The sights Washington State men's basketball sophomore James Hunter will see over the course of his career in Pullman could very well pale in comparison to his childhood.

INSIDE COUGARS FOOTBALL

Head Coach Mike Leach Post-Practice: CLICK HERE

INSIDE COUGARS FOOTBALL

Defensive Line Coach Joe Salave'a Post-Practice - CLICK HERE

The Cougars were in Australia for a two-week tour which included four cities and
five games. Each day a different Coug has blogged about his day. Our 12th one
comes from redshirt sophomore Royce Woolridge, a 6-3 guard from Phoenix, Ariz.

The trip to Australia was a great experience. It was really good to see the different culture and lifestyles and see how Dexter and Brock live. I got to see so many different things while I was over there, including one of the Seven Wonders of the World, The Great Barrier Reef - where I got to see the turtles from Finding Nemo. The Sydney Opera house was dope too.

After visiting the Cairns Tropical Zoo, koalas have become my favorite animal, I love
koalas. The kangaroos were cool, but koalas are my thing. I want to give a
shout out to all the koalas and my teammate M-Laddy (Mike Ladd, sitting nearby).

It was great to get back on the court and play competitively for the first time in nearly two years, and our first time as a team. The team really bonded on the trip, which was nice with all the freshmen and newcomers. We really got to see how we work together and develop a team identity. We got a little bit of a feel for how we're going to play this year, which is a little faster, so it was nice to try that out. I did discover on this trip that Brock might be one of the nicest (meaning best) white boys I've ever seen play.

Overall I had a lot of fun. I'm glad I got to experience the trip with my friends, my
teammates. I'm really glad I got to go to Australia, but I'm very glad to be
home where I can afford things, like food.

Go Cougs!
Royce Woolridge

Action movie superstar Dolph Lundgren has many alter egos: Ivan Drago, He-Man, Gunnar Jensen.

The Cougars were in Australia for a two-week tour which included four cities and
five games. Each day a different Coug has blogged about his day. Our 11th one
comes from junior D.J. Shelton, a 6-10 forward from Rialto, Calif.

We had 4 a.m. wakeup in Cairns Thursday (Australia time) then we had a bus ride to the airport to get on a three and a half hour flight back to Sydney. I was thinking, that's long enough and we're still in Australia. My teammates and I were so ready to get on the plane back to the states started. We got to our gate quick because security in Australia is easy, it's nowhere near as extensive as it is in the U.S. Once we were on that flight I slept from start-to-finish, but it also felt like I was on the flight for hours.

After getting off that flight we had to shuttle to the gate to the big plane to get to L.A. In my head I was thinking, finally, we're on our way back to the states, just one more flight stopping us. Also, I was thinking, how am I going to make it on this 14-hour flight?

On the flight to Sydney I had an aisle seat, but my aisle was full, so I switched to an aisle where I had no one next to me so I could stretch out and get some relaxation on the way back. First I took a nap, I tried to pace myself, I took a nice two hour nap. Then I ate the dinner they served us, I had the chicken. It was good, I liked it. Then I started to watch Forrest Gump and watched the whole thing, which was about two hours. Then I took another nap, listening to my iPod, I fell asleep by the time I woke up it was breakfast. I saw there were about five hours left so I slept the rest of the trip.

When we got to L.A., we had long lines through customs. We had to walk from one side of the airport to the other, then we had a three hour wait at the gate. For the three hours I found something to eat and charged my electronics.

The two and a half hour flight to Seattle went quick, I slept the whole way. I actually wish the flight would have been longer so I could sleep more and didn't have to wait at the gate. Once in Seattle we had a three hour layover. I had the chance to eat Qdoba, which I had been waiting for, and finally had a chance to make phone calls and use my phone.

We flew from Seattle to Spokane, which was easy. Once there we took a long bus ride from Spokane to Pullman. It didn't really matter though at that point because we were so excited to be back.

While in Australia I had a great time with my teammates, the returners and my new teammates. I got a chance to see how they are and bond with them. I had a lot of fun with everyone, including the coaches and everyone on the staff. It was also great to see another country and actually be a part of the culture for a long two weeks. I've never missed Pullman so much, it's good to be back.

Go Cougs!
D.J. Shelton

The Cougars were in Australia for a two-week tour which included four cities and five games. Each day a different Coug has blogged about his day. Our 10th one comes from freshman Bryce Leavitt, a 6-4 guard from Kennewick, Wash.

Today is the longest day of our lives. Because of the time zone changes we're having 36 hours of travel stuffed into one day, but everyone is pretty excited to get home so no one is complaining. So far today we have taken a bus to the airport in Cairns, then flew to Sydney, and now we are headed to L.A. This was definitely the trip of a lifetime, and something we were all blessed to be a part of. My favorite day was the very last day because we got to swim in the Great Barrier Ref. Now it's time to get back to school and reality. See you guys in 30 hours.

Go Cougs!
Bryce Leavitt

After being WSU's primary running back last season, where he totaled 602 yards on 114 carries with five touchdowns, Rickey Galvin's role is changing during fall camp.

Check out interviews from this morning's practice.

INSIDE COUGARS FOOTBALL VIDEOS

Head Coach Mike Leach

Quarterback Jeff Tuel

The Cougars are in Australia for a two-week tour which includes four cities and
five games. Each day a different Coug will blog about his day. Our ninth one
comes from junior Keaton Hayenga, a 6-5 forward from Sammamish, Wash.

Well the last day of the trip was definitely worth the wait. We got to see the Great
Barrier Reef, one of the seven wonders of the world, how cool is that? This
trip has been such a blessing to get to be a part of, everything we did was
awesome but today takes the cake in my book. The day started fairly early, as
far as vacations go, we were up and eating breakfast by 8 a.m. (we played our
final game last night). Right after that we boarded a boat unlike any I have
ever seen, and it was huge. I swear we rode that thing into the middle of the
ocean before we stopped. In reality it was about two hours but it seemed to
take forever and by the time we got to the tiny sand hill of an island I was
ready to get off the boat and into the water. The ride out there was filled
with naps, pictures card games and more naps. Some of the fellas on the team
were definitely out of their element in the middle of the ocean, opting to not
even get into the water once we reached our destination.

The majority of us boarded the first water taxi to the beach to get started on the snorkeling. The crazy thing was that it was pouring down rain when we got to the beach which made it unpleasantly cold and had me questioning whether I really wanted to get into the water, but only for a moment. Actually, being in the water was the warmest part of the whole day. Swimming around in the water was like being in a whole different world. I can't describe how incredible some of the fish and corral were. I didn't know some of those colors existed in nature. The highlight animal that I saw in person was a stingray when I was out with Brock, Gallotto and Devin but the award for coolest animal of the day goes to Dexter, who claims to have seen a tiger shark. It's not that I don't believe him, I'm just jealous that I didn't get to see it as well.

About two hours into snorkeling we headed back to the boat for some lunch to refuel
for round two of snorkeling. The food on the boat was surprisingly good and I
definitely feasted more than my share. Unfortunately, after lunch many of the
guys had had enough of the water and the lackluster weather, us hardcore
adventurers headed back out for round two in the water. I would argue that the
second time out was better than the first, that's actually when I saw the
stingray and yes I did find NEMO!

The last part of our adventure took place in the semi-sub, a boat that allows you
to sit down below the water level and see into the reef through windows. During
our semi-sub tour we spotted a sea turtle and several of Nemo's cousins. I
would love to tell you what everyone was doing on the seemingly endless ride
back to port but I am afraid that I was passed out most of the way home. I was
exhausted from the day and I think that many of my teammates used that time to
catch up on some sleep as well. All in all, it was a day unlike anything I have
ever experienced and one that I will never forget. It was a fantastic way to
end a fantastic trip. WOW!

Go Cougs!
Keaton Hayenga