Summer Tour with Global Sports Academy Includes 4 Members of Bucknell Hoops Team

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell men's basketball assistant coach Joe Meehan and returning Bison players John Azzinaro, Nana Foulland and Nate Sestina have been invited by the Global Sports Academy to participate in a tour of Spain next week. Two teams of college players from all divisions will visit cities such as Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid, enjoying the Spanish culture while also playing four games each along the way against local clubs.

Meehan was selected to serve as the coach of one of the two American teams, and he will have Azzinaro and Foulland on his squad. Another familiar face will be Johns Hopkins guard Jesse Flannery, who is the son of Bucknell Hall-of-Fame coach and player Pat Flannery.

Meehan's team also consists of Oberlin's Nathan Cohen, Lebanon Valley's Brett Gilbert, Pitt-Johnstown's Jacob Laravie, Colby's Joseph Connelly, Virginia Wesleyan's Tyrell Thomas, and Kendall Green and Sardayah Sambo of Widener.

Meanwhile, Sestina will be playing for a team coached by Justin Lang, who is currently an assistant at Rhode Island College. He will be joined by Zach Smith of Pittsburgh, Cameron Grumley of Clarion, Bradley Jacks of Babson, Brian Horn and Langdon Neal of Trinity, Sam Johnson of Gordon, Hunter Eggers of Franklin & Marshall, and Dylan Groff of Amherst.

This will not be Meehan's first trip abroad with the Global Sports Academy. In 2014, he coached a team on a trip to Belgium, Holland and England, and he made a similar trip as a player at Lebanon Valley in 2011.

For Sestina, the trip to Spain will mark his return the court after missing the bulk of the 2015-16 season with a shoulder injury. He played in four games as a freshman last year, the last coming against Navy on Dec. 30. Sestina had just begun to work his way into the frontcourt rotation when the injury occurred in Bucknell's victory over the Midshipmen. For the season, he totaled 15 points and five rebounds, including 10 points in a strong showing against Fairfield.

A rising senior, Azzinaro served as a reserve guard for the Bison last season, playing in 29 games while averaging 3.0 points per game. His season highlight came in a home victory over Holy Cross, when he hit 7 of 10 from 3-point range and scored 21 points.

Foulland is coming off a terrific sophomore year, when he earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors after logging 11.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Foulland has started all but one game for the Bison over the last two years while developing into one of the league's top centers. He ranked in the top five in the PL in rebounding, field-goal percentage (.536) and blocked shots (42) last season.

The group departs on Monday and will return on Aug. 16.