Troy University Athletics
Troy Hoops Completes European Tour
8/21/2009 4:45:00 PM | Basketball (M)
Tuesday evening members of the Troy basketball team along with coaches and support staff returned from a week-long adventure through Western Europe.
The Trojans spent eight days traversing from Amsterdam into Belgium before finally spending their last two days in Paris. Along the way they made some memories, learned a lot, oh and they played a little basketball.
"What a trip, what an experience," head coach Don Maestri said. "There were many great experiences, but I think the thing that stands out the most to me was that it was a great educational experience. The basketball experience was good, but I think for our team and our coaches and our support people the educational portion was tremendous."
"To me as a whole from the time we stepped off the plane, when we watched someone make wooden shoes and cheese and all the farm lands we went through - from that until the final boat tour at night in Paris when we saw the 'City of Lights', it was just a great experience."
The trip provided the Trojans and staff with multiple learning opportunities in several different subject areas.
"It was a learning experience in everything from geography to history to languages to economics to historical sites from the Middle Ages," Maestri said. "Going from the Netherlands to Belgium to France and seeing even the differences in those countries was educational.
"I think even us the coaches as we get away from it, the more we will appreciate it. I know the players will appreciate it more the older they get."
Along with the educational benefits, the Trojans also got the benefit of playing some additional basketball.
"The practice time, trying some new things out we wanted to see, Trayce Macon and Bernard Toombs putting a uniform back on after redshirting and playing four games was a positive," Maestri said. "There were some good things that happened basketball-wise."
Despite the different rules and perceived different playing styles in the European and American games, the Trojans didn't experience a learning curve as they transitioned to the European style.
"It wasn't that big of a change for our style of basketball," Maestri said. "The style of play we use is very European with lots of spacing and trying to dribble attack people then pass out after the defense collapses. It's more of an outside game over there than it is a throw it inside to a big guy and let him pound it out game."
Despite the added court-time, Maestri was still more excited about the historical aspects of the trip. He mentioned the visit to the home of Anne Frank as his most memorable moment.
"I've watched a lot and read a lot on World War II and the Nazi's, but to actually be there and to get the feeling of how terrible this must have been was moving," he said. "Being in the exact same house they were in made me re-read the book. I would say that is the biggest moment for me from the trip."
Associate head coach David Felix listed his favorite moment of the trip as a visit to the Heineken brewery in Amsterdam. Assistant coach Ben Fletcher said his most memorable experience was the shock of learning he had to pay to use the restroom.
Assistant coach Michael Curry's memorable moment came when he realized he had just paid 80 Euros (about 115 U.S. dollars) for a 30-minute phone call.
Overall, the coaching staff and players alike had an enjoyable experience that will benefit them not only in the upcoming 2009-10 basketball season but for the rest of their lives. They thought they were going on a basketball trip, but wound up learning more than they ever expected.
"I was not expecting the educational part to be as big as it was. This truly was a trip of a lifetime," Maestri said.
