Moraga, CA – The Saint Mary’s men’s basketball
team will depart for Australia on August 7 to play a six-game foreign
tour on the east side of the country. The Gaels will play six games in
12 days, before returning to Moraga on Aug. 19. SMC will spend time in
Melbourne, Sydney and on the Gold Coast, while playing games in
Wollongong and Brisbane.
The Gaels open the foreign tour on
Monday, Aug. 10 against the Wollongong Hawks of the National Basketball
League (NBL). The game will be played in Wollognong, Australia, which
is located about an hour south of Sydney.
SMC will then play
three games in Melbourne, the first on Aug. 11 versus the Australian
Institute of Sport. Game three will have the Gaels playing the
Dangenong Rangers of the Australian Basketball Association in Melbourne
on Aug. 13, followed the next day by a game against the Melbourne
Tigers (NBL).
Saint Mary’s will then travel north to the Gold
Coast for its final two games against the Gold Coast Blaze (NBL). The
first game against the Blaze will take place on Aug. 17 in Gold Coast,
with the second gamel being played on Aug. 18 in Brisbane.
To
follow the progress of the men’s basketball foreign tour, junior point
guard Mickey McConnell will write a daily blog from Australia.
McConnell’s blog will include highlights from each day’s activities in
Australia, and will be posted on the Saint Mary’s athletic website.
Prior
to the team leaving for Australia, Head Coach Randy Bennett has offered
to open the team’s final practice to season ticket holders and alumni
to allow them to get an inside look at the team’s progress before it
departs.
The open practice will be held on Thursday, Aug. 6th
from 4-6 pm in McKeon Pavilion. At the conclusion of practice, all
fans still in attendance will be invited to mingle and eat with the
team. Food and drinks will be provided by the Saint Mary’s Athletic
Department.
The event is free, but space is limited, so
please be sure to RSVP to the ticket office by calling 925.631.4392 or
by emailing smctickets@stmarys-ca.edu.
Australia Tour Game Schedule Date Opponent Location 8/10/09 Wollongong Hawks (NBL) Wollongong, Australia 8/11/09 Australian Institute of Sport Canberra, Australia 8/13/09 Dandenong Rangers (SEABL/ABA) Melbourne, Australia 8/14/09 Melbourne Tigers (NBL) Melbourne, Australia 8/17/09 Gold Coast Blaze (NBL) Gold Coast, Australia 8/18/09 Gold Coast Blaze (NBL) Brisbane, Australia
Courtesy: SMC Athletics
