Italy Tour 2016
Stockton, Calif. - The Pacific women's basketball team prepares to embark for a 10-day preseason exhibition tour of Italy from August 13-23 as the group gets in early practice sessions. The Tigers are allowed 10 practice days leading up to their departure.
"A foreign tour is a unique and valuable experience for our program," head coach Bradley Davis said. "Not only as a first-hand educational experience, but also athletically. This trip provides additional practice dates, additional competition and makes an already close-knit group even more cohesive on the court."
Pacific has had the whole squad on the floor for a week's worth of practices, with two more to go before departing on Saturday. Four newcomers have joined the 10 returning players. Freshmen Jessica Blakeslee (a 5-10 guard from Mercer Island, Wash.) Sydney Fadal (a 6-1 center from Stockton), Jenelle Grant (a 6-0 guard/forward from London, England), Callie Owens (a 5-10 guard from Plano, Texas) have gotten their first experiences on the court with the Tigers, and will make their exhibition debuts.
The Tigers have three games lined up on the trip, facing teams from Italy and Lithuania. Pacific will face LSU-Kaunas (Lithuania), ASD Inter Club Muggla, Montecchio Magglore.
Pacific's travels will take them to Rome, Florence, Venice and Lake Como. The Pantheon, Coliseum, Vatican, and Venice's Grand Canal are just a few of the historical and cultural landmarks the Tigers will visit as they expand their knowledge of history and culture.
"I have never been anywhere outside of North America. I am really excited to tour all the beautiful cities, as well as playing a few exhibition games out there," sophomore Ameela Li said. "I think this is an amazing opportunity to be able to spend 10 days in Italy. And I can't wait to eat delicious, authentic Italian food."
"It will be a whole new world with many exciting sites to see," senior Mauriana Clayton added "I have never traveled outside of the country before, so this is will be the highlight of my college career. I am beyond blessed to be in this position and be able to travel the world while playing the game I love."
"We took our team to France in 2012 and the players talked about it their entire time at Pacific," added Davis. "Some players may not have the opportunity to do something like this again and we are very fortunate to have an administration that supports our decision to make this trip possible for our student-athletes."
Fans can follow the Tigers travels at the Pacific Italy Tour page ( http://pacifictigers.com/sports/w-baskbl/Italy2016) which will feature video updates and a stream of social media posts.
Pacific kicked off the Italy Tour by hosting a Shoot-A-Thon Thursday at the Spanos Center to help fund the Tigers' travels. The Pacific student-athletes, coaches and staffs shot attempted 100 shots each, with their performance earning them donations per make from their sponsors.
