Aug. 7, 2009
A.J. Ogilvy has only made the trip from Nashville to his home in Sydney, Australia, a handful of times since coming to Vanderbilt. Each time he has come home he has brought a suitcase full of clothes, but when he heads home Friday, he will be bringing a lot more with him than just clothes — he will be bringing Vanderbilt’s basketball team.
Ogilvy, along with his teammates and coaches departed Nashville on Friday en route to Australia where the team will play five games in 10 days before returning to Nashville on Aug. 17. Once arriving in Australia, the team will play games in Melbourne, Canberra, Townsville and Sydney.
For Ogilvy, it will not only be his first trip home since May, it will also be the first time he will be able to show his teammates where he grew up.
“I am most looking forward to showing them around Sydney because I am most familiar with that city. Just showing them where I grew up is what I’m most looking forward to.”
Per NCAA rules, the team is allowed just one international trip every four years. For Head Coach Kevin Stallings, this will be his third international trip since he has been here, but the first to Australia.
“The destination was certainly a choice made with A.J. in mind,” Stallings said. “When we knew we were going to go on a trip, we decided it would be a wonderful opportunity for our team to get to have more of an understanding of A.J.’s background as he has tried to understand theirs. From that standpoint, it is really a great opportunity.”
The trip will also be a great opportunity for Ogilvy’s friends and family to watch him play.
“My family came over (to Nashville) and watched a couple of games this past season, but the last time, my friends have seen me play was when I was in Australia,” Ogilvy said. “It will be exciting to play in front of them again.”
Instead of people having to travel across the globe to watch him play, Ogilvy’s family and friends will literally be able to walk to his game in Sydney.
“We are playing one game just two blocks from my house in Sydney,” Ogilvy said. “I used to play there every day, so I know those rims well.”
Ogilvy will definitely have a sense of comfort playing in his native country, which should provide the team a boost against what could be some pretty stringent competition. The international talent pool has grown a great deal in basketball and Australia is no exception.
“We will see some good teams over there for sure,” Stallings said. “We expect very good competition, but I think that there are many byproducts that are benefits of this trip and the chemistry and bonding that occurs when a team goes on a trip like this is really good.”
The trip comes on the heels of a successful summer of training, where all members of the team spent a good portion of their summer working out in Nashville. Most notably, Ogilvy spent his first summer at Vanderbilt after playing in Australia his first two summers.
“It was really good to be here,” Ogilvy said. “I was able to build up my strength a lot. Just to be able to get out with the guys and work out I think was a good team building experience as well. It was a lot of fun because I was able to focus on basketball more and not have to worry about the academics.”
The Commodores are hopeful they will finish the trip undefeated, but more than anything, Stallings hopes the trip Down Under will make Vanderbilt a better program in the year to come.
“The trip in and of itself is about the team, it is about the program, it is about the opportunity to try to better ourselves for the upcoming year.”