Wilmont to represent IU on Big Ten Foreign Tour

With the heat in Bloomington hovering around unbearable, one Hoosier has found a way to escape the heat: Australia.\nThe Hoosier traveling to Australian isn't Melbourne native Ben Allen. It happens to be senior shooting guard Rod Wilmont.\nFor the past three days, Wilmont and 10 other Big Ten basketball players have been participating in a three-day training session led by University of Michigan basketball head coach Tommy Amaker. \nOn Tuesday, with the conclusion of the training camp, Wilmont, Amaker and the rest of the team will travel to chilly Australia, where they will participate in the Big Ten Men's Basketball Foreign Tour. The Tour is a 10-day trip that is focused around four exhibition games against several Australian teams. \n"It's an honor to represent Indiana," Wilmont said. "I'm going to go down there and have fun."\nThis summer Wilmont has been honing his game in Bloomington, working on several different aspects to get ready for his senior year.\n"I've been working on my ball handling, getting ready for the season," Wilmont said. \nOutside of working on his abilities, Wilmont has also been working hard in the weight room to improve his body. \n"I've gained about 10 pounds this off-season. But I'll probably run it off and get back down to my playing weight."\nWhen asked who he thinks the strongest player on the team is, Wilmont looked around IU's media room, smiled and said, "I am."\nThis summer Wilmont has noticed himself taking more of a leadership role on the team. He hopes he can help the younger players the way older players helped him, including former Hoosier Dane Fife.\n"Fife used to tell me, 'Your time will come. Wait your turn,'" Wilmont said. "He taught me a lot on the defensive end."\nIU's new coach Kelvin Sampson has one thing in particular he wants Wilmont to keep in mind while across the globe, and it has nothing to do with defense. \n"The most important thing for him is to have fun. If it wasn't for basketball ... Rod would never have this opportunity," Sampson said.\nSampson chose Wilmont to represent IU on the Big Ten team, saying he had earned it.\n"He's a senior, he earned the right," Sampson said. "He has no idea what kind of competition he'll face. Basketball is a sidebar on this trip." \nAfter arriving in Australia and resting and sightseeing for two days, Wilmont and the rest of the team will open their tour with a game against the West Sydney Razorbacks Basketball Club August 12. After the opener, the Big Ten squad will also compete in games against the Sydney Kings Basketball Club, the Brisbane Bullets and the Southern District Spartans.\nThe game against the Spartans will be played August 16. Wilmont will then travel back with the team and return to Bloomington August 18.