A look at how an Australian girls basketball team took America by storm

The trip's itinerary wasn't different from any other team that visits a foreign country. The mission was clear: play basketball and take in a few sights. Along the way, this team of high school girls' basketball players from Australia would learn lessons that will last a lifetime. After all, separate the winning from the losing and you remember that sports are about inspiring our youth.

Ricky Grace, the former Oklahoma basketball star who found fame and fortune as a point guard for the Perth Wildcats of Australia's National Basketball League, knows this well. That's why the retired basketball icon who led Perth to four championships created Role Models WA (Western Australia), a foundation designed to help at-risk youth in Australia.

And that's why Grace, who is a member of the National Basketball League's 25th anniversary team, brought this traveling party of mostly Aboriginals (the people indigenous to Australia) and chaperones to the United States for three weeks of hoops and culture.
Grace's mission was to introduce the girls, who ranged from eighth to 12th grade, to as many different cultures and aspects of life as he could during the trip. His goal was to encourage an Aboriginal culture defined by low graduation rates to stay in school and better their lives. To be eligible, the girls had to have perfect attendance, stay out of trouble and make good grades.

To sponsor his trips, Grace uses funds received from the government and revenue he generated from corporate sponsors and contacts he established as a player. The group arrived in San Francisco to take in the sites before heading to San Antonio and Dallas.

After scrimmaging one local team, the Aussies learned the team often practices twice a day and on weekends in addition to playing games during the season. In Australia, the girls usually don't practice more than twice a week.
And it wasn't all basketball. The girls even learned a lot about music, ranging from hip-hop to R&B. OC

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