MBB/WBB: Other Teams' Summer 2024 Practices and Exhibitions

[brevity]

Here are the ACC men's basketball programs, sorted by when they've taken a foreign trip so far this decade.

And now I'll do the same for the ACC women.

2020 and 2021:
(None)

2022, not eligible again until 2026:
Pittsburgh

2023, not eligible again until 2027:
Boston College
Clemson
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Miami
Notre Dame
Virginia Tech

2024 (this thread):
SMU
Stanford
Wake Forest

2025, if they want:
California
Duke
Louisville
NC State
North Carolina
Syracuse
Virginia

Based on the lack of foreign trips for both men and women at Duke, UNC, and Syracuse, I'm starting to think that their athletic departments might be saying no a lot.

Stanford women (Italy, August 18-28)



Tara VanderVeer retired in April, after winning 1,216 games and three national championships. Her replacement, Kate Paye, was hired a week later. Paye is seemingly a Stanford lifer: she's been a former player and political science major (1991-1995), JD/MBA grad (2003), assistant coach (2007-2016), and associate head coach (2016-2024). She was even born in Stanford Hospital.

Last season the Cardinal reached the championship game of the last Pac-12 tournament, falling to USC. As a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they were upset in the Sweet 16 by 3-seed NC State. Then they lost their three leading scorers: Cameron Brink went pro, Kiki Iriafen transferred to USC, and Hannah Jump graduated. The rest of the roster remained intact: 5-7 junior guard Talana Lepolo and 6-2 senior guard Elena Bosgana are the returning starters, and 7 reserves are back as well. The team added 2 transfers, Purdue's Mary Ashley Stevenson and Santa Clara's Tess Heal, along with 3 freshmen, all of whom were ranked in ESPN's 2024 HoopGurlz rankings.



The team's announcement included a brief daily itinerary for their tour of Rome, Siena, Florence, and Venice, but there is currently no other Italy content on their website. They relied instead on social media, which means I have to do the same. In Rome, they explored Vatican City, visited the Colosseum, and later made a really long sheet of pasta in a cooking class. They checked out the Piazza del Campo in Siena. At the Accademia Gallery in Florence, they saw Michelangelo's David -- one of the artist's solo works before joining the Ninja Turtles. They also took a walking tour of Venice -- those parts of it on solid ground.



I linked to Stanford's new roster above and named some of their players, and maybe that will help you prepare for when the Cardinal come to Cameron this season, according to the ACC's conference matchups for the next two seasons. (The Blue Devils return to Maples Pavilion in 2025-2026.) Unfortunately, knowing these names will not help you with the rest of this entry. I've got scores and opponents and locations for the 3 exhibition games, and even some photos and highlights, but no writeups or player stats.

Stanford 118 - San Raffaele 37 (Twitter/X highlights)

San Raffaele Basket Roma plays in Serie B, Italy's third-tier division of women's pro basketball. I recognize the home floor of Stella Azzurra, a men's pro team in Rome. Monmouth was there earlier this summer -- I posted a highlight video upthread -- and other teams have played a game there in the past.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1826477423501717626

Stanford 112, Umbertide 62 (Twitter/X photos, Twitter/X highlights)

This game was played in Florence. PF Umbertide is sponsored by a truffle company, La Bottega del Tartufo, and they are located in central Italy; if we imagine that the boot-shaped country is an actual boot, the town of Umbertide is roughly along the line where the calf starts. They play in Serie A2, the second tier of women's pro basketball.



Stanford 92, Padova 47 (Twitter/X photos, Twitter/X highlights)

Virtus Padova is based out of Padua, which is where Shakespeare set The Taming of the Shrew. The game took place in nearby Venice. I didn't find much about the Virtus Padova women, but the men play in Serie B. The itinerary said their third opponent would be a team called Thermal Basket, and with a name like that, I was hoping DBR could collect more data about The Myth of the Hot Hand.

 

[rsvman]

Every year this is one of my favorite threads. Thanks, brevity, for these fantastic posts!

 

[brevity]

Michigan State men (Spain, August 13-22)



Tom Izzo will turn 70 next January, about halfway through his 30th season as head coach of Michigan State. I don't know if those nice, round numerical milestones will prompt him to retire next spring, but I do know that he's crossing off a career bucket list item in October: he's taking the Spartans to the Upper Peninsula to play a preseason exhibition game against his alma mater, Division II Northern Michigan.

Last January he told CBS Sports that he would not announce a retirement in advance, like his predecessor Jud Heathcote or Coach K, but would probably follow the example of recently retired football coach Nick Saban; both were hired as Michigan State head coaches in 1995, and they've been friends for even longer. (This thread has found a way to mention Joanne P. McCallie's coaching career at Maine and Duke, so for the sake of completion, I should include her Michigan State stint in between. She worked for Sparty from 2000-2007, arriving a few months after Coach Saban left for LSU.)

"I've never thought of what exactly I'll do. I know what I won't do," Izzo said. "Jud had a farewell tour. Mike did. I have a lot of respect for those guys. I'm sure I'll be more in the Jay Wright and Nick (Saban) way of doing it. When it's over, it's over and I'm walking away. But I've got a good recruiting class, I've got an opportunity to coach my former player's son, which I'm really looking forward to — (Jase) Richardson — I'm in a good place in every part for me, except the frustration of the day-to-day, never knowing where you are, you know? That's hard."

Under Coach Izzo, the Spartans have played in 27 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and at the very least, we know that he's going for 28. Four of his starters from last season are gone: Tyson Walker and Malik Hall graduated, while AJ Hoggard went to Vanderbilt and Mady Sissoko transferred to California. (Welcome to the ACC.) His returners include starter Jaden Akins and 6 reserves who were part of last year's rotation: Xavier Booker, Coen Carr, Carson Cooper, Jeremy Fears, Tre Holloman, and Jaxon Kohler. Additions to the roster include transfers Frankie Fidler (from Omaha) and Szymon Zapala (from Longwood), along with a pair of freshmen ranked in the top 50 by RSCI: Jase Richardson and Kur Teng. Jase is the son of Jason Richardson, who was on Michigan State's 1999-2000 championship squad.



The team went to Spain and visited Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona, playing a game in each city. It's a familiar route, and one organized by Anthony Travel. A staffer from the athletic department wrote entries for Spartans in Spain, a daily blog on the team's website. (He uses great detail, but his priorities are history, then restaurants, then basketball.) The team saw Las Ventas, a bullfighting arena, and also visited the stadium home of futbol club Atlético de Madrid, where Coach Izzo and the players were surprised to find their own names on personalized soccer jerseys hanging in the locker room. The players also took to the water, riding jet skis in Valencia and cruising on a catamaran in Cambrils, a coastal town south of Barcelona.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1824108280995549594

Message received. Apparently MSU streamed each game on the team's Instagram account, but did not make them available as full replays later. It looks like members of the local media (plus national hoops insider and pet peeve sharer Jon Rothstein) took the time to watch it live; there was so much third party coverage of these games that I hesitate to call it information overload. Entire articles just to announce the starting lineups? Fan-compiled box scores? Video podcast recaps that run 30-40 minutes per game? These people are obsessed, and I am here for it. I stuck with one source -- SB Nation site The Only Colors -- for the recap quotes below.

Michigan State 94, Madrid All-Stars 87 (recap, box score, photos, Twitter/X highlights)

"The game against the Madrid All-Stars was a narrow MSU victory, 94-87. In that game, Coach Izzo went with the lineup that many here at TOC had predicted, with one glaring change. The starting five against Madrid was Jeremy Fears Jr., Jaden Akins, Frankie Fidler, Xavier Booker... and Szymon Zapala. There were some bright spots for the Green & White. Booker led all scorers with 21 points, 19 of which came in the first half. This came on the heels of a 4-6 display from three-point land. New Spartan Frankie Fidler also showed out, scoring 14 points on an efficient 5-7 shooting (he also was 4-4 from the FT line). And back from his gunshot wound that ended his freshman season (though he has received a medical redshirt), Fears dropped in ten points to go with six dimes and two steals."

Other sources: 247 Sports (recap); SI (recap); Spartans Wire (recap, observations); Spartan Shadows (notables, takeaways); Sleepers Media (Game 1 video podcast).



Michigan State 105, Valencia All-Stars 59 (recap, box score, photos, Twitter/X highlights)

"In the second game, Izzo plugged in a whole new starting lineup, going with Tre Holloman, Jase Richardson, [Coen] Carr, [Jaxon] Kohler, and [Carson] Cooper. Despite the surprise lineup, MSU absolutely destroyed the Valencia All-Stars by a final score of 105-59. Carr led all scorers with 20 points, and he also had seven boards. Several Spartans reached double-digits in this one. Kohler was the only other starter to reach that mark, while [Frankie] Fidler, [Szymon] Zapala, and [Jaden] Akins in a bounceback performance (5-10 overall) all got there off the bench. Richardson and fellow freshman Kur Teng each had nine. All 14 players had at least two points in this one."

Other sources: 247 Sports (recap); SI (recap, positives); Spartans Wire (recap); Spartan Shadows (notables, takeaways); Sleepers Media (Game 2 video podcast).



KK FMP 115, Michigan State 110 (recap, scoring leaders, photos, Twitter/X highlights)

"MSU finished their Spain trip by taking on a professional team from Serbia, KK FMP, a team that qualified for Europe’s Champions League (a tournament of all the top national teams from the previous season) this year. Izzo went back to the starting lineup he used in the Madrid game (is [Szymon] Zapala going to be our starting center this season?). This was a high scoring matchup, but in the end, MSU fell 115-110. Again, MSU received balanced scoring. This time, [Frankie] Fidler led all Spartans with 18, followed by [Jaden] Akins (16), [Jaxon] Kohler (13), [Jase] Richardson & [Xavier] Booker (11), [Coen] Carr (10), and Zapala (9)."

Other sources: 247 Sports (recap); SI (recap); Spartans Wire (recap, scoring averages); Spartan Shadows (notables, takeaways); Sleepers Media (Game 3 video podcast).

Overall takeaways: Lansing State Journal, MLive, Sleepers Media

As you can see, the Michigan State trip inspired a lot of third party content, but I'll let the team have the last word with this 10-minute video summarizing their Spanish adventures, both on and off the court.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1831434523730399249

 

[brevity]

This year's version will start with some pretty weird news: a trip that ISN'T happening. Today we learned that the George Mason University men's basketball team was supposed to be in the Bahamas for 5 days (August 8-12), and the trip was abruptly cancelled...

I'll try to provide updates on this story when I can, sprinkled between the actual adventures of teams that didn't get scammed.

There isn't much more to the story, but with this thread winding down, I thought I would tell you where things stand.

For a few days, the George Mason website had nothing to say -- the original page announcing the trip produced a 404 web error -- but on August 12 they provided an update that reprinted the tour company's apology and added a few words.

Update on Men's Basketball Cancelled Foreign Tour - George Mason University Athletics

Statement from George Mason Athletics:

gomason.com

George Mason University is extremely disappointed for its student-athletes, coaches and supporters regarding the last-minute cancellation of the men's basketball program's foreign tour scheduled for last week in the Bahamas.

The travel company, which has engaged with many different universities on foreign tours, has taken full responsibility and its statement is included below.

The university is working to promptly resolve this matter and secure a full refund for those directly impacted.

We appreciate everyone's continued support.

I was going to put the word "apology" above in bold print and add a link to the statement made by The VII Group, the tour company at fault, but now THAT site has nothing to say about the controversy. The apology is gone; there's nothing but positivity now on their Foreign Tours page, and the only press release is about an upcoming event for Thanksgiving.

So it looks like George Mason's update serves a second purpose: by saving and reprinting the apology, they've kept the receipts, as the young people might say, and added some permanence to the tour company's error.

That said, it doesn't seem like the university is all that interested in making further statements about this incident, so a lot of questions may be left unanswered. (I imagine that reporters will bring up the topic to George Mason's coaches and players on their Atlantic-10 media day, but I also imagine that lawyers have prompted them to offer no comment in their replies.)

I took another look at the Mason Hoops message board for more specifics, and there isn't much. A major booster informed Jeff Goodman that the hotel rooms were booked, but with no credit card attached, so it probably wasn't just the flights that were the problem. Also, it's not clear if some or all of the team just showed up to the airport on the day of departure, or if they were given some small advance notice. The Bahamas thread does include a pair of sly Duke references here and here:

"Season starting out just as we planned. This really puts a wrench in Duke's cogs to scout us in the preseason."

"Just make sure the flights and rooms are booked for the Duke game."

I feel like that first comment is about me. (I'm a cog!) Anyway, George Mason comes to Cameron for a game on December 17. I'm sure the Crazies will address the controversy in a sober, mature way.

 

[brevity]

A lot of basketball teams take summer trips, and I can't cover them all, so I prioritize:

1. Teams with former Duke players and/or coaches. This year it's the Howard men (head coach Kenneth Blakeney, assistant coach Tyler Thornton); Illinois women (player Shay Bollin, who transferred in 2023 as a Duke freshman); LSU women (player Shayeann Day-Wilson, who transferred to Miami in 2023 as a Duke sophomore); and I'll finish up soon with the Northwestern men (head coach Chris Collins).

2. Teams in the ACC. I've written about the men of Louisville and Notre Dame, and the women of SMU, Stanford, and Wake Forest.

3. Teams that are future Duke opponents. I found two outside of the ACC: the Maryland women and the Wofford men. Well, three, but we know what happened to the George Mason men.

4. Teams with novel destinations. Look, I can only write about Italy so many times. I find myself drawn to the occasional team that goes to Australia (Maine women), Canada (Air Force men), El Salvador (McNeese men), Ireland (Siena women), Japan (Hawai'i women), or the U.S. Virgin Islands (Wichita State women).

Let's say Summer 2025 rolls around and one or both of the Blue Devil teams decide to take a trip. Duke in Spain? Yeah, okay. Duke in Indonesia? Oh hell yes. Someone should tell Marques Bolden to start making that happen.

Anyway, we can add another team to the novelty list.

Troy women (Costa Rica, July 18-25)



We learned a little bit about Troy University earlier this year, as Duke's opponent in the Birmingham Bowl. But that's football. When I think of Troy and basketball, I don't know anything. All that comes to mind is Troy Bolton, Zac Efron's character in High School Musical, torn between hoops and singing:

Words, and moves, to live by. I'm pretty sure Kyle Filipowski developed his fancy footwork to the rim because Jon Scheyer made him watch this video over and over.

Troy University is located in Troy, Alabama, about an hour south of Montgomery and two hours south of Birmingham. Their athletic teams -- the Trojans -- play in the Sun Belt Conference, also the home of Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, and James Madison. Unlike USC, which sometimes refers to their female student-athletes as the Women of Troy, here they follow a more classical approach:



Head coach Chanda Rigby is about to embark on her 13th year at Troy. Last season her team finished 2nd in the league and reached the semifinals of the WNIT, winning their first three postseason games in program history. (They are 0-4 in the NCAA Tournament, last appearing in 2021.) I looked in vain for a Blue Devil connection on the current roster but came up empty, because I'm one year too late. 5-11 guard Leilani Augmon was on Troy's 2023-2024 squad, but is now a grad transfer at Houston; according to her bio, she's a cousin of Stacey Augmon, Plastic Man himself, who was on the UNLV teams that beat Duke in the 1990 title game but lost the rematch in the 1991 semifinal.

If Coach Rigby can get her team back to the Big Dance, they seem like the kind of double-digit seed you don't want to face in the first round. When it comes to scoring, rebounding, and inside shooting, the team has been consistently superlative. Here's how they rank nationally (out of 360 Division I teams) in various statistical categories for the past decade:

Season	Points	Rebounds	Field Goals	FG Attempts	2-Pointers	2-PT Attempts
2023-2024	10th	1st	3rd	1st	4th	1st
2022-2023	3rd	1st	2nd	1st	1st	1st
2021-2022	6th	1st	14th	2nd	8th	2nd
2020-2021	3rd	1st	5th	1st	2nd	1st
2019-2020	9th	1st	13th	1st	8th	1st
2018-2019	5th	1st	6th	1st	13th	4th
2017-2018	10th	2nd	9th	1st	10th	2nd
2016-2017	7th	2nd	13th	2nd	19th	9th
2015-2016	7th	41st	16th	4th	41st	49th
2014-2015	16th	22nd	6th	4th	5th	1st

Rigbyball! She may be running through opposing defenses like an all-terrain vehicle through the mud, but keep in mind that offense tells only half the story. Troy's opponents are also scoring, rebounding, and shooting well against them.



To recount the Costa Rica experience, Troy's website was light on words (one article upon their return) but heavy on images (daily photo galleries -- see list below -- and an Adobe digital scrapbook). Student newspaper The Tropolitan also had a brief write-up, which is always nice to see.

Day 1 and 2: San José museums, basketball clinic for kids, Game 1
Day 3: Coffee plantation, La Paz Waterfall, Game 2
Day 4: Local orphanage, Crocodile Bridge
Day 5: ATV excursion in the mountains
Day 6: Horseback ride through rainforest
Day 7: Catamaran in the Pacific



Troy 94, Roswell 50 (recap, Instagram photos)

"Troy's new roster, featuring nine additions, walked away victorious, 94-50. The newcomers shined as Adriana Jones led the team in scoring with 23 points on 7-of-10 from the field, followed by Emani Jenkins with 18 and Ashley Baez at 12. On the boards, three Trojans ended in double-figures (Zay Dyer – 17, Brianna Jackson – 12, Emma Imevbore – 10)."

Roswell plays in the top tier of pro basketball in Costa Rica, and true to their name, they use an alien logo. The namesake town in New Mexico is over 2,700 miles away. So what's the connection? I don't know. The X-Files never addressed it, as Mulder and Scully were FBI and had jurisdiction over domestic phenomena. Even the Chupacabra episode took place in California.



Troy 78, Costa Rica National Team 56 (recap, Instagram photos)

"[Emani] Jenkins followed her performance in game two, which Troy won 78-56, with a team-high 15 points, followed by 10-point performances by Imevbore and Baez. Fortuna Ngnawo and Jamirica Roberson led Troy in rebounding with 13 apiece."

The scrapbook added that the Trojans led 37-34 at halftime, but broke open the game in the second half. I don't have enough details to confirm that this was the senior Costa Rica National Team, but if they were, they're #78 in the latest FIBA rankings.

 

[Phredd3]

A lot of basketball teams take summer trips, and I can't cover them all, so I prioritize:

1. Teams with former Duke players and/or coaches. LSU women (player Shayeann Day-Wilson, who transferred to Miami in 2023 as a Duke sophomore);

Ugh. I think I semi-intentionally forgot about that one. I can't think of a coach less like Coach Kara than Mulkey.

 

[brevity]

Creighton women (Spain/Greece, August 4-13)



I did a vicarious run through the Cornhusker State last summer, covering the trips of the Nebraska men (Spain), Nebraska women (Greece), and Creighton men (Bahamas) in consecutive entries. So I'd feel guilty if I didn't demonstrate the same level of dedication to the Creighton women now. Their state motto is Equality Before the Law, so maybe I'd BE guilty as well. (Could both their state representatives and state senators pass a resolution to denounce me? Impossible! Their legislature is unicameral.)



Under head coach Jim Flanery, now in his 23rd year, Creighton has made three consecutive trips to the Big Dance (not pictured above). Last season they finished 26-6 overall and 15-3 in the Big East, 2nd to Connecticut. As a 7 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, they beat 10-seed UNLV but narrowly lost to 2-seed and host UCLA. The new roster will see the return of 7 of the 8 players in Coach Flanery's main rotation: 4 starters and 3 reserves. He's added 2 freshmen and 2 grad transfers from Division II schools.

The Bluejays have scheduled a rematch with the Bruins in December, part of a neutral site doubleheader with Stanford-Ohio State. It's called the Invisalign® Bay Area Women’s Classic at Chase Center, the home floor of the NBA's Golden State Warriors. (No truth to the rumor that the sponsor will be handing out clear leg braces as free samples to each team's medical staff.)



Based on their itinerary, the team spent 4 days in Barcelona and 4 days in Athens. When off the court, they kind of balanced things out in each city, visiting late 19th century structures (La Sagrada Familia and Olympic Stadium), getting in the water (Costa Brava Beach and the Saronic Gulf), and taking in some culture (a flamenco show and a Greek dancing class). Now they won't feel out of place celebrating a Greek wedding, no matter its size or weight.



I've been neglecting the social media custom of including food images in this thread, so pictured above is a dessert from Anita Gelato in Barcelona. (In the spirit of fairness, I'm sure they ordered some baklava when they were in Athens.)

An 8-day trip was more than enough time for Creighton's athletic department to resurface the basketball teams' home floor for the coming season. Based on this video, the whole job took only 20 seconds:

Creighton 75, Barcelona All-Stars 63 (recap, Instagram photos)

"Creighton Women's Basketball began its three-game international trip with a 75-63 win over the Barcelona All-Stars on Tuesday, August 6...

[Senior Lauren] Jensen's 17 points led Creighton, while Maly (13), Brake (10) and Kennedy Townsend (10) all finished in double figures."

Creighton 88, Barcelona All-Stars 49 (recap, Instagram photos, Twitter/X video clip)

"Senior Morgan Maly delivered a dominant performance (28 points and nine rebounds) to lead Creighton Women's Basketball [as they] defeated the Barcelona Alll-Stars, 88-49 on Thursday, August 8...

[T]hree additional Bluejays closed the game in double figures as Mogensen had 13 points, Jensen finished with 11 points and Littrell posted 10 points.

Sophomore Kennedy Townsend led Creighton with 10 rebounds as the Bluejays outrebounded Bracelona 60-31."

Creighton 130, Greek All-Stars 61 (recap, Instagram photos)

"Eight Bluejays finished in double figures, led by 24 from newcomer Brooke Littrell, as Creighton Women's Basketball closed its three-game European Tour with a 130-61 win over the Greek All-Star squad on Sunday, August 11...

Littrell's 24 points led all scorers, while Morgan Maly delivered a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Lauren Jensen, Molly Mogensen and Kennedy Townsend all closed the game with 15 points, while Jayme Horan delivered 11 points. The remaining two in double figures were Mallory Brake and Liz Gentry with 10 points."

After the third game, Coach Flanery answered some questions about the team and the trip in this video:

We learn that the team used Anthony Travel -- while Creighton is not on the list of universities that uses the tour company as an official travel partner, Duke is. Coach Flanery also says that this was his first team trip in his 22 years as a head coach. Now that I know that, I would have felt extra guilty not writing this entry.

 

[brevity]

This is the last regular entry for the thread. There are some men and women from Ivy League and Division III schools who were invited to play in a pair of events in China last month, and I'm slowly collecting more information about them.

Northwestern men (Italy/Greece, August 20-30)



It seems appropriate to deliver the grand finale just days after Duke beat Northwestern in football on Friday night. (Not quite Saturday morning: the game went to double overtime, but still finished around 11:55pm locally.) This is the sixth straight win for the Blue Devils in the series: they previously won in 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The matchup is not currently scheduled to continue; I wonder if the Wildcats are tired of these one-sided results, and could use a break.

Things are probably more cordial between the men's basketball programs of these two schools, mostly because NU is coached by Chris Collins, a card-carrying member of The Brotherhood. Collins played at Duke from 1992-1996, just one graduating class after Howard coach Kenneth Blakeney, whose team trip to Brazil was covered earlier in this thread. Collins was also an assistant coach or associate head coach for the Blue Devils from 2000-2013. He's about to start his 12th season as the head coach of Northwestern.



Fashion check: I'm looking for travel casual looks here, and while the trip-specific team gear is a bit standard, he models it well. It's like he took off his eyeglasses, put on his shades, and told the camera, "Is that better?" Just the right amount of attitude.

Coach Collins is aiming to take the Wildcats to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament, which is amazing when you consider that they've only qualified three times in the tournament's 85-year history: 2017, 2023, and 2024. (More on that 2017 squad later.) If he gets his team back to the field of 68, he'll do it without 6-2 guard Boo Buie, who completed his eligibility. Buie started 128 games in his career, and was named to the All-Big Ten first team in each of the last two seasons. He led the team with averages of 19 points and 5 assists in 2023-2024.

Another starter, 6-4 guard Ryan Langborg, also graduated, and a freshman who redshirted last season transferred out, but the rest of the team returns to the new roster, including three starters: 6-6 senior guard Brooks Barnhizer, 6-3 grad student guard Ty Berry, and 7-0 grad student center Matthew Nicholson. They are joined by two freshmen, 6-3 guard KJ Windham and 6-5 guard Angelo Ciaravino, plus a pair of incoming grad student transfers who each averaged double digits: Jalen Leach, a 6-4 guard from Fairfield, and Keenan Fitzmorris, a 7-0 center from Stony Brook.



The Wildcats probably took the very last trip of the summer, spending 10 days visiting Italy and Greece, and returning just before the start of Labor Day weekend. They used Anthony Travel, an official partner of Northwestern Athletics, to plan their tour through Venice, Florence, and Athens. They played one game in each city. These exhibitions gave Coach Collins the opportunity to develop some depth by giving the reserves more playing time. This is a nice way of saying that all 3 returning starters -- Barnhizer, Berry, and Nicholson -- did not play in Europe, as Jon Rothstein reports:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1825629047730352432

Inside NU, the SB Nation site for Northwestern, published a pretty terrific article that summarized the team's games, provided some information about each opponent, and offered some takeaways for the coming season. I wish more fan sites did this, and with my absolute appreciation, I'm quoting some portions of this article for each recap below.

Northwestern 79, KK Vojvodina 54 (recap, Instagram shootaround, game photos; Twitter/X highlights)

"...Northwestern kicked off its overseas tour with a strong performance against KK Vojvodina, a professional Serbian team. NU controlled the game from start to finish, cruising to a 79-54 victory. Five ‘Cats scored in double figures, showcasing a balanced attack. First-year guard KJ Windham led the charge with 17 points, including an impressive five three-pointers on six attempts. Nick Martinelli added 14 points, while Jalen Leach contributed 12, Justin Mullins chipped in 11 and Luke Hunger rounded out the top scorers with 10 points...

Windham’s shooting display, particularly his ability to knock down threes, could fill a critical gap. If he can maintain this level of play, Windham could provide a valuable spark off the bench, potentially becoming a key piece in Northwestern’s offensive puzzle this season."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1826715058627641735

Northwestern 95, IBAM 61 (recap, Instagram shootaround, game photos; Twitter/X highlights)

"Northwestern faced off against International Basketball Academy Munich (IBAM) in their second game overseas, dominating with a decisive 95-61 victory. Once again, the ‘Cats showcased a balanced offensive attack, with five players scoring in double figures. Jalen Leach led the team with 18 points, building on his impressive first game. NU also saw three players have double-doubles: Nick Martinelli with 15 points and 11 rebounds, Angelo Ciaravino with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Blake Barkley, who contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds. KJ Windham delivered another strong performance, dropping 10 points."



Aris Thessaloniki BC 69, Northwestern 67 (recap, Instagram shootaround, game photos; Twitter/X highlights)

"Northwestern ended its tour by squaring off against Aris Thessaloniki BC (ATBC), one of Greece’s premier professional basketball teams... Despite leading for most of the game, the ‘Cats suffered a narrow 69-67 defeat.

Angelo Ciaravino led Northwestern with 16 points and eight rebounds, showcasing a great three-point touch by hitting three of four attempts, despite not being known for his outside shooting. Nick Martinelli continued his impressive play, posting a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Luke Hunger contributed a perfect shooting performance, going 4-for-4 from the field for 12 points, along with eight rebounds. Jalen Leach added nine points, and though his three-point shooting was off, he was doing all the little things right, filling up the stat sheet with five assists, four rebounds and four steals."



I don't normally notice the comments on social media, but in response to the Game 3 shootaround photos I linked above, the verified Instagram account @anagasteyer gave four heart emojis. Curious, I looked into it, and former Saturday Night Live actress Ana Gasteyer graduated from Northwestern in 1989. This article from their School of Communication says that when she was growing up, she learned about Northwestern from her older sister's best friend, 1983 graduate Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

You might recall that Louis-Dreyfus and her husband Brad Hall, both NU alumni and former SNL cast members, got a lot of screen time as basketball fans during the 2017 NCAA Tournament, as their son Charlie Hall was part of the Wildcats team back then. (According to his bio, he didn't see much playing time in his career, but was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team three times.) Here's a video Charlie and his parents made before that tournament began.

You can see Chris Collins greeting Julia with a hug around the 3:20 mark. Well done, coach. If he's pursuing players by recruiting their *celebrity* moms, then he's taken Coach K's advice to another level.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1499539342804537347

 

[luvdahops]

Did not want to copy all of brevity's excellent post above on Northwestern hoops and coach Chris Collins. But did want to note that Chris's daughter Kate is a member of the Duke Class of 2028 (as is Manny Diaz, Jr. btw).