Drexel University Athletics
Dragons Down Under: Melbourne
8/19/2018 2:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PHOTO GALLERY
MELBOURNE, Australia - On Friday afternoon, the men's basketball traveling party left from the DAC on its way to Philadelphia International Airport for an opportunity of a lifetime. Coach Spiker and his team packed up for a 12-day visit to Australia, where the Dragons would face four opponents in three different cities. As important as the games will be, the student-athletes cultural experiences will be something that will be remembered for a lifetime.
For most of the traveling party, day one of the trip would be the longest day of their life...and not in a bad way. After a two-hour delay on the tarmac in Philly, the squad flew to Los Angeles. The layover was brief, but the next flight would not be. The Qantas double-decker plane took the team on a 16-hour ride all the way from L.A. to Melbourne. One of the Spiker children on the plane was asking around if anyone had plans for Saturday. He clearly did his homework and research trying to trick some of these college students. The trip was so long and so far that for one day (August 18), the travel party never set foot on the earth. When the plane touched down on Aussie soil, it was 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 19.
That was really just the start. If you listened to women's soccer player Emma Heckenberg, a Melbourne native who spoke to the team last week, you heard her say don't sleep until after you eat on the plane to Melbourne. She also said sleep as much as possible because when you land, your day begins. Well, she was right. After a pass through customs and immigration, we headed down to baggage claim where all was right for all of the players. Only two bags were missing, and none of them carried a uniform, so it was off to exploring for the day.
We took a bus over to a part of Melbourne just outside the CBD (Central Business District) with a bunch of cafes and small restaurants in an alley. Lots of places to choose from, so the guys were able to spend almost two hours finding their way about the town. With our stomachs finally full and our legs stretched out after the monster of a flight, it was off to the hotel. The rooms weren't ready as we figured, so we dropped our bags off and walked less than a mile away to Ethiad Stadium to watch Carlton play Western in Australian Rules Football. Yes, this is the same Australian Rules Football that was a staple of the early days of ESPN back when a few of the members of the travel party were kids. However, the majority of the group really didn't know what was going on, but that didn't damper the enthusiasm. The sport is a combination of rugby, football and a little bit of soccer. It is very physical and exciting. So after watching three quarters of the game and trying out one of the local treats called Meat Pies, we headed back to the hotel. After a long day that lasted more than 36 hours, we were finally able to get out of our travel clothes and get a hot shower.
The day was not done as our travel guide had one more excursion before we grabbed dinner on our own and went to bed. The team walked about a mile the other way to the Eureka Tower. This impressive building has a sky deck that stands 297 meters above the earth. For you who don't know the metric system, a meter is a little more than a yard, which means it is just under 1,000 feet. The sky deck is one of the top five tallest building in the southern hemisphere. There are magnificent views from the top floors of Melbourne, the second largest city in the nation.
By the time the tour was over and the team got dinner, it was 8 p.m. Usually at that time, the night would be just beginning, but in this case, it was almost done. This group was ready to call it a night and start to prepare for tomorrow. Drexel will be facing Dandenong on Monday evening here in Melbourne. If you would like to watch the game, it will be live steamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAruFFRa-SI. You will have to get up early, as 7 p.m. here is 5 a.m back in Philadelphia.
To keep up with Drexel basketball while the team is in Australia, follow us on Instagram and Twitter for more of our Aussie adventures.
MELBOURNE, Australia - On Friday afternoon, the men's basketball traveling party left from the DAC on its way to Philadelphia International Airport for an opportunity of a lifetime. Coach Spiker and his team packed up for a 12-day visit to Australia, where the Dragons would face four opponents in three different cities. As important as the games will be, the student-athletes cultural experiences will be something that will be remembered for a lifetime.
For most of the traveling party, day one of the trip would be the longest day of their life...and not in a bad way. After a two-hour delay on the tarmac in Philly, the squad flew to Los Angeles. The layover was brief, but the next flight would not be. The Qantas double-decker plane took the team on a 16-hour ride all the way from L.A. to Melbourne. One of the Spiker children on the plane was asking around if anyone had plans for Saturday. He clearly did his homework and research trying to trick some of these college students. The trip was so long and so far that for one day (August 18), the travel party never set foot on the earth. When the plane touched down on Aussie soil, it was 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 19.
That was really just the start. If you listened to women's soccer player Emma Heckenberg, a Melbourne native who spoke to the team last week, you heard her say don't sleep until after you eat on the plane to Melbourne. She also said sleep as much as possible because when you land, your day begins. Well, she was right. After a pass through customs and immigration, we headed down to baggage claim where all was right for all of the players. Only two bags were missing, and none of them carried a uniform, so it was off to exploring for the day.
We took a bus over to a part of Melbourne just outside the CBD (Central Business District) with a bunch of cafes and small restaurants in an alley. Lots of places to choose from, so the guys were able to spend almost two hours finding their way about the town. With our stomachs finally full and our legs stretched out after the monster of a flight, it was off to the hotel. The rooms weren't ready as we figured, so we dropped our bags off and walked less than a mile away to Ethiad Stadium to watch Carlton play Western in Australian Rules Football. Yes, this is the same Australian Rules Football that was a staple of the early days of ESPN back when a few of the members of the travel party were kids. However, the majority of the group really didn't know what was going on, but that didn't damper the enthusiasm. The sport is a combination of rugby, football and a little bit of soccer. It is very physical and exciting. So after watching three quarters of the game and trying out one of the local treats called Meat Pies, we headed back to the hotel. After a long day that lasted more than 36 hours, we were finally able to get out of our travel clothes and get a hot shower.
The day was not done as our travel guide had one more excursion before we grabbed dinner on our own and went to bed. The team walked about a mile the other way to the Eureka Tower. This impressive building has a sky deck that stands 297 meters above the earth. For you who don't know the metric system, a meter is a little more than a yard, which means it is just under 1,000 feet. The sky deck is one of the top five tallest building in the southern hemisphere. There are magnificent views from the top floors of Melbourne, the second largest city in the nation.
By the time the tour was over and the team got dinner, it was 8 p.m. Usually at that time, the night would be just beginning, but in this case, it was almost done. This group was ready to call it a night and start to prepare for tomorrow. Drexel will be facing Dandenong on Monday evening here in Melbourne. If you would like to watch the game, it will be live steamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAruFFRa-SI. You will have to get up early, as 7 p.m. here is 5 a.m back in Philadelphia.
To keep up with Drexel basketball while the team is in Australia, follow us on Instagram and Twitter for more of our Aussie adventures.
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