Michigan's Basketball Team is Heading To Europe

Today must be basketball day as the Michigan men's basketball team will be heading to Europe this summer to get in some international games, see the sites, and hopefully gel as a team with 10 extra practices and 4 games.  I think the most exciting part of the trip, will be that John Belein's squad will get to play with the 4 new freshman players in real game competition. 

Here is the announcement:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan men's basketball head coach John Beilein announced today (Thursday, July 1) plans for a nine-day trip to Europe, including four exhibition games in Belgium, with the members of his 2010-11 U-M squad.


"This is an outstanding opportunity for our team to get an early start on the season," said Beilein. "With a young team, we hope this tour will not only help us grow, but will also be a springboard to the upcoming year. Even more important than basketball is the wonderful chance for these young men, coaches and staff to experience an overseas trip throughout Europe. The cultures, traditions and rich history of the countries we visit will be educational and provide lasting memories."

The Wolverines will depart from Ann Arbor for Amsterdam on Aug. 20. After arriving the following morning, U-M will continue onto the northern part of the city of Brussels for its first exhibition game. The Wolverines will take on Gent in the first of four exhibition contests on Aug. 22. The next day (Aug. 23), U-M will head to the southern side of Brussels and will square off against Leuven in the second of four games.

Before their final two games, the Wolverines will take a day trip and tour Paris on Aug. 24. Returning to Belgium on Aug. 25, the Maize and Blue play its third game against Oostande, a city located in northern Belgium on the southern side of the English Channel.

The Wolverines close their four-game schedule facing newly hired administrative assistant Travis Conlan's former team, Mons, on Aug.26.

With the basketball schedule complete, the Wolverines will travel back to Amsterdam to tour the city, the Anne Frank house and Diamond Factory before heading back to Michigan on Aug. 28.

The trip is the second foreign trip for U-M in the last six years after U-M spent a four-game exhibition tour throughout Toronto, Canada, prior to the 2003-04 season. The NCAA allows teams to take foreign trips once every four years as long as competition will be a part of the travel. Teams that take foreign trips are allowed an extra 10 days of practice together before the trip.

New NCAA legislation now makes it possible for newcomers to participate in preseason foreign trips. Those newcomers must meet NCAA initial eligibility requirements while completing a minimum of three credits of coursework during the summer term.

Michigan will travel 13 players including the four newcomers -- Tim Hardaway Jr., Evan Smotrycz, Jon Horford and Colton Christian -- on the nine-day tour.