Basketball is considered a winter sport at Wayland Baptist, but Pioneers coach
Ty Harrelson didn't take a break this summer. Instead, Harrelson spent a significant time in Australia playing and coaching, helping the Australia national team by scouting opponents for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Harrelson, a former semi-pro player and coach in Australia who holds dual citizenship in the United States and Australia, served as one of the scouts who tracked opposing teams' player tendencies and skills. He scouted the Pac-12 all-star team and the Venezuelan national team in preparation for the Olympics.
 "It was really a good experience for me," he said.
The Australian national team features four NBA players (Aron Baynes, Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills), and the team is ranked 11th in the world by the International Basketball Association (FIBA).
Before taking the job at Wayland last summer, Harrelson – a former all-American at Wayland – served as a player/coach for Australia's South West Slammers semi-pro team, helping them reach the playoffs after being at the bottom of the league by averaging a near triple-double.
Harrelson got involved with the management side of basketball through the current Australian assistant coach and former NBA champion for the Chicago Bulls, Luc Longley.
"I've had a basketball relationship with him since 2010 and we've done some basketball developing on a grass-roots level," Harrelson said of Longley.
While in Australia over the summer, Harrelson also took care of some recruiting for Wayland. He signed two players,
Tyler Viskovich and
Julian Pesava, who will be playing for the Pioneers this season.
"(Viskovich) shows a lot of potential for an incoming freshman," Harrelson said. "He has good size and we're looking forward to his development over the next four years. (Pesava) is a player I've known for a while. He's a good player and getting some decent exposure in Australia right now."
Wayland's roster will feature five players from Perth, Australia.
Marshall Nelson logged significant minutes for the Pioneers last season, while
Louis Timms and Josh Throns were earlier signees.
In between scouting and recruiting, Harrelson fit a wedding into his busy summer schedule. He married fiancée Belynda on July 22 in Australia.
"It was a small ceremony with mostly friends," Harrelson said. "It's tough for everyone to travel to Australia."
Harrelson and his wife plan on having a small ceremony in the states.
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