Saint Mary’s Women’s Basketball Heads to Italy for Ten-Day Summer Tour
Looking ahead, seven Gaels return from last year’s roster, and eight new players join them. Together this summer they take on three teams in Rome and Florence. So here’s how to cheer them on in Italian.
Saint Mary's Women's Basketball is embarking a tour of Italy beginning June 24. The ten-day international tour is the first for the Women's Basketball program and includes three games in Rome and Florence.
Capturing the excitement the summer, the watchphrase for the days ahead: "Forza Gaels: Esplora l'Italia, Gioca con Cuore!" Which is to say, “Go Gaels: Explore Italy, Play with Heart!
The Gaels depart for Italy today and make their way to Florence, where they will face ASD Basketball on June 28 at 6 p.m. local time. While the Gaels get adjusted to the nine-hour time difference, they will also take in some sites around Venice and Pisa.
Next on the tour is a three-night stay in Rome, where Saint Mary's plays games on back-to-back days. The Gaels take on Basket Roma on June 30 at 7 p.m. local time, and they tackle Lazio Select on July 1 at 6:30 p.m. local time.
The tour will also give them time to visit Siena and the Trevi Fountain, and to take in the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Saint Mary's rounds out the summer tour with a stay in Caserta, just outside Naples, where it’s all hands on deck for a pizza making class and a visit to the Amalfi Coast.
The Gaels return to the Bay Area on July 4. Saint Mary's is working with Global Sports and Events to help coordinate the tour.
Game Reps Against Pro and All-Star Teams
This inaugural international tour brings an opportunity for the Gaels to get game repetitions against professional and all-star teams from Italy. The tour also provides Saint Mary's with ten practices prior to the trip, and it offers a chance for the newly-forged team to bond under second-year Head Coach Jeff Cammon.
"This trip comes at a perfect time for our program,” Cammon assesses. “This is a great way to integrate several new players into our system, while creating bonding and cultural experiences that will last a lifetime. The practices leading up to the trip have proven to be valuable and it's exciting to see the talent in our program right now.”
Who does that talent include? The Gaels return seven players from last year's roster, and they brought in eight new players this offseason to the program.
Returning players are Emily Foy, Maia Jones, Addison Wedin, Zeryhia Aokuso, Nadia Bernard, Edie Clarke, and Amy Kurkowski. They will be joined by newcomers Jada Hunter, Mauriana Hashemian-Orr, Sasha Murphy, Abigail Shoff, Kennedy Johnson, Melesungu Afeaki, Mali Ennis, and Ella Wedin.
There will also be increased coverage of sightseeing and interviews shared regularly via all social media platforms @SMCGaels.
