Bucknell University Athletics
Men’s Basketball is Bound for Europe
8/1/2018 12:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell men's basketball team departs Lewisburg on Thursday for a 10-day overseas tour that will take the Bison to the Netherlands, Belgium and France. The team will play four games, two in France and one each in the Netherlands and Belgium, and just as important will see many important historical and cultural sites along the way.
NCAA rules permit college teams to take one foreign tour every four years. This will be the sixth overseas trip for the Bucknell men's basketball team and the first under head coach Nathan Davis and his staff. Four years ago, then-head coach Dave Paulsen took the Bison to Belgium, France and Switzerland. In 2010, Paulsen and the Bison ventured to Italy, and Pat Flannery arranged trips to Ireland and England in 2005, Italy and Croatia in 2000 and Denmark and Sweden in 1996.
With this year's trip occurring in August, incoming freshmen Walter Ellis, Andrew Funk and Kahliel Spear will be with the team and eligible to play in the games. The team has been practicing on campus for several days leading up to Thursday's departure, and Davis says the trip will be beneficial in more ways than one.
"We are very excited to be taking a great group of guys overseas for what should be a memorable experience for all of them," said Davis. "This is a great opportunity for our guys to spend quality time together before classes start in a few weeks. The culture on our team is already tremendous, and this will only enhance it and give the new guys a chance to fit in. We are excited to see how they play, but that is only a small part of what this trip is about. We are going to see some incredible sites that have played major roles in world history. The players seem genuinely excited to soak up as much as they can and make this a trip that will give them memories for a lifetime."
After an overnight flight, the team will arrive in Amsterdam early Friday morning. The group will do a walking tour of the Dutch capital city, and then on Saturday the team will take a canal tour with a stop at the famous Anne Frank House.
On Saturday evening, the Bison will play their first game of the trip, against the BP Apollo Amsterdam club at 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET).
After another full day in Amsterdam seeing sights such as historic Zaanse Schans and the Van Gogh Art Museum, the team will bus to Ghent, Belgium on Monday, Aug. 6. The following day, the Bison will tour the famed cobblestoned city of Bruges before returning to Ghent for an 8:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. ET) game against the Ghent Hawks. Four years ago, the Hawks handed the Bison a 75-67 defeat, which would be the team's lone loss on that tour.
On Wednesday, Aug. 8, the team will take a 400-kilometer bus ride to Deauville, France, and the following day the group will tour Normandy in what is sure to be one of the highlights of the trip. The team will spend about six hours on the site of the infamous World War II D-Day invasions, walking the landing beaches, visiting the War Memorial and cemetery, and even going inside the pillboxes that housed the German artillery during the war.
Following a full day in Normandy, it's off to Paris, where the team will take a late-night boat tour on the Seine. Friday, Aug. 10 will feature a full day of sightseeing in Paris, including the requisite stops at the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Louvre. That evening, the Bison will play their first of two games in two days against Bretigny Select.
On Sunday, Aug. 12, it's off to the Charles de Gaulle Airport for the return flight home.
The Bison enter the 2018-19 season having won four straight Patriot League regular-season titles and the last two PL Tournament titles. The Bison will have a bit of a new look this season following the graduation of three outstanding seniors in Stephen Brown, Nana Foulland and Zach Thomas. Thomas will soon be headed to Belgium himself to begin his pro career with Okapi Aalstar.
Game Schedule
Aug. 4 vs. BC Apollo Amsterdam – 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET)
Aug. 7 vs. Ghent Hawks – 8:15 p.m. (2:15 p.m. ET)
Aug. 10 vs. Bretigny Select – 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET)
Aug. 11 vs. Bretigny Select – 5 p.m. (11 a.m. ET)
NCAA rules permit college teams to take one foreign tour every four years. This will be the sixth overseas trip for the Bucknell men's basketball team and the first under head coach Nathan Davis and his staff. Four years ago, then-head coach Dave Paulsen took the Bison to Belgium, France and Switzerland. In 2010, Paulsen and the Bison ventured to Italy, and Pat Flannery arranged trips to Ireland and England in 2005, Italy and Croatia in 2000 and Denmark and Sweden in 1996.
With this year's trip occurring in August, incoming freshmen Walter Ellis, Andrew Funk and Kahliel Spear will be with the team and eligible to play in the games. The team has been practicing on campus for several days leading up to Thursday's departure, and Davis says the trip will be beneficial in more ways than one.
"We are very excited to be taking a great group of guys overseas for what should be a memorable experience for all of them," said Davis. "This is a great opportunity for our guys to spend quality time together before classes start in a few weeks. The culture on our team is already tremendous, and this will only enhance it and give the new guys a chance to fit in. We are excited to see how they play, but that is only a small part of what this trip is about. We are going to see some incredible sites that have played major roles in world history. The players seem genuinely excited to soak up as much as they can and make this a trip that will give them memories for a lifetime."
After an overnight flight, the team will arrive in Amsterdam early Friday morning. The group will do a walking tour of the Dutch capital city, and then on Saturday the team will take a canal tour with a stop at the famous Anne Frank House.
On Saturday evening, the Bison will play their first game of the trip, against the BP Apollo Amsterdam club at 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET).
After another full day in Amsterdam seeing sights such as historic Zaanse Schans and the Van Gogh Art Museum, the team will bus to Ghent, Belgium on Monday, Aug. 6. The following day, the Bison will tour the famed cobblestoned city of Bruges before returning to Ghent for an 8:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. ET) game against the Ghent Hawks. Four years ago, the Hawks handed the Bison a 75-67 defeat, which would be the team's lone loss on that tour.
On Wednesday, Aug. 8, the team will take a 400-kilometer bus ride to Deauville, France, and the following day the group will tour Normandy in what is sure to be one of the highlights of the trip. The team will spend about six hours on the site of the infamous World War II D-Day invasions, walking the landing beaches, visiting the War Memorial and cemetery, and even going inside the pillboxes that housed the German artillery during the war.
Following a full day in Normandy, it's off to Paris, where the team will take a late-night boat tour on the Seine. Friday, Aug. 10 will feature a full day of sightseeing in Paris, including the requisite stops at the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Louvre. That evening, the Bison will play their first of two games in two days against Bretigny Select.
On Sunday, Aug. 12, it's off to the Charles de Gaulle Airport for the return flight home.
The Bison enter the 2018-19 season having won four straight Patriot League regular-season titles and the last two PL Tournament titles. The Bison will have a bit of a new look this season following the graduation of three outstanding seniors in Stephen Brown, Nana Foulland and Zach Thomas. Thomas will soon be headed to Belgium himself to begin his pro career with Okapi Aalstar.
Game Schedule
Aug. 4 vs. BC Apollo Amsterdam – 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET)
Aug. 7 vs. Ghent Hawks – 8:15 p.m. (2:15 p.m. ET)
Aug. 10 vs. Bretigny Select – 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET)
Aug. 11 vs. Bretigny Select – 5 p.m. (11 a.m. ET)
Players Mentioned
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