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CALDWELL MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM TO PLAY EXHIBITION GAMES IN FRANCE

July 17, 2007

Courtesy of Matt McLagan, Caldwell SID

CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team will travel to France this summer to play four exhibition games against French amateur teams. The defending Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference champion Cougars depart on August 8 and return on August 18.

"We are fortunate that our administration has been supportive in providing us with the opportunity to have such a great experience," said Mark A. Corino, Caldwell's Executive Director of Athletics. "Once again, it's an example of the institution's commitment to the overall experience of our student-athletes."

The Cougars will play two games against A.D.A. Blois on August 11th and 12th before facing Hagetmau-Doazit on August 14th. The final game will be against Denek-Urcuit in Bayonne on August 16th. Blois is located to the southwest of Paris, about thirty miles outside Orleans. Doazit and Bayonne are in the southwest corner of France near the Spain border.

"Not too many of our players have ever been outside the country, so this is a tremendous opportunity to see a different culture," Corino said. "It also gives us a chance to come together as a team in the summer and play against some good competition."

Eleven players return from last year's squad that went 19-12 and won the CACC Tournament to advance to the NCAA Northeast Region Tournament. They are center Michael Luzzi (Mount Arlington, NJ/Morris Catholic), forwards B.J. Suchy (Ronkonkoma, NY/Our Savior), Manny Perez (Egg Harbor, NJ/Egg Harbor), Sam Cricelli (Brighton, England/Culham), Matt Cohen (Forked River, NJ/Manasquan) and Tyrone Royster (Asbury Park, NJ/Asbury Park), and guards Hans Stelzer (Selden, NY/Our Savior), Michael Wise (Whitesboro, NJ/Middletownship), Adam Sabree (Detroit, MI/Renaissance), Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) and John Reed (Wall, NJ/Wall). All 11 returnees will be going to France, as will sophomore guard Eddie Crockett (Passaic, NJ/Passaic), who transferred to Caldwell from Nicholls State this past spring.

The team will be accompanied by Andre Vatin, a former professional basketball coach in France who is organizing the trip. Vatin has known Cougar assistant coach Dave DeFerrari for the past 10 years.

"Andre has been trying to get us to come over to France ever since I came to Caldwell five years ago," DeFerrari said. "It's exciting that we're finally able to make it happen, and I thank Andre for all he has done to organize our tour."

Fans can follow the Cougars while they are in France by visiting Caldwell's athletics website at info.caldwell.edu/athletics.