Captain Harvey's Blog: Part 2

Boomers captain James Harvey gives the high - and low - lights of his first time in China with the team.

Since the last time I blogged, plenty has happened in China. We played and lost Game One against Team China 78-84, we've spent nearly 6 hours on the bus, two hours on a plane travelling to Benxi and our beloved team mascot, Boomer, has taken the country by storm. But more on him later.

Game One was a great experience for our young Boomers team but I was extremely disappointed we didn't get the win. Considering China boasts 8 Olympians from Beijing, whereas our squad has none, it was a great effort but I certainly didn't travel all this way to come second.

With 4 minutes to go we found ourselves down by only 3 so it was definitely a game that could've been won. Nathan Jawai lived up to the hype and was a constant presence inside for all four quarters. The big fella finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds and Aleks Maric had a nice little cameo off the bench contributing 10 points at a solid clip. Peter Crawford, PC, was a warrior at the defensive end and set the tone for us all night. I really enjoyed my first game as Captain of the Boomers and, although I didn't shoot well, finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds.

Coach Brown hasn't skipped a beat and I'm confident that we'll get Game Two with the adjustments he's made. If we could knock off Team China tonight it would be a great end to our first tour and I'll be heading back to the hotel for a few celebratory drinks. And no doubt Boomer will join me!

Now the last time I wrote, Boomer had become quite a hit with the ladies and was in the capable styling hands of Brad Hill. He was a confident but still very modest Kangaroo. But in the few days since my first blog, our inflatable mascot has been passed over to Rhys Carter and things have taken a turn for the worse. Boomer has abandoned all team apparel and now only dresses in white robes and slippers care of our luxurious hotel. He has become far too cocky for my liking as he now responds only to the names "Boom Hefner" or "Ja Roo." Just this afternoon at lunch, our waitresses were lining up to have photos with him and literally planted kisses on his cheek and lovingly held his paws. C'mon Rhys, this is getting out of hand! You need to remind Boomer that he's not the star of the show. He's a damn inflatable Kangaroo who needs to know his role!

Anyway, I've spent enough time on that subject and I need to get my pre-game nap in. We fly back to Australia tomorrow and hopefully it'll be with a win and a smile on our face. Can't wait to get home. See you on the flip side.
JH

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Captain Harvey's Blog: Part 1

The Boomers team that landed in Shanghai on Friday was surprisingly full of ‘Chinese Virgins.’ Now, before you allow your mind to wander into the gutter, that term simply refers to the group of players who have never set foot on Chinese soil. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that nearly half the team were “virgins” and I wouldn’t be the only one wandering aimlessly thru the streets of Shanghai armed with the only piece of Mandarin I know, “Ni Hao, Ni Hao.” Even our assistant coach, and Australia’s most decorated point guard of all time, Shane Heal had never toured here so we really were walking into foreign territory.

I flew into Shanghai incognito. My instructions were simple. Dress in casual clothes and pretend the 11 tall, athletic men sitting around me on flight QF 129 were strangers. The dreaded “swine flu” had our team manager ducking for cover and his paranoia was contagious. We’d heard reports that Australian sporting teams were being targeted so it was better to be safe than sorry. The last thing I wanted was to be quarantined because Peter Crawford or Adam Gibson had a minor case of the sniffles! 

Upon arrival in Shanghai, I immediately undid all the good work I achieved in the last six weeks of preparation by stuffing my face full of Burger King. I wasn’t the lone ranger here either but at least we had a valid excuse; we knew what meat we were eating (I think!). Amidst pouring rain we boarded our bus for the long 3 hour road trip to the hotel which was made even tougher as the only movie the driver had for us was Speed. As talented an actor as Keanu Reeves is I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of watching Speed on a bus hurtling down a Shanghai motorway. At times I would mistake our front window for the movie screen, as the bus driver pulled off some incredible moves.

Once at the hotel we skipped all the formalities and went straight upstairs to our rooms. I collapsed on the bed and fell asleep straight away. I think I woke up in the same position I went to sleep in and am now battling a stiff neck and sore back. Let me tell you one thing... to say these beds are firm is a gross understatement. Brett Brown jumped into bed on that first night and chipped a tooth!

Anyway, that’s about enough of my Rodney Dangerfield impersonation and on to more about the hoops. The past few days have been about preparing for Game One against China. We’ve had a couple of training sessions and I’m excited about how the team is looking. Obviously with so many big names out of the team, it gives all of us an exciting opportunity to showcase our skills on the international stage. For me, the most important thing is that we play hard and play together and come up with two wins. What better way to show the coaching staff that this group is for real than to knock off a near full strength China on their home floor. I’m under no illusion that it’s going to be tough battle but, with our backs against the wall and in true Aussie spirit, I’m confident we can step up to the mark.

Finally, I can’t let this opportunity go without mentioning Brad Hill. Over the past few years, the Australian team has had a mascot, “Boomer.” He’s a huge inflatable kangaroo that must be brought to all team functions and trainings by a rookie of the tour. Stevie Weigh took this role very seriously over the first few days and Boomer proudly arrived always on time and by his side. But recently Brad Hill has taken it to a whole new level. Not only does Boomer arrive on time but he now looks like he’s been on Queer Eye ForA Straight Guy. Hilly dresses him in a nice new outfit for every team gathering and Boomer has become quite a hit with the ladies. It won’t be long before he gets a room of his own and the halls are filled with the pitter-patter of tiny Kangaroo paws. Nice work rookie! Now let’s go get two wins against China! See you back down under soon.

JH