Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Saint Joseph's Basketball to Tour Italy in August

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team will embark on a 10-day tour of Italy from August 11 to 21, playing four games and visiting four cities.

It marks the second time that head coach Phil Martelli has taken Saint Joseph's overseas, as the Hawks also traveled to Italy in 1999.

Saint Joseph's will begin the trip in Rome and travel to Florence, Venice and Como. Among the sites the Hawks will visit are The Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica, the Accademia Gallery in Florence, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Grand Canal in Venice, and Lake Como.

"We're excited to make the trip. The basketball opportunity is unique. The overall experience is once in a lifetime," said coach Phil Martelli.

In preparation for the tour, the Hawks are permitted to hold 10 full-squad practices beginning on July 30.

The Hawks return 10 players, including starters Langston Galloway, Ronald Roberts, Jr., and Halil Kanacevic, from last year's squad which went 18-14 and earned a berth in the NIT. Making the trip to Italy with those 10 players will be redshirt freshmen Javon Baumann and Kyle Molock along with incoming freshmen DeAndre´ Bembry and Jai Williams.

The most recent SJU team to take an international trip was the women's basketball team, which toured Ireland and Northern Ireland last summer. The Hawks went on to win the Atlantic 10 Championship and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

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