Here is the link to our second game against SORA.....
http://www.soraweb.it/nb-sora-2000-vs-sciac-all-academic-la-diretta/

Broken down into quarters......

Here is a quick download of all my pictures from Italy......
https://flic.kr/s/aHskdP4F7y

I am collecting more from all the other individuals.

Enjoy!

Here is the local write-up on our 2nd game in SORA:
http://www.soraweb.it/basket-la-expert-lucarelli-in-amichevole-con-la-squadra-di-un-college-americano/

Just as a final note to wrap it all up here is a quote from Whittier assistant coach, Mark Jensen, who was the dierector and head coach for this excision:

"I had hoped that this trip to Italy would give our 10 seniors a couple of things: 1) to allow them to experience the beauty of another culture and 2) to perhaps gain some international attention on the basketball court. I feel the trip did that & more. The cultural experience of Italy will be etched on the minds & hearts of these guys forever. The competition on the court was good and the connections made with foreign clubs could potentially lead to a few of our players getting a chance to play overseas. One of the most fulfilling aspects of the trip for me was to see how 10 young men from rival schools who barely knew each other and in some cases likely felt animosity towards each other through years of fierce competition, were able to come together with a few weeks of practice and a week in Italy and come out the other side as friends. There were real bonds made by all of the players as they played with and for each other representing our conference with pride, and spent time traveling, joking and just having a good time with one another - that was special to see. I'd like to thank Coach Geoff Dains (Cal Lu) and Coach Ryan Conboy (Whittier) for all their help and support in making this first senior all-star trip a success, and hope that this is just the first of many more to come."

I hope to have some pictures up once I am fully acclimated to American time.

After our "travel" game we had a "free" day in Firenze (Florence) on Saturday and most of the day on Sunday to explore Montecatini (where our hotel was located) and/or travel to Pisa by train. The city of Montecatini was beautiful!!

But let's keep it on basketball......

Sunday, June 7, 2015

The SCIAC All-stars took on CUS Pisa, a mixture of players from 4 teams in the Italian 3rd division. The makeup of players for CUS came from Pisa and Livorno primarily. From the start we knew this would be the most legitimate/competitive game we would play all week. Even the officials looked official - they matched from jersey to their shoes!!!

CUS had size at every position and were very skilled in all facets of the game. Their size downplayed any lack of athleticism they had against us. The first half was a back and forth affair, as both teams struggled to get anything going consistently. The competitive nature of both teams was very high, however.

SCIAC came out very physical, pounding the ball down low to John Joyce and Niall Harrison and getting very positive results. Coltrane Powdrill and Andrew Hogue were constantly attacking the basket, with Powdrill drawing many fouls and getting to the FT line.  The guards, however, were having a difficult time finding their stride on the offensive end, but they played fantastic on the defensive end.

The second half was a different story as the guards dominated the play, particularly Colin Zaversnick. Once he started hitting his long range shots, a huge sigh of relief came over the team, and the rim got bigger for everyone. Zaversnick, Taylor Hamasaki, Arik Smith, and Powdrill all showed why they averaged over 18 ppg this season. Hamasaki was cutting up the defense with ball handling, Zaversnick hit 3 threes, Smith hit 2 more 3-balls (including 2 dunks) and Powdrill was drilling his patented pull up jumpers.

Hampered by a hamstring injury all week, Nick Demusis showed flashes of his old self with some nice drives and finishes at the rim. Michael Cohen was running the PG and had some beautiful drives to the basket. And Andrew Bucholtz ran his complete all-around floor game with defense, rebounds and assists.

Stat Leaders:
Joyce - 13 pts, 4 rebounds and two steals
Zaversnick - 22 pts, four rebounds, four assists, four steals
Powdrill - 8 pts, seven rebounds and two assists
Smith - 10 pts
Andrew Bucholtz - 11 Rebs.

It has been a fantastic trip. Now we look forward to a four hour bus ride to Milan, as we have to catch a 10 am flight!!

 Friday, June 5, 2015

After having breakfast at 8 AM, we packed up and got on the bus to travel to Montecatini. The total drive time to here was about five hours.  About halfway through we stopped off in a little town in Tuscany called Siena. What an absolutely gorgeous place. Little did we know it is one of the most  sought after tourist attractions in Italy.

If you didn't know what you were getting yourself into, like most of us did not, you would think we just walked into a small little Italian village. After walking around through the alley ways, you come upon some beautiful historic sites.  The first being the center of Siena, the Piazza Del Campo. Every year they have a horse race with the spectators in the middle of the track and looking from the windows in the buildings around the track.  From there, you walked out the spectacular stairway, through an archway system and come up on one of the most spectacular cathedrals in all of Italy, the Siena Cathedral or Duomo. The spectacular facade was finished in 1380 and at the time was the largest Cathedral in the world. But due to lack of funds, war and disease they only completed about half. Spectacular nonetheless! After seeing the sights we are able to walk around and have lunch. Most of the group went to a local Ristorante overlooking the rest of the city where we enjoyed a nice plate of pasta served with local wild boar, evidently killed that morning. DELIZIOSO!!! And of course we finished off the meal with gelato.

Afterwards, we had about an hour to ourselves before getting on the bus heading to our hotel in Montetecatini.  We did have a game that night at 8:30 PM. But the next two hours on the bus were great. It was really great to hear all the players interacting about their experiences at their respected schools. Talking about they game planned for each other and rehashing all the special instances that happened during their seasons. Come to find out, it didn't matter what school they went to they had the same funny stories about their coaches, teammates, and each other. It was a great thing to overhear!!!

Now to the game:
If there was a reporter writing about the game, it would've been titled, "SCIAC ALL STARS 'TRAVEL' to loss against Cestistica Pescia!!  They had an unfortunate loss at the buzzer on an offensive rebound. The final was 67-65. But the story of the game was the 26 turnovers, easily half were due to traveling calls. You would think when playing international basketball, traveling would not be an issue. But evidently they stress the call when in fast break situations.  We knew about the rule, but didn't have enough time to really prepare to play that particular rule in the system. We learned That the ball needs to be balanced immediately upon a catch. We had steel after steel and fast-break after fast-break negated due to us not putting the ball down quick enoughThat the ball needs to be balanced immediately upon a catch. We had steal after steal and fast-break after fast-break negated due to us not putting the ball  down quick enough.  At one point, Colin Zaversnick had 4 steals that were immediately called travels  despite not having anyone in front of him for an easy layup. he even had to three-point shots wiped off due to " travels." The SCIAC All-Stars could never get into a rhythm.

They however did take a lead late in the fourth quarter. Arik Smith hit back-to-back three pointers only to have  Cestistica Percia match him with a three pointer and three-point play of their own to keep the game tied. Taylor Hamasaki, had a chance to take the lead with 20 seconds remaining, however his miss lead to a fast break, quick shot, and offensive rebound for the score at the buzzer.

Cestistica was led  by their 6'9" center who pumped in 30 points and 12 rebounds. Most of his damage coming through the first three quarters. Niall Harrison and Andrew Hogue played great physical defense and held him in check most of the fourth quarter. Andrew was even described as "Julius peppers" due to his physical nature on the glass and on defense.  Arik Smith was the only player in double figures with 17 points. Zaversnick,  despite having several points, approximately 10, taken away finished second in scoring with nine. Andrew Bucholtz,  had a great all-around game with seven points, 10 rebounds, to assists and two steals.

The All-Stars, will need a little break after three games in three nights. We will spend all day tomorrow in Florence, sightseeing and relaxing.The All-Stars, will need a little break after three games in three nights. We will spend all day tomorrow in Florence, sightseeing and relaxing.

Sorry for the delay in getting this out. Due to our travel schedule, lack of Wi-Fi, and trying to catch up on sleep, this is the first opportunity to get this in.

Thursday,  June 4,  2015

Today we visited the Vatican city Museum and the Sistine Chapel. Due to the long lines, even at 8 AM, we all decided to spend nine extra euros through a travel Agency to get to the front of the line and enter the museum as it opened. Probably the best money we spent all trip thus far.

I don't think it would be fair for me to discuss every emotion that everyone of these players felt. But I do feel confident that they were surprisingly overwhelmed with the vastness and detail of everything they saw in the Vatican city Museum.   It was really great to see everyone hanging out together and discussing what they saw. Having them walk into The Sistine Chapel together, was quite interesting, as they were all looking up and trying to sneak a picture here and there without getting caught by security.  I am pretty confident that they all got great pictures.  They will truly cherish this experience.

From there, they all ventured over to Piazza San Pietro.  Unfortunately, we couldn't get into the Basilica di San Pietro due to the long lines and the short time we needed to get back to the hotel in preparation for the game later that night. But many pictures were taken  and many experiences were created.

By 5 PM, we had to be on the bus as we had a two hour ride to Sora.  There the SCIAC all-stars tipped off against the C-league, ASD Pallacanestro SORA.  As you can imagine, they had a very slow start. Walking all day, a two hour bus ride, a game the night before, and very little sleep lead to very heavy legs.  Despite sloppy play after one half, SCIAC  was ahead 41 to 32. Once the SCIAC got momentum, and a good feel for the pace of the game they dominated the second half and won 97-71.  The two Kingsmen, Arik Smith and Coltrane Powdrill led the way with 27 and 16 points. Colin Zaversnick  had a great second-half scoring 11 of his 13 points and Niall Harrison also scored in double figures with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Cohen pumped in seven points, and Nick Demusis, despite dealing with a hamstring injury scored six points, five rebounds, three steals and four assists.

Tomorrow, we wake up early and travel 5 hours to Florence with a stop in Siena, and have our third game in three nights.

You can watch tonight's second half at www.soraweb.it

 Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Waking up early at 6:30 AM was quite the chore, as we have yet  to get adjusted to the time change. But we made it down for our buffet breakfast before we headed out on the bus to see downtown Rome at 830. To say the least, the bus ride through downtown Rome was an adventure. As a pedestrian, a Vespa driver, or the driver of a Fiat, you are constantly in survival mode switching lanes or making a simple left turn.

After several stoplights, U-turns, and illegal crossings we made it to our first destination, a small farmers market in the middle of the city.   In the  piazza Campo dei Fiori, we all ventured around looking at the available spices, foods, and trinkets for purchase. Of all the items, this selfie stick became the most popular item!! Andrew Bucholtz's bartering skills were in full effect as he purchased the hot item  at 50% of cost. Just follow him on Instagram and you will see all of his pictures from his selfie stick!!

From there, we moved  through the Piazza Navona and  on to the world-famous Pantheon.  To say the least, everyone was truly excited to see and learn about the history and to see the culture that was around them.  We moved on over to the Trevi fountain but unfortunately it was under renovation. There was no water, so no wishes could be made by throwing two coins over your shoulder. But they did allow close up views with the scaffolding.  But we were still rewarded with some fantastic gelato!

From there, we walked through the Foro Romano, The heart of ancient Rome. Also known as the political, economic, religious and commercial hub of the city during Republican times. This path, of course let us directly to the COLOSSEO,  or Coliseum.  Our tour guide, George,  worked his magic and got us in without the typical wait. to say the least, it was an unbelievable site. I think we heard more "GLADIATOR" quotes during the tour then if you had actually watched the movie. The team is truly excited to be there and to be able to witness this spectacular multipurpose venue.

After the coliseum, we ventured on the subway back to the hotel for a little R and R as we needed to prepare for our game against ASD Petriana Roma, an 8 pm tipoff.   As you could imagine, after a long day of walking, the SCIAC all stars  started off a little sluggish.  After  being down early, they were able to make a great run and take a 34 to 29 lead by the end of the quarter.  They found their stride in the middle of the second quarter and took a 56-47 lead into halftime.  From then on the SCIAC all-stars  blew the lead wide open and cruised to a 125 to 78 victory. From a coaching perspective, it was great to see all of these great players work together both offensivelyand defensively!  They truly trust each other, and have no problem passing the ball to each other.

Taylor Hamasaki led all scorers with 25 points  as he was able to score from all over the court with unbelievable drives and timely three-pointers.   But the team was very well-balanced as everybody pitched in. Arik Smith  was probably the most favorite player with the fans after his two amazing NBA like dunks over unexpected defenders.   John Joyce, Niall Harrison, and Andrew Hogue were very physical and created a lot of havoc in the low post. Colin Zaversnick was his typical self with 5, 3-pointers. He also showed off his defensive display with five block shots.

Now everyone must get some rest as we have another early morning planned, heading to the Vatican. I think Bucholtz is planning on taking a selfie with the Pope.  And tomorrow night they will tip off against ASD Pallacanestro SORA at 8 pm!

Day 1:
The SCIAC All-star trip has begun and we have all arrived safely in Rome with minimal hiccups. We flew out of LAX to Madrid, Spain.  After a 2 hr layover, we flew into Rome. Once we found John Joyce's passport, that had fallen out of his pocket, at Rome airport security we were met by our Premeire International tour guide, George. George, to say the least, is a jovial Croation/Serbian gentleman that self admits he likes his cigarette, cappuccino, cigarette, cappuccino every morning. Probably, in that order.

Once at the hotel, we were served dinner - Bread w/olive oil, 2 large portions of pasta, porkchops, spinach, salad, and of course, a nice ending cup of GELATTO!!  It was a very nice meal to end our very long, first leg, of our trip!

We plan on visiting Downtown Rome from 845 am - 4 pm, having lunch in the city during the site seeing. We will return to the hotel for dinner, then prepare for our first game at 8pm.

It is really neat to hear these young men laugh, talk, and interact about their experiences in the SCIAC and from their particular schools. These guys have competed against each other for 2-4 years and now they get to play for each other. Great start to to what looks like a fantastic trip!!

I will try to keep you updated the best I can!!

The SCIAC All-Stars had their final tune-up scrimmage last night at Whittier college.  After a couple of 5 minute halves of intrasquad, the SCIAC team joined together to play a mix of local college graduates and NBA hopefuls.  To say the least, there is a difference between a 1st-Team SCIAC two-guard and Stanley Johnson, a predicted lottery pick, from Arizona.  All-in-all, the SCIAC team is coming together nicely and look to be very competitive for their four games in Rome and Florence from June 2-7.  They will be leaving today and returning June 8th. I will try to keep you all updated as we move forward.
Ciao!

Roster:

Bucholtz, Andrew - Whittier
Cohen, Michael - Pomona-Pitzer
Demusis, Nick - Whitter
Hamasaki, Taylor - Chapman
Harrison, Niall - Laverne
Hogue, Andrew - Cal Tech
Joyce, John - Chapman
Powdrill, Coltrane - CLU
Smith, Arik - CLU
Zavrsnick, Colin - Chapman

Head Coach - Mark Jensen - Whittier
Asst. Coach - Geoff Daiins - CLU
Asst. Coach - Ryan Conboy - Whittier

The SCIAC All-Star team had their first warm-up game against the Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter, before they head to Italy to play four games from June 1-8.  Despite only having six players at their disposal due to conflicting schedules and injuries, and being undersized against a team that featured three 6'7 players, the SCIAC team won 84-82.  Colin Zavrsnick (Chapman) was fouled with .7 secs and knocked down 2 FTs for the win.  In tonight's contest, Zavrsnick was joined by fellow teammate Taylor Hamasaki, CLU's Arik Smith, CIT's Andrew Hogue, and Whittier's Andrew Bucholtz.  Nick Demusis (Whittier) and Michael Cohen (PP) were in attendance, but could not play due to minor injuries.  Not in attendance were Coltrane Powdrill (CLU), John Joyce (CHAP), and Niall Harrison (ULV).

The Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter, is one of the top teams that play in the Pan-Armenian games, once every four years.
https://www.ararat.org/divisions/athletics/pan-armenian.html
http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/25/6th-pan-armenian-games-on-august-2-13/

The Ararat Chapter featured 2004 SCIAC MVP, Zareh Avedian (CLU, 6'7), Narbeh Ebrahimian (SDSU, 6'4), and Zareh Zargaryan (CSDH, 6'7).

It was a good first showing.  The SCIAC team is hoping to have two more exhibitions before they leave on Monday.

The NABC Division III All-Star game is uploaded to youtube.

http://youtu.be/jnEyG-3au-k