Aug. 24, 2010
WATCH: Wildcats Prepare for Italy
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern head men's basketball coach Bill Carmody has announced that seniors Jeff Ryan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) and Michael Thompson (Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park) have been selected the team captains for the upcoming 2010-11 season.
The announcement comes just days before the team is set to depart for a 10-day tour of Italy.
"Jeff and Michael have proven to be tremendous leaders throughout their careers and have set a great example to their teammates through their dedication and commitment to the program," Carmody said. "They have earned the respect of their teammates as well as the staff."
Thompson has started all 95 games in the first three seasons of his Northwestern career. He averaged a career-best 14.2 points per game during the 2009-10 campaign and was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection for the second straight year. The durable Thompson ranked fourth nationally with an average of 37.7 minutes played per game last season.
Ryan is set to return for his fifth year with the Wildcats. He missed nearly the entirety of last year's campaign after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the season against Northern Illinois. Ryan has seen action in 81 career contests with 22 starts and ranks eighth in school history with a .496 career field goal percentage.
Additionally, Northwestern has finalized its game schedule for its upcoming trip to Italy. The Wildcats are set to play three contests against teams from the A2 League as well as one from the B1 league.
NU departs for its trip this Saturday, Aug. 28 and is scheduled to return to Evanston Tuesday, Sept. 7. Be sure to visit NUsports.com regularly throughout the trip for blogs, photos and video.
A reminder that Wildcat fans can now make a deposit to secure season tickets to next year's men's basketball season in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The non-refundable deposit of $100 per seat will be applied toward the final cost of a full season ticket package, which will range from $125 to $350 dependent upon the number of home games and type of season ticket. Specific season ticket packages will go on sale in the fall. For complete details, click here.
Northwestern Game Schedule
August 30 - vs. AB Latina, 1 p.m. CT
Latina, Italy
September 1 - vs. Liomatic Perugia, 11 a.m. CT
Perugia, Italy
September 4 - vs. Fastweb Casale Monferrato, 1:30 p.m. CT
Alessandria, Italy
September 5 - vs. Pallacanstro Pavia, 11 a.m. CT
Pavia, Italy
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