Aggie Hoops to Take European Summer Tour

June 15, 2011

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - New Texas A&M head basketball coach Billy Kennedy will get a great early start to the 2011-12 season this summer when he takes the Aggies on a 10-day tour of Switzerland and France, the school announced Wednesday.

 

The trip runs from Aug. 8-17 and includes a four-game schedule along with stops in Bern, Lucerne and Paris.

 

"We're excited about this tour," Kennedy said. "This trip is a great opportunity for the staff and players to get to know each other and build relationships that will not only be beneficial on the court, but will also go beyond the game. The tour and the practice time leading up to it will give us a chance to put in part of our system and give these guys an idea of how I want to play."

 

An added benefit of the foreign tour is practice time prior to departure and, with the team scheduled to report back to town July 26 to begin preparations, it will give Kennedy and his staff a great look at the team prior to the start of preseason workouts in October.

 

Once in Europe, A&M will have a pair of games scheduled against the Swiss National Team and two more against yet to-be-determined opponents in France to round out the trip.

 

Among the off-the-court highlights will be visits to some of Europe's most scenic and famous landmarks, including Lake Lucerne, Mount Pilatus, the River Seine, the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles. It will be the first foreign tour for the program since visiting Italy in 2003.

 

"We're expecting it to be a positive experience for our players and staff," Kennedy said. "We play four games, and we're going to try to win all of them, but we're hoping to use this more as a team-building experience."

 

Fans will be able to follow the Aggies throughout the tour, which is coordinated by Anthony Travel, on aggieathletics.com.

 

Tentative Itinerary (not finalized and subject to change)

 

Day 1
Depart for Zurich, Switzerland

Day 2
Arrive Zurich
Travel to Lucerne
Welcome Reception

Day 3
Tour Lucerne

Day 4
Game vs Swiss National Team (in Fribourg)
Travel to Bern

Day 5
Tour Bern
Game vs Swiss National Team

Day 6
Travel to Paris, France

Day 7
Game vs TBD

Day 8
Tour Paris
Game vs TBD

Day 9
Tour Paris/Eiffel Tower
Farewell Dinner

Day 10
Return home