The St. Thomas men's basketball team will take its first foreign tour as a Division I program this summer.
St. Thomas men's basketball team taking summer trip to Italy
NCAA Division I teams are allowed an international trip every four years. This will be the Tommies' first journey at that level.
July 21, 2023 at 3:28AM
The Tommies, who finished fourth in the Summit League in their second D-I season, will play three exhibition games in Italy. They'll also do some sightseeing in Rome and the Amalfi Coast. The trip from Aug. 20-30 begins with two days visiting New York City, including Wall Street.
"It should be a really incredible experience," Tommies coach John Tauer said. "It will provide different things for our guys in terms of education, culture, and the team-bonding aspect. It's really one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips that we're so grateful for."
Tauer, who has been coaching his alma mater since 2011, last went on a foreign trip with the Tommies when the program still played at the Division III level in 2018. They visited Costa Rica and Panama.
St. Thomas made a jump from a 10-20 record in its first year playing in Division I in 2021-22 to 19-14 last season. The Tommies return 11 players, including extra sixth-year senior Parker Bjorklund and fifth-year senior Brooks Allen.
NCAA rules permit Division I men's and women's basketball programs to take foreign tours every four years. They're allowed 10 extra practices to prepare for the trip, which the Tommies have already taken advantage of this summer.
The Gophers women's basketball team under first-year coach Dawn Plitzuweit will also take a trip internationally, from Aug. 17-27 to Croatia and Greece.
Associate head coach Kristen Kelsay said it took a “dream come true” to get her to depart after two seasons with head coach Keegan Cook.
