perth form teams for various sports and travel to Perth to compete against each other.

Friday quickly arrived and I was excited to pick my family up at the airport. I spent most of Friday cleaning my place, in an attempt to make things presentable, and running errands. Like I said, I was excited to see them but knew they would be exhausted after traveling for 36 hours. I waited in the airport, which has one gate, and watched as they came walking in off the runway. They were tired and it was only 7 pm Kalgoorlie time and 6 am Minneapolis time... They should have been full of energy! Despite how tired they were and how much they resisted, I was going to keep them up as late as I could just so they could start a normal sleep cycle and adjust to the 13 hour time difference. It went well for the most part, but when my sisters began falling asleep at dinner I knew it was about that time.

Saturday was spent showing them around town and letting them take their time adjusting. For the game our major sponsor, Skilled, invited my family into their box centered at half court. This was good for them in that they were so close to the court, but not great for me as this gave my dad a direct path to tell me exactly what he was thinking about my play. They were amazed that the boxes were stocked with beer, wine and soda. In college basketball it is very rare to be able to drink during a game. The other interesting point being that the boxes serve beer in glass bottles. This is a definite no go in the US.


We did not play very well against Geraldton and lost our 3rd straight home game. We started slow and got back into the game, but saw a 0-16 run by Geraldton going into the half devastate our chances of a comeback. I finished with a double-double and was given the player of the game award for our team. I was excited for this as I was able to use the mandatory post award speech to thank my family for coming to visit and as a way to introduce them to the community.

After the game we visited the Palace and had a couple drinks. My dad was absolutely amazed to see the opposition team out and hanging out with everyone. He almost had a heart attack when he saw the referees at the bar as well. He was surprised that they don’t have more incidents after games with players, coaches and the officials. Needless to say he took advantage of the rare moment and discussed the game over a beer with the ref.

Sunday morning we all awoke and met for breakfast before heading out into the “bush” for the day. Liam and Wendy from Skilled organized to take us all out for the day to shoot guns, grill out, hunt, fish and enjoy the wilderness of Australia. It was very eye opening for my family as the bush is very different from any sort of landscape near home. It was a phenomenal day. One thing that I never realized until my dad pointed out the Southern Cross constellation is that we have completely different stars in the southern hemisphere. In the bush the stars are like being in the north woods on a lake looking up into a clear night sky.


On Monday, my dad and I left the girls in town to go shopping and wander as we went kangaroo, goat and camel hunting. We left early in the morning and drove for about two hours out of town into the bush. Apparently there are a lot of feral camels that roam around. Unfortunately we did not see one, but the signs of their existence were abundant (carcasses and tracks). We did, however, see plenty of kangaroos hopping around. There are now 4 less ‘roos out there! For someone who enjoys hunting, this was very different and a great experience. Thank you, Liam.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were going to be spent learning about the history of the gold mining industry in Kalgoorlie. Gold mining is enormous here, and the history of the town revolves directly around the gold mines. The plan was to see the Hall of Fame (HOF) and learn the about the history of the Goldfields region and to see how mining was first practiced. After the HOF we would spend a day visiting a former mining town and the Super Pit, a huge open-cut gold mine. Finally we would visit an underground mine and see how mining is practiced today with heavy machinery and technology.

The Mining Hall of Fame provided wonderful information on the history of the early prospectors and what the conditions for mining were like. As a part of the tour we were able to go down a mine shaft and walk through one of the levels of the underground mine. I did not fit very well. I felt as though I was in the Cu Chi tunnels running through Saigon with the Vietcong. The next day we drove to Kanowna, a gold mining ghost town. In 1905 the town had a population of over 12,000 people and by 1953 it was abandoned. The town site is still preserved in that the roads are still there and the buildings foundations are all still identified by signs. When you arrive to the site there is a map and one can envision exactly how it looked as a bustling gold mining town 100 years ago. Later that afternoon my family was able to get a behind the scenes tour the Super Pit. The Super Pit is approximately 2 miles long, 1 mile wide and roughly 400 yards deep. The mine produces 850,000 ounces of gold a year and is visible from space. Gold is currently selling for $1,200 / oz. It is quite an impressive operation.

Thursday we had a different view of the mining industry as we were going underground. The Hall of Fame showed us the original underground mining operations where hand held drills were used. The super pit is a big hole where they blast and excavate using huge equipment. The new underground mine took us beyond 1,000 feet underground. These tunnels allow for dump trucks to enter in and out as well as other heavy duty machinery. It was incredible to see the operations and how extensive the safety protocols are to run a mine. In areas where it was unsafe for someone to walk they use remote controlled machinery. It was like watching someone play a video game.

Friday morning I drove the family to Perth for our double header against Lakeside and East Perth. We left bright and early so we could enjoy a day in the city. We enjoyed dinner, some drinks and sightseeing in Fremantle before doing the “Torchlight” prison tour of the maximum security Fremantle Prison. The prison was in operation until 1991 when it was shut down for sub-par conditions. It was 130 years old at that point. Fremantle is a very eclectic city on the ocean with nightclubs, art rooms, cafes and markets. It is one of the largest ocean ports in WA and home to the Fremantle Dockers AFL team. Surprisingly I have had multiple friends study abroad in Australia and more specifically in Freo. It was really nice to be in Perth and to show the family a bit of the city life out here.

Saturday morning we ate breakfast in the trendy Subiaco suburb of Perth. We were heading to the Fremantle Dockers v. Port Adelaide AFL game in Subiaco at the Oval. Australian Rules football is a treat to watch live. It is a cross between rugby, football and almost ultimate frisbee. It is played very quickly, full of contact and lots of scoring. Fortunately for me and the family we sat near the goals that had all the action. It was a beautiful day to watch a game, with about 30,000 other people, and to see the home team win. Everyone in Australia has great loyalty to their AFL teams and being a part of the environment is far greater than watching the game on TV. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.


Saturday night we faced off against the Lakeside Lightning. Ben Beran and co. have a solid team and they sit at the number two spot in the standings. We had lost 3 straight and were risking losing a home playoff advantage. We played far better than we had in the previous weeks and just ended on the short side of things losing by 11 points. A reoccurring story during our losing streak has been not showing up in the first quarter. We’ve allowed teams to jump out on us early and then we play well the rest of the game, but struggle to overcome the deficit we created in the opening stanza. I played well, but faced a little bit of foul trouble late in the game. I finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Sunday morning came and I dropped my parents in the downtown area for breakfast as I met with the team for our pre-game meal. I think Perth is quite similar to San Diego and that was the impression my parents had. That afternoon we played East Perth, a team that had been struggling as of late as well and boasts several NBL players, and with a win we could secure a playoff spot. We came out playing hard and gave ourselves a good chance of winning the game. We trailed at quarter time and we found ourselves slightly behind at halftime as well. Going into the final quarter we had a one point advantage and looked very solid. With one minute and 40 seconds remaining I fouled out. We were up 8 points. The game looked to be ours until East Perth tied the game on a lay-up as time nearly expired. I was in disbelief, but the game went into overtime and we fell by 2 points after hitting a big shot to go up one. The guard for the Eagles came down and drilled a long distance 3 and the ball passed through the net and only hitting the floor. At the conclusion we had lost our 5th game and were facing a fall out of the playoff picture. We played well and competed, but we just didn’t take the win. I finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

After the game, which East Perth provided great entertainment in the social room, I took my family south to the Chegs’ house to celebrate our nation’s birthday! The Australian family had invited all the imports from around the league to an “American” barbeque with hot dogs, burgers and steaks! There was even a Budweiser there. It was a wonderful opportunity for my family to meet many of my friends from AIA and to hear about their experiences as they are far different than mine. My youngest sister Jana had a fun time as Alistair, the 18 year old son, had his friends over as well. Jana was given quite a bit of attention being the “American” girl.

The next couple days we took our time going south and then east to Esperance. We stopped in Bunbury, a small country town on the coast, to have brunch with my friend Trey and to see the beautiful town. There are so many coastal towns that are just magnificent. After Bunbury we continued south to Margaret River. MR is in the heart of Western Australia’s wine region. I spent time down there in December and loved it. It is a small town focused on wine and surfing. It has beautiful vineyards and beaches. We sampled wine a several wineries, felt obligated to buy some wine and had a really nice time.



After MR we continued our travel to Pemberton, home of the 180+ foot Gloucester Tree. The tree was highly recommended to us to visit. I was told that it is the tallest tree or something in WA. Well let me say this, the drive through most of Australia is very empty. The scenery does not change much between Kal and Perth. It is entirely the outback and very little farm land. The drive from Perth south is lined with more trees, but goes along the coast similar to how California would be north of LA. Amazingly the road into Pemberton takes you winding through the Gloucester National Forrest and these huge trees that shoot straight up with a trunk the size of a car and not a branch for 100 feet up. It was like being amongst giant redwood trees.



Arriving at the site I anticipated a hefty admissions fee. On the way to MR we stopped off at some cave sites. We didn’t stop long as the park charged $45 per person for an hour of self-guided walking. At the tree it was a small parking fee and you are on your way. We walked up to the tree, which was a former fire lookout, and saw people climbing it. I looked to see what the ticket situation was – none. These kids were coming off these steel pegs that were plugged into the tree and circled up to the top with no helmet or harness. It was crazy. I started climbing and after about 20 feet I reconsidered climbing the remaining 160 feet but manned up. It was a great experience.

After the tree we continue driving south along the ocean and then headed east towards Esperance, our final destination for the night. The landscape was lush green with rolling hills where farms had their cattle roaming for food. After a couple hours of driving through the forest and southern terrain we were back to the outback as we raced to Esperance.

Esperance is Amazing. It is breathe taking. It is magnificent. The wide white sand beaches are considered the best in Australia. The scenic coastlines take you winding around from beach to beach as you look out into a panorama of offshore islands in the turquoise ocean water. It is a small town and very relaxed. People walk places and shops close early. We spent time hiking the shorelines and climbing massive rocks that have had waves pounding them for centuries. Finally we relaxed on the beach and even plunged into the waves for an hour of body surfing. It is just that incredible.



After Esperance, a 4 hour drive south from Kalgoorlie, we returned back for one more home game. My dad was quite clear in telling me that he didn’t travel this far not to see us win. We got the win for him and it was clear from the tip what the outcome was going to be. We bombarded the Stirling Senators from the beginning and held a 19 point lead after the first quarter. This charge was keyed by Ryan Hulme’s lights out shooting from behind the arc. For the game he connected 9 times from beyond the three point line. We had energy, we played smart and we had a lot of fun. At the conclusion of the game I racked up 26 points and 13 rebounds. The final score was 120-82 and it was a good game to send my family off with.



Sadly it came time for everyone to leave. We spent some time at the horse races on Sunday before packing everything up and departing for the airport. It was a very busy two and a half weeks but an incredible time. I am very thankful for the family that I have. This time off was the first time my dad has ever taken more than a week off of work – something very foreign to the Australian culture. I am happy he did and I know he is as well! I am amazed and grateful for all the hospitality and generosity that was given to me and my family – from wonderful dinners and evenings out, to places to stay, to arranging tours and the overwhelming friendliness and welcoming from everyone. Thank you very much! To the family, thank you for coming to visit, it means the world!

New week

I start my blog this week by first wishing my older sister, Sarah, a happy birthday and secondly, but more importantly, congratulating her on her recent accomplishment of graduating from graduate school with a MBA from Northwestern University in Chicago. It is a very significant achievement and I am quite proud and impressed with her. One would think she would begin working, like my younger sister Margaux who also recently graduated from college with a degree in actuarial sciences from the University of Nebraska, but she begins an extensive period of volunteer work in Kenya followed by a couple months traveling through Asia! Margaux began working immediately, but she will be traveling here, to Australia, this week.

Now it is time for the updates on life down under. Things continue to go very well, but time seems to pass much too quickly. The last couple weeks at school have been fairly “cruisy” for me as they would say here. Many of the year 12 students (seniors) have had exams and this has changed my schedule quite a bit. Many of the students I would normally work with had different schedules with their exams, and thus I did not see as many kids those weeks as I usually would. I found myself filling in the time by getting caught up on Seinfeld episodes, during the recent marathon on television, and watching seasons 1 and 2 of Criminal Minds.

The World Cup began last week and it has been quite popular. I enjoy watching people I know play soccer, but I have never been a huge fan of watching it on TV – but I’ve never really given it a chance. I am still amazed at the influence it has on people worldwide and the Cup has made me watch a lot more soccer than I would have expected to. I was initially having a hard time watching the games with volume due to the vuvuzelas, but watching it in mute or in a crowded place has alleviated that problem.

After posting last week we played the Rockingham Flames. After our big triple header the weekend before I was excited to be back in Kal for a game. Going into the game we were 13-6 and sitting in 4th place with a 2 game lead over the 5th place team. Rockingham was a team struggling to contend for a top 8 finish and they were a team we were heavily favored against. They arrived into town with a depleted squad, but came to play.

Unfortunately for the Giants we were not in usual form and we caught a player from Rockingham that was going to have a special night. We lead going into the break but the second half was not ours. In recent home games we have been very tough in the second half, and often times erase a small deficit and take the game over. On this night we ran the well dry and Rockingham took the game from us behind Demetrius Hazel’s 40 point performance. On his way to his 40 points he connected on 10 three point baskets. It was difficult to swallow, but in athletics any team can win on a given night and it was Rockingham’s night. As a summary of how I played I finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds. It was a good individual performance, but the loss outweighs that.

After a loss it is always tough to muster up the energy and positive attitude to venture out and socialize. Saturday was no different. The Palace was where we all met up, and fortunately they had the USA-England soccer match on. It was exciting to watch and unbelievable that the US scored the way they did and earned the draw. There are a lot of people with ties to England here, so it was nice that the US was able to play to the draw and prevent any bragging by the POHMs.

Monday and Tuesday were great days at work. The exams were finished and I was back to the normal routine. Monday night I continued attending Yoga class at the health club and I am enjoying it quite a bit. I find myself uncoordinated at times, but improvement continues with each class. Tuesday night a couple of us converged at Paddy’s for dinner and to watch some of the soccer games. New Zealand was playing Slovakia and it was exciting. The All Whites were trailing throughout the game and after bombarding the Slovakian goal with shot attempts in the extra period they finally scored a header to tie the game in the final seconds. It was a roller coaster of emotions on display for the favored Slovakian team.

Wednesdays are usually pretty relaxed for me. I work a couple hours in the morning at the high school and then spend an hour or two in the afternoons at the local primary schools doing basketball camps with Michael. It’s a cool experience in that we see a lot of kids from the camp we did earlier this year and also meet new kids that are excited to have us there. Wednesday I was invited to dinner at Sam’s house. She is a tremendous cook and she ventured out on some curry dishes! Butter chicken is my favorite. It was very delicious.

The rest of the week I fell victim to a cold. Thursday and Friday I was constricted to bed and the couch in front of the TV. It was a struggle to get healthy before our game Saturday, but with plenty of ‘quils, ny and day, juice and vitamins I was doing everything I could. On a positive note I was able to watch the NBA finals – I just did not see the outcome I hoped for. What the outcome did bring, however, was an incredible and priceless post game interview by Ron Artest. Wow!

Saturday came and I was still under the weather, but went through my routine before a game. Wake up, breakfast, shoot around, shop, eat, nap, game time. I mention shopping because this town is bustling before 3 pm. At that point the shops close and they remain that way until Monday. If you need to get anything for the next couple days, Saturday is the day.

Saturday night we played Perry Lakes. In our last trip to Perth, prior to the triple header, we lost to them pretty handedly. The game started and they jumped on us. They took a double digit lead into the second quarter and from this point on we were in too deep. Once again we played without the energy we’ve displayed up until this point. The game was pretty even through the remainder of the game, but we ended on the short side of things. It is unfortunate, but we still hold the 4th spot and need to maintain that. Saturday night I finished with 20 points and 8 boards.


Going against my friend Bobby Kempf.


Looking on from the bench at the end of the game

This upcoming week we host Geraldton, the top team in the league. We beat them in Geraldton earlier this year and definitely have the ability to do so again. I am excited for the upcoming weekend- for the game and for my family coming. I am really thankful that they are making their way! Until next week…


My family

Long weekend

I cannot believe its June! Only a week and a half and my parents and two younger sisters will be here, in Kalgoorlie, of all places. It is funny to think how I ended up in this town, coming from Minneapolis. Now my family is going to be here and if you would have asked any of us a year ago what we knew about Kalgoorlie, there is no way we would have thought we would visit/ live here. It has been really wonderful for me and I’m looking forward to showing the family around.

Since the last post life has been busy and I am all banged up. Last Wednesday I spent the evening at the Hulme’s for dinner. They really know how to put a wonderful dinner on. It was a really nice opportunity to meet Pia, their youngest daughter, and to see most of Karen and Randall’s pictures from Europe. They visited Portofino, Italy, a town I visited with my mom and sister several years back, so it was quite interesting to see their photos. After viewing 1,400 photos I tried to leave the other 400 photos for another evening, and maybe another dinner!

Last weekend we had a pretty ridiculous road trip- 3 games in 3 days. Usually we play a pair of games on the road, but Monday was another public holiday in Western Australia and as a result we played another game. Holidays are quite popular in Australia, and it seems as though there is a public holiday every other week. As usual we departed early Saturday morning for Perth. By leaving so early, I’m getting quite accustomed to sleeping the first 4-5 hours of the trip. Needless to say it helps the trip go by faster.

Our first opponent was Willeton. They were sitting in second place on the ladder and they have a very good team. It was a tough draw to open up our three game weekend against. We started the game very poorly and without much energy. Willeton jumped out to an early lead by scoring the first 12 points of the game. We battled back and found ourselves tied at quarter time. The second quarter was similar to the first, our play sporadic, but we found ourselves trailing by nine heading into the break. If it was not for our poor play in the second quarter the game was identical. We matched Willeton point for point in three of the four quarters. At one point we trailed by at least 16 points in the 4th, but battled back to cut their lead to 3 with minutes to go. It was too little, too late. We lost by 9 points.

The game was tough and very physical. The officials started calling a lot of quick and soft fouls. As the game intensified and grew more physical they lost control of the game. It gets very frustrating when consistency in the officiating is lost. It was an unfortunate loss for our side, and that game really took a toll out of us. I played hard and pretty well at times, but sometimes I become a victim of my own intensity and try to do too much. At one point in the game I took a charge and landed on my already bruised tailbone and as I hit the ground I felt as though I was paralyzed from that instant pain that travels through your body as if you’ve been struck by lightning. I returned to the game after sitting out a few minutes recovering and was able to post 23 points and 9 rebounds.



Game 1 was unfortunate, but we felt we could get the next two wins. Sunday we were paired against Bunbury, a team that has yet to win this year. To be completely honest we showed up thinking that is all we had to do to get the win. Trey, my amigo from AIA, and his crew had different intentions.

Bunbury is a country town on the coast approximately 2 hours south of Perth. I was really struggling from the night before and my back / tailbone were causing some issues for me. I rode down to the game separate from the team with our assistant coach Brinky. He was driving himself, his wife and their little 6 month old daughter Sophie. By riding with them I was able to stretch out and be in a car for less time than it would take if I rode on the bus.

The game started and Bunbury put everything they had on the court. They went with a smaller lineup and decided to press us the entire game and pack the lane by playing a zone against us. We were flat and they took us completely out of our game. We trailed by 4 at quarter time and by 6 at halftime. I was in disbelief of what was taking place and how poorly we were playing. By the third quarter we turned the game around and went on a run offensively and put the clamps down on defense. We erased our deficit and held a slim 3 point advantage heading to the fourth. The game was back and forth throughout the last quarter. With less than 30 seconds to go and the game tied at 88 I drove baseline and found Ryan Hulme spotting up in the baseline corner for a three. He connected. We went down on defense and tactfully fouled Trey away from the basket with 4 seconds to go. They were in bonus and had 2 free throws coming. Trey connected on the first to cut our lead to 2. I thought he was purposely going to miss the second free throw and try to get a tip or put back to tie the game. He made the second shot and Mike inbounded the basketball to a wide open Lordan down court for an easy dunk as time expired. I was surprised by their play, but we left Bunbury with a 3 point win.



Sunday night a group of us headed out to the casino in Perth to have a couple bets and watch the French Open finals. The casino has a fantastic sports bar, imagine that, with massive televisions to watch the games. It was a quite night out as we still had another game to play.

One of my biggest frustrations is incompetent people. Unfortunately I was surrounded by several of these individuals at the black jack table. Black jack is the one casino game where you have a decent chance of winning. Yes, the house still has the advantage, but the spread is far more advantageous to the player than other games when played correctly. I am not claiming that I am a good card player or that I can count cards, but I know the standard rules of the game – when to hit, stay, double down, etc.

Well these want-to-be hipster boys in tight jeans, with spiky hair as if they use Japanese anime as their styling guide, and the ultimately trendy t-shirt and tie look decided to play black jack with me. They had no idea how to play and were just handing their money, and my money, to the house. They had no clue what to do, and thus they swallowed every bust card of the dealers. I finally said something when the boy split queens against the dealer’s king. He then followed his stellar losing performance by hitting on a 15 when the dealer showed a six. One would assume the queens would be winners or a push. By splitting them, he lost both hands because he was dealt low cards and then hit and busted. In regards to the hitting on a 15, the odds are that the dealer will bust when showing a 6 and thus all players should stay when showing 12 or higher. Idiots.

Anyways, Monday we squared off with the Perth Redbacks. We held a one game advantage over them in the standings and needed to maintain that lead in order to hold home court in the playoffs. We were fortunate as when we lost on Saturday to Willeton, the Redbacks were downed by Perry Lakes. The Redbacks game was out of control from the start. I think that the officials sucked all the air out of their whistles this day. Both teams were in bonus within what seemed like a minute of the jump ball. The game was going to be ugly.

We outscored them every quarter except the fourth. We started the fourth quarter and pushed our lead to 18 points or so before Ryan Neil single handedly started to mount the comeback. He connected on three pointer after three pointer. It was too little too late. The game concluded 116-109 and it was a big win for us. The game saw 60 fouls between the teams and that included 6 technical fouls and one ejection of the opposing coach. It was a nice win in that we now held a two game lead over the Redbacks in the standings and a road trip home with a win makes the drive much more tolerable. I finished the game with 24 points and was one of six players in double figures.

The road trip was long, tough and gave my body a beating. We were very happy to get two wins on that trip and now we look forward to 5 of our next 7 games at home. As a result of the soreness I went to yoga class the other day. It was actually quite nice and I think I may become a regular. Downward dog, burning tree here I come! Until next week, take care.

2 weekends, 2 wins

Celtics or Lakers? Unfortunately I would bet on the Lakers winning this year. Do I have an interest in either club? No. I could justify cheering for each side, the Lakers formerly of Minneapolis and KG formerly the long time franchise player of the Twolves. Ok, neither warrant a reason to cheer for them. So why do I start a blog with this? I start with this out of respect for this tiny little black digital box that allows me to tape, fast forward through and playback television shows. Last week, I posted my blog while watching the Celtics play the Magic. This week we begin the NBA finals and the Minnesota Twins are on TV. There legitimately is no reason to watch live television anymore. I, or Mike, just record the show and you can watch it at the most ideal time and pass through every commercial. The only issue I have with this process is that the timing of sporting events back home is usually taking place early morning Aussie time (this is where the box comes in) and I have to avoid scores the rest of the day until I can watch it.

Anyways, welcome back. My last post was about 10 days ago prior to our game against the Kalamunda Eastern Suns. There was some uncertainty prior to the game in which players the Suns would be bringing with them. The team is sponsored by AND1 and features an American guard named Kenny Brunner who played at Georgetown and Fresno State. He has a little bit of a past behind him. Apparently. He is the “self-proclaimed” best point guard outside of the NBA and is featured on AND1 mix tape tours as “Bad Santa.” He unfortunately was injured and did not travel. The other question mark was surrounding Justin Brown, a seven foot center that played college ball at UConn. He was suspended the week before after he threw his sweatband at a referee in disgust of a call. The rumor was it was a four-game suspension from the league, but it turned out that it was just one game and he suited up to play, despite an error by their coaching staff which failed to report him to the scorer’s table for the starting lineup.

The game was hard fought through the first three quarters. At the first break we led by 4 only to go into the locker room trailing by 5 points. The third quarter we rebounded and took a 2 point lead into the 4th. At this point our team took over and the home court advantage carried us to a 19 point, 102 – 83 victory. The Suns were very two-dimensional; they rely solely on two players to do their scoring. We were able to manage and contain their two players and allowed other guys to try to step up to beat us.



I finished the game with a pretty good line: 20 pts, 10 rebs and 7 ast. We had several players contribute solid performances: Hulme (25 points), Leske (23 points), Franich (14 points) and Haney (11, 7, 7). We are a difficult team to contend with and matchup against when we play together and share the basketball. After the game our record improved to 10-5 and we continued to hold the number 4 spot on the ladder.



Post game wise it was just another Saturday night in Kalgoorlie. A couple drinks at the stadium with the sponsors and supporters of the club, get cleaned up and talk to the parental units back home, hit the Palace and Dbos before closing it down. This particular night, however, threw us a curve ball. On his way home from the bar, a player not to be named, walked past a homeless man with a dog. The dog chased this individual and attacked his leg, not breaking through his jeans or his skin. An unnamed source close to the victim explained that the individual was quite upset and made his mind up to get a rabies shot. This was until he calmed down and realized there was just slobber on his leg pant. The story was pretty entertaining and unexpected.

Sunday night came around and I placed a phone call to Mary Anne Bowler, my Kalgoorlie mother. She had recently had her knee replaced and I offered to pick her up and take her to church with me. I picked her up and as we pulled into the parking lot she mentioned that she might have to do the readings during mass. She wasn’t sure, but thought there might be a chance that she was on the roster for that night. Having been gone for a couple weeks in Perth for the operation and being a very involved woman in the community I figured everyone knew she had surgery and would not have put her on the roster to read. So, being the nice man that I am, I offered to read for her in the very rare instance that she was scheduled to read. At least what I thought was going to be a rare instance. Well this night had a rare instance and this instance was Mary Anne was scheduled to read. So, I was scheduled to read.

I was intimidated and began to look into the readings to see what I was in for. While I began to do this I was asked by the music director to work the computer slides that contained the lyrics to the music. The lyrics are displayed on the wall in the front of the congregation. I was flustered. I was not clicking when I was supposed to, clicking when I was not supposed to and finally I figured it out and had it under control when the regular attendant appeared and took over. At this point I was summoned to the podium for the readings. Acts 2 fell into my lap and at the end of the reading there are about a dozen names to pronounce. For the ones I did not pronounce properly I blamed it on my accent. The experience was a little nerve racking at first, but I enjoyed it.

Thursday I was in for a treat. The weather was not cooperating but I headed out to the “bush” to go prospecting for gold. Yes, I went out looking for gold in the equivalent of a forest with a metal detector. I was with Luke Bowler and our experienced guide Reno Borromei. Wednesday night Luke was very persistent in telling me that we had to leave by 8 am. Luke was going to be picking me up and I needed to be ready to go. Well, 8:15 rolled up about the same time Luke did. We were equipped with metal detectors, shovels and coolers for a bbq. We weathered the rain in the car for a bit, looking at nuggets that Reno had recently found before we got after it. The prospecting tests your patience and your mind. You walk around listening for your detector to make a different sound. That sound can come from any type of metal underground and sometimes your mind just plays tricks on you. Regardless, we marched on. Unfortunately we did not find our retirements out there but it was a lot of fun and something to try. I am living in the “Goldfields” after all.

Friday night was very low key. We had a game the next night so, as usual, we kept it quiet. I did make a brief appearance at the birthday party for our assistant coach and socialized a bit. It’s nice to get out and meet new people away from basketball and from the school.

Saturday was spent getting ready for the game. The Cockburn (Co-burn) Cougars were in town and this was a pretty big game for most of the guys. The former coach of my team is now the coach of the Cougars. Depending on who you talk to in town, the majority of the people were not very fond of him. He yells and swears a lot, but I don’t know much beyond that. The first time we played them we got throttled on the road. It was embarrassing.

Surprisingly the local paper and media did not play the game up as much as I thought they would have with the former coach returning to Kalgoorlie. Things have cooled in those regards after the alleged drama that followed when our coach referred to the people of Geraldton as “ferals”. The team had lost 7 straight games prior to coming to town, all on the tail of their new import arriving. That is kind of counter-intuitive. You would think the team would improve after acquiring a good player, but this has not been the case for the Cougars.

The game was close throughout. After the first quarter we held a 2 point advantage. At halftime we had used the second quarter to be atop by 4 points over the visitors. In the third quarter Ryan Hulme took over and drained several three pointers, but our lead was only 7. The game continued to remain close until the buzzer sounded and we had a 10 point advantage. It was a scrappy and much needed win for us, Giants. It was an all-around good effort by the boys and nice to get the win heading into this upcoming weekend. We remain in 4th place with an 11-5 record and 10 games to go. I finished Saturday night with 20 points, 13 rebs, and 4 assists. The most important thing for us is to maintain a top four spot to gain home court in the playoffs. We need to keep winning games.



This upcoming weekend we have a triple header. There is another national holiday on Monday, surprise surprise. We play Willeton on Saturday (they currently sit in 2nd place), Bunbury on Sunday afternoon (they sit in last place as they are winless), and Monday we play the Perth Redbacks (a game behind us). This is going to be a very big weekend for us and we need to have some success. The three games are very rare for a road trip – usually it is a double header. It will be difficult, but on the brighter side we will be home for the following three weekends.

My time here has been going wonderfully. I still cannot believe it is June already and that I have been here for almost 4 months. It is going by quickly. Since I have been here I have, however, developed a growing frustration with some customs here. Grocery shopping is something I actually enjoy doing and I find myself very limited in when I can do this. Grocery stores are not open on Sundays at all and during the week they close at 6 pm. I finish working at the school at 5 pm and usually go for a workout or to practice shortly after. I need the freedom to grocery shop when I need to. I need to be able to go on a whim and pick something up at 8 pm. The local response is to go to the IGA stores. They are open on Sundays and later. Nope. Not enough of a selection for me.

I was driving to the school the other morning and as I approached school I noticed several students in their uniforms walking away from school. I thought well that is weird, usually you walk into school when it is starting – not into town. The kids apparently take the bus to school, meet their friends and leave. Attendance is a big issue at school for many of the kids and they just openly “wag” as they say here. At home we would at least make an attempt to be secretive about skipping school.

I hope everything is going well at home and that you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. For you Aussies, Memorial Day is similar to your ANZAC Day. I hope the weather was nice, the grill was warm and the beer was cold. I am certainly missing the summer time at home and visiting the cabin. On a side note I am also missing peaches, chipotle and ice baths. They would all be wonderful.

Until next week! I hope you all have a terrific week. God Bless.

No title??? Is that Apropriate?

And it continues… Welcome again to another week or so of fun filled activities on the other side of the world. Today is a game day as we play the Kalamunda Eastern Suns tonight, here in Kalgoorlie. Last weekend we completed our first round of league games; now we begin the second round through the fixture. In the first meeting with Kalamunda, it was the second game of our season opening road trip doubleheader, we led by as much as 15 in the third quarter only to give up our lead and lose by a handful. Tonight will be different in front of the home crowd!

This past week was a bit of an adjustment. It has been really quiet around the apartment without the two American backpackers around. A week after Rusty left Brandon followed suit out of Kalgoorlie. He was just a week behind and decided to travel the other way around the world and stop in Germany. He spontaneously decided to meet up with some football buddies that were travelling over there. I could not have been more excited for the little guy living life. Because of his nearing departure Woody, I and others decided to make the most of his remaining time.

Last Thursday Woody began packing things up and preparing himself to leave. He and Rusty swapped bags so Brandon could have the smaller bag to backpack with. He sent Rusty back with his much bigger bag and a lot of his possessions to lighten his load. Apparently Rusty became Woody’s mule. We even made a trip to the post office where Woody decided to mail a package home with some of his belongings. $70 later, I decided I wouldn’t be sending much of anything home for some time. There are a couple of shipping methods to choose from: by air (3 weeks) or by ship (3 months).

Despite all their efforts to pack all of their belongings we were blessed with many small “treasures.” Here is a list of all the wonderful things that remain in Australia despite their owners being in America and Germany:

Mining uniforms
mining hardhats
muesli (granola)
3 sombrero’s (yes)
Weet-bix (cereal)
a Johnny V and Mike Haney painted t-shirt
2 carrots
beer bottle sunglasses
½ cucumber
lunch bag
½ onion
box wine (aka Goon)
chocolate sauce for ice cream
2 peanut butter containers (empty)
25 pack green tea
taco shells
and the valuable aluminum foil.

Consider us blessed to acquire such precious treasures!

Anyways, we spent last Thursday night after training at the Northend Tavern. Most of the players go to the Northend after training to watch the horse and dog races, eat dinner and have a drink. I figured I’d grab Woody and bring him along to see the guys and to show him how betting is done in Australia. From my understanding the government runs the sports betting under the name TAB. I have yet to bet, but an individual goes to a TAB (usually attached to a bar or a separate dwelling). The TAB is where the bets are taken through filling out what would be closely compared to as “bubble sheets” or “scantron” sheets that are used in the US for test taking. The sheet is then put through a reader; you pay and wait for the result.

Neither of us were very interested in wagering money. I don’t bet because I really do not have an interest in sports betting and the more likely reason being that I am intimidated by the whole bubble sheet thing. Woody did not bet because he was broke and all the money he made from working here was still being processed at the bank and was inaccessible to him.

Friday night we had some of the Bowler boys over for Woody’s farewell dinner. Jimmy was kind enough to bring everything over, and even cook chicken burritos for us. Throughout the night a couple people would stop through and hang out for a bit. It was a pretty fun night, but we had a bus to catch in the morning.

5:30 AM sure comes around quickly. Last weekend we played a double header in Perth against Mandurah and Perry Lakes. As usual, we all meet at the stadium and leave at 6 AM. We travelled with our junior development team this past weekend as they were scrimmaging the Mandurah juniors. Our club also wanted the younger players to gain experience on how the Giants’ road weekends work. Many of the players on these junior teams will be expected to move up at some point to the SBL club team. In addition to the juniors, we also threw Woody on the bus to get him to Perth so he could see a bit of the town and fly out. I doubt Woody expected to be on a coach bus traveling on the road this soon after finishing football.

Woody was going to be staying with a woman in Perth who was actually his babysitter back in the states when he was younger. He was dropped off by one of the parents on the way to Mandurah and we said goodbye in the parking lot. His first night in Perth included an exciting Linen Party! It was good while it lasted and he and Rusty will both be missed. I truly enjoyed having those boys here and it has made the transition of being abroad much easier to handle and the experience much more memorable. Thanks boys.

Saturday night we played at Mandurah. The last time our two squads matched up the game concluded with a double overtime victory for the Giants. The Magic had just sent home their other import player due to an injury and just not performing to the level they hoped for. This move put a lot of pressure on Casey Crevelone, their other import player and friend of mine from AIA. Casey was the focus of our defensive game plan and he single handedly put the previous game into multiple overtimes. Mike Haney spent some time going over film and drew up a defensive scheme to limit Casey. It worked very well for us and the Giants prevailed and took home the road win. The final score was 102-96. We led most of the game and by 12 the majority of the 4th period until they hit a couple threes at the end of regulation. I finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. It was a very good team win. Each player stepped up and contributed to the win and we had a very balanced attack. This is one characteristic that sets our team apart from many of the others in the league. On any given night we can have multiple players light it up for us. Many of the other teams rely so heavily on their imports to the point that they put up 25-30 shots a game. If those players are hot, the team usually wins. Down the stretch, however, I like where we are at.



It is always nice seeing friends on the road or when they come to town. Being able to see the AIA guys every other weekend or talking to them on the phone regularly has really enhanced my time in Australia. Hanging out with Casey after the game was also a nice addition to the road trip. I would have enjoyed spending some more time with him, but we had to get back to Perth.

One of the big adjustments I have faced here is playing on the road. The road trips are a bit different than what we did back home, but at the end of the day you lace them up, play hard and give yourself a chance to win. We played Perry Lakes Sunday at noon, 12 hours after we arrived back at the hotel. To sum up our road trip:

6:00 am – Leave Kalgoorlie
2:00 pm – Arrive Perth
5:00 pm – Leave for game
7:30 pm – Game vs. Mandurah
11:30 pm – Return to hotel
10:00 am – Leave for game
12:00 pm – Game vs. Perry Lakes
3:00 pm – Hit road for Kal (stop for drinks and food)
11:00 pm – Return home

36 hours later and it takes a toll on your body. Perry Lakes was the only team we had yet to play in the first half of the schedule. They have an import friend of mine, Bobby Kempf. Bobby has been playing very well in the league but has battled tendinitis in his knee and that has kept him out of some games. He’s a big boy; 6-11 and 240 lbs.

The game went back and forth in the first half and was a good battle. Both teams had played the previous night and the start of the second half showed how the games the night before had gone for each team. We had a battle throughout the game with Mandurah and without Jimmy Bowler (out with injury) the minutes were used up by our starters. We had heavy legs in the second half. Perry Lakes blew out Bunbury and their starters all played 25 minutes or so and were relatively fresh.

Perry Lakes took control of the game and mounted a pretty comfortable 10 point lead through most of the second half. With five minutes to go our guards connected on a couple quick baskets including a couple threes that brought the game to within three. That was as close as it would get. Perry Lakes put a run on that could not be stopped and we finished the game in second place, 105-90. I finished the game with 23 points and 7 rebounds but the only statistic that really matters is the W or L you get. We currently are 9-5 and in the middle of the playoff picture.

It is tough to take losses, but you should be able to take something from them and move forward. We grabbed some food and some cases of beer for the trip home. I was dehydrated, tired and feeling a bit sick so the beer was not very appealing. I chugged some water and took a couple nyquils that put me to sleep. I awoke later to all the guys sitting in the back of the bus shooting it like boys do. I got into the cooler for a couple and then realized that one of the juniors was on the bus and I would be seeing him at tutoring the next day. I kept it responsible.

Monday we packed up the old bedroom of Rusty and Woody and moved it to the garage. By bedroom I am referencing our living room and a mattress. After a night out on the patio with Woody and Rusty early in their time here I thought I had seen a snake. I tried to act calm although I was the complete opposite. My reaction, not as cool as I had hoped, required an explanation. I disclosed my morbid infatuation with snakes. I am very curios and fascinated by them, but deathly afraid of them. Poisonous or not; 6 feet or 6 inches it doesn’t matter. Thus the two boys decided to buy a rubber snake to plant around the house. Well one late night I walked onto the patio and in the dim lightening I made out the long slender shape of something on the ground. I was curious and hesitant to approach to get a better look. Woody watched me and laughed as he knew what was happening. He asked what I was doing and I said, “nothing.” “Bullshit.” He called my bluff and that was my introduction to the toy. From that day forward I found it planted in my bed, behind my pillow, in my shower, in the wash, opening the freezer, you get the idea. Well I snuck it into Woody’s bag and now it is in Germany!

This week I also had a wonderful dinner at the Hulme’s residence. This was the second time I have been over there and like the first time, the meal did not disappoint in the least. Great food, drinks and dessert! Mr. and Mrs. Hulme just returned from a long vacation to Europe after their son Ryan’s wedding in Mauritius. It was fun hearing about their travels through Dubai, England, France and Italy. Unfortunately we only talked about their adventures and did not see any of the 1800 photos they came home with. Oh well, maybe a reason for another dinner!

This week was my first week video chatting with people back home. The dynamic household of Dan, Charlie and Joe broke me in. I followed suit with my parents yesterday. I watched, in silence, my mom sitting at the home computer trying to figure out the speakers. I literally watched her mouth, “can you hear me?” multiple times. It is incredible the capabilities the internet and technology provide. It was really nice to see faces while hearing their voices.

I was talking with my dad last weekend and we kept losing the signal. My dad, and as most people do after 3 disconnections, was a little irritated and asked, “What is going on?” My attitude being that I am thankful to talk to everyone at home and amazed that I can sit on my cell phone in Perth, the other side of the world, and have a real time conversation with someone back home, I responded, “Sorry Dad, I guess all the satellites are having trouble lining up so we can talk.” I think skype is going to be the new ticket though! If you have skype, hit me up: john.vaudreuil

Until next week! I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of summer back in the states!

Bali is booked

Autumn is upon us in Kalgoorlie. It certainly has cooled down a bit, but that seems to only last a few hours in the morning. This weather is very reminiscent of home, especially during my favorite fall months. If I could have a wardrobe of jeans, long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts I would be extremely content.

After posting last weekend I was very pleasantly surprised to have Rusty show up unannounced. I was standing in the living room ironing my shirts and pants when his little head peaked around the corner. He was supposed to be at a “work camp” for the entire weekend. Thursday morning I had dropped him at the airport to catch the “work bus” to take him to his slave labor camp two hours away. He had been contracted out to work through the weekend at a mine site and we were not expecting to see him until late Sunday night. I was a little disappointed when dropping him off because he was going to be heading up to Cairns early the next week and I really wanted him to get to another game and go out afterward one last time before departing. Luckily he made some moves and made it back to Kal to paint his face for the game, cheer raucously and sing karaoke.

Our opponent in last Saturday’s game was East Perth. They have a very intimidating lineup on paper and have been playing very well. The squad boasts three gigantic players over 7 feet tall, a point guard from the NBL champion Perth Wildcats and a rumor that another player from the club may also follow. The footers were all very good players; skilled and coordinated for their size. It was great competition to put our 5-game winning streak on the line against.

I walked onto the court to lineup for the jump ball against, what I believe to be, the tallest man in Australia. Sam Harris stands 7 foot 5. After jumping extremely early on the tip, and I mean immediately after it was tossed, we had possession of the ball. The game went back and forth throughout the first quarter. We were all anxious to see how the players on East Perth would rebound after their bus trip earlier that day. East Perth was the first team to bus to Kalgoorlie the day of the game to play us, something we do regularly when we play on the road.

At the end of the quarter I found myself with the ball after Hamish saved it from going out of bounds. I pump faked and drove past Sam Harris to the basket. Jervis, one of the footers, stepped over from the weak side to go for the block. Luckily I got above him and put it down with a foul called and a little shiner to go with it.





At the break we trailed by a few points, but knew we had a lot of room for improvement. It seems that during our winning streak we have been able to play much better during the second half of the games. The pattern continued and we came out in the 3rd quarter and erased the deficit we faced and mounted a double digit lead. We held the lead well into the 4th quarter and with about 5 minutes to go in the game we maintained a 10 point advantage. East Perth clawed back and made it interesting as the game concluded with East Perth throwing up a desperation 3 point shot attempt to tie the game. We were victorious and were sitting in 3rd place at 8-3. I finished up the game with 15 points and 8 rebounds. I played 40+ minutes against the big loads and earned myself a couple post game awards which included $50 cash for runner-up MVP and a $50 gift card to the local jewelry store, my second, that will be given to my mother when she arrives.

After having a few delicious beers in the sponsors room I quickly regrouped with the other guys and made my way to The Palace. For those of you back home, The Palace is like going to Grandma’s on a Saturday night in Duluth or Stellas in Uptown. It was Rusty’s last night out on the town and we were going to make it big! Before making it out I phoned my Dad to see how things were. He was at the cabin and it was 9:00 am or so when I spoke with him. He had been up at 6:00 am and drove into the tiny town of Drummond, WI to get on the internet and follow the game via live stats. Dedication.

The Palace is always a great place to start with a couple drinks, chatting up with the other team and singing karaoke. Yes, Karaoke. After spending a considerable amount of time at our starting point the group moved down the street to DeBernales. I believe that is how you spell it, but everyone refers to it as Dbo’s. Dbo’s is more of a club setting with a dance floor and bar on the outskirts (very similar to the sports garden’s dance set up). We had a lot of fun and progressively made our way home on foot before succumbing to the temptation of a $10 cab. Done.



Sunday was a much needed recovery day. The game the night before had taken a toll on me and I literally slept all day. We wanted to organize an afternoon bbq for Rusty and get a “kick” in with the Aussie football and also a “throw” in with the American cousin. None of that ended up happening. It was a pretty lazy Sunday, and they are very much a necessity at times.

Monday was Rusty’s last night in Kal and Daniel and Cristy were nice enough to put on a dinner for him and all the friends he has made in town. This consists mostly of the Bowler family, significant others, and some basketball guys. We spent the night playing different games we have learned since being in Kalgoorlie; Mafia and The Game to name a couple. The nightcap came when Daniel challenged Woody to a foot race. Woody, being a sprinter on the track team in college, was the likely favorite. He forced his way into Cristy’s running shoes and they marched to the driveway and into the street. After a few stretches they were lined up. As they agreed to count down to the start, 3-2-1-go, Daniel was off at 2. It was like Jerry in “The Great Race” from Seinfeld. Another Seinfeld reference- I know, bear with me.

Tuesday morning Woody and I woke up to get Rusty to the train station before 7 am. When I first got here I was a lone wolf pack. When Brandon and Cole (their actual given names) arrived the pack grew to 3. Now, with the loss of Rusty, the pack is becoming smaller and we will just have to survive. Rusty was making his way to Cairns to hit the reef via Perth for a couple days. It was wonderful having him out here and I can speak for everyone that met him, we are very thankful he came and he is always welcome to return!

Michael and I recently started visiting primary schools in the community to spend time with the kids, teach them some basketball skills and do some community service. This past week we were at St. Joseph’s for a couple hours with kids ranging from school years 3 to year 6. When we first arrive at the schools all the kids look at us in shock. They all talk about us as we walk by and assume we cannot hear them. One girl said, “No wonder they are called the Giants.” The experiences are tremendous as we see all the kids in their uniforms and mandatory sun hats out on the play fields. They ask for autographs and they get so excited when we give them tickets to the upcoming game. They are really cute. Many of the kids attended the camp we put on a month or so ago and run up to us and say’ “John, Michael!”

The kids from camp always come down before or after the game and try to get my attention to show me they are there. It is really adorable. I will always take the time to go and talk to them and let them know I am really excited they came to the game. When I see these kids before the game it usually causes a slight problem. During introductions each player on our team has a mini basketball that we have signed. After the Australian Anthem we are to throw the balls into the crowd and those that catch a ball are able to compete for prizes at halftime. The kids always ask, “John, will you throw me the ball?” I guess it is not always limited to the kids, as Luke, Woody and Rusty also request the ball when there is $400 riding on a free throw contest. The problem for those three is that they are never at the game on time. I have tried to throw the ball to particular kids, but there is inevitably the bully kid that jumps up and knocks it away from the little girl. This happened on this particular night. After the East Perth game a boy came up to me and said, “John, next week is my birthday and all my friends are coming. Will you throw me the ball?” After failing in an attempt earlier that evening I told the young boy to find me before the game and show me where he was sitting and that I would be happy to give him the ball.

This past Saturday we played the Lakeside Lightning who were sitting in 4th place on the ladder and feature an import that is a very good friend of mine, Ben Beran. They arrived into town on Friday night and I hoped to meet up with he and John Chegwidden, but our paths would not cross. We planned to meet for breakfast the next morning and we set some time aside to show them my setup as well. It turned out that Chegs was a pretty popular man in town and had several friends from Kal meet us at the restaurant. He claims they are all his wife’s friends. It was a brief get together and it is disappointing that Lakeside is the only team in the league that does not spend the night of the game in town. I would have enjoyed spending more time with them, but I will see them this upcoming weekend when we travel to Perth.

As for the game against Lakeside: Frustrating. We played pretty poorly and let Lakeside dictate the game from the tip. I played terribly, as 6 fouls was the highest tally on my stat line. There are a lot of things to put our defeat on, but the bottom line is that they wanted it more than us, played harder and smarter than our team did. From this many positives can arise. We lost by 6 points to the defending champions. Our streak concluded and it gives us the opportunity to beat it. We showed up and expected to win, but in reality we need to bring much more. Fortunately we have a very skilled team and we will rebound very well from this defeat.



After the game I struggled to stay positive and upbeat. I was very frustrated with the outcome, how I played and some other things. Bottom line, I don’t like losing. I did head out with the boys after the game and was set to show Woody a good time before he departed the following week. He and I performed a duet of Sublime’s “What I Got.” What we got were crickets. No one in the entire place knew the song. We just had blank stares and those three minutes were tough to handle under the hot, bright lights. After bombing the song, Woody and I roamed down to Dbo’s to see what was happening there. He pulled me aside and pointed out a girl that he had chatted it up with last weekend. She was dancing with some guy who was holding her purse – classy. They must have noticed us because after their dance the man returned the purse to the girl and they walked in different directions. A moment later this guy, now with both hands free after discarding the purse, grabbed Woody from behind by the shoulders and told him that the girl was his sister and walked away. We kind of looked at each other, knowing it was a lie, and laughed. Who does that? Besides, if you were her brother why were you holding her purse and trying to bump and grind like that? Gross.

This upcoming weekend we head to Perth for a roadtrip to take on the Mandurah Magic and the Perry Lakes Hawks. I get to see two friends and AIA alums: Casey Crevelone and Bobby Kempf. We need to get back on the winning side and hopefully this weekend will provide us the opportunity to do so. We beat Mandurah in double overtime earlier this year, but have yet to play Perry Lakes.

A couple side notes, the young birthday boy did approach me before the game and I told him to come to the sideline when we threw the balls and that I would hand it to him to avoid risking not getting it to him. He did line up, as did 12 other kids. I had damaged my complimentary tickets and did not get one to Woody. Later I find that he gained admittance because he took my “Partner” card. The “Partner” card is used for partners and where we come from that implies something I do not want it to imply. The sad thing is that it has my name plastered across the top of the cared, “Partner Pass” is listed immediately under my name, and a boy is carrying it around. It has been returned to its owner to prevent mix-ups like that again. Finally, I am Bali bound. Booked and paid for to venture to the Indonesian paradise in August!

Until next week, God Bless!

Its the life I live

Welcome to another week of Australian events. This post is a bit delayed and I apologize for that. It has been a busy week. Since last posting I have received wonderful news from my family, things are great at home and they will be visiting Kalgoorlie! As of now it sounds like my mom, dad and littlest (but sweet) sister Jana will be coming here at the end of June for a couple weeks. My older sister Sarah continues to try to schedule a visit, but her schedule includes: finishing school, moving to Africa for a month to work, traveling through Asia (again), visiting a friend in Indonesia, and moving to Los Angeles. If she does not make it I will forgive her. My other sister, Margaux, is finishing school in the next fortnight and is going to be working soon after. It would be great if she could make it with my parents, but it might be a long shot. I hope that they can all find the time to make it here – it is a wonderful place.

I mentioned last week that we experienced an earthquake. We continue, more than a week later, to experience tremors. They continue to shake the earth and make a loud rumble randomly. They have been so common and frequent that it is now no big deal when they occur. There is no damage caused by them, just a reminder of what had happened.

Now for some updates. Last week we went on a hellish road trip. I say this not because it was a bad trip, we won both games, but that it was long, long, long. We left Kalgoorlie Friday after work, around 5 pm, with destinations of Perth, Geraldton, Perth and home. Our first game was on Saturday night against the Geraldton Buccaneers. Geraldton is a country town 6 hours north of Perth on the coast. It is a beautiful, quiet and picturesque. Sunday night we rounded out our trip against Wanneroo, a club based out of Perth.

As I eluded to the trip was a great success, here, however, is the not so great part about it – there is no direct route to Geraldton from Kalgoorlie. We drove the 7 or so hours to Perth on Friday and spent the night there. Saturday morning we awoke and headed to Geraldton to play that evening, only to return to Perth after the game. The Giants have had very little success playing there, and the Bucs were sitting atop the standings. To add a little fuel to the fire, our coach had decided to call the people of Geraldton “ferals.” This did not sit very well with the Buccaneer fans.

The game plan was to contain Ryan Zamroz, the import I had spent Easter with. He is a great player and has been leading the league in scoring at 33 ppg. Ryan started out on fire ending the first quarter with 13 points. We kept him in check the rest of the game and pulled out a convincing win 113-104. I finished the game with 17 points and only 4 rebounds. I played well at times, but could not put a whole game together. I experienced my re-occurring problem during the game. I find myself playing well in the first quarter and without any fouls at the conclusion of the quarter. Then to start the second quarter I get whacked right away with two fouls and I go sit on the bench. It is frustrating as I am playing no different than I was in the first quarter and then Bam, tack them on.

Our team played very well this night and earned a much needed victory. We had multiple guys step up and deliver big performances. This was the first win versus Geraldton in at least the last 4 years (home or away). A win on the road always makes the bus trip home that much more enjoyable. We returned to Perth at 3:30 am – the trip back was as enjoyable as it could have been.

After a bit of sleep I was able to meet the Chegs for mass at the Cathedral. The Cathedral has just been remodeled and it is quite spectacular. The music is fantastic and the Priest delivers a very nice service. It is always a pleasure to spend time with John, Kym, Alistair and Meaghan and to catch up on the latest happenings. They were the family I came to know very well in Perth while visiting in December.

After mass I made it back to the hotel the team was staying at in time to catch the bus to the team meal at the Sizzler! It was a buffet and sounded a lot like something that we would eat at in Grand Forks or something before a game. It was very similar, except I paid $22 for a salad bar (which included both a pasta and desert bar) and $3.95 for a bottomless drink. The food was good; I just continue to be amazed at the prices for some things. At home that meal would top out at $12.

We were on the court again Sunday night against Wanneroo. It is always difficult to rebound and play the second game of a doubleheader. Your legs are a bit worn, your energy is low and you ache from the game the previous night. This was no different, but rather a bit more extreme. Wanneroo also played the night before and had a hard fought victory. We knew both teams were going to have to pull out whatever they had left to get a victory. We were a bit inconsistent in the first half, but blew the game wide open in the second half. I finished the game with 26 points and 17 rebounds. After the game we had our usual post game get together with the other team. Awards are usually presented after each game to the home team’s top players. In Kalgoorlie, we honor the top opposing player by giving them a 6-pack of beer. Wanneroo practices the same beliefs and awarded me a nice cold 6-pack. I quickly found 5 friends and it amazes me how good a beer tastes in certain situations (like after a win). We won the game and completed a very successful road trip. We were back on the bus, Coronas in hand and on ice in the cooler, and heading back to get ready to hit the town.

After the game I was excited to spend some time in Perth with my American friends. Ben Beran, my friend from AIA that is playing here, presented at Lakeside’s Sunday evening service. All of the AIA guys went to see Ben speak and then we all met up at my hotel. Casey, Trey, and Ben (all of whom have been mentioned in previous blogs), as well as Bobby Kempf (Perry Lakes) and Luke Payne (Lakeside) came up to have a friendly drink and chat. It was really good to see everyone and hear about all the different experiences we are each having. Some of us are living quite literally on the beach, some are working a lot, and some are on winning teams and others that are struggling. We each are having very different experiences. I wish the night would have lasted longer, but they were all pretty tired and had a good amount of driving ahead of them.

After the guys left I met up with my teammates at The Shed in Northbridge. The stamp to get in read, “True Blue Aussie Venue.” We knew it was going to great! It was a nice outdoor bar / club that played songs like “I come from a land down under” and “Boys light up.” It was a fun night out in Perth, but the road trip and games had really taken a lot out of me. The highlight, other than the gyro on the way home, was watching Daniel Bowler request to be lifted up so he could crowd surf. I sat back from afar and watched him surf through the crowd like a professional. As I continued to watch him cut up the crowd from the outskirts I could see the bouncers preparing to swarm him- they moved in from every angle. Sure enough, one minute he was floating through the crowd like a feather in the wind and the next he was standing on the outside of the club offering the bouncers money to get back in. Priceless Facta.

Sunday was ANZAC day in Australia. It stands for the Australia New Zealand Army Corps. It is very similar to our Memorial Day in that it is a day of remembrance for those who have fallen during service. ANZAC day is very important here and celebrated properly. It is as if you took Memorial Day and put it on steroids. Since the holiday is always on April 25th, Monday was a public holiday and no one had to work. I am getting used to these holidays!

The bus ride home on Monday was BRUTAL. Our trip was approximately 2,100kms (1260 miles). This took place over 4 days and I am very happy it is over. It was successful, but it really took a toll on the body and required a couple days to recover. It is nice to have it out of the way, similar to traveling to Omaha when we played UNO. It is now behind us. We do have a triple header ahead of us, however.

The Wanneroo game was broadcasted live on the internet. I would have made this aware to everyone, but the only issue being that it began at 5:00 am CST in the US. My parents were dedicated enough to tune in and watch, but I cannot remember the last time my dad has missed a game in. The game is online and archived if you care to see some Australian bball. We watched the game on the bus ride home and quickly realized the commentators made some pretty ridiculous comments during the game. If you do choose to watch the game, I hope you enjoy some spirits before hand to make the comments that much better.

http://www.lmsc.com.au/index.php?page=display&key=U4bBoVmt

(Scroll to the bottom- SBL April 25, 2010: Wanneroo vs Goldfields)

It is currently Saturday, May 1 and we have a game tonight against East Perth. This team boasts a lineup that includes 3 players that are 7 foot plus. In scouting them they rotate through the 3 players, but usually have 2 of them on the court at a time. It should be a fun game at home as the crowd gets into the games. This is Rusty’s last game before he heads back east on his way back to the states. It should be a pretty exciting night – lets go get that win.

Until next week! God Bless.