Men's Basketball Rides Through Melbourne on Friday
August 26, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Bikes, basketball and rugby summed up the Bruins' sixth day in Australia.
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Taking advantage of their first Melbourne morning during a three-game, 10-day overseas trip, the UCLA men's basketball team traversed nearly six miles of city streets in cool weather on Friday.
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"It was very different for me and a lot of our guys because I usually don't just go out on a bike in Los Angeles," said Alex Olesinski, a sophomore from Roswell, N.M. "But out here, the weather was nice and cool and the air felt great. We got a chance to see some of the city's historic sites and landmarks."
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Along the way, the Bruins biked past the Royal Exhibition Building, the Melbourne Museum, the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Yarra Park. In addition, the team was able to bike parallel to the scenic Yarra River.
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As for where the biking excursion ranked among the team's activities in Australia?
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"Oh, it was definitely top five," Olesinski said. "I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. We had a little racing going on, had some jokes going on, it just made for a really fun morning."
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Biking gave way to basketball in the mid-afternoon. The team spent nearly two hours practicing at Melbourne University and will return to the court on Saturday evening for a game against the Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL).
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Friday's practice marked the team's first basketball activity since Tuesday night's 123-76 exhibition win over Sydney University at Brydens Stadium.
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UCLA's game on Saturday at the State Basketball Centre in Melbourne will tip-off at 7 p.m. (local time). That's 2 a.m. in Los Angeles. A live video stream will not be available.
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The Bruins expect a stronger challenge on Saturday against the Melbourne United.
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"We played against a lot of young guys in our game on Tuesday," head coach Steve Alford said. "Against the Melbourne United and the Brisbane Bullets, we're going to be facing guys who have had a lot more more experience, having played more professional ball."
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UCLA's third and final game of the overseas tour will take place Monday against the Brisbane Bullets.
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But on Friday night, the focus shifted from basketball to rugby.
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The team's travel party bused to AAMI Park for a National Rugby League game featuring the Brisbane Broncos and the Melbourne Storm. Friday's event marked the first professional live rugby game for UCLA's players.
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One of the team's tour guides explained the basic rules to the Bruins' travel party on the bus to AAMI Stadium, the home venue for the Melbourne Storm. Once at the stadium, players and coaches were able to quickly figure out the action and how either team could score points.
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"I thought the game was really cool," said Prince Ali, a sophomore from the Bronx in New York. "It was extremely physical, for sure. That was a great experience for us to watch it. I mean, I don't know of too many people back home who can say they've been to watch a rugby game like that in person."
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From boisterous fans, to physical hits and nifty juke moves on the field, the Bruins came away with a positive impression of rugby. And while Ali was taunting his teammates during the game, saying the sport's physical nature was something he could embrace, he later revealed the truth.
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"Naw, man, I was just talking smack," Ali joked. "There's no way that I could play that game."
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Ali and the Bruins watched as the Brisbane Broncos pulled off an upset, knocking off the hometown favorite Melbourne Storm by a 26-16 margin.
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The spotlight will turn to UCLA on Saturday night for their contest against the Melbourne United.
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For the latest updates about Saturday's game and beyond, follow the team's official social media channels in addition to uclabruins.com. Updates will continue to be provided on Twitter (@UCLAMBB), Instagram (UCLAMBB), Facebook (facebook.com/uclamensbasketball) and Snapchat (uclambb).
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