MKE BBB: Belfast Basketball Blog #4

And on Day No. 4 ... we got to play a game.

I am sure you have all seen how that went. The Panthers hung tough with the #20-ranked Bulls, trailing by just 4 points with less then 9 minutes left in the game before a key Buffalo scoring run provided the difference. The crowd and atmosphere was great and, as you can see, we picked up quite a few new fans today!

In case you did miss it, you can read the RECAP HERE.

With the game at 10:30 AM local time, it got us back to the hotel before 2 PM. After a lunch at the hotel, the players had some free time to walk around and enjoy the area around the Europa Hotel. One of the more interesting places within walking distance is the Belfast Christmas Market. The popular market offers an authentic feast of international cuisine - YES I MEAN A LOT OF FOOD - alongside a mix of handcrafted goods and artisan products. Needless to say, I may have picked up some Christmas present for my family members.

Back to the hotel for a film session to prepare for tomorrow's opponent - Stephen F. Austin - and a team dinner at NANDO'S - home of the legendary flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken. Delicious, trust me. See you tomorrow!

MKE BBB: Belfast Basketball Blog #3

Hello again everyone:

First things first ... we wanted to share a GREAT article with you that appeared on ESPN.com and gives some amazing background into the creation and running of the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic.

That link is HERE. Please take a few minutes, it's worth it.

Today was a slower day for the team, consisting mainly of breakfast, study tables, shootaround, film and dinner.

However, today allowed many in the group to see some of the amazing sights of Northern Ireland. A bus trip up the coast, with fans from all participating teams, led to some beautiful views.

All of the driving led us to the Giants Causeway, an amazing site that pictures do not do it justice and one of one the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland. The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. We enjoyed the Irish legend much more, one that involves the remains of a causeway being built by a giant - named Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool), from the Fenian Cycle of Gaelic mythology.

MKE BBB: Belfast Basketball Blog #2

Hello everyone:

Your day at work may just have ended, but with the 6-hour time change, we are ready to call it a night here in Belfast.

It was another busy day, starting with a community service event to kick things off. The entire coaching staff and all players jumped on the bus at 10 AM and we headed to St. Clare's Primary School, where we were joined by students from Springfield Primary School.

The event consisted of Coach Baldwin playing emcee, with the players and students taking time to get to know each other and learn about how sport can change life. A very interesting Q-and-A session followed - funny what kids want to know some times - who can jump the highest? who has the biggest hands? who has the best hair? - you name it, the players took the time to answer them all. Apparently kids all across the world want to do 2 things - dab and Fortnite dances.

The event closed with a ball-skill session where the players would demonstrate a skill and the kids would try and copy it. Fun stuff.

Shortly after leaving the school, our bus driver gave us an education on the area, it's history and then took us to the "Peace Wall". This was something you had to see in person to fully understand what it was. According to wikipedia, the Peace Wall is a series of separation barriers in Northern Ireland that separate predominantly Republican and Nationalist Catholic neighbourhoods from predominantly Loyalist and Unionist Protestant neighbourhoods. They have been built at urban interface areas in Belfast, Derry, Portadown and elsewhere.

We returned to the hotel, ate lunch and the team headed back to the arena for practice. Night time brought a group meal at Fratelli's, a great place within walking distance of the hotel.

MKE BBB: Belfast Basketball Blog

Hello all:

We thought it would be fun to share what the team gets to do on a daily basis here in Northern Ireland.

On that note, we have started the MKE BBB - otherwise known as the "Belfast Basketball Blog".

The adventure actually started Monday afternoon, with the team leaving campus around 3:30 PM, taking a bus down to O'Hare for the international flight.

The flight left Chicago around 8:45 PM ... throw in a 7-hour flight and a 6-hour time change, and the travel party landed in Dublin around 10 AM by the time all was said and done. Through customs we went ... a long wait for bags ... and onto our bus.

First stop was lunch: a place called "Madigans", a traditional Irish Pub serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and Irish drinks. Despite the long wait, everyone enjoyed the food.

From there it was on to Belfast, a trip of over 100 miles where lots of us tried to catch up on sleep after the long night of travel.

Once in Belfast, we checked into the Europa Hotel. The Europa Hotel is a four-star hotel, opened in 1971, that has hosted presidents, prime ministers and celebrities. On a side note, it is also known as the "most bombed hotel in Europe" and the "most bombed hotel in the world" after having suffered 36 bomb attacks during the late 20th century.

The team closed the night with practice at The SSE Arena (where we will play the games as well), Northern Ireland's premier entertainment venue and home to the Belfast Giants hockey team.