Practice and games

While the boys were practicing on Friday, some of the parents went to a local museum and took a tour and had a nice lunch of soup and salad in a cafe inside the museum.

Later in the day, the team scrimmaged a local team from Reykjavik that consisted of 20 and under boys/men. We won the game and it was a good way to get the boys 'head in the game'. That evening we were treated to a spaghetti dinner at the hotel. It was quite good.

Breakfasts are provided by the hotel. They have cereal, toast, hard boiled eggs, fruit, some sliced pepperoni, ham and cheese, yogurt and juice, coffee & tea.

There were a total of 4 teams in the weekend tournament with 3 games schedule for Saturday to set the seedings and 2 games on Sunday to decide the champions. Our first 2 games were against teams from Reykjavik and our last game was against the Borgarnes home team whose club we were playing the games at and who was hosting the tournament. Check out the pictures of the posters which were up all over town announcing the event.

GAME 1 - We played a 17 and under team which turned out to be our toughest opponent. The were actually the younger level team from the club team we scrimmaged against on Friday. The game tilted back and forth and we squeaked out a win.

GAME 2 - We played what seemed like a much smaller and younger team, but they were surprisingly good. All of the teams were are playing have been together for all their lives, so they know each other and play an incredibly fast and precise game. They instinctively know each others moves and run plays very well. We won this game and there was an very funny moment where they put Angelo in as point guard. The opposing team head coach called a time out and put in their smallest player to guard Angelo. It looked like Gulliver being guarded by a kindergarten child, but the moment was special and transcended any international boundary between the teams. The player fiercely guarded Angelo and did not back down. It ended up that another player on the opposing team fouled Angelo when he took the lane to try and score. There is a picture of this special moment in Iceland - Book 2.

Game 3 - This game was against the hosting club 17 and under team. The team is coached by Kenny Webb who is an ex NBA player and who grew up and hung out with Darryl's younger brother in East Orange and is also a very good friend of Joe Hahn. Kenny is the inspiration and catalyst for this event and trip, and is a terrific guy. Remember his name and if he has his way Iceland will be a mecca for basketball in the years to come.

Darryl was present for this game and it was a real thrill and proud moment for the boys to be in Iceland and sitting on the bench with Mr. Dawkins. We started out by falling behind early in this game as we tried to adjust to their style of play. They were excellent outside shooters and passed with precision. The Sports University coaches began to work every single boy into the game. Each one stepped up their game to the point where they became exponentially better as a team. Every single player contributed, some offensively others defensively, some with speed and others with passing. In the end we won the game, but we also won the respect of the Iceland players.

On note about the style of play here in Iceland. They don't allow any type of player impedance, meaning that on defense we cannot us our arms, hands or legs to slow the player down. This took some time for the boys to adjust to. Another big difference was that the key is wider at the basket and narrow at the foul line and you can go for a rebound once the ball leave the shooters hands. We did well adjusting to this. But because the key is larger, you also have to move in and out quicker or you will get called for 3 seconds. Another difference is that they play with a 24 second clock. Carries and travelling are seldom called and it seems they allow an extra step on a shot attempt, but not 'officially'. The officially are very consistent and very approachable before, during and after the game. You will find a great picture of Bob Goode and one of the referees in front of the facility. If you look close Bob is handing the guy a 500 Krona bill. It was a joke but demonstrates the good nature of the people of Iceland.

We are off to play our first game today. We should do OK since we are the seeded first and playing the last place seed. We expect we will play the team we played in Game 1 as they are seeded 2nd and are most likely to win their game against Kenny's local club team.

We plan to get some close-up pictures of each of the boys today in their uniforms against some Icelandic backdrop. Some parents asked for some specific players and we are very happy to accommodate. Just send an e-mail to Andy Caprio at andy@andycaprio.com and we will make it happen and post the pictures.

The player blogs will continue latter on today.

Andy