On a night of celebration and camaraderie, Kurtz Gym served as the Mecca of basketball.
The crowd was yelling and screaming, the “chefs” were stirring, everyone was all smiles, as Frankton Blues center Nicolas Tata threw down a pair of slam dunks late in action.
Players on The Dalles and Frankston boys’ basketball teams shared a bond for hoops, and there is hope that the two teams will keep their friendships for years to come.
“Tonight’s game was an awesome experience,” said The Dalles senior Dawson Hoffman. “The amazing part of this game is, it doesn’t matter your nationality, if you play the game, you’re going to love it and sharing that with the Australian team was an amazing opportunity. I believe our whole team is thankful for the chance to play against them and both sides showed more sportsmanship than I’ve seen in a long time.”
The Blues, coached by Stephen Blackley and Paul Groat, have a varsity roster of 10 players traveling across the United States for exhibition games as part of a partnership with a handful of schools to promote international camaraderie through the game of basketball.
“Every tour, it kind of opens up the students’ eyes and seeing them have a lot of fun,” said Blackley, in an interview with www.swxrightnow.com. “A lot of these kids are best mates and have been playing together for ten years, so to see them travel overseas and have fun together is probably the best thing.”
In year’s past, several other schools and programs have participated in this showcase.
Dufur High School hosted Australian teams in 2009 and 2010 for a handful of boys’ and girls’ games, with athletic director Jack Henderson developing a fruitful relationship with Australian organizers.
While in college, The Dalles head coach and Dufur alum, Nathan Morris, traveled to Australia for a month and said that he found the Australian people to be some of the kindest and most gracious people he has ever encountered.
On the court, the play and strategy, as well as the focus on teamwork and sportsmanship are no different, even though the two teams play games more than 8,200 miles apart.
“It was really neat to talk to their coaches about basketball in Australia versus basketball in the U.S.,” Morris said. “The game is virtually the same, but the experiences are vastly different. Over there, it is all club ball, not schools. That made me extremely grateful for the high school basketball experience I get to be a part of here.
“Here, we have students in the stands dressed up and going crazy regardless of the score. Over there, it sounds as if there are only a few parents watching games in large facilities with multiple games on multiple courts. It made me realize how lucky we are here.”
The Blues won the game by a 67-26, but the last thing on anyone’s mind was who won or lost, as the emphasis was placed on forming friendships through sport, with each program offering tidbits on defensive, offensive and coaching philosophies.
Although there are a few differences, the game still revolves around a synthetic leather ball, an 84-foot long court, referees and players.
“It was a great experience to see how another country plays basketball,” said The Dalles center Henry Lee. “I think that sports bring different cultures and countries together to show a love for the game.”
The focal point for the Australian program is on learning and teaching, and the number of hoops participants has seen a sharp increase over the years.
Per its team website, the Blues program includes over 46 junior teams and two senior teams, which compete in Basketball Victoria’s (BV) Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) and in Basketball Australia’s (BA) South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL).
Junior team age groups range from 12U-20U boys and girls with team selection tryouts taking place each October.
In the 2016-17 season, there are 460 players representing Frankston Basketball, as part of the Blues program, making the Blues one of the largest sporting clubs on the Mornington Peninsula.
Many of the players, coaches and some parents stay in the homes of host families for the evening or for selected weekends, sharing stories and experiences they will never forget.
The Blues have previously visited the East Coast, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, even playing a game against the University of Washington.
The million-dollar question is will The Dalles ever make a trip to Australia for a basketball showcase tour?
With the Sherman Husky boys’ team traveling to Hawaii and The Dalles girls playing in tournament games in San Diego in December, the plan could come to fruition through in-depth planning and the almighty dollar.
The Dalles’ all-league junior guard Dakota Murr is a well-traveled basketball athlete, playing in all-star games and AAU tournaments during the spring and summer.
Murr said the traveling experience is rewarding and is a great way to tie people together.
He embraced the possibilities of one day taking a trip to Australia for some games and some leisure time, and called Wednesday’s basketball matchup a great showcase.
“If we could go overseas and play basketball, it would be a good opportunity to see what kind of culture it is like over in a different country,” Murr said.
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