CMU Men's Basketball Travels to Europe
This past month, the Colorado Mesa University Men's Basketball team embarked on a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel together and play overseas. The team spent 10 days in Europe playing against professional international club teams and visiting iconic locations in Prague, Berlin and Paris.
The Mavericks, governed by the NCAA Division II, are permitted to travel internationally once every four years. This rule aims to create a level playing field and ensure that all member institutions have equal opportunities and resources, preventing institutions with significant financial resources to gain an unfair advantage in recruiting or playing in international competitions.
To make this trip possible, each player contributed a certain portion of their funding by volunteering at basketball camps. By providing volunteer opportunities, the team was able to fundraise for the trip while simultaneously giving back to the community.
“The trip was awesome!” said redshirt sophomore Owen Koonce. “All of us being best friends and together on the other side of the world felt super special and like a once in a lifetime experience.”
In addition to the team, 52 family members and friends made the journey overseas to support the Mavericks. In between games, the group toured around visiting Windsor Castle, Vltava River and more.
This trip was CMU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mike DeGeorge's fourth time taking a team overseas. He recognized the importance of the trip not only providing an opportunity to boost team morale and prepare for the upcoming season, but to also allow the players to grow as individuals.
“We want to be able to be more than just the basketball team. We want this trip to be a cultural opportunity for our players to grow as humans,” said DeGeorge. “This is certainly a team that's capable of winning the RMAC this year. So this trip has benefited us on the courts and in terms of our relationships, and I think it's made our players more well-rounded as humans.”
In 10 days, the team played in Prague, Berlin and Paris, winning all three of their games.
Final scores:
- Game #1 in Prague v. Sokol (135-107)
- Game #2 in Berlin v. Braves (111-77)
- Game #3 in Paris v. Select (122-50)
“Going there with our team and everyone’s families was amazing, it allowed us to get closer as a team and will help us even more in the season,” said redshirt sophomore Trevor Baskin.
Koonce echoed his teammate's sentiment, “I think we are all very grateful to have had this opportunity and are ready to tackle next season. The trip allowed us to build on what we’ve been working on since spring practice and test it against real competition. We are all very excited and the RMAC better watch out!”