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CALDWELL MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM TAKES ROAD TRIP OF A LIFETIME

September 12, 2007

Courtesy of Matt McLagan, Caldwell SID

CALDWELL, N.J. - It is common and, in fact, necessary for a college basketball team to travel together during the course of the season. Long bus rides, pre-game meals and cramped hotel rooms are as much a part of being on a team as wearing the uniform. This past August, the Caldwell College men's basketball team experienced all of these things and much more on its trip to France to play a four-game exhibition schedule.

Caldwell College, an NCAA Division II school that won the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament last March, has sent its men's basketball team to play in Colorado, Florida and Alaska in recent years. Although those places are quite a bit different from New Jersey in many ways, they certainly do not offer the unique experiences, on and off the court, that nine days in France do.

"We wanted to provide an opportunity for our student-athletes to experience something that they otherwise wouldn't have the chance to experience," said Mark A. Corino, the head men's basketball coach and Executive Director of Athletics at Caldwell. "Most of our players had never been overseas before. It also gave us an opportunity to play against some good teams that play a different style of basketball."

The idea to go to France was the result of the relationship between Caldwell assistant coach Dave DeFerrari and longtime French professional coach Andre Vatin, who served as the group's tour guide for the entire trip. Vatin also made arrangements with the French-based basketball clubs to help defray a significant amount of the costs involved with feeding and housing the team.

The traveling party of 30 people, which included the team and its coaching staff, athletic department staff, other representatives from the College, and some family members, began the journey in Paris. The group visited the basilica at Sacre Coeur, saw the famous Eiffel Tower and ate dinner in the trendy section of town called Saint-Michel, all in one day despite running on a few hours of sleep.

"Hanging out with my teammates in maybe the most famous city in Europe is like a dream vacation, and it's pretty cool that we're here," said sophomore guard John Reed (Wall, NJ/Wall) in his blog after the team's first day in Paris. "France has so much to offer and so much history, from the Roman Empire to World War II."

For many, the highlight of the trip was the second day, which was spent touring the beaches of Normandy. The day began with a three-hour bus ride from Paris to the northwestern part of France that included a viewing of the movie Saving Private Ryan, and ended at the American Cemetery and Memorial at Omaha Beach.

"The cemetery was the most moving part of the entire trip," said senior guard Adam Sabree (Detroit, MI/Renaissance) in his blog. "There were over 10,000 tombstones, lined in the most precise order imaginable. It was truly a humbling experience. A few of us took a walk down to the coastline to get a closer look at the former battlefield. It's just crazy to imagine what the soldiers went through, getting off of the ships and walking the deadly coastline toward land."

After Normandy, the team played a pair of exhibition games against ADA Blois, sandwiched around a trip to Chambord, a castle built in the 16th century. The Cougars lost both games by substantial margins, due in part to plane/bus legs as well as their more experienced opponents. Getting used to the European style (and referees) was also challenging. "In Europe they allow two or three steps with the ball instead of one or two," said junior guard Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) in his blog. "Defensively, you had to be conscious of that difference."

The group stayed the next four nights in the beautiful city of Bordeaux, where the group took a walking tour through the city's historic streets, shopped in the cobblestone market and attended a professional soccer match between the hometown Girondins de Bordeaux and Le Mans. The Cougars also found time to visit a duck farm in Doazit and sample the foie-gras (pate made from duck liver) before defeating Hagetmau-Doazit, a welcome result after suffering two losses.

"The main difference in today's performance was our turnovers," said sophomore forward Sam Cricelli (Brighton, England/Culham) of the victory in his blog. "We had more control over the ball and were now more used to the style and rules of play that they go by here."

Besides the sight-seeing, the unusual food and the "cozy" hotel rooms, the tour included several long bus rides through the scenic French countryside. I-Pods, a few movies, a pillow fight or two and lots of sleeping dominated life on the bus, which was expertly driven by Jean, a Bordeaux resident. The travel and busy schedule might have contributed to the Cougars' sluggish second half in a 17-point loss to Bayonne-Urcuit in the team's final exhibition game in France.

One last bus ride, a six-hour trek from Bordeaux to Paris, brought the group back to where they started for one more day of sight-seeing. This time the team walked under the Arch de Triomphe and down the Champs-Elysees before returning to Saint-Michel for dinner and some last-minute souvenir shopping. Although the team was anxious to return home after a long trip, the experience of touring and playing in another country provided the players with memories that will last a lifetime.

"We would like to thank our administration for providing us with this opportunity and encouraging us to take this tour of France," Corino said. "It is another example of our executive administration's commitment to supporting our students as they strive to achieve their full potential as students and young adults."

In his blog, junior forward Tyrone Royster (Asbury Park, NJ/Asbury Park) adds, "I would like to say on behalf on my teammates that we are deeply grateful for the chance to experience something so monumental, and we would like to thank everybody at Caldwell College who made this trip possible. This was something we all will remember for the rest of our lives."

To read the players' blogs that they wrote during the trip, and to view photos of the Cougars in France, go to http://info.caldwell.edu/athletics.