Roadrunners to begin Australian exhibition tour this weekend

SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA men’s basketball team will depart San Antonio on Wednesday, Aug. 10, for a nine-day, five-game exhibition tour of Australia.

The Roadrunners will leave San Antonio International Airport at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday and then fly through Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport en route to the Land Down Under. The travel party arrives in Brisbane at 5 a.m. local time on Friday, which is 2 p.m. (CT) on Thursday (Eastern Australia is 15 hours ahead of the Central Time Zone).

UTSA will play five contests during the nine-day trip, beginning with a tilt against the Gold Coast Blaze of the National Basketball League (NBL) — the top level in Australia — at 5 p.m. (2 a.m. CT) on Saturday, Aug. 13, in Carrara.

The Roadrunners will face a short turnaround, as they will play the Brisbane Spartans of the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL), which is part of the second-tier Australian Basketball Association (ABA), at 1 p.m. on Sunday (10 p.m. CT/Saturday) in Carina.

Next Monday, UTSA will fly to Cairns, the hometown of sophomore forward Jeromie Hill, and visit the Great Barrier Reef before facing the Cairns Taipans of the NBL at 7 p.m. on Wednesday (4 a.m. CT).

On Thursday, the Birds fly to Sydney for the final two games of the tour. UTSA plays the Maitland Mustangs of the Waratah League — the New South Wales conference of the ABA — at 7 p.m. on Friday (4 a.m. CT) in Maitland, before squaring off against the New South Wales Institute of Sport at 2 p.m. Saturday (11 p.m. CT Friday) in Summer Hill.

UTSA fans can keep up with the travel party through journal entries, photo galleries and video segments by visiting goUTSA.com.

2011 UTSA Australian Tour Schedule