Women's Basketball To Travel To Italy
May 17, 2011
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Late this summer, members of the Kansas women’s basketball team will travel to Europe for a 10-day tour of Italy, Aug. 9-19. The trip will give the team an opportunity to play against competitive international teams while providing an incredible cultural experience as the Jayhawks travel more than 5,000 miles across the globe.
“This trip is valuable not only from a basketball standpoint, but from a team-bonding and educational perspective as well,” said head coach Bonnie Henrickson. “This is a tremendous opportunity to get the team together and train and get to know each other a lot better before the season starts. With the new rule change, we are now allowed to take our incoming freshmen on the tour, which is beneficial in their transition to playing at the college level.”
The team departs Aug. 9 and will arrive in Rome, Italy, on Aug. 10 for a three-day stay in the capital city. KU will play its first of four contests on Aug. 12. KU’s opponents are still unknown for three of the four games. Sightseeing stops will include Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon.
A stay in Florence begins on Aug. 13, where the team will play another game the following day. While in Florence, the Jayhawks will explore the Accademi Gallery, which houses Michelangelo’s famous “David” sculpture. A day trip to the city of Pisa is also scheduled, where the team will have a chance to climb to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa).
On Aug. 15 the Jayhawks depart Florence for the city of Venice, but will first make a stop in Forli on their way to play their third game of the trip versus Dream Team Italy. Once in Venice, a boat trip will transport the team to the Piazza San Marco Square for a day of sightseeing on the 16th.
The next day, the team will travel to its final destination of Como, Italy and play its fourth and final contest. During its last full day in Italy on Aug. 18, Kansas will visit LakeComo in the Italian Alps and stop at the Bellagio for lunch, one of the most famous resorts in Como.
KU will make the 15-plus hour journey home on the morning of Aug. 19 and is scheduled to arrive back in Lawrence later that evening. Fans can follow the Jayhawks during their trip by visiting www.KUAthletics.com for daily blogs, photo galleries and videos.
Kansas returns eight letterwinners from a year ago, including leading scorers Carolyn Davis (19.0 ppg) and Monica Engelman (12.1 ppg). The Jayhawks, who finished 21-13 in 2011 and advanced to the postseason for the fourth-straight year, have also added five new talented freshmen to the mix.
