UM Basketball Teams Set for Foreign Tours to Italy
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s and women’s basketball teams will go abroad to Italy for foreign tours this coming summer.
Both teams will go on 10-day, eight-night excursions, with the men visiting Italy from Aug. 9-18 and the women doing so Aug. 7-16.
“The trip to Italy is a tremendous opportunity for our players to grow physically, mentally and educationally together as a team,” Miami head men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga said. “With 10 days of practice and four very competitive games, we should be able to give our players a great experience to benefit us during the season. Italy is an incredible country and this will provide our team with a once in a lifetime experience. I know our players and fans will enjoy a great trip.”
The men’s tour includes visits to Rome, Florence and Como, while the women’s trip features stops in Rome, Florence and Venice. The men will play four games and the women will play three, with each team having at least one per stop. Both teams’ opponents are still to be determined.
Once every four years, college basketball programs are permitted to embark on a foreign tour and given 10 extra summer practices to prepare. The men’s team last took a foreign tour in 2014 with a trip to Spain, while the women’s team visited Belgium, France and the Netherlands in 2015.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to take another foreign trip. This will be the first time out of the country for many of our players, so we anticipate creating a lifetime’s worth of memories,” Miami head women’s basketball coach Katie Meier said. “We always brag about all of the opportunities the University of Miami provides our student-athletes and this just adds to the already impressive list. Next year’s team will have a new look and this affords us 10 extra practices, three competitive games and the bonus of bonding together in a beautiful country. We are so thankful to our donors who helped make this trip possible. Their continued support of our program makes an incredible difference in young lives.”
The Miami men will arrive in Rome on August 10 to start the excursion. Among the highlights of the tour are scheduled visits to the Roman Colosseum, Vatican City, Accademia and Lake Como, as well as wine and food tasting in Florence.
Meanwhile, the women open their trip Aug. 8 in Rome. The tour includes exciting stops at the Roman Colosseum, Sistine Chapel and Piazza San Marco, among many others, along with a gondola ride on the Grand Canal.
Fans are encouraged to join either team on their tour and can register for the men’s team’s trip online at http://www.cvent.com/d/gbqtrh.
To learn more about the men’s tour, contact Chris Cohen in the Hurricane Club at ccohen@miami.edu. For additional details on the women’s tour, fans can contact Alfonso Restrepo in the Hurricane Club at fonzi@miami.edu.
The donor package for both teams includes the full trip with eight nights in a hotel, time in all three cities, deluxe ground transportation, excursions with private guides, access to each game and more. The men’s tour is through Basketball Travelers Inc., while the women’s team’s trip is through Anthony Travel.
To keep up with the University of Miami men’s basketball team on social media, follow @CanesHoops on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. To keep up with the University of Miami women’s basketball team on social media, follow @CanesWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
