EARLY – The Early Longhorns’ pre-district basketball slate continues with a rare Wednesday contest against an even more unique opponent – Australian Showtime Basketball.

The Longhorns JV Purple, JV Gold, and Varsity squads will all be in action at 4:30, 6 and 7:30 p.m. against international competition.

“Last year we played Abilene High during this time and we just wanted to do something a little different,” said Early head coach Eric Davis. “I’d seen the Australian team play when I was the head coach at Frisco and I thought it’d be a cool idea to bring them to Early, and it promotes basketball.”

Davis stated the team coming to Early, “is a regular high school team, not an all-star team. I would equate it more to an AAU type team. They have different types of teams and they’ve come to the states a lot and know we’re a 3A size school. We could be playing a team that’s as good as a 5A or 6A school, but we won’t really know what they look like until they get here.”

Davis added the Australian team was flying into Texas Tuesday.

“They’re used to this so I don’t think they’re have much jet lag, but we’ll see,” Davis said with a laugh. “I know they’ll be excited and ready to play. In fact, we’re the first team they play on this tour.”

As for the experience from the Early perspective, Davis said, “It gets our kids excited and it gets the community excited about basketball. Playing someone different like this is exciting and helps build team camaraderie. It’s something for the kids to talk about, a story for them to tell.”

The Longhorns are off to a 5-1 start this season, including a 65-58 victory at Brownwood in their season opener.

“We have a high basketball IQ, we play really well together and have a lot of good chemistry,” Davis said.

According to the Showtime Basketball website, “Showtime Basketball was started by Kelvin Taylor in 2002 in order to work with basketball communities across Australia and the USA by providing unique recruiting and travel opportunities. Kelvin and his team at Showtime have a hands-on approach ensuring that no stone is left unturned in pursuit of the ultimate tour experience for each of their tour groups. His unique skill set of college recruiting, elite international coaching, NCAA and US high school regulations and comprehensive travel planning has created a lifetime of memories for thousands travelers on basketball tours between Australia and the USA. Showtime Basketball tailor each and every tour to suit the needs and budget of your team, and our network of contacts across both the USA and Australia will ensure your team has access to the best games, experiences and facilities available whilst our detailed approach will ensure your tour is hassle free.”