Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Basketball Postcards from Italy: Video Postscript
5/26/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 11, 2010
Here is our final video installment from the men's basketball tour of Italy. In this episode, G.W. Boon serves as host on the final day in Lake Como, and some players provide final thoughts on the trip on the return home. All in all, it was a great experience for the Bison team and staff. We hope you enjoyed the coverage!
June 10, 2010
Today's video installment includes D.J. Rowe acting as a tour guide in Venice, Colin Klebon handling host duties for a gondola ride, and Joe Willman describing the action for Bucknell's game against Reyer Venezia. Day 8 focuses on Stephen Tyree acting as tour guide for Verona and the final game of the trip. Enjoy!
June 9, 2010
Here is the video from Days 5 & 6 in Italy. Today's installment features the tour of Pisa and the game against Lucca, as well as a tour of Florence. Probese Leo and Darryl Shazier are your hosts.
June 8, 2010
Hope you enjoy video from Days 3 and 4 in Italy. Mike Muscala, Bryson Johnson and Enoch Andoh are your tour guides for these days, and you won't want to miss the video of the "Amazing Race."
June 7, 2010
As mentioned in an earlier post, Doug Birdsong was in Italy with us and chronicled the trip on his video camcorder. Here is some video from the first two days in Italy, with more to follow each day this week. Enjoy!
June 3, 2010
Hello from Lake Como, Italy!
Our final full day in Italy was one of the best. As mentioned in yesterday's entry, the Lake Como region of Northern Italy is magnificent. The "Y" shaped lake has glacial origins, and it sits among the high-rising peaks of the Italian Alps towering above. Many of those peaks are snow-capped, and everywhere you go the scenery changes to another postcard. The area is filled with quaint little towns nestled along the lakeside, with elegant shops and eateries. This is definitely a place for the rich and famous, as many of the waterfront villas are priced in the multi-millions.
This morning, our entire traveling party boarded a boat for a tour of the lake. In addition to many historic villas, some dating back to the fourth century, we saw homes owned by George Clooney, Richard Branson, the King of Egypt, the Rockefeller heirs and many others. We stopped for a short time in the resort town of Bellagio, then returned back to the town of Como where many of us rode a funicular up the side of the mountain to the small village of Brunate.
Brunate offered unbelievable panoramas down to Como, Cerniobbio and the surrounding mountains. Not only were the views incredible, but so was our homemade lunch at a small restaurant on the mountainside. Everyone who sampled Alberto's grilled pork and potatoes agreed that it was the best lunch of the week.
The day was capped off with a team dinner on an outdoor lawn right on the lake. One more outstanding meal punctuated the fact that we will all be hard-pressed to find food like this back home.
Tomorrow morning we will have a 6:30 a.m. wakeup call so we can bus to Milan to catch our Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt, then on back to Philadelphia.
Before we say ciao one last time from Italy, we would be remiss if we didn't mention our two outstanding chaperones who were with us the entire trip. Jason Sarkies of Basketball Travelers, Inc., was our logistical liaison. He has escorted numerous college teams all over the world on tours such as this, and his experience and advice was invaluable. And not only that, but he fit in great with our group and has become a great friend to Bison Basketball.
When we first arrived in Rome, we also met our Italian guide, Sara Bello. Quite simply, the trip would not have been possible without Sara, who served as logistical coordinator, concierge, translator and friend. About the only thing she didn't do this week was call our plays on the bench during the games. Thanks to Jason and Sara, the travel has been flawless so far.
Also a shout out to our bus driver, Quericco. As mentioned in an earlier entry, Italian drivers can be nuts, and he maneuvered our bus though the narrow streets of Rome and Florence as if he was driving a small Fiat. By the time the trip ends, he will have loaded and unloaded all of our luggage nine times, every time with a smile.
And one other final peace of housekeeping. Our "Postcards from Italy" blog will continue all next week, as we unveil the video highlights from each day of the trip. From Monday through Friday next week, we will post two days worth of video at a time. We hope you'll check it out!
Ciao!
June 2, 2010
Buongiorno from lovely Lake Como, Italy, which if it isn't the most picturesque place on earth, it has to be on the short list.
This morning the Bucknell basketball group left Mestre for Como, with a stop in Verona along the way. We were graced with postcard views of the snowcapped Dolomites and Italian Alps all along the bus ride, and then as we approached Como on the freeway, we got a breathtaking elevated view down into the lake and surrounding mountains. There was an audible gasp on the bus as everyone scurried to the right side of the aisle to take in the magnificent scenery.
After checking into the hotel, the team went to their pregame meal, and the rest of the support group made the 10-minute walk into the quaint town of Cernobbio, which is nestled right along Lake Como. Check out the photo gallery for some shots of the lake from Cernobbio (and we'll have some more tomorrow when we take our boat tour), but trust us, only the human eye can give you a full appreciation.
Unfortunately, tonight's game was not quite as pretty as the scenery, even though Bucknell put the lid on the hoops portion of the trip with a 92-73 victory over Castelleto Ticino to finish 3-1 in Italy. This was a B1 Division club that we thought was going to give us a stern test, but Ticino had several key players injured late in its season and was undermanned tonight.
Bucknell pumped in 62 first-half points and led by 29 at the half, and the Bison extended the lead to as many as 40 (78-38) in the third quarter before clearing the bench. Ticino was a good 3-point shooting team and closed within 19 in the final minute, but the game was not nearly as close as the final score indicated.
Playing for the second time in 48 hours after a tough loss to A2 Division Reyer Venezia last night, the Bison again played with great energy and ran circles around Ticino right from the opening tap. Bucknell was 22-for-41 from the field and 7-for-15 from the 3-point arc in the 62-point first half, and it was shooting almost 60 percent from the field midway through the third quarter when virtually everyone in the regular rotation went to the bench for good.
Five Bison scored in double figures, four of them freshmen. Mike Muscala, Joe Willman and Bryson Johnson scored 13 points apiece and Colin Klebon and Stephen Tyree both added 11. Muscala led the way with eight rebounds. Darryl Shazier handed out six assists and Bryan Cohen five. The Bison had 25 assists and only 11 turnovers while finishing 36-for-74 from the field. Bucknell had a 42-29 rebounding edge and forced 20 turnovers.
Ticino's top player, Masieri, tallied 26 points and 10 rebounds, and guard Conte finished with 15 points, all on 3-pointers. Ticino went 12-for-22 from 3-point range and was 25-for-58 overall.
"They had some guys hurt, which was disappointing as we would have liked for the game to be more challenging," said head coach Dave Paulsen. "Last night we played very hard, and it would have been great to see our guys rewarded with an opportunity to get a hard-earned win in an evenly matched game tonight. We played very, very hard again tonight, and we played unselfishly. They did challenge us from a defensive standpoint. They forced us into our rotations by moving the ball well, typical of the European style. Obviously, we got anything we wanted on offense. It was a great way to end the basketball portion of the trip."
Verona was a very nice city and well worth the stop for lunch. Like Rome, Verona has an ancient Colisseum located just off the town square. This Colisseum is smaller than Rome's but much better preserved. In fact, they still hold operas in the stadium throughout the year.
Verona is the town that inspired Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and we paid a visit to the famed Juliet's Balcony. There is a bronze statue of Juliet there, and if you touch Juliet's heart, you are said to be lucky in love. Many in the group did just that.
After eating lunch in Verona, it was back on the highway for the scenic ride to Como. Tomorrow we will hire a boat to take us all around the lake, with a stop for lunch in the famous Bellagio resort town. Then we will have dinner in the town of Como, right on the lake.
It's hard to believe tomorrow will be our final full day in Italy!
Until then, ciao!
June 1, 2010
Greetings once again from Mestre, where a weary bunch of Bison have just arrived back at the hotel after another long day of activity in Northeast Italy. Our group spent the first part of the day exploring the picturesque city of Venice, and then this evening the team suffered its first loss of the tour, falling 77-65 to Italian A2 Division side Umana Reyer Venezia.
We figured this would be the best team Bucknell would face on the trip, and while we don't know much about tomorrow's opponent, this was certainly the best so far. During the regular season, Reyer Venezia featured three American players, hailing from Ohio State, Illinois and Niagara, but since their season ended a few weeks ago, the American guys had returned home. No matter, Reyer still had plenty of talent, led by 6-5 guard Kristaps Janicenoks, a member of the Latvian national team. They were not only skilled in the backcourt, but they were huge up front. Reyer's starting center was 6-11, they brought a 7-footer off the bench and had three other regulars at 6-8 or 6-9. And don't forget, these are Italian pros, so many of them are well into their 20s and 30s, as evidenced by the team's wives section behind their bench.
As a result of Reyer's size, Bucknell struggled to get anything going offensively in the low post, other than some offensive rebound put-backs. In their last game, the Bison went 10-for-20 from 3-point range, and they could have used some more of that tonight, but the jump shots simply were not falling even though there were some open looks. Bucknell ended up shooting 31.6 percent from the field and made only 6 of 22 3-point attempts.
After not scoring much in the first two games, Darryl Shazier was the team's top man tonight with 15 points, including a 3-for-3 effort from the arc. Mike Muscala had a roller-coaster night, making his first shot, then missing his next eight before making four in a row, including a 3-pointer. Muscala finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, and he is now averaging 16.3 points and 8.7 boards in Italy. Joe Willman had six points and a game-high 11 rebounds, and Stephen Tyree added six points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Coach Dave Paulsen was quick to single out Bryan Cohen's play following the game. Cohen finished with 10 points and four assists while playing very good defense on Janicenoks all night long. Janicenoks scored 15 points, but he made three jumpers with Cohen right in his shirt pocket.
Even though the team did not shoot well, Paulsen was very pleased with the energy level for a late game, following another day of sightseeing in the warm sunshine.
"It is disappointing to lose the game, because any time we are on the court we expect to win, but we competed extremely hard against a very good team," said Paulsen after the game. "To beat a team this strong, this big and this old, you have to make shots, and we weren't able to do that tonight. Defensively, they move the ball so well that they forced us into some third and fourth rotations, which was a great test for us. I thought we played very well defensively for the most part and we rebounded fairly well against a much bigger team. If we continue to compete that hard, then iron out some of our weaknesses, we have a chance to be very good."
The Bison trailed 16-15 after one period, then cut a seven-point deficit back to one (29-28) at the half after a Tyree steal led to a Shazier breakaway layup in the final seconds of the half. Bucknell was right in the game despite making only 11 of 36 first-half shots, and then they took the lead on Willman's layup on the first possession of the third quarter. But then the Bison missed six shots in a row and Reyer scored seven straight points to take the lead for good.
Down 50-38 later in the third, the Bison went on a 7-2 run, keyed by a Shazier trey, to pull within 52-45. But 34-year-old Reyer captain Alberto Causin nailed one of his three dagger second-half 3-pointers to stretch the lead back to 10 by the end of the third quarter.
Inside five minutes to play Shazier hit another 3-pointer and the Bison had the ball down by just five at 63-58, but they threw a bad pass on an entry feed, and at the other end Janicenoks nailed another of Reyer's 10 3-pointers on the night to squelch Bucknell's momentum.
It was a single-digit game until the Bison fouled in the final minute. Reyer made their free throws, then finished it off with a 3-point play in the final few seconds.
Reyer finished with a 44-42 rebounding edge and shot 28-for-62 overall, 10-for-23 from the 3-point arc. One game after committing 31 turnovers in a win over Arca Impressa Lucca, the Bison reduced that number to 11 tonight, with five of them coming on traveling calls.
Rodolfo Romboldoni had 13 points and Tommaso Rinaldi added 12 for Reyer. More stats follow at the end of today's entry.
Our day started with an 8:30 a.m. team breakfast, followed by the short bus ride to the docks to catch a water taxi into Venice. There are no motor vehicles or bicycles whatsoever in Venice. All travel is on foot or by boat. Three water taxis transported our traveling party into the historic city that was once the gateway to the West, one of the most powerful and important cities in the world.
Today it is ruled mostly by tourists, but it was well worth the trip. After taking a guided walking tour and learning about some of the city's finer points, we went on a tour of the Murano Glass Factory. The team was given a quick glassblowing demonstration and then most of the guys did some souvenir shopping in the Murano showroom.
Then the team had a few hours of free time to explore the city's narrow walkways and canals, most of which were lined with boutiques and restaurants. Venice is a labyrinth of streets and alleys, and it's easy to get lost. But around every corner was a new postcard quality scene, with gondola-lined canals winding through beautiful ancient buildings. Almost everyone filled up their digital camera cards today in Venice.
Fortunately, everyone made it back to the meeting point on time, and we were ferried back to Mestre to eat our pregame meal and get off our feet for awhile before the 8:30 p.m. game.
Tomorrow we will have our last long bus ride of the week, as we go from Mestre to Como, with a stop in Verona along the way. Verona was the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and we will visit the famed Juliet's balcony, where the story was born. Verona also has an ancient Colisseum. We will then continue on to Como, located in the Italian Alps, where we will check into the beautiful Grand Hotel di Como.
And at 9 p.m. tomorrow, the Bison will play their final game in Italy, facing Castelletto Ticino of the B1 League.
Check back with us tomorrow for another game recap and notes from the trip to Verona and Como.
Buono sera!
Bucknell (65)
Klebon 2-3 0-1 4, Johnson 2-11 0-0 6, Shazier 6-13 0-0 15, Willman 3-8 0-0 6, Tyree 3-6 0-0 6, Boon 1-9 0-0 3, Cohen 4-12 2-2 10, Muscala 6-15 0-0 13, Andoh 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-76 2-3 65.
Reyer Venezia (77)
Totals 28-62 11-15 77.
3-Point Goals: Bucknell 6-22 (Shazier 3-3, Johnson 2-10, Muscala 1-1, Boon 1-5, Cohen 0-3), Reyer 10-23. Rebounds: Bucknell 42 (Willman 11), Reyer 44. Assists: Bucknell 15 (Cohen, Shazier 4), Reyer 14. Steals: Bucknell 7 (Tyree 3), Reyer 3. Turnovers: Bucknell 11, Reyer 15.
May 31, 2010
Hello from Mestre, Italy!
It's hard to believe we are coming to the end of our sixth day in Italy. It seems like we just arrived! Today was another travel day, but since everyone agreed that Florence was such a special city, Coach Paulsen pushed back our departure time to Mestre and allowed everyone to have some additional free time in Florence.
Most everyone took advantage, heading out into town after breakfast to climb to the top of the Duomo or the adjacent bell tower, both of which offered unbelievable panoramic views of Florence and much of the Tuscany region. Many of the guys went souvenir shopping, perused some artwork and ate lunch at one of the many terrific trattorias in the city.
The team reconvened at the hotel at 2:30 p.m. for the four-hour bus ride to Mestre, which is located on the mainland just across from Venice. This was no ordinary bus ride, either. The trip took us through the peaks of the Apennine Mountains, and the scenery was breathtaking.
While Rome and Florence are noted for their history, art and architecture, Mestre is an industrial town with little to see. But for travelers it is a good place to stay when visiting Venice, as it is a short ferry ride away. Unlike the two very old, historic hotels in which we stayed earlier in the trip, now we are at the NH Laguna Palace Hotel, a modern glass and steel structure with a conference center and many more amenities.
The team enjoyed a nice dinner across the street from the hotel, and Bill Dearstyne '62 addressed the team before the meal. As mentioned in yesterday's entry. Mr. Dearstyne and his wife joined us in Florence, and they traveled on the bus with the team to Mestre. It is great having them here with us.
Tomorrow we will go into Venice for the first time, where we will receive a guided tour and some free time to explore the city on the canals. Then the team will return to Mestre to prepare for game No. 3, this one coming against the highest-level opponent we will see in Italy, an A2 Division team called Reyer Venezia.
Game time is 8:30 p.m., and the Bison will put their 2-0 record on the line against a team that features three American players who formerly played at Ohio State, Illinois and Niagara. This will be a great challenge for the guys, but a good offseason test nonetheless.
Tomorrow we will have a more in-depth recap and photo gallery of the day in Venice as well as the game.
Ciao!
May 30, 2010
Buongiorno from Florence, Italy!
For the second time this week, the Bucknell men's basketball team capped a day of fun and sightseeing with a convincing victory on the hardwood. Tonight in the small town of Lucca, located midway between Florence and Pisa, the Bison started slowly then stormed back to defeat Arca Impresa Lucca 82-68 behind 20 points and 10 rebounds from Mike Muscala and 18 points and five assists from Bryson Johnson.
This was a significant step up in competition from the first game in Aprilia, when the Bison completely outclassed a C Division team. Tonight's contest came opposite a B2 Division squad, and from the time we walked into the spacious 5,000-seat arena we could sense a different level of commitment. The Lucca team started two veteran guards who were both slick passers and accurate shooters, a burly center who went around 6-7, 275 and another solid big man at the power forward spot who ended up leading them in scoring with 16 points.
Perhaps still a bit affected by the walk up and down the Leaning Tower of Pisa earlier in the day, the Bison quickly found themselves down 7-0, 10-2 and 23-11. But they chipped away at that 12-point deficit late in the opening quarter. Spurred by a D.J. Rowe 3-pointer and a Patrick Behan fadeaway jumper in the lane, Bucknell cut the deficit to 25-20 after one period.
The second quarter belonged to Bryson Johnson, who after starting the game 0-for-3 from the arc, knocked down three in a row to give the Bison the lead for good. His first triple put Bucknell up for the first time at 27-25, and later he hit threes on consecutive possessions to make it 37-27. Lucca cut the margin in half, but Bucknell went back up by 10 at 47-37 at the half after some outstanding ball movement led to a Colin Klebon 3-point play with just three seconds left before the horn.
The Bison outscored Lucca 27-12 in the second period and finished the first half on a 36-14 run. Muscala, who went 8-for-12 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line, scored in just about every possible way. Twice in the first half he made impressive lefthanded finishes in the paint, he had two big put-backs in the second half and capped his 20-point game with a jumper just inside the 3-point arc.
Bucknell led 63-49 after three quarters, but things got a little scary in the fourth when Lucca hit a 3-pointer to cut what had been an 18-point lead late in the third period down to eight. But then Muscala answered with a big offensive rebound and layup to make it a 10-point game, and after a couple of defensive stops, Johnson drained his fifth 3-pointer of the night to make it 70-55. The Bison would go up by as many as 20 points at 80-60 before settling for the 14-point win.
The double-digit victory was all the more impressive considering the team struggled at times with the way European games are officiated. Not only are the FIBA rules slightly different than the NCAA or NBA, but the officials interpret the rules differently as well. For example, they are very stringent on first-move traveling calls. Here they want you to put the ball on the floor before you make a move, whereas in the United States, as long as your pivot foot is still intact you may begin your move before dribbling. One of the NCAA leaders in fewest turnovers last season, Bucknell was charged with 31 turnovers in this game, at least half of which came on traveling violations.
The international officials are also picky about contact away from the ball, especially on rebounds. Bucknell battled major foul trouble all night long tonight. Two starters went to the bench with two fouls in the first few minutes of the game. Ultimately two players fouled out, four others had either three or four fouls, and the team was whistled for a total of 28.
The turnovers and foul problems aside, the Bison played well for the final three-and-a-half quarters. They outrebounded and at times outhustled their opponent. The final rebound total was 45-26, even with Lucca grabbing the game's first six of the game. This comes after Bucknell outrebounded Asprilia 61-20 the other night. Stephen Tyree led all players with 11 rebounds, and he also made the hustle play of the night, a play that was somewhat reminiscent of Rajon Rondo's play for the Celtics against the Magic in the NBA playoffs a few weeks ago that was featured all over the highlight shows. A Lucca player threw an errant pass back toward midcourt, and one of their guards jogged back to retrieve the loose ball. But Tyree came out of nowhere and not only beat the man to the ball, but he finished a 3-point play at the other end.
While Muscala finished with the prettiest line of the night with the 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, fellow freshmen frontcourt men Klebon and Joe Willman were also strong. Willman had eight points on 4-for-8 shooting while adding four rebounds, four steals and two assists. Klebon had five points, three rebounds and a highlight-reel blocked shot in the first half.
Perhaps overshadowed by Johnson's five treys was G.W. Boon's good shooting night. He went 4-for-4 from the field, with three of the shots coming from long distance, and he finished with 12 points, five rebounds and a blocked shot. Bryan Cohen made his only 3-point attempt of the night, and Bucknell finished 10-for-20 from behind the arc.
The starting backcourt of Johnson and Darryl Shazier both had five assists, and Bucknell had 19 assists on 29 field goals. The Bison made 29 of 53 (.547) shots from the field and 14 of 18 from the foul line. You can find more stats at the bottom of today's entry.
Perhaps the victory was coaxed by a pair of Bison alumni whom we met in Florence this week. Today, Bill Dearstyne '62 and his wife joined us from their home in Austria and made the trip with us on the bus to Lucca. Mr. Dearstyne was a multiple-time Middle Atlantic Conference champion swimmer at Bucknell and is a member of the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame as well as the Bucknell University Board of Trustees. He has been a generous supporter of Bison Athletics for many years, and in 2002 he helped establish the Robert A. Latour Swimming & Diving Endowment. It was great having them along with us!
And last night, we randomly ran into Patrick Yingling '07, a former member of Bucknell's Patriot League champion men's golf team. A proud Sojka Psycho during his Bucknell days, Patrick is in law school at the University of Pittsburgh and is in Europe for a few weeks on a study-abroad course. He and some friends decided to visit Florence for the weekend, and of course he came over when he saw the basketball team in the square.
While winning a basketball game is always a lot of fun, so was this morning's trip to see the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa. We hit the motorway at 8:30 a.m. for the one-hour drive from Florence to Pisa. There, we met our tour guide, Irene, who provided one interesting nugget of information after another. We had all seen photos of the Tower of Pisa, which was constructed out of heavy marble on the soft, sandy marshland adjacent to the Arno River. But until you are standing next to the structure, you really don't get a feel for just how much that thing is tipping. Even more amazing is that it began leaning at an angle when it was only about three stories high, and yet they kept building it anyway, engineering it against the imperfect angle.
Most of the traveling party took the time to climb the spiral staircase - all 247 steps - to the very top. Some players who admitted beforehand that they were very afraid of heights gutted it out anyway and made it to the top. Others who were not sure if they would be nervous about going to the top soon found out that yes, indeed, they were afraid of heights after all. Still, all of the players and most of the traveling party went to the top and took in the breathtaking views of the town below and the mountains off in the distance. Please check out today's photo gallery to see some neat shots of the guys at the top of the tower.
Sure, visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa was a "touristy" thing to do, but in the end everyone was glad to have done it.
Tomorrow, we will all have plenty of free time to spend in Florence. There are no formal tours planned, which will give us the chance to take in the city at a leisurely pace. Those interested in more climbing may scale the duomo on the morning, while others may shop at the market or visit the Ponte Vecchio or one of the town's art museums.
Around 3 p.m., the team will depart for Mestre, a town located on the mainland just across from Venice. Our team hotel is in Mestre, and after checking in we will take a water taxi over to Venice for a nice meal in the city on the canals. Will anyone shell out the big bucks to ride one of Venice's famous gondolas? Check back tomorrow night to find out.
Until then, bueno sera!
Bucknell (82)
Leo 0-0 0-0 0, Klebon 2-5 1-1 5, Fiery 0-0 0-0 0, Rowe 1-1 0-0 3, Johnson 5-14 3-4 18, Shazier 0-1 3-4 3, Willman 4-8 0-0 8, Tyree 2-3 1-1 5, Boon 4-4 1-2 12, Cohen 2-2 1-2 6, Behan 1-3 0-0 2, Muscala 8-12 4-4 20, Andoh 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-53 14-18 82.
Lucca (68)
Totals 23-68 17-22 68.
3-point goals: Bucknell 10-20 (Johnson 5-13, Boon 3-3, Cohen 1-1, Rowe 1-1, Tyree 0-1, Muscala 0-1), Lucca 6-29. Rebounds: Bucknell 45 (Tyree 11), Lucca 26. Assists: Bucknell 19 (Shazier, Johnson 5). Steals: Bucknell 14 (Tyree, Willman 4), Lucca 10. Fouled out: Shazier, Willman.
May 29, 2010
Greetings from Florence, Italy!
We'll have a bit of a shorter entry today, since much of the day was spent on the bus making the five-hour journey from Rome to Florence. The Italian interstate is much like ours in the States, endless stretches of freeway with the occasional toll, which our bus breezed through thanks to the Italian version of EZ Pass.
Once we arrived in Florence, we took a walking tour of this picturesque city of the arts, starting with the Academy Gallery, home to the original version of Michelangelo's masterpiece, David. The 16-foot-high marble sculpture is truly amazing, as Michelangelo captured the human form perfectly, down to every visible vein and tendon.
We continued on past the incredibly ornate duomo, the town square that houses more original sculptures and on to the Ponte Vecchio, the famous Florence bridge that crosses the Arno River.
Our new tour guide, Lucca, was terrific, providing dramatic narration of life in Florence centuries ago.
The day ended up with the entire traveling party sharing a wonderful dinner in downtown Florence, consisting of salad, pasta, steak and dessert.
On Sunday the team travels to Pisa to see the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa, followed by Bucknell's second game of the tour at 6:30 p.m. On Monday, the team will have more time to explore Florence on their own before departing for Venice in the afternoon.
Until tomorrow ... ciao!
May 28, 2010
Buongiorno from Rome!
Day three of our Italian tour featured another busy itinerary, and even though there was no basketball game today, the coaching staff came up with a creative way to get the team's competitive juices flowing. We'll get to the morning guided tour of the Colisseum and Forum in a few minutes, but the highlight of the day came in the afternoon.
Upon returning from lunch, the players were under the impression that the whole group would be going on a 20-minute walk to the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese. Instead, Coach Paulsen and his staff surprised them with the announcement that the team would be breaking up into four teams for a game of "Amazing Race," patterned after the popular reality television show. Each team was given a map and five required destinations, and each four-man group had to have its photo taken in front of the landmarks as proof that they were actually there. The first team to reach the Spanish Steps would be the winner.
The gold medal went to the group of Stephen Tyree, Darryl Shazier, Colin Klebon and Enoch Andoh. We figured it would take about two hours to get through it all, but Stephen, Darryl, Colin and Enoch made it in just over one hour. Apparently, the quartet sprinted all over the city, as they were all drenched in sweat upon arrival. It was great fun, especially for the winners, and a neat way for them to see the beautiful city of Rome.
Everyone was pretty tired after returning to the hotel around midnight last night after the 9 p.m. game in the town of Aprilia, so the team was able to sleep in a little bit before embarking on a 10:45 a.m. tour starting at the famed Colisseum. Back again was our well-informed tour guide, Fabio, and he led us all though the ancient stadium.
For most of us, the overriding feeling was, "wow, this place feels just like a sports stadium that you might visit today." A set of stairs led you to a wide corridor, and then you came though a portal into what would have been the grandstand. The Colisseum floor is no longer intact, so now you can see down into what was once the basement area where they kept the animals and the prisoners.
Everyone in our group is an avid sports fan, and some folks noted that it is a little sad that in the U.S., we do not preserve our historic stadiums. We tear them down or implode them to build shopping centers, parking lots, condos or other stadiums. How neat it would be to go visit the Polo Grounds or Forbes Field, facilities built only 100 years ago that are now ghosts. But here in Rome you can visit a stadium that was completed in the year 80 AD!
Of course, the Colisseum was not exactly a sports stadium, at least not to the "competitors" entertaining the crowd. Those folks usually ended up dead at the hands of a lion or another wild beast.
After walking all around the Colisseum, we made the short hike over to the Forum, which at the time was the epicenter of business and politics in Rome. Today the ruins of its many arches and temples can still be seen, remnants of buildings more than 3,000 years old. Standing on a place with such history really makes you stop and ponder just how young our country really is.
Tomorrow (Saturday) it's on to Florence, one of the world's meccas of art and culture. After a five-hour bus ride, the team will visit the Academy Gallery, whose most famous work is Michelangelo's masterpiece, David.
Until tomorrow ... ciao!
May 27, 2010
Greetings from beautiful Rome!
Before the Bison men's basketball team departed for Italy, head coach Dave Paulsen noted that the benefits of this trip would be equal parts basketball and culture. Well, on Thursday the team experienced both in one day.
It was another "Chamber of Commerce" day here in Rome, with sunny skies, temperatures in the 70s and a light breeze making for a perfect sightseeing day. Today was Vatican day, starting with what should have been a short bus ride across the River Tevere into Vatican City. We say "should have been," since morning rush hour here in Rome is brutal. Like many European cities, the motorists just sort of make up the traffic rules as they go along. The motorcyclists are especially nuts, driving the wrong way through traffic and even up on the sidewalks.
The stop-and-go trip was well worth it, however, as the tour of the Vatican was extraordinary. Bucknell's basketball team is diverse in many ways, religion included. But no matter one's faith, everyone seemed awed by the Vatican, particularly the Sistine Chapel, home to the famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo.
Thanks to our wonderful organizers from Basketball Travelers, Inc. (more on them in a future post), we were able to skip the long lines to enter the Vatican, and our private tour guide, Fabio, gave us all wireless headsets to wear while he led us through the tour. We started in the Vatican museum, then proceeded to the massive courtyard where Fabio taught us all about the Sistine Chapel. There is no talking or photography inside the chapel itself, so Fabio told us what to be looking for before we proceeded in. Words would have been hard to come by anyway, as the chapel was simply breathtaking.
From there, we went to St. Peter's Basilica, where the pope himself celebrates mass. Even though you are essentially standing in a church, it may as well have been a museum itself. The priceless sculptures, mosaics, paintings and tapestries were a sight to behold.
The tour ended at St. Peter's Square, where the pope makes his public appearances, and a stop at the gift shop and some restaurants for a quick bite to eat.
After a return home to the Hotel Mediterraneo, part of the group (most of the players opted to rest for the game) went on a walking tour with our Basketball Travelers hosts, Jason and Sara. We visited the Trevi Fountain, made famous in the movie La Dolce Vita, and the Pantheon, with stops along the way for shopping and gelatos.
After what already seemed like a full day, it was game time! The Bison had 10 days of practice leading up to the trip, but everyone was curious to see how the team would perform coming off the interminable day and a half of travel and an early wakeup call for the Vatican tour.
The answer was a 78-41 rout of Virtus Basket Aprilia. This was a C-division club that was very small, but worked hard and had some good shooters. In warmups it quickly became apparent that Bucknell had the better side, but this would be a good opening test to get their legs back, get used to the Italian style of play and adjust to the international rules, particularly the 24-second shot clock.
The Aprilia team kept things close with some early 3-pointers, and Bucknell took a slim 23-19 lead at the end of the first quarter (in international ball they play four 10-minute quarters). But with the big men really starting to assert themselves inside, the Bison scored the first 13 points of the second period, shutting out their opponents for the first 7:30 of the quarter. It was 40-23 at the half and 63-36 after three quarters, and with substitutes coming freely in the fourth, Bucknell went on to post a satisfying 37-point win.
The rebounding disparity told the story of the game. The Bison outrebounded Aprilia 37-10 in the first half and 61-20 for the game. Bucknell tallied 24 offensive rebounds and had numerous second-chance points. Eight players grabbed at least five boards, led by Joe Willman's nine.
Coming off the difficult travel schedule and playing in a small, dimly lit gymnasium, Bucknell predictably struggled at times shooting the ball. The Bison were 31-for-72 (.431) from the field and 5-for-15 (.333) from 3-point range. They committed 16 turnovers but had 17 assists and 12 steals.
Individually, Mike Muscala led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds, and after collecting an early blocked shot, Aprilia almost never dribbled the ball into the lane when he was in the game. G.W. Boon added 14 points and five rebounds, while Bryan Cohen and Stephen Tyree added nine points apiece.
Off the bench, Colin Klebon provided a spark with seven points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Enoch Andoh had five points and six rebounds, and Bryson Johnson came out of the gates on fire hitting his first two 3-point attempts before finishing with seven points for the game. Point guard Darryl Shazier attempted only three shots and did not score, but he had six assists, three steals and four rebounds. Recently graduated senior Matt Fiery put an exclamation point on the contest with a driving 3-point play with a few minutes remaining.
"This was a great first game for us," said Paulsen afterward. "We had a long day of travel and sightseeing, and even though we were a little sloppy at times, I thought our energy was great. It was a great environment for us, playing in a foreign county in a small, very loud gym. We were the superior team physically, but our opponent got after us and made us work for our points. Defensively we were much better after the first quarter. I think our competition will get tougher as we move along, but this was a nice start."
On Friday, the Bucknell traveling party will tour more of the ancient part of the city of Rome, highlighted by trips to the Colisseum and Forum. Then on Saturday it's on to Florence, with the next game set for Sunday evening against Arca Impresa Lucca, located between Florence and Pisa.
Below are some more statistics from tonight's game. Be sure to check back with us each night for more updates. Until then ... buono sera (good evening)!
Bucknell (78)
Leo 0-0 0-0 0, Klebon 3-5 1-2 7, Fiery 1-1 1-1 3, Rowe 1-4 1-2 3, Johnson 2-7 1-2 7, Shazier 0-3 0-0 0, Willman 1-6 1-2 3, Tyree 4-6 1-1 9, Boon 5-10 2-2 14, Cohen 4-8 0-0 9, Behan 1-3 1-2 3, Muscala 7-13 2-3 16, Andoh 2-5 1-2 5, Evans 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-72 12-19 78.
Aprilia (41)
Team totals 14-50 7-12 41.
3-pointers: Bucknell 5-15 (Boon 2-5, Johnson 2-5, Cohen 1-2, Rowe 0-1, Behan 0-1, Muscala 0-1), Aprilia 6-23. Rebounds: Bucknell 61 (Willman 9), Aprilia 20. Assists: Bucknell 17 (Shazier 6), Aprilia 7. Steals: Bucknell 12 (Shazier 3), Aprilia 6. Blocks: Bucknell 6 (Boon 2), Aprilia 1. Turnovers: Bucknell 16, Aprilia 17.
May 26, 2010
Bongiorno!
The Bison men's basketball team has arrived in Rome for the start of its 10-day tour of Italy. The team is playing four games here, beginning tomorrow night against Virtus Aprilia Basket. While those four games represent the basketball portion of the trip, most of the Bucknell players got in an unexpected workout this morning in the form of a long wind sprint through the Frankfurt airport.
Our flight out of Philadelphia was slightly delayed, and then overcast skies kept our plane in a holding pattern for a few extra minutes outside of Frankfurt, Germany, where we were to catch a connecting flight to Rome. The small delay was compounded by the major construction going on at the Frankfurt airport and long lines at passport control. Thus, the Bison traveling party was left scrambling to get the gate on time, and several of the players broke a sweat running to the next flight.
Any redeye flight to Europe is going to be tough, especially for a basketball team. Sleep is hard to come by and there is not much leg room for the average-sized travelers, much less the Mike Muscalas and Enoch Andohs of the world. Kudos to the Lufthansa crew for making the flight bearable, and the plane was equipped with TV monitors in every seat, where we were able to catch up on movies like Avatar and The Blind Side.
Finally everyone arrived safely in beautiful Rome (miraculously, all but one suitcase made it ... young Sarah Paulsen is going to be getting an unexpected Italian shopping spree if that bag doesn't show up soon). On the way home from the airport we received a quick bus tour of some of the major sights and stopped for a bite to eat.
Passing through the third-century walls to the ancient city of Rome was jaw-dropping. We passed by the ruins of Circus Maximus, the Arch of Constantine, the Colisseum and Forum, and many spectacular churches and other historic sites.
Tomorrow the group will go to Vatican City where we are all eagerly awaiting the chance to see the Sistine Chapel, and there will be plenty more detailed sightseeing in Rome on Friday.
Everyone in the traveling party is pretty well wiped out from the long trip, but that didn't stop us from enjoying our first nice dinner together at a quaint restaurant around the corner from our Hotel Mediterraneo. Among the entrees brought out were fantastic thin-crust pizzas, lasagna, ravioli, seafood and beef. We figured the food would be one of the highlights of the trip, and day one sure didn't disappoint in that regard.
Check back tomorrow for another update, as we recap the trip to the Vatican and some real basketball action.
Ciao!
