Summer travel blog: Hawai’i arrives in Brisbane, adjusts to Australian culture and competition

This summer, Mid-Major Madness is teaming up with schools across the country as they travel overseas to compete against elite competition and soak up the culture. Student-athletes will blog their experiences for us via written posts, photos, video, and just about anything else they want.

Here’s our first post from Hawai’i freshman Zoar Nedd, live from Brisbane...

Aloha to everyone! The last few days have been really fun. Australia is a beautiful place with one of the more breathtaking sunrises that I’ve ever seen. The guys are really excited to represent Hawaii and win some games. We have had some free time and the guys have been really taking in the scenery and hitting up some of the new malls. Aussie natives Jack Purchase, Mate Colina, and Owen Hulland have been kinda like our own personal tour guides telling us which places serve the best food and some dishes that we need to try. I can’t wait to get to Melbourne because then we will get to see where they grew up and explore their city.

Zoar Nedd

Friday night we went out for a team dinner and took about a 25 minute walk together through the strip down to the restaurant. It was a great time for the guys to bond with each other. Also it was Brandon Thomas’ birthday so we got to celebrate with him. The food was great at the restaurant I’m a simple guy so I had a pizza but some of the guys tried some different types of Italian food and we all agreed that the food was really good. And we all got to walk it all off on the way back to the hotel.

Zoar Nedd

The next night we played the Brisbane Bullets, a pro team in the NBL. It was a very physical game against the Bullets. The gym was packed, standing room only. It was quite an adjustment for the guys and I think jet lag played a big factor in the game. A lot of the guys said it was tough to breathe. We lost but it was a good experience to play against pro level talent and we look forward to bouncing back next game in Melbourne.