Visiting Australian Basketball Coach Talks Hoops in the U.S.

Two high school teams from Australia traveled halfway across the globe for a basketball tour of the United States. Woodville High School from St Clair, South Australia, and Northern Beaches Christian School from Terry Hills, a suburb of Sydney, Australia, both competed in the La Grange Schmeckenfest Tournament, which was held Dec. 4-6.

On Friday the Record caught up with one of their coaches, Ryan Vivian from Woodville High, who spoke about their experiences here in the States.

“The visit has been great,” Vivian said. “Our students are enjoying experiencing the different culture and what America has to offer. Everyone is so warm and has welcomed us with open arms. Our group has really appreciated this.”

Woodville brought three teams with them to the U.S. – a boys varsity team, a boys JV team and a girls varsity team. Vivian spoke about the level of competition he’s seen so far.

“We play against a similar standard back home, but it’s a completely different style of play over here,” he said.

“For instance we have always played with a shot clock,” he said. “So without this, our three teams have been a little lost. It’s been a great challenge for our teams in adjusting to this.”

That’s not the only difference he’s noticed. The American game is much more physical, he said.

“The refs over here let a lot more go than back home,” he said. “Our players have had to work on their resilience and next-play mentality as they are often used to getting the whistle. So playing through this amount of contact has been really good for them. This will make our players more physical and strong-minded for when we return home.”

Vivian said the highlight of the trip has been all the hospitality shown to his team in the United States.

“La Grange has put on a great tournament and all schools competing have been awesome in getting to know off the court,” he said.

Vivian said his players have seen NBA games and trained with the Dallas Mavericks youth coaches during their visit to the U.S.

“We’re off to Austin next while we continue our adventure through Texas,” he said.