The Alabama men’s basketball team has planned a 10-day trip to Europe before the start of the 2013-14 season, head coach Anthony Grant announced during the SEC men’s basketball summer teleconference.
The Crimson Tide will travel to the Netherlands, Belgium and Paris this summer to face several European professional teams, as well as hold 10 practices. The team will depart on Aug. 8 and return on either the 18 or 19.
“It will give us a chance to get some practices under our belt with some new guys on our team and get an experience of going and playing against some good competition,” Grant said. “That should be a good opportunity for our guys to experience a different culture and have an opportunity to gel as a team and obviously get ready for the upcoming season.”
The NCAA allows basketball programs to go on these trips once every four years. In 2007, Alabama spent 10 days in Canada. However, this will be Alabama’s first offseason trip under Grant.
While at VCU, Grant took his 2008-09 team to the Bahamas. That team made an appearance in the NCAA tournament and narrowly lost in the first round to UCLA by one point. Grant said he wanted to try the same thing with his current team.
“We had a good nucleus of guys coming back and some newcomers that were able to get involved,” he said. “I just feel like it’s a great opportunity to get them together.”
The Tide will travel to Europe with nine scholarship players. Its three 2013 signees, freshmen Jimmie Taylor and Shannon Hale and junior-college transfer Algie Key, are all eligible to make the trip. Trevor Lacey, Devonta Pollard and Moussa Gueye are no longer with the program, forcing Grant to quickly implement his three new players into various lineups. He said this trip will give him that opportunity.
“You get a chance from a practice standpoint to maybe implement some things, to look at different lineups, to get guys different experiences,” Grant said.
But Grant said he also wants to give his players a chance to see a part of the world they may never have a chance to see again in their lifetimes.
“From a cultural standpoint, to give these kids an opportunity to experience a trip overseas, it may be the only time for some of these guys that they ever have an opportunity to do that,” Grant said. “It’s a rewarding thing in terms of the experience. I think it’s a great opportunity, something I think can help our team as we prepare for the upcoming season.”
Details of which European professional teams Alabama will face have not yet been revealed but will be at a later date.
