China Mobil International Cup Champs, and working on another!

CHINA BASKETBALL TOUR JOURNAL ENTRY By David Archer, Jr.   The BaselineUSA Warriors International Club Tour Basketball Team is currently on tour in China, where we are 7-1 overall in friendly competitions against Chinese, Korean and Lithuania teams. We departed on April 30th and are scheduled to return on May 24th. My latest journal entry is below...   May 9th… China Mobile Eurepe-USA-Asian International Cup Finals: vs. Lithuania W 93-86   Everyone was diligent about going down for breakfast this morning. All the guys were in good spirits, joking around and listening to Marvin Rashad's story-telling. He could really explore a career in comedy, as he is one of the funniest people I have ever met! With this group, everyone takes their turns telling stories about their life experiences. I think it makes us all closer. There are times when they start 'picking' with each other and it gets a little testy, but for the most part they all respect one another and get along. When they get real loud Wang and Gao get very nervous, thinking they may be upset and close to fighting. We have not experience this yet. Last April's trip was a different story. We had a nasty argument between two players that was diffused after a few moments. None this trip so far. I don't know about the September Tour because I didn't go and I have, still to this day, not spoken at length with the guys about their experiences during the trip.   After breakfast, some of us went over to the next building top, where the workers had hung up our clothes to dry. They had been out there for two days solid and were still damp because of the humid and wet weather here. Rashad was already upset because they went over to get some of their game gear yesterday and several of his items were missing. Everyone who went over to check on their clothes this morning also had items missing. I was missing a couple of t-shirts, as well as, some socks. Others were missing basketball shorts, shirts and other game gear. We were all upset about it. I don't understand how they could misplace so many things just carrying from one hallway to the next. The huge drum style washing machine is crookedly perched on top of a six-story building. The workers wash and hang the clothes on large bamboo rods, which hang from the canopy. We all brought what we had left to our rooms and laid them out there. They have dried more in the rooms in a few hours, than they did in almost 48 hours hanging up outside. It is still went and very damp out there, even thought the rain stopped on the first day there.   Today is Larry Haygood and Darnell Cox's birthday. Kenneth Saunders had his birthday on May 4th and Robert and Catherine had him a cake at dinner and we sang to him. I am sure they will have a cake for Larry and Darnell also.   We went to shoot around at 11:00am. Kenny is sick with an upset stomach. I have felt the same way this morning. It was a very laidback work out, with guys working on their jumpers for the most part. I worked on form shooting with Frierson, Kirkland and Rashad. They each have some quirks I want to address. I didn't try to change their forms, more just to correct some key things. We also ran over our plays but we didn't display much enthusiasm for this portion of the workout. I addressed that when we huddled at the end, and pointed out they need to show up tonight with adrenaline. I am expecting no less that a double-digit win.   Game time… we were warned that the referees may work to keep the game close, especially after we soundly defeated Korea the night before. The local Sports Committee was surely going to want a good game for the crowd. We set a goal to start the game out with five consecutive stops, so we could establish ourselves and get some early buckets. We went up early on a give inside to Cox and a layin by Rashad. They hit a two, the got three more to go up by one. We had gotten stops, but they also drew fouls early on letting us know the referees would not allow us to play defense properly. We bounced back with another bucket by Cox, then Karim hit a three pointer on the right wing. The referee clearly signaled a three pointer and the score table only put up two points. We protested to them immediately but they would hear nothing of it. Mr. Gao went to the table and pleaded with them, but they simply would not give us the point. It would not be the only time this would happen during the game. Though we pushed out to a 13-7 lead, we got couple of guys in foul trouble on their drives to the basket. We would later go up 20-11 on a LaMarr Farr left handed lay-in. But, again fouls gave Lithuania free throw opportunities and their next six points would come from the line. We ended the first quarter with a 22-17 lead. Should have been 23-17 though! With Cox in foul trouble, Donald Oatis entered and handled the middle well, scoring two baskets and freeing the middle up for Rouldra Thomas, who went on another one of his strong stretches six of the next eight points. Chucky Frierson got a break away dunk and Karim chose the right spot for another nifty dribble drive and we suddenly looked in control at 40-26. Lithuania had dried up from the perimeter for a couple of minutes, but woke up and finished the half on an 11-2 run to close to within 42-37 at the intermission. We made another pact to come out and get five stops to start the third quarter. We got a couple and Cox scored, followed by two free throws by Karim, putting us up 46-37. The referees again began to do their "evening up magic" by calling fouls when they would drive. They quickly raced back on three freethrows and a trey. Had Lithuania capitalized on all its shots at the line, they would have had a clear lead at this point, but they were struggling to knock them down, usually missing the first then making the next. We traded buckets for the next few minutes. Cox was purposefully tripped on in the lane and went to the line missing one but making the second shot. The score table again did not put the points up. We argued again. Wang and Gao both went to the table and they would not give us the points. Rashad was also intentionally tripped as he drove the lane a couple of times. He drew the fouls and sink the charity shots, but something was not right with this style of play by the opposition. Thomas got back in the act with some points in the paint, including the shot to put us up 66-60 going into the final period. Should have been 68-60! These points mean a lot in these games where it is clear the organizers want the games to remain close for purposes of keeping the crowd in it. The fourth quarter saw the scoring action pick up a notch especially down the stretch. We had maintained a six to eight point lead through most of the quarter.   Karim had picked up his fourth foul late in the third quarter and had to sit for an extended stretch. He went back in with 6:21 remaining. During this stretch we had made a basket and the scorers table put it up on the wrong side. They don't stop the game here to sort confusion out and the Lithuanians scored in the meantime. In all the debating, we never got our two points. Nevertheless, we were up 80-74, when the Lithuanians suddenly went on a spark. We were not getting good shots off and they were clicking, moving the ball to the open spots and getting good looks. They hit a three, cutting it to 80-77. We then committed a turnover and they got a reverse basket cutting it to one with 5:20 left. We took another bad shot and they quickly moved the ball to the deep right corner in transition, where they downed a three to take their first lead since early in the opening period, at 82-80. The crowd had turned in their favor. I think this motivated us to a certain extent. LaMarr came back with a clean shot off a rotation pass on the left wing. He was just beyond the three-point line and we were back up by one just like that. The referees seemingly satisfied with their job of keeping it close, relented and let us play defense in the final moments. We forced a miss and Thomas got free in the lane for a kiss off the glass, putting us up 85-82. Then we forced another miss. We used clock this trip down and went with about eight ticks on the shot clock. Again, Farr working from the left wing executed a dribble penetration and step back. He sank the shot from about 15 feet and we went up six with 2:35 showing on the game clock. Frierson's defense then helped force another Lithuanian miscue and we came back down to use clock. We got the ball inside as the shot clock winded down and Karim dropped a pass on the baseline to Cox who slammed it home. We were up 89-82. This time one of the Lithuanian guards got free under the basket and hit a reverse lay-in, cutting it back to five with just over a minute left. Karim would again break down the defense after running the shot clock down to about 45 ticks. He found Cox on the right wing this time and he laid the ball in over several defenders outstretched hands. Another quick miss and we again got another bucket from Cox, for icing on the cake. Lithuania scored a meaningless basket in the closing seconds but we held on for the 93-86 win. I think we really won by about 14 points, but who really knows.   After the game, Mr. Gao was in a heated discussion with the Cup organizer. We asked Robert what was going on he told us Mr. Gao was handling it. As it turned out, the organizer is also the host for the Lithuanian and Korean team in the series up International Cups we are playing in various cities. Mr. Goa had overheard the organizer telling the Lithuanian players to play rough on the American players. Mr. Gao was screaming at him between the two buses as we boarded. It got so heated, the local police that manned the contest had to break them up.   They would later argue several more times about the rough-housing, as well as, the obvious pattern of refereeing of keeping the games close for business purposes. I am pleased to see him supporting us, because they need to let the games be settled by athlete's abilities. How things play out from here remains to be seen. I just want to be able to let our guy's talents be displayed with out being harassed. If we were just let go to play, I truly don't think we would lose a game on this trip. But, I don't think they will let that happen.     May 10th… 20 hours on the road and tracks!   When we rode into Bao Jing on the night of May 7th, it was dusk to dark. We really didn't see a whole lot from the bus coming in. We didn't get the full brevity of where we were until we were headed back down the mountain. The mountains are breathtaking in the daylight. The sights, people and culture is astonishingly different than other places. Women carry children on their backs in colorful baskets that also serve as chairs. This region is a heavy mining territory, with stone cutting machines in the bends on the roads and stone shaping shops on the roadside in the villages. The stone shaper's works line the edges of the roads seemingly for pick up.   Most of the guys are asleep and missing the value of this leg of the trip. I hate that because it could dispel some of the aggravation about the conditions at the Bao Jing Hotel. I pointed out the mountains to LaMarr Farr, who was the only person awake. He nodded in approval and said it reminds him of the mountains in Montana where he played college basketball. He said those in Montana are much higher though. I was caught by the beauty and in the moment of capturing the picturesque images in my memory and the song "My Baby Daddy" began blaring through my headphones. It was funny and contradictive but sure didn't kill the moment!   Since we started up the mountain several days ago, we had not seen the sun at all. As we came further down, I saw the sun creep up on my arm that was closest to the window. Yet, even now, it was barely peaking through the dense fog and clouds above.   We boarded the train for a 12-hour ride at noon. It was mass chaos getting on. The train does not wait for people and everyone was clamoring to get on. All of the players for our team and the Lithuanian team were on Car #6 and the coaches and organizers were on Car #9. I was in compartment 8, bed 34. I slept the first two ours then had to get up. I walked through to the other car and checked on the guys, then sat in the fold down seats in the aisle way and watched as we zoomed through the countryside and through the cities. I took video in some spots.   The organizer for the Lithuanian team is a real character. He started drinking the minute we got on the train and was "tore up" the whole way. He tried to get me to drink to but I refused. But, he told me I was going to have to come eat dinner with him and the other coaches at 7pm. I told Robert I wasn't real interested in doing that. Robert said he knew that already and laughed. He said the guy was really drunk! Passing time, I went back to Car #6 to hang out with the guys for a while then watched video on my laptops on how to break down zone defenses. So, 7:00pm rolls around and the "man" suddenly jerks our compartment door open and was tugging on my shoulder. I am on the top bunk and he's trying to pull me down. I don't know what he's saying but I figure it means time to go. Robert laughing, but also doesn't want to go either. After about five minutes of this, I climb down and we go. We walk back several more cars to the dining car, and to the very back table in front of the kitchen. There is a table on each side with an aisle between them. I sit diagonal from the Lithuanian coach. The "crazy man" stands. He proceeds to call for about 10 toasts in a row, urging us to "bottoms up" the small paper cup each time and re-filling them with Chinese Beer. They like their beer hot, so I didn't jive with it too well. I don't drink beer anyway, but I do want it to be cold. After "bottomsing up," I began just sipping. Now, I am not claiming to have reached some drinking feat by killing two cups. We are talking like four ounces. So, after about 30 total toasts, I drank maybe the equivalent of about 16 ounces of beer. I still felt the affects of it because I am just not a drinker. Robert translated what he was saying and I felt bad for thinking he was a certified knuckle-head, when he started complimenting me on my coaching abilities. I realized he was showing respect in his own drunken way. Once we started drowning out his noise, the Lithuanian coach and I struck up an hour-long conversation. We talked about the game the night before, where we had to hold his team off to win that first Cup Title, 93-86. We talked about our basketball backgrounds. He was actually very hospitable and engaging in his broken, tough sounding English. His financier came a little later and I learned his son actually lives and works in Atlanta.   We finish the train ride and hurriedly hop on out buses. The itinerary says we are in for a 3 hour ride, but we learn later it is actually a 5 hour trip. Everybody settles in once we navigate through the dark and narrow street of the village from where we de-boarded the train. We were quiet and mostly everyone slept. Even me! We pulled into Wu Zhou promptly at 5:00am. It was totally dark and I didn't see a single person in the streets, except for the policeman we saw walking after we first came through the toll gates. We unloaded and went to our rooms. The rooms are better than those at Bao Jing Hotel, but still leave a little to be desired. However, for the first time in four days, I have INTERNET access!! I have much to get done!   May 11: A day off!!!!!   I woke up early again. My body has still not totally adjusted. I don't know if I want it to either, because I will have to return to work the day after we return. I will be an absolute zombie for the first four to five days. I was disappointed to find out my camera had not arrived from the airline. I am not real sure they actually made an attempt to get it here.   I caught up on some work in the morning, made some phone calls from my computer and then took a short nap. Everyone was kind of antsy after lunch because for the first time there was nothing much to do, no times to be somewhere. They got out and walked around the city a little bit. We went to see the Korean and Lithuanian teams play against each other later in the evening. The Lithuanians were very strong and really man-handled the smaller Korean team. When we left at the end of the third quarter, Lithuania had a comfortable 15 point lead. I filmed the entire time we were there and we talked about strategy for our game against Lithuania tonight. They will present a great challenge.   I fell asleep early, around 11:10pm. Right after the hotel shut down all internet access. I didn't really understand that, but I can't really question it. It allowed me to lay my head down though and not worry about all the other work I need to get done.   May 12… Game #8 vs Korean Team. China Mobil International Cup #2: W 100-86   I slept well. We got up to eat at 8am. We have shoot around at 9:30am, which I do not like. It is way too early!   We went to shoot around and inserted a couple of new offensive plays to combat the zone defenses the Lithuanian and Korean teams will play on us. It went well and they guys understand the philosophy behind the plays perfectly. The gym was quite cold this morning. The Korean team came in for shoot around as we were finishing up. It confused me because I thought we were playing the Lithuanian team tonight and really made preparations for them. But, I asked and they said we are playing Korea. They changed the itinerary around, but it's not a big deal. Our new things will work better against Korea anyway because they have a smaller line up.   I asked again about my camera and it has still not arrived. I am not too confident now that it will get here. I had started taking some pictures with my video camera and cell phone, but they will not download to my computer. So, I am at a loss now. I can use some of the pictures the guys have been taking but its difficult to transfer their images. This cripples my ability to document the way I want to!   Lunch is at 11:30am. We literally eat four times per day here. I am trying not to get fat. The food is different obviously, but I stick to a bland diet and don't try anything exotic. I eat bread, bananas, watermelon, eggs & rice everyday! They did have some fried asparagus last night that was actually really good. But, I am really in need of some Subway right now. that cold-cut combo really sounds good.   At lunch today, Kenny was trying to use his chopsticks to eat. He was struggling a little bit. Suddenly, one of the attendants appear by his side with a fork and just laid up against his plate and walked away quietly. It was one of the funniest things we have experienced so far. It was almost as if she was telling him to give it up and just use the fork. She never said anything, and never really even made an expression. It was hilarious. Kenny was cracking up, he wondered aloud if she was thinking he was embarrassing the Chinese culture by butchering up his efforts to use the sticks. He also made some funny comments last night about how skinny the dancers were at the game. When he made the remark, he almost instinctively began to think about a Hardee's hamburger – but he couldn't remember the name of the specific hamburger. He became so stuck with the thought, he actually came back to the hotel room and pulled up the Hardee's website and pulled up the Western Bacon Burger. He and Lamar Karim just sat and stared at the screen for a few moments while their mouths watered. Lamar said the picture was the entire size of the screen too. They sounded so excited. This was all while he was putting forks full of rice in his mouth at the lunch table. It was priceless!   4:30pm… beginning to get me things together for the game. I am used to wearing suits and ties to coach, or at least a shirt and tie, or nice coaching shirt and slacks. However, the last two hotels have prohibited me from being able to dress in my normal attire. The do not have irons, so I have to wear an athletic warm up suit, which is fine but not preferred. The hotels the last two stops lack many amenities. They don't have irons, the rooms don't have hair dryers and the smallest toilet paper rolls you can imagine! I know, you can imagine. I was told they don't have big rolls because the Chinese don't really use toilet paper. They use their hands for the most part! Absolutely unimaginable to me!!! I can't even fathom the process of that, especially when the public bathrooms rarely have toilet paper, paper towels or soap. Can kind of make you appreciate what we have back home, huh? I had begun to feel kind of sick around this time with an upset stomach and a head ache.   They also don't have regular use of clothes dryers. They hand wash clothes for the most part and just hang to dry. In the last city, Bao Jing, we allowed the hotel to wash what dirty clothes we had accumulated to that point. They did this on the first day we were there, by the time we left, we had to pack wet clothes in our bags. The dampness of the climate would not allow the clothes to dry. I had to hang my clothes in my room at the next stop, along with others that were clean because they got damp in my travel luggage from the others.   We went do for pre-game meal at 5:00pm and I didn't eat anything. I was dizzy and queezy. I noticed my sinuses were backing up and actually bleeding. I think maybe a combination of the green foods I ate yesterday and the different climate is performing a double whammy on me right now.   Game time is at 8pm vs Korea… They delayed our 6:00pm departure time to 7:00pm. During this time I took some medicine, to no avail. I was feeling worse, light headed and really not too excited about the game. I think the guys were beginning to sense I was in a different mood. Once we got there, I just sat while they warmed up instead of my usual mode of trying to communicate with various players about what we needed them to do in the game. We started out really slow in the first quarter. We traded a few baskets, but were not moving on defense and were really uneasy on offense, actually turning the ball over about five times in the opening quarter. We had no life at all. I wondered if had to do with my mood, because none of the guys really seemed melancholy before the game. Anyway, we got down by about six points, but fought back to tie it at 21 by the end of the period. In the second quarter, it got worse. We were getting terrible calls and they were allowed to literally throw punches with their forearms. In one stretch, Haygood was called for 3 fouls very quick. I was trying to get someone subbed in for him but they gave them to him so quickly, he actually fouled out in the first half. It was insane. They took a couple of points away from us again. They were starting our shot clock at 22 or 19 sometimes, but not even starting the shot clock for them until they got the ball down the court and started into their offense, basically giving them 35-40 second possession. Irregardless, we were not moving or talking on defense. The hit several wide open threes and we were turning the ball over and forced shots. We looked horrible. We got down by as many as 11. We began to climb back a little and cut it to 43-38 by half-time. I told them going into the third quarter we would have to step it up if we didn't want to get embarrassed by a team the we dominated the first time we played them. We were playing right into their game by not defending on the perimeter. We decided to switch on all screens, except when it was with our center. We immediately went on an amazing run to start the third quarter. We raced back on buckets by Cox in the paint and transition baskets from Saunders and a combination of shots by Karim. Each score came after we locked up on defense and made them miss. We went from five down to six or seven up very quickly. The managed to hit a couple of shots to bring it close again, but mid-way through the quarter we made fresh subs who went out and picked up defensively with the same intensity. Thomas got a couple of good shots off and Oatis took control in the paint and was virtually unstoppable when he got the ball on the block. He was the catalyst on defense with several big blocks. Saunders got a big block during that stretch too. We demoralized Korean and broke the spirits by outscoring them 39-16 in the quarter. We basically cruised in the fourth quarter, building as much as a 22 point lead. Oatis, Farr and Kirkland continued to produce points. Farr got two cross over pulls ups around the elbows and Kirkland worked to get the ball around the basket and capitalized well. Korea hit a couple of baskets in the final two minutes and actually managed to trim the score down to 11 with about 50 seconds left, but Kirkland got a reverse lay-in and Thomas got another basket to quell their charge. We chalked up a 100-86 win and were satisfied with our 63-point second half performance.   Darnell Cox scored 22 points to lead the way, while Donald Oatis had 14, Rouldra Thomas and Lamar Karim 13 each. Sean Kirkland and Kenny Saunders both had 11, as LaMarr Farr and Marvin Rashad got six apiece  and Chucky Frierson four.    We will now play Lithuania for the Wu Zhou China Mobil International Cup Title tomorrow night. Winner takes all. It will be a real battle.   I still felt badly throughout the game, and really didn't coach as diligently as I normally do, but the guys self-motivated and self-corrected themselves at the appropriate time. Tomorrow night we cannot afford to start as slowly against the Lithuanian team. I think we will be ok, because there will be more adrenaline going into that one!   I skipped dinner and I am going to try and fast through my sickness. I think it is really the greens I ate. With out getting too specific, I can still feel their effects in my system, so hopefully fasting will make things better! I sure hope so. I will try to get some good rest!   May 13th – Wu Zhou China Mobil International Cup Title Game vs. Lithuania:   I was able to rest last night, but the effects of the bad food I ate began taking its toll. I was up and in the bathroom quite often. I actually feel a little better because my system is cleaning itself out I guess. I have skipped the last three meals, including this morning's breakfast. I got everyone else up to go eat but I stayed in the room. I saw the Lithuanian coach in the hallway and he went back into his room momentarily and came back out, calling my name. He gave me a book about Lithuania and it had his contact information inside of it. I was surprised by his gift and now feel I need to oblige with the same. I must think of something for him. I think there is a positive mutual respect there.   I talked with LaMarr Farr about my being sick and we both agreed that venturing out on the food is a huge mistake. I will not do it again. I also may have let my guard down by not covering my feet when I showered the other day. In this hotel, the shower just flows right out into the bathroom. There is literally no partition and the water goes everywhere. All of over the toilet, sink basis, everywhere! Like an idiot, I showered bare footed. I used my disinfectant wipes to clean the floor beforehand, but I am positive all germs can't be gotten up. Anyway, I am back in my 'Howard Huges' mode! You can believe that! Robert came into my room and tried to give me some medicine to stop my stomach woes. I told him I need to let my system continue to self-clean. He fears it will get worse. I know my body and I will be better by the end of the day. If not, I may take these unknown white pills with Chinese writing on them. But, then again, maybe not.   We have shoot around at 10:30 this morning. I will address the issues from last night's game and also apologize for my mental absence.   We had a good shoot around and everyone was on the same page regarding the issues last night. A couple of our players had gotten into a bad argument in a timeout huddle mid-way through the third quarter, after we had already made our run and taken command of the game. I was an odd time to have a verbal spat, but it happened nonetheless. I think it may ironically serve as a bonding mechanism. We need to learn to fight for one another. We had a positive talk about it during the morning shoot around. We are going to have a good night as a team.   I am feeling somewhat better, but still sick and visiting the bathroom frequently. I had a good nap after eating only some bread and rice. I had a protein bar in my bag and ate that as well. I don't feel the dizzy, nausea I experienced yesterday though. I still have not taken the medicine Robert gave me. I doubt I will.   We will have pre-game meal at 5:00pm, then leave for the game at 6:30pm.       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note: The BaslineUSA Warriors International Tour club basketball team is a division of The Human Race Inc, a Cartersville, GA based 501(c)3 Non-profit Organization. This trip is made possible by a collaberation of entities, including the Northwest Georgia Community Foundation, the Cartersville Service League, Chattahoochee Technical College-North Metro Campus, the Eddie Lee Wilkins Youth Association and the China Hoops organization and Robert Wang. For more information contact The Human Race, Inc. PO Box 2282 Cartersville GA 30120. 770-606-3764 phone. 770-382-0281 fax. darcherjr@yahoo.com