University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
LaDavius Draine, Gabe Watson Headed to Ukraine for Basketball Mission Trip
8/5/2019 5:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss junior LaDavius Draine and sophomore Gabe Watson will travel nearly 6,000 miles to Ukraine this week for a trip of games, clinics and cultural experiences (Aug. 8-18).
The trip is sponsored by Sports Reach, a non-profit providing opportunities for athletes, coaches and fans to reach the world through sports. The teams comprise of players from all collegiate divisions and conferences, and past alumni include NBA players Victor Oladipo, Cameron Payne, Elfrid Payton and Garrett Temple.Â
Draine and Watson will also be coached by Tom Schuberth, who was an assistant at Southern Miss from 2014-16.
"My family was amazed and shocked," Watson said upon hearing about the adventure. "This might be the farthest anybody in my family has gone. I'm just blessed to be in this position for God, my family, the team, the university and my high school. This means a lot."
Draine, the reigning Sixth-Man of the Year in Conference USA, also says he looks forward to playing with teammates he does not know and learning their playing styles.
"My family reacted the way I thought they would," Draine said. "They were overjoyed and asking me all different questions I didn't have answers to. Most of them aren't familiar with the Ukraine, so they've been researching it on the internet. They are proud of me and wish me nothing but the best on my trip."
Head coach Jay Ladner says it's a win-win situation for the players and the university.
"An opportunity for them to play overseas is not only great for them in preparation as guys we will count on this year, but this will include games against older and much more seasoned players. It's great for our program for those guys to be representing us internationally, and it does nothing but help us in the future. I'm tickled to death that it worked out for them in representing the U.S."
