Griz grow, bond from trip to Costa Rica

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The Montana Griz men's basketball team got to experience a rare trip of a lifetime together earlier this month, traveling to Costa Rica as part of an international tour, allowed once every four years by the NCAA.

"Costa Rica was an incredible experience, for each person individually and for our team as a whole," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "I think it was huge for us as a program."

The advantages on the court are pretty apparent. The Griz got to spend two weeks leading up to the trip in the gym, implementing plays and practicing together – something most teams across the country are unable to do until September. Then there's the fact that the Griz were able to scrimmage two teams while abroad.

Montana earned a win over Coopenae Arba, a club team out of San Ramon, on the first night, before falling the following night to Laurentian University, a school in eastern Canada.

The loss was a "humbling experience" according to DeCuire, but also made the team hungrier. And more than wins and losses, being on the court was the bigger focus.

"The whole time, our goal was to get better, and we did," DeCuire said. "It was an opportunity to introduce things and become a better, more collective basketball team. Doing it early really gives our coaching staff more time to evaluate what we want to do now, rather than trial-and-error in October."

Each player received roughly the same number of minutes during the two scrimmages, with the coaching staff testing out new rotations and lineups and trying out different groups with each other. One of the positive takeaways was the play of the newcomers.

"The thing that was more surprising to me was the ability of the freshmen to blend into our team chemistry," DeCuire said. "I was impressed with our young guys and their ability to step up and be impactful early."

Karl Nicholas was noticed for his defensive activity – rebounding, contesting shots and even his mobility. He had a team-best plus-minus score of 15, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 boards against Coopenae Arba. Timmy Falls had a good feel for the game on both sides of the ball, DeCuire noted.

Off the court, the benefits of the trip were even greater, including one day, when the Griz were able to get away from the court, and themselves, and serve at a local orphanage.

"It was an experience they'll never forget," DeCuire said. "Sometimes we think our lives are rough because we only have those surrounding us to compare them to. Our time at the orphanage was a chance for us to reflect on the opportunities that we've been given and to try and make the most of them. I think we walked out of there a hungrier group, individually and collectively."

Hoops from Costa Rica pic.twitter.com/rd4ALWOF3R
— Travis DeCuire (@CoachDeCuire) August 5, 2017

While at the orphanage, the Griz played games with the children, served them lunch and even got to see them later that night, as some of them cheered Montana on at the basketball game.

"Although we didn't speak the same language, the smiles and laughs we shared left more of an impact than words could have," senior Fabijan Krslovic said.

pic.twitter.com/n2IEfJoVE5
— Travis DeCuire (@CoachDeCuire) August 5, 2017

The final part of the trip was a time to enjoy being in a foreign country, with your teammates, and not having to focus on basketball. One of the highlights was a long, competitive game of volleyball in the swimming pool – something DeCuire particularly enjoyed because of how rare it is for coaches to get to compete against their players.

Pool volleyball, in addition to several wrestling matches, created plenty of bonding and laughter off the court, when minds weren't focused on basketball or playing time.

On the final day in Costa Rica, the team traveled to an 80-acre zip-line exhibit.

"I believe that it brought us all closer together since we were all a bit out of our comfort zones," junior Michael Oguine said. "I learned that some of my teammates are more adventurous than I thought, which was cool. You never really know someone until you see them go upside down on a zip line 800 feet above the roof tops of the jungle."

The team got back to Missoula on Aug. 8, and although the first team practice isn't until Sept. 29 and individual work doesn't begin until Sept. 11, the time in Costa Rica has given each player a broader sense of what the team is trying to accomplish, and gives them a head start in getting there.

It was a fun first full day abroad! #GrizInCostaRica pic.twitter.com/xwYoaqDAKc
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) August 5, 2017

In their words…
"Our first day here was an incredible experience. We got into the heart of Costa Rica, to San Jose, and we were able to go downtown and visit and shop their local markets. All of us walked away with some pretty sweet gifts. We also were able to just walk through the city and see what the lifestyle is like there. It's definitely different than our lifestyle in Montana. We also got the chance to compete in a game, which was an awesome experience. Of course, getting the win makes everything a little better. I thought it was an incredible experience, and we can't thank everyone enough for the opportunity to come down here." – Bobby Moorehead, on the team's first day in Costa Rica

"Feeling positive coming off a win in our first game, we began our second day in Costa Rica with a focus not on basketball, shopping or swimming, but of service. We spent our morning at an orphanage in a poor part of San Jose, but the volunteers and workers there told us their main priority was keeping kids off the streets and to keep them from going down a bad path in life. The orphanage helps around 70,000 children throughout their seven locations. We spent our time playing games and engaging with the children, and although we didn't speak the same language, the smiles and laughs we shared left more of an impact than words could have. We also walked through their small zoo and saw a variety of different animals, from birds to bulls to crocodiles. We ended our time at the orphanage by serving the children lunch before we headed back to the hotel to prepare for our second game." – Fabijan Krslovic, on the team's time at a local orphanage

"A slow start in the second game proved costly as we were unable to overcome the eight-point halftime deficit. A strong second-half surge momentarily gave us the lead before our opponents responded with a run of their own that we were never able to bring back. Despite not having the result we hoped for, we took some positives from the game, as well as a lot of things we need to improve on as a team. One last surprise awaited us as a small group of children from the orphanage came to our game to support us! After the game, we played basketball with the children, which brought our second day in Costa Rica to a close on a high note." – Fabijan Krslovic, on the team's second scrimmage

"Today I had a great day zip lining with the team. I had never been zip lining before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It ended up being very fun and I'm glad that I was able to experience it with my teammates. An activity as exciting as zip lining is great for building team chemistry. I believe that it brought us all closer together since we were all a bit out of our comfort zones. I learned that some of my teammates are more adventurous than I thought, which was cool. You never really know someone until you see them go upside down on a zip line 800 feet above the roof tops of the jungle!" – Michael Oguine, on bonding as a team

View from our hotel room. #GrizInCostaRica pic.twitter.com/dF39NSNRgR
— Bobby Moorehead (@Bobbyisabeast) August 7, 2017

Players Mentioned

Timmy Falls

Fabijan Krslovic

Bobby Moorehead

Karl Nicholas

Michael Oguine

Ahmaad Rorie

University of Montana Athletics