The AU men’s basketball team began a European tour Monday that will see it play four games and travel to three different countries over 10 days.
The trip will have the Eagles traveling to Prague, Czech Republic, Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary. In between the sightseeing, the team will play against two professional teams from the Czech Republic and one each from Austria and Hungary.
“This is an experience that, as a college student-athlete, these guys will remember for the rest of their lives,” head coach Jeff Jones told AU athletics. “We’ve got some guys who have been fortunate enough to travel overseas, but we also have guys who have never been outside of the United States. This will be a great cultural experience.”
The Eagles’ first stop will be in Prague on Tuesday, Aug. 16. The team will visit the Old Town Square and Castle District during its stay, while playing two games against Czech squads.
On Wednesday, Aug. 17, AU will square off against BC Benesov, who finished 10-16 this past season in the Czech Republic’s secondary league. The following day the Eagles will face Plzen of the National Basketball League, the top professional league in the Czech Republic.
Later this week, the Eagles will tour Vienna and Budapest and travel on the Danube River. Saturday sees them matched up against Arkadia Traiskrichen. The Lions reached the semifinals of the top basketball league in Austria last season.
The tour begins to wind down as the team heads to Budapest on Sunday, Aug. 21, before playing its fourth and final game the next day. The Eagles finish up against Kecskemeti, who ended 2010-11 at 16-10 before falling in the quarterfinals in the Hungarian A Division.
After losing the top two scorers from last year’s team, the Eagles can use this trip to develop as a team, while the coaching staff can work with players who will be counted on to step up this season. With only one returning starter, Jones will have the ability to give different players their first real opportunity at big minutes.
“This is a great opportunity to evaluate each of our players and work with different lineups,” Jones said.
Ttomea@theeagleonline.com
