The Seattle University men’s basketball team will head to the Bahamas for a seven-day foreign tour, playing three local teams as it prepares for the 2008-09 season, a historic one in terms of the impending move to Division I.
The team will leave for the Bahamas on August 24. This type of trip is allowed by the NCAA once every four years and is intended to be an educational experience as the student-athletes will explore the country as well as play basketball games. Head coach Joe Callero previously took his players to , on a similar tour before the 2003-04 season.
“Our alumni, boosters, and parents have been very supportive helping us raise funds for this great preseason opportunity. We hope to get a jump on our competition at a critical time,” Callero said.
The Redhawks will be competing in their first Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 27-29, facing WAC school Louisiana Tech in the first round followed by a matchup against either of the Mountain West Conference or of the Southern Conference. The other side of the bracket includes Division I schools Hampton, Northern Illinois, and Portland State as well as former GNAC rival Alaska Anchorage.
“This tournament has a rich history and we are honored to have been asked to participate during our first season competing against Division I schools in almost 30 years,” said Callero. “Our team looks forward to representing the Seattle University tradition.”
The men’s basketball team returns nine players from the 2007-08 squad that posted its third consecutive winning record with an 18-9 record. Those players got a significant feel for life at the Division I level when they traveled to Lexington, Ky., for an exhibition game last season against the University of Kentucky. The rest of the 2008-09 schedule will be announced in the next few weeks.
The athletic department presently sponsors 18 intercollegiate sports and will start competing in the sport of baseball in the 2009-10 academic year. The school is in Year One of the NCAA reclassification process towards moving up to Division I status.