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Thought we give everyone a quick update on what our basketball team is up to across on the other side of our planet. After dismantling (well the score on the web at least looks dominating) Tsinghua University in Beijing, Bruins took a flight into Shanghai on Sunday and then took in the city lights.
From the official site:
UCLA's morning began in Beijing, where the Bruins headed to the airport before taking flight toward Shanghai at 11:30 a.m. The team's travel party landed in Shanghai by 1:45 p.m. and took a bus to the Pine City Hotel, a gorgeous 19-story building with fantastic views of the city's skyline.
"The look of this city reminds me a lot of Las Vegas, when you talk about the abundance of bright lights and buildings," junior guard Tyler Lamb said. "It's the perfect place to go if you're a tourist. You look around, and you've got all these beautiful buildings. The whole setting is surreal, it's crazy."
Players had more time to discover the city than had been anticipated because the team's previously-scheduled workout was canceled. Players were allowed the afternoon to explore Shanghai, giving the team a break from the trip's regimented schedule.
Some players shopped in various districts of Shanghai, while others rested in the hotel as UCLA will play two exhibition games in the next two days (Monday and Tuesday in Shanghai).
Guess Shabbaz is missing out on a lot of fun. Oh well. Little more after the jump.
From Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! Sports who is traveling with the team:
Most Southern California kids are no stranger to good meals or picturesque sunsets, yet UCLA players couldn't help but be wowed by their experience in Shanghai on Sunday evening.
Once their flight from Beijing landed in Shanghai on Sunday afternoon, the Bruins headed to dinner at New Heights, a contemporary restaurant in the Huangpu district that offers a spectacular view of the city's skyline form its terrace. UCLA then enjoyed an hour-long boat cruise along the Huangpu River, which again provided plenty of breathtaking views.
Bruins will get back into action early tomorrow am (4:30 AM PST) against Shanghai Jiaotong University. We should have an open thread up for our folks in the East Coast, who I imagine may be tracking it online to star big week of hoops and finally ... some Bruin football.
GO BRUINS.