Herndon High School Basketball Players
Compete in Belgium
Four Herndon HS basketball player (John Pugh, Chris Whelan, Brendan
Bellamy, and Jonathan Chinn) departed on August 1st for Belgium with eight
other basketball players from around the DC area. After arriving in
Amsterdam on August 2 and taking a bus to our hotel in Antwerp, Belgium, we were able to get in a solid day of sightseeing in downtown Antwerp. We were particularly impressed by the ancient cathedral and the area known as the Grotes Mart, which is an old
section of the city that has many sidewalk cafes and shops. The next day we spent sightseeing in Brugge (the Venice of
Belgium) and Brussels. Brugge was very beautiful. We took a boat ride through the city's canals, and also saw one of the few pieces of work by Michelangelo located outside of Italy. In Brussels we got our first taste of a modern European city. We all enjo
yed the upscale shopping and eating
available, in addition to the many magnificent parks located around the city.
The next three days were spent in athletic competition. We played six games
and went 5-1. Our victories were against teams from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Portugal. Our single defeat came at the hands of the three-time national champions from Belgium. The games were well played and enjoyable by all. John Pugh was named to the
All-Star game for the tournament.
On our last day in Europe, we took a bus to Paris for the day. Despite the constant rain that fell on us, we were still able to enjoy the beauty of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Champs Elysess, and Notre Dame. Without a doubt, we could not do Paris ju
stice in the short time we had available to
us, and we all hope we have a chance to return in the future.
All in all, the trip was very successful and helped our youth have a better understanding of how the world operates and just how fortunate they are to live in the United States. Thanks again for all who supported our trip.
Adam Chaskin
Herndon HS Varsity Boys Assistant Coach
Back to Herndon
Back to Reston