Husky Women Win First Game In Australia, 88-47
August 09, 2016 | Women's Basketball
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Mike Neighbors stood at the free throw line. As Washington's coach was sinking shots, the realization of the magnitude of the experience hit him.
With each flick of the wrist, as sunlight fell through the windows of the old gym being used for the Huskies' practice, the moment was surreal.
Here is a guy from Greenwood, Ark., shooting free throws in Australia.
"I'm from a town that's a map dot," he said. "We didn't have a stoplight. And, if you told me at that age I would be in Australia with a Final Four team, I would have called you a liar."
And in that moment, the coach delivered a message to his team. He gathered the Huskies around the hoop and told them that, while this experience – and everything that happens in a college career – should be memorable, he wants his players to continue stacking memories long after their college careers end.
For the coach, high school was great. So was college. And now as a coach, after a Final Four trip last season, life "just keeps getting better and better, because of all those experiences."
That was the message Neighbors delivered at the beginning of Tuesday's practice.
"It should be a really good four years, but the stuff we do lasts for longer than that and it has an impact on them when they're my age and they get the opportunity to take a team over here," he said.
"I want our four years together to be great, but I don't want any of our kids to look back and think the best four years of their lives were college, because I want their lives to be so much better than what we're able to do."
When the Huskies finished practice, they spent a few hours exploring Surfers Paradise before making the trek from Gold Coast to Brisbane to play their first game on this Australian tour.
And, after an 88-47 of the Southern Districts Spartans, the day was capped with another memorable moment to build on.
When asked about the way Washington played, Neighbors said the team passed the challenge, "with flying colors."
"There's a long way to go before we need to be good at a lot more things, but the three things we focused on we were pretty good at," he said.
Senior Kelsey Plum led the Huskies with 25 points – she had 17 in the first half – and 10 rebounds, while Aarion McDonald scored 17, Katie Collier added 10 points and Hannah Johnson finished with six rebounds. Chantel Osahor pulled down seven rebounds in just 10 minutes.
The Huskies now head for their next Australian destination, flying to Cairns on Wednesday morning. They play their next game Thursday against the Cairns Dolphins.
GoHuskies.com
Mike Neighbors stood at the free throw line. As Washington's coach was sinking shots, the realization of the magnitude of the experience hit him.
With each flick of the wrist, as sunlight fell through the windows of the old gym being used for the Huskies' practice, the moment was surreal.
Here is a guy from Greenwood, Ark., shooting free throws in Australia.
"I'm from a town that's a map dot," he said. "We didn't have a stoplight. And, if you told me at that age I would be in Australia with a Final Four team, I would have called you a liar."
And in that moment, the coach delivered a message to his team. He gathered the Huskies around the hoop and told them that, while this experience – and everything that happens in a college career – should be memorable, he wants his players to continue stacking memories long after their college careers end.
For the coach, high school was great. So was college. And now as a coach, after a Final Four trip last season, life "just keeps getting better and better, because of all those experiences."
That was the message Neighbors delivered at the beginning of Tuesday's practice.
"It should be a really good four years, but the stuff we do lasts for longer than that and it has an impact on them when they're my age and they get the opportunity to take a team over here," he said.
"I want our four years together to be great, but I don't want any of our kids to look back and think the best four years of their lives were college, because I want their lives to be so much better than what we're able to do."
When the Huskies finished practice, they spent a few hours exploring Surfers Paradise before making the trek from Gold Coast to Brisbane to play their first game on this Australian tour.
And, after an 88-47 of the Southern Districts Spartans, the day was capped with another memorable moment to build on.
When asked about the way Washington played, Neighbors said the team passed the challenge, "with flying colors."
"There's a long way to go before we need to be good at a lot more things, but the three things we focused on we were pretty good at," he said.
Senior Kelsey Plum led the Huskies with 25 points – she had 17 in the first half – and 10 rebounds, while Aarion McDonald scored 17, Katie Collier added 10 points and Hannah Johnson finished with six rebounds. Chantel Osahor pulled down seven rebounds in just 10 minutes.
The Huskies now head for their next Australian destination, flying to Cairns on Wednesday morning. They play their next game Thursday against the Cairns Dolphins.
Players Mentioned
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