Men's Basketball | 7/29/2016 9:51:00 AM

In between bites of sauerbraten and schnitzel, sampling camembert and reblochon cheese at the Marché Bastille, strolls along the Rhine and Seine Rivers and visits to Notre Dame Cathedral, The Louvre and Eiffel Tower, USF's men's basketball team will play four games in a 10-day, three-city European trip which will take the Dons to Dusseldorf, Germany, Ghent, Belgium and Paris starting next week.
 
USF's traveling party will depart for its 10-day European excursion from San Francisco International Airport on Thursday, August 4 at 7:30 a.m. and after a brief layover in Atlanta, the team is scheduled to arrive in Dusseldorf on Friday morning at approximately 8:45 a.m.
 
The Dons will play four games against top club teams from Germany, Belgium and France, with the first contest slated for Sunday, August 7 against the Artland Dragons in Dusseldorf beginning at 2:00 p.m. It marks the first of three games in three days for the Dons, who will also face the Ghent Hawks and KBBC Oooskamp in Belgium on August 9 and 10, respectively. USF's final game of the trip is scheduled for Friday, August 12 in Paris against an AMW All-Star team.
 
Per NCAA rules, teams are allowed to make international trips every four years. From a basketball standpoint, the timing of this trip couldn't be better for first-year head coach Kyle Smith and his young team in search of an identity in the wake of heavy losses.
 
"This trip couldn't have happened at a more opportune time for our program," said Smith, who was appointed USF's head coach in May after a successful six-year run at Columbia. "The practices leading up to the trip have been invaluable because they have given us an opportunity to get through a lot of the bumps and bruises we would have encountered in October and November. It's a great situation for us to get some game experience this early in the year with such a young team."
 
I'm very excited for our guys to experience the different cultures, as well. It will be an eye-opening experience for those who have never traveled internationally before. The games are important, but the cultural experiences will provide a tremendous opportunity for growth for all of our guys."
 
Upon arrival in Dusseldorf on Friday, the Dons will be treated to a site-seeing tour of Germany's seventh-most populated city located in the center of the Lower Rhine basin. The day will be highlighted by a visit to the Rhine Embankment Promenade, regarded as one of Europe's most beautiful esplanades which links traditional old town to the avant-garde MedienHafen.
 
On Saturday, August 7, the team will take a side trip to Cologne, which is approximately 50 minutes from Dusseldorf and a major cultural center for the Rhineland. The Dons will play their first of four games on that afternoon against the Artland Dragons. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Waldhalle Gymnasium.
 
The Dons will bus from Dusseldorf to Ghent, Belgium on Monday, August 8 and will play the Ghent Hawks that evening at 7:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, the Dons will take a walking tour of Ghent, the capital of Belgium's East Flander's province before facing KBBC Ooostkamp at De Valkaart Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m.
 
The team will bus to Paris on Wednesday, August 10 and will take part in a boat tour of the Seine River that evening. A full day of sightseeing is scheduled for Thursday, with stops scheduled at the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and Musee D'Orsay, to name a few.
 
On Friday, August 12, the team will tour the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Couer and play its final game of the trip that evening against the Paris AMW All-Stars.
 
After a free day in Paris on Saturday, the team will fly back to San Francisco on Sunday, August 14.
 
Fans can follow the Dons' tour on USFDons.com, Twitter @USFDonsMBB using the hashtag #EuroDons and the men's basketball Facebook page. Coverage will include blogs, photos and game recaps throughout the trip.
 
#EuroDons Itinerary
August 4 – Depart from SFO to Atlanta and Dusseldorf, Germany
August 5 – Arrive in Dusseldorf, Germany; sight-seeing
August 6 – Tour of Cologne, Germany
August 7 – USF vs. Artland Dragons in Dusseldorf, 2:00 p.m.
August 8 – Bus to Ghent, Belgium; game vs. Ghent Hawks, 7:30 p.m.
August 9 – Walking tour of Ghent; game vs. KBBC Ooskamp, 7:00 p.m.
August 10 – Bus to Paris, France; Seine River boat tour
August 11 – Sight-seeing in Paris
August 12 – Tour of Basilica of the Sacred Heart; game vs. Paris AMW All-Stars, 7:00 p.m.
August 13 – Sight-seeing in Paris
August 14 – Return to San Francisco