From a player's standpoint, the trip to Australia was an outstanding opportunity for them to experience another country. What made it extra special was that these guys have three teammates: James (Hunter), Brock (Motum), and Dexter (Kernich-Drew), who are from that country. And so I think it naturally helps them connect with those guys better, just having a good understanding of their background and where they're from, and a real appreciation of Australia and that country. There were numerous places to see whether it was the Opera House (Sydney) or the Great Barrier Reef (Cairns)...cool places like the zoo...and I think the guys really enjoyed those excursions that we took on, along with the games. I think the games were an experience in themselves as we played in small arenas, but most of the time great crowds with a lot of enthusiasm and I felt like the players enjoyed those atmospheres. Even though they were small crowds, they were fun games.

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.

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

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.

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