Men's Basketball Caps Australia Trip on the Coast

After nine days away from home and three exhibition basketball games, UCLA turned Tuesday into a beach day. Or at least a beach afternoon.
 
Staying at a hotel along Australia's famed Gold Coast, the men's basketball team ventured to the beach for a group surfing lesson in the late morning. Fortunately for those who took to the ocean, the sun was out and the water temperature hovered at 70 degrees.
 
Scheduled to board a non-stop flight home on Wednesday morning (that will be late in the afternoon on Tuesday in Los Angeles), the Bruins chose to conclude their 10-day trip to Australia by soaking up the sun on the coast.
 
While most of the players and coaches had never surfed before, they gave it their best shot.
 
"It was really hard, and I didn't succeed too much," said G.G. Goloman, a 6-foot-10 forward who grew up in Körmend, Hungary, and had previously tried surfing just once. "Since I'd done it before, I kind of expected to see guys struggle like that. I'd already experienced that the first time out, but yeah, it was good to see them try."
 
Not everybody on the Bruins' roster was a novice. Alec Wulff, a 6-foot-3 guard from Laguna Beach, Calif., has become a veteran in the ocean, having embraced the sport of surfing the last three years. Wulff quickly reached the far-breaking waves in no time, impressing his teammates while giving them pointers.
 
"Seeing those guys completely out of their element was pretty funny to me," said Wulff, who is entering his junior season. "I mean, they'd never done it before. So you've got boards going everywhere. To see these guys who are very good at basketball, and now they're in the ocean and they don't know what to do, it was just fun for me to watch."
 
The idea of getting out of their comfort zone wasn't lost on the players who jumped in the water and attempted to ride a few waves.
 
"It's cool to watch someone do something new like that," Wulff said. "We're in Australia, and we're here to try different things. So it was really cool to see these guys get out and explore new things. A lot of them had fun out there, so why not get in the ocean, where it's really pretty."
 
For UCLA, the overseas learning experience extended far beyond Tuesday's surf lessons on a pristine beach far from home. Tuesday served as a culmination of a 10-day trip that players and coaches know will pay dividends going forward both on the court and in the locker room.
 
After their flight home Australia on Wednesday, the Bruins will be away from campus until the beginning of fall quarter. Move-in weekend is slated for Sept. 17-18, with the first day of classes set for Thursday, Sept. 22.
 
Until then, players and coaches will have time to reflect on what was a very fulfilling trip.
 
"This team needed to get this transition over with, of getting to know each other and getting more comfortable around each other," head coach Steve Alford said. "We are really fired up as a coaching staff as we keep going forward in the preseason because we're so far ahead of where we normally are at this time of year."
 
Not only did the three games in Australia allow UCLA's veterans to continue to grow together, but they also provided the freshmen with a fantastic opportunity to get a feel for what's to come.
 
All three freshmen – Ike Anigbogu, TJ Leaf and Lonzo Ball – played significant minutes throughout the overseas trip and will play key roles for the Bruins right away once the 2016-17 campaign tips off against Pacific on Friday, Nov. 11.
 
The unique chemistry on the court between Leaf and Ball was more than apparent in all three games. Late in the third quarter of UCLA's 94-91 win over the Brisbane Bullets on Monday, the Bruins were in need of a spark. Trailing by seven points, 61-54, midway through the third quarter, Leaf collected a rebound and raced down the court, only to see Ball break uncontested toward the basket. The duo connected for a highlight-reel alley-oop.
 
It wasn't the only Leaf to Ball or Ball to Leaf connection of the game. Ask either player, and both will say they're just trying to make the other one better.
 
"He knows that if he's open, I'm going to get him the ball," Ball said of Leaf. "Playing with him, it's great. With him being another freshman, being new to this level just like me, we can get through the ups and downs together. His game really complements mine, and we just have fun playing out there on the court."
 
As for Anigbogu, he made his presence known on the glass and by contesting shots over the course of UCLA's three games. Anigbogu, a 6-foot-10 center from Corona, Calif., finished the team's win against Brisbane on Monday with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
 
While in Australia, the former standout at Centennial High School averaged 10.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in just 15.3 minutes per game. Anigbogu shot 11 for 21 from the field (52.4 percent) and made 10 of 12 free throws through three contests.
 
"Ike just gives our team a very good shot-blocking presence," Coach Alford said. "He tries to dunk everything on the offensive end, and he attacks the ball on the defensive end, whether that's rebounding or blocking shots."
 
When UCLA's plane lands at LAX on Wednesday morning, the Bruins will be just 72 days away from their regular-season opener in Pauley Pavilion against Pacific (Friday, Nov. 11). Preseason practices will begin in earnest in early October. Until then, the team will be able to draw upon its Australian experiences, both on the court and away from the gym.