Colgate University Athletics

Colgate men's basketball player, Murphy Burnatowski '14, is sharing his experiences while he's over with Team Canada in Kazan, Russia for the 27th FISU Summer Universiade Games (the World University Games).

After starting a perfect 5-0 in group play, we were set to play Brazil in the quarterfinals. They were a big, strong and athletic team that can really get under your skin if you don't keep your composure. The game was full of fouls and was very close until the final minutes. Fortunately, for us we were able to pull away with a 88-77 win, punching our ticket to the medal round.

In the semis we were matched up against the home team, Russia. They were also undefeated and had beaten everyone they played by at least 20 points. To beat them and move on to the gold medal game was not going to be easy. Their team consisted of all professional players, one who was recently selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. We started the game very slowly and were unable to hit our shots. With that being said, we found ourselves in a big hole, down by as much as 25 in the first half. We regrouped at half time and slowly fought our way back and were able to cut their lead to single digits. However, we ran out of time and our undefeated streak was no more. We had lost of first game of the tournament. While that was hard to take we still knew we had a chance to medal at the Games. Australia, the team we beat in pool play, beat Serbia in the other semifinal contest to set up the gold medal game against Russia.

Bronze Medal Game
We were set to play Serbia, another team that had all professional players, in the bronze medal game. They played similar to Russia and it was going to be another tough game for us. The matchup was tight the entire time until the final minutes. Serbia was able to make some plays and they hit the shots they needed in the end to pull out the victory. It was very disappointing to lose the two games that mattered most after having such a successful summer. But I’m glad I was able to be apart of something such as the World University Games and to have represented Team Canada – that is even more special to me!

Game Recaps: Canada vs. Brazil
                          Canada vs. Russia
                          Canada vs. Serbia

Looking Back
Although we didn't come away with a medal, we were very proud of what we accomplished this summer. Having a record of 15-2 is nothing to be ashamed of. We truly believe that if we were able to make a few more plays in those two losses we could have been at the top of the podium. Throughout the summer I was able to make some really great friends. Playing for your country really brings a group of people together and I will continue to keep in touch/follow them through the rest of their college and pro careers.

I greatly appreciate the coaching staff and the effort they put into our team this summer. I have learned so much that I know will benefit me in the future. I look forward to getting back to my Colgate family for my final basketball season. This summer has added fuel to my fire and I am excited to make a run at a Patriot League Championship!

Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with my amazing summer. See you in the fall!

- Murphy Burnatowski '14

Team Canada Website

Team Canada in our game against Serbia.

Caught up on some sleep when we could.

Team Canada

After starting 2-0 at the FISU Summer Universiade, we knew Australia was going to be one of our biggest games here at the tournament. They are always solid and this year was no different. We started the game great and we were able to get up by around 15 points in the first quarter. The Aussies did not stop fighting, however, as they closed the gap before half. Luckily we were able to come back and take the lead going into halftime. The second half was back-and-forth all the way up until the final minutes. Down the stretch, we were able to make some plays and close out a nine-point victory.

It was important for us to continue our winning streak against a tough Czech Republic team. They came out and had more energy than us in the first half, but we were able to hit some tough shots. We went into half down six after one of our poorest halves of basketball. The second half started off well for us and we played the basketball we knew we could. The effort in the second half help us pull away to secure our fourth win of the games.

Our game today was against the United States. This game was vital for us to stay alive in the tournament. With the USA losing to Australia in their last game, a loss to them would mean a three-way tie for first in our group. The two teams moving forward would then be decided by point-differential. We didn’t want it to come to this so we knew we needed to play our best basketball.

After a slow start in the first few minutes of the game, we were able to build a small lead going into halftime. The U.S. hurt us a lot in transition during the opening minutes of the contest, so in the second half we were focused on getting back and setting our defense before they could push the ball up the floor. We were able to slow the tempo and execute our plays at the offensive end and come up with the 94-85 win and remain perfect  with a 5-0 record in group play.

Game Recaps: Canadian Men Come Back Against Australia
                          Big Second Half Lifts Canada Over Czech Republic
                          Canada Defeats USA
 
NOT DONE YET
Going 5-0 means we finished first in our group, Group C, and will play the second place team in another group, Group D, on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. (EST). Now begins single-game elimination, but we are only three wins away from our ultimate goal -- the gold!

These kinds of tournaments can really wear teams down. We will have played eight games in 10 days when this is all said and done. It is difficult to rely on five or six players to play most of the minutes. The successful teams have to use their whole team so that players stay fresh all the way till the end. We have been able to do that so far. Everyone on our team is truly unselfish. We have come together (most of us being in much different roles than on our college teams) with a single goal of winning. Hopefully we can continue our streak heading into the next round of games. 

- Murphy Burnatowski '14

Team Canada's next game can be seen live online at www.fisu.tv.

Team Canada verse a tough Australia squad

In our final game of group play against the USA.

The travel day to Russia went fairly smooth. After an early morning practice we were ready to head to the FISU games. It was a long trip to say the least. Luckily we are familiar with long travel days after our two-week tour of China.

Our trip started when we left Toronto at 5pm ET. We landed in Frankfurt, Germany around 1am ET, where we had a five-hour layover before heading off to Moscow. We then made our final flight to Kazan from there. It was about 10pm in Russia when we arrived and it was time for some much needed sleep. The whole trip lasted about 21 hours total. Feels a lot longer when you're sharing seats on planes made for the average person, not a team of 6’7” and above basketball players. Our 7’3" center could not fit in a normal seat so he was lucky enough to get an upgrade most of the time. 

The athlete village here is nothing like I have ever seen before. The security getting in is very tight and the whole complex is about double the size of Colgate. There are 30 apartment style buildings, each one being home to a large country (with smaller countries mixed in). The cafeteria is about the size of Sanford Field House, with each wall lined with a different food station from around the world. One of those stations is a built-in McDonalds that you are able to order as much as you want. Food of champions I guess. It is definitely a new experience having around 10,000 athletes from over 100 countries in one place. We decided to skip the opening ceremonies on Friday because we had our first game the next day. See the ceremonies would have had us standing around for over five hours and they usually last until about 2am, so we decided instead to use that time to rest. 

We have played two games so far and have won both. Our game against Sweden was close throughout much of the contest, but we ended up winning by 15. Today we defeated the United Arab Emirates and controlled the game right from the tip. We have an off day Tuesday before we play Australia and the USA later this week. The outcome of our next two games will decide if we advance. There are four groups with five teams each. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinal round. As for right now, that is our goal!

- Murphy Burnatowski '14