Previous Entries
August 2, 2013: Men's Hoops Prepares for Foreign Tour in Spain
August 11, 2013: A Busy First Day in Madrid
August 12, 2013: Angola 83, Pilots 78
August 13, 2013: Venezuela 75, Pilots 72
Goodbye Madrid, Hello Gran Canaria!
Photo Gallery
We said goodbye to beautiful Madrid yesterday afternoon… It was a great few days in Spain's capital that included a bus tour of the city, the team competing in an Amazing Race-style scavenger hunt (winner's still pending photo analysis), a pair of highly competitive one-possession games against two Senior National Teams, observation of the Spanish Men's Basketball Team's final practice, and a whole lot of good food. Usually it's a problem getting enough food when you take a bunch of 18-22 year old basketball players to a restaurant… But in Madrid, the courses just kept coming wherever we ate and the boys met their match.
Wednesday afternoon we boarded the plane set for Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. A few in our travel party were familiar with where we were going: Coach Reveno and Coach Wolf have been on a few recruiting trips here, Thomas van der Mars and Volydymyr Gerun among the players the coaches recruited from the Canarias Basketball Academy. For the rest of us, there was a lot of anticipation.
For the most part the coaching staff underplayed the accommodations we'd be receiving on the island… When we approached the five-star Hotel Lopesan Villa del Conde there were a lot of wide eyes on the team bus. The place is phenomenal and just a five minute walk from the beach.
After dropping of our gear in the hotel rooms, we headed for a team practice at the home of former Gran Canaria Fourth Division club and had a very good two-hour session (again, no AC in the gym so I think we all sweated off a few extra pounds). Trainer Rich Bennett stayed busy with his second hospital visit in three days, this time as John Bailey took an elbow to the chin and needed a few stitches (he and Ryan Nicholas are the bash brothers now).
We returned to the hotel for a fantastic buffet-style dinner and then a nice evening exploring the grounds. Needless to say, the players (and staff) are very excited and many of us eager to jump in the pool when it opens at 11 AM today.
The schedule for Thursday:
8-11 AM Breakfast/Sightseeing at Maspalomas Beach
3:30 PM Pregame Meal
7:30 PM Game vs. Canarias Basketball Academy All-Stars
10 PM Dinner
Lots of free time for everyone to explore, get a swim in, and have a good time. We'll work on the internet audio feed (no promises), but will at least have game updates via twitter @PortlandPilots (for those without twitter accounts, refresh www.twitter.com/PortlandPilots for regular updates).
