Pac-12 Globalization Initiative Brings Crimson and Cardinal to China

Though they are known for their academics, athletics at Harvard and Stanford are nothing to scoff at. Harvard has the most Division I teams in the country, with 42, while Stanford has won the Director’s Cup—an award given to the nation’s top collegiate athletics program—for 22 consecutive years.

This week, Harvard and Stanford men’s basketball teams are spreading the success of collegiate athletics away from Cambridge and Palo Alto and instead are representing their schools in Shanghai, China. The week culminates in the two teams facing off in their NCAA season opener, but the goals of the trip go far beyond the action on the floor.

As part of Pac-12 Global, the Pac-12 China Game is the crowning glory of the Pac-12’s Globalization Initiative. The China Game commenced as an annual event last season as Washington and Texas faced off, with the Huskies winning 77-71. But in the week prior to the game, the Pac-12 seeks to encourage a greater emphasis on university athletics in China.

To achieve this goal, the Pac-12 has partnered with the Federation of University Sports of China (FUSC), which is the solely authorized national organization for university sports. The President of FUSC, Yang Liguo, joined Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott at Shanghai Disneyland Hotel on Thursday to discuss the potential for the U.S.-China partnership.

“We really strongly believe in the mission of the FUSC, which is to promote exchanges from university sports associations from around the world,” Scott said. “Over the past five years, we’ve not only been able to host competitions and friendly exhibitions, but also participate in coaching clinics and other educational exchanges between our two countries…and building upon the people-to-people exchange between China and the U.S. through collegiate sports.”

Both Harvard and Stanford competed in exhibitions with FUSC teams on Wednesday. Stanford came away with a 98-56 win over Tsinghau, with junior Reid Travis—brother of former Harvard basketball player Jonah Travis ‘15—leading the charge with 20 points. Similarly, Harvard defeated Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 84-64, led by Corey Johnson with 17 points.

Liguo discussed the possibility of mimicking the professional-like style of collegiate sports in the U.S., referring to them as “scientific” in structure.

“[Universities are] not just a place to cultivate talent, it’s a place to cultivate sports talent,” Liguo said through a translation device.

While FUSC leaders have come to the U.S. to learn more about the Pac-12 system, the Pac-12 has also sent coaches and athletes to China to teach more about the game, creating a coaching education alliance. In September, the University of Utah, Arizona State University, and the FUSC kicked off three months worth of coaching clinics in men’s and women’s basketball, track and field, swimming, and cheerleading. The clinics will involve subjects such as game preparation, practice structure, and film review.

“We know the U.S. is a big country for sports,” Liguo said. “They start early and have great result, and we also want to learn that. Exchange coaches and players, invite American coaches to coach Chinese students, help to accelerate the speed of cultivating excellent athletes at the university.”

The message of the significance of university athletics is especially potent with Stanford and Harvard, as the two schools have shown that it is possible to have strong academics and athletics simultaneously.

“One of the great opportunities that we have with the Pac-12 China game is to build on the great academic reputations of the two best universities in the world by showcasing their athletic strength as well in the sport of basketball,” Scott said. “We are expecting this game to be very close and very exciting, a great example of the caliber of basketball at U.S. universities.”

—Staff writer Theresa Hebert can be reached at theresa.hebert@thecrimson.com.