Boots, Fravert To Visit Brazil As All-Star Basketball Team Member
UW-Oshkosh all-conference performers Ben Boots and Adam Fravert will represent the United States when USA Sports Tours & Events begins its annual Division III men's basketball tour of Brazil next week.
Boots and Fravert are among nine players on a team that will be guided by State University of New York at Canton head men's basketball coach Ben Thompson. Boots will be a senior guard for UW-Oshkosh during the 2018-19 season and Fravert a junior forward.
Other players on the squad are Jason Beckman from Hope College (Mich.); Kenny Bogus and Eric Grygo from Benedictine University (Ill.); Isaac Brooks from Hamline University (Minn.); Cam Falls from Hanover College (Ind.); Jaran Sabus from Wartburg College (Iowa); and Ryan Stevens from Alma College (Mich.).
The USA contingent will meet in Orlando, Fla., and depart for Sao Paulo, Brazil on Monday (July 16). The group is scheduled to return to Orlando on July 25.
The team is scheduled to play four games against local professional club teams, beginning with Wednesday's (July 18) contest against Jundiai. Other games are slated for July 19 against Santa Andre, July 22 against Queimados and July 23 against Fluminese.
USA players and coaches will experience aspects of Brazilian life through city, school, and sports club visits during the trip. While in Rio de Janeiro, the squad will stay at Copacabana Beach and tour the Christ the Redeemer Statue and Sugarloaf Mountain, two of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.
Boots received a pair of NCAA Division III All-Central Region awards this past season, including first team recognition by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He also acquired all-region second team accolades by D3hoops.com and a second straight All-WIAC first team citation.
Boots started all 33 games this past year and averaged a team-high 16 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per contest. He paced the WIAC with 529 points, 145 assists and a 2.20 assist-to-turnover ratio. Boots also ranked second in the league in free throw percentage (.856) and third in both scoring average and average minutes played (32.27).
Boots had 29 double-digit scoring efforts this past season, including a career-high 36 points with six assists during the Titans' 95-88 overtime win over Augustana College (Ill.) in the national tournament quarterfinals on March 10. He also tallied 25 points against Ripon College on Dec. 30; 24 points with five rebounds and four assists during UW-Oshkosh's 78-72 loss to Nebraska Wesleyan University in the national championship game on March 17; and 22 points with 10 rebounds and six assists against Calvin College (Mich.) on Dec. 9.
During his 89-game career Boots has averaged 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. He ranks 17th in UW-Oshkosh history with 1,194 career points and ninth with 185 career 3-pointers. Boots surpassed the 1,000-point career milestone at home against UW-La Crosse on Feb. 10.
Fravert received All-WIAC honorable mention recognition this past season after averaging 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He led the league in rebounds and blocks per contest while ranking second in assists (95), eighth in field goal percentage (.497) and 11th in scoring average.
Fravert started all 33 games this past year and recorded eight double-doubles, including a 21-point, 13-rebound and five-assist performance during UW-Oshkosh's 73-57 national tournament semifinal win over Ramapo College (N.J.) on March 16. He also tallied 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists against Saint Mary's University (Minn.) on Dec. 29 and 22 points, 15 rebounds and three assists against Edgewood College on Nov. 22. Fravert finished the season with 22 double-digit scoring efforts.
In 54 career games, Fravert is averaging 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.
UW-Oshkosh compiled a 25-8 record this past season and won five straight NCAA Division III postseason games on the road or on a neutral court before losing its national championship game decision to Nebraska Wesleyan University in Salem, Va.