The Italian job: Raiders basketball heads to Europe

((Contributed by Wright State Sports Information))

Head Coach Billy Donlon and his squad will be in Italy for 10 days this August.

DAYTON – The Wright State men’s basketball team has scheduled a trip to Italy where they will play up to four games, practice and use it as a cultural learning experience for the student-athletes.

The Raiders are scheduled to visit Rome, The Vatican, Florence, Venice and Milan from August 20-30. NCAA teams are able to make this type of trip once every four years but WSU has not done so since 1990 when they played in Germany, The Netherlands and France. Fellow Horizon League partners Milwaukee (2010) and Butler (2009) took this same trip recently. Detroit visited Spain in 2009 as did Cleveland State in 2008.

Wright State will also be afforded the chance to practice 10 days before leaving and, according to NCAA rules, newcomers and redshirt players, such as Julius Mays, will be able to make their Raider debuts in Italy. This will be important as no player on this year’s roster will have more than one year experience in a Raider uniform.

“Having already participated on a foreign tour as a coach, the life experience that our players will gain is immeasurable,” Donlon said. “We will be able to immerse ourselves in the Italian way of life while visiting many places that have notable historical and cultural significance.”

Fans can also be part of the trip through Basketball Travelers. The trip starts on August 20, arriving into Rome, and it will end August 30 with a flight from Milan. The cost will include guided tours, hotel accommodations for nine nights, airfare and ground transportation. There is also an option with ground transportation only. For more information, call 425-776-2775 or go to their website https://ems.resrunner.com/WrightSt.

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