PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University men's basketball junior, Valentine Izundu, recently competed as a member of the USA Eagles basketball team in its 2015 Asia Tour, which featured a total of several games in China and Mongolia.
A native of Houston, Texas, Izundu enjoyed his experience both on and off the court in China.
“I learned that people in China work really hard in what they do and they love foreigners, the people treated us with kindness and respect,” Izundu said. “I also got some great basketball pointers from our head coach and learned a lot.”
Izundu's favorite part of the tour was playing against the professional players.
“The professional players were really skilled and smart, so playing against them really helped my development.”
On top of playing basketball, Izundu and the USA Eagles had the opportunity to experience China and the Chinese culture. They toured China and Mongolian, including trips to the Great Wall of China, and Tiananmen Square.
“I was excited we were able to tour a lot of places, but the Great Wall of China was a scary experience for me because I'm really afraid of heights,” Izundu said. “That was a one-time thing for me.”
The USA Eagles have been playing in Asia since 2008 and traditionally play a combination schedule of National Team and Chinese Basketball Association. Izundu is the third Cougar to compete with the USA Eagles in China over the last four years as rising-junior Josh Hawkinson competed in 2014 and recent WSU graduate DaVonté Lacy played with the USA Eagles on a tour of China in the summer of 2012.