SYDNEY, Australia – The practices are in the book and LSU’s Tour Down Under gets serious Saturday night as the LSU Tigers travel about 90 miles up the road to meet the Newcastle All-Stars at the Newcastle Basketball Stadium.
The game is set for a 7:30 p.m. start in Newcastle which will put the tip at 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning in Baton Rouge. There is no live audio or video coverage of the game, but updates will be available during the contest on Twitter @LSUBasketball and at www.facebook.com/LSUBasketball. Video highlights will be available on LSUsports.net later in the day on Saturday.
This will be the first of five games in nine days in various parts of the country and the only back-to-back games on the tour as LSU will face the National Basketball League’s Sydney Kings on Sunday night.
LSU practiced in Australia for the first time mid-Friday morning Sydney time with an hour and 20 minute go at a local recreation club a five-minute walk from the team’s Holiday Inn Old Sydney headquarters.
All 12 players eligible to play, including Brian Bridgewater, participated in drills and all are expected to dress Saturday evening. While no starting lineup has been officially confirmed, during drills the prominent unit featured junior Tim Quarterman, freshman Antonio Blakeney, senior Keith Hornsby, freshman Ben Simmons and junior Darcy Malone.
It is expected Simmons and Malone will get the start as well in their home country where Friday in Sydney post-practice they were part of a pre-tour media session that featured Fox Sports Australia and the long-running Sunday interview show “Wide World of Sports” on Channel 10 Network along with several newspaper reporters from the region.
The session was held on the rooftop pool deck at the hotel with a spectacular view of the harbor and the world-famous Sydney Opera House.
“I thought it was a good practice (Friday) after a day off,” said LSU Head Coach Johnny Jones. “I thought the guys came out and did an excellent job of trying to get their feet back under them. We worked extremely hard and it was pretty sharp. They looked like they are geared up and ready for the games ahead. I think we are ready to play. I think the excitement from the 10 days of practice that they have had leading up to the contests which we are about to embark upon … I think they are excited and looking forward to the opportunity.”
When asked at the press session about the difference in the Australian players he has on his roster he jokingly commented, “Only the accents.”
“Definitely to have my fellow countryman playing alongside me,” said Malone, when asked about having a second Australian on the LSU team. “I think the thing that Ben brings is he is one of those guys that make everyone better on the team. He’s a good guy to have around.”
“Basketball is phenomenal here in Australia,” Coach Jones said when asked his thoughts on the sports here in the country, which many journalists here Friday said they feel is on the rise. “It’s an area that we hope and feel that this trip will help expose and utilize that brand of LSU to maybe get other players more familiar with our program and our team. An interest level is there because these guys here have done a tremendous job as far as training, working extremely hard and playing a whole different level.”
“I never would have thought that I would have the opportunity to play my first college game here,” Simmons said. “I extremely excited to come back to Melbourne and Sydney and all the places I have grown up playing. Finally, I will be able to show the people back home what I’ve been working on and how much I have developed.”
One of the expected players returning to where he started his pro career will be Scott McGregor who was the NBL’s Rookie of the Year in 1997.
More is known about Sydney’s lineup for Sunday which is also in a state of preseason flux. The Kings will be led by former club captain and MVP Julian Khazzouh, who will make his long-awaited return for the Kings. Khazzouh will be flanked by NBL Rookie of the Year Angus Brandt and new signee Jeromie Hill, who returned to Australia on Wednesday after completing his Masters’ degree at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Jason Cadee will be looking for a positive start to build on his solid 2014/15 campaign for the Kings while Steve Markovic will be out to impress in his first official game for Sydney.
The Kings will be without imports Josh Childress and Marcus Thornton who arrive at the end of the month, while Captain Tom Garlepp picked up a knock to his shoulder that will likely see him sidelined for Sunday’s game.
Media Session on the roof with Sydney Harbor in the background #LSUDownUnder pic.twitter.com/A0JNj3nn6l
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) August 14, 2015