This is the time of year a number of college teams are making preparations for a preseason trip overseas. I would not even attempt to make a comprehensive list, but in addition to teams making close-by journeys to Canada (Kennesaw State) and Mexico (Valparaiso), a number of other schools are sending teams across the Atlantic to various spots in Europe.
In fact, George Mason and Northwestern look like they are following nearly the identical itinerary the Panthers have set up. Mason actually lands in Italy just a couple of days after we do, while Northwestern's trip is a little later because school there doesn't start right away in early September. Oregon is also headed to Italy, while Pitt is making a trip to Ireland.
Michigan is actually making a trip that sounds similar to what the Panthers did in 2003, going to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris. I actually talked to someone from the Ann Arbor News yesterday about the value of these trips on and off the court and he said the folks at Michigan are quite fired up to get a head start on their season. And, as he noted, everyone seems to be especially excited at Michigan because of the added value of getting your new players on the court on these trips, too.
Again, this is not a comprehensive list, but just a few examples. And, there are still more teams that actually took their foreign trips in May, once school was complete. The Bucknell men and Villanova women are two examples that went to Italy just a couple of months ago. You might the insights and observations from those trips interesting - another way to shed some light on what the Panthers' trip will be like.
You can find coverage of the Bucknell trip here and a blog about the Villanova women's trip to Italy is here.
