Hoops set for preseason Bahamas trip

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Every four years college teams are allowed to go on an international tour to play exhibition games and Patrick Chambers and the Nittany Lions will do so in early August when they head to the Bahamas.

The trip, running from Aug. 4- 11, will feature three exhibition games against opponents to be announced at a later date, but equally important are the 10 practices the team will hold to prep for the foreign tour.

Penn State men's basketball traveled to France, England and Belgium in 2013 and at the time Chambers was optimistic the extra pre-season practices would be beneficial. This time around, and with all five starters returning and three freshmen who will arrive this summer, the preparation will give the Lions a jump start on the season.



“This trip is exactly what we need at this point,” Chambers said in a statement. “It will give us the opportunity to work on our chemistry and culture with many new faces. We can reinforce good habits and get a good look at what we need to work on heading into the season. Hopefully we will be ahead of the curve a little bit.”

During the tour, transfer Satchel Pierce, who has two years of eligibility remaining, will make his first appearance with the team. The 7-footer sat out last season after transferring from Virginia Tech.

Chambers' team isn't the only one taking advantage of a pre-season trip. Russ Rose and the women's volleyball program left Thursday for a 12-day tour in Brazil where they will compete and take in another culture during their stay. It's the fifth international trip for the volleyball program, which went to Cuba in 2000, Brazil in 2009 and Eastern and Central Europe.

“The team and staff are excited about the opportunity made possible by our booster club to participate in another foreign trip experience,” Rose said in a statement. “Brazil is one of the top countries in the world in women’s volleyball and we are eager to compete against new teams and have the opportunity for our players to be able to participate in a cultural exchange opportunity.”

In 2015 Penn State baseball visited Cuba for games and a cultural experience and of course football went to Ireland in 2014 to play Central Florida in the Croke Park Classic.

While I wouldn't expect James Franklin to take the football team on an ambitious tour through Italy like one Jim Harbaugh and Michigan just wrapped up -- in fact Franklin wasn't a huge fan of the logistics that were required for the Ireland trip he inherited after Bill O'Brien left -- these foreign tours are attractive for players and recruits. And, given all the demands placed on student-athletes with training throughout the year these experiences for many of them are the only opportunity they have to go abroad and experience a foreign culture while in college.