ABOUT THE FOREIGN TOUR
The UTSA men's basketball program got an early jump on the 2018-19 season when it took a foreign trip to Costa Rica for three games August 12-18.
The team had 10 practices to prepare for the foreign tour and all student-atheltes made the trip. (NCAA basketball teams are allowed to take an international tour to play exhibition games once every four years. The Roadrunners last traveled abroad to Australia in 2011.)
The Roadrunners departed for Costa Rica on Aug. 12 and took on the University of Calgary (Canada) in international exhibition games on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, along with a matchup against the Costa Rica U21 National Team on Aug. 15. All three games were played at the Ciudad Deportiva in San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica.
In addition to competition on the basketball court, the Roadrunners also took part in community service projects in San Jose and had an opportunity to explore parts of the Costa Rica rainforest.
TRAVEL DAY
SUNDAY, AUGUST 12
The Roadrunners met at the Convocation Center and everyone was ready to head out by on a trip of a lifetime at 9:30 a.m. The team bussed to the San Antonio International Airport to start the journey with a flight to Houston. Upon arrival at SAT, the team checked in their bags (always a long process) and ate breakfast before boarding the flight.
Upon arrival in Houston, travel party had a few of hours to relax and eat lunch before the final flight for the day to San Jose, Costa Rica.
After a four-hour flight to Costa Rica and the team was welcomed by its Basketball Travelers tour guide, Scott. Scott helped load the team’s bags and equipment into the bus and lead them to the hotel. Once they arrived at the hotel, Scott formally welcomed the Roadrunners to Costa Rica and gave basic information about the city of San Jose all while celebrating with a traditional Costa Rican fruit drink.
Coach Steve Henson then informed the team about what to expect on Monday; talking about the game against the University of Calgary and the visit to the Holy Spirit Orphanage. After coach Henson’s speech, the players gathered their bags and pizzas that have been ordered for them and retired to their rooms, exhausted from a full day of traveling.
GAME ONE & HOLY SPIRIT ORPHANAGE VISIT
Monday, August 13
UTSA tied the game at 65 with two minutes to play, then took a two-point lead at 69-67 with 15 seconds to play on a Giovanni De Nicolao layup; however, Calgary connected on a 3-pointer with seven seconds showing on the clock. UTSA was unable to get a final shot off as the defending Canadian National Champion Dinos survived by 70-69 score.
UTSA LEADERS
Points: Keaton Wallace - 17 | Rebounds: Atem Bior - 12 | Assists: Giovanni De Nicolao - 3
Holy Spirit Orphanage Visit
Reflection from junior guard Giovanni De Nicolao
This morning we woke up around eight and had an amazing breakfast. The view from the hotel was just stunning, the weather was really humid, but some wind helped to keep us fresh. The hotel is awesome, the TVs in the rooms are in Spanish, so I get to practice a little of my Spanish. The city from the hotel looks amazing. The fruits are so fresh and delicious.
It was a tough game today. A different type of basketball, more physicality, and it was our first game of the year, but I believe we learned a lot. More specific, we didn’t have a good start, we slowly caught up and at the end we had some good plays; unfortunately, they hit a 3-point shot for the win. All the credit to Calgary for that, but overall, we didn’t have a good game. We had too many turnovers and missed too many open shots.
My take away from this game is that we need to get in better shape before the season starts. The gym was really hot and because of the altitude we got tired easily. I am sure we learned the lesson and tomorrow we are going to show what we really are.
Our visit to the Holy Spirit Orphanage was an amazing experience. It was incredible to see how these people help kids and families that are in difficult situations. It was refreshing to play with those kids and to bring some happiness to their day. It also showed us how lucky we are and not to take anything for granted.
To see a different part of the world and getting to know different situations of life is amazing and I believe this experience helped us understanding that if everybody does a little bit to help each other we can make this world a better place to everyone.
I was surprised to see how bad the condition of life is in the area where these people live. I am glad that this orphanage is trying to help all of the children of this area make it out of there by giving them education and meals.
- Gio
GAME TWO & SAN JOSÉ TOUR
Tuesday, August 14
UTSA started slow, but gained momentum on its way to a 10-point halftime lead at 42-32. However, Calgary chipped away at the Roadrunners' lead throughout the second half before taking control late in the fourth quarter.
The Dinos continued to rally over the final minutes of the game, and with the use of 3-pointers, closed the game for a 74-68 win.
UTSA LEADERS
Points: Atem Bior - 15 | Rebounds: Atem Bior - 7 | Assists: Tamir Bynum - 4
Game Q&A with freshman guard Tamir Bynum
What are your thoughts on tonight’s game?
I feel like we are getting better as a group, but should play even harder. We need to continue to play as a group and we showed some bits of our potential. We are not at our full potential yet and as the season continues we will get better.
What are some things the team did well during tonight’s game?
We made an effort to continuously come back into the game. Spurts of effort and potential were shown, but now we just need to keep it going for the whole game.
What are some areas the team can continue to work on after tonight’s game?
We need to defend the ball and rebound better. We need to continue to communicate throughout the whole game, and limit our turnovers, while still shooting consistent shots.
In what areas do you feel you have improved the most since coming to UTSA?
Since I came into the program I feel like I have been shooting a more consistent shot.
What areas are you going to look at to improve on from these past games?
Making shots and continuing to improve my decision making so I can make the best play I can each possession.
What are some things you felt that you did well for the team in the past two games?
Intensity and defense. I also helped by keeping a fast tempo and maintaining our pace of play.
GAME THREE & COFFEE PLANTATION TOUR
Wednesday, August 15
UTSA put on a dominate performance to defeat the Costa Rica U21 National Team by a 98-47 final. Hellums led four Roadrunners in double-figures with a game-high 27 points, including a 5 of 11 clip from three. Atem Bior, a junior college transfer, poured in 15, while Wallace and junior Mitar Stanojevic each finished with 13. Bior also collected 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the trip. UTSA shot 45.0 percent for the game, knocking down 37 of 82 shots. Meanwhile the Roadrunners limited Costa Rica to 31.0 percent shooting from the floor and outrebounded the homestanding nationals 51-38.
UTSA LEADERS
Points: Knox Hellums - 27 | Rebounds: Atem Bior - 10 | Assists: Keaton Wallace - 6
Keaton Wallace's thoughts on the day
- The coffee tour was great! The tour showed us how coffee beans where made, where they came from and how they are grown. Even though I do not drink coffee, I had a great time.
- The food here is different from the U.S. The majority of the Costa Rican food features beans and rice. The country also has numerous of different types of fruits, as well.
- The game against Costa Rica’s U21 National Team was a fast-paced game. We scored a lot of points and executed plays against their two-three zone defense.
- The foreign tour will help us during the season because we have game film that we can watch and learn from early. By the time the season starts in November, we will know what we need to do to improve and take our team to the next level.
- Last season we shot the ball very fast on the offense. Now, we have made our ball movement even faster so we are playing at a quicker pace than last year.
- On the defensive side of the ball, last year we needed to be better on on-ball defense. During the foreign tour we guarded on the ball a little better than we had done in the past.
TRAVEL TO LOS SUEÑOS & CROCODILE BRIDGE
Nick Allen reflects on the day
- Today was an amazing and humbling experience. The team drove to a lunch spot that served amazing rice and beans. After lunch we arrived at the crocodile bridge, which was an experience all in itself. We walked down the bridge and below us were about twenty to thirty full-sized crocodiles. The crocodiles were lying in the river and enjoying the sun.
- The team then arrived at our hotel where we all sat out by the pool. We ended the day at Jaco Beach, where we got some more amazing food and enjoyed the beach.
DAY FIVE: ZIP LINE CANOPY TOUR
Adokiye Iyaye reflects on the day
- We started the day off eating breakfast at the hotel as a team and then got ready to get on the bus to go zip lining. The whole team road in a tractor that carried us up to a mountain and we all zip lined down going through the rain forest.
- After the zip lining we went to the beach to learn how to surf. This was my first time ever coming to a beach so it was pretty cool to see an ocean. It was beautiful and surfing was actually very fun. Everyone was trying to catch the biggest wave and surf on it the longest . Overall it was a great day and I had a nice time with the different things we did today!
Byron Frohnen reflects on the journey to Costa Rica
- The trip to Costa Rica was truly one for the books. It was by far the most beautiful country I have ever seen. When going to the orphanage, it was amazing to see how fortunate we are in life. Just by playing with the kids, it put a smile on their faces regardless of their situation. Also, going zip lining and taking surfing lessons were once in a lifetime opportunities that really helped bring us closer together as a team.
- On the basketball side of things, I would say we learned a lot as a team. Although I did not play, I could really see the team starting to figure things out towards the end. We started playing more as a team and figured out that we have to out-work our opponent every single possession. It was great to get the younger guys some experience and to get our team a head start going into the season.
This trip will be something I am forever thankful for and will pay off down the line.
Credits:
Bobbie Modica