June 11, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. - Approximately 30 percent of the students who attend Northwestern University study abroad at some point in time during their educational experience in Evanston. Due to time commitments, rarely does that mark include student-athletes. However, the Northwestern men's basketball team will have the chance to head overseas when it travels to Italy later this summer.
The Wildcats will play at least four games as they visit Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice and Lake Como from Aug. 28 through Sept. 7. Northwestern also has the ability to practice together for 10 days prior to their departure. The exact game schedule is still to be determined.
It marks the first time that the Wildcats have taken a team abroad during Bill Carmody's tenure at NU and for the Northwestern head coach, the time is perfect to partake in such a journey.
"We're coming off a nice year and we have a lot of the same guys back," Carmody said. "But we're also adding a couple of guys coming off injuries as well as a freshman. We also lose Jeremy Nash who was a good player for us as a starter last year and was a catalyst for us at the top of our defense.
"I think we're going to be pretty good next season and different people are going to have to step up and maybe change roles. We'll need to find out the dynamic of the team. We have some good pieces in place and so the opportunity to practice for 10 days before we leave and then playing four or five games over there is tremendous. In our own minds, we can see how the pieces are going to fit together better so that when we come back for the preseason, we'll have a jump on things."
Carmody also believes that the time that the team gets to spend together while experiencing a different culture is something that's bound to be a positive for his squad.
"I think it's a huge benefit," he said. "I've been over there before with teams. I love Italy. Culturally, seeing something that's completely different than how things are here is a great thing. Some of our guys have traveled before, but not many. It's a great chance to add to their educational experience. Plus, you're together for 11 days, and also the practices before we leave, so I think it has to strengthen you as a group."
The opportunity to play a series of games against professional competition, and perhaps of equal importance the 10 days of practice prior to the trip will allow the coaching staff to work on and experiment with a number of different lineups and other factors of the game.
"I think the practice dates might be the most important benefit," Carmody said. "It's not like the old training camp days. These guys will be working out and playing together, so it's not like I'm going to be spending five or six of these practices trying to mold these guys into shape. We're going to take care of business there. You'll get some idea of how different guys are going to play together.
"It allows us to experiment too. What is our best defense this year? We relied on the 1-3-1 a lot the past few years, maybe last year to a fault. I thought depth was a problem last year. It's a chance for coaches to experiment with different combinations of players and different defenses and find out what's best suited for this team. Maybe there's something that's a little better for this team than what we've done in the past. It's also nice to go against different faces and professional players. Playing against guys who are older and tougher has to help you."
Carmody is also grateful for the generous donations from a number of donors whose contributions have helped make the trip possible.
"We can't say `thank you' enough for the generosity of so many people who have helped make this experience a reality for our team," he said. "Their support, as always, is greatly appreciated."
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